June 1st- Maple Hashbrown Omelete

  I have been away for a while. I had thought I'd lost the passion for cooking. As it turns out I just needed a break!
     Lately I have been cooking tons and tons! And couldn't be happier. The rust is off and I can once again create recipes from simple thought!  And so I bring you my new invention which I had for breakfast not 10 minutes ago.
     Its 2 PM...ok so I had a late day. :)

     Lately breakfast has felt lack-luster for me. The same thing day in and day out.
   And so the last few days I have been making some substantially gigantic omelets. All of which I'm sure I'll end up posting here eventually.
     I was half way through making my hashbrowns today when I once again got a craving for an omelet. This presented a problem, as my appetite can not hold both an order of hashbrowns and a stuffed to the max 3 egg omelet.
     What ever was I to do?
     The title says it all!

Here's what you'll need!!
1 Large Golden Potato
1/4th Cup Diced White Onions
1 Clove Garlic
3 large eggs, beaten
1 to 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
Salt
Sunflower Oil (can be substituted by your oil of choice)

I'm using simple, easy ingredients today.
They can be fun to, ya know.

Feel free to add more or less potatoes dependng on exactly how big you want this heaping man-omelet to be.

Let's get cooking!!

     My hashbrowns are quick and easy to make, so long as you've got some decent knife skills.
     First cut the potatoes in half, then lay them flat on your cutting board. slice them 6 to 10 times long ways, and then 8 or so times the other way to make little sticks of potato.
     Dice up your onion and garlic, add that to the potato.
     Heat up your pan on high, coat the bottom with oil (enough to lightly coat the hashbrowns)
     When the oil starts to pop, or just before, add in all the ingredients you just prepared. add salt to taste.
     After that, just remember to stir every minute or so until they're a nice crispy golden brown. Or maybe even a little burnt if you like them like that.

     When the hashbrowns are finished, set the stove to medium-high and set the potatoes on top of a few paper towels to drain off any excess oil.
     While the stove top is still hot, toss on another pan and give it a very small amount of oil (or butter. but I'm cooking in a dairy free house, as usual. )
     Pour in your beaten eggs with a very small amount of salt. your potatoes probably have enough of it to go around.
     give them a quick mix and let the bottom and most of the middle cook and set. It wont take long.
     Once the top isn't so goopy but isn't yet cooked either, add in your hashbrowns on top. along with one or two table spoons of maple syrup.
     fold your omelet over and let cook on both sides until done. about 30 to 50 seconds on each side.

     There you have it. When some of that syrup leaks out and begins to burn, your kitchen will be filled with the scent of a pancake-house.
     Plate and serve!
     Its the dynamic duo of breakfast, all rolled into one.

     Now who could resist that? I just wish I'd had some bacon to go with.

Janurary 6th- Open Faced Fish n' Fennel Sandwhich

     The Fisherman

     Once, many years ago in Georgia, I had a sandwich of legend. a sandwich which nothing could surpass. It was amazing, I couldn't possibly fathom ever tasting a better sandwich in my life. 

     Today I have surpassed that sandwich, and made something that could rightfully go down in history. (if you ask me anyway :P you've just GOT to try it! )

     It all started this morning when I found myself browsing the blogs I follow. One site had Roasted Fennel, and after one look at it, I knew that it would be the only thing that I'd be hungry for for the rest of the day.

     I went out to breakfast and grabbed my notebook, spending a surprising amount of time for just one recipe. Imagining the proper depth of each flavor and adding in ingredient upon ingredient.

     My hard work was worth it. Hours and hours later when I finally got my chance to cook, what I was left with was a masterpiece.

     

     Orange roughy and Fennel sandwich with feta cheese and Merlot vinaigrette.

Here's what you'll need

 2 Fennel plants

1 lb Orange roughy

1/2 Lemon

1 loaf White Mountain Boule 

2 tbsp Red wine vinegar

2 tbsp Sunflower oil

4 tbsp Red wine (Merlot)

Feta Cheese

Salt

     Why so specific on the bread, you ask?

     Find and try this bread, and then tell me if you ever plan to use another bread again in your LIFE. I was looking for sourdough, but the store was out. I bought this and I think serving my sandwich on anything else would be close to blasphemy.

     As for the wine, could you use any type of red wine? Probably. but you won't be eating my sandwich unless you use 'Robert Mondavi Winery- napa Valley Merlot'  

     If you ask me, wine isn't an interchangeable ingredient. Each and every one has it's own taste and you shouldn't just pick at random when using it. You have to taste and select very very carefully!!

     Now..this is a 22 dollar bottle so I can understand if you don't use it. But please carefully choose the one you do use.

(Makes 6 sandwiches)

Lets Get Cooking!!

     Preparation takes a long time but it isn't very rushed.

     Start by setting your oven to 375. chop your fennel whites into half inch disks and place them on a tray. Drizzle them with sunflower oil and a little salt.

     they will bake on both sides for 25 to 30 minutes each.

    For your vinaigrette, add your wine and vinegar together in a small container, whisk while slowly pouring in the oil. Add a pinch of salt and let sit. You may need to whisk it briefly again before adding it to the sandwiches.

     When there is 15 minutes left for your fennel to cook, it's time to start on your orange roughy. Cut it into six pieces and saute it in a little oil, a little salt, and a little lemon until it's just about done. 

     cut your bread to the proper size and we're ready.

     Get ready to build the sandwhich!

     Bread, then fennel, then your fish. Put that in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes. Now take your fish back off and set it aside. Drizzle on 1 to 2 tsp of your vinaigrette, and crumble on some feta cheese. Now return your fish to its rightful spot and enjoy!

     I would serve this sandwich anywhere. It gets an easy 6 stars in my book.

January 5th- Man Food Yo!

     I proudly present, My lazy day meal.

     As it seems, my new-years resolution is to cook dishes that make me happy. This big plate of food is one of my best friends in life. 

     It's filling,its satisfying and it doesn't need a bit of presentation. It's proof that really good food can look amazing just left as is.

     Though it isnt exactly easy to prepare, I've done it so many times I can cook the entire thing while hardly even realizing I've started. I'm probably more fond of this dish than any other I've ever cooked. it's a steady part of my life.

     This recipe involved a lot of chopping, if you're knife skills aren't up to snuff you may want to reconsider trying it. it will probably take you more time than it's worth. On the other hand, it's really good

 Here's what you'll need!

.80-1 lb Steak (Ny strip, delmonico, or ribeye)

1/4th White onion

2 cloves Garlic

2-3 medium Golden potatoes

1/6th White onion

2 cloves garlic

1-2 Tbsp maple syrup

4 eggs

Salt

     The meal is hash-browns, shredders, and eggs. 

     Shredders were an invention of mine that I created to get around my girlfriend's gluten and dairy allergies. If cooked right the meat and onions stand on their own better than any whole cheesesteak that I've had.
     I also sometimes add  red and yellow bell peppers, and occasionally tomato sauce.

Let's get cooking!

     To make this meal easily you'll want to prep everything in advance. remember that cutting is very important in this recipe. the more exact your cuts are, the more evenly your food will cook.
     Not to mention that the way you cut them will completely change the texture and may even alter the taste. experiment! But here's how I do mine.

     cut your potatoes in half,  and lay them on their flat side. Cut eight slices in each one long ways and completely through. then ten slashes short-ways.  If the potato is big, cut more slices.
     The onions have to be chopped. cut your onion in half long ways and lay it flat. Cut off about 3/4ths of an inch slice and slice it into thin strips.
     Simply mince the garlic.

     For your steak, cut them into inch strips as thin as possible. The end pieces might be a little thick but throw them in anyway
     This time with the onion, halved long ways as before.  cut them into thin  half circles.
     Once again, just mince the garlic.

     Now turn 2 burners on high, and one to medium. coat the entire bottom of the pan thinly with oil for the hash-browns.
     About half of the pan for the Shredders
     And just a little for the eggs.
     The hash-browns, onions, and garlic all go into one pan (salt to taste ) , and cook until golden brown and very crispy. Drizzle them with maple syrup.
     Seer the steak in the oil before adding anything to it (salt to taste) . make sure it's completely seared to well done before adding the onions and garlic. cook them until the onions soften and become translucent ( then just a bit more )

     Cook up your eggs sunny side up(salt to taste), but break the yolk before serving.

     This meal is more about basic techniques than ingredients. It may taste great the first time for you, but you may need some practice.

     Serves two very hungry people.

January 3rd- Crabmeat Dumplings

     After my last recipe, I found myself suddenly unable to cook. I had no idea why and it was starting to bother me a lot. I cooked 2 recipes I thought would be interesting and delicious for all of you, but they turned out horrible.
     The bottom line was, for some reason I just wasn't feeling inspired.
     To be inspired I had to be happy with what I was cooking, and to be happy with what I was cooking, I had to be cooking what I liked.
     Then it hit me. I'd started trying to cook things that looked impressive instead of things that I simply liked to cook.

     That's when I decided today's recipe would be something I really like to do.
     Dumplings.
     It wasn't a hard decision. It's one of my all time favorite things to cook. I love working with dough yet hate waiting for it to rise, and thousands of different fillings can go into dumplings.I see them as a miracle dish.
     The last thing I did with dumplings was Hawaiian. This time I thought doing something closer to Chinese wouldn't be bad. And so I went with crab meat, thinking I'd make it kind of like a non-deep fried crabmeat-ragoon.

     As usual, even if I'm doing a fun and simple dish, I like the flavors to be different. Something to knock old recipes up a notch. I remembered I had an orange left in the fridge from my Orange roughy, and so this recipe was born.

Here's what you'll need!

The skin:
2 cups All purpose flour
3/4th cup Just boiled water
dash of salt
1 Egg yolk

The Filling:
18 oz Crab meat
9 oz Cream cheese
2 tsp Cracked pepper
2 tsp Blood orange zest
2 tsp Sugar

     Ok...So I didn't have any blood oranges in my fridge. I used Tangerines for the roughy. But the tangerine left in my fridge did give me the idea to go out and get the Blood Orange. It adds an interesting mixture of sweetness and tang to the crab.
     Additionally, since I've already given the instruction on dumplings, you can all follow the  directions on this page for the skin. The only real change you need to make is making 24 instead of 18.

     Cut the dough in half three times and then in thirds and you will come up with 24.

Lets get cooking!


     Mix all the ingredients together for the filling, add 1 tbsp of it to each dumplings and close tightly with your fingers, making sure to get out all of the air that you can. Use a fork to seal if your fingers aren't doing the job.
  Steam them for 15 minutes, I did 12 at a time.
  Also pan-fry them in a small bit of oil until crispy and nicely browned on both sides.

3 or 4 of these on the side of your plate make for a great side dish, But the crab meat and cream cheese mixture makes it taste pretty heavy for a main course.

December 31st -Tangerine Orange Roughy

The Orange Crush

     Happy new years eve. This will likely be my last post until the new year. And...wow.
     I couldn't have wished for a better dish to end the year on. It was possibly the best thing I've ever eaten. Definitely a good omen.

      The fish sale at my local store was still going on today, and walking past it I saw Orange Roughy. I'd never actually eaten it before but it's been something Ive wanted to try for a long time.Without hesitation I bought a bunch.
     I decided I wanted to use one of my favorite techniques for fish. it's a marinate with honey, a little salt, and  a fruit that goes well with your chosen fish. It's similar to a swordfish recipe I will post eventually.
     I didn't really know what went well with orange roughy, but stubbornly I picked oranges. the irony was irresistible.
     Technically I used tangerines, and some red pepper flakes. the result was perfect! I really cant describe it. Moist, tender, exploding with flavor.
     I added a asparagus stick...salad? It led well into the main course and looked amazing to boot.

Here's what you'll need!

The Fish:
1 lb Orange roughy (2 fillets if possible)
2 Tangerines Sliced
1/2 cup honey
1/4th tsp salt
a few dashes red pepper flakes (or more depending on how hot you like it.)

The Salad:
3/4ths cup Asparagus (thin and just the middles)
3/4th cup Yellow bell pepper (cut into sticks)
3/4ths cup Red apple (cut into sticks) ( a pineapple may be a better choice )
Splash of Coconut juice
1/3rd lemon

     Remember, this recipe is a marinate. You need to start it several hours before you're planning to serve it.

Lets get cooking!

     Place your orange roughy into a gallon bag, and add to it your tangerines, honey, salt, and pepper flakes. Push all the air from the bag and seal. Put it away in the fridge for at least 6 hours. Overnight would probably be better.
     Once the fish has marinated, there isn't any reason to be fancy. It has absorbed all the flavor it will ever need to. Pan fry it on high or medium-high with a little oil for a few minutes on both sides, and place it in the oven at 350 until a fork slides easily through its thickest part.

     For the salad, put the asparagus into a hot pan and saute it in a little oil for a few seconds. Add your coconut oil, and in 20 seconds add everything else. Saute for a minute and strain.
     Plate them both and serve.

     Orange roughy is definitely one of the best fish I've ever had. second only to swordfish.

     If you get the chance to buy some, don't pass it up. even if its pricey.

December 17th- Calamari Pasta

     To my surprise, there was a big seafood sale at my local grocery store two days ago. They had a lot of things they didn't usually have, and so I felt like I needed to do at least one dish including a sea creature I usually won't be able to find.
     Lobster was to expensive this week, and snow-crab though absolutely delicious, well, I've cooked it before. which I cannot say for Calamari. My first idea was to stuff, then fry, then bake the squid, but in the end I realized it's been forever since I've had pasta.

     As a kid with an italian grandmother, I was practically raised on pasta. If I had to I could eat it 3 times a day for the rest of my life and I doubt I would complain all that much.
     I prepared a piece of Calamari before hand, to taste, and found it doesn't give up much flavor all on its own. Not to say its bland, but rather subtle. I had originally planned to make the pasta to match the Calamari, but in the end I decided instead to make the Calamari to match the pasta.
     Slightly cheesy, hints of garlic in each bite, and the occasional tomato kick made this dish one of my favorites to date. When subtle italian flavors meet the sea, this is what you'll find.

     The first few people that tried this pasta told me it wasn't moist enough, and needed more olive oil. To tell you all the truth, I was stunned. To me this dish is pasta at its very finest, but maybe my tastes are a bit dry compared to average. If that is your taste, please don't let me recipe stop you from adding some extra olive oil to please your pallet.
     But if you would be so kind...Try it my way first.

Here's what you'll need!

3 Cups Calamari
16 oz Spaghetti noodles
3/4ths tsp Cracked pepper
3 cloves Garlic
1/2 cup (plus more for sauteing) extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Dried Basil (You may want to try it with half of a tsp first. )
1/3rd cup Red onion (small, thin slices)
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (Halved)
1/2 cup Parmesan/Romano (I found a mix containing both.)
1 1/2 tbsp Butter
salt to taste

     No sauce? You are completely correct. instead of sauce I made some garlic oil to drizzle over the pasta. The name of this recipe is great taste with great subtlety. That is very difficult with the heavy zest of tomato sauce.

Lets get cooking!

     First prepare your pasta as your package instructs you. I like to add olive oil and salt to the water. If you've got any decent knife skills you should easily be able to finish the rest of your prep before the spaghetti finishes.

     Cut your Calamari into rings, chop your garlic, your onion, tomatoes, and measure out the rest of your ingredients.
     In a small pan, pour in your 1/2 cup of oil and heat on low. Add 2 of your chopped garlic cloves. 1/2 tbsp of butter, and a dash of salt. let simmer. Stir occasionally and give it a break if you see it begin to boil but you want to keep it on the heat through most of this recipe.

     Strain your pasta and set it aside somewhere it will stay warm. Keep that burner on high and switch your pasta pot for a frying pan. Drizzle the pan lightly with olive oil and  Add your Calamari ( Do not crowd the pan. You can cook it in 2, even 3 batches if you need to. just divide up the ingredients. ) Add your pepper and butter and a tiny sprinkle of salt. saute on high until the Calamari is ready to eat.
     Now it gets easy. Take your pasta and add the Calamari, Cherry Tomatoes, Basil, Red Onion, 1 clove of diced garlic, cheese, salt to taste, and 4 tbsp of your garlic oil. Toss and mix very well, make sure everything is distributed as evenly as you can.
     The Calamari may make this difficult, but keep mixing and it will all come together in a few minutes.
     Plate the pasta and serve with a loaf of Italian bread if you've got it on hand. Just plain is fine to.

 

      But I really suggest the Italian bread. Yum.

December 11th - Parsnip Encrusted Tilapia

     I've had this recipe going on in my head for a few days, though it wasn't until last night that I found the time to make it. The way this dish looks reminds me of a classic meal, and cooking something like that was strange to me.
     I rarely cook whole fillets of steak, fish, or anything really. Even when I buy a delicious Delmonico steak, my first thought is usually slicing it thin and making cheese-steak out of it.
     Whole fillet  dishes have great importance in the culinary world, however. and despite how I think they can be a bit dull at times, doesn't mean I shouldn't learn to cook them and -make- them interesting and delicious.
     The fish when breaded with my parsnip blend tastes almost like its been drizzled with coconut milk. The flavor is very mellow and complimented to its very extremes by a squeeze of lemon. It's only weakness is the pancake factor.

     What is the pancake factor? Have you ever noticed when you eat pancakes that they just soak up the syrup? and somehow as they eat up that syrup, and the flavor doesn't necessarily stay syrupy. And so you have to add more...and more...Well, this fish will do that with lemon.
     Which is why instead of the traditional lemon squeeze over top, I suggest a dipping cup of lemon juice to dip each bite right before eating for maximum flavor.

     This dish makes a large meal for 2. But fish has never filled me up for very long so I'm reluctant to tell you to call over a third guest without changing the proportions.

Here's what you'll need!!

3 Fillets Tilapia ( or 1 lb, depending on the size of the fish. )
4 tbsp Parsnip powder (You will likely need to make this yourself. instructions will follow shortly)
2 tbsp Tapioca flour
1 Dash paprika
1 Dash salt
2 egg whites
1/2 cup baby carrots (halved)
1 stalk of baby Bok Choy
3-5 green onions
Lemon juice to taste

     Before we get cooking, I'll instruct you on making Parsnip Powder.
     Take one large parsnip and peel it, wasting as little of the actual parsnip as possible while getting rid of its peel.
     Now begin to cut thin strips from it as if you were still peeling it. Don't break down the entire thing, the core of the parsnip has a different flavor than its mantle. A bit of the core wont hurt but try for mostly the softer middle ground between crust and center.
     Once you've got that done, spread the strips out in the dehydrator and turn it on. Parsnips are naturally kind of dry so it likely wont take you more than 6 hours to dry it completely.
     Once it cracks instead of bends, you're ready to grind it into powder. Use a spice grinder or if you want a course crust, just use a hammer or blunt object to smash the parsnip into consistency.
     Now that we've got all of our ingredients...

Lets get cooking!

Breading the fish-
     First beat your egg whites with a whisk or fork until they begin to froth slightly.
     On a plate, mix together your parsnip powder, tapioca flour, paprika, and salt.
     Dip your fish into the egg whites and then into the parsnip breading you've just made. coat both sides.
     Turn two burners to high. on one of them place a pot full of water for boiling Bok Choy. On the second place a pan and fill it a 4th inch with the oil of your choice. I used sunflower.

     Cooking the Bok Choy-
     Boil the Bok Choy for several minutes, only until its color becomes slightly more vibrant. then quickly strain it and dump it into a bowl of very cold water to stop the cooking process from going any further.

     Cooking the fish-
     Seer the fish to a dark amber color on both sides, half at a time. Once the fish has achieved that color it will still be somewhat uncooked on the inside. Place it in a toaster oven at 350 degrees for 3 to 5 minutes. when a fork glides easily through it, your fish is finished.

     Putting it all together-
     Gather up all your vegetables and give them a quick stir fry on your highest heat in a fresh pan drizzles with just a bit of sesame oil and lemon juice. Do not exceed 60 seconds with this step. As a matter of fact 40 should be fine. You do not want to lose the fresh crunch of your vegetables.
     Pour the vegetables over the fish and serve. Don't forget your lemon juice to dip!

     As an after thought, you may want to throw in a 4th to 1/2 cup of sliced water chestnuts. But don't forget to stir-fry those as well.

December 8th- Beef Stew

     If I have a main weakness in cooking, it is undoubtedly stew. I chose to cook it today to improve on my usual sub par stews, and to a point, I was met with success!

     If I could change one thing it would be that this stew did not come out thick enough. I wanted to make a roux from tapioca flour to thicken it but when I noticed I was all out, it was to late to turn back. You may want to add a cup or two less water than me.

     Or not. The broth is tasty enough to drink up after the meal to.

   This meal is great to take with you to work in a hot thermos, it really warms the soul when it gets below freezing and it tastes twice as good after a night in the fridge.

   Usually  I write more, but as I've just woken up...

Here's what you'll need!!

8 Cups Water

2 packages Dried Shiitake Mushrooms ( about 10 small mushroom caps )

1 1/2 cup gristle and meat ( usually I save whatever I cut off of steak from the night before. )

Salt to taste ( I probably used about a 6th of a cup. maybe more.)

3/4th cups leeks (julienne) 

1/2 cup green onions (Diced, greens and all. )

1 clove elephant garlic (or 3 to 4 cloves regular garlic )

2-3 medium potatoes (Sliced into thin circles )

Sunflower oil

2 lbs meat for stew (cubed)

1/2 White Onion (chopped)

2 stalks of baby Bok Choy 

Dash of ginger powder

     All in all I like the ratio of ingredients. They offered an American tasting beef stew while a few of the oriental vegetables gave it a slightly lighter feeling.

     Ok lets begin. like many of my recipes, this one  has a few steps. as I wont just ask you to go out and buy beef  stock or bullion cubes.

     On one last note...feel free to add 3 lbs of meat to the stew instead of 2. I think it would be better.

Lets Get Cooking!!

Make the Broth!

     First add the water, 8 cups into a large cooking pot on medium-high. Let it come to a boil. Then add all of your Shiitake Mushrooms and your 1 1/2 cups gristle. Don't worry, we're taking it out after it gives up its flavors to our broth. Add your salt and cover the pot. 

     Cover your pot and let simmer on low heat for a half hour to 45 minutes.

Add the Veggies!

     Not difficult, though not as simple as implied above. Gather together your leeks, green onions, 3/4ths of your garlic,  and your potatoes.  chop them up and throw everything but the potatoes in a lightly oiled pan. Saute them for about 40 seconds.

     Add in your potatoes and saute them for another 30 seconds. take them off the burner, and out of the pan completely for that matter. You don't want to burn them.

     Take the gristle out of your pot, but leave the mushrooms. Instantly add the veggies and stir. Let simmer for at least 30 minutes.

     Add the Meat!

     The most important step, if you ask me.

     Start by giving your meat a seer in some oil, accompanied by the rest of your garlic. Once its gotten a nice seer to it, throw in the rest of your onions and a dash of ginger powder. cook until onions are soft and then add it all to the pot. taste the broth and salt again if needed.

     Finish the Stew!

     Simmer for 20 minutes uncovered, then chop and add your Bok choy. simmer for another 20 uncovered. Ladle into your favorite soup bowl and enjoy!

      If I had a restaurant, would I serve this?

     only the next day. it thickened up into a beautiful stew after about 16 hours.

December 2nd- No Bean Chili

     Its getting cold out these days, 20 degrees or lower most nights.
     Its time for Chili!!

     Ok now lets get this out of the way before anyone freaks out. I do not use beans in my chili.
Why? Cause beans are an abomination if you ask me. they're disgusting and I have never liked a bean in my life. I have tasted one bean dish I could stomach but I still wouldn't say I liked it. and so, travesty or not, there are no beans in my chili. if you're looking for beans, look elsewhere now.

     With that out of the way, back to the topic. This is one of my more normal recipes. There isn't really any twist to it. my girlfriend just asks me to cook it so often that I felt obliged to put it into my blog. It's just a well balanced, mildly spicy, very tasty chili. it's kind of basic really.
     Despite that I've got no doubt that most of you will love it given the chance. Its great on a cold night or after a hard days work. and it doesn't take much to fill you up.
     Usually I make about 3 lbs worth, but this time around I did 5, so that's the recipe I'll be using.

Here's what you'll need!

2 lbs 93% lean meat
3 lbs 86% lean meat
1 large onion (Diced tiny )
1/2 medium green bell pepper
1/2 medium red bell pepper
1 jalapeno (use a spicier pepper if you want it hot.)
4 tomatoes (I use several kinds depending on what's freshest at the moment. cluster tomatoes are my favorite)
12 to 16 oz can tomato paste ( I use 12 for 3 lbs of meat and forgot to get a bigger can for this recipe but it still came out fine. still 16 oz may be worth looking into.)
4 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp parsely
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp ginger
1 cup dark brown sugar
(a few dashes of salt to taste)

     wow, there are a lot of ingredients in this one. But no worries. If you're spice rack is small you can mess around with the ones you've got until you find a good tasting blend.
     Alright, now that we've got everything we need...

Lets get cooking!

1. Brown your meat slowly under low heat, this could take 30 minutes or longer. but dont turn the heat up and risk actually cooking the meat. keep your stove strictly to low-medium heat.
2. Once its all browned you want to strain out all the fat out of the meat. if you don't, in my opinion it gives the chili and almost spongy texture. But go for it if that's what you're into.
3. Dice up your onion finely and mix it into the meat. simmer the meat stirring occasionally until the onions become translucent.
4. Red and green bell peppers, and jalapeno go into the pot chopped at least as finely as the onion. Simmer those for 10 minutes as well. Add all your ground spices at this point as well.
5. add in your tomato paste and chopped tomato cubes. half a cup of brown sugar. mix everything in well and taste. Add a 4th cup of brown sugar at a time, tasting after mixing until you're satisfied with the sweetness. I find the full 1 cup works perfectly.
6. simply simmer for 2 and a half hours, stirring every 15 and draining out excess far if it rises to the top in the form of liquid.

     It takes a while and there are a lot of ingredients, but in the end chili isn't very hard to make. just have everything prepped in advance and you'll be enjoying a hot bowl on a cold night in no time. and no gross beans to mess up that beautiful tomato-meat flavor!

Not only that, but you'll have left overs for days, and it will only get better!

Thanksgiving- Spring Honey Potato Salad

Its strange yet cool that my first post on this blog is thanksgiving day, but I cant think of a better starting date.
     My name is Mike and I love to cook. I'll write more about my in future posts, but for now I want to get right to my food. Here's whats up.

     I usually spend thanksgiving day at my grandmom's house. She cooks like crazy every holiday and puts out huge meals for the whole family.
     I went this year to, actually. So why did I put together a meal of magnitude once I got home?
     My girlfriend has Celiac, Which is an allergy to gluten, in things like bread and way more things than you would think. because of this, a good bit, but not all of my posts will probably be gluten free,
     As she has this allergy, she really cant come and eat with my family and me. And turkey being her favorite food, I had to do something.

     Meal : Pan-Seared Turkey, Grilled Onions, and Spring Honey Potato Salad

     First the Turkey
      My girlfriend is a turkey purist so I didnt do much in the way of unique flavors. Just a traditional turkey cooked on a hot skillet.

This is what you'll need!

3 Turkey Breads (About .90 lb total) 
Sesame oil to coat the pan
A few dashes of seseme seeds
a pinch of salt
a bit of parsley

     Toss the spices in right on top of the sizzling turkey, and cook on high until thoroughly done.
     After that, quickly slice up and onion into rings and throw it right into the delicious turkey juice. Cook until brown and soft. That takes care of the onion,
     One more dish to go.

     The Potato Salad!

     Despite the turkey usually being the highlight of thanksgiving, I kidn of thought of the potato salad as my main dish today. Probably because I'd never cooked potato salad at all before. Much less made something special out of it.
     This is what I call Spring Honey Potato Salad. And its probably the best I've ever had.
Here's what you'll need!

Honey Mayo-
     That's right. This recipe actually calls for you to make your own mayo. its a bit of a chore but it gives you al ot more options on any dish using it. This is the most important part so I'll start with it.

2 Egg yolks
5/6th cups of sunflour oil
Dash salt
Dash sugar
tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4th tsp cayenne pepper
1/4th tsp sesame seeds
1 to 2 tsp honey (It has a big impact. Add carefully.)


     Break out your egg yolks and put them in a mixing bowl with your sugar, salt and lemon juice. Put your mixer on slow (or your whisk hand on really really fast) and mix until smooth.
     Slowly drip in the oil as you continue to mix, making sure all the previous oil is absorbed before adding more.
     Once it's all been used up, check to make sure the consistancy is right. if it is watery add more oil and continue mixing untilyou have mayo consistancy. If its to solid, you mixed to much and may have to start over.
     Add the rest of the spices, mix briefly. Add the honey, mix once more.

Step 2 : The Actual Potatoes.

5 Skinned, Boiled, white potatoes (chopped bite sized but not microscopic )
1/3 white onion (Diced)
2 Boiled eggs
1/4 cup leek whites (Julienne)
2-3 dashes salt
2 cloves garlic (minced)
Honey Mayo to taste ( I used a bout a half of a cup, maybe a bit more.)

     Put the potatoes in the bowl, add everything else and mix well.
     If you dislike the acidic taste of raw onion you should lessen the mount of both onions and leeks accordingly. I actually put in a half onion and a half cup of leeks but some of my friends had trouble handling that much so I changed it on my blog.
     no appreciation for oniony bite *Sigh*
     (Potato salad keeps a week and a half, but I plan on finishing mine within 7 days to be safe )

     It was a good thanksgiving with two feasts instead of one.