Steak and Potatoes

Last girl I dated was a "Steak and Potatoes" kind of girl. I didn't realize it seems to mean dull.

I'm going to put this one down quickly because actually I want to get to the next one that's current. I didn't have a chance to write this when I made it but I wanted to be sure you had it. Take a look:

Entree:
Pan Seared New York Steak with Wild Meadow Mushroom, Duck Fat and Red Wine Sauce, Garlic Yukon Potatoes with Parsley and Steamed Baby Carrots

Need:

1 New York steak
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 package dried Meadow Mushrooms
2 Yukon Potatoes, chopped large
1 Bunch Baby Carrots
1 Tbsp Flour
Fresh Parsley
Butter
Olive Oil

Boil the potatoes. Soak the Mushrooms in about .5 cup water

Put some oil in a skillet with half the garlic on medium low heat and throw on the steak. Sear it about 5-8 minutes on both sides (that's how I like it) and then let it finish cooking for 10 minutes off the heat.

While that's going on, melt some butter with the potatoes and combine with a handful of fresh parsely and the remaining garlic.

The baby carrots should be steamed and still have a crisp.

The Mushroom and Redwine sauce is made simultaneously as all this. When you're done frying the steak, take the oil and combine with about a tablespoon of rendered duck fat. If you don't have that use lard or some rendered leftover bacon grease. Put in the mushrooms and cook them just a little while. Then add the flour and make a rue. Brown this all just a little, then add about half a glass of red wine, slowly. Let this reduce just slightly and add the water you used to soak the mushrooms. The sauce should be thickening. Season and let thicken.

Serve over the steak alongside the potatoes and the baby carrots.

Yeah, I know, it's pretty simple but it's gooood.

WARNING

DO NOT EXPECT TO COMFORTABLY ENDURE LENGTHY PERIODS OF TIME IN PUBLIC PLACES AFTER CONSUMING PICKLED GOODS AND EXCESSES OF GARLIC FOR LONGER THAN 2 DAYS.

It has been so bad, I have to leave my office, go outside and make sure there's no one around I care about. I'm home now and I can't stand being around myself.

I know you've had times similar to this.

Can I Just Dry That Parsley Out and Smoke It?

Just got home from work and it's snack time! I've been eating all day, a little here, a little there. Actually quite a bit and I've realized that I eat a lot more now that I don't smoke. It's at 38 days and so what I eat more. I can also taste and smell what I'm eating better so, so what.

That's part of the reason why I made some pretty healthy stuff yesterday because I'm starting to eat noticeably more and I think I might actually be gaining some weight. Whatever. I've also been working out more so who knows, maybe it's some muscle or something. I don't think I look all that much fatter and we're all our own worst critics, right? Bottom line, I don't care, but I'm keeping it in mind. Cutting down on the meat fat and cheese (again), basically.

Well, I've got quite a bit of leftover things from what I made up yesterday and I've been chewing on bits and pieces of them all day and could use something new. I haven't used everything I bought yesterday and I can put together something really tasty as a snack to go with my just-got-home cocktail—which today just happens to be a Vodka Martini.

Snack
Herb Non-fat Yogurt Dip with Baked Pita Chips and White Grapes

Dip:
2 hand-fulls chopped Basil
2 hand-fulls chopped Parsley
4 cloves chopped Garlic
Fresh Ground Pepper (also known as FGP)
.5 qt. Nonfat Yogurt
Romano, grated
and
2 Martini

Baked Pita Chips:
Some Pitas, cut into chips
Olive Oil
Salt

Oven on broil, put Salted, Olive Oil-ed Pita chips on a pan and brown them both sides. They should be sufficiently dry and be crispy.

Combine Parsley, Basil, Garlic, some Romano, a generous amount of Black pepper and the Yogurt. Fold over a number of times to get it well mixed and to get the Parsley and Basil to wilt a little.

Serve with the chips and throw put some Grapes close by because they really mellow the strong Garlic. They're also just plain good.

Hell. I just made half of that and had it for dinner, I think. I'm really pretty full...

Super-bowls

Not into football. Sorry. I even watched today, as it's always nice to watch the pinnacle of any sport league or whatever and it didn't do much for me. I've got to go to sleep here soon and I still have to fold my laundry and such but wanted to post the 3 other bowls I had going on today.

Sorry about the dryness of the post, I woke up hungover and am not feeling great still. It's 12 hours later.

So I wasn't feeling much like coming up with anything new or experimenting. My brain's been mush all day. So I thought I'd 000 hang on Victoria's Secret ad...

Ok, so these are very slightly varied recipes out of a favorite cookbook of mine and I like makin'em every now and then. Sort of a default-just-have-food-in-the-fridge style.

Appetizer
Tuna and Cannellini Salad with Red Onion and Parsley

16 oz canned Tuna in water, drained
12 oz Cannellini (White Kidney Beans), drained
1 Red Onion sliced fine
2 cloves Garlic chopped fine
Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper (A lot. Keep tasting it)
Handful Parsley chopped fine

You ready for this?

Combine all in a bowl.

Ok. Next.

Here's another salad like thing.

Appetizer
Insalata di Rinforzo

2 bunches of Carrots
3-4 handfuls of Green Beans
1 Red Onion
2 cups White Vinegar
1 cup White Wine
2 cups Water
1 Bay Leaf
Sugar
Salt
1 head of Cauliflower
Olive oil
1 Lemon
Handful chopped Parsley
2 cloves Garlic
Capers

Bayleaf, White Wine Vinegar and White Wine, tablespoon Salt and Sugar, Water need to boil in a pot. Cut the Carrots so they're about the size of one of your fingers. I don't care which. Same with the Beans. Pull the green leafy stuff off the stem of the Cauliflower and cut in there to free up the florets. Slice the onion fine.

When the Wine/Water mix gets going put in the Carrots and boil them til the get just a little tender. Pull them out with a slotted spoon and set aside in a large bowl. Do the Beans now. When you're done with the Beans pull them out the same way. Do the Cauliflower with the Onion. Same gig, when it's tender put it in the bowl.

Put that in the fridge.

Combine juice of the Lemon, about a third of cup of the Olive Oil, the Parsley, the Garlic and season. When the veggies cool off, toss with the dressing.

So that's that one.

Pasta
La Bandiera

A couple Potatos, chopped up into cubes about an inch big
16 oz Macaroni-ish Pasta
28 oz can of Tomatos
2 handfuls Basil, chopped
Olive Oil
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 bag, that's right, bag of Arugula
Grated Romano
Sugar
Red Wine (that you should be drinking)

Put the Potatos in boiling water. Make sure it's a lot of water because you're going to put in the Pasta next. Boil them for about 5 minutes or so, kind of depends on how thick you cut them, then go with the Pasta.

While that's going on, saute the Garlic just slightly and add the canned Tomatos. Break them up with the tool you've chosen to stir with. Add the Basil, a little sugar and Red Wine. Simmer until the Pasta is just tender.

Drain Pasta and Potatos, combine with sauce, add Arugula and fold in. It'll look like a whole lot of Arugula but it shrink and wilts don't worry.

Add the Cheese. Good shit.

Ok. Going to bed. Cheers.

1 Human, 1 Chicken Equals too Much Chicken.

A couple of nights ago, I made a roasted chicken. Then I was very optimistic that I'd take basically the same thing and put it in some containers and 'have lunches' for a while. Well, no not really, was a good idea and I've been there before, but it's just too much freakin' food. Keep in mind however, that I'm living by myself and not dating anyone so it's somewhat relative.

So I'm sick of my Middle-Eastern-ish Chicken. Remember I'm not a fan of microwaves and would rather cook up something else in order to have a seemingly fresh meal. I'm also really tired and don't want to go ape-shit but need something other than the same thing I've been eating for the past 2 days or so. So.

This post is about some ideas of how to re-purpose some meat you're not all that stoked on anymore. They basically center around a Mexi-Chinese theme but that's pretty much what I've got in the house tonight so brace yourself.

Hang on, more wine.

Ok. Let's get started shall we?

More wine.

Entree:
Chicken Fried Rice Out of Nowhere

Substitute Chicken for any left over pork or fowl. Beef doesn't work so well but if you get adventurous, give it a shot, why not.

Leftover Meat, Chopped up pretty fine
1 cup Indian Rice (Key here is to NOT use a starchy rice like Arborio. You want just a flavorful short, or hell long if you want, not too starchy rice.)
1 cup of "Who cares?" White Wine. "Who cares?" being "You don't."
.5 cup each of Frozen Peas and Frozen Corn
1 yellow onion
1 Tbsp butter
2 Eggs
Some sour-cream
Oil

Here we go.

Wait. More wine.

This is going to go quick because I'm tired and not in the mood, so pay attention.

Oil in pan medium-high heat. Rice when oil is hot. Fry the rice in the oil for a few minutes. Try not to brown it. Dump a bunch of your Waste White Wine in there, give it a little salt. Bring to boil, add water, cook rice the way you'd normally cook rice.

Chop the onion and start sautee-ing it. When it becomes very slightly translucent throw on the eggs, scrambled like a really messy omelette base. Let it cook like that for a bit so that you're looking at being able to flip it with a spatula. Obviously, if you finely chop the onions this is going to hold together better than if it's like half an onion. Well, you shouldn't be working with huge chunks but whatever, if the egg breaks up, good. You just want to start with big chucks of egg because it'll break up when you add it to the...

Rice!

Shit. you've got the rice about done by now, add a little butter, pepper, a little more salt (taste it first) and take it off the heat. Let the butter melt and stir the whole rice mix together. Return to the heat, add the the peas and corn let them defrost, melt cook the rice some more. Add the meat. Heat it all up. Plate as a pile on the plate, drop a load of sour cream on there.

Add a little to this by:

Taking and deep frying some corn tortilla chips in veggie oil and adding some beans to the above mix. You won't go wrong either with som hot peppers or Chinese chili oil.



So this is the easy route out.