i need your hellllp

me and mr. fj are hosting a grand christmas feast (no roast beast though).

anyone have any awesome xmas recipes (please don't suggest croque en bouche! yikers). all I can think about is ham...if you've got any ideas for me, please post and comment.

here's a recipe for you; I'm not sure if I posted it already? I make it all the time, I know I shared it with colleen once. it's so so so so so soooooooooooooooo YUUUUUUMMY and nice and fattening and warm, perfect for monday when it's supposed to be balls-ass-cold and snowy. cut the recipe in half unless you're feeding like 8 people... this makes a ton (and don't save any for leftovers...it's not good leftover).

• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, divided, at room temperature
• 2 cups parboiled long-grain rice, such as Uncle Ben's
• 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 pounds small shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1 cup whipping cream
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium nonstick saucepan, heat 1/2 of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken stock and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmercovered for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes.

In a large skillet, melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 to 2 minutes untilaromatic. Add the shrimp, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the shrimp is pink and cooked through. Stir in the cream and heat through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Using a fork, fluff the rice and arrange on a platter. Spoon the shrimp cream sauce over the rice and serve.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/nonna-lunas-rice-recipe/index.html

And I don't need no hook for this shiiiit.

So, it's been quite some time since anyone has posted. And since i spent all weekend reading bon appetit magazines and running away from a small pug, i decided to do a little cooking today. I made lentil soup & proscuitto-gorgonzola twists.

I'll start with the soup. So usually when I make lentil soup, I use the recipe from the moosewood cookbook. It's a vegetarian tomato based soup and it's entirely delicious. Another option that I have utilized is to do a ham-based soup if i have a spare ham bone lying around. Buuut I came across yet another vegetarian version of lentil soup for all of your friends that haven't hopped on the sausage train yet.

So this starts as your typical lentil soup. SAUTE 1Tbsp olive oil, 1 med onion (I used 3 small. Gentlemen's Rule #144: Always double onions & garlic in recipes.) and 1 med carrot. Cook til the onions are translucent. Add 2 cloves of garlic (the recipe called for one), some salt & pepa. Cook for a few. Add 2Tbsp curry powder. This can be taken up or down depending on your tastes. Stir for another hot sec. Add 4c. water & 1c. lentils. (The recipe calls for french lentils. I couldn't find them at wegmans and honestly if danny doesn't have it, who does. But seriously, i guess you can find them at specialty grocery stores. I just used regular and it worked fine. Also, I used 2c. veggie broth & 2ish c. water...you might need more than 4 cups all together. It depends on how vigorously you simmer or something like that). Simmer for 55ish minutes or for the length of a csi episode.

Ok, so after David Caruso solves the crime and puts his sunglasses back on, you can grab yourself a 15oz can of garbanzo beans, peel 2 cloves of garlic, and squeeze a TBSP of lemon juice. Put this all + 1/4c. water + 2TBSP olive oil in a food processor and blend til smoooooth like justin bieber.

Add this mixture + 2TBSP butter (i think this is optional because i didn't do it.) to the pot.

Mix. mix. mix. Taste. Add more curry if you desire. Enjoy.

There was a suggested garnish of chopped green onions & lemon wedges. I skipped this but it would be a nice touch for a dinner party.

And if you don't want to read through my obnoxious instructions, here is the recipe:

3Tbsp olive oil, divided

1 med onion, chopped

1 med carrot, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped, divided

2 Tbsp curry powder

1 c. green (french) lentils

4 1/4 c. water, divided (or vegetable broth)

15oz can chickpeas, drained, rinsed

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp butter

Add now for the good stuff. I've had a love affair with prosciutto since italy when i ate copious amounts of melon wrapped in it. So obviously anything with prosciutto, puff pastry and cheese has to be amazing. You'll need:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

4-6 slices prosciutto (definitely lean toward the higher bound in this one)

1/3 c. crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

2Tbsp Parmesan cheese

1 egg, beaten.

Preheat oven to 450.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 12x12 square.

Place prosciutto on one half of the square. Sprinkle Gorgonzola and Parmesan on top.

Brush egg glaze on other half and fold over onto the cheese/meat side. Press sides firmly.

Roll out again into 11x8 rectangle. Brush with egg glaze and sprinkle with pepper.

Cut into 1/2 in. strips and twist three times before placing on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Brush with glaze again. Bake until golden brown, 15ish minutes.

Side note: make sure you keep an eye on these puppies. They go from 0to60 in about 2 seconds. But boy are they a mouthtreat.

Tartlets to Change your Life...

Well they say pie fixes everything, but I was told Sunday that my tartlets were life-changing! I simply responded, "I know." Flaky crust, sugary filling, mingling the flavors of chewy, crispy cranberry pecan goodness. Yes my friends, eat with care these tartlets may change your life....

Cranberry-Pecan Tarts

Combine 2/3 cup shortening (butter flavored Crisco if you're classy, pinch of salt and 1 1/2 cup flour. Fork it until crumbly. Add 2 T icy water to form pie crust.
*This may all be substituted for pre-made crust.

Roll out crust and cut 2.5 inch circles with a little cutter and place in muffin tins. Be sure to grease your tins or use muffin sleeves, these devils are hard to get out.

Sprinkle chopped pecans and chopped crasins (or real cranberries if your feeling saucy) into the bottom of the muffins, about a Tablespoons worth.

Combine 2 eggs, 1 tsp of vanilla, and 1/3 cup of brown sugar. Mix til foamy (Shake it shake it mama!!)
Add 1/2 cup of corn syrup and 2 Tbl of melted better. Stir it all together.
Pour into muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes at 350 until poofy!!

Let cool, remove, eat and prepare to be changed....

Everything Tastes Better Au Gratin

While flipping through numerous foody fall mags, I began to see many recipes for Cauliflower Au Gratin. Now, potatoes au gratin have been a family treat for many years but to au gratin cauliflower seemed both new and exciting... and serendiptously I had just purchased a large head of cauliflower from a kindly young farmer at the market. So, I perused my recipes and came up with this... a tasty, warm fall treat!

Cauliflower Au Gratin
Saute a head of cauliflower in olive oil for 5 minutes.
Remove cauliflower from pan and lay in a rectangular baking dish.
Add a few cloves of garlic and chopped medium onion and saute for 5 min.
Add 1 cup of broth. Boil for 5 minutes.
Add 2 cups of cream or milk or a combo. Simmer 5 min.
Pour mixture over cauliflower.
Top with seasoned breadcrumbs (about 1 1/2 cups)
*I used old stale homemade bread whirled in the food processor with some herbs and trust me this made magic happen
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and of course.. Parmesean cheese!
Bake for 20 minutes and 350 covered with aluminum foil.
Let stand for 20 more minutes.


I served this with a sausage/apple/kale (aka sapplkalage) stirfry. It also would be great with chicken and probably get along great with a ham!! (don't forget to save your hambone for soup).

or you could just eat this by itself because YES it is that good!

da hot hot dish

colleen told me to post this -- and let me preface this entire post with THIS IS THE BEST MAC AND CHEEZ YOU'LL EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER HAVEEEE!

now that that's done...

Ingredients

• 2 cups elbow pasta, cooked until almost al dente
• 16 ounces Cheddar cheese, 1/2 cubed, 1/2 shredded
• 8 ounces Monterey pepper jack cheese, cubed
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 4 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 4 slices bread
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Special equipment: 2-quart baking dish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss together pasta with the cheese cubes and pour into the baking dish. In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, nutmeg and sour cream, egg, heavy cream and half-and-half. Pour over the pasta and cover with shredded Cheddar. Bake uncovered until top is just beginning to brown, about 35 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the bread into crouton-sized squares. In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter, add cubes and toast until golden. Sprinkle the bread cubes on top of the macaroni and cheese and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes more.

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I feel like a bad food cooker since I'm always talking about how I edit everything...BUT it's so necessary with this recipe. I have all the spices listed except for dry mustard so I substituted regular dijon mustard for it. like the kind that comes in a squeeze bottle. is that even right? I'd bet some dry mustard would work amazoidly but I've never come across the need for dry mustard in any other recipe so I've never bought it. spices are EXPENSIVE. so that's the first thing.

secondly - this recipe calls for both half and half and heavy cream. I'm not a milking cow or anything but aren't they similar? I use whatever I feel like getting and substitute for the entire 2 cups worth. I think I've even used whole milk too. and I've never done the breadcrumb thing at the end -- when you pull this bubbly cheese concoction out of the oven, you'll want to eat it ASAP and not mess around with toasting bread and all that. I always make it with pepper jack and cheddar but you could just use all cheddar too -- or add a little fontina or gruyere or parmesan? it'll come out mr. bombastic say me fantastic, regardless. yes, I referenced shaggy just now. get used to it, mr. lover lover.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPiECg6o1_o&feature=related

manberry sauce

a few nights ago, we made cranberry sauce and steak. the sauce was so delish, perfect over the steak...would go great with sausage, turkey (obv), and chicken too. maybe on a salad as a dressing. we just served it with some cubed butternut squash -- so choice. so very easy.

Cranberry sauce:

• 2 cups cranberries , fresh or defrosted
• 1 cup diced white onion (about 1 large onion)
• 2 cloves garlic , sliced
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 cups dark ale or lager beer
• 1 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup soy sauce

Steak:

• 6 (12 ounces each) boneless choice rib eye steaks
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil

To make sauce: Combine all ingredients in a stainless steel saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened and reduced slightly, about 1 hour.

Working in batches, place sauce in a blender and process until smooth. Be careful to start blender at a low speed and allow steam to escape. Strain sauce through a fine mesh strainer and set aside. It will keep, covered, in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

To make steak: Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking. Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season steak with salt and pepper to taste. Working in batches, add 1 tablespoon oil to pan and sear 2 steaks until deep golden, about 5 minutes. When steak releases easily from pan, flip and continue cooking about 4 minutes more for medium rare. For first two batches, remove slightly early and finish cooking in a 350° oven for 10 to 20 minutes; meanwhile, repeat cooking process with remaining oil and steaks.

To serve: Place steaks on plates, and spoon sauce on the side.

I didn't get rib eyes (who do i look like, bob barker?) -- we got strip steaks. I don't like rib eyes anyways, too fatty. I also didn't blend and strain the sauce because I was lazy and didn't have enough time. I stirred it and also pressed it throughout the hour when it was simmering on the stove. when it was reduced enough, I hit it with my lil potato masher. there were still whole pieces of cranberry (sort of like grape pie filling). it would have been awesome strained though, because it would have been a really shiny glazey looking sauce -- but it was still soooo tasty just smashed up.

I'd also recommend not using so much worcestershire. a whole f-ing cup is so much. maybe 1/2 - 3/4 a cup.

happy saucing!

When Fall Gives You Apples...

make Curried Apple Chutney

Peel and chop 9 cups of apples.
In a large pot, combine apples with
4 cups of apple cider vinegar
5 1/2 cups of golden raisins
4 cups brown sugar
1 cup minced onion
1 cup red pepper
2 hot peppers
1 clove of garlic
3 T mustard seed
2 T ginger
2 T allspice
2 T curry powder

Bring to a bowl. Simmer for about half an hour or until thick.
Pack in hot jars with 1/4 inch headspace.
Process in water canner.

Serve this delicious treat on crackers with cream cheese as a tasty hors d'oeveres or on meat for supper!

Warning: This recipe is large and makes many jars, but never fear they make delightful Christmas presents, hostess gifts, or quick snackaroos in a pinch!

Quickies: The Answer to Many a Problem

I was asked to participate in the preparation of a breakfast buffet (no relation to Jimmy) and decided what could be better than quiche. For those you who don't understand the wonders of a quiche, well you should make one or two or many until you do. The quiche is perfect for so many occasions. As the darling Julia Child writes, "It is practically foolproof, and you can invent your own combination. Serve it with a salad, hot French bread, and a cold white wine; follow it with fruit, and you have a perfect lunch or supper menu. Or let it be the first courser of your dinner. You can also make tiny quiches for hot hors d'oeuvres." With so many possibles, I had to ponder what type of quiche to make so I peered into the fridge and what did I spy but mushrooms, onions, and of course the ever popular: bacon. Voila! Quiche Lorraine aux Champignons. With ingredients in hand, I combined Julia's recipe, the recipe of my guru, Monica and my own personal flair to create a dish that turned out to be a smashing success at Skills Lab Counselor Breakfast.


Quiche a la juliamonicacolleen

Cook up 4-6 strips of bacon until crispy.
Line a pie dish with pie crust (Cheater's note: Pillsbury croissant roll work like a dream when in a hurry).
Brush crust with dijon mustard. Add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup of shredded swiss.
Remove bacon from pan. In grease, saute 1/2 small onion and 1 cup of sliced mushrooms.
In a bowl, combine 3 eggs, 1 1/2 cup cream, milk or combo of both, 1/2 cup of cottage or ricotta cheese (optional), sprinkle of pepper, sprinkle of nutmeg.
Add onion, mushroom, and chopped bacon. Pour into pie crust. Top with more shredded cheese.
Bake in a 375 oven for 30 minutes or until puffed and browned.


Side Notes:
Please read the following article found by Kim and let's put this on the event calender for next year...
BACONPALOOZA

and

When cooking in a sleeveless flannel, please watch this video.
BOSSTIME

it's tshirt tiiiiiiiime.

when I was little our neighbor (sue schwingel) used to make these for us in the fall and for christmas. she deliver a little plate full of desserts and these were, pardon my french, da shiiiiit. I remembered them out of the blue the other day and found them online. I made a batch tonight -- they taste so f-ing a-maz-ing but I have some edits that I'll make for next time (I'll tell you when you're older**).

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Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars

Yield: 24 bars

For the Brownie Base:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup unsalted butter
1¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Toppings:
1 bag (10½ ounces) miniature marshmallows
1½ cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup smooth peanut butter (don’t use natural peanut butter)
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1½ cups Rice Krispies cereal

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch pan.

2. For the brownies: In a medium saucepan, melt the unsweetened chocolate, butter and ¾ cup of the semisweet chocolate chips over medium heat. Stir occasionally while melting. Set aside and cool for 5 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl , whisk the eggs thoroughly. Add the sugar and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Stir the melted ingredients into the egg mixture, mixing well. Stir in the dry sifted ingredients and mix well. Fold in the remaining ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the corner of of the pan comes out with moist crumbs.

5. Remove the brownies from the oven and immediately sprinkle the marshmallows over them. Return the pan to the oven for 3 more minutes.

6. Meanwhile, place the milk chocolate chips, peanut butter, and tablespoon of butter in a medium saucepan. Melt over low heat, stirring constantly, until completely melted. Remove from heat, add the Rice Krispies and mix well. Allow to cool for 3 minutes.

7. Spread the mixture evenly over the marshmallow layer. Refrigerate until chilled before cutting.

**you definitely need to remember to get MINI marshmallows and not the biggies. I got a bag of bigs and they didn't spread out well and they were glopping all over the place when I was trying to layer the delicious rice krispie treat part on top of them. I'm not sure if the mini marshballs will help with the glopping but it couldn't hurt. the marshmallow WILL mixed in with the rice krispie part if you get the big ones though (not that it's really a bad thing. it all goes to the same place, ha! HA! ha!).

also -- make more of the rice krispie topping (step #6). I'm going to try to increase this amount by about a third next time. there was a lot of it but not enough to spread it evenly to the edges, and therefore there's more marshmallow popping up when the rice krispie part is the best part. next time I'll try 2 cups of choc. chips, 1.5 cups of p.b., 2 tbsp. of butter, and 2 cups of rice krispies. if you have leftover krispies then YOU'RE WELCOME!

http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2009/10/05/marshmallow-crunch-brownie-bars/

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so either way, this recipe is ballerrrrrrrrrrrr. I'll make it for friendsgiving. that's how much I love you. I suggest you make it anyways.

also, if you don't go to the gym, you don't look good. if you don't tan, you're pale. and if you don't do laundry...you ain't got no clothes.

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

Pumpkin ale fermenting for your drinking pleasure!!

A pair of long separated sisters are reunited

So this afternoon i got the surprise of my young life when i opened the door of my apartment expecting to find my parents laden with bookshelves canned goods and miscellaneous items and was faced instead with my little sister Zella bearing miscellaneous gifts as well. We all went for a little jaunt down to the south street seaport before realizing that it is essentially a glorified mall, getting a seasonal beer tour and nachos and turning back to astoria to make the most glorious meal i've had in some time.

The main dish- Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin with Apples and Sausage
a recipe found in Food & Drink the Autumn 2010 issue featuring Ontario wines and chefs

2 large pork tenderloins totaling about 2 lbs
10 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
2 or 3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
9-10 slices of thick cut bacon
kitchen twine
3-4 large apples such as cortland or spy
1 large cooking onion
2 tbs all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or stock

1. If any silver skin on loins is present, cut away and discard. Sprinkle sage, garlic, salt and pepper all over loins (insert lots of giggles as this recipe is being dictated by Zella as I type). Place loins closely together length wise with thick ends meeting thin ends to even out roast thickness (again with the giggles).
2. Lay out slices of bacon snuggly together on a cutting board forming a rectangle. Place loins across bacon so bacon ends emerge from each side. (essentially i will never stop giggling). Beginning at one end lift a bacon end over loins at a 45 degree angle, then alternating sides, continue lifting bacon ends down the length of the roast forming a chevron pattern of bacon on top.
3. Cut five 12 in lengths of twine and one 30 in length. Place five shorter lengths of wine under loin width wise. Working out from roast center, firmly, but not causing deep indents to form, tie up each piece of twine, spacing evenly apart. Then tie up roast length wise with longer piece of twine (cuz its been quite naughty). Trim twine ends; discard.
4. When ready to roast, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, lightly brown roast on all sides, about 15 min. Transfer to a baking pan lined with a rack. Place in oven; set time for 30 min. Check and continue roasting until a meat thermometer reads 145 degrees. Remove from oven; transfer to cutting board. Cover roast with foil; let rest 15-20 min.
5. Meanwhile, peal core and slice apples. Thinly slice onion.
6. Drain most of fat from frying pan; place over medium heat. Add onion, cook 10 min or until lightly brown. Stir in flour; cook 1 min. Stir in chicken broth; add apple slices. Bring to a boil; simmer; cover 5-10 min or until apples are tender and sauce is lightly thickened. Add more broth if too thick, keep covered and hot (personally i like it very hot and thick).
7. To slice a pork roast, snip off length wise string. Then slice about 3/4 in thick, removing cross wise strings as they are encountered. Place a few saucy apples (i'll give you a saucy apple) on each warm serving plate, top with a couple slices of roast and drizzle with more sauce.

-so there you have it folks. We served this recipe with smashed potatoes and green beans sauteed with garlic and almonds but when you are eating pigs wrapped in more pigs it really doesn't matter what else you eat with it. anyway we also paired this meal with a couple bottles of cab sauv-genius.

This meal combined with all the family love gave me the warmest fuzziest feeling i've had in a while-love you all!!!

Bacon, bacon everywhere and not a drop to eat....

please check this link from Dan W out.. It's amazing..

Bacon Haikus

Girls that eat bacon

Are hotter than girls that don’t

Scientific fact!

a little softshoe gentle sway.

I roasted my first pumpkin the other day. It was a milestone. Really it was practice for the pumpkin beer that Colleen and I will be brewing on Thursday (All the ingredients are finally in place. The fact that they arrived in an old Pampers box is a fact that I'm just going to ignore). Originally, I was going to make these pumpkin bars from the Moosewood Dessert Cookbook. They're always a hit with the kids & gentlemen in your life. Unfortunately, Colleen got the aforementioned cookbook in the divorce settlement. So I had to improvise. All the recipes for pumpkin bars online only have cinnamon for the spice. Big mistake. Huge.

I finally settled on a pumpkin cookie recipe from a cookbook in my cupboard that is so ancient I don't even know the name of it.

1 c. sugar

1 c. pumpkin

1/2 c. shortening

1 Tbsp. grated orange peel (i used OJ)

2 c. flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon (like the other recipes, this one only listed cinnamon. I was going to add ginger & nutmeg, but I decided to be a pampered chef and used this little spice combo called cinnamon plus. I'm not really sure what the plus entailed but it was along the lines of other pumpkin spices and maybe a few little other extras...if you know what i mean)

1/4 tsp salt

*the recipe also calls for raisins & nuts. I prefer chocolate chips. Totally your call though.

Heat oven to 375.

Mix sugar, shortening, pumpkin and orange juice. Stir in dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips or any other misc addition of your choosing. If you're like me, you'll bake the first tray before remembering to add the chocolate chips. Oh well...all aspiring chefs are absentminded. That's why the contessa is barefoot right?

Bake 10ish minutes. There's a glaze for them which i didn't use because i had to go to work and ran out of time. Honestly, they're plenty sweet without the glaze.

For the sake of posterity:

Lt. Brown Glaze

1/4 c. butter

2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 Tbsp of milk.

Heat butter. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Add milk til smooooooth.

Also, I made an apple salsa which was devine (literally, it had white wine in it). I'll tell you all about it when you're older.

Annnnd, the vampire weekend cover of that bruce springsteen song. i just can't get enough. I've probably mentioned it but i'm going to keep rementioning it until i can listen to it without involuntarily playing air piano.

I made The First Pot of Chili of the Year

I used to hate chili when I was little but that was obviously because one key ingredient was missing -- bacon. I found a chili recipe that not only required bacon but also required the use of the rendered bacon fat. I mean, come on. so now, since the weather has regularly been around 60, my stock pot was calling me from the depths of my cupboard. last week when it was rainy the entire day (in Irondequoit too, that usually doesn't happen. it rains a lot for the whole day in the southern-tier. the lake sort of buffers off entire days of rain. I don't know 'bout snow though), I made The First Pot of Chili of the Year. I found a recipe -- from who else but RACHEL RAY -- and added a few things. this recipe halved makes enough for one to eat it for several days. grandma, Mr. F, Mr. R, and I had it about 3 times each and finished the pot, if that makes sense.

Nick Mangold's Super Bowl C.B.C. (Chorizo Bacon Chili)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 strips of thick-cut bacon, diced
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound Mexican chorizo sausage, removed from casings**
2 pounds ground sirloin
Salt and ground black pepper
6 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
2 serrano peppers, finely chopped
4 ribs of celery, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups beef stock
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
Your favorite chili toppings

** to prep the chorizo -- this might seem obvious but I'll say it anyways -- cut it in half length wise and scoop it out with a spoon. chop up a bit with a knife so that it matches the size that the ground beef would be if cooked.

NOW - you may notice beans are missing. beans are a key component to chili, in my opinion. nick mangold obviously hates beans or has some beano problems that normal people don't have -- I added a full can of chili beans to this recipe. I used normal ground beef too and got some chipotle chorizo, compliments of danny wegman. because the chorizo was spicier, I didn't add serrano peppers. I subbed crushed tomatoes for diced tomatoes (canned but seriously. cut 'em yerself if you're feeling especially julia child-esque that day). make sure everything you prep is the same size (onions, peppers, tomatoes, celery) so that they cook evenly. don't scrimp on the garlic.

to start --
chop up the bacon and sizzle it in a big stock pot with the olive oil until it's done. skim it out and set it aside. add the onion until it's almost transparent. add the chorizo and the beef and cook until browned. throw in the pepper, garlic, and salt. in a bowl, mix the celery, corn, and peppers and then throw them all in together until they start sweating like olivia newton john in "let's get physical." add all the spices and throw some extra coriander spice in there because it's your favorite spice in the entire universe and you can't imagine how extra coriander could ever be a bad thing. let this sheeeit sit and stir it and love it and smell it. once everything is all coated in delicious spices, add the stock, tomatoes and tomato sauce (even though I halved the recipe, I still used a whole can of tomato sauce). re-add your bacon and bring everything up to a boil. taste and adjust according to how you're feeling that day. reduce to a simmer and cover. cook it for an hour at least.

serve cook mccready style, with grated pepper jack cheese and sour cream (drink with a really dry red wine or a nice octoberfest).

happy chili season!

(original recipe here: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/nick-mangolds-super-bowl-cbc-chorizo-bacon-chili/).

p.s. FJ and I found the most amazoid website in the entire world. you can listen to samples used in hip hop songs (and other songs but hip hop songs are the best) and listen to the original song as well as the "cover" song. best ever: "gone" by kanye west, sampling "it's too late" by otis redding.

http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/328/Kanye%20West%20feat.%20Cam'ron%20and%20Consequence-Gone_Otis%20Redding-It's%20Too%20Late/

Cena por los chicos y chicas!

The technique of how to make delicious Empanadas Costa Rican style was introduced to by my dear friend Rosita. She lives in Ciudad Quesada, San Carlos, Costa Rica and works at the Cross Cultural Solutions house as the cook. Rosita is the kind of woman that everyone wants as their grandmother. She is always singing in the kitchen as she prepares the most delicious food you can imagine. Her laugh rings through the kitchen as she enters every afternoon to prepare the mid-day coffee for everyone. After a leisurely break and chat with friends, Rosita sets about the preparation of dinner. She works all afternoon stirring, chopping, and sauteing the freshest ingredients into a fabulous dinner and then sings to everyone to come to the table. She greets everyone with a hug and pat on the shoulder and when she is thanked for her hard work, Rosita always answers, "Con mucho gusto" (With much pleasure). Although Rosita spoke only Spanish, unlike many of the people she served, her cooking, laughter, singing, dancing and smiling broke through the language barrier to form a connected relationship with all of us. So it is con mucho gusto that I share one of my favorite recipes!  

Empanadas de Rosita
(slightly modified)
Saute half an onion, garlic and cumin in oil. Add 2 T cilantro (preferable fresh), 2 T lime juice, 2T vinegar.
Add a can of black beans and smush with a fork while cooking on low until a paste is formed.

Mix together 1 cup of masa (corn flour) and 1/8 t salt. Slowly add water until a dough is formed.
Cut a ziploc bag into a circle. Form a 2 inch ball from dough. Press into center of plastic circle and pat until flattened into a 1/2 inch thick circle.

Cover center of circle with shredded cheese. Add a spoonful of bean mixture to center. Fold circle in half and press on the edge through plastic to seal edges. Fry in oil until browned and crispy.

Megan and Lilly-All Strings Attached, A Night of N'Sync, Wine, and Chowder

From this point on, this entry will read as a conversation between two friends whilst making dinner.

Mary Mudskipper: Hey CicadaLacewing, what would you like for dinner tonight

CicadaLacewing: I was thinking something with fish.

M M: Thats what she said...okay fish it is.

...a few hours later...

C L: Let's just go shopping and see what strikes our fancy.

M M: A fine plan. Shopping it is.

...a fine fall day falls upon us, calling for soup of course...

M M: How about fish chowder!!

C L: Sounds delish!!!!

M M: Okay we need some kind of white fish or scallops, corn, clam juice, sherry, shallots, garlic, onions, potatoes, and parsley. Off to thee market.

...a long walk with a heavily laden grocery cart and an epileptic haunted house later...

C L: Tonight might call for an N'Sync Pandora station-your thoughts?

M M: Throwback tunes and a bottle of wine = happiness.

...N'sync "god must have spent a little more time on you" cues up as we open Imagine Moore's Gratitude (props to Al). We are grateful for the company and jamz...

Simmer Shallots, garlic, and 1 large onion in olive oil (or butter or bacon drippings-highly recommended). Once translucent, add healthy splash of Sherry. Allow to return to heat. Add spices-Salt, Pepper, Fresh Parsley, Bay Leaves. Add 8 Oz. Clam Juice and Large can of Chicken Broth, bring to a boil.

...in the meantime, Christina Aguilara "What a girl wants", Backstreet Boys "I want it that way", Britney Spears "Sometimes"...

Add 5 small cubed potatoes (I used Yukon Gold) Allow to return to boil.

...Rock out to Dream "He loves Me not", Usher "Yeah", and another glass of wine...

Once Potatoes are softened (about 20 mins), add fish (flounder in this case) and 1 can corn. Return to heat. At this point, add the cream to make a chowder. Usually people use heavy cream. We forgot to put it on our shopping list and will be using sour cream and milk and butter instead. You do what you have to do when wine is the number one thing on your mind.

...Mandy Moore "Candy", 98 Degrees "because of you"...

C L: (in reference to "because of you") I don't know this song-what the hell is this?

M M: It's 98 Degrees "because of you"

C L: Oh no wonder i hate it, no talent ass clowns.

M M: You sound like your dad.

C L, M M, and N'Sync: Hey Heyyyyy, Bye Bye Bye

Yum, dinner time

PS: Mary Mudskipper (Megan) and CicadaLacewing (Lilly) encourage you to watch Green Porno and choose your own green porno name (as we have done) at http://www.sundancechannel.com/greenporno/

PPS: Dan was not involved in the making of this post but his green porno name which he prefers to be called by from this point on is Atlas Parnassian.

PPSS: dont judge us, worship the great music of our past

PPPSS: J T: I'm bringing Sexy Back

taking the roasting pan for a spin

Loyal bloggoids,

To convince fall weather and fall smells and sights to hurry up and get here so I dont have to sweat my balls off as I ride my bike to class everyday....I decided to do a pork roast. The only piece of pork I had in the freezer was a Pork Tenderloin. C'est la vie eh? I marinated it (rubbed it down) with

-Olive oil
-Fresh Parsley
-Salt
-Pepper
-Cumin
-Soy sauce

Then, cubed and placed around the meat...

-2 large potatoes, peeled
-2 large onions, quartered and halved
-3 medium apples, peeled and cored
-1/2 a head of garlic, left whole to roast
I would have preferred to add some carrots but I was fresh out, however I did add one Peach which was about to expire and found that it added a nice sweet flavoring, however Dan wasnt sure if he liked it.

I salted and peppered these ingredients and added them around and over the roast. Then I poured on a little cooking sherry and a few tablespoons of butter. I covered the pot and stuck it in the oven.

The general rule of thumb (a direct quote from Thee Mark Smith) for roasts is to cook them about 15-20 mins per pound at 325. I didnt have a meat thermometer so I took his word for it and sho nuff, my 1.44 lb roast was done in about 35 mins.

A tip of vital importance...Let the pot stand for 12-15 mins after removing from heat. Important cooking continues to happen after removed from the heat. This is how you get that nice pink center that melts in your mouth. Try not to remove the top until it has set for a few minutes...if you can contain yourself. because it smells devilishly amazing.

Hopefully fall will come soon, but I hope you enjoy this meal on some frosty fall nights. xoxo