Everybody Salsa!!

OK so not your normal pre-Thanksgiving dinner, but I figured with everybody enjoying smooth, rich, creamy and comforting foods tomorrow, we would have Tex Mex Night at the Singleton house! We're doin' Enchiladas and of course Spanish rice. Enchiladas are of course pretty straight forward, I'm thinking chicken, probably marinate for a bit in a spicy mix of zesty goodness (you love how nondescript I'm being ha ha). Jalapenos, green sauce, onions, tomatoes, garlic and of course cheese! all those things should be good for a tasty main dish to our fiesta night. the rice is more of a Spanish risotto, the way I do it anyway. I like rice as a smooth creamy texture rather than little kernels, for this dish anyway. However you want to look at it, good or bad, there will be no authentic tequila sitting at our dining table tonight, oh well we'll save that for another festive night. I hope everybody has a good thanksgiving and eats and experiences everything the wonderful holiday has to offer, food family, relaxation, free time, football, reflection and of course more food.

Creations

So last night I got done at the gym and ran some errands, was super tired and just wanted a fast dinner, well things never happen that way. I have actually found that cooking for one takes longer than cooking for multiple people. Anyway I get home, decide pasta, well what do I put on it? So a quick red sauce, lots of mushrooms! Well eat dinner and realize that while my stomach is full my desire to "play" in the kitchen is not, I promptly get up and head back into the hot spot. I started making more noodles, didn't really know what I wanted to cook, so I looked in the fridge, what do I find, hamburger. OK so noodles, hamburger, more mushrooms . . . that's stroganoff. So now we get creative, I open the pantry to see a can of campbells cheese soup. I scoop some of that some sour cream and mix. Ok doesn't sound so weird yet, well then came the ketchup and ground coriander. All I have to say is try it before you judge it!!! Next time I'll save you some . . . maybe!

This is hilarious!!

Dinner Possible! Just gonna have to do it again!

So I cooked all weekend! What is possibly more enjoyable to a culinary experimenter, nothing I love to play in the kitchen. I had my children this weekend and they are developing an affinity for the culinary adventures that have. I even get them to watch Food Network now instead of cartoons, MUA-HAHA! So Friday was nothing to exciting, but man did it begin on Saturday Morning. I made my first B&G at home. I am a sucker for it on a menu @ a truck-stop or little hole in the wall diner and decided that it was time to make a non-arterial demise of the classic favorite. It was great! We continued the day feeding geese at the park then went and saw the new movie, BOLT-3D. The little glasses were the best part. Grocery shopping is always the fun part of Saturdays cause I get to mosey through the aisles and find new things to play with and my oldest, Dominick just loves "helping" me pick things out. So we picked homemade pizza ingredients while at the store. There half . . . pepperoni ad cheese (blah). My half, red onions, mushrooms, green and yellow red peppers, ground beef and fresh diced tomatoes!!!
Has anybody seen those little individual pie crusts, well they are awesome. We totally made mini pumpkin pies! Never made pumpkin pie before and well let's put it this way, three people five mini pies, sugar free cool whip and half an hour later and there were no more pies left! It was amazing, they were so good.
Sunday mornings are the worst for me, I wake up with an itch. I have to start cooking as soon as I get up. So I started the red meat adventure. I thawed the meat, but still being really frozen and me not being very patient I said well what else can I make while I wait. Ratatouille of course!! I love it so I diced, I sliced, I barely missed my thumb five or six times and simmered and there it was in all its wondrous delight!
So once the roast was thawed I got the veggies ready, baby reds, whole onion and sectioned carrots. Put the veggies in the bottom of the roasting pan, rubbed the roast with S&P, Paprika and scored it and stuffed slices of garlic right in the meat. Showered it in a little Worcestershire sauce, stuck it in the oven, went to church and came home to my first home-cooked Sunday dinner of meat and potatoes. As a result of chatting and knudling at church I was running late and the roast went from medium to medium well. Not how I wanted it, but still very good and I was proud of the flavor and the fact that my kids ate it.
Overall great weekend of family, church and fellowship and great cooking adventures!!

Dinner: Impossible BEEF CHALLENGE!!

So I have quite the task on my hands! One of my wonderful coworkers (who happens to be in the beef industry) blessed me with a beautiful tri tip sirloin roast yesterday. Now most of you are probably saying, "SWEET- free red meat!" Well not so sweet for me, I for one don't eat that much red meat, minus the occasional skillet burger made from 96/4 lean ground beef. I just love seafood and poultry. So I didn't even know what to say or do when she handed me that, accept for thank you and . . . I accept the challenge. So the recipe, meat cut, marinade, rub and cooking method has been on and poppin' for the last 24 hours. I will find a suitable way to best this opponent and create a meal fit for kings, or my two kids and I on Sunday after church, and save some leftovers, haha! Oh and a plate for my coworker who was oh so kind and wonderful to give me this challenge. I thank her and credit her for my growing knowledge of red meat. I will let all know how the pre-Thanksgiving feast goes on Monday!!

When did it happen?

So I have been reading Anthony Bourdain's book, Kitchen Confidential. Now while it is a little brash and harsh sometimes he is a very interesting man and has truly lived the cook's life. Since I have always worked in restaurants it is easy for me to relate to pretty much everything he describes and retells. Little anecdotes, kitchen dialect, patron problems and most of all a cook's love and passion for food. The question that is still sauteing in my mind (bad play on words I know), is when did I truly know that food was a significant part of my life and something that I wanted to explore to the ends of the Earth? Well to be honest I have no idea. I guess that I can say that I have always loved food, I love the way it makes you feel and the events or things usually transpiring around or because of the food. My mom always made good comfort food, there was always Sunday dinner, good holiday fare and those special treats throughout the years. So good ol' food, for me I guess has always been something that I truly enjoyed. As far as the new experimentations and getting crazy I just don't know. The creativity on my part was from lack of interest in the common everyday fare that restaurants or a microwave could put out. I needed something to revitalize my palate! So I truly believe that no one point has been the transition, more of a natural progression, which was bound to happen and I am oh so thankful for that. I love finding and discovering new foods, but most of all I love making it my way and then sharing with others, because what good is a good meal with nobody to share it with, ok it's still a good meal but just not as enjoyable!

I have a fishy feeling . . .

So lately I have been craving anything that swims. Mostly crab, squid, calamari and MUSSELS!! When life hands you mussels, make cioppino, I say! While I have never made it before, I plan to this weekend. I will make it a seafood night. maybe some crab dip with a garlic-buttered crostini and either mussels marinara or perhaps the fabled cioppino (I really love food way too much). And of course you have to have the appropriate headache-inducing (in moderation of course) white wine. I think that seafood is important for the average person to eat on a regular basis. What other type of food can you instantly feel like you are by the beach or some really fancy restaurant in the south of France, kicking back relaxing and sharing conversation! If all goes well I will hopefully be posting my version of a seafood splendor feast on Monday, for all to read.