Shake Shake Shake

I unpacked my blender last weekend. In honor of this momentous occasion, I decided to attempt to make the ultimate milkshake. I haven't made a lot of milkshakes, and I've only really used a blender a handful of times, so I wasn't too confident in my shake making abilities. It turned out alright though. Here is a visual record of the event:

The first ingredient: Milk, a vital component of any milkshake.


The second incredient: Ice Cream, Chocolate Ice Cream


The third ingredient: Oreo cookies. (I would have used more, but there were only 3 left)


The secret ingredient: It's a secret ;)


View from the top: Pre-blending


View from the top: Post-blending


The milkshake turned out alright. It was pretty tasty, however it was a bit too liquidy. I think next time less milk and more ice cream. I'll let you know how it goes.

Chicken Noodle Soup... from scratch!

 
I love chicken noodle soup, but not the shit from a can. I mean like the stuff you get in a restaurant. I figured, how hard could it be to make it from scratch? Plus, it should be pretty healthy. Well, the answer is: pretty easy and pretty healthy. My first shot was about 2 weeks ago and I made it again last weekend.

Basically I just throw in 3 chicken breasts, onions, carrots, celery, and a couple black peppercorns into say 4L of water. Cook for like 2+ hours. Cut/rip up the chicken in the pot itself so as to not lose any precious juice. Throw in the noodles and simmer until done.

I cheated the first time and threw in a bouillon cube, though I'm not sure if cheating is the right word b/c I'm not convinced that it made it taste better, just gave it a little more colouring.

The second time, I added in more of the Italian herbs (from a shaker thingy), olive oil (mentioned in most recipes, but I just didn't have it the first time), and potatoes (inspired by my favourite Korean dish). The potatoes were definitely a nice touch. I love that the soup is so hardy. It's totally a meal in itself. More chewing than sipping and I almost needed a fork.

My next goal is to make my own noodles, then it'll be completely from scratch!

Eggs, it's what's not for lunch

I decided on Sunday that I wanted to boil some eggs for making egg salad, adding to a chicken Caesar salad, etc. I put six eggs into a pot of boiling water and waited. I asked my mom how long I should wait and she said four minutes (if this sounds horribly off please forgive her, as I have, as she was deliriously ill and registering a .10% cough syrup level in her system). After four minutes I took one egg out and conducted the highly scientific egg doneness test of spinning it on the counter. RPMs seemed high enough so I called the eggs done.

I left them to cool until 10:30 pm that night when I retrieved one for making my sandwich. I cracked the egg on the counter while thinking of how much I really enjoy peeling the egg shell off of the cooked egg. This one was coming off rather messy though in chips, rather than the large pieces I am accustomed to. The egg itself felt weird and rubbery. While attempting to peel off one particularly difficult shard I broke the egg open and discovered that the yolk was runny. I figured that all the eggs were probably in the same state.

It was getting late, I wanted to go to bed, and I had french running through my head as a result of some cramming for my speaking test today. I did not want to boil another pot of water to attempt to re-cook the remaining five eggs. I did however really want an egg salad sandwich for lunch and quite frankly didn't have anything else to take. So I took the pot, filled it with water, put the eggs back in, and popped them in the microwave.

Now I know eggs and microwaves don't really go together well. If you're doing eggs in the mikey you usually need a special dish, a certain method. I figured that because the eggs would be floating in the bath of hot water that they would not be at risk for exploding and blowing the door off. Well I was right about that part at least.

After some time in the microwave I removed the eggs, dumped out the water and poured cold water over top. Feeling rather impatient (and that is a characteristic I will fully own up to) I decided to crack one open. Crack. Peel. BOOM!

Like the bomb diffuser who had mistakenly cut the wrong wire, I apparently removed the wrong area of shell at the wrong time, which literally resulted in me having egg on my face. And on the window. And the cupboards. Possibly the neighbour's mailbox.

I blinked a few times and thanked my lucky stars that I did not lose an eye. I think my first thoughts were "shit these are new contacts, I better not have egg embedded in them".

I examined what was left of the egg, it looked salvageable. Dumped it into a bowl. And then I decided to try another egg. This one didn't explode but it oozed a brown liquid from the centre. The yolk was burnt and it smelled horrendously. It looked like a Fear Factor challenge. I tried another egg, same thing. I cracked them all open and then tossed them. I gagged my way through making a veggie sandwich. I could not get that smell and the image of the brown ooze out of my head. I may never be able to look at another egg without feeling a wave of nausea.

So needless to say, I don't think I can move out of my mother's nest until I learn how to boil an egg without it blowing up in my face.

Next time I do something profoundly intelligent I think I'll post about that. I must redeem myself.

Originally published March 27-06 on ajillstory

Finally made good congee!

"tea fish and peanut congee" (literal translation)

Finally got the texture and consistency right for my congee! Got some tips off the Internet to use about 10 parts water for 1 part rice and just to cook it for a long time on low heat. I didn't have that much time, so I only simmered it for an hour and a half. Quite tasty :)

Pizza Roll

I made my standard focaccia recipe today, except I included a pair of large eggs into the dough. I kneaded it quite well hoping to increase its elasticity for my next task: stretching the dough really thin.

While the dough was rising, I took the opportunity to sauté some purple onion, garlic and shallots in some butter. I added bit bit of lemon juice, parsley, basil and salt to the mix as well.

After the dough rose, I divvied it up and ran it through the newly-purchased pasta flattening attachment for the Kitchen Aid Mixer. When the dough was satisfactorily thin and sectioned into long rectangular sheets, I applied a layer of tomato sauce, the onion mixture and some mozzarella cheese. I then rolled the dough like one would for a jelly roll and placed it on a greased cookie sheet. I brushed a layer of olive oil on top of the created and baked it in a preheated oven for 15 or so minutes set at 350 convection bake.

Yummy.

Mayo With Fries

So, for dinner last night I peeled and cut up a bunch of potatoes which I threw in the oven to make some fries. After realizing we were practically out of ketchup, I thought of Pulp Fiction and decided to make a Mayo Sauce for my fries.

At very low heat, 'roast' two cloves of finely chopped garlic and 1/2 of a finely chopped onion. Stir occasionally until dry and sticky. Add salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and a little bit of sugar. Add mayo, then stir and continue cooking on low heat. When mayo is sufficiently hot, add some grated cheese.

One could add sour cream if they wanted to make something like a chip, or vegetable dip, I think.

Meat with Carrot

An interesting dinner creation tonight.

Fry some onions until half cooked, then reserve.

De-bone, cut and marinate some poultry. Coat the poultry in bread crumbs, then brown in a saucepan.

In a food processor, puree:

carrot
tomato
small onion
cloves of garlic
egg
Lemon Juice
Apple juice
Sugar
A bit of Tahina (tahini)
Some seasoned salt and cayenne pepper.
Some parsley, oregano and thyme.

Add puree to meat and top with milk. Add Onions, then reduce.

The puree makes a surprisingly interesting stew base, and the milk adds a nice richness. I think this would be nice with some Couscous and root vegetables (I would suggest carrots and leeks) stewed in. A nice Dijon or vegetable garden mustard would add a flavourful bite to it. Add some fresh parsley or green onions as garnish, and you'll have yourself a meal. A fresh apple or pear would probably add to the puree really nicely too.


Enjoy!