tyronebcookin

A Note About Nonstick!

2012-01-14T13:10:00.003-06:00

Have you looked at your pots, pans, and metal trays? Do you sometimes see a light brown film that starts sticking to your pans? It starts getting hard to scrub off and you wonder just what it is...it's probably your non-stick spray!

It leaves a residue, a film, that usually cooks on to the pan like a thin rubber film.I know you are probably like most people and don't read the 'Care Instructions' for the kitchenware that you buy so I will let you in on a little secret...you don't need nonstick spray on a nonstick pan! Get it?

If you want a little butter, extra virgin olive oil, lard or type of oil for a little flavor (like sesame) in your pan then do it. Or if instructions direct that you MUST do this, then do it if you feel it is necessary. But nonstick kitchenware is already 'nonstick' you don't need to put spray on it!

Nonstick spray was originally designed for using on kitchenware that everything stuck to, in other words everything that wasn't nonstick. Try it out...my pancakes came out flawless on my nonstick griddle without any kind of oil, butter, or spray and they browned nicely on each side. THEN out came the butter and Maple syrup!

If you look for the 'Care Instructions' for a nonstick pan, chances are it will tell you "Do not use nonstick spray on this pan". It does seem like a bit of common sense doesn't it?

Injected & Smoked!

2012-01-07T14:46:00.002-06:00

Backup to Thanksgiving 2011...I usually don't follow traditional foods for Holidays but this year family was coming over and they were all bringing a few dishes to round out the meal and I would do a flavorful Turkey with a little twist.

So, I decided to simmer up some chicken broth with a few more herbs and spices that I liked (and some onion and garlic). Then I strained all the pieces out which I later rubbed into the skin of the Turkey. I chilled the liquid then went in search of my meat injector.


Two Turkey's For the Price of One!

Using the liquid I created I pierced the skin and went into the muscle and continually forced the liquid into the turkey at several points in muscles all over the Turkey with my big commercial needle for meat.

Cooking it overnight in my smoker (standard $59 to $69 electric smoker sold at department stores everywhere) with apple wood chips. Ranging in heat about 200F to 220F thru-out the night for about 10 hours. The turkey's weight was about 16 pounds before cooking.

That's it. I took it out and let it rest...later carving it for dinner. Oh man was it moist delicious! I have a house full of guests AND guys at work who got to eat the leftovers that can be my witnesses!


Breakfast at Cracker Barrel!

Leadership Appreciation Dinner

2011-11-26T18:53:00.001-06:00

First I must confess...I need to get better at remembering to take pictures, or at least acquire some that others took so I can show you examples of the menu's or food I post here. I don't always do that, or have the pictures to do it!

Our church usually has an appreciation dinner for the different leaders of this and that like sunday school, children's church, small groups...things of that nature. I cooked the main food for it the weekend of November the 13th.

It was heavy hor' dourves this time. Estimated about 70 people. Menu as follows:

Beef Sliders (made with NY Strip steak I found on managers special 4.99lb. Usually 7.99) w/horseradish and onion mayo.
Chicken Satay (on skewer) w/Thai peanut sauce for dipping.
Smoked Salmon Bouquet (slice of English cucumber with lemon-dill cream cheese mixture topped with the cold smoked/cured Salmon placed like flower design)
Veggie Tray w/standard Ranch dressing for dipping.
Hummus (very easy to do) and Pita Chips.
Artichoke Spinach dip (served hot).
Fruit Tray w/seasonal fruit (grapes, apples/slices...had melons too, but never got around to using them). Two dips - a caramel, and a Greek yogurt and honey mixture w/"fall flavored" spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves...).
Chicken Salad on pumpernickel.
Mini Muffaletta's on Focaccia bread that I made.
Small vine ripe tomato cups w/prosciutto and lump white crab meat (basically "the good stuff"). I was going to do a tuna salad sandwich but I though it was a bit boring and sprung for the crab after saving money on the steak.
Pulled Pork Asian Salad Bite - Ok, maybe I could have come up with a better name for this or something. Slow cooked pork shoulder combined with a "slaw" using Asian flavors: ginger, soy, lemongrass, hoison...etcetera, served on a piece of endive leaf/"petal".

As you can probably tell, I went a little 'International' with the tastes of the food and did some twists of my own on it. In the beginning I was a little to adventurous in thinking I had the time to do all the breads for this menu but in the end I just did the Focaccia and bought some small hogie looking rolls for the other sandwiches. But it all came out great.

We had discussed maybe a cheese platter as well, but in the end it was just to much food for placement on the space provided. I had a wheel of Brie I was going to bake in puff pastry with a nice fruit jam topping...but we never got that far.

But I believe it was a success. Many compliments about the food...and one of the other most important things, WE DIDN'T RUN OUT! That's like the first 'no no' you figure out in catering. Unless of course your customers miscommunicated the proper amount of guests. But this event was not the case.

Set-up, desserts, and drinks were not handled by me but I can tell you they were delicious! When doing things of this nature whether getting paid, volunteering, and/or helping out, know your limitations and don't be scared to say 'no' or ask for help!

Mens Retreat Menu

2011-11-14T20:03:00.001-06:00

WOW! So things have been really busy lately...this month, weekend of the 4th, 5th, and 6th we had a men's retreat and I was cooking for it.

This group is mostly 'steak and potato' guys and so I planned my menu accordingly! In addition to that we watched the Alabama vs LSU game which was the only sad part of the weekend (LSU won). But I tried to have an amazing line-up of food for the game.

Menu as follows...

Ribeye steaks w/sauteed mushrooms & oninons, baked potatoes, dinner rolls (and a shallow chafing dish of normandy vegetable mix with cheese sauce to drown them out...in case someones conscious or 'inner wife's' voice made them feel guilty) on Friday Dinner. Dessert was Red Velvet, Pumpkin, and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups cheesecakes. I did not make these, the were Cheesecake Factory!!!
Sausage gravy & biscuits, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, bacon, spicy smoked sausages, steak tips...Saturday Morning.
Keeping light for lunch we went with 'make your own sub sandwich' & Chips. Saturday Lunch
For the game and dinner, we had homemade pizzas (pepperoni, combo, veggie, cheese...), hot wings, and BBQ Ribs. Also jalapeno cheese dip and chips and assorted cookies for dessert. Saturday Dinner
On Sunday morning the crowd was dwindling and a lot of us were off to church so I made homemade cinnamon rolls and a quick pot of coffee to get the day jump-started (actually the early birds got the coffee going). Sunday Breakfast/Snack

Overall I felt it went really well and they were ecstatic about the 'Manly' menu!

Next Post: Leadership Appreciation Dinner

What's cookin' lately!

2011-11-02T19:56:00.001-05:00

When I came back to Alabama I needed a job. So when my other options fell thru and time was running out I went to work for a company I had worked for before. The pay is OK, the hours are long but only Monday thru Friday, and they were happy to hire me back because of my integrity and good work ethic from before...But its not been enough.

Culinarily this job possesses nothing for me (pause to feel the emptiness).

Lately I have been connecting with other like minded people and really scoping the job opportunities ( which are few and far between) to get back to what I love. The word 'networking' comes to mind...

I am excited about doing a few functions coming up this month. First I will be cooking for the upcoming Men's Retreat this weekend and secondly the Leadership Appreciation (event?) next weekend (for my church, Valley Fellowship).

For the Men I feel a menu heavy on the meat, plenty of starch, and a few veggies thrown in for balance (As if anyone is really concerned! I think NOT). Because that's what this crowd is about. For the Leadership Appreciation it will be more sophisticated with heavy hor'dourves. I'll get back to you on the menu's and how everything goes!

I even have a rehearsal dinner booked for February of next year!

Rare Sweet Potato Found!

2011-10-23T14:58:00.001-05:00

Found in captivity, the rare and elusive Grandaddy Long-leg Sweet Potato! Named after the Grandaddy Long-leg spider for its single unit body and multiple spindly 'legs' growing out of it.

Unlike rare animals that are usually found in the wild, this sweet potato is found in the captivity of homes, long forgotten and left in bins or cupboards never to be seen again until they start to rot and stink!

I ran upon this rare species in an even rarer spot than usual...it was found in a home that cooks and eats lots of food and hosts many guests each week. I don't want to reveal any names for fear of embarrassment to the owner. BUT it was found in a home in the Green Mountain vicinity on a Saturday night(hint, hint).

Thankfully we 'caught' this one in time, it almost had enough legs to run away and rot in an undisclosed corner of the house! Whew, that would stink! And the sweetness would have called out to the bugs and ants!

You may know the Grandaddy Long-leg Sweet Potato's cousin...Poison Eyes Potato?

When Life Gives You Limes...

2011-10-15T14:24:00.001-05:00

While working in Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic on the M/V Caribbean Mercy we had some locals working on board. Samuel was a young guy (15) who was brought on in the galley (kitchen) because he came to work with his mom who worked in housekeeping and we could use the help and they could use the extra income.

Samuel's English was limited and so was my Spanish (although it was a lot better then than it is now) but we got along fine finding him tasks to do in the galley.

One day we got these tiny limes locally grown that were only about as round and big as golf balls, with many of them smaller in size. About 100 or more came to us and I definitely wanted to use them but was concerned with the amount of time it was going to take to squeeze or 'juice' them.

Not giving it to much thought, I passed this tedious job on to Samuel thinking it would be something good to keep him busy and he was young and strong enough maybe his hands would not cramp or feel bad after juicing all those limes.

After about 20 minutes Samuel came back with a small pitcher of lime juice and told me 'finished'. Really? Si. Samuel showed me all the lime peels flattened to a pulp! I asked Samuel how he did this, and how so fast.

Samuel picked up one lime he had saved, cut it in half, put the half in our garlic press, and squeezed the death out of it...Wow! I am not sure I would have ever thought to do that. Juiced it perfect, quick, and easily...also preventing the seeds from falling in the pitcher.

It sounds cliche, but this was an 'Ah-Ha!' moment for me. I pawned off a job I didn't want to do only to learn something valuable from the result.

Just because you can't think of a better way to do it, doesn't mean there isn't.
Stay humble, it helps to not destroy your ego when a 15 year old boy teaches you something new in your own profession.
Problem solving seems to come easy to some people, recognizing it sure does help.

I gave Samuel plenty of other jobs while he worked with us, some of them were just so I could see how his mind worked and how he went about accomplishing the tasks.

Besides being a great addition to our galley crew Samuel made one of the best Ceviches made with Conch (edible sea snail) I have ever tasted.

My Top 5 Eating Out Tips (@Home & Vacation)

2011-10-08T21:37:00.001-05:00

Lets talk a bit about accommodations while on vacation, then we will get right back to the food! If you are wavering between paying for a vacation rental or hotel, I suggest a rental. I have found from online research that nice rentals from beach-side homes to inner city condominiums are usually cheaper or at least comparable to hotel/motel/resort accommodations. And usually come with some of the same extras: pool, free WiFi, cable or satellite, free movie channels, local calls...You get the point.

Why does this come into play? You can cook your dinners at the rental. And by that I mean the evening meals (evening meals cost more at restaurants). Also (non food related) if you have kids and/or babies you can put them to bed in a separate room! With families it seems that hotels only REALLY provide a place to sleep, then you need to get out and about before someone gets hurt! ~ But let me get back to the eating part...

Here are some ideas for saving money while eating out @ Home & Vacation!

Don't waste time on terrible food. If you have a smart phone or laptop you can check the website or use an *app for Yelp and Urbanspoon to cross check restaurants, cafes, dives...For cost, rating, reviews, and distance! Next, use Foodspotting to check the place you would like to eat at to see if they have pictures of their food. Seeing how a plate of food looks will help you make your decision. You can look at the picture and see if there's a nice presentation, large or small portions, if its what you thought it was...So now you have some top notch places to eat, you know how far away they are, what the prices are, and if you read the reviews you know what the specials are, what one dish everyone raves about, or what to steer clear from. * its easier if you have these apps on your phone.
Eat LUNCH, not dinner at your favorite, must have, most expensive, gourmet places and restaurants that you must try. Why? Usually the portions and food are the same as DINNER only priced cheaper.
After eating lunch at most of the places you wanted to try, cook dinner at your rental property or order take-out from places with great food and great prices but no atmosphere and eat it somewhere else. This cuts down on spending money by doing away with tips, lackluster service, bad atmosphere, or terrible ambiance. (Like maybe misbehaved children or obnoxious happy hour participants.) These things rob your joy, so immediately you feel your money was not well spent and the food was not "all that".
Sign up with Groupon and Living Social for coupons that are usually 'half off' or more on restaurants in your area. They email deals to you almost daily and you can change your location to see what may be coming up in your vacation spot! And again, there are smart phone apps for these so you can use the 'coupon' right from your phone without printing anything out!
Eat food off the Happy Hour Menu - Its cheaper! The food is usually discounted (and drink specials) to bring in more customers. To me its like ordering 'a la carte' for dinner.

I am sure I have left out a lot of good advice, but those are my top five...Please include your own advice in the comments below!

Grill your pizza!

2011-10-01T13:53:00.001-05:00

Love that pizza oven pizza? Want to cook great 7 minute pizzas at 600 plus degrees(F) and not heat up your home?

I certainly didn't originate the idea but I do use the concept to the fullest!

Buy a pizza stone. I use the square one. Probably the best price is on sale at your local Walmart, Target, or Bed Bath & Beyond. Sometimes Pampered Chef has good sales on them.

Place the pizza stone in the middle of your grill and turn
the temperature up to high if you have a gas grill and close the lid. Whether gas or charcoal keep the lid closed till the temperature rises to your liking. Insert your pizza. Fresh or frozen this technique provides a crispy crust and better taste.

The amount of time needed varies but I make my own pizza dough and the fresh takes about 7 minutes of no peeking time. Peeking releases valuable heat.

Although this is not all encompassing instructions you should feel free to experiment. I also move the stone to the side and grill other items at the same time occasionally. I also like to cook breads like foccacia on the stone. Leave a question or comment for me!

Deep Fried Macaroni and Cheese

2011-09-24T21:00:00.002-05:00

Terrible. I know its just terrible to make something so good and fattening and deep fry it for even more flavor. But what was also terrible is the recipes that I found when I googled deep fried macaroni and cheese. Some wrote about frying it in a skillet and adding ingredients and some wrote recipes that I believe they never tried like; use (a national known brand of) frozen macaroni and cheese and scoop it out of the foil package and bread it with white bread crumbs? How do you 'scoop' frozen macaroni and cheese? And just how did they bread it without a binder and being frozen? Terrible.

The recipes that sound good give you no pictures. And one recipe goes so far as to add meat, tomato, and...now how is that macaroni and cheese?

Alright. Take your macaroni & cheese out of the refrigerator the next day and cut out fun shapes you would like to fry: squares, sticks, circles, etc.

Then we need to flour, soak (one egg and some milk) and then bread with DRY bread crumbs.
Now lets fry it at 350 to 375. Depending on the size of the macaroni & cheese you cut out will depend how long it takes to cook to hot inside (or for the health department, 140F). Just use some tongs and a thermometer, yes, a thermometer. You should have one if you don't, and definitely if you are new at cooking. Its a good bet that your macaroni & cheese is to big if the breading/crust burns or gets to dark before the inside is done/hot. But a solution to that is frying it till it looks good and then finish it in the oven till you get the temperature you would like internally. The crust will brown, but slower than in the fryer...we are looking for that creamy indulgence of melted cheese at the core of the macaroni & cheese bite!

This is a good depiction (see picture) of the texture and creaminess of the inside of my macaroni & cheese block. Not to mention a good (on a plate) presentation with maybe marinara or chipotle ranch for dipping sauce. Hopefully you use quality macaroni & cheese...we did, we used our own!

Train Birthday Cake (Estevam turns ONE!)

2011-09-21T10:32:00.000-05:00

Recently I was talking with a friend about cakes and using fondant and it reminded me of a time in West Africa that I had to make my own...

Friends of mine, Tatyana & Rodrigo, had their sons’ first birthday while we were working with Mercy Ships aboard the Africa Mercy and Tatyana asked me to help with the cake. Well I looked at some of the illustrations that she sent me by email from Internet pictures and I said, ‘Is this all you want? You want me to do the whole cake? I got a bigger idea…’

Of course Tatyana probably had so much more to worry about getting her child’s first party together so she freely gave up that project.

The following pictures are the result of watching too much Ace of Cakes (on food network DVD’s my dad sent me while on the ship) and a Marshmallow Fondant Recipe I found on the Internet (they didn't sell fondant locally in Liberia Monrovia!). That was actually my first attempt to make a cake of this nature with ‘homemade’ fondant…and let me tell you this West African heat & humidity almost melted it off!!! (the party was outside)
[Click pictures to make larger]

Chocolate chips represented coal in the second train cart, the little ball/truffle things were made by Tatayana (tasty!) and the whole cake is edible. Mostly just cake, buttercream frosting, Marshmallow Fondant, and food coloring for the fondant. Those were the only colors available to me and I had to be careful because they effected the texture of the fondant.

If you would like to look at all the pictures of "how to have a Birthday Party for a Brazilian in West Africa and get a cake made by an Alabama/Georgia boy"… I stole all my pictures from Ali (THANKS!) she also has extensive photo albums of our time in Liberia that you might be interested in.

One of the nice things about being on the ship in close community is that some of these families I have known for a long time, and over the years as the family grows you become an Uncle to many children by default. Its just the ‘way’ of community and a ‘right of passage’ that you enjoy!.

Joy of Coffee

2011-09-17T21:00:00.000-05:00

This coffee shop in Dublin Ireland (not to far from the famed Temple Bar) was a great little 'hole-n-wall' place to take a break and have some lunch.

Sandwiches, soups, and various other offerings. Besides coffee there were plenty of tea choices...One that I remember right away was a green tea with mint and coconut. That hit the spot as we were there during winter time. Warming the cold body!

I posted the picture to simply say the name of this place says it all for people like me~ Joy of Coffee!

What are some of your 'hole-n-wall' coffee places, joints that you like? What makes them special? And lets steer clear of the ones in Amsterdam!

Risky Business!

2011-09-13T19:46:00.000-05:00

One the first things people tell you when leaving the country for developing or Third World countries is, "don't drink the water!", "don't eat raw foods" (like salads), and/or "make sure everything is cooked all the way!". All this is good advice but sometimes you just can't be bothered.

When I sat foot on land after sailing on a ship to Central America (my first time out of the U.S. many years ago) I was so eager to go eat anything new and different that accepting a few days of diarrhea "in the name of culinary research and experience" was worth it!

Over the years I have ate quite a few things outside of the 'box'
termites in Honduras, the equivalent to a field rat in West Africa, sting ray in Belize (or was it Manta Ray?)...the list goes on.

What is something risky you have done that would be considered "in the name of culinary research and experience"?

[Picture is of me in one of many markets in San Pedro Sula, Honduras]

Where are the Mexican Bakeries?!

2011-09-10T20:10:00.000-05:00

I was talking with Juan last week about Mexican food and Mexican stores in the Huntsville/Madison area (in Alabama) and he brought up a very interesting question, "Where are the Mexican Bakeries?". Juan is a young guy about 21 and his family is from Mexico.

Juan was right, where are they? We have restaurants and even small stores...But where are the bakeries?

I had a favorite bakery when I was living in Tyler TX working with a catering company. I knew which days to go and when to get there so I could pick my still
warm items fresh from trays on a speed rack. But there were several other bakeries as well. In California I could get some of my favorites from Mi Pueblo (grocery store) or even Food Maxx (warehouse style grocery place) had a few they sold every day in a small sectioned plastic display with tongs.

Here in Huntsville/Madison Alabama I have yet to find, or hear of a Mexican bakery in the area...if you know of one, please let me know and I can pass it on! (Not to mention go buy some items for myself!!!)

[Update: Right after writing this post I found ONE!]

Cesia's Bakery - Panaderia Mexicana
(in the old Soul Burger spot!)
2900 Triana Blvd SW
Huntsville, AL 35805

Starting Again

2011-09-08T20:04:00.002-05:00

Thru the years my blogs and websites moved around and even 'finished' BUT old posts of my blog "tyronebcookin" and from my blog after marriage "Tyrone and Stephanie" are still available here: tyroneandstephanie.blogspot.com.

*(Although, during an import procedure a lot of my post/article pictures were lost. Sigh.)

I stepped away from blogging for awhile, life got complicated and busy. I didn't have
enough focus or time to hold peoples attention in Social Media. Also, Facebook and Twitter were busy creating ADD tendencies in peoples brain patterns. 'Make it happen' in 140 words or less and status updates as fast as you can post them...who can compete with that?

So its about time.

Lets share some stories, recipes, techniques...generally anything related to food and fellowship. Hope to see you here from time to time!

~ Tyrone B.