What did you cook today??

Spicy Chicken & Corn Pepper Pot

This recipe is based upon my last entry – the Spicy Manhattan-style Snow Crab Chowder which at the time I considered a bust. In retrospect – even though the “snow crab” was a manufactured product containing some snow crab and who knows what else, it was one of the most filling sloups I’ve ever made! (Actually it thickened to become a true rib-sticken’ stew). Very rare that one bowl can fill me up, and yet I am quite certain I put on weight enjoying every bite. It would be great to create a real seafood stew, though perhaps later. Instead, I’m going on a slight tangent – the using many of the same basics that you’ll recognize.

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Looks remarkably like my last effort, yes? That’s cos it’s the same picture. I went to go take the shot with the first bowl ladled out and the camera batteries were dead. My stomach had thought my throat was slit so feeding it took priority over posterity… And ya know, it really does look almost exactly the same except that there are more yellow bits from the shucked corn. :lol:

Base Stock – brought to simmer
  • 1 can 15 oz. Organic Tomato Sause
    2 cans of 28 oz. Organic Diced Tomatoes
    1 quart tap water
    2 cloves of diced garlic
    Copious splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    1 palm of salt
    6-8 Black Peppercorns, followed by a few cracks of the pepper mill
    1 Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
    1 Pinch of Fennel
    2 Bay Leaves, crumbled
    Dash of Celery Salt (contains celery seed and salt)
Add in Veggies n’ stuff -
  • 1 large white Walla Walla Onion, diced
    1 small Serrano Pepper, deseeded and diced
    1 large Anaheim Pepper, deseeded and diced
    1 modest Green Bell Pepper, deseeded and diced
    2 Yellow (Crooked-Neck) Squash, diced
    3-4 medium Organic Carrots, unpeeled, diagonally-chopped
    4 stocks of the greenest Celery I could find, chopped
    4 ears of Corn on the Cobb: This came in one of those 4-packs. Peeled off the husks, washed, and then shucked the corn off with a knife right into the kettle.
    ~ 2 lbs. of deboned Chicken Thighs, carved into bits; sorry I don’t have the exact weight, but it was one of those huge value packs.
    1 package of 0.66 oz. fresh Organic Basel, chopped
    1 oz. bag of Mexican Sesame Seeds (nutty texture)
    1 Pinch of Oregano
    Top off with about another pint of water; good and sloupy.
Bring to light boil and hold for 2-3 hours.

Whist this is going on, someone asked me how to pronounce “sloup”; here is the etymology:
  • Sloup: n. Slang for thick n’ chunky soup but not so thick that it becomes a Stew. Best pronounced with a light soft drawn-out faux lisp (ala “thhhhh-Sp’anard”) so your guests will laugh. Origin: Scottish wife when she was still thhhh-sp’eaking to me. :lol:

Test-tasting:
The first bowl was after a goodly inch had boiled off. The heat from the peppering was very apparent though gratefully didn’t cause my nose to run like a raging bull, so it looks like I augering in on the right blend of ingredients that can balance the Serrano Pepper. :)

At this point I switched off the burner and put the lid on, then watched a 90-min. movie.

The second bowl followed after and was a game changer: The peppery heat was nearly gone, though replaced with a well-defined Serrano and Anaheim pepper flavor! I was instantly reminded of the fiery red Indian curries which had me thinking a pint of coconut milk could be the right dope to launch this into the stratosphere. Tempting… :D

Also noted after the long cooldown was that the chicken was beginning to soften up, and the vegetables, particularly the squash was just at the point of breaking up; perfect for a nuker-reheat.

Score: 8.5 Stars.

Glad I held off on the Red Chili and Black Pepper.
Support your inner-scarfdom, KF
 
BBQ'g eggplants later today, a Russian thing. Incredibly good for what it is. Just cook it whole like a shish-kabob till the skin is looking burnt. Peel the skin off and eat the meat. The hamburgers and sausage will be like an afterthought in comparison.
 
got my dutch oven on the Double Dutch Bike!

now where's yours? :wink:

30 bucks for a 30cm Captain Stag brand pot, dollar per cm I guess.. ha ha!

sucker was heavy on the bike, I was lucky it fitted right under the rack on top of the bike's support beam, and the pedals cleared it by just a few cm. LUCKY! the nylon luggage strap came in handy too. If I weren't so lucky I would've had to pay for delivery.
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At the same shop, I bought some jalapeno seeds, cayenne pepper seeds and some soil, gonna start me a chili pepper garden! So stand-the-fck-by for some true Chili Con Carne, woo woo!

Also I lowered the panniers with great results.. I didn't know how I was going to do it and feared having to renovate the whole rear rack system or buy a new rack but the universe unfolded for me, as it should cos I am the man...8)

And the gear shift never made it to the handle bar, it had been just dangling under the seat so I had to stop every time I wanted to shift gears but now it's firmly secured

And I managed to fit a rear rack on the fork. not sure if I would want too much cargo weight on the fork but I installed it anyway just to mess with people's minds ha ha! :lol: :lol: :lol:

happy happy joy joy

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Asian Americans ROCK
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I followed this recipe just hours ago and I gotta say this is way simpler than how I've been doing it.
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Returned the Captain Stag Dutch Oven cos it had a manufacturing defect, a crack on the corner of the inside and a dent directly on the opposite side outside.. I didn't take a picture of the defect cos I was just disgusted by the overall quality. I returned that crap and got the Coleman, also 30cm but deeper, for 80 bucks! The difference in quality is drastic, the Coleman is much more refined with smooth surface all around, and comes with a good quality lid-handle and a nylon bag. and $4 for the stainless steel grill.
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$80 is worth it cos this will be our everyday pot for frying, grilling, stewing, and umm.. chilling? :lol: as well baking pizza and roasting turkey.

ATTENTION: My chili peppers have sprouted! I repeat, chili peppers have sprouted.
 
^Can I put out a plug for target's brand of enamel covered dutch oven? It's $60 and has been my kitchen for the last year in college. *Everything* is cooked in that pot. Enamel/ceramic covering means slightly worse heat spread, but totally easier maintenance. I love that you have a regular dutch oven; I imagine that is nice for seasoning (and maybe extra iron :p if you're anemic)


Also, awesome home grown peppers (in training).
 
Kin said:
^Can I put out a plug for target's brand of enamel covered dutch oven? It's $60 and has been my kitchen for the last year in college. *Everything* is cooked in that pot. Enamel/ceramic covering means slightly worse heat spread, but totally easier maintenance. I love that you have a regular dutch oven; I imagine that is nice for seasoning (and maybe extra iron :p if you're anemic)


Also, awesome home grown peppers (in training).
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ya enameled pots are nice, bought a new one just last month, I burnt out the old one.. my guess is that it burned easy due to scratches from metal utensils. scratches will make it harder to scrape off caramelization <-? and will burn the bottom and that burn will become a permanent hot spot..so use only wooden or silicone/plastic utensils and your pot will last longer

As for my dutch oven, the seasoning burnt out and melted! I melted pork fat to coat the inside and at the same time baked 4 potatoes. The potatoes baked well but the blackened seasoning melted and gave the potatoes a chemical aroma and flavor. I'm gonna strip off the factory seasoning and start over with pork fat.

My chili sprouts are coming along. I use aquarium water, aquaponics, a technique I didn't even know existed, it just made a lot sense to me. Individuality and common sense ROCKS! :lol: Looked it up on the net just today and found a kindred spirit! But I still use soil and just scoop up a cup of aquarium water every morning.

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My first Casserole of the Year: Veggie & Beef Surprise

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It’s a surprise cos I don’t know how it will turn out. But here’s the recipe I drummed up. Originally I started out making a veggie & beef stuffing for Baked Bell Peppers, but as the bowl began to fill, I knew it was going to be a lost cause. My fallback was to create a casserole, even though I didn’t have the cheese to help bind it all. But whatever; I’m hungry so let’s git on it. :twisted:

Start with a large mixing bowl and added in this order:
  • 1 medium head of broccoli, chopped into bits
    2 cloves of garlic, minced
    ½ of a white Walla Walla onion, chopped
    2 medium unpeeled carrots, half of which I grated and the other chopped fine
    1 large bell pepper, chopped
    Spices to suit: Oregano, Basil, Fennel, Red Mexican Chili Pepper flakes, Celery Salt, Ground Black Pepper, Salt
    2 large brown eggs
    Good healthy splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    1 pound (or more) of lean ground beef
    1 bowl of Cherry or Grape-sized Tomatoes
Except for the tomatoes, I mixed all veggies and spices together first, then cracked the eggs over the top and added beef with olive oil next. Once that was blended - then folded in the grape tomatoes. It’s pretty veggie-heavy and I could have easily snuck in another pound of ground animal flesh. Regardless, all was ladled into a square Pyrex dish that I had previously olive-oiled up. Everything fit to the top of the dish with no room to spare.

Oven was preset to 375*F. Covered dish with aluminum foil and placed it into the oven. Let set for 15 minutes and reduced the heat to 350*F after reading that was a better level for casseroles. Checked it at 30 minutes and the meat had turned; off to a good start.

Normally I would have wanted some grated cheese and a starchy binder, like oatmeal or rice – but I wasn’t thinking with my brain: The stomach had taken over! Ah well… no worries. I figure I’ll give it an hour to be sure it’s all good and baked.

Well, ½ hour passed and I couldn’t wait any longer! Out of the oven it came, and it smelled wonderful. With a sharp steak knife, I created a ¼ cut. Despite my lack of experience with casseroles, it held together well enough to spatula out, leaving a good 1 inch deep tasty liquid layer behind. Had to let it cool some, but got to it while watching an old classic movie on Netflix: Witness for the Prosecution.

The sectioned meal was scrumptious and went down well with a slice of Dave’s Killer Bread. Halfway through the movie, I ate the second quarter; good stuff! It won’t last past tomorrow. The movie held up well with Time and scored 4.5-stars, and as for the Meal... meh – 3.5: Moist and not dry by any means, the grape tomatoes were tasty, but cheese really would have set it off. There's room for improvement and next time I’ll do better. :wink:

Bon Appétit, KF
 
Chicken-Shrimp Coconut Curry

Intro:
This recipe is based on three that were found online, plus from personal expereince. I just had this craving for spicy coconut curry following a night of pubbing. And, I also had this one dish in my mind that is served by my favorite Thai restaurant aptly called Thai Ginger here in Redmond. They make a superb Chicken-Basil Curry served with sticky rice; I take mine with about 3-Stars of heat and it goes down best with a 16 oz. bottle of Singha Beer. Best fricken meal in town, I kid you not! Anyways – that’s the inspiration for the recipe.

It's a bit complex and having three distinct processes, so I’ve broken it up into parts.

Part 1: Create the Ghee.
Take about ½ stick of real salted Butter, reduced to Ghee (a separate process taking about an hour). Whilst this is progressing, begin the next part.

Part 2: The Sauté.
  • 1 Medium White Walla Walla Onion, coarsely chopped
    1 inch long length of Fresh Ginger Root, peeled, and chopped finely
    5 cloves of fresh Garlic, chopped finely
    4 inches of Leek, sliced ¼ inch thick
    1 Anaheim Pepper, chopped
Spices:
  • Salt
    Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
    5 or 6 Whole Black Peppercorns
    Dash of Oregano
    ½ Tsp. of Crushed dried Red Chili Pepper
    1 Tbsp. of Yellow Curry Powder
    3 small Bay Leaves
    Pinch of Fennel

When the Ghee is nearly ready, take a stock pot and add a good dang splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Bring it up with low heat. Add the Ghee to the oil, lightly blend, then begin the Sauté of the ingredients above on medium-low heat until the onions begin to turn; about 15-20 minutes.

Part 3: Cook the Chicken.
This step can take place as soon as the sauté begins. Start a saucepan with 2 cups water and place the burner on High. Add 1 package (about a 1lb.) of Chicken Tenders (sliced up bits for stir fry), cut to bite-size. Bring to boil, reduce heat to prevent boil-over and hold for about 5 minutes; enough to turn the chicken white, then turn off the heat and let rest. We’ll use the boiled water as chicken stock to the pot when the sauté is complete.

Part 4: Veg Prep.
Add the following to a mixing bowl whilst the sauté is progressing.
  • Leftover vegetables (optional): ½ green bell pepper – chopped, ¼ head of broccoli – chopped
    1 Red Bell Pepper, cleaned and chopped
    2 Yellow Squash, chopped
    3-4 Carrots, unpeeled and julienned
    3 stalks of Celery, sliced
    ½ dozen Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes, unpeeled and chopped
    1 small lunch-bag full of typical Mushrooms, chopped
The sauté will finish up in before completing this step; no worries. Just having some veggies ready is a good start.

Part 5: Build the Stock Pot.
  • Add the water/chicken stock to the stock pot, thereby greatly increasing the amount of fluid. Save the chicken; we'll get to it soon.
    Add 2 cans of Coconut Milk (13.5 oz.). Raise the heat slightly to medium.
Spices and ingredients to the pot:
  • 1 small cinnamon stick, about 3 inches long
    1 package (0.66 oz.) of fresh Basil, chopped (amount varies to taste)
    The juice of 1 Lime, completely squeezed out
    1 bunch of Cilantro, chopped (amount varies to taste)
    Add about ½ of the vegetables from the previous step; the pot should be starting to boil.
    Add 2 more cans of Coconut Milk (13.5 oz.).
    Add 1 6-oz. can of Tomato Paste; it will eventually blend in on its’ own.
    1 oz. bag of Mexican Sesame Seeds for texture (optional)
    Add the rest of the vegetables from the previous step. By this time the contents will thicken. I added another 2 cups of water to keep it fluid.
    Add 1 unit of Grape-sized Tomatoes: 10.5 oz. of “Cherubs” Salad Tomatoes
    Add the chicken.
    Add about 1 lb. of peeled shrimp. Mine was previously frozen and probably precooked.
Once the boil returns, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow simmering.

Finishing touches:
Adjust spices to suit. I ended up adding another tbsp. of Curry Powder and a few more turns of the Pepper mill. Also, one recipe I espied called out for a small amount of sugar; thinking about it, I don’t own sugar and instead added a dollop of honey to slightly sweeten the pot. Surprisingly I did not need to add more salt. It smells incredible! The extra water will allow for the whole pot to simmer and reduce for about 1-2 hours; we need to wait for the mushrooms to cook.

At first I thought I’d use green coconut, so I bought 2 and was going to harvest the meat and liquid to make my own. But the 4 cans provided enough milk, plus the 2 cups of chicken stock added to the liquid well enough. The chicken tenders didn’t really provide a lot of fat; they looked like they were gleaned from breast-carving, and there was very little fat to be had… probably a good thing. I mean, adding a ½ stick of butter is pretty rich for my tastes; however rendering it to Ghee removes the unhealthy part according to Wikipedia.

OK, it’s been cooking away to at least 90 minutes, and the level has dropped about an inch. Let’s grab a bowl and I’ll tell you about it! Oh, I can see now I should have cooked up some rice to go with it! Next time…

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Wow, considering how much pepper was added, it’s quite mild. It could easily take a Thai or Serrano Pepper. Also, I think the cooking time should be reduced for better texture. Mushrooms seem to take the longest, so maybe add them first along with the carrots and potatoes. The single can of tomato paste really impacts the flavor; I hate to waste product, but if possible, cut that amount in half – unless you like tomato. Maybe it’s just one of those tricks; I learned as a kid that to make the best refried beans, add one or two tsp. of creamy peanut butter. But too much – and the whole batch suddenly tastes like peanut butter instead of refried beans!

It also would taste better over rice; got that now. I can also imagine a variation using green beans and chunky peanut butter instead of tomato and shrimp. Lots of potential here; I’ll have to keep tweaking it. Finally, I’d ditch the broccoli; not the best contribution for this recipe. Otherwise, very rib-stickin’; I’m going to have another bowl!

Bon Appétit, KF
PS - my dreams last night were quite vivid!
 
KF, that's a hella palette you got. Reminds me of Gauguin. Gauguin's coconut curry...mm.
 
I've done country pork ribs before, but never slow and low Bar-b-Que style. Today the idea just hit me when the baby backs were $5/lb, and the country ribs were $2.50/lb, why not slow cook the country ribs?? looked online and found this: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/slow_and_low_country_ribs/

Worked a treat!

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The pecan pie was quite tasty as well. Everything was so good we even forgot that we had ice cream to put on the pie. Oh well, there's still some left for tomorrow!!
 
StudEbiker: Looks awesome! BBQ is the best. 8)

My favorite marinade is:
  • 1 part of low-hopped Porter
    1 part KC Masters regular BBQ
    And anything else that tickles the fancy.
    Throw the meat in and let set for 24 hours, then BBQ.
But yours just looks lip-smackin’ delicious! <nods>

I fell in love with Pecan Pie before I ever had it after reading Michener’s Texas. Then I moved to awesome Austin! Been my favorite since… except for Mama’s Pumpkin Pie – I could eat a whole one of those by myself. :D

What’s next for the Barby? KF
 
Pecan pie can be good, when made by a skilled Southerner, but most end up being sickeningly-sweet with a snot-like quality...eww.

Pumpkin pie - it's hard to get enough - doesn't really matter who made it.
 
Word of warning: If you are cooking using whole cloves of garlic, make sure you don't somehow accidentally drop an uncut piece into it...when you find it later, it will change your whole dining experience. :shock: :oops:


I made some fried chicken breast, and had been chopping a couple lobes of a clove of garlic up to put in there with it some veggies and whatnot, and then somehow got one of the uncut lobes in there....Bit into that and at first it was just like "this chicken piece is a little more garlicky than the others" which quickly went to "it tastes like...burning". :lol:
 
slice of cheddar
ham
egg
tomatoes
mayo
toasted onion bagel
and Peet's brand coffee..

it's just how I roll 8)
 

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Looks tasty, for sure...tomatoes=yum.


I made an experimental dry cake yesterday. Pancake mix, about 1/4 cup veg oil (X-rated is better), 2-4 tbs sugar (to taste), an egg and some half-n-half. Filled a large cereal bowl and was pretty dense..almost like play doh. Lightly oil a couple bread pans and divvy it. I put mine in a few minutes before the oven was ready, set to 350° F. Cook for 15-30mins, I guess...once the edges were lightly browned I turned the oven off and let it sit in the oven another 5mins or so. I used a fork to cut it into bars while it was still hot..perforate it..then into the fridge so it could set-up enough that I could get whole bars out.

It turned out a lot like Southern cornbread dressing, which is kind of dense compared to commercial corn bread, a little dry and not too sweet. Of course I ate too much and then ate some more. 8)
 
Well, this weekend was a true Texas style feast. I started the day by waking up and making the banana pudding pie so that it would have time to chill enough to be firm and set and cold for dessert after dinner. It turned out pretty good.

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Then it was on to the brisket. Not having a true bar-b-que style smoker, I use a 22" Weber charcoal grill and the 5.4lb brisket was on the grill for seven hours. The results were as close to Texas style brisket as anything you are going to find in Oregon.

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I also made a very large pot of charro beans (with bacon) that was pretty damn tasty, and other people made cornbread, & coleslaw. Every single bite was fantastic from beginning to end!
 
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