Update to Culinary Mystery!

Remember when I wrote this post with pictures:

Culinary Mystery (you need to read this to understand the rest of the post)

Well after almost 2 years someone wrote in with a link to the answer!  But first I want to ask why Arthur from Sheffield England DID NOT KNOW what it was when it came from his neck of the woods!

Joe writes this:  I have come across one of these and Googled to find out what it is. I can confirm, it's a double-sided fork/skewer for serving steak...Hope this helps!

Here is the mystery solved Link.

It's funny because at the time I had exhausted all kinds of Internet searches including Google and had not come up with anything...but first, you got to know what you looking for!  And it was almost 2 years ago!

Thanks, Joe!

Lou's Cafe

If you ever find yourself  somewhere in between Los Gatos, Campbell, and San Jose you should stop by Lou's Cafe for some coffee.  And of course a bite to eat!

My wife and I have managed to go about once every other week (more like every week lately!) when both our schedules afford us a midweek day off together.  I love the coffee and old-timey diner feel (and the food) and Steph loves the French Toast and Belgian Waffles, not both at the same time though.

Breakfast is probably going to run you about 6.50 to 10.00 dollars, but you'll probably eat two times off of one plate so financially that is a good deal.  I always have to get the rest of my plate to go...Coffee is good!

Personal recommendations are the Banana Nutella French Toast, Eldorado Potatoes (which is like home-style fried potatoes with blackened chicken, avocado, Monterrey jack cheese...), and the Coffee Cake which is the size of a small child's head!

Equipment 4 Small Kitchens and Small Budgets

There was a question posted at SeriousEats.com (of which I am a member) which garnered at least 64 comments:

What does a young foodie/recent grad need in his kitchen?

First, we will review my answer to the above question as I responded on the site - add suggestions and pictures to help visualize how this would work for anyone. (of course, if you are extremely messy and uncoordinated then there may not be a 'happy' medium for you and your kitchen)

A few thoughts:

The knife (as one person said) may be a more personal purchase, but maybe not if you spend more money on it than he would!

*Good forged metal well-known and trusted brand knives can be found at Marshall's, Ross, and TJ Max in the 'kitchen' section at great reductions...knife sets are a waste of money unless it's a chef's, paring, serrated/bread knife set. You don't need 7 to 14 knives.  These three do most of the jobs you are going to do in your home kitchen with some exceptions.  Kitchen Aid, Cuisinart, Chicago Cutlery also have good starting knives at Target and Wal-Mart.  Most in the 30$ or less range.

Cast Iron skillet (as somebody suggested) would usually be a good recommendation, but being in an apartment with a small kitchen, those things tend to smoke too much...and it's not about controlling the heat. It's about 'seasoned' cast iron heating up and smoking.

But consider this, I bought 2 twelve inch COMMERCIAL non-stick pans from Sam's Club (because at that time they came in two AND Sam's has a commercial restaurant supply section now - BUT NOT COSTCO DARN IT!) pretty cheap and they are made from thick aluminum under the non-stick coating...2 years later they still have the coating. I pulled the rubber handles (good for oven temps up to about 350) off and threw them away, cook on top, finish in the oven. Works wonderfully. Heavy-duty, lighter, and less smokey than cast iron.

Someone suggests getting a mini-processor from Cuisinart, but I say get the KitchenAid mini processor (3 cups model) not the Cuisinart. The reason being is because the 'catch' for making the motor work is a long piece of plastic protruding down from the lid, prone to breaking off! Kitchenaid, not so much small 'catch' on both sides of the lid that doesn't protrude past the lip much, even if you manage to drop the lid on the floor and break one, you can still swivel the lid to the other.

*BUT now you can order thru amazon.com or go to target and get an Oster blender with 3 cup processor attachment...here is a picture of what that looks like.  The one at target is cheaper than mine because its sold as a combo and my blender is the more expensive one. AGAIN, if you already own a Hamilton or some kind of Oster blender you can order the processor unit separately on Amazon.com.  Why is this important?  Because it doesn't create another electric appliance that needs a plug/outlet. AND saves space.

As someone mentioned, electric hot water kettle. Starts things that need hot or boiled water much quicker.  The one pictured is about $20 at Target.

Is he a serious tea or coffee drinker? Bodum (french press) goes good with that electric water kettle. $16 Target or Wal-Mart.

Small microwave as already said. $30 to $50 depends on how good a sale you find!  Good for melting things, heating things, mostly good for leftovers & quick fixes!

Coffee bean grinder for grinding spices or coffee $15. (I have 2, one for coffee, one for spices)

I buy bar towels in bulk from Sam's or Costco's, there just like the ones in commercial kitchens I use...and they're cheap. $10 for 20? (approximate)

Immersion blender, as already said. This thing should be a must. It's terrific. $15 at some Longs Drugs or $19 on Amazon.com with a 4-star rating or higher.  Procter-Silex.

My pasta roller still comes in handy for (duh) pasta, and also: pita bread, rolling thin tortillas, flatbread...etc. $30 for most brands.  This one $22 Amazon.com 4 stars (out of 5).

If you going to spend some money, then buy a nice kitchen cart with storage underneath...then you can roll a 'chopping' island around to use and store these small appliances underneath when not in use.

OK, I'll stop here...I cook professionally as well as not letting my small kitchen in my apartment keep me from cooking extensive and 'fine dining' meals at home.  This list is not made to be comprehensive of all things needed, but a help.  Just like using 3 knives in the kitchen pots & pans need not be in 20 piece sets...good cutting board, tongs, whisk, grater...

I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about my suggestions, stuff you currently using, or your own recommendations for this list!

How do you Hotdog?

Most of you know by now (if you follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or this site) when I get a craving I usually try to indulge in it, go for it,  or 'do it' the next time I get a chance.  For example one day last week I had Butterfinger Ice Cream for breakfast.  It's just that simple.

The newest craving I had that came on real strong was something I first learned about years ago (like when I was 16) when I worked at A&W Rootbeer or Restaurant (as ours was called A&W Family Restaurant).  But first I want you to know it was not one of those new modern A&W restaurants.  It was an old one.  Women working the 'car hops', a fireplace in the center of the dining area, little league/softball/baseball pictures hung everywhere from their sponsorship.  And we still made the Rootbeer syrup before linking it in with the CO2(soda machine for carbonation).  Yeah, 'back in the day'.

A good friend of mine from high school was working there told me I needed to try one of his favorite hot-dog combinations.  You melted American cheese on top of a hot-dog in a bun, then add chopped onion, pickles, ketchup, and mayo, then top it with coleslaw (the white coleslaw, not that ketchup or vinegar coleslaw).  I thought he was crazy, but the flavor combination really surprised me.  I loved it!

Slaw-dogs with cheese, onion, pickle, mayo, & ketchup.  For some reason that struck me yesterday and I really wanted to have it, so I did.  I bought the ingredients at the store (much cheaper) with a bag of Kettle Sour Cream and Onion potato chips.  Kettle chips are the greatest, all flavors are good...Crispy, thick, and crunchy.  And for dessert, I finished off with Caramel Caribou ice cream.  Delicious.

You're probably wondering what's wrong with me and why I didn't eat BBQ?  Why not make your own rules?  July 4th can still be a day of celebration no matter what you eat or how you enjoy it (even if it's your birthday)!

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Dutch Crunch Bread

Recently I tried my own Dutch Crunch Bread as I have had it several times and love it in 'loaf' and roll form for straight consumption or to build a massive sandwich!  What is it? You may ask...

The following quote is credited to Bacon Press, (as I try to keep it short and sweet here on my site for you) I find this paragraph to sum up its origin. ->

Like your typical sourdough loaf or baguette, Dutch Crunch didn't originate here, although the name probably did. In the Netherlands, it's known as Tijgerbrood and sold in the UK as "Tigerbread". It gets its name from the color and texture of the crust, which is striped with dark brown crunchy spots with light blond bread peeking out from underneath. The crust gets its flavor and texture from washing the top prior to baking with a mixture rice flour, butter, yeast, sugar, and salt. The final product is a mildly sweet, light, and fluffy white loaf with a somewhat crunchy, savory crust. ~ Bacon Press 

In addition, I find that Dutch Crunch Bread is a 'bay area' California thing and does not reach far out of this area...as in its prevalent in all our grocery stores and bakeries.  Supposedly the name originated from San Francisco when the bakeries there started making it.

My attempt to make it did produce a good tasting product, BUT I found two mistakes in my own rendition:

1. I made my dough too soft and I was not using a baguette pan, so my bread was a little 'flatter' in shape than I wanted. (but that's my own perfectionism kicking in)


2. After looking at several recipes I was led to believe I needed to coat the top of my dough with a much thicker coating than I thought was necessary for the 'Crunch' effect and taste.

I used my own Easy White Dough recipe and went HERE for the topping recipe.

*I researched Dutch Crunch Bread only to find most information about it was not referenced or researched extensively, so for that, I apologize in advance to my Dutchy friends if you find me in error!

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Basil Overload!

Here on my site and on Facebook, I posted my findings from my first 'Farm Fresh to You' home delivery organic food box.  Which was noted as having at least ten bunches of Basil in it!

Well of course even I couldn't use that much without getting sick of it!  So I cut the stems off and processed all the basil down with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a few heads of garlic.  Then I scooped the mixture into a Ziploc bag and cut the corner off.  I piped the whole bag into two ice cube trays and put them in the freezer for future use!

I would have made pesto but I don't like what the freezer does to cheese (Parmesan) and nuts (pine nuts, or in my case I like to use roasted sunflower kernels, their cheaper too!) which are both ingredients of pesto.

Later when you want to cook something with a little garlic and basil 'zip' you just throw in a cube or two while cooking or sauteing.  They also use this ice cube trick with stock (chicken, beef, pork...) too, so if you are only cooking in small amounts you can throw a few frozen 'stock' cubes into the pan or food to meltdown and help the flavor.

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Make Ricotta Cheese: its easy!

Over at Stumptown Savoury, Gareth has an excellent blog that I enjoy.  He also has a post about making ricotta cheese at home, which is great because I can share it with you! (without having to write about it again myself)

I have tested doing it the way he says and it came out as good as his pictures show.  Here is the link  Home Creamery: Whole Milk Ricotta.  Come on people, it has four ingredients: Milk, Heavy Cream, Citric Acid, & Salt!

What can you make with Ricotta?  Lasagna, Manicotti, desserts...Gareth has already listed two more ideas on his site to go with his ricotta recipe. (just click Stumptown Savoury above)

Also, there is a link on his site for ordering citric acid which is one of the ingredients...But if you don't want to wait maybe this will do the trick for you:

I have had great success in finding Sour Salt (brand ROKEACH) in the Kosher section of Safeway food stores. Sour Salt IS citric acid, check the ingredients there is only one – citric acid.

About 5 1/2 ounces for $2.19 – plenty of cheese making citric acid.

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Pork Meatballs with Chorizo Seasoning

Anybody out there had Chorizo before?  Well for those of you who have and know what I am talking about, you can buy a packet of seasoning called Chorizo Seasoning/Spices.  Usually on the 'quick pick' rack of various seasonings not on the spice aisle in your grocery store, but on the international or ethnic aisle.  In the Hispanic/Spanish section - usually right next to the severely limited 'Asian' section - in one of those 99 cents bags.

So an idea came to me to use it with some ground pork for meatballs.  My wife is allergic to beef so I use different meats to create meatballs when we get the urge for a good meatball sandwich, with spaghetti, or some other kind of way.

Basically, for one pound of ground pork, I used 1 Tablespoon Chorizo Seasoning, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, salt & pepper, a few bread crumbs, and fennel seed I had toasted then ground.

(next time I would add a minced shallot!)

I cooked my meatballs on top of the stove browning them nicely then finishing them in a 350-degree oven.  Sauteing some thick sliced 'baby Bella' mushrooms and adding in a quick marinara (combined in a processor) with fire-roasted tomatoes, a little tomato paste, garlic, and roasted red bell peppers...Later adding only oregano, salt, and pepper.  Then add the meatballs back into the sauce.

We had the meatballs and sauce over farfalle (bowtie) pasta.  I served basil and sundried tomato dip (basil also courtesy of the box) made with cream cheese with the fresh carrots and broccoli from the 'Farm Fresh to You' box.

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Farm Fresh To You

I recently found out about a service available to me here locally (Northern California - San Jose area) thanks to Brandi who enjoys good food as much as I do and of course us 'foodies' usually look out for each other.

Farm Fresh To You.  Here is a snippet from their site: 

Welcome To Farm Fresh To You

As people are becoming increasingly interested about where their food comes from and how it was grown, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is becoming a popular alternative for getting high quality food from a trusted local farm. Currently over 800 families are participating in our family farm's CSA, Farm Fresh To You. By joining our CSA these families are connecting directly to our farm and receiving regular deliveries of nutrient rich, mouth watering, organic produce delivered directly to their home or office. See how it works or why join Farm Fresh To You.

Some of the things I like about it is:

• I can cancel anytime


• Home delivery - choice of weekly, bi-weekly, monthly


• Customized your delivery


• Satisfaction guaranteed

Customer service seems to be 'on the ball' too...last night I emailed a request to have something added to my 'box' and received a reply first thing this morning!

We'll see how it goes and maybe take some pictures from 'the box'.  Produce changes as to what's available changes.  There are many choices for different types of boxes.

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Ice Cream That Doesn't Melt?

Ice Cream That Doesn't Melt? - Restaurant News - QSR Magazine.

And it has Jello-O pudding flavors?

Cold Stone Creamery's Tastemaster, Ray Karam, has created a new form of ice cream, JELL-O® pudding ice cream.

What I don't like about this claim is supposedly when or if the ice cream melts at room temperature it turns into pudding.  To me, this seems like a gimmick.  When ice creams are made they are usually with dairy cream and/or  'custard type' base.  So why would it be a stretch to use pudding?  Pudding would be considered a 'fast food' cousin to the custard would it not?

So let's say I made some pudding, then used the pudding in my 'ice cream maker' to make ice cream...when my ice cream melts it will still be pudding right?

I'm not knocking the ice cream if it tastes good, but it's not exactly a new form of ice cream, is it?  The story says it was developed through "rigorous testing & tasting".  You be the judge.

Jalapeno Cheddar Bread

For this recipe, it would help to start by reading this post - Easy White Dough.

Then follow the pictorial by clicking on the first picture below, captions/directions will then show underneath!

Wine Pairing: a widget to help!

Have you bought a good wine and want to match food with it? Bought or made some good food and want to match a good wine with it within your budget range? Natalie MacLean has a Drinks Matcher on her website that you can also use as a widget on your website! I was going to put her widget on my site to help other people out who may visit but I think its much better to visit her site and use the Drinks Matcher there: Nat Decants

Why? Great information. Good recipes. Straight talk about choosing and drinking wines. Demystifying and bringing wine drinking down to our level (the non-snobbish foodies who think wine people are being pretentious). Books, articles, podcasts, free newsletters…

Who is Natalie MacLean? Watch her video and read the rest of her bio here:

To fund her late-night vinous habits, Natalie MacLean holds down day jobs as a wine writer, speaker and judge. An accredited sommelier, she is a member of the National Capital Sommelier Guild, the Wine Writers Circle and several French wine societies with complicated and impressive names. Funny, brainy and unapologetically tipsy, her goal in life is to intimidate those crusty wine stewards at fine restaurants with her staggering knowledge.