Recipe #50 - Red Pepper Relish

I had to do something with 4 roasted red peppers, so Red Pepper Relish it was.  After roasting the peppers, it took about 5 minutes to convert it into the relish.

I chopped up the roasted peppers, then added some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic.  Next, some salt and pepper to taste.  That was about it.

The recipe didn't call for it, but I did heat it up before serving.  It was kind of an uncomfortable lukewarm temperature before that I didn't really like.  But it was solid on top of chicken once I heated it up.  I wouldn't really like it at room temperature, but I guess it could serve as sort of an antipasto.

Modifications: Heating up, maybe some more garlic.

Make again?: Yeah, but probably not a high priority.

Recipe #49 - Cranberry Relish with Orange and Ginger

The notes for the recipe called it "quite tart, the equal of traditional cranberry sauce."  It wasn't exactly as I expected, and serving it on chicken was probably not the best way to test this one out.

The recipe called for a large navel orange, and I might've overdone it by getting one approximately the size of Saturn.  I zested it, cut the orange into segments, and mixed with 4 cups of cranberries and some sugar.  I pulsed it in the food processor, then added some ginger and more sugar.  

The orange taste was a little too dominating, in my opinion.  It could've gotten by with a lot less zest.  In general, this is a really promising recipe and I think it can be improved by adjusting the quantities of the ingredient.

Modifications: Significantly less orange and orange zest

Make again?: Yes, with modifications.  Would be better with turkey than chicken.

Recipe #48 - Roasted Red Peppers

I've had roasted red peppers before, but I've never made them in the oven.  The few times I've done it involved a grill.  This time I did it in the broiler, to avoid those bitterly cold Florida winters.  

There's no rocket science to it, just turning on the broiler, waiting for it to get blackened, then turning.  It took about 20 minutes in total.  I then wrapped them in foil and let them cool off to make peeling easier.

It came out very good, no difference from the grilled version, and much easier to handle.  Putting them into a bag or piece of foil definitely helps peel them, and it's an important step.  I mainly used them as a component in another recipe, but I did try them out and they were solid.  They would've been great on salad as well.

Modifications: None

Make again?: Yep

Recipe #47 - Salsa Cruda

When I first read the title of the recipe, I assumed it was a mexican style salsa, but this was almost like a bruschetta.  The only real difference was that this didn't have red onion.  Otherwise, it had tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, just like bruschetta.

I served it on top of chicken, but it would be good in a bunch of ways.  It was extremely good.  The name kind of sucks, but other than that, it's definitely a keepr.

Modifications: None at all

Make again?: Yes

Recipe #46 - Cumin Spiced 5 Minute Drizzle Sauce

There are a bunch of variations on the drizzle sauce recipe, so I thought I'd try one.  This one was a very simple modification, simply a pinch of cumin along with the ingredients from the previous recipe.  I did a better job of preparing it this time, specifically not burning the vegetables beyond recognition.

As before, it was a nice way to mix up chicken and vegetables.  But like before I'm not sure it's worth the calories.  It was good, but if you're counting calories, you can get the same sort of flavor without all the oil.  I don't want to make it seem like it wasn't good, because it was, but there are definite alternatives.

Modifications: I could've probably used a little more cumin.  I was afraid of overdoing it.

Make again?: I would consider it.

Recipe #45 - Garlicky Tomato Sauce

Let's bring the lights down.  This one goes out to all the garlic lovers out there.

If you're making your wife dinner on valentine's, maybe it's not the best idea to start with a recipe that includes 10 (10!) cloves of garlic.  But that's not how Gwen and I roll.  We both love garlic, so the effects cancelled out.

This is a modification to the easy tomato sauce recipe I posted a while back.  It was ridiculously easy, again.  By far, most of my time was spent on crushing the garlic.  The rest is to put in a pot and heat for a while and that's it.  We used it as dipping sauce for the breadsticks, but it would've been just as good or better on top of a plate of pasta.

This was seriously awesome.  One of my favorite tomato sauces ever for sure.

Modifications: Do I dare add even more garlic?

Make again?: Yes, hopefully soon

Recipe #44 - Baked Macaroni and Cheese

It's a very little known fact, but apparently Baked Macaroni and Cheese is impossible to photograph.  At least it's impossible for me because I took 6 pictures and they were all trash.  Sorry about that.

Luckily, the food was a bit better.  I cooked some macaroni about 90% of the way done, then set aside and cooled off with some water.  Next, I mixed milk, cheddar and parmesan cheeses, and some spices together.  I combined those, set them in a baking dish then topped with breadcrumbs and more cheese.  The end result was pretty good, but not as crazy decadent as you might think.  I think if that's what you're going for, you would want whole milk or maybe even heavy cream and quite a bit more cheese.

That said, I liked it, Gwen liked it, and even my niece and nephew liked it.  And if you can please 3 and 4 year olds with macaroni and cheese, obviously you're on the right track.

Modifications: Different cheeses, more cheese, whole milk

Make again?: Yes, but maybe a bit more splurging on the ingredients next time.

Recipe #43 - Linguini with Olive Oil and Garlic

I love Top Chef, but I hate how all their recipes describe every single ingredient in the dish.  Somehow, I got over that hangup and made this for Gwen since I know she likes this sort of thing.

I usually lean towards pasta sitting in a bathtub level of tomato sauce, but occasionally I will compromise on something simple like this.  The recipe was pretty vague on the amount of the ingredients to use, but I guess that makes sense since this is very simple and easy to adjust to taste.  If you're not in the mood to make a sauce or even open a jar, this is definitely a good way to go.  I think the key is to have good olive oil, because that's really all you'll be tasting.  And don't use too much, because it goes a long way.

Modifications: Some parmesan on top might've been nice

Make again?: Sure

Recipe #42 - Parmesan Breadsticks

A modification of Recipe #41.  This time, I added a good amount of grated parmesan to the dough, then cooked it exactly the same way as before.

As I'm sure you will be shocked to hear, it tasted similar but had a slight parmesan taste.  I think I could've used some more cheese to make the taste a bit more noticeable.  I also used some crappy generic cheese, so a better cheese woud've been even better.

I attached a pointless additional shot of them since they were on the same plate as the other breadsticks.

Modifications: More and better cheese

Make again?: Yes

Recipe #41 - Breadsticks

I love breadsticks.  There, I said it.  Whenever I order from Papa Johns (which is extremely rare), I always order breadsticks to dip into the various sauces.  

I've tried making them at home before with just decent results.  Generally, whenever I make pizza (which is always an adventure), I throw some of the extra dough on there as breadsticks.  This was a different dough recipe, and it's the best one I've tried so far.

Nothing fancy again, just yeast, flour, water, oil, sugar, salt, etc.  The major difference here was that I used the food processor to make the dough, not my stand mixer.  And I am now converted.  The food processor was way better, way faster, way easier to clean.  Seriously, I am not going back.  I think my stand mixer is slightly underpowered, which is why I've had some trouble with it, so this is how I'm going in the future.

Modifications: Several available, about to post one in a second.

Make again?: Definitely yes

Recipe #40 - Homemade Bread Crumbs

I've used breadcrumbs out of a can a million times. Generally they seem tasteless and so tiny that it's hard to imagine they were ever bread.

Again, this is a simple component type recipe, but I'm glad I made it.  I used italian bread and pulsed it a few times in the food processor until it was small enough. 

There are three advantages of doing it yourself:

1. you can make the crumbs whatever size you like, which is useful for different recipes.

2. you can adjust the taste easily

3. it actually does taste better and fresher

Modifications: Add spices to the crumbs, depending on the recipe

Make again?: Yes

Recipe #39 - Simple Syrup

I struggled with this one, but in the end, Gwen pointed out that if it's a recipe in the book and I tried it out, I should put it in.

The name says it's simple and the recipe follows through.  Sugar.  Water.  Heat.  That's it. 

You can use this in a ton of ways.  I put it on top of the fruit salad, but it would be good to sweeten just about anything.  It would be much better for drizzling on things than pure sugar would.

Modifications: None

Make again?: Yes

Recipe #38 - Tropical Fruit Salad

A slight twist on a normal fruit salad.  I used the coconut milk that I made in the previous recipe, along with some simple syrup (which I'll post about next).  Besides that, it's not rocket science.  Bananas, pineapple, mango, papaya, banana, strawberries and oranges cut up and put in a bowl.

It was good, and a nice desert, although not a revolution in fruit salad.  Although I guess there's only so much you can do to chopped fruit before it becomes a totally unhealthy desert entirely.  

Modifications: Better coconut milk as described before

Make again?: Yeah, but won't go out of my way.

Recipe #37 - Spicy No-Mayo Coleslaw

I am a fan of different types of coleslaw.  The typical one that comes to mind at first is the mayo based slaw that you probably ate from KFC a billion times growing up.  I am also partial to the vinegar type that is popular in North Carolina, especially on top of or served with pulled pork.

This was a different type entirely.  It used oil as the fat (despite the no mayo, I'm not sure it's any less caloric), some vinegar, but the main taste was spicyness.  I added red pepper flakes and cayenne, although another option was to use diced jalapenos.  In addition to the cabbage, there was red pepper, which I diced.  

For some reason, this just didn't seem like it came together.  On paper I would've thought that I would really like it, but it was just very forgettable.  I brought it to a party, people picked at it and said it was good, but there was a ton left.  I couldn't really get excited about eating the leftovers, and I ended up throwing a bunch away after it went bad.  It's not that it was bad, it just wasn't really good either.

Modifications: Adjust spice, use jalapenos

Make again?: No.  There are better bases to start from.

Recipe #36 - Cream Cheese Dip with Cranberries and Walnuts

Maybe it's time to get a dip thingy that is not Christmas related, but you will have to live with it for now.

This was pretty damn good, although it ages very badly.  It's a simple recipe with cream cheese, blue cheese, cranberries, walnuts and yogurt.  You can adjust the content of the ingredients to make it thicker or thinner, but I left it fairly thick.  The taste was very good.  I served it with crackers and got lots of good reviews.

BUT, this takes a massive dive downhill after a day or two.  The blue cheese goes from mild in the first serving to extremely overpowering after a day or two.  I would not make this recipe too far in advance, although the morning of should be totally fine.  Otherwise, it was really good, but I think that if you're the type of person who hates blue cheese, even the mild taste on the first day might be too much.

Modifications: Could try with other fruits and nuts

Make again?: Yes, within the appropriate time period of the event.

Recipe #35 - Chocolate Covered Peanut Brittle

An obvious takeoff on the previous peanut brittle recipe.  In this case, I covered the peanut brittle with some melted chocolate.  All the previous complaints about the brittle itself still applied, so it was hard to judge this independently.  Overall, I did think it was a nice thing to mix, if a little plain.  Maybe chocolate ganache instead of just regular chocolate would've been even better.

One thing the recipe did not suggest was putting it in the fridge after dipping in chocolate.  This was much better than trying to eat a piece of brittle with melted chocolate all over it.  Definitely needs to be refrigerated before serving.

I didn't get a good picture of this one, unfortunately.

Modifications: Try with ganache

Make again?: It's a maybe

Recipe #34 - Peanut Brittle

For the first time, I can confidently say that a recipe in How to Cook Everything seems wrong.  Peanut brittle isn't rocket science, it's just sugar, water and nuts.  Sugar is a crazy thing to cook with because of all the discrete phases it goes through at various temperatures.  

Now the problem here is that the recipe implied that I could keep the sugar on Low-Medium and it would eventually caramelize.  Maybe my stove sucks (very possible), but I could've left it there for days and it wouldn't have happened.  I compared with some recipes online and found out I had to crank up the heat, which I did.  

Now here's where I screwed up.  From what I read, I needed to pull the brittle at 290 degrees. I wasn't keeping close track, and I saw it at 300 so I pulled immediately.  When I took a second to think, I realized the sugar was still white and totally uncaramelized.  Unfortunately, it had already started forming into balls with the nuts.  I put the mix back in the pot and started cooking to get it caramelized, which I was able to do.  I think the cook-remove-cook steps ended up making a very hard brittle (oxymoron?).  Also, some of the caramel ended up burned.

Modifications: More sugar mix, less nuts.  The ratio was way off.  Cook until caramelized.

Make again?: Peanut brittle is very good, but this is not the recipe for it.

Recipe #33 - Coconut milk

A friend at work told me he had a bunch of coconuts that he didn't need and obviously, I asked him to give me some.  Now, for those of you logical humans who have not tried to open a coconut without a machete, it is RIDICULOUSLY HARD to open one.  I had to use multiple knives and some lawn shears and I finally got one open after tons of hacking.

Eventually, I got to the hard brown shell.  I cracked this open for Gwen, and it reminded us that coconut water is not the same as coconut milk.

To make coconut milk, I mixed some of the grated coconut meat with some very hot water, then blended for 30 seconds or so.  If you do this, make sure the cap is tight on your blender, unlike me who did not bother to check.  DOH.

Anyway, my question was whether this would be better than the canned version.  It wasn't, in my opinion.  It was much less "coconut-y" for lack of a better term.  I'm not sure if the coconut wasn't totally ready or what, but the taste was milder than I expected.  

Modifications: Buy a machete before trying this again.

Make again?: Nope, just buy the can.

Recipe #32 - Onion Yogurt Sauce

I made some yogurt sauces before and they've been pretty damn good at times.  This was yet another subtle variation on the others.  This one featured yogurt mixed with onion and garlic.

I used this on some mixed vegetables, but it would be equally good on chicken.

It was a milder taste than the previous yogurt sauces and could definitely go with the right types of food.  I made it with light yogurt and it would be even better with some higher fat versions.

Modifications:  More garlic?

Make again?: Yeah, but worth experimenting with further

Recipe #31 - Herbed Broiled Chicken

I know, I know, more chicken breast.  I promise I'm almost done.

This one was kind of forgettable.  The recipe is purposely vague, telling you to use 2-4Tbsp of whatever fresh herb is available.  I used oregano here, which I grow at my house.

At this point, the different chicken breasts sort of blend together.  The key for these recipes is getting the timing right so the chicken is juicy.  The spices are almost totally secondary.  That was the case again here.

Modifications: Can try a variety of different fresh herbs next time.

Make again?: Hard to say.  Probably, but only as a variation.

Recipe #30 - Parmesan Broiled Boneless Chicken

Let's not get emotional, but I'm nearly done with the chicken breast recipes in my How to Cook Everything book.  It's been an interesting journey, but we'll have to move on.

Anyway, I actually made this recipe and the next two like a month ago, just never posted them.  But if I don't I'll have to make 368 recipes instead of 365 and that's crazy talk.

There were two main differences between this and most of the other chicken recipes.  This one used mayo as the fat instead of olive oil, and it had some shredded parmesan on the outside.  

I really wasn't impressed with this one.  For the amount of calories, I could've gotten a better chicken dish elsewhere.  It didn't have a really strong Italian sort of taste either and came out surprisingly bland.  Pretty disappointing.

Notes: I did not finely grate the Parmesan, I used the largest setting.  It might have been better if it was sort-of breaded with the Parmesan.

Modifications: Use finely grated Parmesan.

Make again?: No

Recipe #29 - Mixed Berry Cobbler

Wow.  Seriously, wow.  I've made several versions of berry desserts and there is no question at all that this is BY FAR the best.  This is one of the best desserts I've ever made, easily.

The recipe said you could use blueberries or a mix, so I went with the mix.  I mixed the berries with a ton of sugar and put them in a pan.

Next, I mixed flour and sugar with the food processor, then added in butter and a few other items that I can't remember at the moment.  Next, I thought the recipe was insane because it said to spoon the topping onto the berries but not spread them.  So when I put it in the oven I had a few clumps of topping which I thought would be very odd.  A few minutes in, the topping had melted pretty evenly over the top, so there was no need to spread.  I baked it for about 40 minutes until the top was slightly golden and pulled out.  I served it with some of the vanilla whipped cream from the previous recipe.

I was honestly stunned at how good it was, and so was Gwen.  This is a definite keeper.

Modifications: I really dont want to change a thing.  Maybe get the topping more even or something but honestly it was perfect the way it was.

Make again?: Yes!

Recipe #28 - Vanilla Whipped Cream

Gwen has a strong anti-whipped cream on top of desserts policy, but I decided to try my luck anyways.  My first thought was a bourbon whipped cream, because I just bought some recently for the sangria.  But she's the boss and asked for plain, which I modified to vanilla.

It's a very similar technique to other whipped creams I've made.  I cooled the bowl in the freezer, put in a cup of cold cream and beated until there were stiff peaks.  The book had great pictures to show you the various stages.  The picture looks a little bit overwhipped, but I think it actually was just right, maybe a tiny bit overwhipped.  In addition to the cream, I added in sugar (a disturbingly high amount) and a tsp of vanilla extract.  

It really was much better than canned whipped cream.  This is one of those things that you really can tell the difference when you make it fresh.  The major downside is that it only lasts about 30 minutes before it starts to become some weird mutant version of whipped cream, which is still completely edible, just requires you to sit on the couch with the bowl and a spoon.

Modifications:  Lots of variations available, bourbon, maple, chocolate.

Make again?: Yes, better than my previous whipped cream recipe.

Recipe #27 - Baked Potato

Yes, I have made a baked potato before, but this is not cheating.  I've tried "baked potatoes" in the microwave, broiler, even the grill in addition to actually baking them.  The recipe discussed the merits of the different options and prefers to just regularly bake them without foil.  I cooked for an hour at 425 (I think) and removed them when there was almost no resistance when a knife was put in.

It was definitely not any sort of revolutionary baked potato, but it was well cooked.  The main difference is the interior texture is better than if you microwaved it, and the flesh right under the skin was just very slightly toasted, which was good.  I served with sour cream and a very little bit of cheese.

Modifications: More toppings next time.

Make again?: I would, but I definitely prefer the sweet potato recipe from before.

Recipe #26 - Thai-style Stir Fry Chicken and Basil

The last (and best?) recipe of the Super Bowl of cooking.  Yes, I'm very very very late in getting these up to date.  I suck.

So I needed some sort of meaty kind of dish for the Super Bowl party (of 4), so I chose this one.  It's a pretty typical stir-fry, first frying the onion, ginger and garlic in oil, then removing the vegetables, replacing with the chicken and cooking with more garlic and ginger.  Finally, I dumped the vegetables back in with the chicken and cooked them through.  At the end, I tossed in some shredded basil.  The recipe recommended Thai basil, but I wasn't about to go to an asian market just for that, so regular basil it is.

I served them with lettuce wraps, In a desperate ploy to make them seem healthy.

It was really, really good.  There was a near-universal consensus that this was the best of all the things I made, which is saying something considering I made about a billion recipes.

Notes: I used a bit more ginger than needed, I think, but it was still good.

Modifications: Use Thai basil next time.  Serve with rice maybe?

Make again?: Yes, definitely.  

Recipe #25 - Marinated Vegetables

The title made it sound like something I had to make for Marty, but reading the recipe made me unsure. I went ahead anyways, and I'm glad I did because Marty went nuts for it.

Here's the recipe in full since she will kill me if I don't post it:

2 cups red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp salt

2 sprigs fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 cup extra virgin olive oil (I cut this in half or more)

1 head broccoli, cut into florets

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets

2 medium zucchini or summer squah, sliced crosswise

2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices or sticks

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 onion, cut into eights

1/2 cup green or black olives (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Put vinegar, salt, oregano, bay leaves, garlic, olive oil and 1 quart water into a large pot and bring to a boil. Ad broccoli and cauliflower and cook for a minute, then add zuchini, carrots, bell pepper, onion and olives. Cover and turn off the heat.

2. Let cool to room temperature in the pot. Serve at room temperature or chilled, drizzled with some of the liquid.

Modifications: I used baby carrots instead of slicing large ones and I couldn't find zucchini or cauliflower anywhere. Might try the full thing next time.

Make again: I will probably, but Marty will apparently make this every day forever.

Recipe #24 - Fried Plantains

How can a good Cuban boy such as myself not have made fried plantains before? Hard to believe, but true.

If you read the title, you know how to make them. I got some yellow-green looking plantains and sliced them as thin as I could. It would've been much easier with a mandoline (just about the only cooking tool I dont have yet, I think). I fried them in the deep fryer for a couple of minutes until they turned hard, let them rest and covered with salt. I don't think I used the optional lime on top.

Everybody seemed to like it a lot. I wish I had the recipe for the sauce they usual serve on the side (not just mojo, I think) to drizzle on top.

Modifications: Thinner slices would've been even better, but only so much I can do without a mandoline and/or 10 more years of knife skills.

Make again?: Definitely going to be a part of my small but hopefully growing cuban food repetoire.

Recipe #23 - Caramelized Spiced Nuts

Now we're talking. These were damn good and right on the verge of awesome.

Again, I started with unsalted mixed nuts, but this time it was a two-step process. First, in a skillet I boiled water and sugar, stirred in cayenne, curry, salt and nuts. I turned it down to medium and cooked for 10 minutes until it turned into a syrup.

Next, I dumped all of that into a baking dish and cooked for 10 minutes on 450. I pulled it and let it sit for a while, because it was ridiculously hot. It tasted incredible, but there were 2 things that prevented it from perfection.

1. I let it cool a little too long, and/or I crowded them a little too much. The nuts were extremely hard to get out of the pan because the caramel had hardened so much, and they were forming into clusters that were hard to break too. The hardening also made the pan really really hard to clean, so I had to soak it overnight, but you don't care about that, you just want to eat my food.

2. They were very slightly burned. If I had cooked them for 2 less minutes in the pan or oven they would've been even better.

Modifications: Cut two minutes off the cooking time and these will be fantastic.

Make again:? Absolutely yes.

Recipe #22 - Roasted Nuts with Butter

As I was making this, I was wondering why I'm buying unsalted nuts, then roasting and salting them. The recipe claimed these were way better than the salted ones you'd buy in the store.

I emptied out a container of unsalted nuts into a roasting pan with butter, salt and pepper. It was tough to know how much salt to add, so I just guessed. I probably should've used some more in retrospect. I baked them for 10 minutes at 450, tossing a few times.

It was good, but not as good as I figured since the book raved about it. It was definitely more buttery than the nuts from the jar and you could definitely taste that they were nicely toasted. It wasn't that much effort and a nice change of pace, but I'm not sure I'll go out of my way to make it in the future. You could taste the difference when you had them side-by-side, but it wasn't a shocking difference.

Modifications: More salt next time.

Make again?: I think so, but not as good as the next nut recipe....

Recipe #21 - Gorgonzola, Apple and Walnut Salad

For some reason, I hate it when I go to a restaurant and the item reads like a purposely long list of what's in it. Caesar salad is Caesar salad, not salad with anchovies, mayonaise and lime. Maybe I should make up a name for this salad so it annoys me less during this post. Let's just call it triple salad, ok?

So this triple salad (I don't really like this name either, but we're stuck with it now) had gorgonzola crumbles, apples cut into wedges and chopped walnuts. Gorgonzola, fruit and nuts usually make a good combination. One of my favorite steaks I've ever had was served with gorgonzola, grapes and walnuts on top. I thought I'd hate it, but I loved it and I've tried to find some good combos with it since then.

You really have to like gorgonzola to like this salad. It is by far the strongest taste. Maybe if I had used a tarter apple it would've stuck out a bit more. I should've also considered julienne-ing the apple instead of wedges. Interestingly enough, the salad was better the second day. If the lettuce didn't start to wilt, I would consider serving it like this.

Modifications: Can try with other cheese/fruit/nut combos. Maybe some better gorgonzola cheese?

Make again?: It's possible but I think there might be some better options out there.

Recipe #20 - Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

I don't really like vinaigrettes, but for some reason I continue to try and make them. I should really stick to regular style dressings, since that's what I like.

Anyways, I like honey mustard so I thought that if I'd like any vinaigrette, it would e a honey mustard one. The recipe was very basic, honey (shocking!), mustard (can you believe it?!), olive oil, vinegar and that's about it. Incorporated them in the food processor and served.

It was OK for a vinaigrette, but compared to a good honey mustard dressing, it was not close. I'm going to stick with the creamy style dressings from now on I think.

On a side note, is it possible to take a good picture of salad dressing?

Modifications: Maybe a little sweeter?

Make again?: Nope

Recipe #19 - Croutons

I've never made croutons before. I knew they were some sort of cooked bread, but part of me thought that maybe aliens brought them from outer space and delivered them into those cardboard boxes sealed by foil.

This was incredibly, ridiculously easy and WAY better than the boxed ones. And I didn't even try any of the spice options. All I did for this was put some olive oil in a pan, slice bread into cubes, add salt and pepper, and cook in a skillet for a few minutes. I used sourdough bread but you could use any.

The taste was excellent, and we were snacking on them before we put them on a salad. My one mistake was not cooking them a little more because some were a bit chewy. I shouldn't have crowded the pan so much and I should've tried to make the chunks a little bit more even. Oh well, it was damn good. Next time I'll add in some spices and make it taste even better.

Modifications: Try with different bread, more even chunks, some spices.

Make again?: Yes, and looking forward to it.

Recipe #18 - Nachos

What do you do with a whole bunch of tortilla chips and corn salsa?  Make nachos, obviously.

I've made nachos plenty of times for Super Bowl parties.  My favorite recipe is this one, from Bobby Flay:   

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bbq-with-bobby-flay/the-original-bbq-nachos-recipe/index.html?rsrc=search

This version is very different.  Bobby Flay's nachos are all about ridiculous amounts of melted cheese, while this one is regular cheese and toppings that you can taste a bit more.  The nachos here really wen't anything special.  It might have been partly because the jack cheese I used was sort of bland.  Overall the nachos didn't have as much spice as I like with them and you could eat them without assigning one roll of paper towels per person, which means it needed to be messier.

Notes: Lots more toppings options in addition to what I used.

Modifications: Better cheese.  Try melting it slightly?

Make again? :  The reigning champion wins, I'm sticking with the other nacho recipe.

Recipe #17 - Fried Tortilla Chips

What do you do with a load of corn salsa?  Make tortilla chips, obviously.

I've done this sort of thing before, and this recipe was basically no different.  Fresh chips are definitely a nice change of pace.  The only issue is getting them out quickly enough.  People seem to nibble on them as you're making them, so you have to be quick.

I setup the fryer with a bunch of corn oil and heated it to about 350.  I sliced up some corn tortillas into 1/4ths and fried them for about 2:00 each batch.  When they're out, I poured some salt and sometimes lime juice on them.

These really were no different from other ones I've made in the past.  That's not a bad thing because I like them, but I was hoping for some sort of magical revelation.  Oh well, they were still really good.

Notes: Thanks to Marty for helping me crank these out quickly.

Modifications: How about flour tortillas next time?  Also, maybe an extra 15-30 seconds would make them crisper for nachos.

Make again?: Yep.  This specific recipe was nothing different, but it's a solid thing to make at home.

Recipe #16 - Corn Salsa

So what do you do with 8 ears of roasted corn?  Make corn salsa, obviously.

When I think of corn salsa, I think of regular salsa with some corn in it.  This is not that.  There is not tomato in this salsa, which I have mixed feelings about.  It was kind of a nice change, but I like tomatoes so maybe next time I'll include them.  Then again, eating too many tomatoes makes your skin red, so maybe this recipe is saving me from an embarrassing skin condition.

It was a very simple recipe, taking off the kernels from the 8 cobs in the previous recipe and mixing them with cilantro, peppers, scallions, salt, pepper, and lime juice.  I let it sit for a while to let the tastes mix, which helped as always.

Luckily, I had that crazy corn removing tool that Gwen's mom bought me a few years ago to make removing the kernels from all that corn much faster.  It would've been pretty annoying otherwise.

Notes: Might be interesting to try without roasted corn.

Modifications: Next time I'll mix this with tomatoes to make it more of a traditional salsa, but with corn instead of corn being the main event.

Make again?: Yes, but with some changes and not going to be my go-to salsa recipe.

Recipe #15 - Roasted Corn on the Cob

Here we go, the first recipe of the day.  This is part of a later recipe (Corn Salsa), but I ate some off the cob just to try it.

I've made grilled corn on the cob a ton of times and it's really great.  Usually I slather it with salt and butter as I'm cooking it.  This recipe just called for roasting at 500 degrees for about 20 minutes, turning every once in a while.  I didn't put any salt or butter on it since the followup recipe didn't call for it.  It was still surprisingly good.  Usually when I cook it on the grill there are a ton of flareups and it's tough to get a fairly even cook without burning them.  This worked really well and the taste was basically as good.  

I attached a picture of one of the cobs along with the corn from a few now naked ones.

Notes: Didnt use salt or butter but would be even better with it

Modifications: Recipe called for 10-20, I ended up cooking for about 23, but still good.

Make again?: Yes.  This is probably a much easier way to cook for parties.

The Super Bowl of Cooking

So you're wondering how I'm going to make 365 recipes this year when I am travelling and trying to lose some weight?  Making about 15 new recipes on Super Bowl Sunday, that's how.  Strap yourself in because there will be a ton of new posts in the next 2 days.  Marty suggested I cut it down, but you know how good I am at listening.  Good luck to me!

Recipe #14 - Sangria

In honor of our visitors Dana and Allistair, who travelled with us in Spain, I made some sangria.  We are experts in sangria because we sampled it from at least 10 restaurants and bars.  

Here's the recipe:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sangria-Sangria/Detail.aspx

I didn't know if carbonated water was sparkling water like Perrier, soda water or club soda but after much research (and buying 2 of them) I went with club soda.

It came out pretty good.  We had it the same night I made it and it was just good, but it was definitely better the second morning.  It is important to let it sit overnight to let the flavors get better.

Notes: I did all the optional components.  Make the day before for sure.

Modifications: None, liked it as is.

Make again? :  Definitely

Bacon Explosion

How can you not want to try something called Bacon Explosion?  Should I make this for the Super Bowl?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/dining/28bacon.html

And check out the slideshow here:

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/01/28/dining/0128-BACON_index.html

And finally, if you're reading this page about bacon, maybe you should click this link and read it in style:

http://bacolicio.us/http://the-best-year-ever.blogspot.com/

Flight, Physical Exertion and Fire

Flight: 13 hours to Chicago, which was in the single digits, then 3 1/2 more hours to get home.  It wasn't nearly as bad as the way there, though.  That one was extremely painful.  Luckily I had some new DVDs for the way back which helped pass the time.

Physical Exertion: 5 hours after getting home from the airport, I left the house to run a half-marathon.  I did pretty well considering the time issues, but I could've done way better.  My heart rate was way too high for the pace I was running, and I think that's due to being so exhausted and completely unprepared the two days before.  I'm glad I did it, though, it was fun.

Fire: I was heating up some food tonight in one of those foil trays with the cardboard-y top.  I put it in the toaster oven and the top caught on fire. I unplugged the toaster oven and opened up the door to it and was greeted by some angry looking flames.  I moved it forward so it wouldn't make my cabinets catch fire and I told Gwen to get the extinguisher.  Luckily after a few seconds it burned itself out.  Toaster, cabinets and most importantly,  the food I was heating up were all fine.

Headed Home

It was a fun week, but very glad to be coming home. 13 hour flight to Chicago, then down to FLL. China is a really interesting place and I'm glad I got to see it. We'll know in a few weeks where our next residency is, so that should be equally cool.

China thoughts

• 7 1/2 hours of class per day is a lot, especially when you add in homework.  At least we have some corporate visits the next couple of days to break up the monotony.
• It sucks to be in China when Duke plays Georgetown, the NFL playoffs are on and the inauguration are all in the same week.
• The smog here is insane.  I don't know how they could let it get to this point.  You can't see anywhere near as far as you should because it's so thick.  Supposedly the government says it's fog, but that's BS.
• I miss being home with Gwen and watching The Office and Top Chef and all our usual stuff.  Awwwww.
• Why did Dad always call mom "China"?  That doesn't really make any sense.
• You can get certain things here ridiculously cheap.  Some people are getting suits tailored for $65.  Someone I know bought a cashmere jacket for $60.  It seems like some people go out almost daily to go get stuff, but I haven't been.
• I slept awesome last night, hopefully I sleep through the night again tonight.
• I called down to the front desk to ask if a meal was covered by the program.  The lady asked the concierge, came back on the phone and said "No, we don't have any mail for you" so I gave up.  A friend of mine called down for chap-stick and they brought him up some chop-sticks.
• The afternoon snack today was octopus salad, boiled bonito and sushi.  I skipped it.

Jet Lag

Doh.  Guess I'm not as adjusted as I thought I was.  I woke up at 4:30 and couldn't go back to sleep.  I've been doing some reading for school and now I'm going to go to the gym for a few.  At least I'll make my insomnia productive.

Back to Tylenol PM for me tonight.

Recipe #13 - Shanghai Wontons

Did you think that travelling to China meant that I could stop my goal of 365 recipes?  No way.  

Today we had some tours that you could choose from and the one I picked was a culinary tour.  It was a lot of fun and I'm glad I did it.  First we were picked up at the hotel and driven over to a local market.  They had all sorts of stuff, meat, pork, strange animal parts, whole chickens, 

unidentifiable fish, ridiculously large vegetables, an an entire stand for tofu.  We picked up the 

stuff we needed to make our recipe (Shanghai Wontons) and headed over to this kitchen area.  

There were some professional chefs there to help teach us how to do it.  There were actually two 

teams, mine which made the wontons and another team that made Black-Pepper Beef Fried Rice.  The chef demonstrated how to cut the tofu, mushrooms, and bok choy, and then we did it for ourselves.  We mixed in the pork then started stuffing the dumplings.  The chef could do them in 5 seconds but it took us a lot longer, and most of our's looked uneven compared to her's, which were amazing.  Next we boiled them and tried them out.  I attached a picture of one of them served on top of the other group's rice, along with my certificate of completion.

On another note, this made me think it would be a great idea to have a cuban cooking class that we could teach.  This lady has a really small business that looks like it's doing well.  Get connected with some small tour companies or cruise ships or whatever, have people in for 3 hours and make rice & black beans, bistec, fried plantains and a mojito and charge them $50 for the lesson and the food.  We could be millionaires.  Anyway, back to the recipe.

Notes: The meat market here looks a bit different from that of Publix.

Make again : Sure, especially since they gave us a recipe book to take away with both recipes in it.

China

I arrived in Shanghai and I am ridiculously tired.  The flight from Chicago to Shanghai was 14.5 hours!

The movies on the flight sucked and I had a hard time sleeping, so it felt like an eternity.  I'm going to crash now, but all of you can rest easy knowing that I'm still alive.

Pardon the Interruption

I'm off to China, so updates might be slow for a while.  Hopefully I'll get some good pictures and stories to post about.

On the recipe front, I'm still keeping up to date, just need to post the last several I've made.  I'll be gone for a week and a half so I'll have a lot of catching up to do when I get back.  Also, when I get back, it's cycling time, so the lack of blood and major injuries will add some extra interest to the whole routine.

Recipe # 12 - Fast Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce

What?  Making something besides chicken, vegetables or a sauce?  Believe it or not, it's true.  I needed to carb-load before my marathon so it was pasta time and of course I took the opportunity to make a different category of recipe for once.

I have a lot of pasta sauce recipes and they're typically pretty good.  Generally they taste different from the bottled type, and this one did as well.  The recipe claimed you could make this sauce in just about the time it took you to cook pasta, so I tried it out.  I fired up the heat to boil my pot of water, started cooking the sauce, tossed in the pasta and the sauce was done even before the pasta was.  

So, on to the recipe.  I cooked a chopped onion in a skillet until it was soft, added in about 2 pans of canned tomatoes, cooked down for about 10-15 minutes and seased with pepper.  I was surprised (and sort of skeptical) about the recipe not including garlic, but it worked.  I added in a little bit of the optional grated Parmesan for flavor.  For this variation, I added in some roasted red peppers that I bought.  The recipe recommended them from scratch, but I was busy so I went with the easy route.

It came out sort of chunky, with lots of pieces of onion and red pepper.  But I liked it that way and it tasted much lighter than most bottled sauces.

Notes: Would be good to make a large batch and freeze in small bags as the recipe suggests.

Modifications: The book has 20 varations, which I'll definitely be trying.

Make again? : Yes.  It was very easy and there are a lot of variations to make it better, so I'll be experimenting.

Recipe #11 - Spicy Yogurt Sauce

The Dill Yogurt Sauce was such a hit I decided to try another one.  This time, the Spicy Yogurt Sauce which I used with chicken and some vegetables.  Same deal as before, really, a good way to add a bit to the usual chicken and vegetable routine.

The recipe was similar to before, both had yogurt, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, but this one had a pinch of cumin, paprika, cayenne, dry mustard and turmeric.  It didn't seem spicy at first but had a nice spicy aftertaste to it. 

Notes: Recipe had some optional safron, which I didn't have.

Modifications: Would be tastier with regular yogurt instead of lowfat.

Make again? : Sure.  Dill sauce was probably a little better overall, but I liked it and so did Gwen.

World's Fastest Man

I ran Marathon #5 yesterday, finishing the Disney Marathon in 5:00:03.  It was another great experience.  I stayed at my friend Steven's house and he was incredibly nice enough to wake up at 3:30 and take me to the start line.  There were even more people than last year, so it was pretty crowded.  I got there around 4:40 with a little more than an hour to kill before the start.  About 25 minutes before the start I headed to the start line, which was a 0.6 mile walk away.  It was good I didn't wait any longer because I got into my corral about a minute before the start of the race.

The first few miles were fairly crowded, but there was plenty of space so I wasn't really dodging people.  For some reason, people at the Disney marathon seem to do a good job of lining up so there aren't a huge amount of walkers around screwing it all up for the other runners at the beginning.  After a mile or two, we ran through Epcot, under the huge ball, passed all the major stuff there, ran through 2 of the countries and then out the back.  Next, we ran through some back roads on the way to the Magic Kingdom.  There wasnt too much to see on the way, but at one point we ran down an onramp so you could see the thousands of other runners, which was pretty cool.  

In the Magic Kingdom, we ran through the front, went through Tomorrowland, Frontierland, down Main Street, saw all the famous characters, and ran through the castle.  I think the photographer missed me there this time, unfortunately, but we'll see.  When you visit these parks they seem immense, but we ran through the entire thing in about 1 mile, so they're nothing when you compare them to a marathon.  We left the Magic Kingdom, then had what's probably the lowlight of the course, which is a 5-6 mile run down the back streets of Disney where there really isn't much to see.  It's also where it goes from several lanes down to 1 lane, which gets very crowded at times.  I was much more prepared for the monotony of it this time, so it was fine with me.

Eventually we got to the back of Animal Kingdom, with llamas, parots, turtles, goats and all other sorts of animals at the gate with the handlers.  We ran through the length of Animal Kingdom, with some African drummers playing and the photographer got pictures in front of the Himalayas.  We left the Animal Kingdom around mile 18, and this is really where the pain starts for most people.  As soon as we left, you could see a growing percentage of people walking.  

Next up was a highway overpass, which seemed to wipe out a bunch of people.  At mile 20 there is a 2 mile up and back, which is always annoying for me.  You have to run a mile looking at people ahead of you, then turn right back around and see what you just ran past.  

Mile 22 was a big point for me, because that was the point I started walking last year.  There was a hill there that completely broke me down the previous year, and from that point I walk-ran.  This year, I was mentally prepared for it and I pushed through it with no problems.  

Next was Hollywood Studios (previously MGM Studios).  Last year this was miserable for me, but I made it through, still running this time.  It was really hard because at this point I was just telling myself "just run to the next water stop and you can have a short walk there."  Finally, we left the park around mile 24.  Finally, I broke down and did some walking.  I ended up just walking the water stop and I found myself walking for a couple of minutes after that.  Between 24 and 25 there's a path that takes you around the lake and next to all the hotels, and for some reason that part is always really rough for me.  

At mile 25 I started running again and I didn't walk at all the rest of the way (other than to take off my ipod for just a second, because I like to have it off to enjoy the finish).  We ran the last 1.2 through Epcot, doing the whole park, passing under the ball again and out a side path.  There was a gospel choir by the finish, which was very cool, and then the finish.  I saw Gwen and my friend Steven there and crossed the line.

Overall, I was pretty happy with how I did.  I ran a slower pace than in any other marathon, but it was my 2nd best time overall because I walked so little.  I kept up about 11:00-11:15 per mile for the first 23, which I was pretty happy with.  And considering the amount of travel, school, work and family stuff going on lately, I think it would be dumb of me not to be happy about it.

So for now, I'm not signing up for another marathon.  I'm switching to triathlons to see how I like those.  I'd also like to get faster overall, so maybe a bit more of a focus on short runs to increase my speed.  I'll post some pictures of the race when they're posted on the site.

Recipe #10 - Dill Yogurt Sauce

I wanted to try a yogurt sauce with some of the chicken, and I thought a Dill Yogurt Sauce would go well with the Curry Chicken.  Plus, Gwen's a huge Dill fan so more points for me.  

I again used lowfat yogurt, but it turned out pretty damn good.  Very simple recipe, just yogurt, dill, lemon, salt, pepper and I believe that's it.  Just mix, adjust the quantities to taste and let it 

sit for a few minutes to mix the flavors.

I served it with the curry chicken and they went really well together.  Nice mixture of spicy with the cooler yogurt.  Later in the week I also mixed this with brown rice and it was awesome.  It tasted sort of like rice at the Greek restaurant near my house.  I could definitely imagine doing that and then topping with some chicken kabobs or something like that.  

Notes: Would be good to make a decent batch and use with chicken, rice, vegetables, maybe even salad dressing.

Modifications: None, adjust to taste.  Would be even better with regular yogurt, though.

Make again? : Yes.  I'm not as huge a dill fan as Gwen so I can only have a certain amount, but this was good.

Recipe #9 - Broiled Curry Chicken

Mooooooooooore broiled chicken.  It's not easy to try to eat healthy and still try out a ton of new recipes, so deal with all the chicken recipes and like it.

This one was slightly different than most with yogurt as the cooking fat instead of oil or butter.  I've never tried it before but it worked well.  I used lowfat yogurt with some curry powder and lemon and broiled it the usual way.  I think it turned out pretty well.  There was no curry sauce associated with it, so if you're looking for something like that, you would need to add the sauce recipe to it.  We mixed it with a yogurt sauce recipe coming up next.

Notes: Used lowfat yogurt and it cooked fine.

Modifications: Would probably be even better with regular yogurt.

Make again? : Yes, but I'm not in a particular rush to do it.

Recipe #8 - Tomato Salsa (two ways)

I made this salsa with the vegetables I bought from Josh's Organic Garden.  The cilantro smelled too good to pass up, so I put this together.  Recipe was from How to Cook Everything, just like all the rest so far.

I've made a bunch of salsas and I think this one was probably as good as any.  It was nothing weird, just tomato, onion, cilantro, lime, garlic, salt, pepper and some jalapenos or something similar.  The recipe is deliberately vague for some things, letting you adjust the spices as you like.  

I made it two ways - the chunky pico de gallo way and then I also blended some of it to make a smooth version.  It was interesting how different the taste was of the blended version compared to the pico version.  The blended version had a more uniform taste and the pico version let you taste all the different elements.  Both Gwen and I preferred the chunky style.

Notes: Served with chicken.  Mixing with rice later on to try that too.

Modifications: Good as is.  If I wanted to make it blended I'd adjust a little, maybe some more tomato.

Make again? : Yes

Recipe #7 - Roasted Sweet Potato

This is the best sweet potato I've ever had.  I'm serious.  All I did was roast it at 425 for 45 minutes but something about it was seriously magic.  I didn't put a damn thing on it besides salt.  No butter, nothing sweet, nothing, and it was by far the sweetest and best sweet potato I've ever had.  

Gwen agreed, it was amazing.  You should be making this 2 or 3 nights per week because it was awesome.

Notes: Freaking awesome.

Modifications: Change nothing.

Make again? : All the time.

Recipe #6 - Broiled Soy-Lime Chicken

Another day, another chicken recipe.  Yes, we're boring, but Gwen wants to have chicken and vegetables most nights in January so I'm hitting as many of the chicken recipes as I can.

Same technique as before, just with some different seasonings.  This time I used sesame oil instead of olive oil, soy sauce, ginger and garlic.  

Here's the problem - I have toasted sesame oil instead of dark sesame oil.  I've had it in my pantry for a long time now and I used it for this recipe and I wish I hadn't.  The toasted sesame oil overwhelmed all the other tastes for me, although Gwen did like it.  I did some research afterwards and saw some mixed opinions on whether dark sesame oil and tosated oil are the same thing.  One site says they are very different and that toasted oil is much stronger.  Anyways, that explains why it was so overpowering.

Notes: Get some new sesame oil.

Modifications: Use previously mentioned sesame oil instead of the crap one I now have.

Make again? : Yes, with some less overpowering oil next time.

Josh's Organic Market and a UNC Loss

Nice little Sunday, in the words of Frank the Tank.  Gwen and I took Mila for a walk along the fixed up Hollywood Broadwalk.  While we were there, we stopped at this farmer's market I had been saying "we should really go there" for a while, but hadn't.  So since we're supposed to be doing more stuff in 2009, I decided we'd go and we did.

It was pretty impressive as far as farmer's markets in Florida go.  Just about everything was organic and everything was labeled (organic or not, local or not, picked yesterday, etc).  There was a pretty large group there and it seems a lot of people go there regularly.  Definitely the type of place I could go to pick up stuff for the week.  

The prices were just about the same as Publix, maybe just a little more.  Some things in particular looked great, like the cilantro that was picked the day before and smelled awesome.  I bought that, some tomatoes and a few other things and made some salsa (recipe coming up soon).  Good stuff, and a nice walk by the beach.  Here's a picture of Gwen and Mila near the water (they kicked us off right about here and told us no dogs allowed on the beach.

And to top it off, Duke won and rose to #2, UNC lost and dropped below us.  What more could you ask for?

Recipe #5 - Simple Steamed Broccoli

I eat a lot of broccoli, but it's usually from one of those steamer bags that you cook in the microwave.  Those are fine, but I wanted to try making it from fresh broccoli and steaming it.  I've done this before, but again wanted to follow a specific method.  I used the recipe from How to Cook Everything and bought a head (what the hell do you call a whole piece of broccoli anyway?) of broccoli, cut it up, and used my steamer basket.  Cooked for about 10 minutes since I kept the stems on, not just the florets.  

Overall, it was better than the bagged one, but not as much as I thought.  The flavor and texture were both better and it seemed to need less seasoning.  I put some lemon and salt on it and that's it.  

Notes: I ate broccoli.

Modifications: Method was fine.  Obviously would be tastier with a bunch of crap on it, but I'm trying to be healthy and lemon and salt was fine.

Make again? :  I'm back and forth on whether or not it's worth it.  The steaming bag is so easy and tastes just marginally worse.  Surprisingly, the price was basically the same for fresh or frozen.  I will try again because I'm trying to eat more fresh foods, but the steaming bags are getting very close to the fresh version.

(Picture note: forgot to take one.  But I think you know what broccoli looks like unless you have brain damage.)

Recipe #4 - Broiled Tomatoes with Basil

Short and sweet on this one.  I didn't like it and neither did Gwen.  Came out a bit mushy, really, and serving by itself was not a great idea.  The recipe really recommends including this in sauce or a salad, but can be served standalone with basil, which I did. 

Notes: Maybe for inclusion in a sauce, but not standalone.

Modifications: Maybe better with the skin on?

Make again?: As is, definite no.

It's Mila-time

As requested, a few pictures of our new addition:

Gwen carrying her on the way home from North Carolina.

At the dog park.

Going nuts with her Kong toy.