tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71708511855576968782024-03-05T14:21:08.952-08:00The Impulsive ChefFollow the continuing adventures of The Impulsive Chef! Who wants to plan meals when making them up on the fly is so much more exciting?Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-3767343500061825562015-05-15T15:37:00.000-07:002015-05-15T15:37:18.535-07:00Cupcake Day!<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hey all, Lisa here...<br /><br />I've really come to enjoy baking recently, and anytime I feel like making cupcakes, I knock them out and then send them to work with Brian. That led to my very first </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"professional" (paid) cupcake order, from one of Brian's co-workers!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I prepared by scouring Pinterest for decoration ideas to match my customer's theme, purchasing all the tools, accessories and ingredients I'd need, and making sure all of my equipment was spotlessly clean.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Then, it was finally time to make them! The order was for 3 dozen, including 2 different flavors and 3 different decorations, for the customer's parents' 50th wedding anniversary celebration. She wanted a rustic, lakeside camping theme, so we landed on fish/ water, trees, and campfire designs.</span><br style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was my first time making/ decorating that many cupcakes at once, and I had a blast (even though after 8 solid hours on my feet in the kitchen, I had useless bricks for feet!). I'm so pleased with how they turned out, and most importantly, so was the customer!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Of course, being the photography enthusiast that I am, I photo-documented everything. Enjoy! :)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bmosOVfv-oJolHUH5vPa1zNFZn7pkDcCr8Goaf29yK83cRsZuL-lYqw_61ugoTduBv11oZVxLiQC5F0gNe61Tz3wni8O_PVyvOkv9yLwqjo33eTeq2aztN8OjZTI2bI2MLKxD8QDSmss/s1600/cupcake1small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bmosOVfv-oJolHUH5vPa1zNFZn7pkDcCr8Goaf29yK83cRsZuL-lYqw_61ugoTduBv11oZVxLiQC5F0gNe61Tz3wni8O_PVyvOkv9yLwqjo33eTeq2aztN8OjZTI2bI2MLKxD8QDSmss/s400/cupcake1small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Setting the scene</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_m7qtJsMzVwQefCEAFGBoIMaXHUCr1T1s4tpUiSzQoQxiV39jgAcq_FVLCjogPq4dblDEfQ3h7LVvX0MxcVCmosS-_q2UMpM5k0kxe2DlEqi-CLx3B2JlUr1atZBOB0hEb-XAzcrFnk40/s1600/cupcake2small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_m7qtJsMzVwQefCEAFGBoIMaXHUCr1T1s4tpUiSzQoQxiV39jgAcq_FVLCjogPq4dblDEfQ3h7LVvX0MxcVCmosS-_q2UMpM5k0kxe2DlEqi-CLx3B2JlUr1atZBOB0hEb-XAzcrFnk40/s400/cupcake2small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>An obscene amount of butter</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA1K0-uEQ65XGojZBXeHHb3atdq4RKR8IjXmEalpqhpKYHM-5uh2YImqo703c0r9_tihOvaaCC5KiblRnmlIPM4znnLVYQ5r1Q-ElPU9P7TMv1AivK2rsWv2yJ6XaWXow_Q0Okkvcvxt_t/s1600/cupcake3small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA1K0-uEQ65XGojZBXeHHb3atdq4RKR8IjXmEalpqhpKYHM-5uh2YImqo703c0r9_tihOvaaCC5KiblRnmlIPM4znnLVYQ5r1Q-ElPU9P7TMv1AivK2rsWv2yJ6XaWXow_Q0Okkvcvxt_t/s400/cupcake3small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Details</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTmepA-h7w5FTfP5sEt1Ped1KKhuKyx8STLEWZxgWikkQHerdG0dz5zmnDHKbiRq_NnRCSEqpg4KT3khk3gv8yAhzUrsbOchTit7_bdhXdNWTG8MJ2vz1X3M0ENkVX-GK_TPTIGtDmUGu/s1600/cupcake4small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTmepA-h7w5FTfP5sEt1Ped1KKhuKyx8STLEWZxgWikkQHerdG0dz5zmnDHKbiRq_NnRCSEqpg4KT3khk3gv8yAhzUrsbOchTit7_bdhXdNWTG8MJ2vz1X3M0ENkVX-GK_TPTIGtDmUGu/s400/cupcake4small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Dry ingredients ready to go</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtI5LyBkAFrMTEP5G-VamQWmoAmk4sXNVferdFs9XhoUXQUszPirxITrx9zD31IBnUTYgsEUU-TuVuz1-eGZ50RbpCG35sXSZanH_Z-f-DxvYrdzOqnVGfmzLyhyEsnx_ry6ACR045n5Mp/s1600/cupcake5small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtI5LyBkAFrMTEP5G-VamQWmoAmk4sXNVferdFs9XhoUXQUszPirxITrx9zD31IBnUTYgsEUU-TuVuz1-eGZ50RbpCG35sXSZanH_Z-f-DxvYrdzOqnVGfmzLyhyEsnx_ry6ACR045n5Mp/s400/cupcake5small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I used light blue and brown cupcake liners to designate between the 2 different flavors</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7fk2EmxmHujV9cw3w2MzsslR1U17DaVu08-iFfbxjaGBawv_ufKTjJfWIXxQcgYmyRirt6EAaRoFADiJL9pYqcqSs3XnuwLck2BcrRNx2VComAeM1lh0jbqW9aausvD94VewvPTrWIDG/s1600/cupcake6small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7fk2EmxmHujV9cw3w2MzsslR1U17DaVu08-iFfbxjaGBawv_ufKTjJfWIXxQcgYmyRirt6EAaRoFADiJL9pYqcqSs3XnuwLck2BcrRNx2VComAeM1lh0jbqW9aausvD94VewvPTrWIDG/s400/cupcake6small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Using my handy-dandy metal scoop to evenly fill each cup</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPZE0w-jiFlGorfKLfUtnXeJ0-FPvgqqV-jSgiFbLlsXKnZkPW98JJRbJ_hSKsDdBxJYeU-JEVIxSXTsirNHDseZNNRwCxzaK0dd5Yh3-_YiHHY2kbY4oNMUFw0ikBx_MqFADjUxn2PDK/s1600/cupcake7small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPZE0w-jiFlGorfKLfUtnXeJ0-FPvgqqV-jSgiFbLlsXKnZkPW98JJRbJ_hSKsDdBxJYeU-JEVIxSXTsirNHDseZNNRwCxzaK0dd5Yh3-_YiHHY2kbY4oNMUFw0ikBx_MqFADjUxn2PDK/s400/cupcake7small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Using this much butter at once... is just this side of disturbing.</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7WOk0uuNsttarJfkgfl8HbrAJCY8x75kRHpg0_NfavDMwbvk2neQjfMU9dH15kvrfn4m5uWR-v1x5Ba18HurasRm1kzsHq0U3cVJAC4MeQBtwI1lBKbYzhgG8-M9HuBR-2dH4O8r4Rck/s1600/cupcake8small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7WOk0uuNsttarJfkgfl8HbrAJCY8x75kRHpg0_NfavDMwbvk2neQjfMU9dH15kvrfn4m5uWR-v1x5Ba18HurasRm1kzsHq0U3cVJAC4MeQBtwI1lBKbYzhgG8-M9HuBR-2dH4O8r4Rck/s400/cupcake8small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>The buttercream icing is made!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtPmj4o9VX2cv62PKqpV9058k01YwEhyphenhyphenBItEURsS7v9N2oAKF8HCRTOmlSUNk9u8uAO_DlJs3VUR9p_CJI2bzirT6h8lEQf3usjFy9ExPCIOJZ7l_qVcTR9rn-BVJMBygYMABCIYtYozp/s1600/cupcake9small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtPmj4o9VX2cv62PKqpV9058k01YwEhyphenhyphenBItEURsS7v9N2oAKF8HCRTOmlSUNk9u8uAO_DlJs3VUR9p_CJI2bzirT6h8lEQf3usjFy9ExPCIOJZ7l_qVcTR9rn-BVJMBygYMABCIYtYozp/s400/cupcake9small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Aren't they cute? And so full of potential. :)</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5mBA3u3RzDlllPp_-rmQMzzp5Jb9vx4X2PIPhyqg_8gmllWB_4MuNASRVJ_jasq0V35LfLlyGTjfjqTyOCy3OHQE_jYqO-YvFmUvtxIQVp-S-HCW8wL84NOZydjeZX3lnHKoMNak4Fbv/s1600/cupcake10small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5mBA3u3RzDlllPp_-rmQMzzp5Jb9vx4X2PIPhyqg_8gmllWB_4MuNASRVJ_jasq0V35LfLlyGTjfjqTyOCy3OHQE_jYqO-YvFmUvtxIQVp-S-HCW8wL84NOZydjeZX3lnHKoMNak4Fbv/s400/cupcake10small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Cupcakes for days!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlsnGe1i7B6V7_tJ2RBxjk6IyTy3phA04-Q8zwQdMio2k1I3CptFQsnj7HIHk7cUh6p_POpQ3EXs-a0IB6EZRY6q0JQZTACKZJR_fXYEZJXz5I3tFVRJvDJwl3vIdW3KO9pam2YctiMst/s1600/cupcake11small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlsnGe1i7B6V7_tJ2RBxjk6IyTy3phA04-Q8zwQdMio2k1I3CptFQsnj7HIHk7cUh6p_POpQ3EXs-a0IB6EZRY6q0JQZTACKZJR_fXYEZJXz5I3tFVRJvDJwl3vIdW3KO9pam2YctiMst/s400/cupcake11small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>My 5 different icing colors - 2 blue shades for water, green for grass, and brown & orange for the campfires.</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnpw1-7sYZjq2E4DEk_y1qm2AJJKyEOKb6hN0HAUw9ACbovcfbo5iJtYrVSjNV8a5KhqWgDEFuYcURLTzG8vX4uebtvBpo-C685ywRuH8IsAdh0rpnYW27KroceaVN18Ua6oLeOEwmgrc/s1600/cupcake12small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnpw1-7sYZjq2E4DEk_y1qm2AJJKyEOKb6hN0HAUw9ACbovcfbo5iJtYrVSjNV8a5KhqWgDEFuYcURLTzG8vX4uebtvBpo-C685ywRuH8IsAdh0rpnYW27KroceaVN18Ua6oLeOEwmgrc/s400/cupcake12small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>A fish/ water cupcake! I like how the fish appear to be leaping out of the water.</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAZIt_RjvXPxhuTuFlzX2nOwF1QxZ_9YR7nNVO5Ww_dfLrNQq3lm_jEgtjsYaXGVKosMBX_5TxNDDnsWOh6_hIRFx7GxS3SySDS09NxzAtjzN0FAMBMetFYa7Lu1a58RCdfHmNWmAv1uB5/s1600/cupcake13small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAZIt_RjvXPxhuTuFlzX2nOwF1QxZ_9YR7nNVO5Ww_dfLrNQq3lm_jEgtjsYaXGVKosMBX_5TxNDDnsWOh6_hIRFx7GxS3SySDS09NxzAtjzN0FAMBMetFYa7Lu1a58RCdfHmNWmAv1uB5/s400/cupcake13small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>The full dozen</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBoZNMsdq8DI6PmzDWkuZiQSMUtsRRzywg_srqPxMehIplQndKheO1VlROD6JCMVKDaNQHGDy8zjYnjpjJD5lvkcl0i0wvyVhou-V7O-Ah4DsRvItZ4t6qmS5F4Mxh6WY-UlX0dygE4Nk8/s1600/cupcake14small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBoZNMsdq8DI6PmzDWkuZiQSMUtsRRzywg_srqPxMehIplQndKheO1VlROD6JCMVKDaNQHGDy8zjYnjpjJD5lvkcl0i0wvyVhou-V7O-Ah4DsRvItZ4t6qmS5F4Mxh6WY-UlX0dygE4Nk8/s400/cupcake14small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>A tree cupcake! With </i></span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">icing </i><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"grass" and a few cute flowers to spruce (pun intended) it up.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRLkD3oyIkdcpmC7pQJZvhLM19Pp3PC1gulD8KRUD8j-jSPYJ5Nwycyv5LXBNDfCt9Oe2ChXhBQ0wPuV3ZJqqXjGrReaq2ELkmfmXJTEa1mjnkLteSRYi2VpMG2J26mvuKJe_In470_-ba/s1600/cupcake15small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRLkD3oyIkdcpmC7pQJZvhLM19Pp3PC1gulD8KRUD8j-jSPYJ5Nwycyv5LXBNDfCt9Oe2ChXhBQ0wPuV3ZJqqXjGrReaq2ELkmfmXJTEa1mjnkLteSRYi2VpMG2J26mvuKJe_In470_-ba/s400/cupcake15small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>The full dozen</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbc1CzNvB0uG9fYVEqeG90H3cB_RpPpo4gt7DErgxXyAQQPidNZlKocVoCS0Tr9o9tVffFk49Eln6iNjX7KmWALabYVPuZPcadArf7bPHxKB3G57jBHeTX5KQz2QtAZcZ4gHaxn3Ry7g5/s1600/cupcake16small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbc1CzNvB0uG9fYVEqeG90H3cB_RpPpo4gt7DErgxXyAQQPidNZlKocVoCS0Tr9o9tVffFk49Eln6iNjX7KmWALabYVPuZPcadArf7bPHxKB3G57jBHeTX5KQz2QtAZcZ4gHaxn3Ry7g5/s400/cupcake16small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>And a campfire cupcake! I cut up mini Twix bars to serve as the wood logs. Sooo cute, amirite??</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvHQNlbHyH3-OM_532_URpfULAMhN2h5DHfDUlgZYIDLVZO4rzWgy5jbMr1m-ekRT8ELbsgGjn4S3pgBm3MrQHK_KOaKZWPki-4WQ4r4zBkcO-PhmQqTMy-7IWiOODbyE5DKejRtW3woN/s1600/cupcake17small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvHQNlbHyH3-OM_532_URpfULAMhN2h5DHfDUlgZYIDLVZO4rzWgy5jbMr1m-ekRT8ELbsgGjn4S3pgBm3MrQHK_KOaKZWPki-4WQ4r4zBkcO-PhmQqTMy-7IWiOODbyE5DKejRtW3woN/s400/cupcake17small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>The full dozen</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Making and photographing cupcakes is pretty much my heaven, so this was just awesome. And I've heard through the grapevine that more orders may very well be coming my way soon, which I'd definitely eagerly accept! So fun!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading!</span></div>
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Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-84502148690345552572015-04-21T11:11:00.002-07:002015-04-21T11:11:34.349-07:00Homemade Mozzarella I absolutely love fresh mozzarella- with tomatoes, basil, oil, vinegar, on pizza, on sandwiches, all by itself...there's no wrong way to eat it. Unfortunately, fresh mozzarella isn't exactly cheap, and the quality varies widely from brand to brand. Luckily, it's way easier to make a ton of it on your own for a tiny fraction of what you'd pay in the store for considerably less.<br />
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Today I will be your guide (or change the "e" to an "o" and i'll be your Guido....) on a journey into mozzarella heaven.<br />
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You're going to need only a few ingredients:</div>
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1 gallon milk</div>
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Citric acid powder</div>
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Rennet tablets</div>
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Kosher (non-iodized) salt</div>
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So first of all, I got my citric acid at Whole Foods in the health and beauty area. Yeah, it's a little weird, but it's in over by the handmade soaps. It's cheap, so no worries. Second, you'll need rennet tabs. I used the Junket brand. Feel free to use whatever you want, but Junket is the easiest to find. The milk you use is up to you- I prefer to use whole cow milk, but you can use goat milk just as easily. Anyway, once you have all of this, you're ready to go.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious beauty supplies</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It looks like milk that has been in the fridge too long...</td></tr>
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The first step is mix about 2 tbsp of citric acid in 1 cup of water and set it aside. Then mix 1 tablet of rennet into 1/4 of a cup of water and set that aside. Pour the gallon of milk into a large pot and heat it over medium heat until it's 90 degrees. If it gets a little higher, that's fine. I use a regular thermometer because it'd be stupid to buy a real cooking one for something like this, plus, i'm cheap.<br />
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Separating...</div>
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Ok, so once you've got the milk warming, add the water that has the citric acid and the water that has the rennet to the milk. You'll notice it starting to curdle almost immediately, and it's pretty cool to see. Stir it gently, and check the temp to make sure it's almost at 90 degrees. Once it is, remove it from the heat and let it sit uncovered for 5 min or so. You'll see it start separating and part of it turning yellow. The yellow stuff is the whey. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAi3P725EevUSHnJe6oIF7r6MrrYwF8Bq_71vRUPKeDHGrWYxeA6n_FqotpJuxhEHejkIJWdBiNWX10M2FDFgTmZQw_-xMbCbnOTuuXDa9Adeq7JkIYhVxvXTnzTPVQrM-Wnc3ac6HA3zQ/s1600/Disbelief-Garth-No-way-Waynes-World-No-Nope-Nix-Never-GIF.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAi3P725EevUSHnJe6oIF7r6MrrYwF8Bq_71vRUPKeDHGrWYxeA6n_FqotpJuxhEHejkIJWdBiNWX10M2FDFgTmZQw_-xMbCbnOTuuXDa9Adeq7JkIYhVxvXTnzTPVQrM-Wnc3ac6HA3zQ/s1600/Disbelief-Garth-No-way-Waynes-World-No-Nope-Nix-Never-GIF.gif" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whey.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflUYdnE5mC__X_WubfUVJtA66J0ZGhRuMoXl62UCPkkCs-3sG45TCLBqSYmgLVuqc2gtS-a4eypIoXzG-WYbmSWpMbwWBq_DFLYRBo6_a6bu83Ej5V-LwP6SDB9bmuXNr5q4aVegS0teN/s1600/IMAG2356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflUYdnE5mC__X_WubfUVJtA66J0ZGhRuMoXl62UCPkkCs-3sG45TCLBqSYmgLVuqc2gtS-a4eypIoXzG-WYbmSWpMbwWBq_DFLYRBo6_a6bu83Ej5V-LwP6SDB9bmuXNr5q4aVegS0teN/s1600/IMAG2356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a>After it's started separating, you'll notice it's starting to kind of getting clumpy. That's good...so now, turn the heat back on and take it up to about 105 degrees. Try not to let it get much hotter than that or you end up with runny (but delicious!) cheese. Once it hits 105 degrees, remove it from the heat and let it cool down (i've let it cool overnight covered, but 10-15 minutes is fine). At this point, there should be an island of kind of firm but not really curds on the top of the whey. Using a skimmer, get as much of it as possible out of the whey and into a bowl.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If this is your temperature, please seek medical attention immediately<br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skimming off the top</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shortly after, the Baskin-Robins was closed down by the Health Department</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whey removed, ready for microwave</td></tr>
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Once you've got as much as you can into the bowl, remove as much whey as possible from the bowl. I used a turkey baster, but you can do whatever you want. After they whey is gone, pop the bowl into the microwave for 30 seconds. It'll come out and there will be even MORE whey in there that needs to come out. Drain that and then put the bowl back in for another 15 seconds. Drain the whey again, and sprinkle about 1 tsp of kosher salt on top of the curds in the bowl.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to fold!</td></tr>
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Using either a spoon or your hands, start to fold the cheese over on itself to get the salt totally integrated to the curds. </div>
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You'll notice them starting to get more solid as you work them. Once they've started to get a little more solid, begin shaping the cheese with your hands. The important thing to do at this point now is to stretch the cheese. Think of it like pizza dough- stretch it and then push it together. It'll start to get tighter, if that makes any sense. Then start rolling it into a ball. It will eventually be about the size of a softball, and weigh about one pound. Put the ball into a container, cover it with some of the whey from the pot (you did keep it, didn't you?) and put it in the fridge. It'll keep for about a week, but you're only fooling yourself if you think it'll actually still be there in a week.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Try not to eat the whole thing at once. Seriously. </td></tr>
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Congratulations, you're a cheesemaker!<br />
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Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-27774371198880065282014-11-17T07:12:00.002-08:002014-11-17T07:12:46.753-08:00The Comfort Casserole (or "What can we throw in a pan?")Most of the time I am making dishes from scratch- carefully breaded chicken, homemade sauces, soups that take longer to create than they do to eat. Then there are those times that I want something easy. Something thrown together. In this case, that something was a casserole.<br />
<br />
This wasn't going to just be any casserole. It was going to be a comfort casserole. I was at work having a particularly difficult day, and started thinking about what I wanted for dinner. I wanted something comforting, and in this situation, that meant something cheesy, potato-y, and chicken-y.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9KCyYYZAnIakOTP_bkfyuvK6y8ZnKCd44WjLpEAnolGdZH81_M0W-UJsdHbudTGDYndeJbUpZbFGMAWfT7tdB5kvnIQH9Zrn9YwtGhyjdhNBNyuUaUimevS-4t9CQe3ycwe53PPALR5-/s1600/photo-2-1--9617035c39d6010d0aa60679cb8829e229bf64c9-s4-c85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9KCyYYZAnIakOTP_bkfyuvK6y8ZnKCd44WjLpEAnolGdZH81_M0W-UJsdHbudTGDYndeJbUpZbFGMAWfT7tdB5kvnIQH9Zrn9YwtGhyjdhNBNyuUaUimevS-4t9CQe3ycwe53PPALR5-/s1600/photo-2-1--9617035c39d6010d0aa60679cb8829e229bf64c9-s4-c85.jpg" height="297" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What part of the chicken do the rings come from? </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I really love those bags of frozen chicken rings. Basically, they're just small chicken patties with the centers cut out, but yum. Seriously. I had a bag of diced potatoes, and a random package of marked down bacon, a bag of white onions, some green onions, a few Roma tomatoes, and a couple of half-empty bags of cheese.<br />
<br />
I cooked the chicken rings in my toaster oven, then lined the bottom of the lasagna pan with them. The diced potatoes were cooked on the stove top with a little olive oil, and the bacon was done in a smaller pan on the stove top. I topped the chicken rings with a mixture of the browned potatoes, sliced onions, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheese. Popped it into the oven for 20 minutes or so at 400, and took it out. As I spooned the gooey concoction onto my plate, I topped it with some diced tomatoes and chopped green onion, and finished it off with some ranch dressing.<br />
<br />
Not one of my more elegant dishes, but I'll be damned if it wasn't delicious. Sometimes the comfort foods are the best remedy for a bad day.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-43118334550239757512014-09-17T07:27:00.000-07:002014-09-17T07:27:07.728-07:00Feeding the book club- Part II<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s that time again- time to feed the book club! As I've
said before, I look forward to it more than anything because I love cooking and
serving groups. This time, I didn't spend that much time coming up with a
specific dinner- it all just kind of happened randomly as I wandered around
Kroger.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first piece of the puzzle happened when I found some
marked-down organic veal sirloin cuts. The price was too good to pass up, so I
grabbed them. It’s been a while since I've cooked veal cutlets like that, and I
didn't want to just do plain broiled or grilled. I ran a quick trial on some
pork medallions to test three different methods and spices- broiled/chimichury,
broiled/salt and pepper, lightly fried in olive oil with breadcrumbs and yellow
curry. Lisa and I tried them all and settled on the fried variety. The trick
was going to be A) not overcooking it and B) not having too much oil. This was
going to be cooking without a net on the day of book club.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsubDg_vFGKwZPPEFylNy70E82b4UgiNo-KlK0jIcyLdG9Bw9LDKmwEUJn2Dfvn-nfJyeQjmLq2a0jeNK98mLB5stmF3zY42RBlk78Tma9xHw2V6oVs0F-C_jU_SWg4Aa6yTZroFm5UQx/s1600/IMAG1622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsubDg_vFGKwZPPEFylNy70E82b4UgiNo-KlK0jIcyLdG9Bw9LDKmwEUJn2Dfvn-nfJyeQjmLq2a0jeNK98mLB5stmF3zY42RBlk78Tma9xHw2V6oVs0F-C_jU_SWg4Aa6yTZroFm5UQx/s1600/IMAG1622.jpg" height="640" width="361" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-breading </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zrn9fNw9aRokSY60yaefMuy-Ryw8sk1PvjFszlIJx263BKO_vIZkksrw1UU5N6w7GtP50nEqNptDcTcWi4gvexnYQG4wZZVYNhXPHSuXAJa07uHdF2cKHmQE2P2GI97UK1bF_YKrtC9p/s1600/IMAG1623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zrn9fNw9aRokSY60yaefMuy-Ryw8sk1PvjFszlIJx263BKO_vIZkksrw1UU5N6w7GtP50nEqNptDcTcWi4gvexnYQG4wZZVYNhXPHSuXAJa07uHdF2cKHmQE2P2GI97UK1bF_YKrtC9p/s1600/IMAG1623.jpg" height="640" width="361" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-breading</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7isZ570Zui69k1O6YzgrciQKCMeFtAVt0Qsy1FZ9gF7lQxrLyycxWKBV6ZzvlXYjHk_xPEl1rx7ut-XRydocBK-8iccX6wGk1XXOfykLmRiki25ZcRaD2XtVbNujuuQDQzI48k7CSWDt4/s1600/IMAG1634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7isZ570Zui69k1O6YzgrciQKCMeFtAVt0Qsy1FZ9gF7lQxrLyycxWKBV6ZzvlXYjHk_xPEl1rx7ut-XRydocBK-8iccX6wGk1XXOfykLmRiki25ZcRaD2XtVbNujuuQDQzI48k7CSWDt4/s1600/IMAG1634.jpg" height="640" width="361" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sizzle sizzle!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next piece of the puzzle was figuring out what to serve alongside
the veal. I was thinking about doing a baked potato, but then changed my mind
when I thought about what the veal sirloin looked like- mini steaks! So what
would you have with a mini steak? Mini baked potatoes! I got some baby red
jacket potatoes and cooked them like a regular baked potato, split them, and
served them with the usual accouterments.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHt1Z24PfcaH2VWO-MgOQ9m6fNhbLUidmvg7065i_VkpdrsWz3IQ1EIiWNMh2juq1X8I5WLEhw6cswFnOhEXincAHpz8mo4X85Y6ylDGny-vieY41xvozYBuUNuA-duXeQrvafG72EiYj/s1600/DSC_0163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHt1Z24PfcaH2VWO-MgOQ9m6fNhbLUidmvg7065i_VkpdrsWz3IQ1EIiWNMh2juq1X8I5WLEhw6cswFnOhEXincAHpz8mo4X85Y6ylDGny-vieY41xvozYBuUNuA-duXeQrvafG72EiYj/s1600/DSC_0163.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I forgot to get a picture of the potatoes, but they looked similar to these.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The last piece was the most difficult to conceptualize. I
knew in my head what I wanted. Kind of. My doodles were the genesis of what
became my crispy spinach salad, but it went through a couple of revisions
before I had it right. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8itAAMmdJO2ktOnB-deLZOkS0ARTcBSG7-6MK88mHAMkAMT8Rp_227ka4HH55K8VWJIgOaS1hphc1rOevyZwe3agN3WYiU3H-aui998J5Nl1cX6oyFEb77IFk0WhM4Z_Hdgpx8GZx3cY2/s1600/IMAG1637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8itAAMmdJO2ktOnB-deLZOkS0ARTcBSG7-6MK88mHAMkAMT8Rp_227ka4HH55K8VWJIgOaS1hphc1rOevyZwe3agN3WYiU3H-aui998J5Nl1cX6oyFEb77IFk0WhM4Z_Hdgpx8GZx3cY2/s1600/IMAG1637.jpg" height="361" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right in between interview questions and ERP implementation tasks. Where will YOU be when inspiration strikes?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It started with thinking about doing a spinach salad,
but again, that’s a very expected side to go with veal and potatoes. I wanted
to see if I would be able to make spinach crispy by either frying it or baking
it. I decided to try baking it first- 350 degrees for about 10 minutes,
single-layered on a baking pan. The spinach dried out and got crispy as I had
hoped, but I ran into some problems with it sticking to the foil, so I tried
again with a little spray of PAM. This time it worked great, and I was able to
get the spinach off without any issue.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrw8wkJ6YS5z376wSCYQGQTkcqyul5aMrjI1ZH0n6rpr8DY6Wmwk3jVdVWr0dTfhmGiJqVCxbuLev6fOHEM6k7hyphenhyphenHAL7yrgwQH3kZrjcbS8navFzZh2soPgWz1E7lhSnGDJV0V_paI1vx/s1600/IMAG1630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrw8wkJ6YS5z376wSCYQGQTkcqyul5aMrjI1ZH0n6rpr8DY6Wmwk3jVdVWr0dTfhmGiJqVCxbuLev6fOHEM6k7hyphenhyphenHAL7yrgwQH3kZrjcbS8navFzZh2soPgWz1E7lhSnGDJV0V_paI1vx/s1600/IMAG1630.jpg" height="640" width="361" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked and crispy spinach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first pass was to stack spinach, provolone, and then
more spinach, and top it with a bit of vinaigrette. It was, for lack of a
better word, boring both visually and taste-wise. My second attempt added a
tomato slice to the bottom, and this time I stacked the spinach, cheese and
spinach on top of the slice of tomato and cooked it at a low temp on the
stove top to melt the cheese and give the tomato a bit of a cooked flavor. I topped
the finished product with Parmesan cheese and a drop or two of vinaigrette. This
was miles better than the first try, but still was lacking…something. I wanted
to have something that would add a savory flavor to the side. I went through my
refrigerator and found exactly what I needed- Genoa salami!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBQImXtIM5B8mar3LB3P8ADurcmjx-9OaoSHYRlWNZA158HPMNBbFin3J2qIcrzgNQlNOUXo8l2hNnnIh1VVYLOPliKd2epNHcCyVb9Mw6Fq_x4APjMeTAXYxxnFsmuuUp_hEJ6fJOsmH/s1600/IMAG1629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBQImXtIM5B8mar3LB3P8ADurcmjx-9OaoSHYRlWNZA158HPMNBbFin3J2qIcrzgNQlNOUXo8l2hNnnIh1VVYLOPliKd2epNHcCyVb9Mw6Fq_x4APjMeTAXYxxnFsmuuUp_hEJ6fJOsmH/s1600/IMAG1629.jpg" height="640" width="361" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomatoes on top of salami, waiting for the spinach and cheese</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The final revision was the same as the second version, only
this time the tomato/spinach/cheese was placed on top of a slice of salami and
then cooked. A happy accident occurred when, as the salami heated up, it curled
up and over the edge of the tomato slice, which looked really nice. I
eliminated the vinaigrette, as the salami/tomato/cheese had enough
intermingling flavors that it was no longer required.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7I-SG9vTT7g7rx3AyfrHVtL5sEQ59lPBz8oZVcVtiz7pOy30PARYIw4SzV9YSRdZfzAy7jlQGdT4hnpgaSMlHicYhHv-jfQn0cmJiBCV87Z38o6Be8o6UqfOYwYeJ0wdQk1rcX_xgw31/s1600/IMAG1632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7I-SG9vTT7g7rx3AyfrHVtL5sEQ59lPBz8oZVcVtiz7pOy30PARYIw4SzV9YSRdZfzAy7jlQGdT4hnpgaSMlHicYhHv-jfQn0cmJiBCV87Z38o6Be8o6UqfOYwYeJ0wdQk1rcX_xgw31/s1600/IMAG1632.jpg" height="640" width="361" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lid on to help melt the cheese</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInCdWRgCdC5Qp6Ns1-Bj1Srjgg3P4U3F9Wof8Wt1jUHQEqEhOGLAa1injm_heNvtWNgfBNd0Dzq1lga1RJY8Cnfkp4vJOspRKBkPVOijQluvjvy2B_9dlH-86CN6JhxvJf9pvA305igSN/s1600/IMAG1633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInCdWRgCdC5Qp6Ns1-Bj1Srjgg3P4U3F9Wof8Wt1jUHQEqEhOGLAa1injm_heNvtWNgfBNd0Dzq1lga1RJY8Cnfkp4vJOspRKBkPVOijQluvjvy2B_9dlH-86CN6JhxvJf9pvA305igSN/s1600/IMAG1633.jpg" height="640" width="361" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fully assembled but not cooked</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the dinner planned, all that was left was to make it
for everyone. One thing that I’ve always excelled at (even back to my days as head
cook at Hoggy’s!) was getting everything to come up at the same time. It’s a
strategy, to be certain, figuring out how long everything needs to cook and
raising or lowering temperatures speed or slow things. This worked out great-
the veal with the breadcrumbs and curry was flavorful, tender, juicy and
crispy. The salami/tomato/spinach/cheese “salad” was as delicious as it was
unique, and the baby baked potatoes were the perfect complement to the rest of
the dish. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0kF1Hhtidi8LyPd-8lXLG-nPIVt-A0-eWzCf7Bcmf1RVmGXPTxPwVO0fAktZB1kgSbzA_6r8Lk7s-lic94oiWhbc7XXfE_RdwapS743dtTAVQIDoI5zb-LeNsXNc9Uy7wU_dWxsvQ6RK/s1600/IMAG1628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0kF1Hhtidi8LyPd-8lXLG-nPIVt-A0-eWzCf7Bcmf1RVmGXPTxPwVO0fAktZB1kgSbzA_6r8Lk7s-lic94oiWhbc7XXfE_RdwapS743dtTAVQIDoI5zb-LeNsXNc9Uy7wU_dWxsvQ6RK/s1600/IMAG1628.jpg" height="640" width="362" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I even created a menu for them!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the end, this dish wasn't as impulsive as the rest of the meals I've
blogged about, but it is interesting to follow the train of thought from idea
to plate from time to time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Until next time!<o:p></o:p></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-78740419983586764552014-08-07T07:40:00.001-07:002014-08-07T07:40:17.830-07:00Sllabtaem yseehcDreams are like repressed desires of things we wish we could have. In this case, my repressed desire consisted of a cheesy meatball risotto. I mean, if you're going to dream, dream big.<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAoYuf9_vWFBJLbh_gkyic3X7bsUFrbnRgpIQfqaMzYZxauEMKebJZEeZmqKN6HU7vKhZYq99Y9NZKiefX8hbsjRvTj74vkLnwvAbZQeESB38w-9dKuPMxmcTqBxVxZfAAPfiCr4DkWSS/s1600/31066_original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAoYuf9_vWFBJLbh_gkyic3X7bsUFrbnRgpIQfqaMzYZxauEMKebJZEeZmqKN6HU7vKhZYq99Y9NZKiefX8hbsjRvTj74vkLnwvAbZQeESB38w-9dKuPMxmcTqBxVxZfAAPfiCr4DkWSS/s1600/31066_original.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do they serve meatballs in the Black Lodge?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Basically I had a dream where I was eating meatballs in a creamy, cheesy sauce, but it was a little spicy and had a lot of tomatoes in it. Think sort of like a tortilla and cheese soup, but a little thicker, served over risotto. Why? I don't know. Most of my dreams are typically night-spanning epics, involving subplots and cliffhangers, but this...this was different. Maybe it was a commercial? Anyway, I wanted to make it.</div>
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKv_le9BkAutYAUB2GnvujA74pgqjxsrBRFhzXlW4Ch74Zw6I0fB9onpPWUPaIY_3fJqxY1saqBvNeEULLvelWgGHFR5qtcN3NDpKdbp9ppjOXUVE9U4bJoBJiwx-s0SjHqxnB6KRixdn/s1600/download+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKv_le9BkAutYAUB2GnvujA74pgqjxsrBRFhzXlW4Ch74Zw6I0fB9onpPWUPaIY_3fJqxY1saqBvNeEULLvelWgGHFR5qtcN3NDpKdbp9ppjOXUVE9U4bJoBJiwx-s0SjHqxnB6KRixdn/s1600/download+(1).jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Since I had other things going on that night, I opted for pre-made meatballs and baked them in the oven. The sauce was going to be 100% trial and error. I started with about two cups of water and a few chicken bullion cubes. I added about 3/4 cup of milk as well. I brought that to a boil and added Velveeta (well, the Kroger version) and a can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes to the sauce. I let that all start to simmer and then added a small can of chipotle sauce that I had purchased a bunch of when they were marked down to $0.29. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoO0-ThgxAw0utXR6nacI6pplP-XG9XmN-Awcuk0qRXMpPjHUQ4XN0hXpMTHQdwMgrqNtIZnhIvRsziGdwVq_4j6lynq_7n4H8hh8WvkGjmmUgo24Crwn93o-nTwa5yCVyedxZO-GKk76b/s1600/794686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoO0-ThgxAw0utXR6nacI6pplP-XG9XmN-Awcuk0qRXMpPjHUQ4XN0hXpMTHQdwMgrqNtIZnhIvRsziGdwVq_4j6lynq_7n4H8hh8WvkGjmmUgo24Crwn93o-nTwa5yCVyedxZO-GKk76b/s1600/794686.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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The sauce began to thicken and the meatballs were nicely baked, so I removed the meatballs from the oven and combined them into the sauce. I figured any mingling of flavors would be good while the risotto cooked. As the risotto finished, I ground some black pepper into the sauce. </div>
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I plated the dish with risotto on the bottom and meatballs on top, covered with the cheesy sauce. It didn't turn out as thick as it was in my dream, but then again I literally threw this together with stuff I had at the house (and I had spent most of the evening working on my Mustang, so it was nearly 8pm when I started cooking!)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyr_cEc2cR499jMgYspJSItIYNNhbwTuPt1R86OM8pgY87oLDgZ1IQNPeP4rdNbKZmQwwhSbXzOxT54bouY5sVLgWDQNXXPnKTwVzNwdcap_BeguGcFhLROX6KB6WircpcRNFZhbbkyOpS/s1600/IMAG1229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyr_cEc2cR499jMgYspJSItIYNNhbwTuPt1R86OM8pgY87oLDgZ1IQNPeP4rdNbKZmQwwhSbXzOxT54bouY5sVLgWDQNXXPnKTwVzNwdcap_BeguGcFhLROX6KB6WircpcRNFZhbbkyOpS/s1600/IMAG1229.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gratuitous picture of my Mustang</td></tr>
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In the end, it turned out to be delicious! A little spicy, lots of tomato, oodles of cheese, and a really nice risotto base. It made a ton, so I am looking forward to eating the leftovers. </div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-16300780069822197802014-07-01T10:07:00.002-07:002014-07-01T10:07:22.530-07:00I've taken up smoking<div class="MsoNormal">
For Father’s day this year, my wife got me a charcoal grill
and smoker- something that I had wanted for a while. I had never once in my
entire life cooked with, or even eaten food cooked with charcoal, but had
chicken that was and knew I needed to have one. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-F_2kr1oFpevKRVL94yzrgKvAe8mHz8pI-koH_Iqp0BEkAZzWKgnvVykyHY3JUYoGqoWfraz-pUwjI6oAcFlpiqzDDTkq-ZwwTMMI_GaERw95aZV_emNvWz5uhU69h1t67AmOP2oBcmob/s1600/tumblr_mogjeqsE1B1reqpbro1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-F_2kr1oFpevKRVL94yzrgKvAe8mHz8pI-koH_Iqp0BEkAZzWKgnvVykyHY3JUYoGqoWfraz-pUwjI6oAcFlpiqzDDTkq-ZwwTMMI_GaERw95aZV_emNvWz5uhU69h1t67AmOP2oBcmob/s1600/tumblr_mogjeqsE1B1reqpbro1_500.gif" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, got-dangit! Taste the meat, not the heat!</td></tr>
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My inaugural meal on the grill was the old standby- ribs.
While I have no photographic proof, you’ll have to take my word that they were
fantastic. It really isn’t that hard to get a charcoal grill going, but it is a
little disorienting cooking without a flame, only heat. I was using the
charcoal that already had the lighter fluid in it, and getting it started was a
breeze.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqO1X0BArJ-xtBJL4UX9Ow2ClpX9VKFs_EOCA-w5kpf99iS4W-faF-3GhI3SYjXVlQM4JdsuPYJ6Pp7ZYby5mjh3o9YTRLHlwsvoDVDtDFBylHPfDnX2Ihz9hLIb593wVXHN2cOQ29T1P/s1600/download+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqO1X0BArJ-xtBJL4UX9Ow2ClpX9VKFs_EOCA-w5kpf99iS4W-faF-3GhI3SYjXVlQM4JdsuPYJ6Pp7ZYby5mjh3o9YTRLHlwsvoDVDtDFBylHPfDnX2Ihz9hLIb593wVXHN2cOQ29T1P/s1600/download+(4).jpg" height="255" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gimme some of that mmm mmm good, meat falls of the bone...baby i'm hongry, i said baby you hongry?</td></tr>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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After doing the ribs, I wanted to try burgers, which were
delicious. I mixed in some A1 steak sauce with the beef and grilled them. I’m
pretty sure I could never go back to gas grilling!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_aR1j-df4EV3DTvoMpLtn2v-Ru1Aj6VU4tCY_17vuSsJnByCzvRpqnyLWQVx-MzXfx_se78mUrUsUqbKZIjU7yQsrYYnT6XVqbNCYEsm9MhUKRLCDRU9EjXBm5vXBNZvsp9pwIg3g6Lch/s1600/burger-clip-art-3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_aR1j-df4EV3DTvoMpLtn2v-Ru1Aj6VU4tCY_17vuSsJnByCzvRpqnyLWQVx-MzXfx_se78mUrUsUqbKZIjU7yQsrYYnT6XVqbNCYEsm9MhUKRLCDRU9EjXBm5vXBNZvsp9pwIg3g6Lch/s1600/burger-clip-art-3.gif" height="320" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist's depiction of a burger</td></tr>
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The real test came when I wanted to smoke something. I
initially tried smoking some chicken, but had no idea what I was doing. I had
the wrong kind of wood, didn’t soak it, etc. It turned out ok, but was very
wasteful when it came to how I actually proceeded. This time, I bought a really nice looking pork
loin, some applewood chunks, and I was ready to roll.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMRXVrE6zaq3W0sYdx4IuvKDgcYDs7awMe6_F1EtYbDWmJHAB3BSo7uxB0n_81c_ik-ZlxkQF2MwENzzgv-4RgKEUfQoOIMAJkZ0wPkwFnLkeokLwRDkoZUhyLqkW-V9MWcd9kcSOwmf9/s1600/IMAG1124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMRXVrE6zaq3W0sYdx4IuvKDgcYDs7awMe6_F1EtYbDWmJHAB3BSo7uxB0n_81c_ik-ZlxkQF2MwENzzgv-4RgKEUfQoOIMAJkZ0wPkwFnLkeokLwRDkoZUhyLqkW-V9MWcd9kcSOwmf9/s1600/IMAG1124.jpg" height="640" width="361" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One yummy pork loin</td></tr>
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Soaking the wood was something I didn’t know you were
supposed to do, but it makes sense- otherwise the wood burns too quickly and
you don’t get any smoke. Well, very little smoke, and for a very short time. So
the wood was soaking, and I made a simple rub for the pork, consisting of sea
salt, red wine salt, black pepper, onion powder and seasoned salt.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-EOyFVzPgX7IcfydAraoaeuQSW29egaTfFk5LVs3PKjj18qmqCuynf06CIlpGZsafR4ZF98vgiIXKoyTPQwPRpuP1yuZmObZHRKjU2ycXVGm8PJBXnd2zARu4q-IvhsBLYb41daN_pap/s1600/IMAG1127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-EOyFVzPgX7IcfydAraoaeuQSW29egaTfFk5LVs3PKjj18qmqCuynf06CIlpGZsafR4ZF98vgiIXKoyTPQwPRpuP1yuZmObZHRKjU2ycXVGm8PJBXnd2zARu4q-IvhsBLYb41daN_pap/s1600/IMAG1127.jpg" height="361" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charred...coal?</td></tr>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I had read that you want to slow-cook the pork, and that
required a lower heat. I lit the briquettes, then added the wet applewood to
the top and let them start to smolder. I kept the heat inside of the grill
around 200 (occasionally spiking to 250 when I wasn’t paying really close
attention…) and occasionally freshened the wood chips. With about 30 minutes
left, I put on a coat of Open Pit BBQ sauce. For what I wanted, which was
basically just to have a glaze, it was perfect. As the pork neared completion,
the sauce turned to a dark, sweet glaze. The aroma wafting up from the grill
was damn near indescribable. As my wife put it, the whole yard smelled like the fair.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCTmkdLkJ5lmPz18xlG0A9_fPzD777jcDVtvGwdvFInpRYHcGAFXu5cUCf4ZJA38hfGsBrF2a4rvNdQzKkEeoTOz6kxn7wIZK2tb0fivsNNGcHF2KB0Oywix0rM6XQ_egfOSwvuSm7Ayc-/s1600/IMAG1126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCTmkdLkJ5lmPz18xlG0A9_fPzD777jcDVtvGwdvFInpRYHcGAFXu5cUCf4ZJA38hfGsBrF2a4rvNdQzKkEeoTOz6kxn7wIZK2tb0fivsNNGcHF2KB0Oywix0rM6XQ_egfOSwvuSm7Ayc-/s1600/IMAG1126.jpg" height="640" width="402" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's wrong with the license plate? I should get that looked at.</td></tr>
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It took about 3.5 hours from start to finish. I had to add a
couple of pieces of charcoal, and I found some chicken quarters in my fridge
and tossed them on the grill as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfcHmesJwA_dpGzShG8q_5i3Vy1sd9hPtbyxzgdEyCvtgT6cfajUxu4tBCmd6HoaKGQLBfO1oc7JYJrZm9Izhw-q4F1UmWxUNq9iZ07wkzb_JhJDCK47Q_vOdrB2zTNxfrOrCUpqNrKkv/s1600/IMAG1129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfcHmesJwA_dpGzShG8q_5i3Vy1sd9hPtbyxzgdEyCvtgT6cfajUxu4tBCmd6HoaKGQLBfO1oc7JYJrZm9Izhw-q4F1UmWxUNq9iZ07wkzb_JhJDCK47Q_vOdrB2zTNxfrOrCUpqNrKkv/s1600/IMAG1129.jpg" height="362" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do not drool on your keyboard (or iPhone or Android...)</td></tr>
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I wish I could show you picture of everything plated….but I
was so excited to carve into the pork loin that I didn’t get any pictures. If
you don’t have a smoker, you really should get one. It opens a smoky door to
another smoky world. I can’t wait to try more! Anyone out there have any recommendations?
Wood type, meats, etc?<o:p></o:p></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-57825823056520730342014-06-06T06:40:00.001-07:002014-06-06T08:47:42.566-07:00Feeling a bit saucy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
I've been experimenting a lot lately with different kinds of sauces, but haven't gone too far from the basic tomato-based variety. Inspiration struck last week though, and I had a major taste for something involving onions. I thought about what I had available, and struck off into uncharted (for me, at least) territory.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDaXiffR7NPIT9A3QZEo5FauhsCLQaOced4Cn1b6nd6lNgebzwvWsIsSAC7lG4FdLn8gUKhGGBqNYWOXkhZLo87vJ8bp0hADBkhbfxJ27vFt4Rkh4SrGg4Gb7Fo79pIow4XIwHvj9Vu26B/s1600/download+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDaXiffR7NPIT9A3QZEo5FauhsCLQaOced4Cn1b6nd6lNgebzwvWsIsSAC7lG4FdLn8gUKhGGBqNYWOXkhZLo87vJ8bp0hADBkhbfxJ27vFt4Rkh4SrGg4Gb7Fo79pIow4XIwHvj9Vu26B/s1600/download+(2).jpg" height="299" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next stop....Sauceville!</td></tr>
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As I mentioned previously, I am part of a co-op program called <a href="http://www.azoti.com/" target="_blank">Azoti</a>. They partner with a local small farms to bring fresh vegetables and meat products directly to the public. You place an order weekly and the food is delivered, in my case to my work. I had just taken a delivery of both meat and vegetables, and had an idea about what I wanted to do. It was going to be an interesting mix of flavors, so all I could hope is that it was going to work out. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRWRrEux9mKT3uzogQjh7YWRPm2-KAYWNprF275f_cb-vF88JNlG7d-JuNPWv8ZRl_adCm8gpQzP7ZgBB7d81fmsWe7m8H8XpzEHTjUZgT9PwcsyqEpjgTK8dCGcvUYvhGqoCraiS9Wo7/s1600/meal1small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRWRrEux9mKT3uzogQjh7YWRPm2-KAYWNprF275f_cb-vF88JNlG7d-JuNPWv8ZRl_adCm8gpQzP7ZgBB7d81fmsWe7m8H8XpzEHTjUZgT9PwcsyqEpjgTK8dCGcvUYvhGqoCraiS9Wo7/s1600/meal1small.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A small portion of my first fresh delivery. The bacon is hands-down the best i've ever had (both smoked and peppered)</td></tr>
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My thought process went something kind of like this: I want onions. Mmm. But what? Maybe an onion sauce? Oooh, like a creamy onion sauce. Using what though? Milk. Cheese? Parmesan cheese. It'd still be too thin. What about a sour cream base, cut with a little milk? That should be thick enough. Ok, so that. Dice up some onions and cook it in the sauce. Onion powder? I don't have any. How about onion salt? That'll work. Yeah, still too thick. Let's add some chicken broth. There ya go. It's too bland looking. I've got fresh peppered bacon! Yes, that. Exactly that. Cook then crumble the bacon annnnnnd....done.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_kn_PBL6lJxiZ1W3zLIw22LHIRefh7aSK6wT43x0iMxEoT4jHkIEjKjFrZmriCRk2Un61ZXq4LEAyuhgZ0BuSWA7iydsdRmg3A0hrWL5DuYJkMWO7NoVeABcgP525U06a5p4pXdbz4Ras/s1600/meal2small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_kn_PBL6lJxiZ1W3zLIw22LHIRefh7aSK6wT43x0iMxEoT4jHkIEjKjFrZmriCRk2Un61ZXq4LEAyuhgZ0BuSWA7iydsdRmg3A0hrWL5DuYJkMWO7NoVeABcgP525U06a5p4pXdbz4Ras/s1600/meal2small.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6FhtELRl_YmcQgQFoiCntqo-BDH6moF8VTuAK-UoTm8AsXB7tvHjISq5cUgBW6IIKHS4IrL64JOtysZGEnQAiOrIr8NcJd4e_L5xsQvEmDpDqpMZyXVHRhQ6DdvP8r0FNYu3fQYL2os-/s1600/meal8small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6FhtELRl_YmcQgQFoiCntqo-BDH6moF8VTuAK-UoTm8AsXB7tvHjISq5cUgBW6IIKHS4IrL64JOtysZGEnQAiOrIr8NcJd4e_L5xsQvEmDpDqpMZyXVHRhQ6DdvP8r0FNYu3fQYL2os-/s1600/meal8small.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Listen closely- you can actually hear it sizzling!</td></tr>
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So the sauce took shape pretty quickly. As with just about everything that I do, I had absolutely ZERO plan as to how I was going to make the sauce. I've found that throwing together a sauce is so incredibly rewarding when it turns out because it's instant gratification. The sauce was creamy without being too thick, but thin enough that it could be poured on top of pasta or chicken and not look out of place. Of course, I had to have something to put this sauce over.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5UDB3ToPBO7cn_gaGXttmOALTy0Am-uq96WCSc1paLJB-2VotORNYcMp16Z33AvqiQqV996jq2XXZL6ddSYvH8OwNgoDs-AUegqV3w_U-7KrGzMeqj1W0DV6R7R9Kl5TyRXcc0mLqxvi/s1600/meal6small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5UDB3ToPBO7cn_gaGXttmOALTy0Am-uq96WCSc1paLJB-2VotORNYcMp16Z33AvqiQqV996jq2XXZL6ddSYvH8OwNgoDs-AUegqV3w_U-7KrGzMeqj1W0DV6R7R9Kl5TyRXcc0mLqxvi/s1600/meal6small.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mild Italian sausage links </td></tr>
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The meat portion of my Azoti delivery comes from <a href="http://www.oinkmoocluck.com/" target="_blank">Oink Moo Cluck Farms</a> here in Central Ohio. One of the meats I ordered were fresh mild Italian sausage links. I envisioned cutting the links into medallions and searing them in a pan and then serving them on top of a bed of pasta with the onion sauce. I had cooked beer bratwurst from Oink Moo Cluck before, so I had an idea of the consistency, which is different than the store-bought varieties. Typically the kind you buy in the store is has a lot more fat and fillings, which in turn makes the sausages cook a lot faster. I've found that these are much leaner, which makes them a lot more dense. This, in turn, requires a little longer cooking on the stove. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Browning</td></tr>
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I started by browning the links in the pan, then removing them and cutting them into slices. Getting clean, even cuts is not important, as having some asymmetry to them enhances the overall look of the meal. Once they were cut, back into the pan they went. First at a high temp to char the outsides, then lower to finish the cooking while retaining the juiciness. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The smell of fresh tomatoes is indescribable</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I could eat these all day long</td></tr>
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While this was cooking, I made one of my summertime favorites- tomato and cucumber salad. I had a package of cherry tomatoes, a couple vine ripe tomatoes, and some seedless cucumbers from my delivery. If you've never made a salad using freshly-picked veggies, you are really doing yourself a disservice. The salad itself couldn't be more simple- slice the cherry tomatoes in half length-wise, dice up the big tomatoes, quarter the cucumber and then cut into slices. Mix these together, add olive oil, red wine vinegar, Lowry's garlic salt, and a couple sprinkles of onion salt. For best results, letting it all mingle overnight is recommended, but not necessary. If it were possible, I could live on this stuff.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuRmw0Ch6Uu9BoptKwKfKzWgAVWY-40V2KJkIX0taigXAPl7-0KMT9LdLmqwy7QgcooU_Ck7aLKsWsOhIS6qs1eQ2xjefGPSqls1LPxDL2c9z29lsbwT455u0ovU62s0dAUjoPJzU4Cyj/s1600/meal9small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuRmw0Ch6Uu9BoptKwKfKzWgAVWY-40V2KJkIX0taigXAPl7-0KMT9LdLmqwy7QgcooU_Ck7aLKsWsOhIS6qs1eQ2xjefGPSqls1LPxDL2c9z29lsbwT455u0ovU62s0dAUjoPJzU4Cyj/s1600/meal9small.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If "fresh" had a taste, this would be it</td></tr>
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While cooking the sausage and making the tomato salad, I had the pasta boiling. For this particular dinner I used the San Giorgio Trio Italiano pasta, which is a mix of three kinds of pasta. Once that was finished and drained, I plated the meal with a bed of pasta, topped with sausage and sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. As a side dish, I cooked a bag of Brussels sprouts ($1.29 a bag at Aldi!).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdnSnvPZfZN97pgk5cB6kV2cMBVcVHqfMlVxOai1fcOaYVt-Lo5VKljnzUCZpHUS3Ihw0TRuvqaj29vWl-8Bjhs38-5Hnm414h0Bdlaccf4jWhtIgxI9mHh_o6oWPrFgzKifbWhomAWXN/s1600/download+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdnSnvPZfZN97pgk5cB6kV2cMBVcVHqfMlVxOai1fcOaYVt-Lo5VKljnzUCZpHUS3Ihw0TRuvqaj29vWl-8Bjhs38-5Hnm414h0Bdlaccf4jWhtIgxI9mHh_o6oWPrFgzKifbWhomAWXN/s1600/download+(1).jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
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Not only did the meal sate my desire for onions, as the sauce was deliciously onion-y but not overpowering in the least, but mixing the flavor of the amazing Italian sausage and the perfectly cooked bacon while really made for a unique experience. I think of all of the other things that sauce would be good on and want to make it again. I absolutely will make this meal again- not only because it's awesome for dinner, but the leftovers are even better the next day. That's the mark of a fantastic meal!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioixTpw-ic1LinCV9fgUKAv-rVn7FVKVwR4uxjfseigcaAxzS5KGoVj9bT8hi7Hr2we-LBxxD-BsY41ZvDc7-pLA_2ItNR9iSIb3dlA2Dp4Sxl_eaC631gIXs18dpsunTF9fY_6sVgaHJ_/s1600/meal10small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioixTpw-ic1LinCV9fgUKAv-rVn7FVKVwR4uxjfseigcaAxzS5KGoVj9bT8hi7Hr2we-LBxxD-BsY41ZvDc7-pLA_2ItNR9iSIb3dlA2Dp4Sxl_eaC631gIXs18dpsunTF9fY_6sVgaHJ_/s1600/meal10small.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
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Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-85369694653215765782014-04-15T08:14:00.000-07:002014-04-15T08:14:14.079-07:00The Denny's Deli-Dinger!I've received a lot of traffic from people searching for the ingredients on a Denny's Deli Dinger. This was a sandwich that was a staple of my diet through the 90's, but is sadly unavailable anymore. Luckily, through some super-secret back channels, midnight meetings in abandoned parking lots, and paying off several high-ranking officials, I now possess the long-lost recipe. No need to thank me- your happiness is my reward.<br />
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3 slices of sourdough bread<br />
1/8 lb sliced deli turkey<br />
1/8 lb sliced deli ham<br />
2 pieces of bacon<br />
1 thick slice mild cheddar cheese<br />
1 thick slice American cheese<br />
2 tomato slices<br />
1 piece of lettuce<br />
REAL mayo<br />
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Cook the ham and turkey on the stove top until they appear to be cooked. Toast the bread and melt the cheese on each slice. Melt the cheddar on one and the American on the other. The two pieces with cheese will be the middle and bottom of the DeliDinger. Once the meat is ready, put it on top of the now-melted cheese. Top the meat with bacon as shown below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyUhfW38d0N3qwVWjllf1hLhPwpWRfPSXEruh4sTvKausUjz-tHrb1TlGu0vhCNROVWldFtV7XUE70WHk8H2Mk3kyD_ExTRP5x9GJPScvBKtZe9r2Tz8RGohZBD0Ja614wZE22BvZhFUt/s1600/delidinger.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyUhfW38d0N3qwVWjllf1hLhPwpWRfPSXEruh4sTvKausUjz-tHrb1TlGu0vhCNROVWldFtV7XUE70WHk8H2Mk3kyD_ExTRP5x9GJPScvBKtZe9r2Tz8RGohZBD0Ja614wZE22BvZhFUt/s1600/delidinger.JPG" height="640" width="508" /></a></div>
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Once you've got the meat and cheese finished, you're just about there. Spread a little bit of mayo to the bottom of the middle piece of bread. Add a piece of lettuce to the top layer, then take the tomato slices and put them on top of the lettuce. Spread a heroic amount of mayo on the bottom of the top piece of bread, cut the sandwich diagonally and you're done! I'm pretty sure these taste better after midnight and with a cup of coffee.<br />
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<b>**WARNING**</b><br />
<b>The toasted sourdough bread can and will tear the ever-loving crap out of your mouth! You have been warned!</b><br />
<br />Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-62828370306627577342014-04-03T11:56:00.002-07:002014-04-03T11:56:54.595-07:00Azoti- Connecting communities to locally-grown food!A very cool perk of my job is having access to Azoti- a local company that co-ops with local farmers to bring food from the farm to your table. It's a subscription service, but offers a lot of different levels to choose from. I'm going to be signing up for both the meat and the fruits/vegetable package. I wanted to get the word out now in case anyone was interested in checking them out. The nice thing is that you can try it for a month and see if you like it. If you don't, you're able to cancel at any time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUml6dGVAqj_x6ZiFOcgAlQflkXHa2fFIIVWMsOi1T4z4eSDRYE7iyUqvSR-dva6dxOLYm385TegdHP1L4IdjCu6Nhj4qPDKgcOUT5_79dlnrTHKxK1JyqkvD2ytw2pVuOytlyHWbWT1Hs/s1600/timthumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUml6dGVAqj_x6ZiFOcgAlQflkXHa2fFIIVWMsOi1T4z4eSDRYE7iyUqvSR-dva6dxOLYm385TegdHP1L4IdjCu6Nhj4qPDKgcOUT5_79dlnrTHKxK1JyqkvD2ytw2pVuOytlyHWbWT1Hs/s1600/timthumb.jpg" height="233" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've heard nothing but rave reviews of the program, and have sampled some of the meat from Oink Moo Cluck (the local farm that raises the pork/beef/chicken) and I have to tell you, the bacon is pretty much the best thing I've ever had. I really can't wait to try some of the other stuff, especially the steaks!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello! I'm cute but delicious!</td></tr>
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They can be found at <a href="http://www.azoti.com/" target="_blank">http://www.azoti.com/</a><br />
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Look for some Impulsive Chef meals using farm-fresh ingredients in the coming months!Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-63861615243643594982014-03-18T17:28:00.002-07:002014-04-03T11:46:14.959-07:00Feeding the Book ClubIt's not often I get to cook for more than one or two people, so when I have a chance to cater one of Lisa's book clubs (and I use that in the absolute loosest term possible) it's like I'm running my own restaurant. I go into full-on chef mode; deciding (usually around the last minute) what i'm going to make, how I want to do it, and most of the time making something I've never made before. That's half of the fun- making something that you think is going to turn out well, but you don't actually know until people eat it. So it basically comes down to your dinner being good and everyone enjoying it, or ordering pizza while scraping their plates off into the garbage can. Cooking without a net, i'll call it. It's the culmination of all of the impulsive meals that I cook for just Lisa and I.<br />
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Lisa hosts twice a year, and typically there are about six people including her. I like to make enough for me to have a plate as well, and now I have to consider Calvin having some too, so it really comes out to cooking for eight. Really not a big deal- I cook like that on most occasions anyway, which is why we always have leftovers (and i'm Italian, so there's that too).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's like this, only minus the books.</td></tr>
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Of course, at a book club like this, sitting around on the couch talking takes up the first hour or so. Coming up with tasty appetizers is very important, as it sets the stage for the remainder of the evening. Chips and salsa? Boring. Cheese and crackers? No thanks! The appetizers that I decided on were Carr Valley Bread Cheese- otherwise known as Juustoleipa. It's a very dense cheese with a taste that I can only describe as a cross between mozzarella and a salty/sweet cream. I typically will prepare it by cutting it into 1"x 1" cubes and cooking them with a little bit of butter on the stove top. I flip them often enough that all of the sides get nice and crispy, which is interesting because even though the cheese gets melty, it never actually melts, so it retains the cube shape. This is beneficial for ease of serving! Once they're done, they go on a plate, and are paired with raspberries and blackberries. It sounds like it wouldn't be good, but Oh. My. God. Those paired together are fantastic.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raw (kinda) in the pan</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice and crispy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tQ08NEQRkUNNme3uq-jpgFwqoCzM3YiTLA70-aTujzYy6912gSgg5yGAn1SgKZFFAyzkkW4XawmMywRSKFXw8I3_ByoHQA2smViMXvYEb3mq66-xo8xyNLIEdCQCGUhPfTR5czpRaY8A/s1600/mbc3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tQ08NEQRkUNNme3uq-jpgFwqoCzM3YiTLA70-aTujzYy6912gSgg5yGAn1SgKZFFAyzkkW4XawmMywRSKFXw8I3_ByoHQA2smViMXvYEb3mq66-xo8xyNLIEdCQCGUhPfTR5czpRaY8A/s1600/mbc3.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you eat it with fruit, it's healthy!</td></tr>
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Along with the bread cheese, I put out a loaded baked potato dip made from green onions, freshly cooked and crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, seasoned salt, onion salt, and pepper. For dipping, I served pretzel thins. Nothing earth-shattering, but a nice compliment to the heavier bread cheese.<br />
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For the main dish, in the days leading up to book club, I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do- something pasta based, but not boring. I mean, not something that you'd have on a Wednesday night at home, but something special. I picked up about two pounds of gemelli (meaning "twin") pasta from Whole Foods, so I knew I had my base. Granted, it was a really, really wide open base, but a base nonetheless. I've always liked a buttery pasta, whether it's a buttery garlic or butter with shrimp, so I figured that I'd do a buttery sauce, but top it with another sauce. I guess making the butter be more of a coating for the pasta, then topping it with a cheesy alfredo...that sounded so good!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail</td></tr>
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The pasta would be good just like that- but it would look boring. White pasta, white sauce....just blah. It needed to be spiced up a little. I thought adding a little protein in the form of chicken was a no-brainer, so I planned on some chicken breast cutlets. To finish off the pasta, I looked through my cabinets and found a jar of sun dried tomatoes, and I had my main dish set.<br />
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The pasta was cooked in the standard way- salted water brought to a boil, pasta added, cooked al dente, then drained. Once it was drained, it went back into the pot that it boiled in and I added some butter. There wasn't much else involved in preparing the pasta!<br />
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Creating a sauce can be very difficult or very easy. I love alfredo sauce, but I absolutely loathe the kind that comes in a jar. It's always way too thick and never tastes like cheese. A while back, for one reason or another I bought a packet of Kroger powdered alfredo sauce mix, and it turned out to be delicious! I think I bought it because I was going to mix it with some red sauce we had, but I don't really remember. Making it with milk, butter, and then adding some garlic powder and a generous amount of Parmesan cheese gave it the perfect consistency- thick, but not too thick, thin but not watery. It was a good flavor to mix with the background flavors of butter, pasta, chicken and sun dried tomatoes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seasoned</td></tr>
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There were several ways that I could do the chicken- shredded and mixed into the pasta, cut into pieces and cooked in a pan, or the way I ultimately decided, which was to get my cast iron grill as hot as possible, and then quick cook them on the side with the raised grill marks. As a quick aside, I've found that cooking steak on a cast iron skillet rivals those being cooked on an open flame grill. I would consider myself someone who knows a good steak, and when I read about cooking it inside, I had to try it for myself. The cast iron is amazing for cooking cuts of meat- and would be perfect for these chicken cutlets.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcKe7IanDww23zdgi5o0mdC2e34SoThN0sJ4fAD5oSZ0KcMZlEJdl_1u_XW3QSL5c522qwlzQwNPulu_74uA0VMfUGKmzeCv4-Uo31_lsN7r-oSH1-9Uo_Sa5S4LiZGpUOL1ueTQvxQRq/s1600/mbc8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcKe7IanDww23zdgi5o0mdC2e34SoThN0sJ4fAD5oSZ0KcMZlEJdl_1u_XW3QSL5c522qwlzQwNPulu_74uA0VMfUGKmzeCv4-Uo31_lsN7r-oSH1-9Uo_Sa5S4LiZGpUOL1ueTQvxQRq/s1600/mbc8.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working the iron</td></tr>
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I seasoned each cutlet with oregano, parsley, and poultry seasoning. Nothing fancy, I just wanted the chicken to be moist and juicy. Once the iron is hot (typically I'll leave it on for 5-10 minutes on high flame) I dropped each chicken onto the grill at an angle, strictly for aesthetics. The grill marks should be at an angle, it just looks better. After a minute, the chicken gets flipped, and after another minute, it's done. It's really that simple! The chicken comes off incredibly juicy- much more so that flame grilling. I put two cutlets on top of each plate of pasta.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGGXasoCcM8vDX6eN2_mJ8qhl2jkj01tRV_eFaQJQHHdgTYKIPQOG5NEOqk0A7vz89zwFb3j7Bk1AxomNjl4WDPPFApYOEriIR185_R5bLunU742mpvsnflhVpsIyPFiOZLuccGkwTO4U/s1600/mbc6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGGXasoCcM8vDX6eN2_mJ8qhl2jkj01tRV_eFaQJQHHdgTYKIPQOG5NEOqk0A7vz89zwFb3j7Bk1AxomNjl4WDPPFApYOEriIR185_R5bLunU742mpvsnflhVpsIyPFiOZLuccGkwTO4U/s1600/mbc6.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prepping the sun dried tomato mixture</td></tr>
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As I said earlier, at this point the dish was still very monochromatic. I cut up a couple of the whole sun dried tomatoes, poured about 1/4 cup of the alfredo sauce into a glass, then took my immersion blender and blended it until it was a beautiful red/orange mixture. I poured it into a small sandwich bag, snipped the corner of it off, and used it like a pastry icing bag to 'drizzle' it over the top of the pasta and chicken. The pop of color really set it off!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUQX51_HPiH6TtCinRJGhneXW6EMbk8KxPmL0Hurnlrvif4jSuN3rpABzBAqJXwApVmEA6GBV8eq7JmWbAq-Fscs5BhlmDtxf7WBPypJHeO4mLdA6el0JkDYnGNG0fVZulFwvwCIMht-h/s1600/mbc11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUQX51_HPiH6TtCinRJGhneXW6EMbk8KxPmL0Hurnlrvif4jSuN3rpABzBAqJXwApVmEA6GBV8eq7JmWbAq-Fscs5BhlmDtxf7WBPypJHeO4mLdA6el0JkDYnGNG0fVZulFwvwCIMht-h/s1600/mbc11.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was a little bit more dramatic in person...</td></tr>
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What to do for a side dish though? I racked my brain for ideas, and while walking through Kroger, I saw in the frozen food aisle they had boxes of green bean fries. I understand that a "typical" green bean fry is battered or covered in breadcrumbs and then fried, but I wanted to do something a little lighter. I bought two pounds of fresh green beans and a container of grated Parmesan. The preparation for them is actually quite easy- snap any bad ends of the beans off, lay them all flat on a pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray, give them a quick spray of canned olive oil, shake Parmesan cheese over them (as much or as little as you'd like) and bake! I bake them for about 15 minutes at 400, but you can adjust to suit your tastes. I prefer mine to be a little more crispy, but either way, the cheese makes a really tasty coating for the beans.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIRG2Yay5ojTZDtcFpk-Z-HKaQeAz7rjp96me1LdXN_YMOW5XRIgkGLaROTJcM5Nv2OXTuuFwejNXST6j2HbbFRoWGtyqAG2GQytzmMDTG7GvTewxuuwjDvQ5J88lMfGERMnnqwgfm9Yy/s1600/mbc12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIRG2Yay5ojTZDtcFpk-Z-HKaQeAz7rjp96me1LdXN_YMOW5XRIgkGLaROTJcM5Nv2OXTuuFwejNXST6j2HbbFRoWGtyqAG2GQytzmMDTG7GvTewxuuwjDvQ5J88lMfGERMnnqwgfm9Yy/s1600/mbc12.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I could serve them just like this and they're still really yummy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aq054twqWhEGjudI6xpKv1fvgwLUeK-fr3PXfVSsaadCJGd4G29K3biWzyMCGNM_jn2U9GdrEM9wn5hSbrrQ1ASDVmU92CiYtIZ0-rYxxSjm4mHscS3HBNEKpfKzOdA28PkZPy0EjQ0X/s1600/mbc13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aq054twqWhEGjudI6xpKv1fvgwLUeK-fr3PXfVSsaadCJGd4G29K3biWzyMCGNM_jn2U9GdrEM9wn5hSbrrQ1ASDVmU92CiYtIZ0-rYxxSjm4mHscS3HBNEKpfKzOdA28PkZPy0EjQ0X/s1600/mbc13.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But....cheese makes everything better.</td></tr>
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The beans are fantastic on their own, but I wanted to make a couple of sauces to give everyone the option to dip them if they so desired. The first sauce was a buttermilk ranch (from Aldi, the absolute best store-bought buttermilk ranch I've ever had) Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black peppercorns. The other was a fire-roasted tomato sauce with a bit of cheese added. Both turned out great, and were quickly prepared with things I have in my fridge.<br />
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Along with everything else, no Italian meal is complete without some bread for the table. I had purchased a loaf of rustic ciabatta bread, brushed the top of it with butter and garlic powder, and baked it in my toaster. Tearing off as much as you want from the loaf is such a great dinner experience.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_FYiPSMR2fU_wMLo9Hyv-aa2DlxCX4bskx5Y_gPKOKkckf2mesY_mOxfEFi9YDQ8pS5vBCqB6LBRHz_SdB3U6r6sN2jyat8yK_wm_S6SzLddL2OOIbL0AfzZAXPvPv7VlDmJxSKuoN9Ue/s1600/mbc15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_FYiPSMR2fU_wMLo9Hyv-aa2DlxCX4bskx5Y_gPKOKkckf2mesY_mOxfEFi9YDQ8pS5vBCqB6LBRHz_SdB3U6r6sN2jyat8yK_wm_S6SzLddL2OOIbL0AfzZAXPvPv7VlDmJxSKuoN9Ue/s1600/mbc15.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About to serve</td></tr>
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So that's the story of my book club meal- my ever-so-brief brush with having my own restaurant. It's times like that I wish I had the financial ability to open a place. My passion alone would bring people in, and the food would bring people back. Sigh. Maybe someday!Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-91689639419435621892014-03-07T19:36:00.004-08:002014-03-08T05:23:54.469-08:00Guest Post: Lasagnahhh!Hello, Impulsive Chef fans! Ms. Chef here, aka Lisa.<br>
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In my first guest post, I mentioned how though I am not a frequent cook, thanks to the wonderful talents of Mr. Chef (aka Brian), I love me some Italian food. At every big holiday gathering, my mom would make a big tray of lasagna, and over all the years of watching and helping, I absorbed the process, and I can whip them together from scratch without a second thought.<br>
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Perhaps for some, making lasagna seems intimidating or even difficult, but I hope this post will show you how wonderfully easy it really is.<br>
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So, I start with getting my sauce cooking. This I also learned from my mom, who would make a big pot of sauce every week. I certainly don't have a recipe I follow, but it's quite simple. I start with an olive oil base, to which I add a healthy amount of fresh minced garlic and fresh Italian herbs (I love the refrigerated squeeze tubes of herb "paste" - so easy!), and let simmer on medium heat for approximately 10 minutes (don't let the garlic burn, not that I speak from personal experience or anything!).<br>
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I then add tomatoes. I use crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. I love the texture of the crushed tomatoes - they don't need to be blended - and the tomato paste adds just a bit of necessary sweetness to the sauce. I stir it all together thoroughly to ensure everything is integrated (especially the oil).<div>
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At this stage sometimes I add a little more oil if needed, to thin the sauce somewhat. And then, the crucial ingredient - milk. (Or cream, if I'm <i>really</i> splurging.) We typically have whole milk on hand these days, with my 15-month-old toddling around, so I use that. Again, no measurement on that - it depends on the size of the sauce batch - but I just pour, stir, let simmer for a few, and then taste - and if it needs more, I splash in more. Yes, Italian cooking is MY kind of cooking. Anyway, the purpose of the milk (or cream) is to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. My personal preference is a slightly sweeter sauce.</div>
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So while my sauce simmers (medium-low heat), I brown my meat. I like to use 95/5 ground turkey, which is a somewhat healthier alternative to beef, and readily accepts however you choose to season it. I use dried Italian seasoning and a light sprinkle of salt, and cook the meat JUST until it's browned (it will also bake for quite a while in the lasagna).</div>
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Next up is to prep the ricotta. The goodness of fresh ricotta is just amazing, so I don't do much to alter it - just a spoonful of minced garlic and a sprinkling of salt.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How much do I love when it keeps its shape out of the container? ;-)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCPzXmklIWqxfZSPsR-MGBHk1gH-2NCBVanRtNU11R9kwY0n06jf-HDInS_PzZou7Kk6bAxZ-dSxEEyicmZ70TSAzf32bc1akKiyDybx305OdLaoR3rXeV3x4TDopUS2QPhkECyWVvXiu/s1600/lasagna8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCPzXmklIWqxfZSPsR-MGBHk1gH-2NCBVanRtNU11R9kwY0n06jf-HDInS_PzZou7Kk6bAxZ-dSxEEyicmZ70TSAzf32bc1akKiyDybx305OdLaoR3rXeV3x4TDopUS2QPhkECyWVvXiu/s1600/lasagna8.jpg" height="266" width="400"></a></div>
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Now, it's time for assembly!</div>
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I prep my baking dish with a thin layer of sauce, then put down my first layer of noodles (I use the no-boil kind, and it's crucial that they be surrounded/ covered with a moist layer, whether that's the sauce or the ricotta cheese.) On top of the noodles I spread sauce mixed with the turkey, then comes a layer of ricotta, next fresh spinach leaves, followed by a generous sprinkling of shredded mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPibzbmUg7jqrE896ofT9q-dbYSbHYX_1InzRGmpW20qfZY2I0-gbQjLVSX9jfNrTshc7GeLRxXw_tBkW5orkqFY_OHTjW4z07FKvXZ0yKBKeP-hW89__mYv2j8PDzL4IGjtf6wuaBIMR/s1600/lasagna12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPibzbmUg7jqrE896ofT9q-dbYSbHYX_1InzRGmpW20qfZY2I0-gbQjLVSX9jfNrTshc7GeLRxXw_tBkW5orkqFY_OHTjW4z07FKvXZ0yKBKeP-hW89__mYv2j8PDzL4IGjtf6wuaBIMR/s1600/lasagna12.jpg" height="266" width="400"></a></div>
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Upon this foundation I repeat the layering process until I either run out of noodles or out of space in the dish, always topping my creation with mozzarella.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to go!</td></tr>
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I then cover the dish with foil, and it bakes at 375° for about an hour. (Careful not to take off the cheese along with the foil when it's done!)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_bMImCzuMfV99fqOTPHZZTQc5f_olGmPAbxhvKlCmkuYukS-ManBogQAntZ-hYK22oQ-PKA-SFWPywAq_ZXlQ25DBD_sXB-w9oTwmVNZdZe_2t4RSR1zkwqk7Kv5hXbXRBDISIbuzYvb/s1600/lasagna14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_bMImCzuMfV99fqOTPHZZTQc5f_olGmPAbxhvKlCmkuYukS-ManBogQAntZ-hYK22oQ-PKA-SFWPywAq_ZXlQ25DBD_sXB-w9oTwmVNZdZe_2t4RSR1zkwqk7Kv5hXbXRBDISIbuzYvb/s1600/lasagna14.jpg" height="266" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fresh outta the oven</td></tr>
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Try to let it cool for a bit, so you don't burn your mouth as you shovel it in. ;-)</div>
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Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-41259524539353016192014-02-22T07:51:00.001-08:002014-02-22T07:51:53.155-08:00The Sunday Dinner Burger<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
It's no secret that I love hamburgers (see my previous post) but sometimes you want the FEEL of a burger, but not really a burger. If that makes sense. It might not, so stick with me. Anyway, I also love chicken, and chicken makes a really tasty burger. The other night, though, I didn't really feel like making a regular chicken burger, and had a taste for something a bit different. What I came up with is a unique mishmash of a number of things, and the result is certainly greater than the sum of its parts.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In happier days</td></tr>
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I started with an ordinary rotisserie chicken from Kroger. It was the "savory" variety, but I would imagine that you can use whichever flavor you'd like. I removed all of the meat and skin from the chicken and put it into my food processor. If you've never just picked up a rotisserie chicken and tore it apart, it's a very...visceral? experience. </div>
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Along with the chicken, I put in about 1/2 of a bunch of green onions. If for nothing else, it would break up the color of the chicken. In actuality, it added a nice hint of onion flavor. After the chicken was done in the food processor, I started making a packet of generic stove top stuffing (chicken flavored). When it was finished, I had to let it cool in the fridge for a while. The way I was going to use it necessitated that.</div>
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While the stuffing cooled, I made a small pan of chicken gravy, using chicken bullion and corn starch. Again, nothing fancy, just very basic.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicken and stuffing</td></tr>
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Now that the stuffing had cooled, I combined it with the ground up rotisserie chicken, and mixed until they were fully incorporated. This was going to be the first big test of what I was hoping would happen. I grabbed a handfull of the mixture and started to form it into a patty. It was a little soft at first, but tossing it between hands really kept it all together really well. I put the first patty into the skillet. I repeated this a few more times (even making a small one for Calvin!) added a bit of olive oil, and turned on the stove.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meet Patty!</td></tr>
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So part one of my experiment was a success- I was able to form the mixture into actual patties. Then came part two, and certainly the most important part- would they hold together during cooking? I wasn't sure that they would, since both parts were already cooked. Sure, raw chicken will hold it's form when cooked, but this wasn't raw. I held my breath as I flipped the first patty...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hear me baby, hold together.</td></tr>
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Success! Not only did it hold together, but it got a nice bit of burn on it! I was confident that this was going to work out. Then I added some cheese to the top, and began toasting the bun.</div>
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Once the patty was finished cooking and the cheese was melted, I placed it on the bun and drizzled some gravy over the top of it. I had originally wanted to top the burger with a couple of slices of fried potato, but decided against it for this go around. Next time, though.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calvin's Mini-Meal</td></tr>
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The "burger" was finished. It smelled as amazing as it looked. The smell reminded me of the kind of meal that you'd have on a Sunday evening with your family- chicken, stuffing, gravy...so I decided to call this the Sunday Dinner Burger. </div>
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Did it pass the taste test? You be the judge!</div>
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Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-14727475574482761912014-02-14T05:12:00.001-08:002014-02-14T05:12:29.690-08:00Episode VI: Return to the Kitchen (A Guest Blog)<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Hello Impulsive Chef readers! Brian, my brother-in-law, was kind enough to allow me a guest spot on his blog. He's cool like that. </div>
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I'm glad to have a chance to provide a little bit of contrast for you all - I am not an impulsive chef, almost laughably so. I think I used to be one, but after going through a tough time in life that changed my relationship with food and thus with the kitchen, I am now a planner, a recipe follower (gasp!). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, that's a book.</td></tr>
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I won't bore you with my life story - all you really need to know is that I almost completely stopped cooking and lost almost all interest in being creative with it. I stuck to the few things I knew how to cook or bake well, like chicken breast, pasta, banana nut bread and really over-microwaved frozen vegetables. Recently, my boyfriend gently complained to me that he was hurt that I hadn't cooked a meal at home in months. I'm lucky enough to have a great boyfriend who enjoys cooking, so I couldn't ignore his plea or worm my way out of picking up some slack, nor did I even want to do so.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How'd that happen?</td></tr>
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Thus, my attempt at culinary success. After my boyfriend's complaint, I began to try to imagine what I could cook that wasn't the same old thing, that would impress him. A meal plan began to take shape based around portobello mushrooms - so savory, so subtle, so versatile. I'm used to the baby bellas, but I didn't know where to go with those, so I thought about the bigger ones. I decided on stuffed portobellos, but didn't know with what they should be stuffed. I didn't want it to be too complicated as I was afraid of making a terrible meal, so I picked fresh mozzarella and cubed pancetta (an Italian version of bacon, essentially). Following internet recipe advice, after scooping out about a quarter of the underside of the mushrooms, I baked them open-side down with a very light olive oil coating at 350° for ten minutes, then flipped them, laid in a thick slice of the fresh mozzarella and the cubed pancetta, the latter of which I fried separately in a pan on the stove on medium high heat for about seven minutes. The now-stuffed mushrooms went back in the oven for another 7-8 minutes, just enough time to start melting the mozzarella. Two tips: two of my mushrooms ended up collapsing around the rims - it didn't make them any less edible, but if you want to avoid that, I would say to only precook them before the stuffing for five minutes instead of ten. Also, be aware that mushrooms will shrink a bit when baked.</div>
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To go with this, I skillet-fried some asparagus in olive oil and freshly-minced garlic, again on medium high heat, just long enough that portions of each stalk had that browned look. You would want to make sure to turn those over once or twice so your cooking evenly on both sides.</div>
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I also prepared a white wine pasta sauce to serve on the penne I was making. I was worried that it would be bitter or sour, but it worked beautifully. I looked on the internet at four or five different recipes before picking one that was pretty simple. I combined half a cup of dry white wine (super cheap pinot grigio) and 4-5 Tbsp of butter (actual butter, not margarine) with some freshly-minced garlic and a sprinkling of Italian seasoning sauteed for about 2 minutes in a quarter cup of olive oil (I would recommend a little less oil, personally). As I let this simmer for about 7 minutes, I decided it would be too wet, so I dashed in a teensy bit of flour, probably only about a quarter or half a teaspoon, and it thickened up nicely, but not too much. At the last minute, literally about 2 minutes before everything was ready, I decided to throw in the portobello mushroom meat that I had scooped out earlier. </div>
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The white wine sauce ended up being my favorite thing. My boyfriend loved the stuffed mushrooms and was very impressed with the whole meal, which was all I was going for, but I'm happy to say that I impressed myself too. </div>
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So, if you're more like me than Brian and cooking seems like a scary world of too many choices, I guess I would say this: take a chance. Think about the food that appeals to you and why. Follow your flavor palette, because if there's a food you just adore, it's likely you've eaten it a number of times and have thought about its ingredients - that you understand what makes it good. Try making a meal you've liked before that someone else cooked or you had in a restaurant. Don't worry about strictly following the recipes you may look at - throwing the mushroom meat in my wine sauce really made the sauce special. </div>
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Alright, that's it for me. Shameless plug: I am a licensed massage therapist at the American Institute of Alternative Medicine on Schrock Road in Columbus, near Westerville. I'm really good - book an appointment! <a href="http://www.aiam.edu/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.aiam.edu</a> or <a href="tel:614-825-6255" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank" value="+16148256255">614-825-6255</a>.</div>
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I wish you gustatorial delight!</div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-78376247459837114872014-02-10T09:59:00.000-08:002014-02-11T11:24:05.350-08:00Fen you make a burger, fenugreek!The hamburger has been perfected hundreds of times- no matter what your personal tastes are, there's a burger out there that is exactly the way you like it. For me, that's a Max and Erma's Garbage Burger. If you don't know what it is, it's basically a burger with 3 kinds of cheese, marinara, guacamole, mushrooms, onions, tomato, lettuce and god only knows what else. In short, it's amazing. I've never even tried to recreate it at home, because that's one of the things I don't think that I could improve on. However, that doesn't stop me from trying different things with my burgers!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And it actually looks like this.</td></tr>
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After buying a bunch of different spices at Whole Foods a few weeks ago (see my turmeric soup post) I wanted to use one of the spices in a burger, but which? Checking the aroma of each one, I decided that the most interesting one was going to be fenugreek. For Lisa, I decided to use the Chipotle Chili Powder.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmmm.</td></tr>
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Fenugreek is an interesting spice. Used primarily in Middle-Eastern and Indian cuisine, it's similar to but totally different than curry. The smell is very sweet, but the taste is more on the savory end of the spectrum. The color is a dark mustard yellow, and in my case, it was ground up into a very fine powder.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aromatic as hell.</td></tr>
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I had a couple small top round steaks that I was going to grind up, so I sliced them up and put them in, and topped it off with about two tablespoons of fenugreek and started to grind it up. The smell immediately hits you, and it is absolutely amazing. Because the meat was relatively well marbled, I didn't add any egg, breadcrumbs, or any other filler. The meat and spice made a very malleable and easily-formed mixture. I set mine aside and cleaned out the food processor to work on Lisa's.<br />
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The idea that I had for hers was to make a spicy burger, top it with smoked cheddar and sauteed onions, then smother it in some of my leftover homemade chili. I put the beef into the processor, then added some chipotle chili powder, cayenne pepper powder, onion powder, and seasoned salt. After letting it all meld together in the food processor, I opened it up to inspect, and the results caught me by surprise. It smelled Exactly. Like. Chili. Cheese. Fritos. I'm not talking "similar to" or "reminds me of." I'm talking about having a bag of them right in front of you. She was going to LOVE it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NOM!</td></tr>
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Being the middle of winter in Ohio, grilling outside was not part of the equation. I used a regular pan on the stove top and brought the meat up to temperature very, very slowly. I like my burgers on the rare side, so the last thing I wanted to do was get them to medium, or *gasp*, medium-well. They take longer, sure, but cooking them on the stove top lets have absolute control over how they cook, and as an added benefit, you can get a little bit of a crunchy exterior to the burger, which is both unexpected and incredibly yummy.<br />
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After getting the burgers to the right done-ness, I put them each onto a bun, topped mine with sauteed mushrooms, a tomato, then some buttermilk ranch dressing (side note: the buttermilk ranch from Aldi is one of the best i've ever had, and I would certainly call myself a Ranch Connoisseur) then Lisa's was topped with sauteed onions and a generous portion of chili.<br />
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Judging by how Lisa ate her burger with the quickness, I could only surmise that she was a fan. Mine was delicious- the fenugreek was a perfect compliment to the meat, and really made a regular burger feel exotic. I think that fenugreek will find it's way into my regular rotation- there are so many other things that I could see using this on, especially seafood.<br />
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What I learned from this was to experiment- I had never had fenugreek before and bought it based on smell. Go and explore spices, smell them, buy something that smells good, and use something you've never tried before! The only way to expand your horizons is to go where you've never gone.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-65477485596090580872014-02-02T15:17:00.001-08:002014-02-03T06:14:14.993-08:00Like The Impulsive Chef on Facebook and win!<div dir="ltr">
Like <a href="http://www.facebook.com/theimpulsivechef">The Impulsive Chef</a> on Facebook and be entered to win kitchen essentials! This time we've got a choice between a set of kitchen knives and cutting board or sauteing pan. Just "like" the Facebook page by February 14th and be entered! Two winners will be selected!</div>
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Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-50979371630664301702014-01-29T12:17:00.000-08:002014-01-29T12:17:29.357-08:00The Impulsive Chef's Sister Presents: Ramen for the Sophisticate<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Hi readers, I'm filling in for Brian today with an "Impulsive Single Girl Chef" post. For those of us who are unlucky in love and destined to be spinsters it can be quite a challenge to put time and energy into cooking for one. So many leftovers, no one to share the meal with...delivery sounds much better. My favorite delivery guy, Hideki, at least asks how my day was...</span><br />
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But, with a New Years resolution to experiment with cooking (gotta get some wifey skills, amirite?) I'm trying my hand at a few dishes here and there. After a recent breakup I've basically been on a diet of wine and...wine...so I figured it was time to head to Trader Joes & Whole Foods and stock up the ol' pantry.</div>
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My recent favorite meal in DC is ramen...not Top Ramen or anything, but these really nice/trendy ramen restaurants that are absolutely to die for. I think the broth is laced with crack because it's addictive. Since the weather has been freezing all month and I don't want to leave my apartment, I decided to try and replicate a fancy ramen dish (see photo). Let the impulsiveness begin...</div>
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I took one package of beef flavored Top Ramen and cooked it per the directions. While it was cooking, I chopped up some carrots, green onion, and mushroom and also threw in some corn. I also took some frozen wild mushrooms from Whole Foods and added those (single girl tip: these mushrooms literally can go in anything you cook. Stock up!). Next I took one egg and beat it in a cup, then slowly drizzled it into the boiling water a la egg drop soup style. Finally, I added the flavor packet, some soy sauce and sesame oil for flavor and was all done. An easy way to take cheap ramen and make it "fancy" in a pinch. Doesn't exactly beat a $20 bowl of ramen, but it sure comes close when you don't want to leave your house during the polar vortex. Bon apetite!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This just screams amazing!</td></tr>
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Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-15829378441487179842014-01-22T10:09:00.001-08:002014-01-22T10:48:56.942-08:00Terrific Tumeric SoupOn paper, being sick sounds like a lot of fun- you get to stay home, lay in bed, watch TV, sleep...pretty much living the life. In reality, however, it's usually something you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. I just got over a pretty horrendous bout of the norovirus, and it was highlighted by a delirious online conversation with a friend about seafood curry. At least, I think the conversation took place- it could very well have been completely imagined by my sick-addled brain. A quick search of my chat history indeed confirmed the conversation took place, even though I only have fleeting memories of it. Regardless, that conversation planted the seeds for this dish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrrexT7i9Ybkq9-KuTEuiA0zR9vcKNbFJT9KRc3LU5rAvtlEgJPD8bQhp6hkdFu_YVw2C2R49sVWKJNE9601ev2_n5lQLLWTG1GTHzG-CcST8TICVmQA9pMnq_Pg-G6hhmHy5cxnsDP3O3/s1600/norovirus_pd_CDC_CharlesDHumphrey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrrexT7i9Ybkq9-KuTEuiA0zR9vcKNbFJT9KRc3LU5rAvtlEgJPD8bQhp6hkdFu_YVw2C2R49sVWKJNE9601ev2_n5lQLLWTG1GTHzG-CcST8TICVmQA9pMnq_Pg-G6hhmHy5cxnsDP3O3/s1600/norovirus_pd_CDC_CharlesDHumphrey.jpg" height="275" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How can something so cool looking be so evil?</td></tr>
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I had been sick for almost two full days, eating virtually nothing, when all of a sudden, like a bolt from the heavens, I felt 100% better. I had energy, I was hungry, and I wanted to make something for dinner. Thinking that soup would be a great way to kick the rest of the sickness from me, I took those seeds that were planted during the curry conversation and got impulsive. Lisa doesn't like curry at all, but she DOES like tumeric. For those of you that don't know, tumeric, on its own, has a very mild curry flavor. It is used in curry powder, usually with other ingredients.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I <3 you, tumeric!</td></tr>
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I called my wife and asked if she would pick up a couple of things that I would need on her way home from work. I already had beef bullion and tumeric, so I asked her to pick up beef smoked sausage, diced tomatoes, brown rice, and an onion. I prepped the broth by making a stronger than usual beef base, and ground the tumeric with my mortar and pestle to a very, very fine dust, and mixed it in. I sliced the onion and rinsed the diced tomatoes, then cut the smoked sausage into bite-sized pieces. After adding all of these to the broth, I brought it to a boil and added the brown rice.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sausage, tomato, and rice bubbling to the top</td></tr>
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I had meant to cook the smoked sausage on the stovetop first to give it a little bit of a "burn" taste, but completely forgot to do that. In hindsight, i'm actually glad that I didn't- boiling the soup and "cooking" the sausage really allowed the flavors to mingle- the soup got some sausage flavor and the sausage soaked up some tumeric flavor! It was a happy accident.<br />
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So in the end, the soup really turned out well- bold flavor, great textures, and lots of leftovers!</div>
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Total cost:</div>
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Beef bullion (with most of it left over and unused): $1.49<br />
Beef smoked sausage: $1.99</div>
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Onion (5 onions, only 1 used): $1</div>
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Brown rice: $1</div>
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Diced tomato: $0.69</div>
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Tumeric: $1.29 (1/4 lb, used about 2 tbsp)</div>
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Total: $5.47 (11 servings @ $0.68 per serving)<br />
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Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-60669852217553671542014-01-15T09:32:00.001-08:002014-01-15T09:32:04.366-08:00Fast Foods- Homemade PizzaWeekend eating can be one of three things: 1) Leftovers 2) Take-out/Sit-down dining 3) Home cooked. I love Saturdays because I love making something that just doesn't fit into the week. Honestly, it's usually pizza of some sort. Granted, it can be a frozen pizza, delivery pizza, make-your-own with a pre-made crust, or what I did this past Saturday- made from scratch dough pizza. Growing up, making pizza with my parents was always a really special occasion.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7q6zeMScND0J9azQftf_oj9yZIm6Qm-1RdsLooppt0xO_elDSRD8OoPzTsNEH0xfl5qCZRT_vtoIaTW2b8mZLFQGuAko4DAm7xkdQyyZ09hCUV7wNbCkDzUfSrMoFMm8xSvk2ZL2qYwV/s1600/pizza5small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7q6zeMScND0J9azQftf_oj9yZIm6Qm-1RdsLooppt0xO_elDSRD8OoPzTsNEH0xfl5qCZRT_vtoIaTW2b8mZLFQGuAko4DAm7xkdQyyZ09hCUV7wNbCkDzUfSrMoFMm8xSvk2ZL2qYwV/s1600/pizza5small.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D'oh!</td></tr>
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I've never made my own dough before, and I thought that it was going to be tricky. Turns out that it's not. At all. 1 and 1/2 cups flour, a packet of yeast, a cup of water, 1/2 tsp of salt and a teaspoon of sugar and I was rollin'. To the crust for my pizza, I added about a tablespoon of garlic powder. I suppose that you can add whatever you'd like- next time i'll be adding Parmesan cheese and minced garlic. That'll be good.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5oACGWAtUUmOSQoSNLhjUY3ZXO-Qr1ko9CAFPyqFPH2iAROFHsaUa7ObBwE-_7ZKjDPZVU-OeSlijbUNX9k2tN_MkJ1FaFr5MhyD5Rm_HVuNR8RfulVwOBMSBigaYYPxbAImsr21mSvt3/s1600/pizza2small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5oACGWAtUUmOSQoSNLhjUY3ZXO-Qr1ko9CAFPyqFPH2iAROFHsaUa7ObBwE-_7ZKjDPZVU-OeSlijbUNX9k2tN_MkJ1FaFr5MhyD5Rm_HVuNR8RfulVwOBMSBigaYYPxbAImsr21mSvt3/s1600/pizza2small.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lisa's turkey and veggies pizza</td></tr>
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Lisa wanted a pizza with white sauce, but since "white sauce" can mean anything, I figured that making one of my own would be good. I used a packet of Kroger alfredo sauce powder, milk, and Aldi buttermilk ranch salad dressing. I made it moderately thick, and then brought it to a boil on the stove and then let it cool. It came out with a a perfect consistency, and the taste....oh my. I could have eaten the whole pot by myself. It was cheesy, ranchy goodness. I will be making this again...but I want to use it as a pasta sauce with a rustic-style pasta and some pancetta. But that's for another day!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KE3n6BMUI0vb87pmbyB4UoX5tOlEJceXl2i2SAWV8OJ7HfZH7EFdg4GSmJzQwy5l35fd7Si78dk8EfbnIdMTKZb7iJU8g9qlWLu356lcyY4giEq8Y5W-LOS_eWMRsc2_Eh78UF0j-epX/s1600/pizza4small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KE3n6BMUI0vb87pmbyB4UoX5tOlEJceXl2i2SAWV8OJ7HfZH7EFdg4GSmJzQwy5l35fd7Si78dk8EfbnIdMTKZb7iJU8g9qlWLu356lcyY4giEq8Y5W-LOS_eWMRsc2_Eh78UF0j-epX/s1600/pizza4small.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love my ergonomic pizza cutter!</td></tr>
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For toppings on her pizza, I decided to purchase a Lean Cuisine (i think?) frozen box of salad topper. It was like $2, and came with a bag of roasted turkey chunks, yellow and orange carrot slivers and broccoli. It was the perfect amount for a pizza. I added shredded mozzarella, and baked until the edges were golden brown.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbyksFMiAFwzFctLzjwq9zS-gi5o7PElWwn_c_sk2AeNClWLyPNURUgy_jToP_hsvx_WiptMXppujtHHigvKYwElhJ4RZVTzBgsV42l3qRnXchZZ9Xl4qBZcsZsGkp5PIQRR-7UsnzXSaI/s1600/pizza6small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbyksFMiAFwzFctLzjwq9zS-gi5o7PElWwn_c_sk2AeNClWLyPNURUgy_jToP_hsvx_WiptMXppujtHHigvKYwElhJ4RZVTzBgsV42l3qRnXchZZ9Xl4qBZcsZsGkp5PIQRR-7UsnzXSaI/s1600/pizza6small.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie....</td></tr>
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My pizza was decidedly more traditional, consisting of my homemade crust, canned pizza sauce, fresh mushrooms, pepperoni and mozzarella. I love the gigantic mushrooms though (from Aldi). They're the best i've had for the price.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Ubm609D91JacXIrQuEEizXOlpBEdSZJsjf0KX9hPMoRWayIYaWbnu3_bGIgEXtONhyphenhyphenVOrxW2FR-ovpSxpjQH5_uqrYAoLUPXUnPfgLuCD5PkIBKKpne5wF0AaBFtcK6T5K0b6oD1WZXT/s1600/pizza12small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Ubm609D91JacXIrQuEEizXOlpBEdSZJsjf0KX9hPMoRWayIYaWbnu3_bGIgEXtONhyphenhyphenVOrxW2FR-ovpSxpjQH5_uqrYAoLUPXUnPfgLuCD5PkIBKKpne5wF0AaBFtcK6T5K0b6oD1WZXT/s1600/pizza12small.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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So that's my pizza. Nothing groundbreaking, but certainly a lot of fun to make. I look forward to sharing this experience with my son as he grows up, and hope it's as special to him as it was to me.<br /><div>
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Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-55846044940786506442014-01-15T08:16:00.002-08:002014-01-15T08:16:40.618-08:00Like The Impulsive Chef on Facebook!<a href="https://www.facebook.com/theimpulsivechef" target="_blank">Click here and "like" The Impulsive Chef on Facebook!</a> There will be another fantastic giveaway coming up very soon! Don't miss out!Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-73450809188622480362014-01-14T10:56:00.003-08:002014-01-15T08:11:18.490-08:00The 20% Crunchier Impulsive Chef (aka Quinoa Goes With Everything)For those of you that don't know what quinoa is, first, it's pronounced KEEN-wah, and second, it's a grain grown for its edible seeds. Think of it like round rice with a little squiggly tail. It's kind of one of foods that people are scared to try, but is actually pretty tame. By itself, there isn't much of a taste to it, very much like rice. It's also been called the <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/juliewilcox/2012/06/26/7-benefits-of-quinoa-the-supergrain-of-the-future/" target="_blank">superfood of the future</a>.<br />
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That's all well and good, but like eating a bowl of rice, it's really not that exciting on its own. That's where my wife comes in. She's completely obsessed with quinoa. Everything she makes usually includes it, and that's not a bad thing. I typically don't incorporate it too often into my dishes though, for one reason or another. Last week, I was kicking around some dinner ideas, and she helpfully chimed in that it should involve quinoa. I told her that I likely wasn't going to do that, and then she said, and I quote: "it should involve quinoa ;-) it's goooood and SO good for you and so versatile"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfR9DxwdeKexeGdDAaxdytozu5QwIl81jwe9Dk1zxPC4zhYUQ60gG9n6DvAvyvM8erBkQY2-UtCuuqMnAsjOqkYLP0U7QUb1Y8cgeP3OwtXK9wLANML9zueHdfbDITWFNUmz36FXKO2Bn/s1600/HerpDerp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfR9DxwdeKexeGdDAaxdytozu5QwIl81jwe9Dk1zxPC4zhYUQ60gG9n6DvAvyvM8erBkQY2-UtCuuqMnAsjOqkYLP0U7QUb1Y8cgeP3OwtXK9wLANML9zueHdfbDITWFNUmz36FXKO2Bn/s1600/HerpDerp.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">quinoa quinoa quinoa!</td></tr>
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That actually got me thinking- it's so easily substituted for rice, what would it be good with? My initial thought was to do some kind of burrito thing with quinoa instead of rice, but veered off that into a more healthy variation. That brings us to the "20% crunchier" part.<br />
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First, a bit of backstory. On Monday of last week, I started a two-week body cleanse. Not for any particular reason other than it sounded interesting. As part of that, I've been trying to eat as little processed foods as possible- cooking at home from organic meats and veggies, very little alcohol, etc. Lisa was saying that she liked this slightly crunchier version of me. Truth be told, I wasn't 100% sure what she meant by "crunchier." I could only assume it's like someone who eats granola or tree bark or something that's crunchy is typically some sort of hippy. I mean, it makes sense, right?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLEnSIbbgKNWbi-uXlKLqanyuRk8HZjc_Xp__2JnT99JAEnV3GByXnwfZvLo0d_HiH5oLdzhjRBihQJcZsmGOvjEBGF7Hjp-3HToFeQqxUP0qcSDsi_SdS0eQp4FH3xnItfuZl0SSUzQgD/s1600/tumblr_ln3fxy2g4H1qimnbfo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLEnSIbbgKNWbi-uXlKLqanyuRk8HZjc_Xp__2JnT99JAEnV3GByXnwfZvLo0d_HiH5oLdzhjRBihQJcZsmGOvjEBGF7Hjp-3HToFeQqxUP0qcSDsi_SdS0eQp4FH3xnItfuZl0SSUzQgD/s1600/tumblr_ln3fxy2g4H1qimnbfo1_500.jpg" height="340" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or plays a guitar with a pot leaf on it.</td></tr>
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So I embraced it. Eating well makes you feel well, and I know that some of my readers are very health-conscious and have requested that I feature those. So in the spirit of my cleanse, I ended up deciding on a fresh chicken wrap, kind of in a Mediterranean style. Interestingly, it's actually just as good cold as it is hot.<br />
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The picture in my mind was that of a whole wheat tortilla wrapped around chicken and different veggies. As I walked around the grocery store, I picked out a couple of things that would go well with it- diced tomatoes, black beans, cucumbers and broccoli slaw. I wanted to use chicken thigh meat, so I got some of that as well. I was ready to start cooking.<br />
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Starting with the chicken, I cut each thigh into a bite-sized piece and boiled it on the stovetop until it was about 50% cooked. I didn't boil it in broth this time, but moderately salted water. Once it was done, I drained the chicken and put the pieces in a pan under medium-high heat. I added about a tablespoon of chipotle chili powder that I sourced from Whole Foods, and cooked the chicken until it was slightly crispy on the outside. The chipotle chili powder packed a bigger kick than I had expected, but it wasn't overpowering- just stronger than your run of the mill chili powder.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Y0v7g0o0CkBRZhIsyH_B43LO02mXsFp4G3STFfMAp9AoMOhDkDZykobl06OEZIsogqp-3RduCC4H6jSPZfN2kc_JXg0ZT2G2wazgvy_Sn3ovvV6tSyMjIYDNF4lKrtxr051EokV6nCKM/s1600/FCW8small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Y0v7g0o0CkBRZhIsyH_B43LO02mXsFp4G3STFfMAp9AoMOhDkDZykobl06OEZIsogqp-3RduCC4H6jSPZfN2kc_JXg0ZT2G2wazgvy_Sn3ovvV6tSyMjIYDNF4lKrtxr051EokV6nCKM/s1600/FCW8small.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chipotle chili powder. Contents are hotter than they appear!</td></tr>
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The quinoa was rinsed and then boiled. it takes a little longer than something like pasta, but you can tell when it's done when the little "sprout" pops out and the hull is soft. Drain and rinse, and it's ready to go. Cooking quinoa isn't really a science!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSbZAgL6EGgWC6VvWkhNpPteJhU2cvxfpc47AAgjy-oCSQPYHa5yIq1Rl3ZQbt_Llh4n-mOEcefyeHuWTt91x9gIIQgdUKftlswDjxhDBzgl3lFian1QHgEoTw9w2CUQfpo59GoFVSJ7o/s1600/FCW1small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSbZAgL6EGgWC6VvWkhNpPteJhU2cvxfpc47AAgjy-oCSQPYHa5yIq1Rl3ZQbt_Llh4n-mOEcefyeHuWTt91x9gIIQgdUKftlswDjxhDBzgl3lFian1QHgEoTw9w2CUQfpo59GoFVSJ7o/s1600/FCW1small.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red quinoa, pre-boil</td></tr>
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I diced the cucumbers, drained and rinsed both the black beans and the tomatoes, and put them each in a bowl. I wanted to serve this sort of a la carte- put what you want on it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPe0rCJgHA7opzWCjiUCP6WOcybwGfeIEKde73nkN9cC8RoWLQio3IRNtroiQwwSr_Y__DRWtHOdc-RyISQBQlYr9_DHZkenGfv9yGKmDcgUas1rTUgnvmkzSxE7ZwSpalC5gegd03nMW/s1600/FCW5small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPe0rCJgHA7opzWCjiUCP6WOcybwGfeIEKde73nkN9cC8RoWLQio3IRNtroiQwwSr_Y__DRWtHOdc-RyISQBQlYr9_DHZkenGfv9yGKmDcgUas1rTUgnvmkzSxE7ZwSpalC5gegd03nMW/s1600/FCW5small.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bowling for....quinoa?</td></tr>
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On each plate I put a tortilla. Before serving, I thought that tortilla needed something...something creamy? I didn't know exactly... Like a burrito, it needs sour cream, but that wouldn't taste right. Ranch dressing wouldn't taste right either, so what WOULD? I scoured the refrigerator for ideas, and then it hit me. I took about 1/4 of a container of sour cream and mixed in some Greek vinaigrette. After a little trial and error, the proportions were perfect! This was what needed to be spread on the tortill.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLUOSpyDOrkk0-ZWTrGCQmB29l0E1_3mH0baljN2cTX8AXTkBcg5IaaTe2qpTNZJkk9MTFuUJxO6fUEcCYepsXdlNlKsmhZYVLax8lb8TQRVqDrX70B_7Ps5dolHM847mPjJn0Kt5T8OB/s1600/FCW9small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLUOSpyDOrkk0-ZWTrGCQmB29l0E1_3mH0baljN2cTX8AXTkBcg5IaaTe2qpTNZJkk9MTFuUJxO6fUEcCYepsXdlNlKsmhZYVLax8lb8TQRVqDrX70B_7Ps5dolHM847mPjJn0Kt5T8OB/s1600/FCW9small.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All slathered up</td></tr>
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Next was the chicken...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRipm8_m2pG60B4fpAeN3m4YOVjgXg_LSkiqccGOJl8-8YNQohSL9IMjNvv3gblaURdqTBqSYI0HD5Vr0RoyltNJZzT_TV5e6kUqU3kEJxSYpuaVH-CBZa068m5kt2BTU8gln4iu7EaCo/s1600/FCW10small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRipm8_m2pG60B4fpAeN3m4YOVjgXg_LSkiqccGOJl8-8YNQohSL9IMjNvv3gblaURdqTBqSYI0HD5Vr0RoyltNJZzT_TV5e6kUqU3kEJxSYpuaVH-CBZa068m5kt2BTU8gln4iu7EaCo/s1600/FCW10small.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a great color they turned out to be!</td></tr>
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And then the beans, tomato, cucumber and broccoli slaw...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GPUQEXvdPqUuoqaUGDOCkaNO5VLf6Z-a3r5oUQfDAvVpylhF6IXYqBMiRZS59CnNinkQiTvn-AHdKc_iHm2oDR2JtGxTk0Ml4SwSPeBKQqA-U9CMjzM6noQrsT_ssn1SE4TVpJrqVeCi/s1600/FCW12small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GPUQEXvdPqUuoqaUGDOCkaNO5VLf6Z-a3r5oUQfDAvVpylhF6IXYqBMiRZS59CnNinkQiTvn-AHdKc_iHm2oDR2JtGxTk0Ml4SwSPeBKQqA-U9CMjzM6noQrsT_ssn1SE4TVpJrqVeCi/s1600/FCW12small.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It even LOOKS healthy!</td></tr>
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And finally, much to my wife's delight, the quinoa!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEism_Ty1MPle0ja0fhP2FGBrNx43JAiMFYOJ19HiMuEg1rW38vjD04V9xZmBIjl-a9_r46EC1I1551dSaZPlAa3nMJLa9jy3hwu51FMMU8UIACu-3-sFa-KBGTSVnyguSAC48vBSrGLY61Q/s1600/FCW14small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEism_Ty1MPle0ja0fhP2FGBrNx43JAiMFYOJ19HiMuEg1rW38vjD04V9xZmBIjl-a9_r46EC1I1551dSaZPlAa3nMJLa9jy3hwu51FMMU8UIACu-3-sFa-KBGTSVnyguSAC48vBSrGLY61Q/s1600/FCW14small.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So colorful!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4v0vijgMhp5fNgb8T9iczP7jHBVGf9ZF3vfc0346ncYZOqhUsLLiuljkO3-HCfG4am3PITcAIz1FIpA2wdOhJ0AuwoZuolrW13HwO59-JIkBrvWZy_O-eDY95zTiVe5DWvgJE_vRh4YW/s1600/FCW13small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4v0vijgMhp5fNgb8T9iczP7jHBVGf9ZF3vfc0346ncYZOqhUsLLiuljkO3-HCfG4am3PITcAIz1FIpA2wdOhJ0AuwoZuolrW13HwO59-JIkBrvWZy_O-eDY95zTiVe5DWvgJE_vRh4YW/s1600/FCW13small.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little detail. The "sprouts" are visible on the qunioa.</td></tr>
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So that's how the 20% Crunchier Impulsive Chef does things. The meal turned out to be amazing- both fresh off the stove or straight out of the fridge four days later. This is an easy, inexpensive, and most of all healthy way shake things up a little bit. I think it would please even picky eaters!<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">WUCCMNYG9UD8</span></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-88336369681122869592014-01-09T08:04:00.001-08:002014-01-09T08:04:28.442-08:00Fast Foods- Spicy Bean SoupPart of being impulsive are those last minute, "hey that sounds good" kind of dinners, which is pretty much exactly what I did last night. I didn't really think to photograph anything, so i'll do my best to recreate how it all went down. Originally, dinner was going to be salad and some chicken noodle soup, but literally out of nowhere, the thought of a spicy bean soup popped into my head.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PIUegstq6x3pQiR0VRlu5c3nQbylaspKel2j7osOXG4-q56a9U4ih1gqaT41tRNlpIdnrZydAp6kV5zTc_17wOtFgKc8tECj9OUuLi5ShLZ1mzOGBIhg2VYGAFbZXLfKom74ClrfxCNK/s1600/graphics-mr-bean-706282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PIUegstq6x3pQiR0VRlu5c3nQbylaspKel2j7osOXG4-q56a9U4ih1gqaT41tRNlpIdnrZydAp6kV5zTc_17wOtFgKc8tECj9OUuLi5ShLZ1mzOGBIhg2VYGAFbZXLfKom74ClrfxCNK/s1600/graphics-mr-bean-706282.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Did someone say Bean soup?</td></tr>
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My thought was to use a chicken bullion base, add black beans and chili beans, corn, and onions. I started with some crushed up chicken bullion cubes, then added a can of black and chili beans, a can of diced tomatoes with jalapeno, a can of Mexican style tomatoes, and a can of corn. I let the mixture boil briefly, and then added minced onions and about 1/2 tablespoon of cayenne pepper powder. It made it very sneakily spicy...mild at first, then a bite at the end.<br />
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The total cost of this soup was ridiculously low:<br />Chicken bullion- $2<br />
Black beans- $0.69<br />
Corn- $0.69<br />
Chili beans- $0.69<br />
Minced onions- $1<br />
Diced tomatoes- $1<br />
Mexican style tomatoes- $0.89<br />
Total: $6.96<br />
10 servings @ $0.696 per serving<br />
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<br />Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-15268928296865578092014-01-07T10:02:00.001-08:002014-01-07T10:02:33.055-08:00Congrats to the our second winner, Darrin!Congratulations to Darrin on winning the Anchor bamboo appetizer serving set!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdL_xDqb5n_FZL3_GTAkNCfrj9yTA_IlJBsCN-FzjKMnYKFd1y9lilOJhapdqvdJDpIsdMI75cruwlZUWP9ibKq2pMYdlOYG0twYu4Pfdfx23w_GJgXMSaMvnENmczK_ktXcXFFgh7Cud/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdL_xDqb5n_FZL3_GTAkNCfrj9yTA_IlJBsCN-FzjKMnYKFd1y9lilOJhapdqvdJDpIsdMI75cruwlZUWP9ibKq2pMYdlOYG0twYu4Pfdfx23w_GJgXMSaMvnENmczK_ktXcXFFgh7Cud/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trust me, he's thrilled.</td></tr>
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Darrin runs Warp Zone, a absolute Shangri-La for video game fans! You can visit the store's Facebook page here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/warpzonehq">https://www.facebook.com/warpzonehq</a><br />
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Keep your eyes open for more giveaways in the coming weeks! We have some more fantastic cooking items still to come!Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-38097054052571519942014-01-02T09:57:00.001-08:002014-01-03T09:47:07.185-08:00The Chili IncidentChili is one of those things that is hard to mess up. If you put some combination of meat and beans in a pot, you’re going to wind up with something approximating chili. The real fun begins when a plain-Jane chili like that no longer cuts it, and you are forced to get creative, or dare I say, impulsive.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzBQTRIACn9R_iebg_gNSL29mjsDIwKZrJSyXtUItWOXps4D6EQr9k3R7gjn2S9q6iPd0-7LnZj6FNXU8foc5OQctDwcWv79A1dgulg2i6gAxnQnVFtFEc09od7XahkjQBnQxKaCJRQhc/s1600/chil-MMAP-md.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzBQTRIACn9R_iebg_gNSL29mjsDIwKZrJSyXtUItWOXps4D6EQr9k3R7gjn2S9q6iPd0-7LnZj6FNXU8foc5OQctDwcWv79A1dgulg2i6gAxnQnVFtFEc09od7XahkjQBnQxKaCJRQhc/s1600/chil-MMAP-md.png" height="281" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chile<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;"> is a South American country occupying a long, narrow strip of land between the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" title="Andes">Andes</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;"> mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.</span></span></td></tr>
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I haven’t cooked chili for very long, and I don’t think I've ever made the exact same chili twice. That is to say, before I started working at my current job, I never made it very often. However, once I saw that my company would have a yearly chili cook-off competition, the take-no-prisoners competitive side of me kicked in. Basically, anyone who wanted to participate would bring in chili in a crock pot, and it would be doled out in plastic shot glass-like cups with a number on it corresponding to which chili it was. The point is that you didn't know whose chili you were voting for.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqw7LAROrTyfydzIONDc-FIQEpt-pa_0yQfObjg5F_0l2ckMsTGPfwvMrW02Bfb-ACsTBJ5gH_wFDt14JrsUeTgtafyqa431tb6b6Po3Nu-ZU2dCGJAhRbhL0G01ZvfHDDDfiKFKA0h35/s1600/Chili-Cookoff1-1.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqw7LAROrTyfydzIONDc-FIQEpt-pa_0yQfObjg5F_0l2ckMsTGPfwvMrW02Bfb-ACsTBJ5gH_wFDt14JrsUeTgtafyqa431tb6b6Po3Nu-ZU2dCGJAhRbhL0G01ZvfHDDDfiKFKA0h35/s1600/Chili-Cookoff1-1.bmp" height="276" width="320" /></a></div>
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The first year that I participated, my chili was pretty basic- ground turkey, black beans, fire-roasted corn, diced tomato, chili powder, Sam Adams Latitude 48 IPA beer. It was all stuff that I thought sounded good together. As I went through the grocery store picking up this and that, I just tried to visualize how it was all go together. It turned out great and everyone was freaking out about the corn in the chili, like they’d never seen that before. Maybe they hadn't…I wasn't really a chili connoisseur, but I thought corn would be good in it. And it was! And I won.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBFnmG8P6na6NIkfKxPGwXHwl6mydioM4zDLO0tqilMS2uVca2Dli_CC9fq7_YHezL1sh87PLn5u1FC9kKeTL3wpDO9_wPFatqT4fZiB6Uslxp_6TCd3wqCKDdWqgON8QQ9HSQgUH9BCA/s1600/The-Simpsons-Best-Episodes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBFnmG8P6na6NIkfKxPGwXHwl6mydioM4zDLO0tqilMS2uVca2Dli_CC9fq7_YHezL1sh87PLn5u1FC9kKeTL3wpDO9_wPFatqT4fZiB6Uslxp_6TCd3wqCKDdWqgON8QQ9HSQgUH9BCA/s1600/The-Simpsons-Best-Episodes.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marge, have you seen my chili boots?</td></tr>
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The next year I knew that if I did the same chili, people would know whose it was and wouldn't vote for it (who wants to see the same person win every time?) Plus, I figured that people would be stepping up their chili game. This time, I decided to take some of the comments I had received about my previous chili to heart- people mentioned that it just wasn't spicy enough. To be fair, I erred on the side of mild instead of hot because I didn't know what people liked. My experience had shown that no one liked food as spicy as I did. And boy, I like it spicy. This time, it was going to be spicy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcvrwR3sen_-42uTvDEKksMw03S4gr4dKTX86Rv1MlNmZVlnzBtpXsXk1bkqMpNNMknKV7_OCKZKCoKb4dcdRS5c5bQ_T0HItDfbpIUIFlhPH8EYaaNoHs_x7NI36PQaEtA1SISHvevuB/s1600/stefon-spicy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcvrwR3sen_-42uTvDEKksMw03S4gr4dKTX86Rv1MlNmZVlnzBtpXsXk1bkqMpNNMknKV7_OCKZKCoKb4dcdRS5c5bQ_T0HItDfbpIUIFlhPH8EYaaNoHs_x7NI36PQaEtA1SISHvevuB/s1600/stefon-spicy.gif" height="195" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also, New York's hottest club.</td></tr>
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I don’t remember the exact specifics of this chili, but what I do recall is that it was turkey, tomatoes, black and chili beans, regular corn (which more people used this time!) and Bhut Jolokia sauce, also known as the ghost chili. The sauce I was using was bought from a hot sauce specialty store in Florida, and clocked in at over 1,000,000 on the Scoville scale. My original plan was to finish cooking the chili and then add maybe a tablespoon or so to the batch to give it a nice kick. Nothing too painful, but enough to make you sweat a little.<br />
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Unfortunately, that didn't exactly happen. What is it that they say about the best laid plans? “The best laid schemes of Mice and Men oft go astray, and leave us not but grief and pain, for promised joy!” (As an aside, I actually remember that quote from 8th grade English class. Thanks Ms. Elliott, you awful, awful teacher.) Anyway, pay special attention to the “grief and pain” part. Tablespoon, right? I knew that this sauce, even with a tiny drop the size of a drop of water, was enough to put you on your ass for 30 minutes. A tablespoon should be more than enough. I shook and then opened the bottle and went to pour my tablespoon, expecting it to come out slowly, almost like ketchup. In hindsight, I don’t know why I expected that to happen.<br />
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About 1/3 of the bottle unceremoniously dumped directly into the pot of chili.<br />
I didn’t know what to do. Should I try to scoop it out? Should I just leave it? How many people would my chili be responsible for killing? I made the command decision to leave it in there. They wanted hot, right? I don’t know if they wanted something this hot, but I guess we would find out. About the time that I started to mix the sauce into the chili, my wife yelled over from the couch “What is going? My eyes are burning!”<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-eXPvBfqexfhnre1HgEn0bsnGKclqyfkhwb6dTfBDVAqmeyBB6tG00gOxlWZqV5XRIFGiH8Dl2sYwYV2ZQnu8YQtOyL77Vpo0ia6tlWpZUvQjb9yHcpe11uqdIkczUHLLLFaTBGafbcU/s1600/promopicscottdean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-eXPvBfqexfhnre1HgEn0bsnGKclqyfkhwb6dTfBDVAqmeyBB6tG00gOxlWZqV5XRIFGiH8Dl2sYwYV2ZQnu8YQtOyL77Vpo0ia6tlWpZUvQjb9yHcpe11uqdIkczUHLLLFaTBGafbcU/s1600/promopicscottdean.jpg" height="400" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh boy.</td></tr>
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I integrated the sauce into the chili and then poured it into the crock pot that I was taking to work. The lunch room is where the competition would take place, and all of the crock pots were plugged in and turned on to get the chili hot (temperature-wise, at least). So after a couple of hours warming up on the low setting, I turned mine up to high to get it right where I wanted it. The cook-off organizers then would open the crock pots and serve the chili in the small cups. Only, when they opened my chili, it let off what I can only describe as a slightly weaker blast of pepper spray. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn't like getting doused in the face with pepper spray (because I’ve had that happen before, and it was slightly more powerful than this) but it was…uncomfortable to say the least.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_MRV259JQBPNNcbgPBEnyKx3xZn0xdM73JYopsMavIIAsxwgqui3QHd6SQxpPxDVjO3VLrb_TiLUWctexT9W1GaMNenJz-PKLSpWqRbtkAG-DPQ2qNDu69cVSUkbGfsmI8RLY2HWLG4h/s1600/selfdefensemythbusters007.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_MRV259JQBPNNcbgPBEnyKx3xZn0xdM73JYopsMavIIAsxwgqui3QHd6SQxpPxDVjO3VLrb_TiLUWctexT9W1GaMNenJz-PKLSpWqRbtkAG-DPQ2qNDu69cVSUkbGfsmI8RLY2HWLG4h/s1600/selfdefensemythbusters007.png" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An approximation of what opening my chili was like</td></tr>
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Everyone who was in the room began to blink back tears. Some were coughing. I had single-handedly pepper sprayed my coworkers. There’s no way anyone is going to eat this, let alone vote for it. To my absolute shock and amazement though, people were lining up for mine. Seconds, thirds…until the pot was completely empty. People had runny noses, tears streaming down their red faces, and were saying how much it hurt, but how they couldn't get enough. I won the cook-off for a second straight year.<br />
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The third year was a lot less eventful- another turkey chili, no hot sauce mishaps, I remember there being more cheese and less heat. Nothing really story-worthy. I won it for the third and final time. My company no longer has chili cook-offs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcg4VAltpc7PgvSSKQnvI6cx6wBoxjoXAoGT3lLSYMMHWhGbl0vh2etEhEFOE0w2CIevfwEfrSSZ2KcKNjR4qT6VOKXNQGNyqNNpEFyQ1syyvVrNNGE0HrxeXiAIQxFH4iW74VlfoNmd2I/s1600/Simpsons-Chili-Cookoff-Red-Hot-Chili-Peppers-Funny-Cartoon-Hat-Homer-Simpson-Bart-Spicy-Family-Guy-HomerSimpson-Marge.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcg4VAltpc7PgvSSKQnvI6cx6wBoxjoXAoGT3lLSYMMHWhGbl0vh2etEhEFOE0w2CIevfwEfrSSZ2KcKNjR4qT6VOKXNQGNyqNNpEFyQ1syyvVrNNGE0HrxeXiAIQxFH4iW74VlfoNmd2I/s1600/Simpsons-Chili-Cookoff-Red-Hot-Chili-Peppers-Funny-Cartoon-Hat-Homer-Simpson-Bart-Spicy-Family-Guy-HomerSimpson-Marge.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah, not no more it ain't.</td></tr>
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Somewhere along the way I got sidetracked from what I wanted to write this blog post about- the chili that I made for New Year’s. Being the end of December, it’s cold, dark, and generally gloomy outside, so a hearty chili is just the thing to warm you up (but not make you blind and unable to breathe comfortably). So as I said above, I typically would use turkey for my chili. It’s cheaper and better for you, but this time the Manager Markdown Meat Market (MMMM) there was a really nice, really small roast. It just was calling my name, and I knew it would make for some good chili.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikP9JB23LoOdf5HdW977GR6GvEX87NBko3VfGsQbEY_dfVCXs62GI0vfcfsmLFKcPo1trooGSKFDyUpFlCUlgfwI5iQMHRdwueJ0EgSoCVhOznuj2EMoTsrF6jQwurngVZG_sZkAbrSqMv/s1600/chili1small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikP9JB23LoOdf5HdW977GR6GvEX87NBko3VfGsQbEY_dfVCXs62GI0vfcfsmLFKcPo1trooGSKFDyUpFlCUlgfwI5iQMHRdwueJ0EgSoCVhOznuj2EMoTsrF6jQwurngVZG_sZkAbrSqMv/s1600/chili1small.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indeed it did.</td></tr>
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Again, walking around both Kroger and Aldi, I picked up an onion, pinto beans, kidney beans, chili beans, black beans, diced tomato with jalapeno, Mexican style sliced tomato, whole-kernel corn and skinless Polska kielbasa. I ground up the meat and cooked it on the stovetop with some chili powder, then drained and combined it with the rest of the ingredients that I had simmering in a large pot. I should mention that with the exception of the chili beans and canned tomatoes, I drained all of the other cans of their liquid.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgm1oeQCvEXLaoMHVyIASzl5MAtCkgUAthC-3vmaQ2wuLuPwQe5hILRwRtnylJAEA3O5QAuiqrdPd_u2OvUMXbUMTMW0szYNc353lz7lpgN3AcSoRJi6Cdul-jBJMJStBhRXYi4NoC4cM/s1600/chili3small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgm1oeQCvEXLaoMHVyIASzl5MAtCkgUAthC-3vmaQ2wuLuPwQe5hILRwRtnylJAEA3O5QAuiqrdPd_u2OvUMXbUMTMW0szYNc353lz7lpgN3AcSoRJi6Cdul-jBJMJStBhRXYi4NoC4cM/s1600/chili3small.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simmering</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For those that don't know what an onion looks like</td></tr>
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I simmered the chili for about a half hour under medium heat and tasted. It was missing...something. I added a few drops of liquid smoke, and 1/2 can of cheap beer. I also cut the kielbasa into small chunks and added it as well. Since it's cooked already, there's no need to pre-cook it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pouring one out for my homies</td></tr>
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Now covered, I let the chili simmer for another hour, stirring occasionally. The end product was a smoky, hearty, spicy and filling meal. My wife chose to have hers on top of some pasta, while I opted for just sour cream and cheese. Either way, it makes for a heck of a meal, and tons (I mean TONS) of leftovers.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail right out of the pot</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On top of spaghetti, all covered in cheese</td></tr>
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Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-10080253450069035672013-12-21T14:48:00.001-08:002013-12-21T14:48:18.851-08:00Congratulations to the winner of the first giveaway!Congratulations to the winner of the set of Anchor steak knives, Marisa P. of Columbus, Ohio!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucky Lady!</td></tr>
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You can win our next giveaway- an awesome set of appetizer serving tools! All you have to do is like The Impulsive Chef's page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/theimpulsivechef by January 31st. I will draw the winner on New Years Day!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great for cheese, olives, and lots of other noms!</td></tr>
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Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7170851185557696878.post-38893942771389903012013-12-17T15:01:00.000-08:002013-12-18T05:50:53.525-08:00Diane, I'm Going to Make a SoupIt just occurred to me that the great northern bean soup shares it's name with the Great Northern Hotel from the early 90's television show Twin Peaks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben Horne owned the hotel, a central location in the show</td></tr>
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So in the spirit of one of the most inventive, captivating, and outright creepy shows of all time, I will be writing this post in the style of FBI Special Agent Dale B. Cooper- lead investigator into the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diane, I'm planning on attempting to make dinner. Tell Sheriff Truman that I may be late to the station.</td></tr>
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Diane, it's 4:45pm on December 13th. The sky is a mix of grey and white, and my light jacket is no match for the brisk wind. Remind me to pick up something heavier- Columbus is a lot colder than Twin Peaks this time of year. My search for the ingredients for a soup I want to make has led me to Aldi, although I'm not entirely sure what kind of soup I want to make. I dreamed about my time at the Great Northern Hotel, room 315 last night, and it has left with me a desire for something hearty, something...I don't know. The Great Northern Hotel....great...northern...beans! Diane, it's settled. I'm going to make a great northern bean soup. I will check back when I acquire the necessary parts.<br />
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Diane, it's now 5:30pm and I have secured what I need to make this soup. I will record my expenditures for future reporting:<br />
Two cans of black beans: $0.59 each<br />
Two cans of kidney beans: $0.59 each<br />
Two bags uncooked great northern beans: $1.99 each<br />
One pack value bacon: $2.49<br />
Three white onions: $1<br />
1/2 gallon milk: $1.59<br />
I have the remainder of the food that I need back at the lab. Things like black pepper, onion salt and the like.<br />
One thing that I couldn't pass up on was a slice of cherry pie. You know how much I love a good cherry pie. This was not one of them. I only hope whatever wild animal ends up eating it out of the trash enjoys it more than I did.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbm0uQSgfbhbVWZowlyOeWqp92Yg2fLD7xJl9r7kcLLcoDd7EdenNAxRyg-VfG5KgV9wb2DMk8do2pgTq1SL0pBjfvL8_YARh5nkiZdWlDEikAWdCzfdkkrDbFTD9q3wpaMfAgvyYYWGt/s1600/HoneyApplePie4_310512.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbm0uQSgfbhbVWZowlyOeWqp92Yg2fLD7xJl9r7kcLLcoDd7EdenNAxRyg-VfG5KgV9wb2DMk8do2pgTq1SL0pBjfvL8_YARh5nkiZdWlDEikAWdCzfdkkrDbFTD9q3wpaMfAgvyYYWGt/s1600/HoneyApplePie4_310512.jpeg" height="301" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In happier days</td></tr>
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Diane, it's 6:30pm and I am soaking the great northern beans in a large pot filled with water. I didn't realize that it would require this much time! Beans are fascinating things. Did you know that the plants are heliotropic? This means that the leaves tilt to face the sun, and then at night they fold up when it's dark. Absolutely fascinating.<br />
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Diane, it's now 9:45pm and the beans are still as hard as a rock. Further investigation shows that these need about 24 hours to soften them up to be ready to process into soup. I think it's time for me to turn in for the night- hopefully there are no Norwegians in the room next to me, as I have forgotten to pack earplugs. Diane, if you could, please have a pair overnighted to me.<br />
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Diane, i'ts 2:17am and I just had the strangest dream. I was on the shore of a lake, and there was something wrapped in clear plastic. I couldn't see what it was, so I began unraveling the figure. When I got all of the plastic off, I was looking at a much older version of myself, only I was covered in smashed up beans. It was the oddest thing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREaYxs4xYDa2C0PjU0c0HoWfXGn6PcBIQvqtI0Z7u8b3CzGtirlhbnOQyd9MZdTiscKq5uBNLgOfP3BkU-M0zr3YX6SMhIASzzdabFkvvvcuxwmKz-j90sTIqN6NAOchF3dzSxVtG76mK/s1600/twinpeaksfinale03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREaYxs4xYDa2C0PjU0c0HoWfXGn6PcBIQvqtI0Z7u8b3CzGtirlhbnOQyd9MZdTiscKq5uBNLgOfP3BkU-M0zr3YX6SMhIASzzdabFkvvvcuxwmKz-j90sTIqN6NAOchF3dzSxVtG76mK/s400/twinpeaksfinale03.jpg" height="297" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And my coffee was solid</td></tr>
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Diane, it's now 9:14am on Saturday the 14th, and I have had three cups of damn fine hot black coffee. Ah man, that hits the spot. Nothing like a great cup of black coffee. To my surprise, the beans have nearly doubled in size! They're a lot softer too, I would be willing to bet that they're ready to be cooked. To make the base, I need to have them soft so I can put them in the food processor. I will boil them until they're soft- i'd wager about 45 minutes. While those boil, I am going to start getting the onions and bacon ready.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fire Walk With Me</td></tr>
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Diane, remind me to see my doctor when I return. Bacon grease splatters can be incredibly painful. All things considered, getting hit with hot bacon grease is not as bad as I always thought it might be- as long as you can keep the fear from your mind. I guess you could say that about most anything in life. It's not so bad as long as you can keep the fear from your mind.<br />
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Diane, it's 10:08am, and I have finished slicing the onions with the food processor and cooking and chopping the bacon. I found some leftover green onions as well, and have diced those up. I've begun to cook the black beans and kidney beans on the stovetop. I think giving them a little more firm of a texture will complement the soup. I will now work on the base, assuming that the great northern beans are soft.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heliotropic goodness</td></tr>
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Success, Diane! The beans are soft and are ready to be processed. I've placed several ladles of beans into the food processor, as well as some milk. The consistency is now that of a very lumpy Cream of Wheat. Perhaps I will add some more milk. **whirring is heard in the background** Ah! Perfect.<br />
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Diane, it's now 11am and I have the great northern bean soup base completed. For posterity's sake, I will recount what I added, but forgive the lack of exact measurements.<br />
-Finely ground black pepper<br />
-Onion salt<br />
-Onion powder<br />
-Water (to get the right consistency)<br />
At this point, it's time to add the beans that I have been cooking in a pan. They've got a nice "pop" to them, which I was hoping for. Now i'll mix in the onions and the bacon and about 1/3 cup of bacon grease and let this simmer for a couple of hours. The aroma of the soup is almost indescribable. I wish you could smell it, Diane.<br />
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Diane, it's 8:45pm, and I have just finished my second bowl of soup. I'm not entirely sure that I can move from my chair. I would say that my soup was a success. I think that I will continue to work on different kinds of soup. One never knows what wonderful variations they'll end up with. I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange. Until next time, Diane.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very tasty.</td></tr>
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<br />Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01782665101064010946noreply@blogger.com0