Food Processing

This is my Cuisinart Food Processor.  I purchased it last year from a JC Penney on sale.  I pulled it from the box and used it that day.  It worked fine, so about a week later I trashed the box and receipt.  Then it broke.  The bowl cracked across the bottom.  I looked into what to do and the replacement bowl was a few dollars less than I paid for the entire thing.  So, now I just chop dry things until I can decide to upgrade to the Kitchenaid that I've got my eye on.  

This thing was used to make chicken taquitos, tahini, hummus, falafel, and crushed walnuts that I dipped some cream cheese filled, chocolate topped strawberries in.  

I love having a food processor.  The first thing my mother bought me when I got an apartment of my own was a mini-processor.  Many deviled eggs were made using that thing.  Chris dropped it and it broke about a week after the Cuisinart broke.  That is my luck and the reason I'm resisting on purchasing a larger, more expensive model. Until then, I make due with this thing.

The strawberries recipe is very simple and I made it up:

Strawberries gutted using a tomato corer
Philadelphia Cream Cheese at room temperature for easy handling
Endangered Species brand Dark Chocolate
Crushed walnuts

I melted the chocolate in a double boiler, stuffed the strawberries with the cream cheese, dipped the tops of the strawberries in the melted chocolate and then immediately into the crushed walnuts, let them cool to a solid chocolate top.  Yum.

Endangered Species Chocolate:
http://www.chocolatebar.com/?portfolio=dark-chocolate-with-cacao-nibs

JC Penney
http://www.jcpenney.com

Kitchenaid:
http://www.kitchenaid.com

Food Culture

 

The photo above is from the food I prepared one year with plans of attending a Super Bowl Party at some friends' house.  I made them from scratch, with baby portobellos, gorgonzola cheese, garlic and spices.  They were pretty laborious to make, and I didn't write the recipe down or else I would share it here today.  For that party I also made some beer bread muffins with Flying Dog Lucky SOB Irish Red Ale and they were SOOOO good.  Incidentally, I didn't get to attend the party because I poisoned my husband with the cheese which he didn't know he was allergic to.  I ended up bringing the mushrooms to work and they disappeared within 5 minutes.

The reason I'm bringing up this event from three years ago, is because of the article I've linked to below:

http://news.nationalpost.com/life/food-drink/why-do-we-prefer-food-culture-over-actual-cooking-and-what-does-that-say-about-the-future-of-food

It does make some good points about food culture.  And Michael Pollan is a genius.  But one thing that I absolutely love is to make a big meal and serve it to my guests or bring it to an event.  Sometimes I even prepare a big meal, then ask around if anyone wants to eat it and to come on over.  The process of cooking is pretty fun for me and my husband.  I know I haven't blogged since August. That is because I haven't really cooked since then.  I love restaurants, too.  And my food processor broke, but more on that in a different post.

And I recommend listening to Tim Buckley's Lorca as background to making the mushrooms.


If you're looking for some Flying Dog Lucky SOB:
http://flyingdogbrewery.com/beers/?category=Seasonal

If you're looking for info on Michale Pollan:
http://michaelpollan.com

Salmon and Zucchini

Here's another one from Damn Delicious with some modifications.

http://damndelicious.net/2015/06/19/one-pan-lemon-herb-salmon-and-zucchini/

For this one I had to go with a cheaper salmon that had the skin.  So, I decided to cook the zucchini separately and with a different recipe.  Us Dyson's try our best to use as much fresh and organic ingredients as possible, but just as possible.  I'm not out to break the bank.  When a spice is available at Target or Wegman's, I pick the best options depending on coupons and sales.

For the salmon I mixed up the spread leaving out the sugar.  I will almost never add any sugar that's included in a recipe.  It has not been missed at all.

I spread it on, added slices of lemon and baked.

For the zucchini, I made it using a recipe that I cannot remember the origin.  I've made it so many times I've never needed to print it out or write it down.  None of the ingredients are measured.

It's basically fresh, sliced zucchini.

Parmesan cheese

Bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and herbs to taste.

Dip the zucchini in water or olive oil and then in the mixture and lay on a lined or greased cookie sheet and bake until browned a little.

While both of these dishes turned out to be yummy on their own, together they were not a match.  Very healthy meal, though.  

Chris was playing DJ and we prepared this meal to Procol Harum's A Salty Dog.

What's for Lunch

I feel like Chris and I have mastered the Tuna Fish Sandwich.  I'm strictly talking about food here in case there was any confusion.

We take a can of solid white Albacore tuna in water, drain it, then smash it up in a bowl.  We then add Wegmans organic mayonnaise, Grey Poupon Dijon mustard, a couple of handfuls of chopped fresh spinach, about a spoon full of red onion and green onion, fresh chopped parsley, pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and celery salt to taste.

So good on Nature's Own Honey Wheat bread or a flour tortilla.  Paired with Flying Dog's Blood Orange IPA, this makes for excellent lunch!

Spicy Parmesan Shrimp Salad

This recipe is on Damn Delicious as Spicy Parmesan Shrimp Pasta.

http://damndelicious.net/2014/01/15/spicy-parmesan-shrimp-pasta/

Instead of using pasta, we used romaine lettuce.  The recipe has it cooking all flavorful, yummy, and damn delicious, then to toss with pasta.  We just let it cool a little so the romaine wouldn't wilt, and tossed it with that.

Now, I'm sure it's excellent with a pasta.  But, who wants to eat pasta during a weeknight?  Well, I do.  Forever, I do.  But I decided to be a responsible mature adult and have it as a salad.  And it was still damn delicious.

Pumpkin Pie Spiced French Toast

Pumpkin Pie Spiced French Toast.  Pumpkin Pie Spiced French Toast. I can't stop repeating this.  I feel that I'm now a culinary genius.  This was so yummy.

I used French sour dough loaf, eggs, heavy whipping cream and spices.  I don't measure the things that are so good that over doing it will only make your meal better.  So, liberal amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, ground clove, and ginger all added to the pumpkin spice flavor.  The only thing that would make this better is if I'd used the pumpkin raisin spice bread from Moving Meadows Farm.  (www.movingmeadowsfarm.com)

But, being the beginning of the pumpkin craze, I have resisted in purchasing anything pumpkin.  Until today, where I will be at the grocery store getting supplies to make my first pie of the season.

Chris's soundtrack to this meal is Django Reinhardt's Swing de Paris.

Parmesan Cheese