What You Should Have Eaten #55

CrunchyJapanese Fish with Vegetable and Noodle Toss

Click the title to a link to the recipe. The picture I took of the cookbook didn't come out all that well.

The drink I made while fixing this dinner was called an Oracabessa. Dark rum, banana-flavored liqueur, and lemon juice. Even with the lemon juice, it’s too sweet. The juice cuts it, but not really enough. I’d add a smidge more rum and a smidge less crème de banana (which is what I used as my banana-flavored liqueur).

I went cheap with all the possible ingredients here. Generic spaghetti. I used some frozen tilapia that I already had instead of the haddock. I actually used Rice Krispies instead of a generic cereal, but that was only because it was on sale and I had a coupon. All the spices and herbs I used were dried; nothing was fresh.

The only bean sprouts that my Kroger had available were from mung beans. I’m not at all familiar with bean sprouts and this is the first time I’ve ever cooked with them, so I don’t know if a different type would have affected the taste.

There are some things I always stay away from. Two are onions and spicy hot things. I decided to include the cayenne pepper, figuring that such a small amount of spice in such a large amount of food wouldn’t be overpowering. I kept out the scallions, though. Even a tiny amount of onions tend to tear me up.

I thought I had an almost full bottle of soy sauce (generic from Kroger, of course) in the fridge or an unopened full bottle in the cabinet, but I should have checked before going to the store. Since I didn’t have any soy sauce (let alone tamari), so I did the only thing I could think of: I used Worcestershire sauce. That’s the English soy sauce, right?

This was a pretty easy meal to prepare. As much as I enjoy the experience of preparing a meal, I sometimes just want to fix something that I can throw together. I mean, that’s technically what I do during the week, but that’s usually frozen dinners. It’s nice to just throw together a good meal quickly that doesn’t come out of the microwave or start out in the freezer.

Easy, yes, but tasty, too. The kids wouldn’t eat it because they’ll only eat fish if it’s in stick form, and there was no way that I could convince them that this was the same as fish sticks. I liked it, though. The fish was flaky and not overly “breaded,” and the lo mein was good, even without the soy sauce. 

What You Should Have Eaten #53

I like to consider myself an expert when it comes to food. I’ve been eating it all my life, so I think that affords me some consideration.

I’ve been cooking for a considerably shorter amount of time, but it does run in the family. My grandfather owned and ran a deli then a coffee shop in a little town in Indiana, and my dad has always been a great cook. My sister and my mom are also no slouches in the kitchen.

Besides the occasional sandwich or bowl of cereal, I never cooked for myself until I got my second apartment in college. Anything fixed in my first apartment was usually something frozen and thrown in the microwave. At that time I still doing most of my meals on campus.

My parents bought me my first cook book, a copy of “Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book” that’s still in my kitchen. It’s pretty basic as far as the types of recipes it includes, but it includes TONS of them.

Right now I’m working my way through Rachael Ray’s “365: No Repeats.” It’s a mostly incredible book that I’m about halfway through. It’s taking me slightly longer than a year to get through because I only get to cook from it once a week. I’m a single father of three wonderful kiddos. I learned early on that the key to keeping your sanity while raising a family alone (well, mostly alone) is to have a steady routine. Between homework, baths/showers, extra-curricular activities, and somewhat early bedtimes, I just don’t have the time to cook during the week. Saturdays are a lot more flexible, but I like to fix something fun for the kids, so I rotate grilled meals (burgers, hot dogs, steaks), taco nights, hamburger helper, etc. These are sure-fire meals that I KNOW they’ll eat. Sunday nights, though, those are for me. That’s when I bust out Rachel and get my cook on. I usually end up doing a slight (maybe major on occasion) variation on the dish to make it a bit more kid friendly, but I try and encourage them to try new foods and dishes.

One thing I’m going to attempt in the coming weeks is to fix these Rachael Ray recipes while keeping an eye on how much money I’m spending. I won’t lie; some of her recipes can result in high grocery bills. I’m going to see what substitutes can be made in order to make the recipes a little more cost friendly.

One thing I DON’T tend to skimp on, though, is alcohol. As I think about what to type here, though, I find that my reasoning for not getting the cheap stuff could also be used to not skimp on ingredients for my meals.

It’s not always true that you get what you pay for, but I find if you spend a little more on alcohol, you’re going to be buying a better product. It’s taken me about 13 years to figure this out.

I was pretty much a straight-and-narrow kid growing up. Before turning 21, I know of one beer I had (a Pete’s Wicked Strawberry Blonde). I’m not 100% sure that I finished it. Once I turned 21, though, I did my best to catch up for lost time. In college, my beer of choice was Miller Genuine Draft. After college, I graduated to Amberbock. Sometime after my first kid was born, maybe around 2005, I discovered craft and high-gravity beer. My life was changed. I joined the UFO Club at Nashville Flying Saucer. I discovered some good places to buy good beer. I’m not necessarily snobby about beer, but I usually won’t drink any big domestics like Budweiser or Miller if other options are available.

I’ve also recently started paying attention to the various brands of liquor I’m buying. I can’t afford the TOP top shelf stuff, but I’ll spend a bit more and stay away from the stuff that feels like it’s melting your throat when you drink it. I like Viking Fjord vodka and New Amsterdam gin. I’ve recently discovered Oronoco rum, and I’ve got a bottle of Cabo Wabo tequila that I haven’t opened yet.

My liquor cabinet also contains a wide assortment of liqueurs, from your more common peach schnapps and blue curacaos to your slightly more off-the-wall piscos, Fernet Branca and Galliano. I have WAY more licorice-flavored spirits in my cabinet than I’d like. I hate the stuff. Tastes nasty.

I've peppered this post with pictures of the liquor cabinet and various pieces of glassware I've got. I like to collect beer and shot glasses. Whenever I travel, I pick up a shot glass from the city I'm in. Whenever I plan a trip to The Flying Saucer, I try and go on Wednesday nights when they sell special brewery glasses. It's a hell of a collection to try and move, though. I also collect beer bottle labels, but sometimes there aren't labels...so I collect the bottle. I've also also discovered growlers. Half-gallon of beer? Don't mind if I do.

Next week I’ll be posting meals again. These will be recipes I cook for my family on Sundays, and we’ll see how they turn out. I’ll also be including a mixed drink or two with the meals. Feel free to comment on any of the dishes or drinks. Have recommendations on substitutions? Please, let me know.

                       

BIG BIG BIG REMINDER: When I can remember to add this to the bottom of my posts, I’m going to whore myself out with an impassioned plea: click on the ads. PLEASE click on the ads. I don’t care if you exit out of it immediately or actually look around. This isn’t some professional blog where I believe in the products I’m shilling. These are automatic ads placed by Google. But when you click ads, I get a little bit of money, and as a single father of three, every penny from every source helps. So I’m going to keep this tiny bit of begging at the bottom of my posts, and I hope you’ll take an extra 10 seconds after reading my blog to click on an ad. The only thing it costs you is time. :) Thanks so much!

What You Should Have Eaten #48

Cumin and Lime Roasted Pork Tenderloin
with Spicy Creamed Corn

Looks like I’ve forgotten to take a picture of the recipes for both the drink and the meal. Sorry about that. I did find the meal online, though, so you can view it here. Andy looky here! It’s the drink recipe, more or less. Same ingredients, but I’m pretty sure the portions are different.

I’m getting to the point in my life where I don’t like wasting time on mediocre things, especially alcohol. I’ve found a great vodka I like (Vikingfjord), a gin that has totally reversed my opinion about gin (New Amsterdam), and now I’ve found my rum. Of course, the rum pictured isn’t it. I picked up a bottle of Oronoco Brazilian rum but put it back because I thought it was too expensive. I ended up picking up this bottle of Treaty Oak Platinum rum, a brand born and bred in Texas. It’s better than Bacardi, but it’s still just rum to me. I did, however, pick up a little airplane bottle of Oronoco as I was checking out. I ended up trying it, and oh my God it was incredible. Very smooth, the faintest hint of vanilla…like the Vikingfjord and New Amsterdam (who I just learned has a vodka, too, so I’ll have to check that out), this is something I can pour over ice and drink straight.

As for the drink itself, it was too sickly sweet. Maybe more rum and less cherry brandy and it’ll be a bit better.

Imagine my surprise/dismay as I was setting out all the ingredients and couldn’t find the tenderloin. Turns out it fell out of one of the grocery bags into the trunk on the way home the previous day and I didn’t notice it. My sister, bless her heart, came through and picked up a replacement one on her way over to the house. There’s one of the perks of having a regular adult dinner guest.

As with anything, I cut out the onion. I also cut the jalapeno dosage in half. I like flavor, not kick.

When I prepare something that doesn’t turn out right or DOES turn out right but just tastes like crap, I’ll be honest about it. But when I make something that ends up being spectacular, you’re going to know about it. This was one such meal.

The meat was incredible. It ended up being ever-so-slightly pink on the inside. It was moist (sorry, Big V) and extremely flavorful. The corn had just the right amount of seasoning to it between the peppers, the garlic and the herbs. The creaminess of the corn is up to the diner’s discretion. If you don’t like it creamy, use a slotted spoon to dish it up. If you DO like your corn a bit creamier, then…don’t.

The kids liked this, too. I kept some corn on the side to prepare without the special trappings. I love it when a meal comes together like this.

Also, in case you've forgotten: When I can remember to add this to the bottom of my posts, I’m going to whore myself out with an impassioned plea: click on the ads. PLEASE click on the ads. I don’t care if you exit out of it immediately or actually look around. This isn’t some professional blog where I believe in the products I’m shilling. These are automatic ads placed by Google. But when you click ads, I get a little bit of money, and as a single father of three, every penny from every source helps...especially with Christmas looming on the horizon. So I’m going to keep this tiny bit of begging at the bottom of my posts, and I hope you’ll take an extra 10 seconds after reading my blog to click on an ad. The only thing it costs you is time. :) Thanks so much!

What You Should Have Eaten #41

Super-Grilled Steak Sandwich with Horseradish-Dijon Cream and Spicy Greens

I’m taking liberties with tonight’s cocktail, an Amaro. I’m not mixing, nor do I own a sherry glass. I’m just dumping them in a glass with some ice cubes. My allergies are kicking my ass right now, so I’m not in the mood to fiddle with some precise measurements and mixing. As far as the taste goes, it’s rum and amaretto. If you like the ingredients, you’ll like the drink…and I like the drink.

 

 

I might have gotten the wrong kind of baguette. It was awfully skinny and not really big enough for a good sandwich.

 

 

I really liked this meal, but I learned a couple of things that I’ll have to put into practice next time. First, give the steak about an extra minute on each side on the grill. It was thoroughly cooked, but it was just a smidge too rare for my tastes. Juicy’s what I want, not bloody. Second, slice the steak thinner. And the tomatoes for that matter. I had a difficult time keeping my sandwich together, but maybe a bigger baguette would have helped with that, too.

 

 

The horseradish-Dijon cream was very spicy. I didn’t realize such a small amount (compared to the sour cream) of horseradish would do that. It worked well on the sandwich, but I also used it as dressing for a bit of arugula salad. Wasn’t all that great. My sister ate it, though.

 

For the most part the potatoes were easy, but they didn’t quite turn out like I had hoped. I blame the chunkiness of the brown sugar. Next time I’ll just use a smidge of olive oil and some seasoned salt, skip the brown sugar all together.