For Julia Childs and Julie Powell

It’s a little crazy that I’m about to be writing on this blog for the last time that I actually have to. Past this, I’m on my own. I figure I’ll continue, after all, I really do enjoy this cooking stuff. It isn’t just some nanny-hoot B.S. that I’ve been preaching for almost four months; this is fun. And delicious. Don’t forget delicious. And expensive. How could I forget that part?

If I think about all things I could’ve done with my time and money, instead of cooking, none of it really adds up. I want to become a good chef. I have so much pride in being able to cook. And I’m not saying I have any intuition, but I am saying that I could make you any one of the dishes I’ve made during the past 4 months again, and probably better. That is fine by me. I’ll have a wife one day, and hopefully a family, and I want to be able to cook for them.

In honor of the reason I truly decided to get into cooking, the movie Julie & Julia, I’ll be making its penultimate dish: beef bourguignon. I can only imagine how many people saw this film and decided to make it. Because it was a special occasion for me, being the final necessary cooked meal of the year, I decided to make enough for about 10 people. The only way to know if your cooking is good is to give it to a bunch of different people, right? And not just people who you know will like it; people who come from different backgrounds and cultures and who like and dislike different things. My roommate Eric, he is a very simple eater. He’ll take the usual steak and mashed potatoes, corn, or some pizza, maybe some Chinese food here and there; you know, the usual American dining. I normally consider something good if I can get him to like it. As you can imagine, he disliked many of the things I’ve made so far. But I have a feeling about this dish.

Beef bourguignon; that’s a mouthful. Here are the ingredients I used to make it: salt, pepper, butter, carrot, yellow onion, garlic, mushroom, thyme, parsley, olive oil, cognac, dry red wine, beef broth, tomato paste, all-purpose flour, rye bread, Applewood smoked bacon, and chuck beef.

Before getting into it, I’d like to thank one of my good friend’s mothers for letting me borrow her large pot. Your generosity is greatly appreciated, Laura. Dylan Reddick has also been an amazing sous chef throughout this entire learning experience, and I’d like to thank him for that (even when he put steak seasoning on the steak when I specifically told him to just put salt & pepper, I still love you).

First, prepare. Cut up about a pound of carrots into 1-inch diagonals, two onions into strips and two cloves of garlic. Also, slice a good amount of uncooked bacon (you can never get enough bacon) into small squares or strips; a little unevenness is fine.

Start by taking your large pot and placing it atop a stove. Drizzle some olive oil in and set to high heat. When it’s sizzling, dump in the bacon. Let that cook until it is lightly browned; mix it occasionally to make sure nothing burns. When it’s done, take the bacon out with a slotted spoon, to take away any connected liquids, and set it aside in a plate. Leave about one tbsp. of bacon fat in the pot.

Next, dry your beef with paper towels, and then season them with salt and pepper. In groups of single layers, place the cuts into the hot oil so that it sears each side to a nice brown. Don’t let it cook the inside of the beef. When you’re done with each batch, place them onto the plate with bacon. Leave the fat renderings inside the pot.

Then, grab your onions and carrots and place them in the pot. Add some salt and pepper and stir frequently as you let that cook for about 15 minutes. Don’t cheat yourself; 15 minutes. Grab your chopped garlic and mix it into the veggies. One minute later, pour one cup of Cognac into the pot. Then, (be careful and stand back) get a match or lighter and light the concoction on fire. You’ll see you don’t have to literally put your hand in there, just have the flame get within 10 inches or so and it will catch fire with a bang. When the alcohol is burned off, place the meat and bacon back into the pot. Then, add an entire bottle of Pinot Noir and enough beef broth to fully cover all the solids. Add in a tbsp. or two of tomato paste, and a couple stems-worth of thyme. Then, cover your pot with a tight fitting lid and place it into a preheated oven at 250 degrees. Let that sit for an hour and 15 minutes and then take it out.

While you’re waiting, take out 2 separate pans. On one pan, you’re going to be making garlic rye bread and the other, you’ll be cooking mushrooms. Have your mushrooms cut without stems (leaving only the heads), and sauté them in 2 tbsp. of butter for 10 minutes. For the bread, drizzle some olive oil into the pan and throw a little chopped garlic in as well. Then, put as many pieces of bread as you can fit into the pan, and simply press down gently to get a nice grilling on one side.

After you’ve taken your pot out of the oven, add in 2 tbsp. of butter and a couple shakes of flour and stir the stew around. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, and then let it sit for 15 minutes to collect itself. Dump your mushrooms in, and parsley as well.

To serve, place one side of bread onto a plate and then scoop out a healthy dollop of stew and put it atop the bread. This essentially makes bread that is too moist to hold, so make sure to give a fork and knife and napkin to each of your guests.

And that is all! What I hope you have is a delicious beef bourguignon filled with flavors that nobody could resist; my guests went for seconds.

Until next time; enjoy your meal!

P.S. Somehow, I forgot to take a picture. Take my word for it, I made it. And it was great

A story of Baklava

George was a shy man. He’d never ventured into the wilderness. He’d never taken a bunch of drugs with his pals. In high school, he simply went to high school. No sports, no extracurriculars. He just went and came back. Every day, coming and going. Like the breeze in the wind, everyone just let him fly by. He was effectively a ghost. He never made a name for himself, never did anything to stand out.

And he was content with that, because he had other things on his mind. And, to George, real life is within the mind. He was a successful man his entire life, in his mind.

In college, Myles studied business. He went about his days the same way he did in high school. He went to class, and came back. And so on and so forth. He never built a relationship with anybody. Not even his roommate freshman year could get a word out of him.

By the time he was 27, George had become a wealthy businessman. He’d perfected the art of buying and selling stock. It’s a job that doesn’t require leaving the house, doesn’t require any real communication with anyone, and so, George was living a pretty fulfilling life.

Each night, George would create a meal for himself. Cooking was his vice. He’d become a master chef over the years of living alone. He loved every bit of it. The high heats, the sizzling of steak on a pan, the aromas, rolling dough; he loved it all. Each and every night was something different. Yes, George was a simple man, but happy nonetheless.

Karla was the exact opposite. In school, she was the flame that kept on burning. She once got suspended for clogging every single toilet in the girls’ locker room with old pairs of shoes that she’d never thrown out because she thought it’d be funny. Another time, she even told her teacher that she was going to punch them in the face for telling her she got a math problem wrong. She was suspended for that too.

School wasn’t exactly her thing. And grades never really went in her favor. Karla was beautiful, though. She had a spice about her that most men could never ignore. And beyond her nonsensical violence and odd mannerisms, she was a kind-hearted girl. That’s what got her by, mostly.

She never went to college. Her parents didn’t want to put up with her failures any longer. So she began to work in a restaurant; her father knew the owner and got her a job as a food-runner.

For seven years she worked there. Without complaints, she brought food from table to table and the empty plates back to the kitchen. She’d never been promoted to waitress; her foul mouth was too casual.

When she turned 26, though, her boss decided to give her a new opportunity.

“Janet just left,” Boss man said. “I need someone new to go buy the groceries for me now; you interested?”

“Fuck yea!” Karla said.

So, the Boss gave Karla a list of over 50 items to go and pick up from the market. Each and every day she’d have to do this--no more food running.

One day in Stop & Shop, George laid eyes on a beautiful woman and her extremely filled shopping cart. It was Karla. He didn’t think much of it, like he didn’t most things, so he just trolleyed along.

The next day, George saw the same women, with the same big shopping cart, and he thought to himself, “Whoa this woman must have a big family.”

Weeks went by. Karla had become very proficient at her new work. George remained the same. George continued to see Karla around the grocery, but never thought much of it. Karla never noticed a simpleton like George.

Then, on one magical day, it was the 23^rd of August, George and Karla found themselves in the same aisle at Stop & Shop. It was the nut aisle. Karla looked over at this man a few feet away, and she saw his blank face putting a few bags of peanuts, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts and pistachios into his cart.

“So you like fuckin’ nuts do ya?” Karla said.

George looked around, bewildered. “Excuse me?” he said.

“I was just wondering if you think you have enough nuts in your chariot.”

George was so confused. Why was this woman who he’d been able to avoid for months talking to him?

“Ma’am, I believe that’s not your business,” he said. “But if I had to elaborate, ma’am, I’m making Baklava.”

Karla was looking into this weirdo’s face and could tell he doesn’t get out much. She was pleased to mess around with him.

“Did you say there’s something wrong with your back?” Karla said.

George spoke up a bit. “No, ma’am, baklava. It’s a dessert pastry that’s quite delicious. I need nuts to make it. If you just wouldn’t mind letting me be, I could go on my way and you could go on yours.”

“Back Lava, huh. Where you from, Irania or something?” Karla asked.

“Ma’am, that isn’t even a place. Now please, go away.”

This may not seem like it was going anywhere, but, amazingly, Karla was fascinated by the man. Something about him was different. She especially liked how he didn’t want to talk to her, and that kind of challenge is the kind she’s interested in.

“Now wait a minute,” she said. “I’ve been working for a restaurant for eight years now and I don’t know a lick of cooking. Now, I’m tryna eat some God damn Back Lava. Do you think I could join you?”

“Listen, ma’am. I’m more a solitary man, and you’re a rather disgusting woman, so I’d rather not.”

“But, say now, I think you can warm up to me. I wanna learn how to cook, and you seem to know a shit or two. Now, lemme learn witcha.”

George had no choice. No one in his life had ever even spoken to him this much, nonetheless want to talk to him more.

“Ahh heck, why not,” George said. “Alright, meet me at my car and we can cook together tonight.”

And, wouldn’t you know it; Karla had a knack for cooking. She was the ying to Georges yang. The baklava came out delicious and the two cooks got along splendidly in the kitchen. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between two mismatched people and it all worked out. Their lives perfectly intertwined and from then on, they cooked together each night. Just like George had always done, except now, with a crazy partner.

George became a little more outgoing, and Karla became a little more mature. The End.

 

Famous

 

My aunt described this dish to me as the famous chicken. The illustrious and all-consumed chicken (besides vegetarians). It's like that event or holiday that you can always remember going to because they make sure to always prepare that famous something. There's an annual First Pitch Dinner my baseball team holds at the Marriott and I know we all look forward to it because of the unlimited Caesar salad, penne vodka, steak and mashed taters. Whether its meatballs or lobster linguine or corn on the cob, a smile is on everyone's face with the pure enjoyment of food. 

And so it leads me into my aunt's famous rice with meat and chicken. It's a classic Middle-Eastern dish with simple flavors that never disappoint. 

The ingredients I used to make this dish are: salt, pepper, butter, olive oil, lemon, all spice, 7-spice mix, cinnamon, pine nuts, whole chicken, ground beef, and white rice. 

Start by preheating your oven to 420 degrees. 

Then, take out 2 whole chickens and place them in a sheet. Rub allspice and 7-spice mix onto the chicken so it is evenly distributed. Throw on some salt and pepper as well. Finally, squeeze adequate lemon juice and drizzle olive oil onto the chicken and around the pan. Place that into your preheated oven and let it cook. It should take around 45 minutes. Keep an eye on it!

Next, grab 2 pounds of chopped ground beef and season it with the same things: allspice, 7-spice mix, salt and pepper. Place it in a pan that's already sizzling with butter and cook until the meat is brown and tender. Drizzle in some lemon, too, it tastes great. Drain the meat in a colander and let it sit until you need it again. 

In another pot, get water boiling and put in enough rice for about 8 people. That will take about 15 minutes to cook through. Make sure to continually mix so nothing sticks to the pan. Drizzle in some lemon, too, it tastes great. 

When the chicken is done cooking, take it out of the oven (use mitts!) and place the pan on a safe surface. With a sharp knife and large fork, begin to pull the chicken meat off the bone. It should rip off easily, the smells should be great and the meat should look juicy.

Now that all three components of the dish are complete, throw them all into one large pan. Mix it all around and drizzle some more lemon atop and some more spices too.

As you can tell, it's a simple dish in terms of ingredients. 

One last thing… warm up pine nuts in a pan (no butter, no nothing) for about five minutes until they're a nice golden-brown. When that done, throw them in. A perfect addition, you'll see. 

All this makes for an amazing dish that some would call, famous. I hope you enjoy!

 

 

Sugar Sugar Sugar

 

I'm the type of person who thinks adding nine spoonfuls of sugar into a cup of coffee is amazing. Why not make it ten? I'm also that guy who orders water with a side of lemons at Applebees and then uses all the sugar packets on the side of the table to make lemonade. To me, there is no limit on sweet. From cotton candy to rock candy to caramel and rum, sugar has many forms and they're almost always delicious.

If you've ever seen of tried Middle-Eastern desserts, you'll notice there is plenty of sugar (like any dessert). Middle-Eastern desserts normally use dough and a mixture of honey and syrups. The dessert we'll be making tonight is a mixture of those two things and, surprisingly, cheese. Alright, well, maybe not so surprising, I mean, there are inventions like cheesecake and easy-to-reach pages like this and this to make it seem common, but… ahh who am I kidding? Cheese is used everywhere.

The dessert we'll be cooking tonight is called Kanafeh. It's heavy on the stomach but sweet and delicate as can be. It's, truthfully, a taste I cannot describe other than to say, try it yourself. Hopefully through my explaining how I did it, you can imagine how it tasted. 

Start by heading to a special Middle-Eastern grocery. There, you'll have to pick up shredded phyllo dough, Akawi cheese and rose water. I must say, it was a challenge walking up and down the isles of a foreign grocery; I couldn't read anything. Luckily, the not-so-enthused cashier extended his role to shopper-assistant.

 

The ingredients I used to make this dish was: water, milk, sugar, lemon, rose water, phyllo dough, butter, ricotta and Akawi cheese, and pistachio. 

To begin, prepare. You'll need a pan, oven sheet, spatula, and large bowl.

Start by making your syrup. This is a thickened mixture of sugar and water. On a hot stove, place 3 cups of sugar for every 1 cup of water into a pan. So, I used 6 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water. Stir continuously. It should take about 10 minutes to reach a good thickness. Add in some lemon juice and a tspn. of rose water, and thats it. When you feel like the consistency in the syrup is just right, dump it all into a carafe (or any adequate receptacle). This mixture can last for months in the fridge, by the way. Set this aside. 

Next, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, take out your phyllo dough and place it in a large bowl. Melt about 3/4 of a stick of butter and pour it onto the dough. Add in a half cup of milk. Mix the three ingredients together until they are evenly distributed. 

Next, grab a baking sheet and begin to place some of your dough mixture inside, this is the bottom layer of your dessert. Spread it evenly and then, firmly press down on it with a spatula to make a solid layer with no holes. 

Next, take out Akawi cheese and cut it into small cubes; about 4 cups worth. Then, in another large bowl, mix the Akawi cheese with 2 cups of ricotta cheese. Mix it manually until the cheeses are combined evenly. 

Your cheese mixture is going to be the middle layer of the pastry, so, begin to place it in. When you've covered the entire pan with the mixture, firmly press down on it to make a solid layer with no holes (haven't you read that already?).

Lastly, spread the dough mixture atop as it is the final layer to the dessert. And again, once it is evenly distributed, firmly press down on it with a spatula to make a solid layer with no holes. 

Throw the pan into the oven for 40 minutes. When you take it out, let it settle for at least 10 minutes. And then, to take the pastry out of the pan, flip it onto another plate. Place a plate onto the open side as you flip it, so there is no mistakes. You don't want all your hard work to end up on the floor!

And that's it. Once it's alone on a plate you'll see an aesthetically pleasing and soon to be delicious pastry. Take your syrup from the fridge and drizzle it onto individually cut slices. Then, for final touches, sprinkle ground pistachios atop the dessert. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, like me, good luck. I used the back of a spoon in a bowl. 

Enjoy the sweetness!

 

 

Ta-boo-YAH

 

What better way to refresh the palate than with a cool, delicious salad? Tabbouleh is an amazingly simple mixture that is still powerful and tasty. It's important to use fresh ingredients, like always. The dish originates from Lebanon and Syria. 

The ingredients I used in my tabbouleh salad were: parsley, mint, cilantro, tomato, onion, lemon, garlic, bulgur, olive oil, salt and paper.

To start off, make sure to have cutting board, a large bowl and a sharp knife. Also, set up a pot with boiling water.

You're going to put a cup of bulgur into that pot. Bulgur is a "cereal food made from the groats of several different wheat species, most often from durum wheat." I had never heard of this stuff before buying it at the grocery specifically for this salad. It's rather plain, but, oh well, I'll stick to the traditional recipe. The bulgur will cook for about 12 minutes. Continually mix the pot and occasionally take some out to test its taste and toughness. You want it to be soft, almost so there's no need to chew it. 

In the mean time, grab 2 bushels of parsley and mint, and 1 bunch of cilantro. With the addition of cilantro you can throw away the "traditional recipe" label I gave this earlier, but it's a nice fresh touch that makes the dish better. Anyway, chop up the greens until they're very fine. Remove stems as well. 

Then, cut 2 ripe tomatoes into compartments. Take away any unnecessary juices and then chop the slices into smaller pieces. Take half an onion and chop it up into similar sized pieces. Add in 1 clove of chopped garlic. 

Then, drizzle in the juice of 2 lemons. Also, pour in a tbsp. of olive oil. At this point, all of your veggies are taken care of. 

Take your bulgur and, after draining it in a colander, add it to the mixture. 

Finally, and most importantly, let the tabbouleh sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving, so all the flavors can congeal. 

Bring it out in a large bowl and let all of your eaters dig in!

 

 

Inspiration Shoula

Alright, so, after much ado, I'm headed into a self-described Middle-Eastern cuisine week. The food that we'll be cooking comes from the Levant region, which now consists of the countries Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey.

The reason behind all this hullabaloo is simple: I miss this food. As a young boy whose family lineage dates back to Lebanon and Egypt, my youth was spent at the dinner table eating delicious Middle-Eastern dishes. 

I never cared for seeing how the food was made, though; I was just a beneficiary of many hard hours of preparation, usually by the women in the family. But, now, being the newfound chef I am, I'd like nothing more than to learn how whip-up Middle-Eastern food. 

I called my aunt, who still makes this cuisine like it's her job and consistently has flocks of friends and family line up at her apartment door to eat her food, to discuss with her the beauties and techniques of cooking, and, more specifically, the dishes that she prepares for her family. Here's what she told me…

In response to being asked when she started cooking, she said: "I never did anything until I was in my mid-20's. At that point, I was in my first apartment and needed to take care of myself. So you start dabbling with a few ingredients, seeing what works with what… just follow your taste. After a while it became second-nature.

On some informal education, she said: "The Food Network is a great way to learn. On their shows, there's always a happy ending. No stress. You see how an experienced chef cooks and how it always comes out spectacularly; you learn and then you try making it yourself. Following recipes is fun."

On the role food plays in life, she said: "Cooking is a way to get the family to sit together. And when you're together in good spirits because the food and drink is delightful, anything is possible. It's wonderful watching people enjoy my food, too. When you see that the food you took so long to prepare is making other people happy, it makes you happy."

On recommendations, she said: "And you can't be a stubborn chef either. You have to think about your audience much more that yourself. If you like spicy but other people can't handle it, leave it on the side. I'm always taking suggestions. If my husband says it could use a little more of this or a little less of that, I'll do it. Whatever makes other people happy, is best."

On Middle-Eastern cooking, she said: "It's a very clean cuisine because it uses the same spices over and over again. A bunch of lemon, garlic, butter and some nuts, and it's always delicious if done right."

My aunt Shoula and I spoke for over an hour about the various dishes I'd have to concoct to truly capture the essence of Middle-Eastern cuisine. She gave me her recipes and techniques and, now, it's time to put them to use. Here we go…

Lebanese Cuisine to come

I am writing this segment to precede a huge interview/cookfest that's coming up soon. I've been glancing over some fellow blogger's sites and understanding what they're all about. More importantly, I've been honing in on a specific style of cooking that is dear to my heart. 

That is, Lebanese cuisine. My mother used to cook it all the time and it's undoubtedly my favorite food that I never eat. Not many people know the soul of Lebanese cuisine; much less have experienced it. 

Let me assure you, it is delicious. 

One of the most well-regarded Lebanese blogs is Anissa's. She is also the author of Lebanese Cuisine, a 250-recipe cookbook , which Amazon recognizes as "the only fully comprehensive collection of truly authentic Lebanese recipes available in the English language." 

Anissa's blog is meticulously constructed and expansive. She has obviously had extensive professional aid. Her blog follows her in the kitchen and through her travels across the globe as she further elevates her knowledge of cooking. 

One of the things I found fun to look for in her recipes was the use of a 7-spice mixture (or all-spice). It is a bondage of common spices of the Middle-Eastern region that go into many Lebanese dishes. It's like how Italian food always has a good gravy; Lebanese food always features this 7-spice mixture. There's this post that is dedicated to it. 

And so, I say thank you, Anissa, I'll surely be learning from your writing as I delve into Lebanese cooking.

Anyway, I'll be cooking some [hopefully] fantastic Lebanese dishes in a short while. It should be fun, and difficult I'm expecting. Please join me, I hope you do.

9 Steps to Steak au Poivre

Ready for a restaurant-quality steak? 

The steak is one of the most commonly eaten items around the world. You can enjoy it from a spit to a stove. From rare to well-done, it's a carnivore thing. 

But to have a truly delicious steak, like the ones you have in restaurants, effective cooking techniques have to be executed. 

Here are the ingredients I used to make a Steak-au-Poivre recipe I learned: salt, pepper/corns, vegetable oil, butter, heavy cream, shallot, chive, Cognac, and on-the-bone strip steak. 

Heres how to make it:

1. Prepare: as per jolly usual, take out a cutting board, pan, baking sheet, spatula, fork and sharp knife. Go ahead and preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

2. With a paper towel, pat the steak until it is dry. Then, thrown the salt and crushed peppercorn onto the steak and evenly rub it in (#Begenerous, it tastes better).

3. Drizzle some vegetable oil into a skillet and once it's steaming, place your steaks in, front first. Add butter! With the liquid that arises, tilt the pan towards you so the steak and liquid is nearest you. With a spoon, scoop up the sizzling juices and dump it atop the steak. The crackling sizzle is key. Three to five minutes on each side and it's ready. Literally, only flip it once. 

4. Place the steak(s) onto a #PAMmed up baking sheet and into the oven. 

5. Next, collect the remaining juices from the pan into any adequate receptacle. 

6. Place the pan back on the heat and put 1 finely chopped shallot and 2 tbsp. of butter. Turn the heat to medium, and continually stir the mixture until the shallots turn a golden-brown (#5minutes). Pour in 1/2 cup of Cognac (keep some distance, it's a #firehazard). Mix it together for about 3 minutes.

7. Pour in 3/4 of heavy cream and the juices you collected from earlier. Continue to mix for about five minutes until the the mixture is reduced by half. Add in another 2 tbsp. of butter and let that melt in as you persistently stir. 

8. With mittens, take your steak(s) out of the oven and place them into the sauce for thirty seconds or so. 

9. Plate your steaks and pour on the sauce! Add in chopped chives to add a little restaurant shine and great flavor. 

And that's it. Grab a steak knife and enjoy!

Fluff

It's interesting; I've made scrambled eggs my whole life and never done it the way my good pal Chef Gordon Ramsay makes 'em. Chef Ramsay is a recurring piece of my journey towards #chefextraordinaire, if you couldn't tell. 

But anyway, scrambled eggs are the meal everybody knows how to make from the time they're young. It's like learning to tie your shoes: just a few attempts and soon you can do it blindfolded. What I had always done was crack a few eggs in a bowl, whisk, then dump it in a hot pan with butter, mix, and, voilà. In a flash you've got a savory and healthy meal. 

Then again, we've all had our experiences with scrambled eggs. Everyone makes them differently. One thing can be agreed upon, though: from the countless diners, IHOPs, and home kitchens we've eaten them in, they hit the spot.

In my many years of casually enjoying scrambled eggs, I've never seen them cooked the way Chef Ramsay makes them. Cooking, and eating, these scrambled eggs was unlike anything I'd ever experienced in this realm. 

I learned how to make them through Chef Ramsay's Youtube Channel; his personal video blog of cooking. In the video, Chef Ramsay literally says if a chef can make a good scrambled egg, he's probably a good chef. 

It's amazing, really. If you watched the video, the guy is amazing. There is such care and pizzazz in his flawless cooking technique, and his smooth delivery of those techniques, which creates an exquisite viewing experience for the learning chef. 

Anyway, to make the eggs like Chef Ramsay does, you simply have to do the same things he does. Like taking the pot off the heat, continually mixing, and seasoning at the right time; it all matters. If you want your scrambled eggs to come out "perfect," you need a full and effective cooking technique. 

I'm not going to get into how I cooked it, because, as you may have guessed, I did it exactly how Chef Ramsay did. I even went to Whole Foods and bought an overly expensive jar of crème fraîche for the tbsp. that I'd use. The manager at Stop & Shop didn't know what crème fraîche was (lol). I followed every detail to a tee. 

In the end, I cooked what was probably my favorite variant of scrambled eggs. It was creamy, rich and fluffy like a pillow. And it was all because of good ol' Chef Ramsay. I hope you try this one day, too; I promise you'll like it!

Una salsa picante

Probably seen as an appetizer on any restaurant menu, the meal we'll make tonight is a collaboration of classic Mexican and pub dining. It's a simple few chops away from a delicious and playful delight. 

We'll be making nachos. And to go with those nachos, we'll have salsa and ground beef. It's the delectable party favor on the side table that guests can't bring themselves away from. Here's how to make it:

The ingredients I used for the salsa are: salt, pepper, tomato, red and sweet onion, jalapeño and Scotch Bonnet peppers, lemon, lime, and cilantro.

First: prepare. You'll need a cutting board, a mixing bowl or plate, a grater, and a sharp knife. 

Start by cutting up 4 tomatoes. To be neat, cut the tomato into compartments of sorts, and scoop out the seeds and excess juices. Then, carefully dice into tiny pieces. When your done with each section, throw it into the bowl.

Next, rip the skin off of 1 red and 1 sweet onion. Then, chop the sides off and begin to slice in one direction. When it's all fallen apart, cut them again in the opposite direction to make equally tiny pieces. Throw it into the bowl.

Then, grab 2 jalapeño and 2 Scotch Bonnet peppers. Slice then from the bottom to the top (I actually only used about half of each). As that is now chopped, chop again, making very small pieces. Add these into the bowl. 

Now, grab 1 lime and 1 lemon. Roll them on the table while pressing lightly to stimulate the flavors. Chop both in half. Then, grate a half of each the lemon and lime skin into the bowl; this is a perfect zing to add into your salsa. Next, squeeze those same halves so the juice jumps right in as well. 

Lastly, take your cilantro and chop off the leaves. Continue to chop at them until they're a modest size. Also, take the middle of the stem and slice off about a quarter-inch worth (this adds a little more crunch to the salsa). 

And that's everything that goes into the salsa. Simply season generously and mix it all around. Then let it sit in the fridge while you cook the rest of the meal. 

Next up are the chips and meat. It's quite straight forward and shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. 

I put pepperjack and cheddar cheese on the chips, and I seasoned the chopped meat with salt, pepper, and lime juice. 

Season your chopped meat evenly and throw it onto a heated pan with butter. Let it cook through while mixing it and chopping it throughout. The key is to have the smallest chunks of meat possible. 

I also added some lime juice to match the meal, but that can be left to your discretion. When it's fully cooked, take it off the heat and throw it into a strainer to take out the excess liquids.

At the same time, shave copious amounts of pepperjack and cheddar cheese onto a bed of chips and throw it under the broiler. In 45 seconds or so, you should have nachos.

And that's all folks! You've created an amazingly vibrant salsa alongside cheesy chips and ground beef. It's the perfect warmup to an entree, or, the perfect late night meal for a college student.

I hope this recipe works wonders for you too!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

A few months ago I wrote an article that got into adding my own flavor to a Wikipedia page. I had chosen to stay on the topic of food, of course, and I went to the page of my favorite food show: Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I had seen the page and realized there were no sections speaking about celebrity guest appearances on the show; so, I decided to do my own research and add most, if not all, of the celebrities who had been on the show. 

What I wrote back then is still on the page, so, clearly, people agree and appreciate my addition. But now it's time to cook something from the show. And more specifically, I'm going to cook spaghetti and meatballs, the same thing that Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Kevin James cooked. They were cooking newbies and it was a fun atmosphere, host and chef Guy Fieri guided them through the preparations while they added the most unappetizing, random ingredients to their meatballs. Potato chips, gummy worms and mustard seeds were a few. 

But I'd like to make a delicious meal. One that is entirely from scratch- even the sauce. So here it goes, my first attempt at spaghetti and meatballs. What can go wrong?

The ingredients I used in this dish were: salt, pepper, milk, egg, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumb, garlic, onion, shallot, parsley, basil, raisin, spaghetti, and mixed ground beef, lamb, and pork. 

Alright, as per usual, you need to prepare a lot of pots and pans, bowls, forks, knives etc. This is the most laborious meal we've made so far. 

The sauce is going to take the longest time to cook and so, get started on that first. Have about 15 ripe tomatoes ready to be thrown into a boiling pot of water. You can throw them in individually or in small groups. Have the tomatoes in the water for about 30 seconds, then take them out and drop them into a large bowl filled with ice water. Finish the boiling process before beginning to peel your tomatoes. When all of the tomatoes are in the ice water, take each out and, with your hands, simply tear the skin off (it should come off rather easily). When you are done peeling, you have to cut each tomato in halves or quarters, and then, take out the rough insides. This, overall, is a 15 minute process if you're working alone. To finish, throw all of your tomatoes into a pot at medium heat. With time, the tomatoes will break down. Add seasoning at your own discretion, and add a few drops of red wine vinegar, olive oil or lemon juice, too. An hour or so in you can add some chopped shallot or onion, too, for texture and flavor. Mix throughout!

Next, it's time to create our very own meatballs. It's quite the fun process, actually. In a small bowl, combine about 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of breadcrumbs. Let that sit.

Chop up 1/4 onion and 1/4 shallot. Also, slice about 15 raisins into scraps.

Next, crack an egg into a large bowl with 1 tsp. of salt, 2 tsp. of pepper, 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of parsley. Whisk that until it is mixed nicely.

Then, incorporate the meat into the mixture. With your hands, squish and squash it all together. Lastly, blend in the soggy breadcrumbs and also, the onion, shallots and raisins. Continue to meld until you feel it's ready to become meatballs.

To construct a meatball, grab a small handful from the glob of mixed ingredients that will roll out to about 3/4 of an inch diameter. Roll the meaty mixture gently in the palm of your hands until the outside is smooth. 

Rack each one onto a sheet pan (covered with PAM); they don't have to be too separated. My mixture came out to about 30 meatballs. 

Throw the pan into the broiling oven. Keep an eye on them the whole time because they can be easily overcooked. 

In the meantime, you can prepare your spaghetti! It's as simple as throwing it in a boiling pot of water for about 10 minutes. 

When everything is ready you should have a delicious sauce that is as fresh the garden itself, meatballs that are succulent and tasteful, and a spaghetti that coils around your fork like a vine to a tree. 

Hopefully the three components to your dish come out around the same time so you can enjoy it hot. Enjoy!

Did these sprouts come from Brussels?

It’s taken me some time to jump back on the cooking train- senior year of college is hectic. Plus, when your kitchen doesn’t have a dishwasher, it sure is hard to cook knowing you have cleaning ahead of you. So, as a suggestion, if you’re interested in cooking often, have a dishwasher in your home. I might be the only home this side of the Mississippi without one.

Anyway, the meal we’ll be exploring tonight is a mixture of a suggestion from a friend, and, conventional college eating. It delves into what vegetarians consider normal: filling, tasty, and healthy meals that do not involve meat. I have to involve meat though; I’m cooking for 4 of my friends who aren’t satisfied without protein.

The long overdue meal suggested by a friend was a concoction of Brussel sprouts. It is to be doused in an Asian sauce that tingles the palate’s senses. I learned how to make it righttt… here.

The ingredients to be used in making the Brussel sprouts are: salt, pepper, sugar, water, vegetable oil, fish sauce, garlic, shallot, lime, chili pepper, and, of course, Brussel sprout.

Prepare your kitchen area with a cutting board and knives, and, a garbage of sorts to keep organized (there will be many scraps). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Crush and chop 2 cloves of garlic. Slice about 1 ½ chili pepper (depending on how much heat you want) evenly. Then throw that and about 1 tbsp. of sugar into a mortar. If you don’t have a mortar, no big deal, just use a bowl and the back of a sturdy spoon. Crush that together until it looks like you’ve done something right. Combine that mixture with ½ cup of water; add the juice of about half a lime and a tbsp. of fish sauce. Place it in the fridge to gather flavor.

Grab about 1 ½ pound of your sprouts and begin to cut the butts off of them, and then slice them once through the middle. Also, chop up 2 shallots. When you’re finished doing that, throw them into a pan and add salt, pepper and oil. Toss it around and that’s it. Throw it in the oven for about 1 hour, and, occasionally drizzle a few drops oil water into the pan to make sure nothing gets burnt.

In the meantime, you can get started on the protein of the meal. I’ve decided to make a guaranteed dish of chicken and bacon. It’s as simple as simple gets, but, it always keeps eaters happy. However, I added some of the same ingredients into this part of the dish so that there was similarity- not just two contrasting flavors.

To make this part of the meal, I used: salt, pepper, vegetable oil, fish sauce, lime juice, chicken breast and bacon.

Heat up a pan and pour a healthy amount of oil in. Then throw in your chicken. Quickly season the chicken with salt and pepper, if you have not already, so that the flavor blends in. Next: bacon. Fit in as much as you can and make sure to add pepper again. Let the meats cook together and, whenever you’re ready, add in small amounts of fish sauce and lime juice. Gently score the chicken so that it cooks evenly. I cut but meats into small, bite size pieces so that there was consistency in size between the meats and Brussel sprouts.

Hopefully, when you’ve finished cooking the meat, the sprouts will just be finishing in the oven as well. Make sure that the Brussel sprouts are not hard as soon as you take them out of the oven. If they are, throw them back in- your diners can wait.

Pour the sauce that’s been chilling in your fridge atop the sprouts and serve it as soon as possible.

Plate the two parts of your meal onto plates and see your diners enjoy a wonderfully delicious collection of flavors from smoky to zingy. Goodnight!

Old Timers' Chicken

Let's take it way, way back. Back when colonials put their meat over an outdoor fire and ground herb seasoning was the only flavor to boot. Back when people harvested their own meat. Back when conventional variety was hard to come by and simple potato soup connoted delicacy. Back when food was more so eaten as necessity than entitlement. 

Well, maybe not that far. My methods of cooking won't be so old-fashion -personally killing animals isn't part of my daily routine- but the meal I'll be making was a staple of colonial-America. 

The rustic chicken on-the-bone accompanied by potatoes, carrots and celery is a hearty meal that screams simplicity. 

I can remember eating this dish at many family occasions. It's so easily made so I understand why many prepare it. The only thing is I think I've had more terrible versions of it than good ones. Hopefully I can make it well. 

The ingredients I used for this meal were: olive oil, dry white wine, salt, pepper, cumin, rosemary, thyme, parsley, paprika, garlic powder, carrots, potatoes, celery, and chicken legs and thighs. 

First, take out a clean cutting board and utensils and wash the vegetables, then get prepared to work. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Dice ample amounts of carrot, celery, and potato. Season lightly if you'd prefer.

If you desire, you can boil the carrot and potato slightly so they are sure to not be hard after cooking in the oven. 

Disregarding exact measurements, mix the spices together so that they will cover the chicken entirely. Use salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme the most. Second most, throw in cumin, parsley, and garlic powder. Then, lastly, add in small doses of paprika for spice. Have your chicken in a large bowl and then rub in your spices so that it is equally portioned.

It would be very smart to score your chicken so that the inside meat is properly cooked. 

Throw your chicken and vegetables into an oversize pan, add in 1/2 cup of dry white wine and cover with tinfoil. Then, with mitts, place the pan into the oven for about an hour. 

In the last half hour, make sure to check on it every 10 minutes or so.

And that is all. A classic, simple dish is prepared for all to enjoy!

Entenmann's who?

After a long day of work, what's better than coming home to the people you love living with. I was at the library until 11 (#midtermweek) and when I arrived home I could tell everyone was in a deep #chillmode. No matter how tiring the day was, I could always muster up enough energy to bake chocolate chip cookies for them and myself. 

I drove back out to get a few key ingredients and the cookies were eaten not even an hour later.

This was the first time I'd ever baked; I'm not sure if I'd ever helped anyone else bake either. It's not that hard!

Here are the ingredients I used; it was a simple recipe: all-purpose flour, baking soda, butter, salt, brown and white sugar, vanilla extract, eggs and chocolate chips. 

It's widely understood that baking with a mixer is much more practical, but, I didn't have one. Initially scared that mixing the ingredients wouldn't work out, after a few minutes I saw that they did combine nicely. It is exercise though, so be prepared to have a tired forearm.

Anyway, all you need to prepare is your ingredients, 2 large bowls and a whisk. And, preheat the oven to 350°.

Start by putting 2 1/4 cups of flour and 1/2 tspn. of baking soda into a bowl. Mix it around- that's it. 

In the other bowl, put in 1/2 cup of white sugar and 1 cup of brown sugar. Then, and this is interesting because I didn't have a mixer, cut up 2 sticks of butter (1cup) and put it in the microwave for a few seconds so it softens, then put it in the bowl and whisk the ingredients until they become gummy. Then, add 1 tspn. of salt, 2 tspn. of vanilla extract, and 2 eggs. Mix that up for a minute or so and add in as many chocolate chips as you'd like. After, dump the other bowl's ingredients into the mix. Whisk to the best of your ability and your done. #Cookingtip: try out the mix! if it's delicious raw, it'll probably be delicious out of the oven.

Get out as many pans as you'll need, cover the bottom with foil and spray it with pam so the batter doesn't stick. Cookies take anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes to bake, so, keep an eye on it. If you poke the top of a cookie and it's solid- its ready; also, the color should be a light brown when ready. 

Make sure to use mittens as you take it out of the oven; let it sit for a minute to collect and solidify before you dig in.

Enjoy!
 

P.S Everyone knows chocolate chip cookies are best alongside a cool glass of milk so #dontforget to add it to the ingredients list.

A seasonal sandwich

The weather during the fall is peculiar. Sometimes it’s hot, sometimes it’s cold; sometimes it hails bricks and is sunny 10 minutes later. It’s like all the seasons are fighting for attention in a time of change.

But, as always, it gets cold and stays cold through the winter. 

And that’s what happened to the chicken salad I made today. It got cold, and stayed cold.

And, just like the weather which doesn’t have a constant state, the cold chicken salad was introduced to a warm and easy-to-make sandwich where each flavor fought for my attention.

I’d never eaten such a thing before, but after doing a Google search I saw that I had made a common BLT chicken salad sandwich. The ingredients I used were:  olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, scallion, celery, dried cranberry (Craisin), lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, mustard, bread, bacon and chicken.

The chicken should be prepared before anything else. I must say cooking chicken is becoming second-nature; drizzle olive oil into a pan and once it gets hot add 4 cloves of chopped garlic. Then, place slices of chicken breast into the pan (I had 6). Add salt and pepper and flip it over a few times. When the chicken is getting crisp on the outside yet is still juicy inside, start to cut each piece into bite-size squares with a large fork and a sharp knife. When you’re finished, dump all of your chicken into a Ziploc bag, place it in a fridge and let it sit for a few hours. 

After the wait is over, go ahead and cut about 3 stalks of celery and 5 shoots of scallion. You can put all your chicken, celery, scallion and a small handful of Craisins into a large bowl. Then add 1 ½ cup of mayonnaise and 3 tsp. of mustard and mix it all around. That’s how simple chicken salad is. 

Set that aside and heat up a pan with olive oil. When it’s hot enough, place your strips of bacon in. You can add salt or pepper if you’d like, too. When there’s a nice crisp to your bacon strips, take them out.

Next, place 2 slices of bread into that same pan so it can absorb all those juices while it also gets toasted.

Make sure to have your finely cut tomato slices and lettuce ready, and that’s all for cooking; now you just have to construct your sandwich.

Whatever order you put it, a BLT chicken sandwich is a wonderful culmination of hot-and-cold ingredients worthy of any food lover’s palate.