What I eat

I just ate

2012-01-05T10:17:00.000-05:00

I just had some rasain walnut bread with butter and some with peanut butter. And some tea.

Today I ate

2012-01-04T22:19:00.001-05:00

some pork link sausages on italian bread. some coffee

a banana

some roast beef on italian bread with tomato, a few baby dill pickles and Lays sour cream and onion chips. Iced tea.

dinner was baked chicken cutlets and baked beans

Tuesday I ate.

2012-01-04T08:56:00.003-05:00

Tuesday I had some bacon and egg on a roll. Some coffee.

A greek yogurt cup those are all the rage now.

Lunch was beef brisket in bbq sauce (homeade) and cheesy skillet potatoes.
I forgot to mention I made that on Sunday evening.

Dinner was beef stew.

Then I had two cupcakes and some tea.

What I ate over the break

2012-01-03T16:26:00.003-05:00

This is proven to be impossible. So I'm switching gears. I will post what I ate but just not up to the hour.

Saturday night was NYE and we as a family went out to dinner before watching 2011 expire at my uncles house. For dinner I had the following.

Baked Clams
Crispy Fried Calamari
Linguine in a red lobster sauce
Mixed greens
Veal Scallopini
Chocolate Mousse cake
Peroni's, Champagne

Sunday I took the fam to Manhattan we ate at Max Brenner's

I got the burger.

Monday we had some cheesecake factory, had the roadside sliders, avocado eggrolls and fried macaroni cheese balls. Few hours later we had to eat dinner at my mother in laws. Some prok roast with rice and beans.

I just ate

2011-12-30T13:23:00.001-05:00

two slices of pizza topped with pepperoni and half a sausage and pepper roll. With a can of pepsi.

I just ate

2011-12-30T10:49:00.000-05:00

a sausage mcmuffin. Not from Mc Donald's. Just took a pork sausage patty and put it on a english muffin. Some coffee.

I just ate

2011-12-29T19:22:00.003-05:00

pasta with cabbage, carrots, broccoli and cauiflower. I fried some garlic in olive oil then added a bag of frozen vegetables to it and some leftover raw cabbage. Sauteed it down with some white wine and it was great over penne.

Then I had some Glenlivet.

I just ate

2011-12-29T15:30:00.000-05:00

two Ferrero Rocher's.

I just ate

2011-12-29T14:18:00.001-05:00

three beef soft tacos from the building cafeteria which usually is terrible but you really can't fuck braised beef that much so it was ok. Wanted a gyro but the truck never showed up today.

I just ate

2011-12-29T12:32:00.001-05:00

bacon and egg on a roll. Large coffee.

Yeah I drink coffee now, deal with it.

I just ate

2011-12-28T18:05:00.001-05:00

3 hard shell tacos with ground beef, a mix of cheddar and monterrey jack cheese topped with raw cabbage. A Dos Equis Dark Amber beer. Then a cup of coffee because I had work that night.

in case you didn't know what a pignoli was

2011-12-28T14:42:00.001-05:00

I just ate

2011-12-28T14:15:00.002-05:00

a meatloaf sandwich.

And two pignoli nut cookies. Iced tea.

I just ate

2011-12-28T12:03:00.001-05:00

a banana.

I just ate

2011-12-28T09:57:00.001-05:00

an almond pastry from the bakery. I sometimes stop there in the morning to get bread for lunch and usually can't resist picking up a pastry to eat in the morning. Also had a cup of coffee.

I just ate

2011-12-27T20:58:00.001-05:00

leftover buttered pasta and corn. Also had meatloaf with onions and peppers. A Dos Equis Lager Especial, some Cabernet wine.

I just ate

2011-12-27T15:59:00.001-05:00

one Ferraro Rocher, a golden wrapped nugget of joy.

I just ate

2011-12-27T15:42:00.001-05:00

half a bag of Original Lay's Potato Chips.

I just ate

2011-12-27T15:10:00.001-05:00

like 20 peanut butter filled pretzels from Kirkland.

I snack on these often.

I just ate

2011-12-27T13:46:00.002-05:00

leftover Lasagna (pictured) with a few pieces of roasted broccoli.

I just ate

2011-12-27T13:40:00.001-05:00

A pumpernickel bagel with whipped butter. And three homeade chocolate cookies. A large tea (two bags) with lemon and sugar.

Tomato

2011-08-24T16:42:00.001-04:00

39 Ways to prepare a tomato

The versatility of an eggplant

2011-06-09T10:41:00.003-04:00

Do you like Eggplant? It's versatile. Meaty, if your a vegetarian it's got to be a go to veggie for substance. Here I made like a "capanota salad" I guess with tomatoes, boccocino, kalamatta olives and basil. I dressed it simply with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Capanota is a dish with minced eggplant, olives and usually fresh herbs like parsley or basil and can also include celery. I just tweaked it a bit. I grilled the eggplant and added the mozz balls, tomatoes, fresh basil minced and kalamatta olives cuz I love kalamatta olives. It was served warm. Like a relish.

With the rest of the eggplant I fried it. And made a small eggplant parm. No pics. I ate it quickly.

mac and cheeeeeessse

2011-05-17T16:53:00.000-04:00

Cubano

2011-05-12T14:49:00.000-04:00

Leftover roast pork from Easter.....

Polenta Stick

2011-03-14T14:48:00.001-04:00

This is a fine product.....if you like polenta cake as opposed to the porridge style. Just slice like a tomato and pan fry until crunchy. In butter or olive oil. Eat like that as a snack or with some marinara sauce.

Roast Nuts

2011-03-09T15:53:00.001-05:00

Fuck up and buy raw unsalted almonds. Fix it by roasting them in oven for 25 minutes on cookie sheet. With or with out salt.

Wings, again

2011-03-02T16:46:00.000-05:00

These were fried not grilled. I love wings.

Fresh Kielbasa

2011-02-25T12:11:00.001-05:00

I love fresh Kielbasa with potatoes. It's so standard to just grill it and eat it like a sanwhich but chopping it up small and pairing with buttery taters and onions is like you are transforming the kielbasa.

1-2 punch

2011-02-24T10:33:00.001-05:00

Steam that broccoli and roast that chicken.

Surf and Turf

2011-02-15T12:34:00.002-05:00

Surf and Turf. Deep red meat, filet mignon paired with a 2 pound whole lobster.

Wings, more wings

2011-02-11T11:47:00.001-05:00

Just think grilled are better than fried. Really do. Rare instance because fried is normally better.

Pasta Di Lenti

2011-02-09T11:17:00.002-05:00

Another pasta creation, I call it Pasta Di Lenti. It has tomotoes, lentils, mushrooms, onions and fennel intertwined with garlic, oil, basil and red wine.

dinner story

2011-02-03T16:50:00.002-05:00

Beauty med rare, hot pan sear both sides drop into oven for additional two minute while you furiously sautee cabbage with onions and bacon.

Corn Muffins

2011-01-31T14:46:00.002-05:00

Gotta admit, I love corn muffins. God bless Jiffy but i finally came around to making my own. Used Ina Garten's recipe since she is probably the best baking talent food network as. With all her exquisite scones and shit.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup medium cornmeal
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 extra-large eggs

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, melted butter, and eggs. With the mixer on the lowest speed, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir until they are just blended. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each one to the top. Bake for 30 minutes, until the tops are crisp and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly and remove from the pan.

Next time I will lace with real corn kernels.

soup kick, cold plus its cold out

2011-01-27T17:30:00.003-05:00

Potato and Leek soup. Topped with frispy* bacon.

Sautee Leeks in butter until soft (don't brown them, will leave bitter taste, I know this). Add to sauce pot add 2 cups stock, wither chicken or veggie. Add pepper, salt to taste. Put in potatoes, bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, when potatoes done take half the soup and pour into blender or food processor. Unless you have stick blender. Blend half the pot, pour the rest back, cook another 10 minutes. Add cream, maybe 1/4 cup. Top with crispy bacon.

Stock

2011-01-24T14:42:00.003-05:00

Any good chicken soup is reliant on good stock. And while grocery store shelves are stocked with stock making your own still is the best way to go. Simply bring a huge sauce pot to a boil with a whole chicken, aromatics of your choice and a mirepoix. Once at a boil for about 20 minutes low to simmer for 2 hours. Result is velvet stock for all your cooking needs, especially a nice soup. And a tneder bird to eat for dinner.

Panelle

2011-01-18T12:15:00.002-05:00

Joe's of Avenue U is a classic Sicilian Focacceria that serves up excellent Italian food at a decent working mans price. Known for a great rice ball special (rice ball with sauce and topped with cheeses) and a panelle which is chickpea fritter which if you ask for the special you get it with cheese. Tangy parmesean and creamy ricotta. See below.

Can't get that shit in jersey.

Dinner, complete

2011-01-13T13:04:00.004-05:00

Balsamic red wine glaze, roasted potatoes, peppers & onions and beef shoulder aka london broil.

Salsa

2011-01-11T15:31:00.001-05:00

Pic of the day

2011-01-03T09:41:00.001-05:00

Meat Gravy.

Crabs Marinara, Xmas eve

2010-12-31T11:23:00.000-05:00

Baby it's cold outside

2010-12-29T16:48:00.000-05:00

Long live chili!

No fear

2010-12-28T16:42:00.001-05:00

Don't be afraid of the rutabager. Embrace weirdness. Peel it, cube it, boil til fork tender, then sautee it in butter and drizzle honey on top to finish. tremendous side dish to a hearty beef dinner. Also great in stews like potato.

chick stew

2010-12-15T13:14:00.003-05:00

Slow Cooker recipe

Chicken Stew with Thighs and Legs, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions.

Since Thighs and Legs are practically free I buy them despite my wife not liking them. I love dark meat on all peasants especially chicken so I made myself a chicken stew, real simple.

If you have a slow cooker even simpler.

Sear chicken until skin is crisp and it renders out some fat, remove from pan (chicken simply salted), sautee veggies in the fat for about 10 minutes on low, you just are coating the veggies with the fat and season with rosemary, thyme, pepper, salt. Add chicken to slow cooker (yes i ate some of the tight crispy fat) and add veggies to slow cooker once nicely shiny. Add one can of a tomato puree you like, stew for 7 hours on slow. Add cloves of garlic and three or four bay leaves...

Now, I made this recipe up but next time, I will do half a can of puree and half stock to have a thinner stew, almost like a soup. Also next time after I remove the chicken and while the pan is still very hot, I will deglaze it with either white wine or a sherry wine vinegar. Sorry forgot to take finishing pic.

Muffin Me

2010-12-02T14:22:00.000-05:00

Oatmeal muffins. Recipe to come if you want.

Suites

2010-11-29T15:32:00.000-05:00

Leftover Suite potatoes? Add some brown sugar, butter and syrup to the sumbitches, top with marshmellows and bam. Fucking goods.

punkin* pancakes

2010-11-29T15:27:00.003-05:00

Pumpkin pancakes. Use Libby's canned pumpkin, 3/4 of it and fold it in to any of the pancake mix you use. I doubled the serving so that's why 3/4 of the 12 oz can. they came out extra orange but really good. I added cinnamon, a little nutmeg and vanilla to round out the taste. I also added some chopped walnuts for texture. I love pancakes.

Cabbage and Corn

2010-11-26T13:14:00.001-05:00

Cabbage and Corn. Make a wonderful combo.
Braise some cabbage in olive oil with onions and few garlic cloves.
Then add corn and bake for 20 minutes. Superb side dish.

Porky Roasty

2010-11-23T16:21:00.003-05:00

Apple Chutney was eaten with this beauty of a Pork Roast.

Roasted for about an hour and twenty minutes, rubbed with Brown Sugar, Ginger, Granulated Garlic, Black Pepper, Salt and Crushed Bay Leaves. For the gravy I surronded the roast with onions, apples, ginger and fennel seeds. Add a cup of water. Once the roast was done I strained the liquid and started a roux with flour and butter. Add the liquid to the roux, got a boil and served steaming hot. Garnished with mint and apples.......

I don't have to tell you it was good do I? It was a lil dry so thank god for the gravy and apple chutney. I think 45 minutes is a better cooking time but my wife is DEATHLY afraid of undercooked pork.

Mise en place

2010-11-22T11:12:00.002-05:00

I made an apple chutney to go with something I'll post tomorrow but here is a pic of how I practice Mise En Place which relaly just means set all your shit up so you can get things done.

Wiki Mise En Place

6 apples, peeled (and cored eventually)
Raisins
Brown Sugar
Apple Cider Vinegar
Ginger and Ground Ginger
Whole Cloves
Butter
Mint
Dash of tangerine juice (my own touch, it's gay but it works for me)

Sautee apples in butter and brown sugar until soft.
Stir in grated ginger/teaspoon of ground and raisins.
Reduce heat to LOW and add in Apple Cider Vingear and a few cloves.
Cover, continue to cook over very low heat.
It's done when the liquid tightens a bit, maybe 20 minutes.
Splash with the citrus juice of your liking...clementines are in season.....
And finish with MINT.

Serve with biscuits, pork, chicken, turkey (add cranberries!!) or anything you lil heart desires.

Veggie Pasta

2010-11-19T11:08:00.002-05:00

Any and all veggies with garlic/oil tossed over pasta is a great quick go to weekly meal. and makes for a good lunch the next day. Here I had some broccli, black olives, grape tomatoes and asparagus.

pasta and peas

2010-11-17T12:42:00.002-05:00

I started out making pasta and peas, which is simply crushed tomato, peas, broth, seasonings and ditalini's but it turned into a vegetable soup. I added corn, spinach and some carrots. You can almost call this a minestrone. Almost.

Either way it was delicious and very good for you.

Sautee one med onion until soft. Add 3 cloves garlic, sautee until soft.
Add one large can of crushed tomato, season with basil fresh or dry, oregano, salt, pepper, parlsey. Let simmer.
Add peas after about 15 minutes, then a quart of chicken stock.
Come to a boil.

In a seperate pot, boil up some Ditalini's (round peg looking macaroni, tiny) or Elbows or your pasta of choice. Do not add to soup because macaroni will swell and take on too much liquid. When you are ready to serve just add to your serving.

That's pasta and peas.

Adding spinach and corn and carrots? Do so when you add the peas and add a cup of water to thin it out. You want soup not vegetable sauce.

Serve with fresh Italian bread from your favorite baker. Maybe some grated cheese to top.

Nother flank steak merinade*

2010-11-10T14:06:00.000-05:00

Flank steak, marinated with Balsamic Vinegar, basil, salt/pepper, touch of honey.

Roasted Chicken

2010-11-09T13:02:00.000-05:00

Raw Bird.

Cooked Bird.

4 lbs. 2 hours, 350 degrees, rubbed with olive oil, thyme, garlic powder, rosemary, salt, pepper, fennel seeds and oregano. Cavity stuffed with apples, garlic and onions. Added 1/4 cup chicken broth in pan...saved and strained later for gravy.

Cusinart and me are in love

2010-11-08T13:53:00.003-05:00

I love the Cusinart Grill/Panini maker. Saturday for lunch I had some leftover chicken fajitas and was tired of them in that form so I simply made two burritos the next day and grilled those suckers in the Cusinart machine of love and bam, toasty mexican burrito thingy's. Unreal. It's amazing what crunch can turn a meal into.

Side note, I use this machine ALOT. Quesadillas, pressed sanwhich's, heros, grilled cheese, pancakes, etc. It's the bomb.

Last Night's Dinner

2010-10-27T15:46:00.001-04:00

Grilled BBQ Pork Chops with Crispy Potatoes and Creamed Corn.

Chimichurri sauce, sexy and delicious

2010-10-26T12:52:00.005-04:00

Chimichurri might be my favorite sauce/marinade right now. I'm starting to really perfect it and think that it is a perfect compliment to grilled meat. Especially steak. Preferably hanger, skirt or flank. Pictured below is a flank smeared with it. I grilled it then topped it with more. I failed to take pictures of the final product, i was too excited and forgot. Apologies. I'll have you know it was righteous.

Recipe, although i have to admit i dont measure shit so taste it as you go along. I just do it. It's memorized now. You can add crushed red pepper flakes if you like or a squeeze of lemon if desired.

1/2 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
buttload of salt, half that of pepper
5 cloves of garlic
fresh flat leaf parsley half a bunch
3/4 of the whole bunch of Basil, fresh

Chili Dog

2010-10-25T12:38:00.003-04:00

Galloping Hill, a landmark up the block from my mother in law's house. Serving up one of the best dogs i ever did have. The place has a ton of history and is at the top of plenty of lists. Even amongst the reviewers. I especially like the chili dog with a side of onion rings. The hot dogs are so money, they taste diffrent from every other hot dog, it's more like a traditinal German weiner (not cock).

God Bless America.

NY Times review.

Serious Eats.

Pickling

2010-10-22T14:13:00.000-04:00

I made my own pickles with the help of Mrs. Wages Dill Pickle Mix. You can only find it online so search that shit and buy it. It's off the hook. Simply buy the packet and then go down to wherever you buy veggies and get you some pickling cucumbers. Follow the instructions which are simple and voila. 24 hour later you get quality fucking pickles that taste better than B&G or Mt. Olive or that stupid seagull.

One pan Omelette

2010-10-21T08:53:00.002-04:00

A Fluffy three egg omelette. That is all. (it has bacon in it)

Apple Tarts

2010-10-19T13:44:00.002-04:00

Quick and easy Apple Tarts.

Tarts:

2 cups Bisquick
2 Tablespoons of Sugar
3 Tablespoons of Cinnamon
2/3 cup of milk
1/4 cup of butter

Filling:

One medium size apple of your choice, diced
1/4 cup of butter
4 Tablespoons of Cinnamon
1/2 cup of sugar

First cook the apples in the butter, adding cinnamon and sugar. Let cool.

Pre-heat oven to 450.
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut in the butter, mix well. Add the milk. With wet fingers form the tarts and indent a thumbprint in the middle for the filling. With room temp filling, fill the indent. Overflow if your feeling fat.

Bake for 10-12 minute depending how large you make them

Quick Glaze:
2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, add a drop of milk and wisk until it glazes

Pasta and Broccoli

2010-10-18T09:44:00.000-04:00

Love pasta with broccoli.

Viva!

2010-10-15T15:16:00.001-04:00

Quesadilla

Cusinart Griddler Panini Press is a great kitchen gadget. Pancakes, pressed sanwhiches, grilled cheeses and more. Here I used it to make quesadillas.

Stuffed with chicken, peppers, tomatoes, black olives and onions. Cheddar/Montery Jack cheese blend.

quality pasta dish

2010-10-12T18:47:00.000-04:00

Rigatoni with eggplant, tomato, onion, carrots, garlic in a white wine tomato sauce.

First pic sauce, sautee a small onion, once soft add carrots (chopped finely).

Then add the cubed eggplant, I used a half of one whole eggplant.

Then the tomato's once the eggplant gets soft.

Add chopped garlic, cup of olive oil, fresh basil or dried basil, salt and pepper.

Next white wine, go high heat until the pan is boiling a bit. You want the flavor of the dry wine with no alcohol taste.

Right before you add the pasta (boil pasta for 10 minutes in heavily salted water then add to sautee with a cup of the pasta water) put in a 1/4 stick of butter.

Finish with grated cheese.

This was one of the best things I ever made, tasted like it came from an Italian restaurant. No lie.

Peppino's

2010-10-12T12:56:00.003-04:00

Why go to Grimaldi's when I can get even better pizza at Peppino's? Aw shit I said it. That's right this pizza was awesome and I'm going back. I'm going back often too since there are no ridiculous lines and since it's in Bay Ridge, 10 minutes from my house.

Peppino's location

It's almost as good Patsy's. Which I think is my favorite. Although I've yet to go to Franny's or Lucali's. Or Pulino's. And now Donatella Arpaia opened up her new pizza place and it got awesome reviews so I have work to do. Glad I got a good one in my own yard though.

Last Nights Dinner

2010-09-28T13:14:00.000-04:00

Perfectly grilled Filet Mignon with Parmesean Mac and Cheese

Lunch

2010-09-23T13:47:00.002-04:00

Best thing about cooking at home is bringing in lunch.

Last Nights Dinner

2010-09-22T12:37:00.002-04:00

Marinated London Broil with Roasted Potato Medley and Beets

Marinade : Soy sauce, honey, fresh ginger, granulated garlic, pepper & lime. In a ziploc marinade that sucker for half hour before cooking, it seeps in quickly.

Roasted potato, slice add peas, onions and peppers. Salt/Pepper, olive oil and roast for 40 min @ 400 degrees. Alternatively you can wrap them in aluminum foil and grill them.

Boo boo

2010-09-20T09:41:00.003-04:00

I was butchering the Pork shoulder pictured below when disaster struck. Careful kids. Even professionals cut themselves.

Wok it up

2010-09-12T12:36:00.000-04:00

I got a Wok. Ikea son. Dont even trip.

Made sweet and sour pork with vegetables. Real easy, first.

2 teaspoons Canola oil, one teaspoon Sesame oil
Saute Pork until done (6-8 minutes if cut in strips/chunks like pictured)
Remove, saute veggies add 3 tablespoons of Soy sauce and tablespoon of Duck Sauce
When almost done add back the pork and Wok on high heat.

Your Wokcome.

Beer battered Tilapia

2010-09-10T12:17:00.001-04:00

Beer Batter for fish:

1 Cup Flour, one egg, half a bottle of beer, salt, pepper, old bay seasoning.

Mirepoix

2010-08-28T11:00:00.000-04:00

Mirepoix. The base of many sauces, soups and stews. It's simply carrots, onions and celery. This combination of vegetables dates back to the 18th century. Normally it's 2:1:1 ratio, that's onions-carrots-celery. The picutre below was taken before I started my Lentil Soup.

Hot Dog

2010-08-27T12:08:00.000-04:00

A little something something on top of the hot dog. Home Fries. Fucking awesome. Alot of Hot Dogs joints do this and some call it the Italian Dog. Peppers, onions, potatoes on the dog. Underneath that I have a bed of relish. I'm becoming spoiled in only wanting my hot dog with these "toppings". Next time I might put some chopped bacon in those home fries. And yes that's a can of dirty bud in the background. Old school.

Grillroasted Chicken One Pan Dish

2010-08-25T11:46:00.001-04:00

I do this chicken in an aluminum pan alot. It's a go-to recipe and fairly easy.
I take 4 large chicken breasts and season with : Dried Thyme, granulated garlic, dried rosemary, dried oregano, salt & pepper and crushed bay leaves (3). I put them in a pan and cover with one large onion, one med size red pepper, three large zucchini's (or any squash) and drizzle with olive oil. Olive oil to coat bottom of pan as well. Cover.

I roast that for about 35 minutes at 300 degrees, then I remove the chicken and grill them (2 minutes each side high heat, just to get grill marks) til almost done while the veggies roast off in the same pan. To the pan I add a cup of white wine then return the chicken to the pan to finish up (another 15 minutes or so at 200 degrees). Sounds like a busy recipe but it's not. You don't have to pull the chicken out to grill them like I do. Instead just roast for another 45-60 minutes for a total cook time of an hour and a half. One pan and done. The olive oil/white wine juice this dish creates screams for a loaf of bread or a bed of rice. Which is what I served it with. Mangia.

Scallop > Shrimps

2010-08-23T11:34:00.002-04:00

Scallops were $9.99 at Fairway Market over the weekend so I picked up a half a pound. They smelled of ocean which is a good thing. I took a small bite of the top left one in it's raw state and it was very good. These to me should be cooked one way and one way only. Seared brown in butter.

Get the pan screaching hot, throw in a 1/4 stick of butter, brown it a bit then place the scallops in the pan searing the tops and turning once deep tan/brown.

That's it. They are like fish marshmellows. Delicious.

Turning broccoli inside out

2010-08-16T12:24:00.004-04:00

Sauteed some broccoli in bacon fat with onions and a fresh ear of corn. Then threw it with a touch of butter and olive oil over pasta for a delicious lil pasta dish. Ate that with chicken cutlets. Recipe:

3 heads broccoli, 1/2 lb bacon, 1 large onion, 1 ear fresh corn, roasted garlic, dried oregano & basil, salt/pepper to taste

Fry off the bacon, put to the side, while the bacon fat is hot dice the onion and sautee until soft.
Then cut the broccoli up leaving lil "trees" and slice or chunk the stems. Sautee on high heat to get some carmalization on it. Once your happy with that add the corn, cut off the cob (duh).

Once you get that done add the dry seasoning and the bacon, I just teared the bacon up (so that I can lick my hand after) instead of taking a knife to it. Mix around another minute or so and start your pasta. Chose bowties because they take oil well. After pasta is done drain all the water but a cup or so. Add broccoli mixture to the pasta water then add the pasta over it. Mix well, add a tablespoon of olive oil and 1/4 to a half a stick of butter. Mix well. Mangia.

The looks, first the cutlet. Then the broccoli sauteeing, then the finished product.

(Roasted garlic was done hours before simple, aluminum foil, salt and pepper and olive oil roast in oven for 40 minutes or so, then I squashed it in the mixture at the end)

Asian Pork Tacos

2010-08-11T15:25:00.003-04:00

Asian style Pork Tacos

Pork:
Had leftover odd cuts from a Pork Loin. I cubed them and froze them awhile back. Took them and slice them thin like you would for chicken fajitas. Seasoned with salt and pepper and sauteed them. While sauteeing I added diced shallots, soy sauce and fresh ginger. Browned. That's your first picture.

Slaw:
Combined cabbage, red and green, sliced cucumber and let it sit in some sesame oil, sugar (3 tablespoons) and olive oil. I wish I had Mirin for this but did without it. Instead what I did was I replaced the vinegar aspect with acid. Source? Pineapple juice. I deglazed the pan I cooked the pork in with pineapple juice, more fresh ginger, a touch of honey and canned chunked pineapples. I also steeped a jalepeno in the dressing for heat, I mean it's a taco after all. Your sauce is picture #2. Once most of the pineapple juice evaporated a bit I added a touch more soy sauce, let it cook off for another 2 minutes and added this juice to the slaw. A warm dressing if you will.

I then filled some tortilla shells with the pork, topped with the slaw and boom. An Asian inspired taco. Was very good.

Brisket/Pastrami

2010-08-02T15:07:00.002-04:00

Food from Harold's Deli in Edison, NJ featured on Man Vs. Food. I went there Saturday night. It was awesome.

The Chairman

2010-07-29T12:19:00.000-04:00

Grilled Carrots

2010-07-27T11:56:00.002-04:00

Some excellent Grilling Tips here.

I do a Grilled Carrot pretty often, in fact it's probably my favorite way to cook carrots. I like carrots raw for the most part but this grilled recipe is pretty damn good.

Peel carrot
Create what I call a "wash" to coat the carrots.

Soy Sauce, Honey, Granulated garlic or fresh garlic shavings, fresh Ginger (ground is fine), a dash of nutmeg and black pepper. Whisk the honey in last to thicken the "wash" so it takes well to the carrot.

Dip the carrots in the liquid, char on two sides than grill on low heat for 20 min or until fork tender. Depends on the size of the carrot.

Mangia.

(P.S. - that "wash" minus the nutmeg serves as a phenominal skirt steak or flank steak marinade.)

Grilling recipe of the week

2010-07-22T11:54:00.002-04:00

Sweet potatoes/Yams should be a staple in your diet. They are the most nutritional value vegetable. Period. And better for you than the regular potato. Packed with Vitamin A, Beta Carotene, Potassium and Iron among the benefits of a Suite* potato. They can be prepared in many different ways. Today I just want to highlight a real simple recipe that you can do on the grill with the aid of the most wonderful product in your kitchen. Aluminum foil.

Cut the potato in cubes, as close to even as you can. Sprinkle with Salt/Pepper.

Next season them with granulated light brown sugar. If you don't have that you can use maple syrup but just enough to glaze the tops, mix around as each cube should be have a light coat of syrup. If you do have the sugar use it the same way you'd use salt. It's granulated for easy use.
This is the product I use.

After that I throw some dried Parsley flakes on there or fresh parsley if I have and wrap them in the foil like a pocket. You want a little bit of tent structure with the foil because if you have the foil touching both sides you may burn the sugar or syrup on the potato. Don't worry about burning the bottom. If you don't want to use foil I suggest using those disposable aluminum tins from the dollar store.

Grill the pockets at a medium heat for about 20 minutes for firm to soft potatoes. If you like them super soft another 10 minutes will do the trick. Mangia!

P.S. - I leave the skins on.

Cutlets of Chicken

2010-07-20T15:48:00.003-04:00

Sorry been awhile. Work and shit.

Chicken cutlets are probably the most versatile meat we have. Reminds me of Bubba in Forest Gump rattling off all the ways you can prepare shrimp. It's like chicken cutlets are the shrimps of the meat world. The best way in my opinion is fried. Duh. A golden brown panko breaded fried chicken cutlet is the best way. And last for days for brown baggin it. Here are other ways I take advantage of the cutlets versatility.

Chicken fajitas. Simply cut into strips and stir fry with peppers and onions.
Grilled chicken. Self-explanatory and super easy. Olive oil, salt, pepper, grill, eat.
Sauteed chicken. Add to a pasta dish or a wrap.
Boiled chicken. Not appetizing but would make a nice chicken salad once you mix it up.
Fried chicken. But instead of breadcrumbs use flour. For like a marsala style of chicken.

Endless ways to prepare some chicken cutlets. I pick up cutlets from the butcher at $1.99 a pound on the regular.

Government

2010-06-15T16:52:00.000-04:00

What to eat, how to eat it, what to avoid, etc.

Pan Roast chicken

2010-06-11T15:28:00.002-04:00

Step one:
Season chicken with salt pepper, dried thyme, oregano and citrus of your choice.
Coat pan with olive oil, set a high heat.
Sear the shit out of that chicken on both sides.
Once done let rest, it's not done obviously you see some pink in the chicken.

Step two:
De-glaze pan with white wine, scrape the bottom to get all the bits.
Throw in onions or shallots, garlic and two Bay leaves.
Cook for about 12-15 minutes until onions are super soft and alcohol is cooked out.
Return chicken to pan, pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
After 5 minutes put in the over for 20-25 minutes.

Serve. I chose fresh spinach as the bed with cauflower florets cooked in a cheese sauce on the side. Fantastic dinner. Mangia.

Leftovers for lunch

2010-06-01T13:30:00.000-04:00

Cheesteak with left over london broil. Nice.

Ziti, Baked

2010-05-24T16:49:00.000-04:00

Baked ziti puts smiles on faces

Pull your Pork

2010-05-11T17:19:00.003-04:00

That is a pork shoulder, dry rubbed and sitting on a bed of colorful peppers and some onions. With a clove two cloves of garlic. The next step is to pour some BBQ sauce over or in the pot, turn it on and do nothing for 6 hours. When it's done you shred it up and eat the shit out of it.

Official recipe for delicious pulled pork using a slo-cooker.

Dry Rub is granulated brown sugar, paprika, pepper, salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, oregano and onion powder. Rub liberally.

Bottom of slow cooker add three cloves of garlic, 3 peppers and one onion. Best to use a red and green but I added an orange because they were on sale.

Place shoulder on bed of peppers and fill cooker with a half a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce.

Cook on high for 6 hours, depending on your slow-cooker this is about 275 degrees. I would rotate it once but for most of the time you want the fat cap on the bottom. I do trim some of it off to avoid a real greasy sauce.

Remove, pull apart and serve with toasted mini rolls or plain.

Pizza Love

2010-05-05T11:42:00.004-04:00

I'm going to start making pizza at home but I'll cheating. Buying the dough from local pizzerias. Once I have some time I will start making my own dough though. I love pizza in more ways than anyone will ever know.

I love it plain. Topped. Sliced. Rolled. Cold. Hot. Fresh. Old.

I love pizza.

Bacon

2010-04-28T15:47:00.002-04:00

Pork Belly is all the rage lately with chefs. I'm start experimenting. First stop is getting some quality goods and pictured below would fall into that category. Maybe I'll buy a hunk and throw in the slow cooker. Details to follow soon.

Suite

2010-04-12T14:56:00.000-04:00

Suite potato pie with left over suite potatoes from Easter Sunday.
This is how you do it.

Lamb

2010-04-07T14:13:00.002-04:00

This leg of lamb was unreal. Awesome. At this point it was very rare, I cooked it about another hour at about 250 degrees. It sat in a salt/garlic/parsley/rosemary paste rub overnight. Olive oil and lemon was applied liberally along the way.

Easter menu

2010-04-01T13:56:00.000-04:00

Appetizers
Cold Antipasto (assorted meats/cheeses)
Beef Carpaccio
Little Neck Clams, white wine/parsely/lemon/garlic steamed
Bruschetta
Easter Pie (Pizza Rustica)
Cold Shrimp Salad
Arugala salad with beets/onions/cukes/corn

Dinner
Lasagna
Whole Roasted Filet Mignon
Broken Leg of Lamb (Grilled, maybe Slow cooker not sure)
Green Beans
Sweet Potato Pie
Smashed Potatoes
Risotto

Monday

2010-03-30T14:39:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I had a everything bagel with butter. Some tea.

I had some lentil soup, grilled chicken with avocado and tomato.

I snacked on an apple with peanut butter, a pudding cup and one chocolate covered marshmellow egg from Russel Stover. Easter candy gets me everytime.

For dinner, ::frown:: I had two hot dogs. With potatoes and onions on top. (my take on an Italian hot dog). But water all day and iced tea. No beer or wine.

What I ate yesterday

2010-03-27T10:54:00.002-04:00

Yesterday all I had was a cup of tea. For lunch I had guacamole with a small bag of whole wheat tortilla chips. The whole bag was 280 calories. The guac was two avocados, one tomato, one jalepeno and some hot sauce. For dinner I had the leftover pasta from the night before.

A light day indeed.

Yesterday

2010-03-26T12:11:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I ate a sesame bagel with better and a small coffee.

For lunch I had a small portion of left over mac and cheese and a 100 Calorie deli style bread sandwhich with corn beef. I had some sweet gerkins on the side.

Whole wheat spaghetti w/sauteed broccli, artichoke hearts and roasted peppers.

Yesterday

2010-03-25T14:46:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I had a bagel w/butter and some tea.

For lunch I had about 30 Pita Chips with mashed up avocado.

Dinner I had two baked pork chops with a small portion of yella* rice and pinto beans.
Two glasses of red wine, which is full of antioxidants.

Tuesday

2010-03-24T13:01:00.002-04:00

Mac and cheese is delicious. Don't even trip on the sauteed asparagus on the back burner.

Anyway yesterday I ate:

Country White bread toast with butter
An apple with peanut butter

Corned beef leftover from Monday dinner
with baby red potatoes

Blade steak with mac and cheese

What I ate yesterday

2010-03-19T09:32:00.001-04:00

Breakfast
Rye toast
Irish Soda bread

Lunch
Chicken Fingers w/ fries

Dinner
Pork filled Tamales
Some Chilaquilles and a Flauta (Taquito)
Chips and Salsa
Skirt Steak fajitas
Flan

What I Ate the Past Two Days

2010-03-18T08:53:00.002-04:00

Tuesday I ate,
a bowl of Brown Sugar Mini Wheats
The Grilled Tenderloin with string beans for lunch
A piece of chocolate.
Turkey Burger with potato hash

Yesterday I ate,
two crumpets, with tea
a five guys hamburger with mushrooms, jalepenos, pickles
corned beef, potatos, cabbage, 4 beers and a cupcake