What's the last thing you ate? Bowl of Campbell's Chunky Chicken Pot Pie soup (I suck...)
What's your favorite cheese? Gouda
What's your favorite fish? Tilapia
What's your favorite fruit? A good peach is deeeelicious.
When, if ever, did you start liking olives? Never!
When, if ever, did you start liking beer? I generally don't but I can finish a cup of Miller Lite before it gets warm, so yay?
When, if ever, did you start liking shellfish? I still don't much like shrimp but I do like crab and scallops, which was probably about 2 years ago.
What was the best thing your mum/dad/guardian used to make? My mom makes good potato soup.
What's the native specialty of your home town? Lexington? I suppose stuff like derby pie and mint juleps but that's really more Louisville.
What's your comfort food(s)? Campbell's tomato soup, with a grilled cheese sandwich made with lots of butter, Wonder Bread (or equivalent spongy pre-sliced bread) and Kraft Singles. Sliced diagonally.
What's your favorite type of chocolate? Mint chocolate. Or if we mean chocolate candy, probably Raisinets.
How do you like your steak? Medium
How do you like your burger? Medium
How do you like your eggs? Swirled into egg drop soup. Alternately they're not bad in fried rice as long as the chunks are small and dry and not very eggy-tasting. I don't really like eggs for breakfast at all though.
How do you like your potatoes? Roasted with rosemary, thyme and garlic; mashed; scalloped with a nice cheese sauce
How do you take your coffee? Smelling up the grocery aisle. That's about it.
How do you take your tea? I don't but I'll make sweet tea for Alex if he requests it.
What's your favorite mug? I don't really have one, but that's probably because I'm not a huge fan of hot drinks.
What's your biscuit or cookie of choice? Chocolate chip. Peanut butter is a close second.
What's your ideal breakfast? 2 slices bacon (crispy but with a bit of chew to it still). Two pancakes with butter and maple syrup. One small bowl either fresh fruit (melon, grape, banana, etc) or baked apples. Small glass apple juice. One small bowl Frosted Flakes with milk and strawberries on top. (That's like, ultimate breakfast. I can't actually imagine eating all that in one sitting.)
What's your ideal sandwich? Turkey, melted swiss, bacon, tomato (GOOD tomato), shredded lettuce.
What's your ideal pizza (topping and base)? Thin crust, with bbq sauce instead of pizza sauce, and ham (or Canadian bacon) and pineapple chunks. Alternately, chicken instead of ham would work. It needs to be so overloaded with toppings though that it practically falls apart when you pick up the slice.
What's your ideal pie (sweet or savory)? Nana's cherry pie is still the best pie ever.
What's your ideal salad? Romaine, thinly sliced carrots, celery half-moons, green pepper strips (not rings, those are difficult to eat in salad), good (big) garlicky croutons, shredded cheddar, diced smoked ham, slices of cucumber, with honey french dressing.
What food(s) do you always like to have in the fridge? Chicken broth, leeks, fresh herbs, broccoli, zucchini.
What food do you always like to have in the freezer? Cabbage, potato or mushroom dumplings (preferably Alex's mom's varyeniki but from Ho's works too), frozen vegetables, boneless skinless chicken breasts
What food do you always like to have in the cupboard? Various oils/vinegars/cooking wines, soup mixes
What spices can you not live without? salt, pepper, rosemary, parsley, cayenne, basil, ginger
What sauces can you not live without? soy sauce, ketchup, applesauce
Where do you buy most of your food? Dillon's but I like to go to Hen House when I feel like spoiling myself.
How often do you go food shopping? Weekly.
What's the most you've spent on a single food item? Probably in the $20-$30 range for last year's Thanksgiving turkey or something.
What's the most expensive piece of kitchen equipment you own? Probably one of the Calphalon pans.
What's the last piece of equipment you bought for your kitchen? Alex's cast iron small teapot.
What piece of kitchen equipment could you not live without? Santoku.
How many times a week/month do you cook from raw ingredients? When I am being good, roughly 3x/week. When I am not being good so much, roughly 3x every 2 weeks.
What's the last thing you cooked from raw ingredients? Broccoli last night (which I posted about here)
What meats have you eaten besides cow, pig and poultry? Does seafood count? Oh wait I've had venison! Hah! It was really tasty too.
What's the last time you ate something that had fallen on the floor? I think a broccoli floret fell on the floor while I was chopping last night (or maybe it was a bit of mushroom the night I did risotto) and I picked it up within 1 second of it falling, inspected for grit, and then put it back on the cutting board and proceeded as normal. That's my usual procedure, if it doesn't have visible particles on it it's fine. And I've never had food poisoning so *shrug*
What's the last time you ate something you'd picked in the wild? I think I had mulberries or some other sort of wild berry once this summer from trees at Alex's parents' house.
Place in order of preference (greatest to least): Chinese, French, Italian, Mexican, Indian, Sushi,
Moroccan, Thai, (I have never had Moroccan or Thai)
Place in order of preference: garlic, basil, mint, caramel, ginger, lime, anise,
Place in order of preference: cherry, strawberry, apple, banana, orange, watermelon,
Place in order of preference: the internet, food, movies, sex, fashion, sports
Bread and spread? White toast with margarine spread. I am classy.
What's your fast food restaurant of choice, and what do you usually order? Panera Bread (I know, it's not REALLY fast food but it does have you walking to the counter to order so I think it counts), and I get a chicken caesar salad. If Panera Bread doesn't count, then Wendy's, and a #1 with cheese (no onion/tomato/mayo).
Pick a city. What are the best dining experiences you've had in that city? Madison WI: Laredo's. Ella's Deli. Noodles & Co (yeah, that's a chain but I haven't been to one outside of Madison even though there are some in KC that I know the location of). Culver's (also a chain but I was introduced to it in Madison and used to eat it almost religiously).
What's your choice of tipple at the end of a long day? Coke, generally. Apple juice sometimes though. Ooo or apple cider!
What's the next thing you'll eat? Tonight... likely some sprees. If I don't eat anything else tonight, then tomorrow morning I may have some of those vegetarian broccoli-cheese bites (even though they smell weird and give me icky burps, they TASTE fine), or maybe some of those Asian dumpling thingies... or the rest of the can of peaches I put in the fridge the other morning... or I may try to finish off some of the leftover fusilli or rigatoni before they go bad. (Not the risotto though... that first reheating convinced me that the rest of the leftovers are pretty much a wash.)
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Risotto with Roasted Garlic, Mushrooms and Spinach
Last night I made risotto for the second time ever. Far better than the first attempt (first try had butternut squash in it and I have determined after several tastings that I just do not like butternut squash, at least not without many other complementary flavors to mask it [for instance I had storebought butternut squash soup and it would have been SO much better with apple blended into it]), but there were a few things about the recipe I'd change for personal preference reasons.
1) It had roasted garlic in it, which I've done many times before in the "chop off top of head, pour olive oil over, wrap in foil, bake" way, but this way wanted me to separate the cloves beforehand, which had the end result of having the side of the clove that was touching the bottom of the pan become dry and hard and burnt. Next time, I'll just roast the head whole and squeeze the cloves out.
2) It wanted dried porcini mushrooms and also wild mushrooms. I used crimini. I have also determined that I am not a huge fan of portobello because despite my careful cleaning they always have this icky black crap coming off of them (like black watery stuff) and taste like dirt. This wasn't a huge issue last night when the risotto was fresh, but I reheated it today and took it in my Mr. Bento to work (speaking of which I have been completely neglecting that in favor of McDonald's Monopoly stuff, oh god I suck) and the dirty crimini flavor had completely permeated throughout the risotto. Sigh.
3) Last time, with the failed butternut squash risotto, I made it the "authentic" way, by adding the broth in ladlefuls until all is absorbed and risotto is creamy. But it just came out sticky and gooey at the end (butternut squash may have contributed to this). Last night I just put all the broth in at once and let simmer until absorbed. And the creaminess factor was MUCH better. Huzzah!
So yeah. Recipe:
Roast 1-2 heads of garlic at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until done. Let cool, squeeze cloves out and chop to get roughly 1/4 cup garlic.
Slice 12 oz mushrooms of your choice, saute in olive oil over med-hi heat until done. Season with salt and pepper, set aside.
In a large saucepan (I used a 3-qt one), cook 1/4 cup chopped shallots with a lot of thyme in olive oil over med-hi heat until tender. Add 1 1/2 cups arborio rice, stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup white wine, cook until nearly evaporated. (Mine vaporized nearly instantly, but I also only used about 1/4 cup because that was all that was left in the bottle). Add 3 cups chicken broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until all is absorbed and risotto is creamy, adding more broth if it gets too dry too fast. Add mushrooms and 2 cups thinly sliced spinach, cook until spinach is wilted. Add plenty o Parmesan, season to taste with salt and pepper.
1) It had roasted garlic in it, which I've done many times before in the "chop off top of head, pour olive oil over, wrap in foil, bake" way, but this way wanted me to separate the cloves beforehand, which had the end result of having the side of the clove that was touching the bottom of the pan become dry and hard and burnt. Next time, I'll just roast the head whole and squeeze the cloves out.
2) It wanted dried porcini mushrooms and also wild mushrooms. I used crimini. I have also determined that I am not a huge fan of portobello because despite my careful cleaning they always have this icky black crap coming off of them (like black watery stuff) and taste like dirt. This wasn't a huge issue last night when the risotto was fresh, but I reheated it today and took it in my Mr. Bento to work (speaking of which I have been completely neglecting that in favor of McDonald's Monopoly stuff, oh god I suck) and the dirty crimini flavor had completely permeated throughout the risotto. Sigh.
3) Last time, with the failed butternut squash risotto, I made it the "authentic" way, by adding the broth in ladlefuls until all is absorbed and risotto is creamy. But it just came out sticky and gooey at the end (butternut squash may have contributed to this). Last night I just put all the broth in at once and let simmer until absorbed. And the creaminess factor was MUCH better. Huzzah!
So yeah. Recipe:
Roast 1-2 heads of garlic at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until done. Let cool, squeeze cloves out and chop to get roughly 1/4 cup garlic.
Slice 12 oz mushrooms of your choice, saute in olive oil over med-hi heat until done. Season with salt and pepper, set aside.
In a large saucepan (I used a 3-qt one), cook 1/4 cup chopped shallots with a lot of thyme in olive oil over med-hi heat until tender. Add 1 1/2 cups arborio rice, stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup white wine, cook until nearly evaporated. (Mine vaporized nearly instantly, but I also only used about 1/4 cup because that was all that was left in the bottle). Add 3 cups chicken broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until all is absorbed and risotto is creamy, adding more broth if it gets too dry too fast. Add mushrooms and 2 cups thinly sliced spinach, cook until spinach is wilted. Add plenty o Parmesan, season to taste with salt and pepper.
Broccoli in Soy Garlic Sauce
Tonight Alex did grilled ahi tuna steaks in a soy glaze (came out a bit dry and quite tangy but otherwise tasty... they may have marinated a bit too long or something), and so I boiled some broccoli and paired it with a DELICIOUS sauce that I got off allrecipes.com. The original recipe also included cashews, which I didn't have, but they would have been a delicious addition.
Broccoli in Soy Garlic Sauce
1 crown broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces
3 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp white vinegar
1/8 tsp black pepper
Salted cashews (optional)
Pour 1" water into a pot. Add broccoli. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook 7 minutes or until broccoli is tender.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When butter is melted, quickly add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Let boil for a few seconds, then remove from heat. Toss with broccoli and eat immediately.
SO good.
Broccoli in Soy Garlic Sauce
1 crown broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces
3 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp white vinegar
1/8 tsp black pepper
Salted cashews (optional)
Pour 1" water into a pot. Add broccoli. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook 7 minutes or until broccoli is tender.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When butter is melted, quickly add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Let boil for a few seconds, then remove from heat. Toss with broccoli and eat immediately.
SO good.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Restaurant Review - Cyprus Grille
Yesterday was our first wedding anniversary and we went to St. Louis and stayed at Embassy Suites for the occasion. As I am not a huge fan of St. Louis, we opted to eat at the hotel restaurant, Cyprus Grille, rather than try to find a nice restaurant elsewhere. We both dressed up and I was under the impression that it was going to be pretty fancy.
First off, the menu was small. The appetizer selection was acceptable but the entree list was tiny. They only had two steak options, one of which was KC strip (as part of a surf-and-turf with jumbo shrimp scampi), and the other was flat iron. No ribeye, no sirloin even. There was a "sandwiches and pasta" section of the menu, with exactly one pasta dish in it, which was inexplicably not available after 5 PM.
Alex ended up getting the surf-and-turf (come to think of it, isn't surf-and-turf generally steak and lobster?), which came with seasonal vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes, and I got grilled chicken in a sage cream sauce, with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. I also ordered a glass of Chateau Ste. Michelle riesling (my favorite white wine), and a bowl of French onion soup, because I had actually never had it before.
Service was SLOW. It was a Saturday night at like 7 PM, and we were one of maybe 5 couples there (there were 20-25 tables it looked like). There is no reason it should have been that slow. It took nearly 30 minutes for my soup to even arrive. The first thing I noticed about the soup was that the green onion garnish had been chopped unevenly. This is not something I would previously have noticed, but I seem to have turned into a bit of a food snob. The soup itself was decent-tasting (though all the onions had sunk to the bottom, and the crouton was soggy... not sure if that's normal for French onion soup or not).
The rest of the meal arrived approximately 10 minutes after the soup. The chicken tasted okay but there were TWO breasts, pounded flat. I've never ordered anything in my life that came with two chicken breasts before (outside of like KFC). Also the asparagus, while cooked to an acceptable level of tenderness, had no seasoning at all on it. It could have at least done with some salt. It tasted boiled or steamed; roasting it would have helped tremendously. Also the stalks were very very thick, almost too thick.
Alex said his steak was overcooked (he ordered medium rare and it looked closer to medium or medium well to me) and chewy (owing to the cut of the steak). Also the scampi came lying on top of the steak, as opposed to in a saucer of garlic butter like all previous shrimp scampi I've seen. (He said they were good though.) Also his entire dish inexplicably had mint sprinkled all over everything. I have never seen that before, and I tried it for myself, it WAS mint. The only thing I can guess is that it was supposed to be parsley or cilantro and somebody in the kitchen got confused.
Final tab was $75. I threw in a 10% tip, because while the service wasn't HOSTILE, it was very very slow and unprofessional. (Also I was a bit perturbed coming into dinner because we had gone to the free alcohol reception, and I ordered a vodka-and-Sprite which tasted like a vodka-and-club-soda. Yuck.)
The next morning/noon we went to Denny's; I got a Super Bird and Alex got a BLT with extra bacon, and I must say, it was far more satisfying than Cyprus Grille. I was almost inclined to go back and tell them so, but we had already checked out by that point and I'm not really that evil.
First off, the menu was small. The appetizer selection was acceptable but the entree list was tiny. They only had two steak options, one of which was KC strip (as part of a surf-and-turf with jumbo shrimp scampi), and the other was flat iron. No ribeye, no sirloin even. There was a "sandwiches and pasta" section of the menu, with exactly one pasta dish in it, which was inexplicably not available after 5 PM.
Alex ended up getting the surf-and-turf (come to think of it, isn't surf-and-turf generally steak and lobster?), which came with seasonal vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes, and I got grilled chicken in a sage cream sauce, with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. I also ordered a glass of Chateau Ste. Michelle riesling (my favorite white wine), and a bowl of French onion soup, because I had actually never had it before.
Service was SLOW. It was a Saturday night at like 7 PM, and we were one of maybe 5 couples there (there were 20-25 tables it looked like). There is no reason it should have been that slow. It took nearly 30 minutes for my soup to even arrive. The first thing I noticed about the soup was that the green onion garnish had been chopped unevenly. This is not something I would previously have noticed, but I seem to have turned into a bit of a food snob. The soup itself was decent-tasting (though all the onions had sunk to the bottom, and the crouton was soggy... not sure if that's normal for French onion soup or not).
The rest of the meal arrived approximately 10 minutes after the soup. The chicken tasted okay but there were TWO breasts, pounded flat. I've never ordered anything in my life that came with two chicken breasts before (outside of like KFC). Also the asparagus, while cooked to an acceptable level of tenderness, had no seasoning at all on it. It could have at least done with some salt. It tasted boiled or steamed; roasting it would have helped tremendously. Also the stalks were very very thick, almost too thick.
Alex said his steak was overcooked (he ordered medium rare and it looked closer to medium or medium well to me) and chewy (owing to the cut of the steak). Also the scampi came lying on top of the steak, as opposed to in a saucer of garlic butter like all previous shrimp scampi I've seen. (He said they were good though.) Also his entire dish inexplicably had mint sprinkled all over everything. I have never seen that before, and I tried it for myself, it WAS mint. The only thing I can guess is that it was supposed to be parsley or cilantro and somebody in the kitchen got confused.
Final tab was $75. I threw in a 10% tip, because while the service wasn't HOSTILE, it was very very slow and unprofessional. (Also I was a bit perturbed coming into dinner because we had gone to the free alcohol reception, and I ordered a vodka-and-Sprite which tasted like a vodka-and-club-soda. Yuck.)
The next morning/noon we went to Denny's; I got a Super Bird and Alex got a BLT with extra bacon, and I must say, it was far more satisfying than Cyprus Grille. I was almost inclined to go back and tell them so, but we had already checked out by that point and I'm not really that evil.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Chicken and Polenta
So... that roast chicken I bought Friday night? Yeah it sat in the fridge all the way up until today. When I pulled it out to roast it it was smelling a bit funky. Then I slow-roasted it at 250, which was supposed to take 5 hours, and the thermometer was up at 2.5 hrs and all the juices were clear and the meat thermometer was reading 153-170 no matter where I stuck it. So uh...
So I made polenta with leeks, for the first time ever having or making polenta. First thing off, it was pretty bland. Even with plenty of salt and pepper and Parmesan and butter and of course leeks... still pretty bland. Secondly, when it says add polenta slowly while whisking, it means SLOW. It came out lumpy, and because I failed to notice I bought quick-cooking polenta, it thickened up faster than I could un-lump it. So I tried my best but oh well. Thirdly I cut my finger open like a dipshit while slicing leeks. It bled pretty good. I had even just been thinking "I'm supposed to curl my fingers under while slicing so I don't cut them."
The chicken tastes okay. Guess we'll find out soon whether we got food poisoning or not. The recipe wasn't anything too incredible though (maybe because it only cooked for about 3-3.5 hrs instead of 5). So yeah. Ditch the chicken recipe, cause it didn't WOW me, and while I'm not giving up on polenta yet, I have a lot to learn for next time.
(Also did some Green Giant mixed veg in garlic olive oil sauce, and apparently Alex got all the sauce cause mine just tasted plain. Blah!)
So I made polenta with leeks, for the first time ever having or making polenta. First thing off, it was pretty bland. Even with plenty of salt and pepper and Parmesan and butter and of course leeks... still pretty bland. Secondly, when it says add polenta slowly while whisking, it means SLOW. It came out lumpy, and because I failed to notice I bought quick-cooking polenta, it thickened up faster than I could un-lump it. So I tried my best but oh well. Thirdly I cut my finger open like a dipshit while slicing leeks. It bled pretty good. I had even just been thinking "I'm supposed to curl my fingers under while slicing so I don't cut them."
The chicken tastes okay. Guess we'll find out soon whether we got food poisoning or not. The recipe wasn't anything too incredible though (maybe because it only cooked for about 3-3.5 hrs instead of 5). So yeah. Ditch the chicken recipe, cause it didn't WOW me, and while I'm not giving up on polenta yet, I have a lot to learn for next time.
(Also did some Green Giant mixed veg in garlic olive oil sauce, and apparently Alex got all the sauce cause mine just tasted plain. Blah!)
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Pasta with Roasted Winter Vegetables
Last night we went to Hen House, the grocery store with the most orgasmic produce section in existence, and bought spinach and leeks and garlic and shallots (they sell individual shallots! out of a barrel! all the other stores sell them in little pre-made sacks and half of them are moldy already. oh my god I love Hen House) and a JAR OF ARBORIO RICE! not a tiny box! and a box of polenta! and hooray for Hen House.
Tonight I made rigatoni with roasted vegetables. It was really really easy, chopping took more time than anything, as far as actual effort. Although it was kind of... uninteresting. I think I'll keep the roasted vegetable recipe, cut out the rigatoni, and just use it as a side dish in the future.
Chop:
1 small eggplant into 3/4" chunks
2 small red potatoes (unpeeled) into 3/4" chunks
2 medium carrots, peeled, into thin diagonal slices
1 cup mushrooms into quarters
8 cloves garlic
1 large red onion into 1" chunks
Toss with:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
copious salt and pepper
Bake at 400 degrees, tossing occasionally, for 45 minutes.
Chop:
1 crown broccoli
Add, bake another 10 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Sprinkle with plenty of Parmesan.
Tonight I made rigatoni with roasted vegetables. It was really really easy, chopping took more time than anything, as far as actual effort. Although it was kind of... uninteresting. I think I'll keep the roasted vegetable recipe, cut out the rigatoni, and just use it as a side dish in the future.
Chop:
1 small eggplant into 3/4" chunks
2 small red potatoes (unpeeled) into 3/4" chunks
2 medium carrots, peeled, into thin diagonal slices
1 cup mushrooms into quarters
8 cloves garlic
1 large red onion into 1" chunks
Toss with:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
copious salt and pepper
Bake at 400 degrees, tossing occasionally, for 45 minutes.
Chop:
1 crown broccoli
Add, bake another 10 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Sprinkle with plenty of Parmesan.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Fusilli with Caraway, Cabbage and Ham
I am the slackiest slacker that ever slacked! I cooked tonight, it's sort of German and was quite tasty. Here's the recipe:
Fusilli with Caraway, Cabbage and Ham
3 slices thick-cut bacon
Canola oil
2 lb onions, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 1/2 cups diced smoked ham
12 oz fusilli
1/3 cup Parmesan
Beef broth as needed
Salt/pepper
In a very large skillet, cook bacon over medium-heat until crisp and brown. Set aside to drain. Add enough canola oil to the skillet to equal 1/4 cup fat. Add onions and caraway seeds and saute 20 minutes or until well-browned. Add cabbage and ham, saute 8 minutes or until cabbage is wilted. Meanwhile, cook fusilli in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain pasta, add to onion mixture. Add Parmesan and crumbled bacon, mix well. Add beef broth as needed if mixture looks dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Fusilli with Caraway, Cabbage and Ham
3 slices thick-cut bacon
Canola oil
2 lb onions, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 1/2 cups diced smoked ham
12 oz fusilli
1/3 cup Parmesan
Beef broth as needed
Salt/pepper
In a very large skillet, cook bacon over medium-heat until crisp and brown. Set aside to drain. Add enough canola oil to the skillet to equal 1/4 cup fat. Add onions and caraway seeds and saute 20 minutes or until well-browned. Add cabbage and ham, saute 8 minutes or until cabbage is wilted. Meanwhile, cook fusilli in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain pasta, add to onion mixture. Add Parmesan and crumbled bacon, mix well. Add beef broth as needed if mixture looks dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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