The Walking Dead S3E12 - BluePrint Cleanse

Before we get to the abomination in the picture above, how amazing was The Walking Dead this week? FINALLY we got some amazing acting and character development. Morgan was forgotten by me after the first few episodes in Season 1, but apparently he has been a fan favorite since he is (was?) a character in the comics. How he is back, and as koo-koo as a bowl of Cocoa Puffs.

picture of Morgan

 

Good job to the writer of this episode, Scott Gimple. Word on the street is that he will be the head writer on the show for Season 4, and if he continues to write episodes such as this one and develop the characters, I think the show will definitely take a turn for the better because I do feel like it's been in a TINY bit of a slump lately. The actor who played Morgan gave a great performance and played "depths of despair so much that he's lost his mind" really well.

 

Also, I'm really glad that Carl didn't go on his "lone wolf" mission because he was being stupid and running off again, because both Boyfriend and I yelled at the screen "Why are you being stupid again, Carl?!" Thank god he didn't revert back to the old Carl.

 

don't be fooled by the fruit ... there was no fruit in the juices, except lemon

 

And now the cleanse. There is basically no recipe this week because we did this BluePrint Cleanse from Friday through Sunday. My friend Judith (hi Judith!) wanted to try doing a three-day cleanese and asked if I wanted to do it with her. I had done one before and disliked it, but thought that I'd give it another try. Plus, cleansing needs a support system! I wasn't going to leave my friend in the cold. Boyfriend and Brother decided to do it as well. Yay, group of four! That's also why there are so many juices in the picture above ... it was both myself and Boyfriend's share. That's a lot of bottles in there.

 

Basically what you're doing is going on an all-juice diet for three days (or any other number you specify). You get six bottles a day, to be drank about every two hours. We did the "Excavation Cleanse" which is the most hardcore. If we were going to do this, it was going to be ALL THE WAY BABY.

 

Going all the way means that you get mainly vegetable juices, unsweeted by any fruit. Levels 1 and 2 have more fruit in the juices (pineapple, beets, mint, etc) but this was a straight veggie juice cleanse. THE JUICES WERE SO GREEN. Each day we drank four bottles of green juice (kale, spinach, parsley, celery, apple, lemon, etc), one bottle of "lemonade" (water, lemon, agave, cayenne from around the world - Master Cleanse style), and one final bottle of cashew milk (cashews, water, cinnamon, vanilla bean, nutmeg). Everything is cold-pressed, raw and organic.

 

For three days prior to the cleanse, you're supposed to cut your carb, dairy, meat and sugar intake. No processed foods at all, so your body doesn't go into any sort of shock when you start giving it low calories and all vegetables. After the cleanse, you're supposed to introduce those items back slowly, so you don't shock your system.

 

The point of the cleanse is to rid your body of toxins and give you a kick start to healthier eating and living habits.

 

Throughout the cleanse, you CAN eat if you are desperate. But be forewarned that the items they suggest are not anything substantial ... basically stuff like two stalks of celery, or a couple slices of cucumber, or a quarter of an avocado, or 1/2 a cup of black coffee. They encourage you to drink plenty of water, green tea or herbal teas but no sweetners.

 

Ok, I'm not going to lie to you. I WANTED FOOD. It wasn't because I was particularly hungry, because those juices do fill you up pretty well. It's just that everything tastes the same when 66% of your day is based on the same "green juice" ... and no, it is nothing like the Naked Juice Green Machine, which is delicious. It's like drinking a salad. With no dressing. Not too bad, but at the same time not great. Mainly, I just missed FLAVORS. Everything started smelling so good to me. I think everyone basically felt the same, but Judith and I were a lot stronger ... all Boyfriend and Brother wanted after the cleanse was meat. Or as Boyfriend put it "I want to eat something that can run away from me" ... *sigh*

 

Don't do a cleanse just to lose weight or anything because you're still consuming about 1000 calories a day, from a usual 2000 calorie diet. At the end of three days, you would have saved 3000 calories, and 3000 calories makes 1 pound. And I lost almost exactly 1 pound. Boyfriend did complain of headaches and light headedness from the lack of calories.

 

After doing the cleanse I have come up with the following pros:

• Three days of no preservatives, no meat and organic eating is super healthy
• It does make you more aware of the foods you eat but it didn't make me desperately crave salads after doing the cleanse, like the website predicted
• Jump start to healthier eating habits ... maybe only because you don't want to have undone the work from the three days you've just suffered through
• You go to the bathroom. A lot. If you are having trouble, take a laxative and it'll help your body further get rid of the toxins that have built up.

All in all, I think all of us are glad that we did the cleanse, but have agreed to never do it again and will just try to have better eating habits from here on out.



The Walking Dead S3E11 - Seared Scallops

I think that I've blogged about seared scallops before buy Boyfriend is absolutely nutso about them. I went to 99 Ranch while he was at work the day before (on a Saturday, poor thing) and there they were ... fresh scallops the size of my palm. NOT PREVIOUSLY FROZEN. The sweet lady fishmonger that had previously helped me when I wanted to buy a live fish for steamed fish with soy sauce and ginger was there. She always treats me like her daughter and totally takes care of me. She went through the scallops and found the best looking ones just for me.

Sear your scallops in a combination of equal parts canola oil and butter, over high heat, seasoned with salt and pepper. Make sure that the pan isn't too crowded (mine is a bit overcrowded) otherwise the scallops will steam and you want to get a good sear over it. Depending on the thickness of the scallop, you only need to do it for 2-3 minutes per side. The very heart of the scallop should still be the tiniest bit raw.

I have to admit that scallops were a lot easier to eat during The Walking Dead ... nothing that crunched and nothing that was tomato sauce based. Not that there was too much to worry about though; this last episode was pretty boring actually. I don't need to have a zombie attack every time but I felt that this one was just pretty dragged out. Lots of talking with no direction. Hopefully the next one will be better because I'm thinking the new director from the midseason premiere is tanking quite a bit.

The Walking Dead S3E10 - Homemade Fried Chicken

So generally, I go pretty all out for meals during new The Walking Dead episodes. I find a recipe that's pretty time consuming, plan it out, practically come up with a timeline to schedule everything to be eaten at 6pm (we have DirecTV in Eastern time, so we get to see new episodes first!) and get super excited. Never, ever have I asked Boyfriend what HE wanted. Because who cares, right? Happy live-in-girlfriend, happy life. Or something like.

This time, however, I asked if there would be anything he's interested in me making and he responded with "fried chicken" ... my jaw almost hit the floor. Fried chicken is nothing to scoff at. nor is it easy. But my mind immediately went to a Thomas Keller Ad Hoc recipe.

brining. so much brine.

Colonel Sander's herbs and spices have nothing on Thomas Keller's!

A lot of prep work came with this chicken ... but super easy. Mainly, chicken had to be brined about 12-24 hours ahead of time, then rinsed and dried, and then left to sit out for 1.5-2 hours, to get to room temperature. This ensures that the outside of the chicken won't cook faster than the inside, leaving you with a burned exterior and a raw interior.

When Vanessa asked if I was going to fry in my new Le Creuset cast iron pan (Christmas present!), I told her no ... I was going to deep fry! She then asked "Oh cool, you have a deep fryer?" and I said "Nope, I'm just going to fill a pot with oil" ... she then proceeded to tell me how to put out a grease fire. Smother the flames, don't throw water on it!

With the help of a trusty candy thermometer, I got the oil heated and bubbling to a nice 320degreesF and started frying away. It was a great experience and though the oil bubbled and hissed super loudly, I did not get burned in the slightest.

nicely browned chicken. probably due to the spices and buttermilk.

served with steamed asparagus and Kraft mac-and-cheese

The chicken came out moist and flavorful, if a tad bit salty. Maybe less brining next time? I brined for a total of 20 hours or so, maybe I should cut that down. Boyfriend didn't think it was salty though, and proclaimed it was "one of the best things [I've] ever made" ... always nice to hear. The skin was so crisp and amazing that there were audible crunching sounds when you bit into it ...

Which leads me to the new The Walking Dead episode. I must admit, the crunching from the chicken while watching zombie bashing is seriously a bit unnerving. This week's episode was a bit slow ... and I dislike Dead Lori coming back to haunt Rick some more. Come on, woman! Just leave him alone and let him lead his people. From the trailers, it looks like next week, Rick will have a mutiny on his hands. And the Daryl/Merle abandonment didn't last very long, huh? Actually, the episode was slow ... until the very end. RIP to the best mustache on television. *sad face*

Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc Fried Chicken
as much chicken as you want

Chicken - I used 5 drumsticks and 1 package chicken breast tenders

Brine
8 cups water
1/2 cup kosher salt
2 Tbsp honey
6 bay leaves
1/2 head of garlic, cut horizontally
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
1/4 bunch thyme sprigs
1/4 bunch flat leafed parsley sprigs
3-4 sprigs rosemary
Grated zest/juice of 2 large lemons

Coating
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp onion powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 cups buttermilk
grapeseed/canola/vegetable oil for deep-frying

Count your hours down and start making the brine. Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, bring to a boil, and boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and cool completely before adding the chicken in. It takes about 1-2 hours.

Rinse the chicken pieces and place in the cold brine. Refrigerate overnight or for 12-24 hours. When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the brine, rinse and pat the chicken dry, removing any herbs or spices sticking to the skin. Let the chicken come to room temperature outside of the fridge, about 1.5-2 hours.

Mix the coating ingredients together in a bowl, transfer half to another second and set up a dipping station for easy assembly while battering: chicken, coating, buttermilk, second bowl of coating, tray.

Bring the oil to 320degreeF in a pot deep enough that the oil does not come up more than 1/3 of the way; make sure you have about 2 inches of oil so the chicken piece can submerge fully. It took almost an entire bottle of oil for me to get this, and I just used a medium saucepot (see picture above). If you have a deep fryer then feel free to use it but the saucepot method worked pretty fabulously.

Right before taking the chicken into it's hot oil bath, dip each piece into the coating, patting off the excess, then into the buttermilk and then into the second bowl of coating. Place the chicken onto the tray. I did this in batches, so while one batch of chicken was almost done frying, I'd coat another batch.

When the oil has reached the proper temperature, carefully lower the pieces of chicken into the oil. The temperature of the oil will decrease, so adjust the heat as necessary to bring the oil to proper temperature. Fry for about 13 minutes for the drumsticks, to a deep golden brown, cooked throughout and very crisp. The white meat chicken tenders took about 8 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath, so the oil can drip down and the skin won't become soggy. Alternatively, you can just transfer the chicken to a tray lined with paper towels, if you have no wire rack. Sprinkle with coarse salt (optional, I didn't do that).

Let the chicken rest for a few minutes to cool slightly. Be careful biting into it! Eat fried chicken until you explode.

The Walking Dead S3E9 - Spicy Rib-Eye Steak

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! What are you dong with your special persons today? I say persons because I think your valentine can be a member of the opposite sex, your family, your friends, etc. Today is kind of like Christmas ... people go over the top to make someone in their life feel special. So no matter who you are spending time with, just make sure they feel loved.

I bought some rib-eye steaks at 50% off at Ralphs over the weekend and can highly recommend this recipe for either watching zombies get their head bashed in OR your special someone(s). So versatile, huh? Which leads us into the other subject ...

The midseason premiere of The Walking Dead! They need to slow their roll in the people killing. Also, I'm not quite sure I like Rick being delusional and seeing Lori ... hmmm. I'm excited to see how it plays out, but I am NOT happy that Daryl has bounced on out of the group. Also, Michonne is still being a bitch. A glowering, stubbornly-silent-for-no-reason bitch. I know her character is supposed to be cool in the comics but they are doing a terrible job converting that to television.

One last thing ... Beth kissing Rick on the cheek? Kinda gross. But Rick looked kinda into it. Carl is gonna have to shoot his dad in the head and get his woman back.

Spicy Rib-Eye Steak
makes 2 cups marinade

4 bone-in rib eye steaks, 1/2 inch thick
2 Tbps Nemesis* hot sauce
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbps horseradish

Combine all the ingredients, minus the steaks, in a large gallon-sized Ziploc bag and squish everything around to combine. Add more sugar, ketchup or vinegar to balance everything out to suit your tastes.

* I happen to have Nemesis hot sauce and damn that stuff is spicy. The first two ingredients are tomatoes and habanero peppers. You can use any kind of hot sauce you like, including Tobasco. Use more to suit your tastes, but you want the marinade to be pretty spicy, since the flavors will be diluted a bit after wiping off the marinade before grilling. Experiment to find what you like!

Add the steaks, squish again gently to distribute the marinade, and refrigerate for a couple hours. The longer the better. Take steaks out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking and let them come slightly to room temperature.

Heat a grill pan or grill over medium high heat and brush with vegetable oil or non-stick cooking spray. Wipe off excess marinade from steaks and grill 4 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the second side for medium rare. Cook longer if you'd like your steaks more well done or if they are thicker than 1/2 inch.

If desired, empty marinade into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat while the steaks are grilling. Serve as a dipping sauce on the side.

The Walking Dead S3E8 - Miso Black Cod

Hello there, all. It's been a long long time since the last update. I know, I'm ashamed of myself. But in my defense, I've WANTED to update for the last week or so but there seems to be a problem with Internet Explorer. Don't laugh, I HAVE to use IE because I have a work laptop. I got rid of my desktop a few years ago after I got one for work and realized that having a portable computer was so much more useful and space-efficient. Plus, not my money and I always have the latest upgrades. I'm not gaming much anymore and only used the computer to surf the net; now I could surf the net and watch TV on the couch at the same time! But I digress ...

IE seems to have an issue to where it's not letting me upload pictures through Blogger, which is a major hassle when this site is based on pictures. I mean, you just want to look at pictures of food right? Oh and sometimes recipes. They can be helpful too. So now I'm resorting to using Boyfriend's computer while he showers to update the blog.

The Walking Dead ended weeks ago ... the midseason finale anyway. The second half of the season is coming back in a couple of weeks. Eep! To provide full disclosure, I did not watch or make dinner for episode 8 because my birthday was the day before and I had Book Club the day of. So I'm giving this recipe from Ms food, je'taime. I made the udon with whatever leftover ingredients were in the refrigerator from having shabu-shabu-slash-hot-pot during the week. But the cod was the best part.

You can buy the cod filets fresh from any Japanese market or you can buy them frozen from Trader Joe's for something like $8.99/lb, which is ridiculously low. I defrosted the filet and cut it in half before marinading it ... delish. I actually text Ms food, je'taime to tell her I was eating and loving it because I was so excited.

Miso Black Cod
from food, je t'aime

1/2 cup of miso paste

3 tablespoon mirin

1 teaspoon light-colored honey

2 fillets black cod (about 1 inch thick)

vegetable oil

 

Whisk together miso , mirin, and honey to create the marinade. You can adjust the marinade to your liking (saltier/sweeter) but it turned out perfect in the above ratio.

Pat the cod filets dry with a paper towel. Transfer the marinade to a ziploc bag and throw in the filets with it; gently mush around a bit to coat the filets with the miso. Don't actually squash the fish! Marinate for about 24 hours.

 

Before cooking, remove the fish from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 10 minutes. Preheat a nonstick skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Gently wipe off any excess marinade with your fingers. Oil pan and cook the fillet until golden brown on both sides, roughly 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish. Serve preferably with white rice.

The Walking Dead S3E7 - Grilled Tuna with Potato-Tomato Gratin

I'm so behind in blogging that I'm ashamed of myself. The Walking Dead has been over for weeks! Well, two weeks ... but still. And this is still for the episode before the midseason finale. And what a midseason finale it was. Hopefully they get rid of unreasonably angry women in the second half of the season.

Dinner was from Sunday Suppers at Lucques. It took a bit of preparation ahead of time but for the most part, everything came together pretty quickly. The gratin had to bake for almost three hours so definitely prepare for that if you want to make this dish!

Maybe I did something wrong but the gratin was a bit more watery than I would have liked. Anyone know what I did wrong? I think the tomatoes just have a lot of juice. Maybe I need to bake everything longer or seed the tomatoes first or just use less tomatoes.

The hunt for ahi tuna to sear was also an adventure. I first went to Whole Foods and ahi tuna was on sale for ...wait for it ... drum roll please ... $39.99 a pound. I almost fainted. Then I went to Trader Joe's and they were being sold for $16.99 a pound, which was a lot more reasonable. But the tuna wasn't too tender after being seared. I guess the more expensive quality does make a difference!

gratin onions being caramelized

onions caramelized

tomato, potato, onion and basil layering in progress

layered and ready for baking

Potato-Tomato Gratin
serves 6

5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups thinly sliced onions
1 Tbsp thyme leaves
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/4 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 1/4 lbs ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced opal basil (I used regular)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large sautee pan or Dutch oven over high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in 3 Tbsp olive oil, and add the onions, 1 Tbsp thyme, 1 tsp salt, and some pepper. Cook 6 minutes, stirring often, and then turn the heat down to medium, Add the butter, and cook 15 minutes, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon, until the onions start to caramelize. Turn the heat down to low, and continue cooking for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are a deep golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350degreesF.

Use a mandoline to slice the potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Toss them with the cream, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp salt, and some freshly ground black pepper.

Cut the tomatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices, arrange them on a plate, and season them with 1 tsp salt and some pepper.

Place half the caramelized onions in an even layer in a 9x9 inch gratin or baking dish. Arrange one layer of alternating potatoes and tomatoes on top of the onion layer. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp of the cream from the potatoes and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, a healthy pinch of pepper, 1/2 tsp thyme and half the basil.

Scatter the rest of the caramelized onions over the potatoes and tomatoes.

Arrange another layer of potatoes and tomatoes on topl make this layer pretty, because it will be the top of your gratin. Pour the remaining cream (from the potatoes) and remaining Tbsp olive oil over the potatoes and tomatoes. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, a pinch of pepper, the remaining 1/2 tsp thyme, and the remaining basil. Press the vegetables down with your fingers. The cream and oil will come u p through the layers and coat the vegetables evenly.

Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake about 2 hours, until the potatoes are tender when pierced. Remove the gratin from the oven and uncover it, being careful of the steam.

Turn the oven up to 450degreesF and return the gratin, uncovered, to the oven. Cook another 25-30 minutes, until the juices have thickened and the top is nice and golden brown (as in "gratinéed").

grilled tuna over arugula

perfectly seared on the inside

Grilled Tuna
serves 6

6 tuna steaks, 5 to 6 oz each, about 1 inch thick
1 lemon, zested
1 chile de árbol, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 Tbsp thyme leaves
1 Tbsp sliced flat lead parsley
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp fleur de sel
1 Tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 oz arugula, cleaned
2 Tbsp super good extra-virgin olive oil

Season the fish with the lemon zest, chile, thyme and parsley. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Light the grill 30 to 40 mintues before cooking, and remove the fish from the refrigerator to come to room temperature. Alternately, use an indoor grill pan over high heat.

When the coals are broken down, red, and glowing, brush the fish with olive oil, and season on both sides with fleur de sel and cracked black epper. Grill the fish 2-3 minutes per side, rotating it once or twice. The tuna should be well seared but still rare.

Scatter the arugula onto a large platter and arrange the tuna on top. Squeeze some lemon juice over the fish, and then drizzle the fish with the super good olive oil. Dollop each piece of fish with rouille (I didn't make the rouille but the recipe is available in the book).

The Walking Dead S3E6 - A Mini Thanksgiving (with Chicken)

Thanksgiving is upon us tomorrow! I tried to tell Boyfriend that I made him a baby turkey, which is why the (chicken) was so small. But he wasn't fooled. Apparently he can just tell the difference between the taste of chicken and turkey! Strange.

I followed the same Thomas Keller Roast Chicken recipe as I had done in the past, but I changed the veggies underneath, as they were a bit undercooked last time. This time, I cut the carrots smaller and in half, quartered an onion and quartered four yellow Dutch potatoes. Also, I cut the butter to rub onto the breast by half. The skin still turken out nice and crispy though. Score!

I made brussel sprouts for the first time, which was awesomely easy to make with the chicken since they both roast at 400degrees F. Then when I took out the chicken and it was resting, I lowered the oven temp to 350degrees F and popped the stuffing in. By the time the chicken finished resting and I carved it, the stuffing was ready! All of this was basically a test on timing for the T-Day showdown.

Yay for mini-Thanksgiving! What did everyone think of The Walking Dead this week? Why is Andrea so weaksauce and slutty? So many questions. This week wasn't as good as two weeks ago, but I think its a lot of setup for the future. Hopefully a huge Rick-Governor showdown ... to say nothing of a Merryl-Rick showdown as well.

On another note, I used the cups that Boyfriend gave me for our three-year anniversary! Don't they look super fancy and golden? I always naturally drink with my pinky up (yea, sorry I'm weird) but I made sure the pinky was super-up when I used this cup! I drank some ginger peach tea that Vanessa gave me and the experience was exquisite.

Roast Brussel Sprouts

1 lb brussel sprouts
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 400degrees F. Wash and trim brussel sprouts, removing any withered or yellow outer leaves. Half the large sprouts, or leave them whole if they're small.

Toss brussel sprouts with the remaining ingredients and pour onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 35-40 minutes, shaking the baking sheet about every 10 minutes, until the sprouts are tender.

The Walking Dead S3E5 - Italian Pork Chops

I have no idea how to name this recipe. It's just pork chops. Literally. Pork, salt and lemon. I was reading The Wednesday Chef and she raved about this recipe so much that I had to prepare it for Boyfriend. He liked it but I think it was a bit too simple for him ... he had to use Tapatio. But he uses Tapatio on practically everything so I don't know if that's a good baseline to judge.

This week's The Walking Dead was definitely not as intense as last week, which is really good. I cried last week ... it was crazy. The amount of intensity in that episode was too much to handle. Boyfriend is not liking Michonne's character at all, and I agree at him. Why you so angry, Michonne? Why you so suspicious? Why do you just keep glowering at the camera and at everyone else?

Based on what Boyfriend has told me happens in the comics, I'm waiting for the Govenor to show his evil side but I don't think that's really happened yet. He's actually supposed to be very molest-y but I don't think AMC would umm, show scenes like that on the channel.

Anyways, back to the pork chops. I think if they were a bit fattier, it would have been better. Served with garlic rosemary roast potatoes, sauteed spinach and tomato/avocado/onion salad.

Italian Pork Chops
from The Wednesday Chef

Good-quality pork chops, around 1/2 an inch thick
Coarse sea salt (do not use fine)
Lemon

Take a heavy frying pan and put it over medium-high heat. Coat one side of each pork chop evenly with one or two teaspoons of coarse salt, depending on the size of the chop. That's PER CHOP.

Lay the pork chops, unsalted side down, in the hot pan. No need to add oil. Let the chops fry until, the salt on top starts to go clear, meaning they've absorbed the liquid from the meat (a little less than ten minutes). Flip the chops to the salted side

Fry thie unsalted side for just a few minutes, until the salt sticks to the pan. Remove the chops to the serving plates and, using a spoon, scrape off the coarse salt and discard. Flip the chop again, so that the nicely browned side is facing up. Squeeze a good amount of lemon juice over each one and serve with more lemon on the side.

Ate a slice of Vanessa's birthday cake from dessert and it was wonderful. Happy early birthday, Vanessa!

The Walking Dead S3E4 - Pot Roast with Vegetables

I made pot roast. It tasted ... well to be quite honets, it tasted a bit like Campbell soup out of the can. But not just any Campbell's soup ... the thick n' chunky line, to be exact. I have no idea why it tasted that way, but at least now I know that I can make big batches of this and sell knockoff versions. Bampbell Soup, it'll be called. Nobody steal my idea!

The pot roast braised for three hours, which made the meat tender, but not as falling apart as I would like. Extra veggies were also added, so the meal wouldn't just be one big hunk of meat.

It looks very pretty though, when I had all the ingredients assembled. Also, let's talk for a minute about the Rachel Ray "garbage bowl" ... do you know that you can go to Target and buy a big ceramic bowl that says "garbage bowl" on it? First of all, it's such a waste because at the end of everything you have to wash yet another bowl. Second of all, you're spending probably $20 (I don't know how much it is) to buy a bowl that you basically can't use for anything else besides garbage ... who wants to eat salad out of that bowl? I have a much better idea ... behold the AZN GARBAGE BOWL.

Although now that I think about it, plastic trash bags may start becoming a bit harder to come by now that we're supposed to be bringing our own tote bags to the markets and stuff. Hmm ... maybe I will end up buying the garbage bowl after all!

Pot Roast with Vegetables
adapted from Tyler Florence

1 (3-4 lbpound) piece beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 14.5 oz can beef broth

Splash of cognac (optional)

2 yellow onions, quartered

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 bunch baby carrots

2 celery stalks, sliced

2 cartons button mushrooms, sliced in half

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper.

In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot that has a tight cover; heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately high heat. Brown the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Pour in the tomatoes, beef broth and cognac. Scatter the vegetables and herbs around the pot roast, season with additional salt and pepper. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Braise for about 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork tender.

Taste and season with more salt to taste. Slice the pot roast and arrnage on  platter surrounded by the vegetables. Serve with the pot juices.

The Walking Dead S3E3 - Italian Meatballs (Part 1)

I knew it would be an uphill battle/trek because Boyfriend is Italian but this week for The Walking Dead Sunday supper, I decided to try to make meatballs. Some part of my mind had a beautiful amazing image that consisted of him taking one bite of the meatballs (which I've never made before; this was a first attempt) and proclaiming that they were the absolute best meatballs in the whole entire world, even better than his Grandma's meatballs. Umm that didn't happen.

Not to say that they turned out badly. Actually, he admitted that they were quite good for a first attempt but the recipe just needed some tweaking because there was still "some distance" between mine and his Italian grandmother's meatballs. After all, his Grandma had been making them for 70 years and this was my first try. Sadness.

I mixed the meats with fresh made Hawaiian breadcrumbs, spices and parsley by hand and formed them into uniformed sized balls. Then dropped them into sauce (without frying or baking them first) and simmered for three hours, stirring occasionally. Served with crusty Italian bread and a bell pepper, tomato, onion and avocado salad.

Next time I think I'm going tp substitute panko breadcrumbs for the fresh Hawaiian bread and up the amount of milk. Also, I'm going to use some fattier meat cuts. Maybe a hint of red wine vingear as tenderizer. Totally determined now to make some perfect meatballs!! Who wants to come over for dinner and help me eat them?

Authentic Italian Meatballs (Part 1)
adapted from Food.com
makes about 20 meatballs

Sauce

2 28-oz cans crushed tomato with basil

1 28-oz can peeled plum tomatoes

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 tspn kosher salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot (dutch oven) over medium heat, sautee onion and garlic until fragrant and soft, about 7 minutes. Pour the plum tomatoes into a bowl and squash by hand. Add the tomatoes and the rest of the imgredients into the pot and bring to a simmer.

Meatballs

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork

2 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1 tsp salt

2 tsp oregano

2 Tbsp fresh parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together by hand. Don't overmix but make sure everything is blended nicely. Score into four equal sections; make each section into 5 slightly-larger-than-golfball sized meatballs. Drop raw meatballs into sauce and simmer for three hours.

The Walking Dead S3E2 - Tasty Noodle House

I failed at the cooking this week, as you can see from the take-out box in the picture above. Or did I cook but serve everything in take-out boxes? No, that didn't happen. I went to a wedding this weekend in Vegas and got back just in time on Sunday night to grab some take-out and plop myself down in front of the TV.

I've heard that Jonathan Gold raved about the ja jaing mein at this Chinese restaurant close to my apartment so I thought I'd give it a try. I absolutely love ja jiang mein and always want to have it; I remember being about six years old at the (now closed) Dumpling House in Temple City. I have a distinct memory of my dad mixing the noodles up and explaining to me what the dish was. Ahh good food times.

pork buns

ja jiang mein

The pork buns were very very good actually ... the dough was very fluffy, like eating clouds. The noodles were also good although it was a bit off putting that they were cold. I've never had them cold before and I think I appreciate the hot ones better. But for a quick dinner, it hit the spot. And less than $15, the price can't be beat!

Tasty Noodle House
827 W Las Tunas Dr, San Gabriel, CA 91776

The Walking Dead S3E1 - Soy Brined Roast Chicken

THE WALKING DEAD IS BACK!! After a bleak summer without any zombie killings, Boyfriend and I were super excited that the new season was starting. Lookit Carl in the screenshot above, shooting his gun like a seasoned professional veteran, even though he's only eight years old. Anyone else notice how every single shot or arrow fired by the group were all dead-center-head-shots? What kind of crazy Ricktatorship action did Rick employ to whip them all into shape, I wonder.

plates waiting to be filled

This week, for the inaugural dinner, I went with roasting a chicken. Doing something like that seems to only work on the weekends, when you have time to sit around for a couple hours. Otherwise during the week, the only roast chicken I'm eating are the already prepared ones from Ralphs/Albertsons/Costco.

I went through some old emails from Vanessa and tried to find the recipe she had given me via Facebook about two years ago, when she roasted two chickens for Christmas Book Club (Hi Vanessa! Remember that?). Luckily, I was able to find it pretty quickly after searching "chicken Vanessa" in my email account. Although I still think hers was better, the chicken was pronouced to be the best I ever made by Boyfriend.

Served it all nicely cut up with garlic rosemary potatoes, cumin scented roast carrots and a tomato/avocado salad. Along with a couple slices of cake for dessert - cookies'n'cream cake and a strawberry shortcake cake. Yumz.

Then the axe scene happened and it was the first time in The Walking Dead watching history that I totally regretted making any sort of food.

Soy Brined Roast Chicken

Brine:
1 gallon warm water
3/4 cup kosher salt
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil

6 lb chicken
Soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, toasted sesame oil
Garlic powder, chili powder, fresh pepper, kosher salt

Combine all brine ingredients, stirring until salt and sugar dissolve. Allow to cool to room temperature. Put in chicken and brine for at least 4 hours or overnight. This recipe makes a lot of brine so feel free to put in other chicken pieces as well, or pork chops.

When ready to cook chicken, rinse the brine off, pat dry with paper towels and allow it to come to room temperature (about 30-45 minutes). Preheat oven to 375degrees.

Truss the chicken, if desired. Rub chicken with a layer of soy sauce, a layer of toasted seasme oil, a layer of rice wine vinegar and another layer of soy sauce. Season liberally with a layer of garlic powder, chili powder and fresh pepper and less libarally with a layer of kosher salt (the brine already has salt in it). Cut two tablespoons of butter into 4 slices and lay it over the breast of the chicken.

Bake on a rack in the oven for about 2 hours, if you have a six pound chicken. Roughly estimate to do about 20 minutes per pound, plus a bonus 20 minutes. Baste the chicken every 20 minutes or so with the fat that accumulates at the bottom of the roasting pan, paying especial attention to the breast section.

Let chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving so the juices can redistribute.

The Walking Dead S2E13 - Beef Short Ribs in Rice Wine

Honestly, after the post on Urasawa, I never wanted to update my blog again. It was so epic that I wanted it to the very first, top post that people saw when they came to my page. For all five of you that read this blog! (hi there)

But the blog must be updated, and a few weeks ago was the Season 2 finale of The Walking Dead. All I can say is, someone really really needs to kill Carl. Apparently I'm not alone in this sentiment either, because if you look around online there are plenty of blogs and posts and Facebook pages dedicated to this mindset.

Since it was the season finale, I wanted to make something that epitomized our dedication to watching every week and that wrapped up our Sunday dinners. Enter Gordon Ramsay and his short ribs. I was really intrigued with the soy and fish sauce in the recipe, as well as the Shao Xing wine. They made my house smell so delicious in the 4-5 hours they were braising in the oven. If anyone else watches the show, what did you think of the finale? I know some people said they were a bit disappointed. Can't wait till next season - you're invited for dinner anytime.

Beef Short Ribs Braised in Rice Wine and Spices
Serves 4
from Gordan Ramsay's Twitter account

3 1/3 lbs (1.5kg) short ribs, cut into individual ribs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 Tbsp (100g) plain flour
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
2cm knob of ginger, peeled and chopped
6 shallots, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 red long finger chillies, finely sliced
3 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp tomato purée
1 cup (225ml) rice wine
about 4 cups (1–1.2 litres) beef stock
3/4 lb (400g) fresh tomatoes, cored and diced
2 Tbsp dark sweet soy sauce
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp honey

Preheat the oven to 350F. Dust the ribs in seasoned flour. Heat a large casserole or Dutch oven and add 2–3 Tbsp of oil. Season the beef and fry for 3–4 minutes until golden brown, then fry the other side until the meat is browned all over, adding more oil if necessary. Do this in batches, transferring the meat to a colander set over a bowl when browned.

Add the garlic, ginger, shallots, carrots, chillies, star anise, cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds and bay leaf to the casserole. Heat for 1–2 minutes then stir in the tomato purée. Cook for 2–3 minutes more. Deglaze the pan with the rice wine. Bring to the boil and use a spoon to scrape the caramelised cooking juices from the bottom of the pan – this will give the stew more flavour. Return the beef to the pan. Top up with the stock, making sure the ribs are submerged in the liquid. Cover with a lid or foil and cook for 2 hours.

Remove the beef from the pan and set aside. Strain the liquid and return it to the casserole. Put the beef in the liquid with the tomatoes, soy sauce, fish sauce and honey. Return to the oven, covered, and cook for 1 hour. Serve immediately with steamed rice and vegetables.