Sunday, December 31, 2006

Food Songs

Food songs, or songs that have food in them. Please expand!

Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson
The Beer Song - They Might Be Giants
Do the Funky Chicken - Rufus Thomas
Eat It - Weird Al
Green Onions - Booker T. & The MGs
Lemon Tree - Peter, Paul & Mary
Let's Call the Whole Thing Off - Louis Armstrong
No Sugar Tonight - The Guess Who
Saturday Night Fish Fry - Louis Jordan
That's Amore - Frank Sinatra

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Sweet Potato Pancakes

I was a little bored today, so I decided to cook. I decided to attempt to make some sweet potato pancakes. For fun, I did this completely by the seat of my pants, no recipe was involved whatsoever. I only had a theory, which I hoped would result in something edible.


First step: I baked a sweet potato in the oven for a bit to soften it up, then I mashed it up on the breadboard with some flour.


For step two I added some brown sugar and an egg. (In retrospect, I may have used too much brown sugar.. ah well live and learn :P).


Next I mixed it all together into a big ball of dough. I had to add a bit more flour halfway through because it got all super sticky. This was actually the funnest part because afterwards I had all this orange sweet potato goo all over my hands. It was just like playdough, only tastier.


After I had the dough ready, I flattened it out (which was tricky because I don't have one of those dough rolling contraptions), cut it into pieces, and fried them up in some vegetable oil.


And voila! The finished product. Pretty simple "recipe" I guess. They didn't turn out quite like I had envisioned, but considering I was making it up as I went it's a miracle they were edible at all.

Monday, December 25, 2006

The Laws of Random Cooking

The laws that govern the Land of Random Cooking:

  1. Cooking is in a constant state of Quantum Flux. Attempts to create food identical to the last meal or by following a recipe will result in the destruction of the Multiverse.
  2. No measuring. Measuring is teh lame.
  3. Use Butter. Margarine is really a four letter crossword puzzle hint. I can't believe it's not butter? Oh, but I *can* believe it.
  4. "A little bit of everything" is a valid ingredient.
  5. Mysterious cans of food from your local neighbourhood ethnic grocery store with no English or French labels should be the centre piece of your next meal.
  6. Setting food on fire is fun.
  7. If you think you can dip it in batter and deep fry it, why haven't you already?
  8. Everything should be cookable on the BBQ. Including pancakes. Think about it.
  9. Ask yourself if this will taste good after you've made it and are offering it to your friends.
  10. Beer is an integral part of the cooking process.
  11. Beer is an integral part of the eating process.
  12. Respect Garlic, Shallots and Onions.
  13. Wine is a valid main course (and appetizer, and dessert).
  14. Real poutine is made with cheese curds.

(feel free to Wikify this team)

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Bread Stuffed with Stuff

There is only one picture of "Bread Stuffed with Stuff" unfortunately. Begin with standard bread recipe:
  1. Poof Yeast in warm water
  2. Add sugar, salt, pepper, melted butter, olive oil and garlic
  3. Slowly add in a mixture of 1/2 flour and 1/2 semolina until it all comes together
  4. Knead with a minimal amount of effort
  5. Coat with olive oil, cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise for an hour
While rising prepare stuff for stuffing:
  1. In butter, sauté/cook/whatever purple onions, garlic, shallots, oyster mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and as much freakin' basil as possible.
  2. In another bowl add some chopped tomatoes. But good tomatoes; none of that hot-house blight.
  3. Combine everything together and reserve.
  4. Preheat oven to 450 and place the baking stone in it.
Fusion:
  1. Now that the dough has risen, place it on the hot baking stone and push and poke it into a large disc much larger than the stone..
  2. Fill the centre with filling.
  3. Add Cheese! Preferably good mozzarella or Feta
  4. Fold dough back on top as shown in picture.
  5. Brush olive oil on top of thing.
  6. Place stone and bread thing back into oven.
  7. Bake until golden brown and crispy.
Eat:

Do
  1. Open mouth
  2. Place food in mouth
  3. Close mouth
  4. Chew
  5. Swallow
Loop

Monday, December 11, 2006

Super secret mango pudding

Second pan of mango pudding (first one was pretty much finished at the potluck)


Tina hosted a potluck and I was obliged to bring my signature dish. No, it's not made from powder. That is insulting! No, I didn't get the recipe off the internet. No, it's not an old family recipe passed down through the generations. I made the recipe myself! No, you can't have the recipe. I'll give you a hint though:

Secret ingredient


It was quite well received, despite the mango pudding not in its most amazing form, as the coconut milk I used had congealed and left a white film on the top, but it tasted fine. Most of the pan I brought was finished, which is good b/c I wouldn't know what to do with all the leftovers, considering that I had a whole second pan. I've realized that I can pick up girls, or at least greatly impress them, with this dish, and I could open a mango pudding store next to my Indian restaurant.

Friday, December 8, 2006

I should open an Indian restaurant

Today's dinner menu was inspired by Sarah's curry.

It was the first time I tried making curry and it was AMAZING!!! I swear that the flavour was exactly like chicken jalfrezi from a real Indian restaurant, except without the obscene amount of oil and more veggies.

Onions, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, chicken, curry paste, coconut milk, and naan-like bread


  1. Cooked the onions in some oil in a pan

  2. Threw in the chicken and scooped several teaspoons of curry paste in

  3. Cooked for a few min. and then added the coconut milk and veggies

  4. Simmered for a while, using a lid to help cook the vegetables

  5. Wrapped the bread in aluminum foil and warmed it up in the oven

  6. Made a fruit smoothie

  7. Ate to the brink of food coma

SO GOOD


The only thing I'd change next time is to cook the potatoes separately for a bit b/c they took a while to cook despite being in small chunks and caused me to cooked the whole thing for longer than I needed, but it wasn't over cooked. I used "boiling" potatoes. I'm so confused at all the different potatoes - frying, boiling, baking, batteries, satellites...