If It Makes You Happy

Asian Stewed Chicken

I worry sometimes they're going to go after cooking assimilation.  Busted for attempting to make dishes from other cultures, when you have no business.  What you call something is not as important as how it tastes but it can help you to describe what you were going for, as in this Asian Stewed Chicken.  I used Hoisin sauce, garlic, soy, ginger, honey, Sesame Oil and a little 5 Chinese Spice.  But does it really qualify or is it deserving of the name if I made it up myself?  I think so.  

Sometimes I sneer a little when I see a Mexican Lasagna or Enchiladas made with flour tortillas.  But in the end, especially now that we're heading towards the apocalypse, there should be no rules with food.  If you like to put ketchup on your tamales, like we did in the Midwest, go for it!  Food doesn't care.  

     

My Recipe

1/2 cup of honey

juice of 1 or 2 lemons

juice of one Smartie or Halo

package of chicken drumsticks

lots of garlic

soy sauce 3 tablespoons

2 tbs Hoisin sauce

2 tbs garlic chili sauce

chili flakes

2 - 3 bell peppers large chops

brown chicken in dutch oven, throw in all other ingredients, cover and put in 375 degree oven for one hour. Top with fresh cilantro and green onions.   Serve over white rice. 

My sister's clouded mountain view

All I Know is You're My Favorite Mistake

Puffy Omelette

Have you ever made one of these Puffy Omelettes?  Full disclosure, this was a slight fail but made correctly, they make you feel you've done something chef-like, because you have!  You split the egg from the yolk and beat the whites like the dickens before folding the yolks back in.  Then you, well, I'll share the video.  But try it!  I didn't want to ruin it by trying to shove all of this asparagus and sausage inside, so I served on the side but its definitely light and fluffy, and again if done right becomes cloud-like.  It does right by the egg too in making it the delicacy it truly is. 

If It Makes You Happy, It Can't Be that Bad

Another game of Home Chopped. 

God knows all your cool has left the building when you find yourself playing Chopped at home....and really enjoying it. Winters are long. I don't get out much.  All that being said, I think I'm making it to the next round!

For the appetizer course I roasted red cabbage leaves, added a bit of balsamic and filled them white beans, ground beef, red quinoa and rosemary.  I topped with a tiny bit of Parmesan cheese.  Surprisingly tasty!

 For the entree, I opened up my basket (actually I sent P to the store and he bought a weird assortment of disconnected choices) and found slab bacon, one turnip, a head of Napa cabbage and kale. 

I thought to make a take on a BLT and a rice bowl.  I roasted the tomatoes on top of the bacon in the oven.  I made a well seasoned black rice.  The kale served as the lettuce and I cooked that down in some of the bacon fat along with garlic and hot pepper oil.  The turnip provided a nice fresh cool crunch.

I lost some presentation points as I should have used a light colored bowl to really showcase the colors.

I left out a basket ingredient (the giant head of Napa cabbage).  And for these reasons, I've been chopped.