What You Should Have Eaten #60

Ricotta Pasta 

with Zucchini, Garlic and Mint

Here’s number three in a series.

The drink was a Goldfinger, with Cinzano (I used Gallo sweet red Vermouth), vodka, orange juice, and orange bitters. Like I said last week, I enjoy the clear spirits, but dumping some sweet vermouth in with the OJ, that made it just a bit too sweet for me. I also find vermouth tends to cut down on the bite of the alcohol, but sometimes you need that bite. I like the bite with vodka and gin drinks.

Chopping up the zucchini is the only prep work involved in this, at least the way I made it. No onions to chop, and only dried herbs instead of fresh ones.

The mint was the kicker of this recipe. It was a flavor that I don’t normally associate with a dish like this. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it didn’t necessarily stick with me in a gotta-have-it-again way. This was my least favorite of the five variations.

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 #51

Chili Dog Bacon Cheeseburgers and Fiery Fries

Pernod. Gah. It’s like death. If I hadn’t spent so much on this bottle, I’d dump it in the sink. The vodka and the cognac don’t help. It’s all yellow licorice death.

I was looking forward to this. Chopped up hotdogs mixed in with ground beef? Plus bacon? Oh my God.

I’m starting to do these recipes on somewhat of a smaller budget, so I might be making some substitutes with various ingredients in the recipes to come. I got thick-cut bacon, but my budget bacon didn’t come in a center-cut or smoky option.

I went with these cheapo Kroger frozen shoestring fries. This giant bag, which usually lasts about three weeks between me and the kids, costs less than a buck fifty.

I had a difficult time with the hot dogs. I wanted to get all-beef ones, maybe even brats, but the budget didn’t allow it. Next time, though, and I promise there will be a next time for these burgers. And rather than getting some super-special deli cheese, I went with some generic pre-packaged slices.

Hot sauce, no. Chili powder, yes.

I didn’t follow the directions 100% when it came to the fries. I baked them like the package said. I melted some butter in the microwave and mixed it with the garlic. When the fries were done, I poured the butter over the fries, mixed everything up a bit, then popped them back in the oven for a bit. I’d never made garlic fries before, but these were awesome.

It may not have been pretty, but this was a damn fine meal. It’s burgers and fries, so what more do I need to say? This is enough of an American staple that you know if you like them or not. Adding bacon or hot dogs probably won’t change your mind, even though they do make a tasty regular burger into a super-tasty awesome burger.

Y’know, maybe that’ll be my new thing. Rachel Ray on a budget. If you’re reading this and have any thoughts, please leave them in the comment section. These are mostly extremely good recipes, but sometimes my heart stops, just for a second, when I see that grocery bill. Let’s see what I can do with these recipes on a budget.

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 bills here and an unsure/shaky work situation. 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 #46

Pan-Roasted Garlic and Herb Chicken Breasts
with Chopped Salad and Creamy Caper Dressing

A Triple Sun is not really all that great of a drink. The banana liqueur and the multiple vermouths make it too sweet. It looks pretty, though.

I don't normally enjoy hot foods, but I thought I'd go ahead and a dash or two of hot sauce. I knew I had a bottle in the cabinet that I bought quite some time ago on sale and never opened. Turns out that hot sauce does have an expiration date and it can go bad. I took the wrapper off and what I saw in the neck of the bottle was brown and nasty. The bottle ended up in the trash pretty quickly.

For the dressing I used sour cream instead of mayo or yogurt.

I've never bought capers before but I'm vaguely familiar with them. Dad would use them in various recipes when I was a kid, but I never ate them. I remember them being tinier than the ones in the jar I bought. I'm sure the larger size made them easier to chop.

No radicchio this time, either. Too expensive, and it still looked like crap. I went ahead and bought a bagged salad, something that I knew the kids would eat with some ranch dressing. And I went with a regular cucumber instead of a seedless one.

This turned out to be quite a tasty dish, and the kids even enjoyed it. If I make it again, I'll probably save the dressing and drizzle it onto the salad instead of just tossing it in. I ended up wasting a lot of uneaten salad because it really doesn't keep all that well.

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 #38

Shrimp Martinis and Manhattan Steaks

Manhattans seem to be the drink of choice for my dad, but I’ve never been that much of a whiskey lover. But you know, this isn’t bad. I was expecting the vermouth to really sweeten it up and make it undrinkable, but it cuts the bite of the whiskey perfectly.

I was talking on the phone while making this, and taking a picture of the ingredients totally slipped my mind. I used Canadian Mist whisky, Gallo sweet red vermouth and a bit of Angostura bitters. A maraschino cherry was dropped in afterwards.

I’ve been looking forward to fixing this for a couple of weeks now. Food flavored with Manhattans and martinis? SOLD!

Two-thirds of my kids will eat broccoli, but only crowns, not spears. Hey, I’m just amazed they’ll eat any part of it at all.

I know I didn’t get the right type of steaks, just regular strip steaks instead of New York strip steaks or porterhouse steaks, but those were just too damn expensive. I’m hoping that won’t affect the meal.

Yes, I know that shallots are onions, but they’re fancy onion, and I only got a small one instead of the large one that is specified, so I’m okay with it.

I have a shot glass collection. I don’t know why I started it, but whenever I go on a trip, I get a shot glass from the city I’m in. The last one I got was a Maker’s Mark shot glass from Louisville, KY.

Toast points? Is that just cutting a piece of toast into triangular quarters? Whether it is or not, that’s what I’m going to do.

I’m not all hung up on presentation with my meals, so no pitcher for the cocktail sauce. Although, my pilsner glass looks like it might work well. And correct me if I’m wrong, but this looks more like a Bloody Mary than a martini.

I tasted it, and while good, I didn’t get the required 2 cups of cocktail sauce, so it’s a bit soupy…and very vodka-y. Not that that’s a bad thing.

If I ever don’t have enough pictures to go with a meal, that means I started the cocktails too early.

This was the first time I’ve ever flambéed anything. I was a bit nervous at first, putting long lighter next to the sauce and clicking it, seeing the flame shoot up under the microwave. I blew it out before the kids saw it, then called them into the kitchen and did it again. The flame was MUCH smaller, but they freaked out. It was all-around awesome.

Well, that was quite a tasty dinner, and now I’m extremely tired. Since shrimp and cocktail sauce is a staple at Rosenblatt family gatherings, I think I’m going to have to bring a bit of THIS cocktail sauce and see what people think. As long as the young-uns are kept away from it, I think all will be well.

Probably for the rest of the month 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 it 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 my experiment this weekend proved to me that I actually AM making a spot of cash whenever the ads are clicked. So I’m going to put this little disclaimer on the bottom of all my posts for the next month or so, and I hope you’ll take an extra 10 seconds after reading my blog to click on an ad. Thanks so much!