Tea & Quesadilla

Love savory things for breakfast! Quick and easy! Yum yum!

Super Savory Lamb & Rosmary Onion Pizza

I was in the mood for my famous grilled pizza. Since it's transitioning to winter right now, I do these inside on my grill pan. Tonight I used leftovers from the freezer and fridge.

My buddy, Bill took me to The Palm last week for Halloween, and it was divine! He insisted that I take home the leftovers. OMG! Even better! Let me take a moment to share what we had. You know I'm a foodie and savor really good dining experiences and want to share them with others!

We had:
Lobster Bisque (shared)
Roasted Lamb Chops (me)
Ribeye (Bill)
Sauteed Wild Mushrooms (shared)
Potatoes Au Gratin (shared)
Creamed Spinach (shared)
Red Wine (shared of course)
Big Ass Chocolate Cake (shared, and it was heavenly...had genache instead of frosting)

We were so full when we left! Very nice B, thanks again!! Okay, back to the task at hand!

Super Savory Lamb & Rosemary Onion Pizza

Pizza dough (I get mine from Sam's Club...frozen...you just cut off a hunk and stretch it out)
1/2 small onion, cut in half, then sliced thin
1 small clove garlic, crushed and chopped
1 t fresh rosemary, stripped from stem (or you can use dry, just use a bit less)
olive oil
1/4 cup red wine (leftover from the other night...thanks Nick for bringing the wine to movie night!)
water (you gotta eyeball this)
1 T tomato paste
6 oz. lamb chop (leftover) sliced into thin strips, off the bone
1/2 cup cheese, I use an Italian blend of mozzarella, asiago and Parmesan
fresh ground black pepper

Alrighty, utilize the mise en place technique and prepare. Slice the lamb and set aside. Yes, I gnawed on the bones.

In a small fry pan over medium high heat pour in olive oil and sweat the onions. Turn down the heat to medium to caramelize the onions. This will take some time (about 15 mintues) but well worth it! Pour in the wine to de-glaze, and add the rosemary and garlic at this time. Simmer and reduce and add the sliced lamb. Cook for a bit longer and then add some water (about 1/4 cup) then the tomato paste. This will thicken up and become your sauce. Remove from heat and set aside.
Okay, I chop off a nice sized ball from my dough (they are 16 oz. each) so it's about 1/4 of it and stretch it out. Turn on the fire under the grill pan to about medium high, more high. Slap the round dough onto the pan and let cook. You just have to keep an eye on it. You want some brown spots. Then flip. Put the lamb mixture on the crust, spread the cheese and cook some more. The cheese will start to melt. Grind some pepper on top.

Set your oven to broil. Place the pan underneath the the broiler until cheese is golden brown and delicious.

Transfer to a cutting board and slice . Note I did use my new CUTCO pizza cutter. Very slick! Enjoy!

Sunny Monday Morning

Good morning! Yet another week begins and the weekend seems so far away! I had 24 hour duty twice last week so it really seemed to drag! I survived though, and am ready for a new fresh start!

Today I'm just having something simple. I love these guys! Frosted Mini-Wheats. Well, the generic equivalent I guess that are bought in jumbo bags located near the floor in most grocery cereal aisles.

Along with a splash of rice milk, and a good cold glass of Nake OJ, it's doesn't really get any better than this.

Dukboki

This is one of my favorite Korean dishes. The primary ingredient is duk, which is a satisfyingly chewy Korean rice cake. This dish is popular out on the streets in Korea and great to eat on a cold day!!

My Dukboki

A good handfull of Korean Duk (rice cake)
large scallion, cut on the diagonal into large pieces and use the greens as well
On large piece of Eumuk (Korean fish cake) sliced into julienne strips
SPAM sliced into julienne strips (optional) however much you like
2 boiled eggs (chopped)
1/4 cup Korean gochuchang (hot red pepper paste)
1 heaping T Korean red pepper powder
water

Boils some water and start cooking the plain duk. When they start to get tender (15 minutes or so) drain some of the water off. Kind of eyeball it and see how much sauce you want. Set back on high heat. Add all ingredients and cook for about 3-5 minutes. Add the red pepper paste and powder. Turn down the heat and simmer. The sauce will be thin, but it will thicken the more you cook it and when it cools down.

Enjoy! It's super spicy, but in a great way!

Steamed Mandu

These are so delicious and so simple. I don't make them, but rather buy them frozen. These are usually available at most Asian food stores and some really well stocked ethnic food sections in local grocery stores.

I specifically used Korean dumplings, but you can use Chinese, Japanese...whatever you like. I don't have a steamer, but I use a make shift one.

I take a small pot, put in about 2 inches of water and bring that to a boil. Then I take a metal collindar that I have and once the water is boiling, set the collindar inside of the pan. Make sure that the water isn't boiling into the collindar. Spray the collindar with non-stick spray.

Arrange the frozen dumplings and cover with a lid. I use the one that comes with the small pot. Lower the heat so the water is aggressively simmering. In about 7-9 minutes your dumplings should be ready. Serve with soy sauce and enjoy!

Bacon 'n Eggs Are Back By Popular Demand!

I'm going to a Halloween party thrown by some friends, Tom and Shelly tonight. The last time I saw Shelly she requested that I make my famous "bacon 'n eggs" candies, and so I am. I usually have by the biggest and baddest bag of M&Ms just to get a mere handful of yellow ones for the "yolks". Are they worth it? Absolutely!

Bubble Tea

This is easy to make. I took some of the precooked black tapioca (cold from the fridge) and put some in the bottom of a glass. Pop this into the microwave because if you like your balls hard (tee hee), that's what they will be if you don't soften them up. After the tapioca is heated (will look dark and glossy) add some sugar to taste. The warmth will dissolve the sugar, so this is a good thing.

Put some ice in the glass on top of the tapioca. Bring water to a boil and brew your tea in a separate glass or cup. I usually use less water to make a very strong tea. You're going to pour the hot tea over the ice in the glass and this will dilute it a bit while cooling it down.

Stir, put in a big-ass straw (can usually find these in Asian food stores along with the tapioca) and enjoy!

The Black Pearl

Last night I was watching a movie, and wanted a snack. I don't know why I decided to cook some of this up, but I'm glad I did. It's extra large black pearl tapioca (served warm with cane sugar sprinkled on top). Where in the world does one find this you may ask? Well, that's exactly what I thought when I first tried these rubbery balls of goodness floating around in a "bubble tea" in Seattle several years ago. I had never known that there was such a thing.

My sister, Dori and I were hanging around in Seattle one spring, and stumbled across this Asian shop that sold these drinks. Bubble Tea is some sort of liquid (slushie or tea) with these little black pearls at the bottom of the cup. My sister wanted to try this new discovery of ours (saw bubble tea advertised everywhere) , but I passed at first.

"Eww, they look like fish eggs, or eyeballs." I just wrinkled up my nose. During our stay there she had enjoyed many of these cool drinks with the same tapioca. One day I gave in and just really fell in love with the drink. The tapioca was nice and gummy, they didn't taste like much, but were very satisfyingly chewy. If you like that sort of thing!

I was able to have bubble tea a couple times later in Manhattan and here in Colorado Springs.

When I visited her in Houston earlier this year we stumbled across another shop that sold bubble tea. The place was called Chewy Balls! What a funny name huh? They said that their last name was Chew and like the play on words, and that it was a bit naughty. You know how I like those naughty little sort of things! Anyway...I decided that I could make these myself.

Dori and I were out on a mission to find this tapioca. OMG! It was like searching for the Holy Grail I tell you! We did find it in a Vietnamese food market, and I bought several packages and stuffed them in my luggage for my use at home. I would have thought that I could find the black sort in most Asian food stores, but not so. Tapioca comes in many sizes and colors, but the black does seem to be my favorite.

Oh yea, I bought the big-ass drinking straws for when I make my own bubble tea at home.

Mise En Place

I made a smothered turkey burrito tonight for dinner. This is actually an encore meal since I had a jar of super hot green chili left over in my fridge, and I thawed out the last of the turkey I cooked in July. Yes, I have Thanksgiving in July sometimes. Doesn't everyone?

Cooking is really very simple. The key is the timing, and having everything ready before you cook and assemble makes it so much easier. I love prep work. I could work at a restaurant as a prep person. Cleaning, chopping, dicing, slicing...you name it! My knife work isn't very fast, but I do take pride that I can hack something to bits while keeping all of my digits!

I grabbed more leftovers and whatnot from my fridge. Thawed turkey breast, white onion, fontina cheese, and the green chili were all put into little monkey dishes. Those of you who may have had an illustrious time in a commercial kitchen know this phrase well!


With all of the main ingredients ready, I heated up my non-stick griddle on high heat. I get these "raw" flour tortillas at COSTCO, and you just finish them on the griddle. They are so tasty, and they're nice and thin which is what I prefer.

Cook the tortilla just until the transparency is disappearing and flip. Work quickly by putting the turkey, onion, and cheese on the tortilla and let cook a bit longer. Check underneath being careful not to over brown or burn.

Fold the tortilla around the filling to form the burrito. Turn over and let sit a minute more. You can turn the flame off at this time as it will still cook over the residual heat of the pan. Heat up your green chili. I do it in the microwave. Hey, I'm cooking for one here!

The tortilla is nice and brown while it's still soft and a bit crispy. Carefully remove the finished burrito (sad to have all the stuff fall out), and plate. Smother with the green chili and enjoy!



This jarred green chili is very good. I haven't come across a good recipe for it, so for the time being I'll just keep buying it from the shelf!

Toad-In-A-Hole & OJ Morning

I would have to say that this is one of my favorite breakfasts. I know that I could easily make a piece of toast and throw a fried egg on top, but it's not as fun! Only if I had some bacon....ummm...bacon.....

"The Mushroom That Ate My Brain"

Matt and his Puffball

My friend Matt in Minnesota sent me pictures of this mushroom that he found. Later today he called me for a chat and I begged him to tell me the details. I was totally fascinated by this queer oddity in nature, and even more aghast that he and his roommate, Rick consumed it!

He found this mushroom in their backyard one day while searching for the cat, Umbra. At first glance he thought that the white blob was a discarded grocery bag, but when he got closer he realized that it was a huge fungus. It looked like a head and had a gaping mouth that immediately reminded him of Audrey II from "Little Shop Of Horrors".

It just so happens that Rick had friends that had published a book called Start Mushrooming by Stan Tekiela and Karen Shanberg, and they were able to identify this colossus as an edible puffball (Calvatia gigantea). This puffball was in it's younger state. When they mature they become swollen with spores. All the time just sitting there hoping that something will come across it and burst it. This sends the spores out for future procreation. At this point in the life of the puffball it is poisonous. Ewww, very alien like. Does it have acid for blood? God, isn't nature just great? Better than most science fiction!

Matt also informed me that these usually grow in pairs or sometimes three. He stated that there were three indeed, but one was not fit for eating, and the other one was so small that he accidentally stomped the living daylights out of it with his foot!

So, upon the harvesting of this alien looking thing, they had already decided what they were going to make. They found a mushroom soup recipe, and then were going to cut hanks of it and make "steaks."

He also noted that it was rather hefty and had substantial weight. I don't think they they ever got the official weight or measurement of it. It was definitely bigger than his head, and for all of us who know Matt, that's huge! (Just teasing buddy! You know I love ya!)

He described the flavor as earthy but a little bland, and the texture is what really surprised him. "I'm not going to say that it was like tofu, because that just grosses me out...it was like fresh mozzarella cheese. Very creamy." I suspect much to his chagrin that he didn't experience any hallucinogenic properties!

How interesting. I am just amazed that they just happened to have access to this book, took the chance to pluck it from it's home, chop it up and eat it! I don't think that I would be that adventurous. I mean, I have eaten a lot of weird things in my life, but this would be for me like playing Russian Roulette.

Maybe now that I know they haven't died or suffered serious side effects, I would try something they would make from this one. Which could very well happen, because they weren't able to eat it all in one sitting. Or even a couple sittings. The rest of the 'shroom rests comfortably in cryonic suspension for a later day. All I need to do is get a plane ticket now!

I think I need to do more research on this gastronomical phenomenon. Being the scientist at heart, I bombarded him with all sorts of questions. Like he's a mycologist or something! I just love stuff like this!



When I look at these pictures it makes me chuckle. It's a bit comical to see a what-seems common thing so large like this. Kind of like putting us in the perspective of being a mouse and stumbling upon a huge piece of cheese or something.

"Yo dude...look what I found! We can feast for months!"

Lovely Lentils

I was craving something very hearty and quick today, but I was limited on what I could make. My pantry's contents are limited, and I really need to stock up. But, due to my incredibly creative and innovative mind (ha!) I was able to whip this up. Pretty much everything I make is like shooting from the hip. Sometimes I am right on target, other times I miss. This one was a near bulls eye.

Lentils With Turkey
serves 1-2

2 T olive oil
2 crushed garlic cloves, finely minced
1 small onion, chopped coarsely
4 cups vegetable broth - one carton (would be richer with chicken, but this is what I had in the pantry)
1 t dry thyme
1 T ground cumin, heaping if you like more flavor
2 bay leaves
1 cup chopped cooked turkey, or any other cooked meat you may have
1 cup green lentils, washed and picked over for stones
couple pinches of kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper

You can make this the conventional way, but I used my pressure cooker so the method is for that. You'll have to wing it if you want to use a normal pot.


On medium high heat add olive oil to the pan (used the small pressure cooker size, came as a big and little set). Sweat the onions and garlic, then add the broth. Add all of the spices, turkey, and lentils. Stir and then bring to a boil. Slap on the lid of your pressure cooker, seal, and lower the heat to low. There will be a small amount of steam emitting. This is what you want. Set your timer for 25 minutes.

When the time is up, release the steam, open and enjoy!

After woofing this down, I realized that I could could have jazzed it up a bit. Maybe add some finely diced carrot for color and sweetness, and perhaps a little heat by adding some cayenne or something to that sort. Some curry powder would be divine too.

I'm debating on if I want more, but I think I'll save it for later. Love leftovers!

Monday Morning Meal

It's been ages since I've posted anything of real subsistence here! Now that I know what's up with my life for the next 6 months (at least) I will make an effort to maintain my little quaint foodie blog.

The light was so lovely coming into my kitchen window that I had to snap this picture. It's not a photographic victory, but I think is conveys something warm and comforting. It snowed most of the day yesterday, and I have the heat cranked up today. The bright sun streaming in was very warm and comforting. Which I thought was very fitting for my breakfast of hot tea and peanut butter and toast.

I'm mad about green tea, and I have about a dozen different types in my pantry to choose from. The selection of the morning is 100% organic Genmai Cha with roasted brown rice. It's so light and nutty, and partnered well with my whole wheat toast and peanut butter. I've never been a fan of peanut butter growing up, but I'm finding as I'm getting older I've finally acquired a taste for it. Plus I was all out of butter and needed something to spread to avoid dry toast!

I have to admit that I've been in a bit of a slump lately. I think it was the stress of my job and wondering where I'll be and when I'll be there. Now I've got a better sense of what's happening, so I can get back to the things that I enjoy such as cooking for friends, cooking for myself, and taking pictures.

Everyone that knows me knows that I love writing and expression, so I'm back in the saddle again. Or back in the kitchen again would be more fitting.

My First Wedding Cake, and It's Not Even Mine!

This was my first attempt at decorating an official wedding cake, and I must say that it turned out fabulous! I had the bride order the 1/2 sheet cakes from the bakery and a huge tub 'o icing. I went and picked them up the morning before the wedding and went to town.

I did a basket weave motif, then she placed the topper on where she wanted it, and then arranged the flowers. I liked it a lot!


The flowers turned out beautiful too! I arranged most of them and gave a class, so the bride did some too!

These were so much fun to make as I love arranging flowers in vases, and have come to the realization that I love making bouquets, wrist corsages, and boutonnières.

The flowers were beautiful and came from Sam's Club. I must remember that if I ever have to get a large amount of flowers for what ever reason in the future.

Pizza Part 3

I know, it's pizza again! I just love it! In the summer time I don't like to fire up my oven indoors so I resort to grilling the pizza outside on my gas grill. I just bought a new house so I've been taking advantage of my beautiful garden and my beautiful shiny new grill!

It's so easy to make and it's so delicious. I haven't bought a pizza in ages, and grilling the pizza makes it so crispy and wonderful that I'll probably be making these out on the grill even when there's a foot of snow on the ground!

Sorry I've been neglecting my food forum!

Yes, I have been eating. Yes, I have been whipping up wonderful dishes and fantastic foods. Yes, I've been sorely neglecting my blog, and promise to post very soon!

Pizza Part 2

I always say that there are two types of food that I will eat regardless be it fresh or frozen, good quality or so-so quality...crab and pizza!

I like pizza, a lot and I'll pretty much eat most types as long as it's not foul or tastes bad. Frozen is usually what I opt for when I'm at home since I've found nice organic pizzas in the freezer section at my local natural food store, but homemade is even better!

I cheated this time and used a frozen white bread dough. The last pizza I made (my first comestible creation in fact) was good, but took a lot of work. Plus the dough was whole wheat and very dense (but tasty nonetheless). So this time I thawed and rose as loaf of pre-made dough from the freezer section. I admit, I do live the refined white bread!

I also used my latest kitchen gadget, my new wooden pizza peel and backed the pizza on my old trusty stone.

Garlic Chicken & Balsamic Onion Pizza

1 lb frozen bread dough (thawed and doubled in size)
chicken thighs (cut into small pieces...you can use white meat, but I like dark)
1 T zesty salt free seasoning blend
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 small onion, small diced
2 T balsamic vinegar
olive oil
2 T tomato paste
variety of dry or fresh herbs
4 oz 5 blend Italian cheese (found prepackaged in the cheese case)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Saute the chopped chicken with the seasoning and garlic in small of amount of olive oil. Remove from pan and put in a dish. Sweat down the onions in same pan and deglaze with balsamic vinegar. Cook on low and slightly caramelize the onions (about 10 minutes). Remove and place in another bowl.

On a 14" pizza peel stretch out dough to form a 12" (approximate) crust. Dust the peel with corn meat to ensure that your pizza will slip off easily. You can make the pizza on a pan or on the stone, but it's best to cook the pizza on a hot stone.

Spread out the tomato paste, sprinkle liberally with varied herbs of choice (I used basil, oregano and fennel seed). Then take the onions and sprinkle on pizza, followed by the chicken. Cover with cheese and bake on hot pizza stone for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown and delicious! Time to dig in!

Muffin wo-Man

Nothing is better to me than a nicely toasted English muffin spread with butter. Yum! Even though it's quite easy to run out to the store and pick up a package of one of the many varieties, I thought I'd try it at home. After all, I know what is going into my muffins and homemade seems to taste just a little better.

I tried Alton Brown's recipe and found that it was lacking. It tasted to me more like a very dense pancake, and in fact I really didn't like the flavor or the texture at all. So I found this recipe.


English Muffins

1 2/3 cup milk
2 1/2 T butter
1 package active dry yeast
1 heaping T sugar
1/3 cup warm water (110-115 degrees Fahrenheit)
1 large egg
2 t salt
1 T vinegar
5 cups unbleached flour (sifted)
cornmeal

Heat the milk and melt the butter in it. Set aside to cool

Combine the yeast, water, and sugar. Allow to proof for a few minutes

Combine the cooled milk mixture with the yeast mixture in large bowl. Add the egg, salt, and vinegar, along with half of the flour and mix at medium speed for about 5 minutes. Add in remaining flour and mix well. It's better to spray your beaters with cooking spray to keep the dough from climbing up them. The mixture will be very sticky. Cover and allow to rise in a draft-free area for 1 hour.

Heat a griddle or skillet (I used an electric one and preheated to 300 degrees Fahrenheit)

Pour cornmeal into a bowl. Take approximately 1/2 cup of the dough (less works a bit better) using two tablespoons to portion out and form into a ball. The mixture is quite elastic and this isn't too hard to do. Drop dough into corn meal and sprinkle then flatten. I then dropped these into my nonstick egg mold rings on the electric nonstick skillet and lightly pressed the dough into the mold. They are about 3 inched in diameter.

I put the lid on the skillet and cooked on each side for 7 minutes.

These are tasty toasted, but not exactly like traditional English muffins. In fact, they are something different all together I would say. Enjoy!

Fresh 'n Fizzy

I apologize for not posting for quite some time. I had major surgery three weeks ago, but now I'm finally getting to the point of recovery that I feel like cooking and posting. A few days after getting home I was able to order grocery delivery, and I purchased a small crate of Clementine oranges. I love these little guys, but there are only so many a single person can eat.

So, this morning I decided to peel and juice them in my Magic Bullet. I also purchased a new gadget by Soda Club. I love sparkling water and having this machine in my home makes it easy to make my own. Anyway, I squeezed some oranges and mixed it with a fresh dose of carbonated water. Yum! So refreshing and good for you!

BPW ~ My Valentine!

Woo hoo! My Valentine came from Northbrook, Illinois from Smitha Nair, and what a lovely card it was! Thank you, Smitha!