Simple Cooking

Tomato Salad

2009-09-01T20:20:00.001-07:00

Tonight for dinner I went to the farmer's market and found a great looking heirloom tomato. I decided I wanted it for dinner with a cute little avacado, some lemon juice, sweet onion, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. It was delicious and filling, but next time I need to figure out something different to do with the onion. I love onion, but I need to mellow it. Perhaps green onions or shallots would be better.

-- iPhone post

Modified Sloppy Joes

2009-04-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

1 package lean ground turkey
1 can Manwhich Sloppy Joe Sauce
2 medium onions
5 cloves of garlic
1/2 bag frozen "southwest" mix veggies (corn, peppers, black beans, ??)
1/3 bag frozen peas
2t tomato paste (optional. I use tomato paste in a tube so I can use what I want and not waste)
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
whole wheat buns
1 bunch asparagus

Trim the tops and bottoms off of the onions and cut in half length wise. Remove the outer skin/paper and slice into 1/4 inch or smaller pieces (half circles). Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add some olive oil. Make sure the oil doesn't smoke. Add the onions and a little salt and cook until tender and browned. While cooking the onions, smash the cloves of garlic with the side of your knife and remove the outer paper. Slice thinly and then mince. Once the onions are cooked, add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 30 sec to a minute. Then add the frozen mixed veggies and peas and cook until thawed and warm. This should only take a couple of minutes. Place mixture into a medium bowl.

Add a little more oil to the skillet and then break up the turkey into the skillet. Cook until brown, chopping the turkey into smaller pieces as you cook it. Add pepper and red chill flakes to the turkey as it cooks. Once cooked, add the Manwhich sauce and coat the meat. Add the mixed veggies back into the skillet and mix until warm. Turn off the heat.

Cook the asparagus however you want. First wash and trim the spears. I trim the spears by holding each end of an individual spear in each hand (the side with the top I hold below the top) with your index finger and thumb. Bend the spear until it snaps. Discard the lower/thicker part. You'll learn to adjust where you hold it and how you flex it so that you get the tender parts most of the time. Here are two cooking methods:

- Steam: Place the asparagus in a steamer basket (I use bamboo) over water set on high heat. I time it for 8 minutes from the time I turn on the burner with cold water.
- Roast: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the spears on a cookie sheet and add a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Once the oven is hot, place the cookie sheet in and cook for 8-10 minutes.

Spoon a generous helping of the sloppy joe mixture onto a bun and serve with the asparagus (or a veggie of your choice, or not since there are lots of veggies in the sloppy joe).

Below are pictures from my phone as I cooked:

Roasted Asaragus

2006-05-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

2 bunches of Asparagus
olive oil
salt
pepper

Wash the asaparagus. Holding the top of each stem one at a time, grab the bottom of the stem with the other hand and bend until it naturally breaks. Repeat with each stem. Place tops onto a place and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Place onto grill at right angle to grill bars and cook over medium/low heat until slightly charded and tender. ~8 minutes.

Roasted Potatos

2006-04-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

1 sack (~2lbs) of small/medium potatos
olive oil
salt
pepper
cumin
cheyanee pepper

Trader Joes had a sack of red, blue, and white potatos. Wash potatos and cut into ~3/4inch cubes with skins on. Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, cumin, and cheyanee pepper. Place in a ~420 degree oven for ~30minutes until tender. Add more salt if needed and serve.

Mashed Sweet Potatos

2006-04-20T04:21:00.000-07:00

2 large sweet potatos
3T butter
1/4 cup milk
salt
cracked black pepper
cumin
cinnamon
nutmeg
brown sugar (or splenda)

Peel and cut the potatos into 1" cubes. Place into a large pot with enough salted water to cover and bring to boil for ~15 minutes until soft. Drain and place in a large bowl. In the mean time warm the milk in a small sauce pan on the lowest heat and soften (partially melt) the butter in the microwave (its ok if it fully melts). Place spices on the potatos. Lots of pepper is good, some salt (add more after tasting), a sprikle each of cumin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add some brown sugar (add more after tasting). Mash the potatos until fully mush. Add some butter and milk and combine. Taste and decide if you need more butter, milk, salt, and/or sugar. Some ceyanne pepper would be good too.

Lamb

2006-04-17T23:31:00.000-07:00

I cooked Easter dinner for friends this year. Over the next few days I'll post the recipes. The most complicated was the lamb:

~4lb boneless leg of lamb
1 head of garlic
olive oil
dried mint, parsley, herb de province, cumin
mini-prep food processor (large might work too)

Take the lamb out of the fridge and place in a roasting pan. Trim off excess fat and cut off small thinner pieces to cook seperately for a shorter amount of time.

Peel all cloves from the head of garlic and place in food processor. Add plenty of mint, some parsley, a little herb de province, and a tiny bit of cumin. Blend till garlic is chopped. Add olive oil till it comes together into a paste (on the liquid side). Smear all pieces of lamb with the mixture and let it rest. Don't let it sit out of the fridge too long, but it should start to approach room temp (~1hr). Preheat grill.

Place all pieces on grill. The main large piece short take ~12 minutes a side. I use the poke test to determine doneness. Mine was very rare in the center, but a good medium rare on all sides and the smaller pieces which I pulled off early were both done.

Let it rest for 5-10 minutes and cut. Serve as is, or if you like it (I don't), with mint jelly.

Pork Chops with Orange Sauce .. or .. How I Got Burns On Both Hands

2006-03-14T20:13:00.000-08:00

This is a tale of a yummy meal, and the pain I'm still suffering because of it. The local Ralph's had a sale on a mega-pack (8) of thick cut (~ 1.5 inch) boneless pork chops, and they looked really good so I bought them. They sat in my fridge for several days while I thought of what to do to them (and I got sick, still am, so they sat a little longer), but they were still good. I took half of them and placed two each into freezer bags. Once sequestered in the freezer, half of my problem was solved. Now this first step could be skipped. I marinated them for ~30 minutes in a mixture of soy sauce, honey, chili flakes, cayenne pepper, pepper, and toasted sesame oil (any oil would do, olive is recommended). I don't think the marinade contributed much to them, but a longer soak might have.

While they were soaking I made the sauce/glaze. In a small sauce pan I combined the juice of two oranges, the zest of one, 2 teaspoons of sugar, a splash of apple cider vinegar (rice wine would do too), and a splash of soy sauce (salt and water would do too). I brought this to a boil and reduced to a simmer till it thickened up.. 15 minutes later I think. It really came together quickly at the end, so check on it. It will definitely get thick.. coat the back of the spoon or thicker. If it gets too cool it may become too thick. If so, add a little water and reheat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly till it loosens up and the water combines with the orange glue.

Preheat your oven to 425ish. Place a large skillet on the stove. Add some oil and a pat of butter. Heat till it starts smoking. Pat the pork chops dry (even if you didn't marinate) and salt and pepper them. Place in the skillet for 2-3 minutes, flip, and let them sear for another 1-2 minutes. Place into the oven for ~12 minutes until done (I use the poke test). Remove from the skillet onto a plate and cover with foil for ~5 minutes. Place on a place and cover with sauce/glaze. Eat. Yum.

How I burned both hands: Skillets in the oven are hot. When I removed the skillet from the oven, three of the pork chops were done, but one still felt a little under done. I removed the three, and in the process of trying to decide if I wanted to cook the fourth more, I went to steady the skillet by grabbing the handle with my right hand. Ouch.. the side of my index finger has a nice blister now. So after running it under cold water for a bit. After tending to it I went to put the skillet back in the oven. Being left handed I went to grab it with my left hand. I now have a burn mark on my left palm, although it hasn't blistered. I placed the skillet back in the oven for 2 minutes, and all is good.. except for the pain.

The good news from all this is the pork chops were excellent, as was the sauce. Also, when putting the skillet in the oven, always use protection when dealing with the skillet (a lesson I should have learned the last time I burned myself).

Pork Chops with Orange Sauce

Marinade (optional):
1 cup soy sauce
2T honey
lots of ground pepper
1/2t cayenne pepper
1/2t chili flakes
2T oil (toasted sesame or olive)

Meat:
4 1 1/2 inch boneless pork chops
1T olive oil
1T butter
Salt
Pepper

Orange Sauce:
2 oranges, juiced
1 orange zested (use one of the juices oranges for zest)
2t sugar
splash of apple cider vinegar
splash of soy sauce

If marinading, combine ingredients in a gallon sized zip top bag and shake to combine. Add the pork and marinate for 30 minutes to 8 hours, the longer the better.

In a small sauce pan, combine all the orange sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer/barely boil (I went back and forth) till thickened.

Preheat oven to 425

Remove meat from marinade of packaging and pat dry. Salt and pepper both sides. Place large oven-safe skillet on stove and heat over medium heat. Place oil and butter in pan and heat till they begin to barely smoke. Add the pork chops and sear for 3 minutes. Flip and sear for an additional 1 minute. Place skillet in oven for ~12 minutes until done. Remove pork chops from skillet and let rest for ~5 minutes. Cover with sauce and serve.

Mustard Greens

2006-02-15T18:28:00.000-08:00

This weeks new thing is mustard greens. Being a southern boy, I had greens available a lot, but I didn't enjoy them. I was very picky when I was young (still am a little), but something about them didn't seem appetizing. Perhaps it was that they were overcooked, perhaps it was all the other stuff added, perhaps it was the bitter taste. But it was time to give them another try.

Now I made a mistake here. Things were not in proportion when I cooked. I'll give what I think should be the correct recipe, but I used only 1 bunch of greens, so there was way too much sausage for the greens.

Mustard Greens
1 link of sausage, diced relatively small, or a couple of strips of bacon, diced
2 large or 3 medium cloves of garlic, minced
red chili flakes to taste
3 bunches of mustard greens, washed, prep follows
1/4 cup diced onion
pepper to taste
splash of vinegar (white, rice, cider, whatever you have handy)
sprinkle of sugar
salt if needed (my sausage had plenty)
1-2T olive oil

Take the mustard greens and remove bad leaves. Trim off the hard stem sections (with little or minimal leaf area). Wash and stack the leaves.. make sure to have a large one on the bottom.. you may need to do this in batches. Roll up the leaves and with a sharp knife cut into ~1 inch strips, across the stem of the leaf. Set aside.

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the sausage. Once it begins to brown, add the garlic and red chili flakes. Cook briefly being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add a handful of the greens, allow them to wilt, tossing with the garlic and sausage. Once partly wilted, add more greens, making sure you can still toss them without them spilling everywhere. Repeat until all the greens are added. Once wilted, add a splash of vinegar and sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. If the greens are still not completely cooked, add a little water and cook until the water cooks off.

---

Like I mentioned earlier, I used only one bunch of greens, so some of my bites were mostly sausage with only a tiny bit of greens.. good, but not what I was after. :)

New goal

2006-02-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

I have a new goal for myself. I want to buy something new at the farmer's market every week (or the store) and then figure out what to do with it and write about it. I figure I can do this for a couple of months, and then maybe mix it up with doing new things to old favorites.. for instance do I always have to steam the green beans? Can I roast them? What about braising them?

This past week

2006-02-10T12:11:00.000-08:00

Because I haven't posted in a while, I thought I would touch on a few things I've been cooking recently (or not cooking):

Really simple chicken. I bought some boneless skinless chicken breasts with the thought that I was going to make Jambalaya last weekend. Well, that didn't happen, so I had a lot of left over chicken and sausage. For the chicken, I frozen over half of it, but I took two chicken breasts and sprinkled (liberally) cajun seasoning on both sides. I placed them in a casserole dish and into a 425 oven for ~30-35 minutes until done (poke at them, they should be firm). I ate it with a huge pile of steamed sugar snap peas. I was planning on eating the left over chicken breast with a salad, but I never bought the salad mix. Perhaps tonight. :)

Speck and bread. I heart speck, it is my favorite Italian meat. It is basically a smoked and spiced prosciutto. I found a local store which sells it (the price is ridiculous though). I also usually have my favorite bread which is a round of toasted onion bread. I sliced two pieces of the bread (relative thin) and placed a slice of speck (well, two slices) and it was delicious. I ate with a little smoked Gouda and some steamed green beans. I had this two nights last week.

Pasta and vegetables. Basically the same recipe as below (2 posts ago), but I added asparagus and a lot more of the other veggies. I used a precooked smoked sausages which I cut into small-ish pieces and heated with a little oil. I then removed the sausage and drained off some of the fat. I then added the veggies (onions, peppers, and garlic first, the the asparagus, then the peas and spinach) except this time I used a lot more of them. I also used more red pepper flakes then I did that time. It turned out great, and I have left overs for at least 2 more meals, if not three.

Chicken with Baslamic and Mustard Marinade

2006-02-01T14:50:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite ways to prepare chicken. I was inspired by a recipe in Everyday Italian, but I use more vinegar, no lemon juice, no garlic, I added herbs de province, and a lot more pepper.

Chicken with Baslamic and Mustard Marinade

1 cut up chicken, or several of one part
1/2 balsamic vinegar
2-3T mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2t salt
1T pepper
pinch herbs de province (optional)

Place all ingredients except the chicken into a gallon zip top bag. Close the bag and mix vigorously to combine. Add the chicken and squeeze (or suck) out all of the air that you can and close the bag. Let the chicken marinate for at least 8 hours, 24 is better.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting excess marinade drip off. Arrange in a single (but usually tight) layer in a 9x13 baking dish. Place in the oven for 40-45 minutes.

Pasta with Sausage and Frozen Veggies

2006-01-23T14:59:00.000-08:00

So my mom uses them all the time, but whenever I buy frozen vegetables they seem to remain in the freezer till they've become one giant lump of veggie ice. You hear chefs and experts saying that frozen veggies might actually be better than fresh because they are frozen at the peak ripeness. But for some reason I couldn't bring myself to use them. No more! I cleaned out my freezer last week and this weekend stocked up on some frozen veggie basics:

- spinach
- peas
- onions
- bell peppers (mixed)
- sugar snap peas

My goal is to find simple recipes using these ingredients and a few basics I keep around the kitchen. I might expand the list soon when I want a different flavor in the dish. Also broccoli and Brussels sprouts are in season right now, so I probably won't by frozen until they go out of season. I bought lots of zip-top freezer bags to hopefully prevent the lump-of-ice scenario I use to have when I was use part of a bag, then twist the bag to "seal" it and place it back into the freezer.

Last night was the first recipe, and it turned out fairly good.

Pasta with sausage and veggies:
- frozen (and pre-cut) onions, bell peppers, peas, spinach
- 2 cloves of garlic (or teaspoons of pre-minced)
- red pepper flakes (adjust to desired heat level)
- 1lb pasta
- 2 Italian sausages
- several tablespoons of Parmesan cheese

Remove the raw sausage meat from the casing and place into a skillet over medium heat with a tiny about of oil. Flatten the meat and break into bite size pieces as it cooks. Once cooked, remove from pan onto paper towel to drain. Leave some oil/fat in the pan to cook the veggies. Add the garlic, onions, bell pepper, some salt and pepper, and the red pepper flakes. Cook until the onions and bell pepper are tender. Add the peas and spinach until just heated through, not any longer. Transfer along with the sausage to a large bowl to wait for the pasta.

Meanwhile heat a large stock pot filled with water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until just slightly underdone. Towards the end of the cooking, remove 1 cup of the pasta water and reserve for later. Drain the pasta, but do not rinse it. Place the pasta in the large bowl with the veggies and add the cheese. Mix to combine. Add the pasta water until the pasta and veggies are moist but not there should be no water pooling in the bottom of the bowl (I added over half a cups worth).

Enjoy!

Brussel sprouts, part 2

2006-01-18T19:43:00.000-08:00

So I've bought brussel sprouts again thinking that I wanted to eat them again, but the amount of prep time scared me away from cooking them, that and I've been on a bad food kick recently. But its time to be good again, and when I cooked the sprouts tonight, it wasn't so bad. Instead of trimming the spouts in my hand, I just cut them on a cutting board. Thusly it went faster because I wasn't constantly worried about cutting my fingers. Most of my spouts were small, so I only cut a couple in half. The rest I just trimmed off 1/8 to 1/4 an inch where the stem was. I also removed the outer leaves of a couple which were particularly dirty. Finally I gave them a rinse and steamed them for 10 minutes from a cold pot (wok with water in it, over medium heat, with a bamboo steamer and a single layer of sprouts). This was probably too long as they were a little mushy and not as vibrantly green as when I braised them, so next time I'll try 8 minutes.

My goal for the few weeks: eat more veggies.

I Made Them Eat Brussel Sprouts

2006-01-03T20:38:00.000-08:00

I made my New Years dinner guests eat brussel sprouts, and they liked them! Three of them had never had them before (I'm guess thier parents hated them) and one didn't like them from before. but all seven guests enjoyed them, as did I. How did I do it? Here is my basic guide:

- buy fresh brussel sprouts
- braise them, don't boil them
- don't over cook them
- coat them in cheese and butter (but not too much)... yum

Brussel Sprouts with Parmesan Cheese

~ 2lbs fresh brussel sprouts
- 6 tbls grated (or shredded) parmesan cheese, the good stuff!!
- 2 tbls butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp salt

Wash and trim the sprouts. To trim brussel sprouts, use a small knife. Be careful not to cut yourself while trimming just the very tips of the stem end of the sprout (the dried out bit). Remove any brown/yellow, spotted, or loose leaves. If the sprouts are large or not uniform in size, cut the large ones in half. They should form tight heads.

Add water and salt to a wide skillet or sauce pan, hopefully big enough for most sprouts to be in a single layer. Bring water to a boil and add sprouts. Reduce to low eat and cover for ~ 8-10 minutes until the sprouts are bright green and tender. After 8 minutes remove one and try to insert a knife into the base, it should go in a small amount with little resistance. Remove and drain the sprouts. (btw.. this is call braising)

This can be done up to an hour before your meal is to be ready. Right before serving, melt the butter in a large skillet/sauce pan. Let it get foamy and slighty browned. Add the sprouts and toss them in the butter until heated and some start to brown slightly. Remove and immeadiately toss in the parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Turkey

2005-12-10T01:39:00.000-08:00

I heart turkey. I especially heart my father's smoked turkey. It is just so good. But since I don't own a smoker, I had to roast mine in the oven. I should say for the record that technically I only "assisted" with cooking the turkey this year. There are two keys to cooking a good turkey in my mind:
- don't over cook it
- help it be moist

To not over cook the bird, there are several things you can do. First, fully thaw your bird. Even if your turkey is not "frozen", if it is not fresh it should be placed in your fridge for several days before cooking. If it is frozen, it should be in there for 4-5 days before cooking so it can fully thaw. Remember, its a 20lb block of ice, it takes a long time to thaw.

Next is to monitor your bird. I own two probe thermometers, the type where you put the probe in the bird and have a wire running out to the monitor which either sits on your kitchen counter, or has magnets to stick to the front of your oven. These work great! I highly recommend getting one. Also, I might get in trouble for saying this, but don't shoot for the temperature that the food processor recommends. I have to say you are responsible for your own food, so if you are not comfortable with this, cook it to a higher temp. I took the turkey out of the oven when the probe in the breast read that the bird had reached 174 and the probe in the thigh said 166ish. The breast meat was a little over cooked, the thigh meat might have been a little underdone. About 30-45 minutes into cooking we placed foil over the breasts, but it fell off. If we had done a better job perhaps it would have slowed the breast cooking a little.

The other test I did was "shaking the leg". The leg's joint with the thigh will become loose when it is cooked. This is my mother's method for telling doneness which she learned from a friend. It seemed to work, but I had the termometers, so I used them.

Finally, prep your bird right. Before cooking, remove the bird from the packaging. Remove the bag of giblets and bits from the cavity and fully wash the bird, inside and out, and make sure there are no internal bits stuck to the inside of the cavity. DO NOT remove the device holding the legs together. You can remove one leg from it, but you should reinsert the leg for cooking. Once washed and dry, its time to prep your bird.

You also need a pan to roast the bird in. Both times I've roasted a turkey, we've used disposable aluminum pans from the grocery store. They work well and make clean up easy. However the first time we didn't not put anything underneath the bird. By the time it was done, the bottom half inch of the bird was poached in the bird's own juices. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best presentation either.

This time I brought several racks with me to my friend's house. Unfortunately I do not own a pan which fits my racks. The one specifically for roasting.. well.. I burnt stuff in the bottom of the pan once and threw the pan away but still have the rack. The other is designed more for a sheet pan, not a roasting pan. We ended up balanacing the sheet pan rack on top of the roasting pan. It worked well, but we had to be VERY careful removing the bird from the oven.

If you do not have a rack to put the bird on, buy some extra onions and apples. Cut them into large pieces and line the bottom of the pan with them. Place the turkey on top of the fruit, and it should keep the bird from stewing in its own juices.

There are many ways to cook a bird. Slow and steady is how I describe. I've also heard to start the bird in a 500 degree oven for 15-30 minutes, and then turn it down. Or the opposite, start in a ~325 degree oven until the last 15-30 minutes and then crank it up. I've heard to start with the foil on till the very end, but I like to start with the foil off. So many ways, but in the end they probably all produce good turkey.

Roast Turkey:
1 Turkey, thawed, rinsed, and dried
1 stick of butter, room temperature, or good amount of olive oil
garlic (minced) or herbs or other seasoning of your choice
salt
pepper
2 onions
2 apples
2 oranges
sage, rosemary
foil

Preheat your oven to ~325.

Mix the butter/oil with garlic or herbs (herbs de provence would work nicely). Rub this all over the bird, and if you want to, seperate the skin from the meat starting at the neck and working over the breasts. Smear the butter/oil between the skin and meat.

Liberally salt and pepper the bird, including inside the cavity. Finally cut up the oranges, onions, and apples into large wedges and place enough inside the cavity to fill it, but don't over stuff. Also place the sage and rosemary inside the cavity with the fruit.

Place your probe thermometer into the breast meat if you are using one. Make sure it goes deep, but do not touch any bones as they will give you a false reading. If you are not using one, I highly suggest using an instant read thermometer, but the leg shaking method works well too.

Take a piece of foil and shape it so that it covers the breast and only the breast of the turkey. Remove it and place it somewhere safe for use later.

Finally take each wing and pull them slightly away from the bird, then twist and push the wing tip under the bird. This will keep them from over cooking. Your bird is now ready for the oven.

Place the bird into the oven. Cook for about 30-45 minutes before placing the foil over the breasts. The skin should be browned before you do this. Cook until it reaches the desired temperature. For a 20lb turkey, it takes about 4 hours.

Once done, CAREFULLY remove the bird from the oven, and place somewhere to rest. Let it rest for 10 to 15 mintes before carving. I leave carving for you to figure out, or perhaps another post.

Cornbread stuffing

2005-12-04T12:39:00.000-08:00

My cornbread stuffing was the hit of the Thanksgiving party I went to, and it is really easy to make. This recipie has a slight variation from my mother, who adapted it from recipies found in the "River Road" cookbook. I like it so much I would eat it by itself, no turkey required.

Cornbread Stuffing:
1 tube of ground spicy sausage (in plastic, like Framer John Firehouse, etc.)
2 packages corn bread/muffin mix (jiffy)
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
2-4 cloves of garlic
2 stalks celery
1 medium to large onion
1/2 green bell pepper
herbs de provence
small package of shelled pecans
2 small cans of low sodium chicken broth

Way ahead of time, I did it the night before, but the morning of would work as well, make the cornbread as directed. I cooked both packages together in in a 9x13 pan. Let the cornbread sit out, uncovered, so it goes a little stale.

Also before hand, possibly the day before dice the celery, onion, and bell pepper. Depending on your grocery store, you might be able to find trinity mix (onions, celery, bell pepper) in the frozen veggie section. Mince the garlic. Place the diced veggies and garlic in a large frying pan with some oil, salt, and pepper and cook until the onions are translucent. Don't have the heat too high, the goal is to sweat the veggies, not brown them.

Once the veggies are soft, extract the sausage from the plastic and break into small pieces in the pan. Cook until sausage is cooked, breaking the sausage into smaller pieces. Turn off heat and cool. If you are not going to make the stuffing right away, place sausage and veggies into a bag/container and refrigerate until needed.

Preheat oven to 350, or adjust cooking time to whatever temp the turkey is in at.

To make the stuffing, crumble about 4/5 to 5/6 of the cornbread into another 8x12 pan. I tried to go for dice sized pieces, but there were a few larger and a lot of small crumbs. Mix in the veggie/sausage mix and some pepper (and cayenne pepper if you want). Press down a little. Sprinkly herbs and pecans over the top. Pour at least one can of broth, I used almost all two, over the cornbread until the bread is extremely moist.

Bake in a 350 oven for ~45 minutes, until browned a little and heated through. Serve warm, and it stores well for leftovers.

Cranberry Sauce

2005-11-26T13:42:00.000-08:00

Sorry everyone, this has been a truly insane month for me. Long hours at work and some other issues I have been taking care of. However there is nothing like stress to keep the weight loss going. I'm currently as 270 lbs (I get as low as 266 after working out). That makes 75lbs I've lost! Woo-hoo. Most of my clothes are too big now. I'll post a few Thanksgiving day recipies over the next week or two (also good for xmas). I cancelled my trip to my parents' new house at the last minute throwing everyone's plans into chaos. My friend Leesa invited me to Thanksgiving over at her place. There were 8 people for dinner, with a 9th who showed up later. We ended up having tons of delicious food. The first recipie I'll share is for cranberry sauce. Most people just buy the canned sauce, but making it from scratch is so easy and straight forward. I made it on Tuesday evening, two days before Thanksgiving. It keeps perfectly in the fridge in a storage container.

Cranberry Sauce:
12oz package of fresh cranberries (I've heard frozen works too)
1 orange
1 cup of sugar or Splenda (Leesa is diabetic)
1 cup of water
nutmeg
cinnamon
ginger (optional, I didn't add)

Rinse the cranberries in a strainer, removing stems and any really soft ones. In a medium sauce pan, combine the sugar and water and place on stove over medium heat. Raise to boil and add cranberries. Zest the orange into the pan, and then squeeze the orange to extract juice (no seeds!). Add a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon. Let them simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes, until the cranberries have all exploded (I had to help a couple by pressing them against the side of the pan with a spoon). It should begin to thicken considerably. Remove from heat and let cool. If it is not thick enough, put back on heat and cook a few more minutes. Make sure to stir regularly to avoid burning on the bottom of the pan. Once cooled, serve or place into a storage container and into the fridge for up to 3 days. Take out an hour before serving and place into serving dish.

As for the ginger, I didn't use it. If you have dried powedered ginger, I would just add a small pinch when you add the other spices. Alternatively you could throw in a piece of candied ginder with the spices. Finally you could put in a piece of fresh ginger and then remove it later (not sure how fast it would infuse the sauce, you might want to remove early to avoid overpowering the sauce.. ie. taste often).

Tri-tip

2005-11-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

Well, my love of beef continues this week. On Monday I marinated a tri-tip (partial one) in a mixture of about equal parts soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. I then added a tablespoon+ of honey, some ground pepper, and some garlic power to the liquid. Finally I added a little olive oil and mixed. Oh, and I just added all of these straight to a gallon sized zip top bag. I closed the bag and shook to mix everything. Then I added the steak, squeezed out all of the air, and resealed the bag. I did this is the morning before work and left it in the fridge till that evening. In the evening I removed the bag from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30+ minutes to let it return to room temp. Meanwhile I steamed my daily large portion of green beans and cut a slice of toasted onion bread to eat. I then heated my grill pan (I have no yard to bbq in) over medium and sprayed a little oil spray on it (I use to use a paper towel with some oil on it, but the spray is just easier). I then placed the steak into the pan to sear it. I seared on three sides (you can do that with this cut) until there were nice grill marks. When I rotated to the last side I placed the pan into a ~400 degree oven for 12 minutes to finish cooking. Since the steak tappers to one end, that end turned out a nice medium rare. The thicker part was fairly rare in the center, but I prefer that for leftovers. The steak was about 3/4 of a pound and its lasting me three nights.

That's a lot of steak I've had recently. I seem to go in waves. I think next week some time it will be time to venture back to chicken, although fish might be good too. I'm out of town for the weekend so I'm trying to make sure I don't have too many items in the fridge.

Also coming soon: Jambalaya (its been too long without it)

Cheese and sausage

2005-10-28T23:52:00.000-07:00

This actually worked out really well. I had a girl over who I'm no longer "not-dating", but she is still a good friend so we needed to catch up. When I went over to her place for dinner once, she served me squirrel food. But I don't blame her, she didn't have a kitchen. But she swore that this is her typical dinner and she enjoys it.

Well, I eat pretty heavy lunches, so I've started cutting back on dinners a bit. Plus every nutritionist says to eat smaller dinners. So I acquired the following for dinner:

- smoked gouda - I had some really good stuff from Lazy Acres (kind of like Whole Foods, which we don't have here, sigh).
- wheat bread - There is a bakery around the corner (D'Angelos) which does fabulous breads (but thier pastries kind of suck.. I'll have to mention Tartine up in the city (SF) some time. The best eclairs and lemon tarts... drool).
- salami - yum, she didn't have any, but yum
- grapes - what goes better with cheese and salami than grapes. these were from the farmer's market. they are in season now!!! go out and get some
- green beans - also from the farmer's market, a staple of mine these days. i steamed them till they were still a firm, but bright green.
- white wine - she had bought the bottle when she was in the bay area this summer. It was "Thomas Fogarty" 2005 Monterey Chardonnay (Ventana Vineyards). Also yum

When she called before dinner she suggested we do just what I had been planning. :) So I just said for her to bring a cheese of her liking if she wanted, but it was all taken care of. What did she bring, but Pepper Jack, which I would have loved, but it was "tofu" cheese. I have to say the peppers were nice, but the cheese tasted like rubber. Yuck! What a waste, but she seemed to like it.

I took out my cutting board and put it on the kitchen table. I got my new bread knife (which I love) and a knife for the cheese and we went to work. It was really nice just picking through the finger food, chatting, and drinking some tasty wine. If I had actually been dating her it would have been really nice, especially with some candles and if I had dimmed the lights. All in all it worked well, and I've repeated this basic meal (usually w/o the wine) most evenings this week.

Afterwards I had some small cookies from Tartine (again, best pastries every, well, best one I've been to in the US.. I can think of plenty in Paris and Rome which beat it). They were very thin and crispy with nuts and Scharffen Berger chocolate (Scharffen Berger, that's another post too).

Off to grill meat tomorrow at a friend's house warming party. They are having a bring your own meat bbq, and they will provide all the side dishes and drinks. Great idea, but I still need to figure out if I'm going to go burger, sausage, or marinaded meat. Hmm.

I heart steak

2005-10-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

I hate to admit it, but I have a secret crush in my life. I love steak. Beef beef beef. Yum!

Ralph's has NY strip steaks on sale this week, so I bought two. For dinner tonight I steamed a whole mess of farmer's beans (~10min) and then cooked one of the steaks. If you have time to plan ahead, you should really take your steak out of the fridge before you cook it, up to 30 minutes before hand, to let it warm up to room temp (or as close as possible). I heated up my grill pan and turned on the fan in the hood above the stove top. Then I rubbed my grill pan with an oil soaked paper town to lube it up.

I seasoned one side of the steak simply with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I could be picky and say use kosher salt and cracked pepper, but only if you are picky. I placed the steak, seasoned side down, onto the grill pan at an angle. While the first side was cooking I seasoned the other side with the same seasonings. I cooked each side for about 5 minutes till it was medium rare. Then I let the steak rest for a couple of minutes and ate.

Steak doneness:
I tell the doneness of my steaks by poking the with my finger. Yes, poking. Its really just a skill you learn over time. But I still fall back on what I learned the first time. If you make a loose and almost closed fist and press into the flesh between your thumb and your palm, that is roughly what medium to medium rare should feel like. If you open your fist a little, it will feel a little softer. If you close your fist, but not tightly, that is probably medium. If you slightly clinch your fist, then its probably medium-done. But really you need to do it the first time and find if you are correct.

Bad Dave part 2

2005-10-12T00:10:00.000-07:00

So I've still been bad about writing recently. I think that is partially because I've gotten into a rut again with my cooking. I need some inspiration, I need to "spring" clean my kitchen, and I need to stop eating chicken and green beans every night. So starting tomorrow I begin getting my kitchen back in order. After that I will start rediscovering my old recipies and hopefully some new ones with the hope of blogging about it.

That said, tonight I caved. I cave often recently. Tonight I went to Carl's Jr. I didn't fully cave, I got a BBQ grilled chicken sandwich. It should be good, but you just know its loaded with salt and they probably added something else bad. I counter acted that with a salad I had bought at Trader Joe's. Caving is ok as long as you do it smartly. Limit the bad things (sodas, friends, and shakes). Eat healthy most of the time, but don't deny yourself anything.

Things to write about soon:
Jambalaya
Fried Fish
Trout Almondine
Smothered Chicken
Oven roasted veggies
Beans, the ones I like (black eyed peas, yum)
Rediscovering baking
Why I stopped baking
Braised green beans with garlic
My weight loss

Tomorrow is jog before work, bagel at work , and then volleyball after work day. Fun fun fun.

-d

Bad Dave

2005-09-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I've been neglecting my blog. Bad Dave. Coming soon, for another post, my new kitchen toys.. a huge new pot and my new bread knife. But tonight, to get back into gear, I'm going to describe my dinner. I forgot to take something out of the freezer to cook (current contents: random chicken, sausage, and bacon), so I was really tempted to just grab a chicken sandwich after volleyball. But I held out. I had a small yogurt when I got home (and desanded myself), and really haven't been too hungry until now.
First I grabbed a hand full of Italian flat green beans and yellow wax beans and tossed them in my steamer and steamed them for ~12 minutes.
I splurged at the farmer's market this weekend and bought way too much. The heirloom carrots looked interesting and I picked up some onions and potatoes. I had some garlic, so I chopped it all up, tossed it together with some olive oil in a roasting pan, and added some cajun spices. Its all in the oven currently at ~400 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Finally this weekend I bought a Zwiebelbrot bread round at the bakery. Its a wheat bread with toasted onions. Unusual, but yummy! You just need a slice of it plus some luncheon meat, no other condiments. Again, yum.
So that's my dinner. Hope that gives you some ideas. Tomorrow there will more green beans, some heirloom tomatoes from the farmer's market, and some meat.. I don't know what yet. Depends if I remember to take something out of the freezer.

Chicken - simple

2005-09-10T07:56:00.000-07:00

Ack, I've been neglecting my blog. Sorry. It always takes me a couple of days to get back into cooking after a vacation. Last night I made a quick dinner. Thursday night I bought a big batch of chicken leg quarters (6) at the grocery store. I took four of them and placed them into a zip top freezer bag, squeezed the air out, and froze. I cooked the remaining chicken quarters with a simple seasoning and steamed some baby bok choy. Yum! Frozen chicken should be thawed in the fridge (depending on how massive the bag is, it could take over a day to fully thaw). Also you can place the bag (still closed) in a bowl and run cold (yes cold) water over it for a while to rapidly thaw. Raw chicken should be handled with care. Always wash your hands, any utensils, any cutting boards, and anything else which contacts raw chicken and is not being thrown away with hot soapy water. Make sure not to contaminate other foods. I use clorox wipes to wipe down my counters periodically just in case.

Simple Chicken
2-3 Chicken leg quarters, skin on
Oil
Salt
Pepper
Any other spices

Preheat your oven to ~400 degrees. Place a large pan (frying or saute, in my case frying) on the stove top with a little olive oil over medium heat. Watch this, you don't want the oil to start burning. Sprinkle the chicken liberally with salt, pepper, and some cajun spices. With the pan warm (toss a few drops of water in, they should immediately sizzle), place the chicken skin side down. Cook until the skin starts to brown and crisp, ~5 minutes. Flip the chicken and place the pan into the oven. Cook for 25-30 minutes, or until done. I'll cover doneness more in a future post, but basically you can either take your finger or a utensil and press on the chicken. When meat is done it is tougher, it puts up more resistance when pressed. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it cool/rest for a couple of minutes. Cooked chicken stores well in the fridge and can be reheated (~1 minute in the microwave) or shredded and used on top of a salad or in sandwiches.

Precooked chicken, the supermarket deli, and other veggies to steam

2005-08-31T06:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been pretty busy this past week preparing to leave for the Labor Day weekend. Work, of course, has been busier because I need to do the same amount of work, I just need to get it done earlier. This, of course, has played havoc with my cooking. However here are some tips I try to follow:
- make a sandwich for dinner
- buy already cooked chicken and steam some veggies
- buy already cooked veggies to at a supermarket deli

Earlier I posted about steaming asparagus. Other good vegetables for steaming include green beans (~12+ min), sugar snap peas (~8min), and broccoli (~??min). All of these are very tasty. Good luck with eating healthy, and I'll try to post again while I am in Chicago.

Wag's $40 day dining around SB

2005-08-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

Hey,
So at the last minute I realized that it was the deadline for Becks & Posh's Be Rachael Ray for A Day: Dine & Dish #4. So here I am, so why not try to enter it. I was very disappointed in Rachael Ray's $40 a day in Santa Barbara. While I approved of her lunch choice, the other choices, especially dinner, were no good. So here we go:

Breakfast:
D'Angelo Pastry and Bread. Every weekend morning I walk over to D'Angelo's to grab a ham and cheese croissant ($3 including a $.25 tip). Its one of the best ham and cheese croissants I've ever had. Its made with Gruyere cheese, sharp and nutty. Yum! Make sure you get there early, because these sell out quickly. Also good are the plain croissants, sour cherry danishes, and pretty much everything on thier sit down breakfast menu. While nibbling on my croissant on Saturday mornings, I make way over to the farmer's market 4 blocks away.

Lunch:
This is the only thing I agree with Rachel on. The Santa Barbara Shellfish Company at the end of Stearns Wharf is the best seafood deal in town. Delicious fresh food for reasonable prices. I get the fried Calamari, Oysters, and Shrimp ($7.75) and an Ice Tea ($1.50) for a total with tax and tip of $12. Mmmm, a heart attack in a basket, but its so yummy.

Snack:
I happen to be out in Goleta and I stop by Anna's Bakery and pick up a double chocolate chip cookie. This is my daily dessert on workdays. Its $0.85, and has both chocolate and white chocolate chips.

Dinner
I love sushi, basic good sushi. For dinner I choose Ichiban Sushi up on the Mesa back in Santa Barbara. This is a local favorite, off the main drag. They have a great dinner deal, the Sushi Combination which includes 7 pieces of nigiri sushi, a tuna roll, miso soup, and rice for $14.95. I like to stuff my face when eating sushi so I also get a spicy tuna hand roll for $3.50. With tax and tip it comes to a total of $24. I get off a little easy with the drink here since I prefer just water with sushi.

All told I spent $39.85, and ate well! Take that Rachel! When she did her Santa Barbara show, she went to a friend's (or friend of a friend's) place for dinner. I've eaten there, and it just isn't that good. Sorry. They have really excellent lime mints. That's the best thing I can think to say about them.

Asparagus- steamed

2005-08-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

Along with my Jambalaya the other night, I cooked up some asparagus. I use to steam Asparagus in a pot that I bought for boiling pasta. Its a large stock pot with a big strainer insert and a smaller steaming insert. The strainer insert really does not work well for pasta. I find I have to put in a lot of water and that the pasta gets stuck in the strainer holes. But the pot was pretty good for steaming. I use either insert and place the asparagus into it. But now I've upgraded. For a long time I wanted to buy a bamboo steamer, but they were always just a little too expensive. Finally I went to a Chinese restaurant supply store and found what I wanted. But it turns out the models available in stores work just as well. I have a cheap old wok which the steamer basket fits nicely into.

Banboo Steamer @Amazon

Asparagus - steamed
1 bunch - asparagus
water

Prep and clean the asparagus but running in under cold water. Then grab the base of the stalk with your index and thumb of one hand and then grab with the other hand further up the stalk. Bend the stalk until it snaps at a natural place. If your asparagus is really thin you might not need to do this step. Instead just chop a little bit off of the base. Place the asparagus into your steamer. Place half an inch to an inch of water into the bottom of your steaming vessel. Turn you stove to medium heat and let it steam. Depending on this size of your asparagus and how done you like it, it should steam for 6-10 minutes. It should be a bright green color. Serve immediately. If its going to be some time before eating, you might consider running the asparagus under cold water or plunging it into an ice bath for a few seconds to stop the cooking and lock in the nice color. I usually eat all the asparagus I cook, but when I don't I store leftovers in a zip lock bag and use them to top salads, inside of wraps, or even on top of pizza.

Bayou Magic

2005-08-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

So not everything I will write about comes from scratch. In order to prepare good food in a short amount of time, it is always a good idea to know some short cuts. I grew up in Louisiana, and back home when we want to cook Jambalaya or other cajun foods at home, sometimes we would slave away making it from scratch, but often we would just used Bayou Magic mixes. They are really tasty. My favorite is Jambalaya, but I also enjoy Black Eyes Peas and the Red Beans, but really all of them are good. They are really simple to make, although they do require a little bit of time. Leftovers are easy to store and reheat.

Bayou Magic Store

Jambalaya(directions from back of pack):
chicken - I typically buy a 1.5lb pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts.
5 cups - water
1T - cajun seasoning

1 package - Bayou Magic Jambalaya Mix
1 can - cream of celery soup
1 can - french onion soup
1 small can - chopped/diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1lb - smoked sausage

Place the water, chicken, and cajun seasoning in a pot and boil for 15 minutes. While boiling, cut the sausage into small bite size pieces. Also open the cans. Remove the chicken from the water and set aside to cool. Add the remaining ingredients to the water and bring to a hard boil. Reduce to low and cover for 15 minutes, stirring 2-3 times. While the rice cooks, cut the chicken into small bite size pieces removing any skin, fat, and/or bones depending on the type of chicken used. After the 15 minutes, add the chicken and mix. Leave uncovered on low for 20 more minutes. Remove the bay leaves and serve. Cool leftovers and place into storage containers. To reheat, portion out a serving into a bowl and place a moist paper towel over it. Heat on high in the microwave for 3 to 3:30 minutes. You might want to stir at least once while heating.

Variations:
- sometimes I use chicken thighs or a whole cut up chicken instead of just chicken breasts
- use different meats (crawfish tails, shrimp, game)
- use spicy sausage or andouille (cajun sausage)
- when adding the rice, soup, and sausage, add a good amount of hot sauce (I use about 1/2t of Dave's Insanity Sauce - this stuff is not for the weak - do not taste by itself)

Dave's Insanity Sauce @Amazon

Other notes:
- Jambalaya is excellent with cornbread
- I have a friend who would eat it on top of salad (which I usually serve it with)
- If I don't serve a salad, I usual serve asparagus with Jambalaya
- It really is a pain to find smoked beef sausage without a pork casing

I love my new Citrus Press

2005-08-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

A friend who I play beach volleyball with has a lemon tree in her yard which produces too many lemons for her to use, so one day she came to the beach with three bags of lemons. I took two bags, about two dozen lemons, with the goal on making lemonade. I don't have a citrus reamer at home, but I've juiced lemons by hand before. The trick is to microwave them for 5 to 10 seconds. Then take the heel of your palm and press down on the lemon as you roll it back and forth. Then cut and half and squeeze. I found I needed about a dozen lemons to make 2 cups of lemon juice. It took forever! And afterward I was covered in lemon juice, although I did smell nice for a long time after. Needless to say after I did this two more times, I decided I needed a tool because I wasn't about to stop making tasty lemonade. So I considered many options:

- Citrus reamer: handheld device which you insert into the flesh and press out the juice. Also there is the other type which fits over a glass or measuring cup and you press the citrus down onto it.
- Manual citrus press: you see these at bars. Its like a giant nut cracker, except for citrus.
- Electric citrus press: you press the citrus down and the reamer spins, extracting the goodness.
- Highend manual press: the silver type where you place the citrus in, grab the metal handle and pull down

I decided to go for an electric model. The highend manual presses are just too expensive and I don't have room for one. And while a manual press or reamer has some appeal, for some reason this seemed like the perfect problem for the electric model to solve. After some research I settled on the Krups FSD3. It seems to have the best quality for the money. I almost bought it at Amazon, but I have a gift card from Williams Sonoma, so I bought it there for about the same price (it was on sale, and was cheaper in store than on the website, odd). So far I have really enjoyed it. I was able to get 3 cups of lemon juice and pulp from 10 lemons. And it took a fraction of the time.

Krups Citrus Press @Amazon

Lemonade syrup:
2 1/2 cups - lemon juice
2 cups - sugar
2 cups - boiling water

Boil water (electric kettle, stove kettle, microwave) and measure out 2 cups. In a medium bowl, poor water over sugar and stir until sugar melts. Allow mixture to cool. Add lemon juice and mix. Pour into storage container(s) and store until ready to use.

Lemonade:
Lemonade syrup
Ice
Water

Fill glass with ice. Pour lemonade syrup into cup. Add water and stir. Typically I add about 1/2 cup of the syrup and then top off the glass with water then mix. I use a small crush ice and a largish cup. Basically what I'm trying to say is you'll have to play with how much water to add till you get a good combination.

Alternatives:
- Keep lemon juice and sugar syrup separate. Then you can control how sweet or sour your lemonade is in each glass.
- Use mixtures of sugar. I like to use at least 1/2 cup of raw sugar, it just added a nice taste. I have a friend which uses maple syrup to make her's. You could also use Splenda, honey, or any other sugar alternative.

Oatmeal

2005-08-16T07:12:00.000-07:00

Perfect oatmeal ready for you when you awake in the morning. I'll admit, I got the idea for this from Alton Brown's Good Eats. It really does work well, and is a little full proof. I use to not like oatmeal, then a friend cooked me steel cut oats. They are so much nicer, although it had been so long since I had rolled oats, I have no idea if I'm really correct, I just think I am. Alton Brown uses both milk and water, and adds dried fruit and nuts. However I really just like them plain. First you need a crock pot. I have one that I use to use about once a year. Now I use it about once a week. Second you need steel cut oats, also known as irish cut oats. You can find them either in a metal tin, or in the bulk section of your local grocery store (haven't really looks at Safeway, etc, but Whole Foods and such definitely have them). Plug in the crock put and turn it to low. Add one cup of steel cut oats and about 4 1/4 cups of water. I use a four cup pyrex measuring cup and just fill it up a little past 4 cups. Mix together so the oats are relatively distributed across the bottom of the pot and cover. Set a timer for 8 to 9 hours and then go to sleep. I know, its not good to leave kitchen appliances on over night, but that's what smoke detectors are for. Heh. I'm not too worried about it, its not boiling, no moving parts, just make sure its on a stable surface and nothing is touching it. In the morning, wake up, turn off, and unplug the crock pot. Sometimes if they look a little dry, I add up to 1/4 cup of water. Either way stir the oats, and cover again for 5ish minutes. This allows for any oats which have dried and stuck to the bottom edge to rehydrate. Take the spoon and scrape them into the oats (it just adds texture) and mix. Eat 1/4 of them, and let the rest cool partially and place into a plastic storage container and stick in the fridge. For leftovers, use a spoon to cut a 1/3 wedge of the oatmeal and place into a bowl. Microwave for 1:20 and enjoy. You might want to add a little water as it will be a little gummy, but I like it. Soak your crock pot while you are at work and clean it that evening.

Easy Oatmeal (4 servings; minimal prep; keeps well; easy to reheat)
1 cup - steel cut oats
4 1/4 cup - water

Place oats and water into a crock pot set on low. Cook for 8 to 9 hours. Unplug the crock pot and add a little more water if needed. Stir the oats and let them sit for another five minutes. Portion out 1/4 for breakfast, and place the remaining 3/4 into a storage container to cool and then refrigerate for up to 4 to 5 days. On following days place 1/3 of leftover oats into a bowl and microwave for ~1:20. They will probably hold thier wedge shape, so if you find this unappealing add a little water and stir.

Variations:
- Add up to 1/2 cup of milk
- Add up to 2 cups of dried fruit, adding a little more water for the fruit

Farmers' Market

2005-08-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy going to the farmers' market. Its what I do on Saturday mornings (plus there is a great bakery on my walk there). I am lucky to live in a place which features markets six days a week in various locations. Lately I've been buying at least five pounds of peaches and a pound of green beans a week. Also I will pick up, from time to time, potatoes, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, and basil. Farmers' markets really do provide the freshest and best quality produce, often pesticide free. Please find one in your area and support local farmers. But I will give my warnings. Always check your produce before you buy. I have found vendors who's green beans wilt after a few days, while others last for a week or longer in my fridge. Check your peaches and other fruit carefully, look for soft spots, especially near the stems. Don't buy too much, nothing is worse then spending a lot of money to watch it rot in the fridge. Buy what you think you can cook. Buy things that you are curious about. Buy things which will make you want to cook at home instead of grabbing fast food after work. Finally shop carefully. There are some items which are just overpriced. But as an example of good prices I offer the price of lemons. At a local grocery store they are charging 79 cents a lemon. I can get lemons at 6 for $1 at the local farmers' market. (Although there is a store on Mission st. in SF where you could get them for 10 for $1).

My farmers' markets (current and past):
http://www.sbfarmersmarket.org/
http://www.sfgov.org/site/alemany_index.asp
http://www.cuesa.org/

A Start

2005-08-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
I've had this idea in the back of my head to write a cookbook for single people. The idea is to feature simple recipes that are easy to prepare, don't take long to cook, and make good leftovers or are easy to do in small portions. Also I'd like to feature a guide to what to stock your kitchen with, including basic ingredients, utensils, appliances, and pans. Finally I'd like to cover how to buy produce and how to prep food, but in a simple way. I really enjoy cooking but can get frustrated cooking just for myself. I have some recipes that I find really useful, and hope to develop and/or collect others. Please feel free to share comments, suggestions, and recipes.

Thanks
David