February 2006 Archives

Meet the Whirley-Pop™, in case you've never seen one. I picked this up at my local supermarket for $4.99. I mean, for 5 bucks what kitchen gadgeteer wouldn't want to check it out? They sell on Amazon for between $14.99 and around $22, the link above is for the least expensive price I found, if you want to read the customer reviews, which are generally good, look at the more expensively priced unit listed. (Disclaimer: I'm not familiar with any of the sellers, and I get a small cut if you buy one through the Amazon link I posted, but it doesn't affect your price.)

Curse you, Biggles!!

I just about had to go change my shirt when Dr. Biggles emailed with a cool gadget I'm going to post later this week, and to taunt me about a chicken dish he had just written about. When I went to his site, I was dumbfounded at the sight of prosciutto stuffed under the skin of a tasty 'chicky.' I commented that I had to have chicken for dinner Friday night, and I did.

No prosciutto on hand, and on a Friday evening after a long day in the office, there was no way I was going to the store. I did have some some chicken breasts and some leftover pesto, though. Hmmm.....

I can't stop eating this stuff.

A customer in Alaska, Lloyd, emailed to say that he made this recently with popcorn but he's also doing it with pork rinds. I just bought a neat gadget called a Whirley-Pop™ that I'll review Monday, so with this cool popper and a great idea in hand, I had to give it a try.

I really can't stop eating this stuff, I just had to go back into the test kitchen and have some more.

Where was I? Right. I'm going to try different techniques, but for this batch, I used about 3 parts cheese to 2 parts Survival Spice™. I had some parm in a green can that I needed to get rid of, so I used that. It doesn't have enough flavor, though, and because it's so dry it doesn't cling to the popcorn very well, so next time I will definiteIy use freshly grated. I melted some butter, then added the dry mix to that and mixed it up. When the popcorn was done, I tossed it with the mixture, added a bit of kosher salt, and there it was.

Was, being the correct term. It's gone now.

Happy Friday, everyone! We have a slightly naughty Friday Funny this week from Janella, so if you're easily offended you might want to skip this one.

I'm always on the hunt for new Friday Funnies, so if you have one, email me here. Notice that in my email address, you'll need to delete the 'REMOVETHESEWORDS' I'm placed in there to keep the spambots away. And hey, now that I'm thinking about it, you do take the time to delete the zillion email addresses attached to emails before you forward them, don't you? Spambots love it when you make their job easier...

Have a great weekend and cook yourself something good! And take pictures!!! Er, of the food, that is.

Is Teflon® carcinogenic? I've been seeing a lot about this over the last year, and when I got an email asking my opinion on the possible dangers of Teflon®, I thought I'd write about it here. Normally I prefer 'sticking' to more appetizing topics, but I feel informed cooks are better cooks.

I'll continue in the extended entry, so you can skip over this if you're so inclined...

Right here!!!

I just had to put up something light after the Teflon® post...

McDonald's is being sued over something in their french fries again:

McDonald's Corp. faces at least three lawsuits claiming the fast-food giant misled the public after it acknowledged earlier this week its french fries contain milk and wheat ingredients.
...
Her attorney, Thomas Pakenas, said his client has celiac disease, which causes gastrointestinal symptoms set off by eating gluten, a protein found in wheat.

The french fry page I got the image from doesn't mention wheat and dairy contents yet, but it does still mention beef flavoring. I say get rid of the wheat and get back to frying them in beef tallow!

Thanks to Michael for the link.

In related news, Survival Spice™ is still gluten free...

(Barrett's Pizza Pot Pie)

Crazy busy around here today, so I'll just mention that Barrett, over at Too Many Chefs, has a cool post up on Pizza Pot Pies that's well worth checking out.

He used puff pastry instead of bread dough, which makes them quick and easy for parties, but they'd also be great with the traditional bread if you had the time to do it. In the comments, Meg mentioned missing the crispy cheese you get with traditional pizza, but you could always add some cheese to the top during cooking once the pastry sets up, I think.

(I like to call it Mt. Chefmore...)

Happy President's Day, everyone. Are you supposed to say happy, really? I guess you do if you don't have to work, I guess. Well, we don't get the mail today, and because I don't have to deal with shipments I had time to goof off a bit.

As I pondered what to make for dinner tonight, it got me thinking about what our past President from days of yore might have had for dinner on this special day, though I guess it really wasn't all that special at that point. Anyhoo, I have these really cool recipes from the late 1800s so I thought I might offer this as something they might have enjoyed.

Another great Friday Funny from Janella that will get your weekend off to a good start. Hear a great joke? Email me!

Have a great weekend, and cook something good!

(Photo: TPC, smoked pork butts)

I was going through my photo archives this morning, and found a picture I don't think I've ever posted of a few pork butts I smoked late last spring for pulled pork sandwiches. There's nothing like slow cooked BBQ. It's time intensive, I know, but well worth the effort, and if you smoke a few extra cuts each time you fire up the smoker and freeze them, it's a real treat to be able to have great BBQ whenever you want.

These butts were rubbed in Survival Spice™, then smoked with pecan wood with soaked apple chips, which is one of my favorite smoking combinations, for about 7 hours at about 225º. I took this picture about an hour before they were done, and let them cool.

The next morning, I pulled the pork, simmered it for about an hour in some BBQ sauce I made, and served each sandwich topped with some homemade vinegar cole slaw on a toasted sesame seed bun.

What's your favorite BBQ sandwich?

(Photo: TPC's Risotto with Shrimp, Portabellos, Asparagus, Pine Nuts, red peppers, roasted garlic and onions, topped with Peccorino Romano)

I think risotto is one of those comfort meals that can also be really romantic. If you've never made risotto, or worse yet, never had it, you're missing one of life's simple pleasures. As long as you've got the rice for risotto in your pantry (arborio or carnaroli), you can make risotto with whatever else you've got handy. A properly made risotto is soft and creamy, but still with a slight 'tooth' to the rice. It is not sticky and mushy.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone, from all of us at Desert Island Foods™.com!

If you could have your ultimate romantic meal tonight, what would it be? Let's have some fun with this. Imagine money is no object. Would you travel somewhere exotic, go out for an incredible gourmet dinner, have something catered or cook at home?

We're starting to get some nice comments from customers in response to our last newsletter. In case you're not receiving our Desert Island Foods.com newsletter, you can go to our Desert Island Foods™.com main page and sign up.

Hint, hint: We've got a few special sales going on this month for our subscribers, so you might want to click on over. Our subscriber list is for our use only, no spam, no evil mailing lists, no way! You can unsubscribe any time, too.

Here's a nice email about Survival Spice™ from John in Mesa, AZ:

I just have to write to compliment you on the flavor and quality of your Survival Spice. It is my new "cannot do without" in the kitchen. I must say, I am very selective and have grown used to the spices I have used my whole life. My sons have grown used to what we eat as well. Your Survival Spice has replaced near everything in my cupboard and my sons are coming up with recipes for us to make just to use your spice. It really is that good!!

Thanks again, keep making the good stuff. I am a customer for life!!

John

Thanks, John!

(Photo: Diana's Bison Teriyaki)

Diana was nice enough to send some more information about her bison purveyor and why she likes bison so much:

Canadian "regulations" have eliminated the term "Porterhouse" ... it must be "T-Bone", 'cause ... that's what the bone says. However, I still call it a Porterhouse 'cause it has the filet still attached. "T-Bone", to me, is the steak without the filet. My butcher, Saslove's Meat Market, provides an amazing array of organic, anti-biotic free product and other delights.

There's not much of a "game" taste to bison. Much more like "pure" beef. It always leaves one wanting more. You don't know "tender" 'til you've tasted this.

Now, what to do with that leftover "Survival" bison steak that I happened to cook at the same time ;P

Diane has provided an example of how dovetailing your weekly home menus is a fun and great way to get a number of dishes out of one basic ingredient, in this case, the organic bison she bought and used previously for the Bison Steaks she made with Survival Spice™ the other day.

This really looks wonderful, Diana. I thought her comment about calling a porterhouse a T-bone was interesting, too. The porterhouse cut is the large end of the loin, and it does have more of the filet than the T-bone end, which is the tail end of the tenderloin.

Here's a great Friday Funny from Sheri, which proves that you can never get enough blonde jokes.

Can you? If you have a good joke for the Friday Funny, email me.

Have a great weekend, everyone! Take some time and cook up something, good, willya? Take a picture of what you make and send it in, too!

Here's what Shell made for dinner recently:

Broiled Survival Spice™ chops with spaghetti squash (it's a fave around here), baby peas and horseradish sauce with dill. Just to prove we can't live with out it! LOL!

Hey, that looks really good. Nice plating, Shell!

What did do have for dinner last night? Email me!

This is a really cool idea:

A winemaking revolution has started on the West Coast as more than 200 customers of Crushpad can now pour a glass of wine perfectly matched to their palate because they were able to work with Crushpad to choose a vineyard and make their own wine no matter where they live. Crushpad is opening up 2006 grape source allocations this month so that even more wine aficionados can sign up to become "citizen winemakers." The winery is also readying MyCrushpad 2.0, its online "virtual winemaking" site that enables customers from around the world to participate in the process without physically being at the winery.

You can choose your grapes and the way the wine is made, and follow the progress online. You can do as little as a barrel, which is about 25 cases. I'm sure it's pricey, but it would be uber-hip to have your own custom blend. I could drink 25 cases a year, I think, but I'm not sure how my liver would hold out.

Lucy would dig it, I think. A nice glass of Cabernet with a shot of Vitameatavegamin would be a great way to finish the day...

(Photo: TPCs Simple Grilled Chicken and Potatoes)

Being especially lazy last night, dinner was simple, quick and delicious- grilled chicken breast with Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgine di Oliva, and popped them into the microwave until they were just about cooked through. I'm not a big fan of microwaves for anything but reheating, but it works pretty well in this case, and it sure saves a lot of time. I do recommend oiling them before nuking, I think it helps mitigate the mealy 'microwavy texture' nuked potatoes get.

Here they are on the grill. Dig the E-Z Hook® in action. I can't tell you how easy this makes life. It's become absolutely indispensable around here, I have to say.

I grilled them until they were crispy outside and soft inside, which only took as long as the chicken did to cook. I hit them with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and dinner was served.

What did you have for dinner last night? Email me!

(Photo: Diana's Organic Bison steak with rice pilaf and sauteed carrots)

Another terrific email from our North of the Border foodie friend, Diana. Who could forget her Everyman's Edible Slider w/homemade Chili Sauce, or the Puffy Corn Omelet that she entered in Food Fight Four?

Diana's lucky enough to have a local butcher that has organic bison steaks, so she grabbed what looks like a porterhouse cut and the Survival Spice™ and went to work. Served with a rice pilaf and some sauteed carrots, I have to say it's a great meal, even if she was rooting for the Seahawks...

What did you have for dinner last night? Email me a picture with a description!

(Photo: TPC's Grilled Jalapeño Poppers with grilled Hot Wings)

Not a Super Bowl goes by in my world without Poppers. I'm not talking about those crappy, breaded things stuffed with cream cheese, I'm talking about a fresh jalapeno filled with jack cheese, shrimp and bacon, then grilled. I learned this version from my buddy Jerry, who somehow wrangled Super Bowl tickets yesterday, but I only hated him until I ate my first Popper! We've tried a million variations, sausage, pepper jack, colby, crab, etc., but we keep coming back to these ingredients.

They're really labor-intensive, but once you've served them to guests, they'll be more than happy to help you prep them next time.

Once again, the Friday light at the end of the work week tunnel is on, so it's time for the Friday Funny. Email me your quips, jokes or just cool stuff!

We've got another great joke from Janella, who seems tapped in to the mother lode of Internet jokes.

Have a great weekend, everyone, and cook something good!

And with all due respect to my friends, customers, readers and family members in Seattle---

GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Photo: TPCs "semi-glace", bagged and ready for the freezer. You can see some of the semi in action here.)

Mmmm, demi-glace. Easy on the tongue and tough on the wallet, but you can make your own. It's great to be able to reach in the freezer and grab a few of these when you want gravy but you don't have enough pan drippings. Before I tell you how I made my version the other day, let me tell you a bit about how a proper demi is created.

(Photo: Paul Brown)

I love chile verde, so I was glad to see that Paul came up with a great version using Survival Spice™. I think he was smart to add the oregano and cumin, they're important flavors in Southwest dishes, including the Traditional New Mexico-style Pork Chile I've posted here before. It also is a good example of how you can use Survival Spice™ as a starting point, and add whatever you want to customize it to a particular style of cooking.

And dig all of Chile's grills. I was up to 6 setups when I moved a few years ago, but he's hardcore!

What have you been cooking? Email me some pics and a description!

We've been getting great reviews on the E-Z Hook® we introduced at Desert Island Foods™.com last year.

A customer called yesterday to say that all the people that he sent Survival Spice™ to as Christmas gifts are thrilled, and that he's going to send them E-Z Hooks® next, because he finds his indespensible.

An email from Marilyn today:

My husband loves the E-Z Hook®, he says he barely touches the meat and it flips whatever he's cooking flawlessly. Plus, it's not cumbersome like other utensils.

I have to say that I use my E-Z Hook® just about every day, and I agree completely. Sometimes I feel like I was born with kitchen tongs in my hand, but I find myself reaching for the E-Z Hook® more and more often. Marilyn also asked for more egg recipes that use Survival Spice™:

After reading your recipe for salmon eggs, this morning I cubed up some left over ham and fried it with some of the great Tibvrtini oil you sent us and added some Survival Spice. Then I cooked up some eggs, scrambled like, then mixed the two and added crushed tortilla chips on top. It was delish. Any more egg recipes would be much appreciated. We have a never ending supply of eggs, our 12 ladies (hens) keep us satiated!

Wow, must be nice having fresh eggs every day.

Thanks to everyone who's sent in emails lately. If you have feedback on a product, good or bad, please email me. I'll post more soon when I have some more time, plus I hate to turn The Pragmatic Chef™ into a frickin' infomercial. I know everybody gets how good our products are!