Friday, November 13, 2015

Alsatian-Brined Turkey with Riesling Gravy

Mmm. Bird

Mmm. LOTS of bird.
  
Story time! 

Back in the fall of 2004, I was straight out of college. My undergraduate fraternity was doing a magazine fund raiser. While I was tempted to point out that what a horrible fundraiser it was (which I assumed was a lesson we all learned back in the sixth grade), I bought a couple magazines to be supportive instead. Because I am a nice guy like or I felt horribly obligated. One of the two.

Having subscribed ever since, Food & Wine has been a huge part of culinary growth and this was in one of the first issues I received. I find the magazine strikes an excellent balance in my opinion. There are interesting and challenging recipes like today's. That said, most of the time I get most or all of the ingredients at the larger chain groceries and I do not need to special kitchen utensils. 

If I had a point (which I am pretty sure I do not), it is this is a damn fine bird. Damn fine.


Honest doc, I will start that low sodium business... after Thanksgiving.

Resources:
5 quarts plus more cold water
1 1/4  cup Kosher salt (plus more for seasoning)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds
1/4 cup dried chopped onion
2 tablespoons caraway seeds (in two spice bags)
2 tablespoons black peppercorns,lightly crushed
2 tablespoons juniper berries, lightly crushed
6 bay leaves
(1) 18-pound turkey (less neck and giblets)
2 1/2 cups (2) bottles Riesling
1 large onion, quartered
1 head garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or if you are motivated make your own turkey stock)
Pepper 

Method:
About one week before turkey day, begin thawing the turkey in the fridge (see Butterball's thawing calculator, but keep in mind you need extra thawed days for brining).

About three days before turkey day, in a large pot, bring 4 cups of the water to a boil. Bag the caraway seeds half each in two spice bags (bagging is optional, ie you can just throw them in if you like). Add 1 1/4 cups of kosher salt, the sugar, mustard seeds, dried onion, the bagged caraway seeds, peppercorns, juniper berries and bay leaves. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar completely. Remove the pot from the heat. 

Line a large stockpot or bucket with 2 very large, sturdy plastic bags (make sure they are unscented trash bags). Put the turkey into the bags, neck first. Pour the warm brine over the turkey. Add 1 1/2 cups of the Riesling and 4 quarts of the cold water. Seal the bags; press out as much air as possible. Refrigerate.

On turkey day, preheat the oven to 350°. Drain the turkey, scraping off the spices, then transfer it to a large roasting pan and let it return to room temperature. Discard the brine. 

Add the quartered onion, the garlic and 1 cup of the water to the pan and roast the turkey for 1 1/2 hours. Add water has necessary to keep the base of the pan moist (eventually the fat will do that for you). Roast for about 1 1/2 hours longer, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into an inner thigh registers 165°. Cover the breast loosely with foil during the last hour of roasting to prevent it from browning too quickly. 

Transfer the turkey to a cutting board. Strain the pan juices into a measuring cup and skim off the fat; reserve 3 tablespoons of the fat. In a bowl, mix the reserved fat with the flour until a paste forms. 

Set the roasting pan over 2 burners and heat until sizzling. Add the remaining 1 cup of Riesling and bring to a simmer over moderately high heat, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom and sides of the pan. Strain the wine into a medium saucepan and boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and the reserved pan juices and bring to a boil. Whisk in the flour paste and simmer over moderate heat until the gravy thickens slightly and no floury taste remains, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Carve the turkey and serve with the Riesling gravy on the side.

Commentary: 
This is no small amount of effort. That said while it is a lot of work, it is not hard work (well except maybe carving the bird). This does not require any special skills or tools (unless you count roast pans and buckets). Anybody can do this bird. Just take your time and double check things as you go.


No small amount of space either.
Come to think of it, it is not small amount of anything really.

Make sure you have unscented trash bags or you will be a last minute grocery run like me.


I decided Lysol was not the turkey flavor I was going for.

Speaking of effort, do not get lazy on the "scraping off the spice" part. This is a lot of effort, but it is worth the effort to not bite into these spices later.


Beautiful bald birdy.

The gravy is the best part of this meal. Do not skip it (as I have foolishly done). Serve with mashed potatoes (duh, gravy), on the turkey, on sandwiches of left over turkey, snort it, hell bathe in the damn stuff. Just do NOT skip it. It is simply my favorite part of this meal.

Juniper berries are the only ingredient you cannot get at the grocery store (well at least before I moved to the Puritanical hell that is Pennsylvania, where they only sell wine and unionized, government run stores). Amazon has them, as does Penzeys.


This part stinks by the way. As in it actually smells bad. Windows are your friend.


Conclusion:
Absolutely to die for. Simply amazing. Skip the boring turkey, do not bother to fry your turkey, and brine that SOB!

Monday, October 26, 2015

Now how do you like them apples?

Applesauce bitch. Alright. Obligatory pop culture reference out of the way, let us move on.

A few weeks back the wifey wanted to go apple picking. While I was tempted to question what was wrong with the apples at the grocery, I decided it was best to just go along with this one. 


So now we have a metric crap ton of apples. 



The largest of all of the crap tons.
Also I never miss an opportunity to remind Mrs. Rubber Ducky what will happen to her if she does not keep in line!

So as the family chef, I was tasked with finding something to do with all these apples. 

Baby Applesuace

Resources:
1 apple
1 tablespoon water

Method:

Core, skin, and cut the apple into chunks (about a dozen chucks per apple worked nicely). 

Add the chunks and water to a pot. Cover. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.



Baby food recipes? Am I really that desperate for things to blog about? Or has parenthood reduced my brain to the consistency of applesauce? You decide!

Drain. Food processor the ever living hell out of them.


Voilà. Your baby is living the puréed dream.



Honestly, picking the a spoon was the hardest part of this whole process.
Commentary:
It is applesauce for a baby. What do you want?


Since I am not supposed to put pictures of my child on the internet this is what you get: hands. Are you happy paranoid mommy brigade!?!?! 
BTW I really am feeding him in this picture, you just cannot tell. We are both holding the spoon. It is really quite adorable... not that you will ever know.

Apple Pie

Resources:
6 cups cored, skinned, and thinly sliced apples (about 7-8 small apples)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (or less to taste)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 store bought pie rust (graham cracker)
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour

Method

Boil the apples for 10-15 minutes. Drain. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

Preheat to the oven to 375°.

Mix sugar (table not the brown sugar), 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Transfer the apples to that bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour into the pie crust.

Using a pastry blender, combine the butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup flour. Mix until it resembles course crumbs. 

Evenly top the pie with the as many of the crumbs (the more the better IMHO) as desired. Cover the edges of the pie pan with foil.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 25 minutes more or until the top is golden brown and the desired consistency.

Commentary

As I skinned and sliced the apples, I stored them in cold water to avoid excessive browning. I am not sure if this was in any way worth while since they are being used in a brown sauce. Oh well, it made me feel fancy.

Oh you are going to judge me for using a store bought crust? Really!?! Have you made pie crust? Let me tell you there are few convenience items I use when cooking. Pie crusts are boring and tedious to make so totally worth it.


I like my apple pie applies to have the next to no consistency left. So I boiled. If you like a little more crunch, lay off the boiling. In fact that kind of has me wondering what my pie would be like if I puréed that too.


The "crumbs" did not turn out to be very consistent. So I kind of mashed it into a paste with my fingers, then separated it into pieces as I saw fit. I did not use all of it though. Once I could not see apple anymore, I added a few more for good measure, and quit. The topping was so delicious.

The pie recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. If I have not plugged this before, I am going to do it now (or again). That is one of the best cook books I own for being basic and comprehensive. Everybody has to start someplace and this is a hell of a good place if you ask me. It has a couple intro chapters and cooking in general and then is packed with all the classic recipes you could want.

Conclusion:

Pie is awesome (duh). I did not eat the apple sauce but baby liked it.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Halloween Books

Wait... this is not food!

I love Halloween. Always have. It is the only holiday that has stood the test of time for me. As a kid: FREE CANDY! As a teen: free candy and it is the flirtiest holiday by far. College/young adult: even more flirty and an excuse to drink in a costume instead of my regular cloths. Adult: trick or treat, decorating the house with gore (any other time of the year that seems inappropriate). And of course I have always loved horror/monster movies and this is the time they are sale!

So today we are going to do something a little different. This is supposed to be a domestic blog, I should occasionally talk about something other than cooking right?

The wifey and I are readers. While I am a fucking casual compared to her, it is something we both enjoy. Since we both enjoy it, we damn well intend to brain wash the little one into liking it too. What is the point of having a little one if you cannot manipulate them into thinking like you?

So today I am going to give my commentary on some books for babies/small child that are Halloween themed. We will review based on key factors: is it Halloween worthy, age range, does it have a story, art quality, and rhyming. Then I'll follow with my, oh so insightful, commentary.


Not Actually Halloween worthy books, that you might think are Halloween worthy:

A Day With Monster 2/5
Age recommendation per Amazon: undefined (as young as you want IMHO)
Does it have a story: No
Art quality: NA (if I were to these call photos of a felt "monster" art, it would be an insult to the talented illustrators of some of these other books)
Does it rhyme: No

Replace the word monster with rabbit, dog, or three toed sloth and the book would not change. Hence not Halloweeny. 

Also this book just describes a typically adult day (except instead of sitting on your ass watching TV for an hour, it is “play music with friends” or something along those lines). My child will have to face the monotonous horror that is professional life in due time. There’s no need to subject him to it any earlier than necessary.


Maybe that monotonous horror does make it scary enough for Halloween...


Also I have to include the wifey's two cents: she loves this one. But she married me, so her taste is questionable at best.


Little Owl's Night 3/5

Age recommendation per Amazon: undefined (as young as you want IMHO)
Does it have a story: Ish
Art quality: Solid, high contrast stuff
Does it rhyme: No

A young owl learns about what the creatures of the forest do at night. I enjoyed the art, but the lack of a solid narrative kind of let me down.


It is not Halloween themed, so much as night themed. 



Now if those beavers were gnawing on your face, maybe then it would  Halloween  worthy.

Halloween worthy books:

One, Two... Boo! 1/5

Age recommendation per Amazonundefined (as young as you want IMHO)
Does it have a story: No
Art quality: fine
Does it rhyme: No

I know this is just a counting book with "windows". This is a waste of cardboard in my book. I will not dignify it with further commentary.


Runaway Mummy 3/5

Age recommendation per Amazon3 - 5 years
Does it have a story: Yes
Art quality: Amaz-balls awesome
Does it rhyme: No

This is a parody of another book that I have not read. It suffers for that. I would probably give this book two, but the art is some of the best I have seen in children's books Halloween or not. 


The story is a young mummy describing the things he will do to run away from his mother. She then counters with how she will still love him in the situation. Spoiler: his final form is suburban life and his mother is horrified. I am not sure if that is a message I love sharing.



Why does the wifey keep saying I am going to give the little one nightmares?

Ten Timid Ghosts: 4/5

Age recommendation per Amazon4 - 8 years
Does it have a story: Yes
Art quality: unremarkable, looks like a Scholastic book (which it is)
Does it rhyme: Yes

Ten ghosts battle a witch for ownership of a house? Now that is a Halloween book! 


I am no early childhood education expert, but this was a pretty simply book. 4-8 years seems high in my opinion.


Goodnight Goon 4/5

Age recommendation per Amazon1 - 3 years
Does it have a story: Ish
Art quality: fun, cartoony monstery, a good match to the story.
Does it rhyme: Yes

This is my go to read. It is short, but it is more than a handful of words describing things (See A Day With Monster). 
This is a parody of Goodnight Moon, but it works as a stand a lone. A little werewolf monster is saying goodnight to everything in his house, while a pesky goon wrecks the place. 

Aside: I thought goon was an offensive term for a someone or another. Five seconds on Google got me nothing though, so I guess I am wrong.

Room on the Broom 5/5
Age recommendation per Amazon3 - 7 years
Does it have a story: Yes
Art quality: Good
Does it rhyme: Yes

A solid read. A witch flies around dropping stuff and making friends in the process. Her friends then help her overcome a problem in a compelling climax!


Creepy Carrots! 5/5

Age recommendation per Amazon4 - 8 years
Does it have a story: Yes
Art quality: Awesome. Perfect for Halloween.
Does it rhyme: No

This is my personal favorite! This is in glorious black and white except for the monsters, ie carrots. This is also arguably the best story among these books. There is plot and development and such. That (in my experience) is in short supply in children's books.


A rabbit is convinced that the carrots he eats everyday are out for revenge. Are they really? Is it just his imagination? Find out in this excellent book!


Cute AND creepy? I will take it!

In conclusion, I hope my detour from the usual was at least mildly interesting. I am already working on a post for my favorite turkey recipe, so I we be back on food before you know it!

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Caribbean Jerk Sauce (Buffalo Wild Wings Copycat)

The uncoated piece is my control. Because science and shit... or I was impatient. Which ever came first.

I am back. Now the wifey and I have a baby of our very own. It has been nearly four months and we have not stewed, roasted, baked or boiled the child! I am told you cannot do that until they are a year old.


To fricassee or ragout?

Aside: we are about two months off before I start blogging baby food stuff. You have been warned.

Anyway, today I stayed home sick with an upset stomach. It has been so bad, I actually went to the doctor. So naturally I had to try something new and spicy. Spicy food calms the stomach right?

Resources:
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 cup water
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (I used sherry as I was out of cider vinegar)
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons cayenne sauce (I used Frank’s)
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon sage

Method:
Mix all ingredients in a food processor. Move to a bot and simmer twenty-thirty minutes until thickened.

Commentary:
Do not let the long list of ingredients fool you. This is as simple as they come. Mix, simmer, and serve.

Also as noted, I substituted cooking sherry for cider vinegar because that is what I had.

So I used the small food processor. Bad idea. Very slimy, messy, bad idea.


I am supposed to keep the food INSIDE the food processor?
It did not say that anywhere in the instructions.

I lightly breaded some chicken (flour, salt, and pepper, fry in canola until cooked through) and then submerged the chicken in the sauce.


Also perfect for any tar and feathering you need to do!

Conclusion:
A little sweat, a little ketchup-y but really tasty and spicy! I am racking my brain for more things to put this on because it was GOOD. It might go on tonight's pizza in fact.

That said it is not an excellent copycat recipe. It tasted similar, but not the same.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Easy and Delicious Chicken and Rice Casserole

STOP! Are you a granola? Does food that come in boxes/cans offend you? Get the hell out of here if they do.

In honor of my life being on the verge of new born insanity, I bring you my lazy man favorite.

Taste that? That is minimal effort. Tastes acceptable!

Can you chop? Can you measure one cup? Do you consider stirring to be an acceptable amount of effort? If so, you may proceed. This is for you.

Resources:
~2 lbs frozen chicken breasts (still frozen)
1 packet Lipton (or equivalent) onion soup mix
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup uncooked rice
Pepper to taste

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Mix the Lipton, soup, rice, and pepper.

Place chicken in a 9"x13" baking dish. Pour soup mix over chicken (it will not completely cover it). Cover tightly with foil.


Bake for 60 minutes. Remove from oven. Remove and chop/shred chicken. Return the chicken, mix well, and cover again. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes.

Commentary:
Onion soup mix and cream of chicken mixed together is like crack man. I can eat that shit straight.

Mmm. Brown crack.

The chicken is always a little dry and the there is always a bit of burnt rice. That is just part of this recipe. Accept it and move on.

Cooking time is pretty approximate. If you particularly large breasts (as I do), it may take a little longer. The key is make sure it is thawed when you chop / shred (cooked through is not necessary).

Speaking of chopping / shredding, make sure to dump the accumulated liquid from your cutting board back in.

The only real downside to this recipe is it takes too long.

Aside:
As noted, the wifey and I are in the home stretch of this whole pregnancy thingy-ma-jig. No telling when I will return. Until then, keep cooking friends!

Conclusion:
Do not expect a five star review on this one. This is not a regular. It just for the days I am feeling lazy and have a hundred minutes to spare. Damn it is easy.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Oops! Wrote this a week ago and never posted. Better late than never, right?

It sure it a photogenic meal.

I do not like honey and you can bet if the word "berry" is anywhere in the vicinity of a recipe it is not for me. However for some reason this one spoke to me. Call it fate. Call it kismet. Call it what you will, but as soon as I read this recipe I knew I had to try it.

Resources:
2-3 large bone-in (with skin) chicken breasts (2 1/2 to 3 pounds total)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup blackberry jam
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Sliced scallions, for garnish
Sesame seeds, for garnish

Method:
Arrange the chicken breasts in the slow cooker so that they are not overlapping.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, blackberry jam, hoisin, olive oil, garlic, onion, and crushed red pepper flakes, and then pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the slow cooker and cook the chicken on low for 4 to 5 hours or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Remove the chicken from the slow cooker (reserving the liquids) and place it on a cutting board. Remove the skin and bones then use two forks to shred the chicken into smaller pieces. Place the shredded chicken in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water.

Strain the liquids from the slow cooker into a small saucepan set over medium-high heat and whisk in the cornstarch. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook it until it reduces and has thickened, about 5 minutes (it might have been more honestly). Pour a little bit of the sauce over the chicken, tossing to combine. Serve the chicken topped with sliced scallions and sesame seeds and the remaining sauce on the side.

Commentary:
The blog I got this recipe from had some excellent pointers that I will address first.

"Using bone-in chicken breasts, rather than boneless chicken breasts, is key to guaranteeing moist, tender shredded chicken." I, for once, did not use skinless, boneless chicken breasts. It lived up to the advice too. The chicken was pretty moist. I left the skin on while cooking. The sauce is a bit overpowering here (more on that later). I feel like the skin acts as a shield that allows you to control the sauce level after the fact.

Plus I am lazy. Taking that skin off is effort, right?

"Depending on your preferences, you may want to pour only a portion of the sauce over the shredded chicken. Any leftover sauce can be served with other proteins or veggies." I cannot stress this one enough. There was so much sauce left over after the fact. This would have been overwhelming (and I guess kind of disgusting) if I had dumped it all on.

I used 1/8 of a teaspoon crushed red pepper. The wifey noticed the tiniest bit of heat, which means I did not notice at all. This just did not strike me as something I wanted spicy, but maybe that is just me. 

This took a lot of cookware: slow cooker, rice cooker, pot, bowls, cutting board, etc. Luckily the wifey does the clean up!

My rice cooker has twice the capacity of my slow cooker because... poor planning?

Aside: I think this is the first time I have worked with hoison. I am not sure sure how that is possible at this point in my life, but I believe it to be true.

I cooked this sauce down until it was thick and sticky. I did not log the time, hence the unsure cooking time above.

"Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble."

Conclusion:
I liked it. The wifey tolerated. Some days that is enough. That said, this will not be making the regular rotation of dinners.

Friday, January 30, 2015

Shepherd’s Pie

Mmm. Excessive cheese.

So there are some foods I think you do a disservice by having a recipe. Something like shepherd’s pie should not be tied down by convention. It should not be shackled with unnecessary rules. Damn the man, save the Empire! Then I got married. Now you bet your ass I have an EXACT recipe. 

I tell you this not to make fun of my wife (ok maybe a little of that too), but to encourage you to play with this one. It is a very forgiving recipe, so if you are new to cooking or a seasoned veteran: experiment. I will discuss further in the commentary. BTW when you get the commentary section get comfy. I have opinions: lots and lots of opinions. Some of which are even about cooking!

Waxing philosophical aside, this is a recipe made for leftovers that keep well. This gets dinner and three to four lunches (total) for my wifey and me. That is a big selling point for me.

Resources:
2-2 1/2 lbs potatoes
1 lb ground beef
1/2-1 sweet onion, dice
1 can corn, drained
8 oz frozen peas
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon thyme
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 tablespoon flour
1 lb shredded provolone (or mozzarella ) cheese, divided
milk or butter (or better yet both)
salt and pepper

Method:
Skin and boil the potatoes until tender. Mash with 6 oz of cheese, milk, butter and salt to taste. Allow to cool slightly.

Cook the ground beef with the onion over medium heat until completely cooked. Drain some (not all) of the fat.

In a large bowl, mix the beef mixture, corn, peas, Worcestershire, thyme, cream of chicken soup, flour, and salt & pepper to taste. Transfer to an large deep baking dish (~8"x12"). Cover with a thick layer of potatoes. Top with remaining cheese.


Bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes or until it is heated throughout and the cheese is melty. Broil briefly (~5 minutes) until cheese is lightly browned. Do not burn it (duh).


Broil phase is not really NECESSARY, but it gives it some color in the cheese and I like it.

Commentary:
Is she looking? No. Ok. We are safe to talk. The wifey has a crazy ground beef issue. I like to pick the right ground beef for the job. Burgers: 80/20. Hamburger helper: 90/10. And so on. If I let her have her way it would be 93/7 all the time. We compromise on 90/10 most of the time with the occasional 85/15. For whatever reason, she really hates 80/20. Anyway the point is in this recipe it does not matter much. The only difference for me is if I was using 80/20 I would drain the beef more thoroughly than the 90/10. I leave a fair bit of the liquefied fat in (not that there is much) with 90/10.

Let us talk about what is important and what is not important. Ground beef, mash potatoes, and some veggies are what make a shepherd’s pie. Beyond that it is personal taste. So let us talk a “little” about how I arrived at the above recipe.

Vegetables: I find a total of 2-3 cups to 1 lb of ground beef is a nice ratio. But you can use anything for the vegetables. Lots of onions and corn is what I like. Too many peas turn me off though. What can I say I do not like a lot of pea-ness (file that under jokes that do not translate to the written word). If you have frozen vegetable medley lying around use that. Like some crunch? Add diced carrots. The only catch is there is minimal oven cooking here, so anything (like raw carrots) that needs more cook time that has to be done before the oven.


Check out my meat / veggie balance. See it. Touch it. Taste it.

Potatoes: the mashed potatoes to “other” ratio is SUPER-DUPER important. This recipe comes with a little bit more potatoes than other, but pretty close. I have seen versions where you have 2-3X the potatoes. I have seen versions where the potatoes barely cover the dish. Like anything else, it is a taste thing.

Cheese: completely optional, but why would you ever OPT OUT of cheese? Honestly half the time I probably use more than a pound if I have it handy.

Seasoning: you do not want to overwhelm the potatoes and vegetables, but little/no seasoning comes across as bland. I like Worcestershire and a little bit of one of the Italian basics (thyme in this case). I have used oregano before too. I have found my happy palce, you should do the same. I just advise against going hog wild. Lightly seasoned is the goal here.

Cream of chicken: finally we come to the liquid. You can use broth if you want to go a little healthier.  Yes, cream of chicken is calorically heavy. I usually get about six servings out of this recipe, so I do not feel like they put this over the top into the unhealthy category. Point is you want to have something there. Otherwise this will be way too dry.  And I like something on the thicker side. Cream of chicken and flour accomplishes that. 

If you are still reading my long winded commentary section I award you an imaginary internet point. Congrats!

Conclusion:
It hits all four traditional food groups in one meal. It is easy to make. It is flexible (which helps when you forget the <BLANK> at the grocery). The ingredients are cheap. There is a reason this is a stable of my household.

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Aioli-Glazed Charred Broccoli

This IS the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Happy New Year and what not. We have a quicky today, because I feel unworthy of keeping this glory to myself any longer.

Resources:
1/2 cup mayonnaise (1/3 cup*)
1.5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (1 tablespoon*)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (2 teaspoons*)
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
Salt
Pepper
2 medium to small heads, cut into florets

Method:
Preheat the broiler and position a rack 8 inches from the heat. In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the olive oil, lemon juice and garlic and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the broccoli florets and toss to coat.

Spread the broccoli on a large rimmed baking sheet and broil for about 6-9 minutes, until lightly charred and the edges are crisp. Serve right away.

Commentary:


* - You will notice I have two measurements. The original recipe is for three heads. Well thanks F&W, real helpful since my grocery sells in bundles of two. Anyway use the first. If that is too saucy (as the wifey informed me it was) use the second batch. While I will agree with her the first batch I made was a bit overly saucy, the second batch had a quarter or so of the pieces with way too little sauce. If I find a happy medium I will let you guys know.

PS, sorry about the funny text formatting. Blogger.com does not like me today.

Two heads are better than three?

Conclusion:


Holy moly, EPIC! I have already made it twice and I will make it again MANY times... including most likely tonight.