revisted?  well it’s the second time i’ve made it.  the first time was tradition chicken and rice.  “arroz con pollo” if you will.  i will.  in fact i did.  but it did not.  the end result was considerably less than spectacular.  across the board it was bland.  the rice was bland.  but it looked delicious.  here, take a look.

so that’s all there is to say about “my first time.”

moving on.

my second attempt at chicken and rice (in english this time) would be slightly different.  the chicken would be spicy, tender, and crispy.  on the stove by itself instead of mingling with the rice.  the rice would (hopefully) be less wet and with some actual flavor this time.  hopefully.

instead of using various chicken parts, i stuck with just breasts.  skinless.  rubbed with delicious spices.  then they were pan-fried in a touch of olive oil.  this creates a nice crispy crust while the inside gets tender.

for the rice, i used medium grain brown rice.  2 cups water for every cup rice.  also included were onions, various seasonings, and copious amounts of garlic.

spicy delicious chicken

• 3 skinless chicken breasts
• ground cumin
• cayenne
• garlic powder
• chili powder
• kosher salt
• fresh black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups medium brown rice
• 3 cups water
• 1 small to medium sized onion, chopped
• lots of fresh garlic cloves
• olive oil

start by chopping the onion and starting them in a medium sized pot.  after a few minutes, add some diced garlic cloves (i think i used 4).  lots of garlic flavor.  delicious.  once that all gets nice and hot and the onions start to get brown, dump in the rice.  toss it around a little and maybe add a touch more olive oil.  then dump in the water.  bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let it go for about 25 minutes.

meanwhile, get to work on the chicken.  coat with all your delicious spices.  i usually go with 2 parts cumin, 2 parts garlic powder, 1 part chili, half part cayenne, 1 part fresh black pepper, a bit of kosher salt.  i like to make a lot so i can have it on hand.  then give your chicken a nice full coat.

heat up some olive oil in a fry pan and introduce the chicken.  i like to keep it covered.  i find that it keeps the chicken nice and tender while it develops the tasty crust.  i go on medium head, about 10 minutes.  then flip and another 10 minutes.  give or take, of course.

that’s basically it.  put the two together and this is what you get.

yes.  it was good.  thought i do have to admit a few things.  1) the rice still needs a little something.  maybe some fresh green peppers.  maybe some peas.  i’m thinking a substitution of some chicken broth in the place of some of the water.  2) the chicken may have had a crust just a tad too thick.  perhaps a browning in the pan and the rest of the way in the oven is the better way to go.

regardless, i have to say that it was gone all too soon and it will be missed…

for dinner tonight is burgers and fries.

it should have been beer can chicken, but i forgot to take the broiler chickens out of the freezer. let’s not talk about that. for dinner tonight is burgers and fries, and you’ll just have to deal with that.

as you can plainly see from the photo above the jump, these are mini burgers. i’ve toyed with the idea of doing mini burgers for some time, but finally let that idea come to fruition today. sarah has been asking for my burgers for a couple of days, so i thought today would be a good day for them, what with the botched chicken fiasco and all. but let’s not talk about that. seriously, that’s the last time.

this recipe is drastically different than my signature burger. you’ll read about that one day this summer when my grill is all fired up. these burgers are different in that they are very stripped down and basic. i have never done a stripped down burger and was thus a little wary doing so. nevertheless, i made the guarantee that these would be delicious.   i closed my proverbial eyes and let the food worry about the flavor.

burgers for people who like white castle

• about 1 1/4 lbs ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 of a medium sized onion, diced
• salt and pepper…just a pinch

this would have been a good time to use a grater on the garlic. i, of course, did not do that. instead i went at them with a knife. the end result is much the same.

mix all the ingredients in a bowl. the key is this: once mixed, press the mixture into a baking sheet or pan lined with wax paper. make it as even as possible, and press down just a tad to make it solid and stable. flip it onto a plate or cutting board and peel off the paper. then slice it into squares with a pizza cutter. the pan that i used yielded 12 burgers: a 3×4 rectangle.

aren’t they cute?

i chose to cook mine on my electric griddle. you can a fry pan or a stovetop griddle, or even the oven - though why on Earth would you do that? they cook up pretty quick-like because they are so small, just a couple of minutes per side. for buns, i just used regular ol’ hamburger buns cut down to size. no, i did not throw away the scraps.

i like to serve them with just a barely-there layer or mayo on the bottom bun just to keep it dry in the face of burger grease. then a small plate of ketchup should be placed alongside your plate for the dipping (of the fries and the burgers).

and what’s burgers without fries? nothing!

for the fries, i sliced a couple of potatoes and tossed them with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. throw them on a baking sheet and bake at a very high temperature (450 or even higher) for 20 or 30 minutes or until crispy.

i get the spices wrong every time: too spicy or too bland. this time they were just right. some of them got ruined via sticking to the sheet. not sure why, they were oiled and so was the pan. regardless, the ones that made it were delicious.

so all in all, scrumptious. i love a good hamburger. and these are good hamburgers. in fact, i just had late night seconds. four of them fit nicely on an average sized piece of bread. these burgers would have been even better with a more tasty bread and, of course, a cheese. i was too lazy to slice the pepperjack, especially since sarah likes her burgers bare and slicing pepperjack for yourself, well who wants to do that? me, but not tonight.

so i’ve been wanting to make a nice tasty soup for a while. maybe a soup i haven’t made or eaten a lot of instead of the broccoli cheddar and tomato i usually do (i won’t even link those). not that those soups aren’t delicious and favorites of mine, but i want to expand my menu rather than be doomed to repeat it. so i looked around the kitchen and the internet and settled on a potato soup. maybe a potato and leek soup. i’ve never worked with leeks before, so what the hell? there’s a first time for everything.

except some things. but i don’t want to talk about those things. because they never happen.

as for the fettuccine, it’s a delicious pasta. what else is there to discuss?

it really doesn’t get much simpler than pasta. you boil it and you put things in it. it’s always delicious.

always.

this time was mostly the same as most of my other times. though this time we had picked up some fresh basil. with that and some olive oil, you are good to go. and by “good to go” i mean “set to prepare and consume a delicious pasta dinner.” but i think you got that.

fettuccine with garlic and basil

• 1/2 of a box of fettuccine
• 3 or 4 cloves of garlic
• a few leaves of fresh basil
• a handful of chopped cherry tomatoes
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

start your water boiling while you get the rest ready: mince the garlic, chop the basil and tomatoes, etc. while the pasta is cooking, heat up some olive oil (just enough to eventually coat all the pasta) in a medium stock pot (large enough to hold and mix all the pasta in the end). when the olive oil is heated, toss in the garlic and fry it up a little until it begins to color. make sure you time it right, because you want to remove this from the heat before the garlic browns and immediately add the fully cooked pasta. add the tomatoes and mix it up good. salt and pepper to taste. mix in the basil just before serving.

serve with some grated cheese (parmesan perhaps) and a nice little sprig of basil - just because you have it and you like looking a little fancy for your blog.

the flavors were superb. the pasta was a little underdone. (who thought that i could screw up pasta? not me, that’s for sure.) the basil…well we just love basil. in fact, we love pasta. mostly because it’s so easy, fast, and delicious. you can do whatever you want and it comes out good. you can even dump in some store-bought tomato sauce if you’re super lazy. you know what? you’ll still eat it. you’ll cram it down your throat at great speeds so no one around you knows that you used Prego.

and for the soup?

potato leek soup

• 2 sizable leeks, chopped
• 1.5 lbs of potatoes, quartered
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp butter

i know i said we had potatoes, but when food shopping i decided little red potatoes would be more delicious than the regular ol’ potatoes we had at home. i like to think i was write, though we may never know.

melt the butter in a stock pot. add the leeks and cook them down, stirring occasionally, until they have softened. add the garlic and cook for another few minutes. add the potatoes and chicken stock. bring it to a boil, then simmer - covered - for 30 minutes or until everything is soft.

stick in an immersion blender, or if you’re like me, dump it into a regular blender in batches and blend until smooth and creamy. don’t let it explode out of your blender - not that i did that or anything. just don’t let it happen to you, that’s all i’m saying. be careful. and if you’re smart like i may or may not have been, don’t fill up the blender more than half way and cover it with a towel when you turn it on. it will prevent the soup from covering your counters and appliances. and it will keep your clean-freak wife happy.

it turned out much greener than i had expected. also much more delicious. so creamy. the potato flavor just jumps right through. if you’ve never had or used leeks, i recommend it. they are good. i have some left over, for which i will find some outlet. (it took me a moment to figure out a grammatically correct wording for that fragment. please correct me if i am wrong.)

that’s right, after last week’s visit to the home of someone who can actually cook, i was left with the desire to make poached eggs. i’ve always enjoyed poached eggs - and poaching eggs - but struggled to find a good use. my sister-in-law was able to do so, and sarah and i were lucky enough to be there.

but this is not that.

this is this.

no good caption here.

so basically i wanted to poach eggs and i wanted breakfast. but i didn’t want to go through all of the trouble of actually cooking in the morning, so i did what i always do: make hash browns. except this time i put a poached egg on top. the hash browns follow almost the same recipe as last time, though tinkering with the seasoning (less paprika, the result last time was too punchy).

the poached eggs are worth talking about. everyone says they have a tough time poaching eggs and frankly, i can’t figure out why. i’ve done it quite a few times and it did not take me long to master it - or rather, be passable at it.

it’s as simple as this:

poach an egg or three

• an egg or 3
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• water
• big ol’ sauté pan - with lid
• a tiny prep bowl or three

so you fill up the sauté pan with water. a nice wide sauté pan with straight walls. add the tbsp of vinegar and bring to a boil. in the meantime, crack the egg or 3 into the tiny bowls. once the water boils, cut the heat back to almost nothing (thanks to michelle for this bit of info) and very gently slip each egg in, with as little “splash” as possible so as not to cause the egg whites to fly away. you should be able to fit maybe 4 eggs in the pan, though i find 3 to be the most comfortable. throw the cover on there and let it sit for 2.5 to 3 minutes - not a second longer.

after your timer dings, fish them out with a slotted spoon, spider, or something of the sort. that’s it. you’ll probably have to experiment with the exact amount of time, depending on your stovetop, pan, and start temperature of the eggs. in this particular case, i should have taken them out maybe 20 seconds sooner. the yolks were just slightly solid, with only a bit of runny-ness. what you want is a nice solid white concealing a perfectly gooey yolk. it should look a bit like a sunny-side up egg all folded on itself like a pair of rolled up socks (though not too much like socks). when you jam a fork in it, it should bust open and unleash its yellow goodness all over whatever you put it on. oh it’s a beautiful thing.

it may take a few times to get the timing just right, but it’s really not difficult at all. i picked it up pretty easily and i am by no means a talented cook. just for kicks, here you can see what it looked like when i “jammed my fork in it,” as it were.

the whites didn’t stay together as well as i’d have liked - i let them into the pool a little too hard, not enough finesse. nonetheless, you can see the nicely runny yolk set free from a solid case of white.

the flavor of the yolk blended quite nicely with the hash browns. this is by no means the best application for a poached egg, but it was still tasty, and it satisfied my desire to poach an egg or 3.

i don’t think i told you about my crepes.  i made them a few weeks ago.  and here is their tale.

i had the desire for a pancake breakfast.  but pancakes would not do.  yes, i’m aware of how little sense that makes, but i’m hoping you understand.  you wake up and you think, man i really want some of that creamy doughie goodness, but not the heaviness.  so what’s a hungry person to do?

crepes.

it’s pretty much pancakes, but thinner.  literally.  just add a little milk and water to your batter and it makes crepes instead.  make them one at a time in a frying pan instead of a few at a time on a griddle.

the recipe is a standard, consisting of all-purpose flour, milk, eggs, water, butter, and a pinch of salt.  i won’t waste time and space with the specifics, as you can easily find a plethora of basic crepe recipes all over the interweb.  the cooking part, however, is worth mentioning.

lightly grease a medium (10″) frying pan and spoon in just enough batter to get a thin coat across the bottom (about 1/4 cup).  it’ll take 2, maybe 3 crepes before you get it perfect.  you want it to seem like it’s not enough and swirl it around to create a nice thin layer.  let it cook for about 2 minutes and then flip (making sure the first side is pleasantly browned) and repeat.  layer them between sheets of parchment (wax) paper to prevent them from sticking to each other.

i also happened to have some heavy cream around to whip so that i could serve the crepes with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.  the strawberries are always around so we can have delicious smoothies at any given moment.

so that is that.  i don’t know if any of you were or are intimidated at the thought of making crepes, but if you are, rest assured that it is quite simple.   i do think this particular application is almost better served as dessert, what with the whipped cream and strawberries, but that didn’t stop me.  i say there’s nothing wrong with a little sweet in your breakfast.

don’t judge me.   i’ve seen what you eat.

disgusting.

no, movie theatres don’t serve chili dogs (but maybe i can use my powerful influence to bring about this kind of change). but that certainly wasn’t going to stop me from gettin’ me a chili dog.

i mean really, when you get hit with some serious hunger, sometimes a chili dog is like a torpedo of satisfaction that is shot directly into your gluttonous belly.

you do realize you have a beard, don’t you?

well that’s how it is for me, anyway.

i was at work and i was hungry. as i’ve said before, we end up with tomato soup most of the time. but that just wouldn’t cover it. i had to supplement it with something. i did purchase a microwavable can of chili earlier in the day (along with a few cans of tomato soup which sit around the office to be consumed at various points throughout the week). don’t poo poo the microwavable chili. no, it’s not at all like the real thing, but sometimes it’ll do. this was one of those times.

i could have just eaten the chili, maybe with some movie theatre nachos. but then it hit me. i don’t know why it never hit me before.

put the chili on a hot dog.

BRILLIANT!

and hey, while we’re at it, why don’t we add some movie theatre nacho cheese?

deal.

i gotta tell ya…it was good. i took my time preparing this bad boy, applying just the right amount of chili and cheese. it paid off. i was satisfied. i didn’t even need the tomato soup.

but you all know i ate it anyway.

is it guacamole? is it some kind of salad? well it’s kind of both. it was inspired by an avocado salad we had at a relative’s house. we (well, sarah) put our (well, her) own twist on it.

the downfall is that it browns quickly so it’s best to eat super duper fresh. inevitably, some ends up in the fridge. it keeps for a day or so; just be sure to give it a good stir before you eat. and don’t be turned off by the little bit of browning. the stir will bring back that bright green color.

we’ve made this dish a few times. well again, sarah has made this dish a few times. it’s a great side dish and makes a good snack. who doesn’t love a good avocado? really? i prefer it in the form of guacamole on a bacon cheeseburger, but this form will do nicely.

avocado black bean salad

• 4 nice and ripe hass avocados
• 1 can of black beans
• a bunch of cherry tomatoes, chopped
• a healthy handful of fresh cilantro
• a few squeezes lime juice (fresh is best, bottle will do)

i think that’s about it. if you don’t know how to get to the deliciousness of the avocado, let me give you the gist. first, insert a knife into the avocado as if you are going to cut it lengthwise. you won’t be able to, because of the hard pit. once you hit pit, start rotating the avocado and cutting the avocado all the way ’round. it should easily separate into 2 pieces. now chop the pit so the knife stick into it a little. give it a little twist and the pit should pop right out. now you should be able to slide a spoon under the skin of the avocado and all the good bits should pop right out.

not it’s just a matter of mashing it up like taters and adding all the ingredients. that’s it. you could chill it for a couple minute if you want, but not too long because of the aforementioned browning.

eat that, suckers.

we happened upon a big ol’ squash and needed to do something with it.  so this is what we did:

this was the perfect dish…and recipe.  it’s super easy, quick, and absolutely friggin’ delicious.  the squash comes out nicely pasta-esque with just enough of a crunch to keep you interested.  the flavors of all the vegetables mix together perfectly and although the dish would have been great without it, the crumbled feta is just the punch it needs to send it over the top.

this whole thing came together in about 30 minutes, and most of that time was spent prepping the vegetables and toasting the squash.  it was adapted from some recipe we found online.  but really, it’s very straightforward and simple.  i pretty much winged it.

pascetti with sautéd veggies

• 1 big ol’ squash
• 2 green peppers, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• handful of black olives, chopped
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ‘handful’ of cherry tomatoes, chopped
• crumbled feta for topping
• kosher salt/fresh ground black pepper

start by splitting (read: cutting) the squash lengthwise.  oil it just a little (or oil a baking sheet) and place cut side down on a baking sheet.  bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, or until the outside is tender enough to spear with only a bit of resistance.  when it is done, place aside to cool slight.  use a large spoon to scrape out the pulp.  it should come out nice and stringy. (like pascetti!)

while all that is going on, prep all your veggies.  heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  add the onions and a pinch of kosher salt.  after a few minute (stirring occasionally) add the garlic.  after another minute or so, add the green peppers.  when the peppers are cooked to your liking (as well as everything else), dump in some chopped cherry tomatoes.  stir just enough to heat through.

this is where having a partner comes in handy.  while i handled the veggies, sarah took care of the squash.

so now that you have all the squash pascetti-fied and veggies sauté-ified, mix ‘em together!  also toss in some chopped black olives and black pepper.  serve it up (i prefer a bowl for this…a wide soup bowl, not a deep ice cream bowl) and top with some crumbled feta.

scroll back up to look at it again.  it deserves a second take.  it was astonishingly tasty.  this is probably the best dish i have ever made.  no joke.  if we ever battle anyone else on the culinary plane, i’ll probably take this as my weapon of choice.  it would be hard to lose.

ya know what?  look at it again.  oh i wish there were leftovers…

on tonight’s menu: more eggs.

eggs! form of, quiche!

inspired by food television, i decided to tackle my first quiche. i’ve had delicious quiche before, but never made it myself. in general, my “first time” endeavors into fooding are riddled with regret, remorse, and night terrors. in short: hunger wins.

tonight would be different. tonight i would tackle my foe with unfettered valor. i would not hold back and i would not back down. tonight i would hack and slash and bake until the agents of my pantry were sufficiently subdued.

tonight would be a long hard battle against the forces of egg and hunger.

it was actually much simpler than that. i scoped out a few recipes on the interweb, as i always do. but in the end i found that quiche is simple enough that i could throw together something entirely original.

well, that is to say i did not directly take someone else’s recipe; though i’m sure something very similar - if not identical - has been written and cooked before.

and here, in all it’s glory, i present to thee my quiche.

broccoli blue cheese quiche

• handful of broccoli florets, chopped
• 1/2 medium to large onion, sliced
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 4 or 5 cherry tomatoes, diced
• 2 to 3 ounces crumbled blue cheese
• 4 medium eggs, lightly scrambled
• 1 cup milk
• kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
• olive oil

preheat your oven to 350. start by sautéing the onions in a little bit of olive oil with a pinch of kosher salt. once they soften, add the garlic. after a few minutes - when the onions are just beginning to brown - add the broccoli and a grind or two of black pepper. cook for another couple of minutes. mix together the broccoli and onions with the eggs, milk, tomatoes, and blue cheese. pour into a lightly buttered pie dish and bake for 35 minutes or until set.

this was a success. quite delicious. there are some things to note about this particular run-through: we did not have whole milk on hand and instead used 3/4 cup of skim milk and 1/4 cup heavy cream, the blue cheese was some packaged brand we purchased the other day, and the choice of veggies was very much decided by what we had on hand. we could not help but think that green peppers would have been a lovely addition, as well as an ante-upping amount of broccoli (does that phrasing even work?). i personally think it could have been cheesier, though more blue cheese would have probably overpowered the other flavors. perhaps cheddar next time.

regardless, i will certainly be adding this to my repertoire. it’s quick and easy and adaptable to whatever the hell is in one’s fridge. it comes highly recommended from both of us.

that really isn’t saying much at all.

breakfast time again; this time for real, as i actually was out of bed before noon.  that means it was time for some actually breakfast-y foods.

and bam, there it is.

not much to speak of.  it’s the same omelet i made last time, though this time it was red peppers instead of the green.  the only thing worth mentioning is that, as previously stated, i had recently seen an egg episode of good eats.  i wanted to try the AB approach to the omelet, which is only slightly different than mine.

the AB method involves a sort of mix/stir for a few seconds just after the egg hits the pan.  this gives the egg a nice scramble before anything else happens.  my method does not have this step and instead allows the egg to set more in a solid cake form.

interestingly enough, it made a noticeable difference.   the AB omelet was thinner and more like a ‘pocket’ for whatever would be inside - even if it’s just eggy goodness.  my omelet (from eggs for breakfast) was a little fluffier and thicker.  it’s a personal preference, i think.  i don’t think i can pass judgment just yet, especially since i am not quite deft at the AB method: i tore the omelet just a little upon the out-of-the-pan flip.

also there was raisin bread toast with cream cheese involved.

breakfast consumed.

footnote:

i just finished reading eat shoot and leave, a fabulous book on punctuation by the brilliant and witty lynne truss.  it definitely opened up a whole new door to the realm of punctuation for me.  i’m not even kidding.  highly recommended.  this may also explain some of my punctuation uses, if you even notice any.