More menu items!

Thanks again to Dani... here are a few more options:

-Disco Fries: Gravy and Mozzarella on Fries

-Dippers: Taters with like 5 Dipping Sauces

-The Fry Daddy- Deep fried patty on bun

My ideas:
-The Heart Attack on a Plate - 3D burger completely deep fried and drizzled with bbq sauce w/ a side of ranch

3 Dudes Diner

The name comes from Ms. Dani Brown of Turlock, CA. thanks! If i ever decide i want partners in my culinary adventure...i know who im asking and i already have a name. 3 dudes diner. (that means the two of you [you know who] better start thinking about going into the food biz. how about we open this at the Strand?)

and im starting a menu:
-Signature Dish: 3D burger (3 patties, 3 slices of cheese, 3 layers of bacon, and onion rings)
-The waffler (deep fried chicken with waffle buns - its like chicken and waffles, cept handheld!)
-Meatloaf (FUCK!)
-BBQ'ed meat (ribs, brisket, pulled pork)
-Breakfast foods (pancakes, corned beef hash, omelettes)
-Burgers (all kinds, built to order)

maybe I'll add more....maybe not.


man, this is what happens at 1am (plus being hungry doesn't help)

When I get bored...

I make food first thing in the morning...but I don't it right away.

Except today I woke up nearly at noon, and started on a deep dish pizza...using the left over ingredients from the previous pizza endeavor.

here is the end result (I forgot to take pics of the entire process...)

This sausage and bacon dish of tasty goodness was made in a cast iron skillet...something I've been meaning to do since I bought the damn thing.

And since I had a bunch of eggs that were going to end up in the trash if I didn't use them soon, I made brownies. (half toffee, half walnut and toffee).

Okay, so this isn't the nicest presentation that I've done so far, but I was lazy and wanted to eat the damn things. (I know, I know....I normally don't eat my sweets, but I have to try my first batch of things...these were so good! almost fudge-like...almost.)

Dutch Oven + Meat + Stuff = tasty goodness

So today was a good day. It started with a purchase of a Dutch Oven (no Jeff, not THAT kind of dutch oven), some meats, various spices, and a few other things. But rather than bore you all with the details, I will lead you through a photographic journey of the creation of my chili.

Step1 : Make the chili powder. (I forgot to take pics of the process, so here's a pic of the chilies used) [Top left: Ancho, Top Right: Guajillo, Bottom: Anaheim]

Step 2: Prepare the vegetables (chopped onions and minced garlic)

Step 3: Brown the meat (I used Beef Chuck and Pork Shoulder, equal amounts)

Man, look at that...so tasty. And all that yummy toasty goodness at the bottom...yum! (I browned all of the meat in small batches so that everything can get nice and brown. Crowding the pot = bad)

The end result of all that browning in the pot. mmmmm....

Step 4: Cook the aromatics down (that means cook the onions and garlic).

After the onions have cooked down to about half their original size (~10mins), add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.

The onions are now caramelized, and have picked up all the brown crusty goodness from the browning of the meat. Time to ward off the vampires!

Step 5: Add the chili powder (homemade, of course), cumin, and oregano (I used italian seasoning (a blend of herbs) because I felt like it).

Step 6: Add a can of diced tomatoes and beef stock. (I used beef because I felt the flavors would come out a little better - didnt want to mix three meat flavors together...bleh).

Step 7: Add the meat (and the juices that may have run out)

Step 8: After about 2-3 hours, add the pinto bean + stock puree (I didnt want whole beans in my chili so I pureed both cans of beans)

le Grand finale: serve! (I didnt buy extra onions and cheese, so I made corn muffins)

The meat was fork tender, and the corn bread soaked up the liquid like a sponge. Mmm!

So, the next time I make this, I think I'm going to cut out another cup of stock (I already cut one cup out, but it was too liquidy for my taste). And maybe I'll use the whole beans rather than puree-ing them.

All in all, a great bowl of chili. The fact that I made my own chili powder meant I didn't have to use Tobasco to add some heat to the chili since it was already a good amount of heat in the chili powder.

Finally...photographic proof.

So I decided to be productive today and dug up my USB cable for the camera and uploaded the pics...so here you go, proof of my culinary exploits:


Basil and Fresh Mozzarella Pizza


Sweet Basil Sausage Pizza (most of it) and a slice of Asian Chicken Pizza


Bacon Wrapped Steak Medallions w/a Balsamic Onion Relish on a bed of Wild Rice Pilaf


Bacon Wrapped Scallops w/ Spicy Pineapple Mango Salsa


Soy-Sake Marinated Chicken on a bed of Plum-Ginger Noodles



For the pizzas, the dough was made from scratch, as well as the marinara.
The salsa was a hit (I think that's going to be a keeper - as long as I can write the recipe down the next time I make it). The same goes for my Soy-Sake marinade (its absolutely amazing).

Asian Style...

So I normally don't cook asian (style, influenced, etc) food. But today I went and did just that.

On the menu: Soy-Sake Marinated Chicken w/ Ginger-Plum Noodles.

I also tried to make some marinated fried tofu...but those didnt work out..at all...-sigh- I can never figure out the proper way of frying tofu (just like mom does...I really should just call her up and ask...nah, too much just to fry up some pressed soybeans.) Everytime I end up with a half fried, half not so fried (and very greasy) mess of what used to be a block of extra firm tofu. DAMN.

I have to admit...I'm really digging the sake marinade I've been using (made by me, of course).
Once I get the finer details down, I'll come up with an exact recipe, but right now, I'm just eyeballing everything.

Pictures as soon as I can find my damn cable for my camera. Grrrr.

So here's a list of things I've made, and what is to come. Warning: the list may be extensive and out of my culinary reach...but hey, I'm willing to try.

Made:
-Baked Mac and Cheese (mmmm....homemade is always better than the box)
-Bacon Wrapped Steak Medallions w/ a balsamic onion relish on a bed of wild rice pilaf
-Bacon Wrapped Sake Marinated Scallops w/ a spicy pineapple mango relish
-Various cookies
-Creme Brulee (I like to use the torch...sue me.)

To be made:
-Hickory Smoked Ribs
-Pulled Pork Sammich
-Beef Brisket
-Smoked Tofu on a bed of Plum-Ginger Noodles w/ Miso Soup
-Burgers
-Chili
-Meat

I need to build a smoker for most of the stuff I want to makem and the weather needs to get better. Boo to rain!

Leave a comment if you have any other recipe ideas.

And I promise pictures will be up soon...I'm just lazy at the moment.

The Beginning

So I finally decided to make a blog. I guess I'm doing it to have a place to put up all of my edible (and not-so-edible) creations for the world to see. [and by world, I mean whoever haphazardly comes across this, if anyone...]

While the original idea for this was to house my epicurean concoctions, there may or may not be postings of a personal nature as well (just fair warning - I like to rant).