Coleman Organic Chicken

Look at the gorgeous bird below...it's a Coleman Organic Chicken! Recently I published a product review about this beautiful chicken, which can be seen here:

Coleman Organic Chicken

Coleman Organic Chicken--Ready for Service

A Few Words about Chicken Nuggets....

Last week my cousin offered me a sample of some chicken nuggets that she'd purchased at a local fast food restaurant. I'm not going to mention any names here but one of the main colors used by this establishment is orange. The other is white. 

I bit into a chicken nugget. At first chew, it tasted okay and I was pleased to see that appeared to be made with real pieces of chicken, rather than the "mechanically separated" and "glued back together" version. 

I hadn't finished chewing completely before the horror struck my taste buds. Whatever they use in the batter for these nuggets tastes extremely bad--they're too salty, for one, but the chemical aftertaste was far worse.  Whoever had this "bright idea" for a recipe should have to go to a chicken farm and clean out the chicken coops for a week! Terrible! Awful! Yuck! 

I am disappointed in this establishment. These were some of the worst chicken nuggets I've ever tasted, and that includes the ones that don't use whole chicken pieces. I think they should remove them from the menu post-haste.

I might not have noticed if I had dipped them in any sauces first, but I doubt it. It could be that my taste buds just won't tolerate this kind of junk anymore...I eat fast food on VERY rare occasions, so my palate is not subjected to a lot of processed food. 

I used to eat burgers from this establishment occasionally, but I haven't in many years. The last time I did, they were still making burgers to order. They were okay. Nothing to dance in the street about, but okay. I think they should stick to burgers, really. 

Maybe I'm not being fair and I should give these nuggets another chance. I ate a total of four...all that my cousin had left in her box that she didn't want to eat. I guess I should have asked her the real reason she didn't finish them. I only ate them because I didn't want to seem rude by refusing her offer. Mistake! But I do hate to waste food and I certainly wouldn't have fed those things to any animals....so I went ahead and took a bullet. (Four of them, to be exact). 

Should I give them another chance? Not on my wallet!

And Now...Dessert...Thanks to the Screaming Strawberries...

You can view this super fast, easy recipe here:

Conchiglie di Pasta with Screaming Strawberry Compote

Another recipe was born in Dr. Frazier-stein's lab yesterday. This recipe was conceived because of the strawberries.

Mom: "Please do something about those strawberries. Please stop them from screaming!"

Me: "Okay."

I cleaned them up and threw them in a pot with some sugar on low heat. I remembered that there were some strawberries that were in the freezer...I had placed them there last month (or maybe the month before), so I decided to throw those in, too.

While rummaging around...I saw some cranberries that Mom bought at a farmer's market in Oregon when she was visiting my sister last year. The cranberries were still beautiful, and amazingly enough--free from frostbite. I threw them in with the strawberries.

At first I thought I was going to make a pie or a cobbler with this mixture. Then I thought about manicotti. I could stuff them with some cream cheese and we could eat them with the compote and some whipped cream.

The store was out of manicotti shells so I grabbed some jumbo pasta shells instead.

They worked fine, and those who made ugly faces at the thought of sweet pasta (maybe they were thinking about "Elf"), enjoyed the quick dessert. I'll post the recipe here after I write it down. I'm going to tweak it around next time, maybe. I'm happy that the first try turned out so well.

I didn't have any pastry tips handy or I would have made it look a little fancier: 

Stuffed Jumbo Shells & Fruit Compote

Patti Jean Rock Cornish Game Hens Review

Please visit: 

"Patti Jean Rock Cornish Game Hens"

For a brief history about the origin of Rock Cornish Game Hens and my review on Patti Jean hens.

The Newest Creature from Dr. Fraziersteins lab: Zucchini Boats

Dr. Frazierstein has been in the laboratory again. It's alive!! Alive!! Here is a vegetarian recipe that's very tasty and super easy to prepare: 

Zucchini Boats

Maybe they should have been called "Zucchini Canoes," but "boats" is what stuck, so there you are. 

View the recipe with lots of great pictures here: 

Zucchini Boats

Introducing: The Lancon Burger! (link updated)

A meal on a whim produced a burger legacy that has spanned decades: 

The Lancon Burger

Catch the full story along with the recipe here: 

The Lancon Burger

Happy Eating!

We Doan Need No Stinkin' Condiments!

Here is a burger to delight vegetarians and carnivores alike. This is not my recipe, let me be clear on that. This is my interpretation of a recipe from the Art Institute. It is (or was) served in the restaurant there. The restaurant is open to the public at a certain time of day. I don't know the current schedule but I'll find out and post it here. There are a lot of good menu items served there, and it helps the students when the public dines there.

I did not sign a non-disclosure agreement regarding recipes, so I'm hoping they won't mind if I post this on my blog. If they do mind, I guess I'll be hearing from the legal department, lol.

This burger is made using Portabello Mushrooms. Portabello, Portobello, Portabella...however you wanna spella', it's a damn good burger.

Portabello Burger

This one is very simple. You need: sauteed red onion, roasted red bell peppers, avocado, mozzarella cheese (muenster is good, too) and portabello mushrooms. That is it. That is all. Fin.

1. Clean the mushrooms (snap the step out of each if there is a stem to be snapped). Brush the mushrooms with olive oil, or spray them with your handy-dandy cooking oil spray. Grill them, broil them, or simply toss them in a skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes.
2.  Put them on paper towels, gill side down and let them drain while you prepare the other goodies.
3.  Roast a red pepper in the oven on broil.  (You can also buy these pre-roasted and stored in olive oil--Marzetti's is a good brand.) Let cool and peel off skin. Slice lengthwise into 1/4" pieces. 
4. Slice onion into 1/4" half slices. Saute in 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter or olive oil until soft. It's cool if you get some browning on the onions, just don't overdo it.  
5. Lightly toast your buns, if you like toasted buns. If not, then don't do it. Cover and set aside. 
6. Flip mushrooms onto a pan, gill side up. Season with salt and pepper. Cover each mushroom with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Place in oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese. 
7. While the cheese is melting, peel and slice your avocado. 
8. Build your burger: Mushroom with cheese on the bottom of bun, add a generous helping of sauteed red onion, then your roasted red bell pepper. Top with slices of avocado. 
9. Now chow down! You doan need no stinkin' condiments on this burger! 

You can find the complete ingredient list & recipe here: 

Portabella Mushroom Burger

Here's what it looks like before you close it up.

If you don't want "purdy" avocado slices, or if the avocado isn't cooperating with you; just scoop it out and mash it, then use it that way instead.

Damn Good Burger! I'll take 2, please?

 Look at it, so quiet and unassuming. It's just waiting to surprise you with the flavorful ingredients hiding inside.

Oh, one final note: I don't peel my mushrooms. Whatever for? You can if you want to. It's a personal preference. Also, this burger is good when made using whole wheat buns, but we couldn't find any in town.

Whole wheat or white, I absolutely recommend using buns with NO high-fructose corn syrup! Luckily, these particular buns don't carry HFCS disease. WOO-HOO!!

I think I covered all you need to know in order to make this burger. If anything isn't clear, feel free to write me for clarification. 

Happy Eating!! :)

It Was a Lovely Supper Indeed.....

.....with a version of Cobb Salad....or you can simply call it a Chef's Salad. Whatever you call it...make sure you call me when it's ready!! :)

This yummy salad was made with: Iceberg & Leaf Lettuce, baby Bok Choy, seedless cucumbers, red cabbage, baby tomatoes, and carrots for the base. Then it was topped with: pepper bacon, boiled eggs, real cheddar cheese and Black Forest Ham. Also added after the picture was taken: red onion, avocado, black olives and green olives--(the green olives were stuffed with jalapenos and garlic).

I made a quick dressing with: 2 garlic cloves, mayo, apple cider vinegar, milk, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, 2 cucumbers, salt, pepper, sugar, dill weed and a bit of green bell pepper. All whirled in the blender until well combined.

It was damn good...I don't know what you'd call it, maybe it was a bastardized version of Green Goddess-- (but I think G.G. has sour cream in it? Can't remember)--but whatever. It was good. Isn't that all that matters? If I can remember the measurements of everything I threw in there, I will surely share that, too. I might have to make it again and measure a little more carefully first, though, lol. :)

I would pay a good chunk of change for this salad in a restaurant, if I knew that this is the salad I'd be paying for. Hell yeah!

Happy Eating!!! :)

Shrimp Gumbo, Baby! OWOOOOOO!!!!!!

We enjoy making many different versions of gumbo in the kitchen and this is one of them:

Shrimp Gumbo #568!!

This wasn't my project but I can testify that it is a recipe that's fast and easy to prepare. We even had fresh okra for this version. Yum, yum and YUM!!

Salad Doesn't Have to be Borrrrriiiiiinnnng......

I have an opinion about bagged salads. Don't buy them. If you have any, throw them out--(but throw them in the compost pile, not the garbage).

Why?

Because they are overpriced and their nutritional content is questionable. Vegetables that have been cut lose their nutritional content much faster than whole vegetables.

Consider how long that bag you're thinking about buying has been banging around at the processing facility before it's even shipped. Then add shipping time and the time it takes to get it out on display after it reaches the grocery store.

Most of the time, the lettuce in the bagged salads has already started to rust before you even get it home and tear it open.

Yeah, don't waste your money. If you want "pre-made" salads so you can save time in the kitchen, you're better off preparing them yourself. Make enough for a whole week. Yes, you will lose nutritional content but not near as much as those crappy bagged salads. Plus--it's far more economical and you can create your own great vegetable combinations.

Check this one out:

This salad has: Iceberg & Leaf Lettuce, baby Bok Choy, red cabbage, carrots, seedless cucumbers, baby tomatoes, red onion and avocado (not pictured). 

Mmm, mmm, mmmmm!! So nice and fresh! Just ready to be dressed with your favorite dressing.

You can get away with lettuce, cabbage and carrots prepared ahead of time--then add the rest of the goodies when you're ready to serve it. 

Just please...do yourself and your family a favor and stay away from those nasty bagged things. 

The only time I ever make an exception with those is when I want to buy baby greens. Unless I want to drive 45 minutes to an hour, bagged baby greens or Mesclun salad are all that are available where I live.  If the bagged version is available at all. 

No separate radicchio or dandelion leaves can be found here in Tiny Town. (Well, okay--dandelion leaves can be found outside at certain times of the year, lol.)

More on salads later. Until then...Happy Eating!!! :)

I Dream of Chicken with the Light Brown Skin

Beautiful Golden Bird...supper was great on Saturday night...

Fresh from the Oven

The recipe for this incredibly moist chicken can be found at the link below:

 Beautiful Baked Chicken

 Use this recipe and your chicken will always turn out moist and beautiful. It's a good idea to truss your bird. This one had a wing which escaped from its moorings but it still turned out perfect. 

Ready for the Oven

Organic Chicken from Costco 

I feel a product review coming on! This bird was from Costco. These chickens have the neck and giblets enclosed. I remember a time when all chickens had that, but you don't see it much anymore. Mostly you just get the bird and they save the other stuff to sell separately in order to make more $$$.

I hope you have a Costco near you so you can try this chicken. Or maybe you can find it at another store. I've only seen them at Costco in our area.

At Costco, these chickens come in a 2-pack. I fabricated the other bird and put it in storage. Hmmm....we haven't had fried chicken since last month. So, the other bird may end up fried, though I did hear mutterings of Chicken Gumbo. Heh heh heh....we'll see!

Happy Eating! :)

There's a New Kid in Town

I made a great discovery while I was in Walgreen's yesterday. Hidden in the back on the painkiller aisle lies a young man's dream. He dreamed of producing a candy with all natural ingredients instead of crap. You know, all the stuff you can't even pronounce, much less guess at what the heck it might be. It's called: "Unreal Candy."

This candy should be at the front of the store. While I can appreciate the idea of candy as a painkiller, Walgreen's, this candy company deserves a more prominent place in your stores.

Unreal Candy, Candy "Unjunked"

 

 Unreal Candy #8

Unreal Candy #77

Just look at it. Doesn't it look great? Don't you want some right now? Sure you do! Go find it! Let's support this company that's offering such a quality product. We all know that candy isn't good for us but we all deserve a treat now and then. Why not make it a treat with all natural ingredients? 

You can read my review of this product here: "Unreal Candy."

Because...Bacon Cheddar Fries, That's Why!

I was cooking supper for one last night. I wasn't sure what to cook at first, but there was pepper bacon in the fridge. Hmm....what to do with that pepper bacon? I almost made bacon and eggs. Then I decided to make Bacon Cheddar Fries, even though I really didn't feel like it. I knew if I didn't, I would be plagued by the thought of them until I did. Any junkety-junk-junk from a fast food restaurant wasn't going to cut it, either. So I got busy cutting bacon and potatoes....and it didn't take long at all to do the rest.

 Click below for the yummy recipe: 

Bacon-Cheddar Fries

Swift Stuffed Mushrooms

I decided to share the recipe here for the "Patriotic Mushrooms" I made yesterday. I've never used mayonnaise in a stuffed mushroom recipe but I needed a little extra moisture for the stuffing, so I used mayo as a quick binder. Everyone loved them! Click on the link under the picture to see the recipe. Enjoy! :)

Swift Stuffed Mushrooms a.k.a. Patriotic Mushrooms

July 4th Food and Fun!

Ah yes, the 4th of July...Independence Day. We celebrated with a small party of 5. The menu included Pheasant Under Glass, Duchesse Potatoes, Baby Asparagus with White Truffle Sauce, and.....

Wait a minute! Are you kidding me? We had Patriotic Food!!

Grilled hot dogs, Homemade Chili, Multi-Colored Cole Slaw and Stuffed Mushrooms. Are stuffed mushrooms patriotic? Well...they are now!

Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about! Good ol' hot dogs on "white-trash" buns! Grilled some white-trash wieners, too. Why white-trash? Well, I've been accused of being white trash once or twice, so why not have a little fun with it?

Here are the stars of our show: Some Johnsonville sausages with cheddar cheese, turkey franks, white-trash wieners and really skinny pork sausages. I think the skinny sausages were made in Bellville but I can't swear to it. I didn't see the package. Four kinds of dogs to decorate our buns. Now that's "eatin' nasty!" WOO!

Here's the Johnsonville package. I wanted to post it because it has a personal pet peeve. "Beddar with Cheddar."

This is part of a big problem in America. Companies enjoy using misspelled words to sell products because they feel it is cute or catchy. Well, it contributes to the "dumbing-down" of America. That is my opinion. It may have been cute in the beginning (and that is debatable), but so many companies have resorted to this tactic that it really isn't cute anymore.

That was my only gripe of the day. I don't want to go on and on about it here, but I had to mention it. I just don't want to see America end up like the America in "Idiocracy." Ever see that movie? Sheesh!! It's more accurate than it should be!!

Have a fabulous day and as always....Happy Eating!! :)

My Cousin Suffers from "FIAS"-Food Ingredient Avoidance Syndrome

My cousin cracks me up sometimes. When it comes to food, she can be like a little kid. Remember "Mikey?" Yeah, she's like that. She hates everything. I don't dare tell her what ingredients I'm going to use. On Tuesday, everyone wanted spaghetti and meatballs for supper. My cousin asked me about the meatballs:

E.J.: "Do they have onions in them?"

Me: "Yes."

E.J.: "Ughhhh!"

Me: "...and garlic and parmesan cheese, too."

E.J.: "Ughhhhh!"

I flipped through the recipe rolodex in my mind, searching for something she may have eaten that had parmesan cheese.

Me: "Have you ever eaten Fettuccine Alfredo?"

E.J.: "Is that the stuff with the white sauce?"

Me: "Yes. It has parmesan in it. Did you like it?"

E.J.: "I guess."

Me: ".......*sigh*........well, if you cook savory food you have to use those ingredients. Otherwise, what's the point?"

E.J.: "Yeah, true."

Me: "Okay, I will leave some meatballs plain. How's that?"

E.J.: "Okay."

So I lied. I didn't leave any of them plain. And you know what? She loved them! She ate all of her meal right down to the plate bone. I asked her how many points I got. She said, "10."

I could tell she wasn't fibbing because she really ate as if she was enjoying the food, rather than forcing it down. Plus, when she doesn't like something, she'll pick it out of her food. None of that occurred. All I can say is: Yay!!

Homemade meatballs and homemade sauce. The spaghetti wasn't homemade, but it was imported from Italy. That's the next best thing to having homemade pasta. Italy knows pasta. (Yeah, I know, "DUH!")

Seriously, American pasta just can't hold a candle. Sure, you can boil the hell out of any pasta and ruin it, but Italian pasta holds together a lot better and it can take some abuse before it gives up the goat.

American pasta is processed differently and if you overcook it for even a few extra seconds, you're screwed. You have pasta earthworms. Just as well throw it out to the chickens. Always use Italian pasta. It's the "Terminator" of pastas. (If you don't know what that means, then go rent "The Terminator," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In fact, rent them all.)

Of course, we had to have garlic bread. I made some "Cheater Garlic Bread." This is the recipe I use when I want to make garlic bread faster. It's a good recipe, which uses garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. Since my back told me I was about done in the kitchen after I made the meatballs and sauce, Cheater Garlic Bread was definitely the way to go on Tuesday night.

Wednesday is the 4th of July, so have a wonderful holiday!

Another One from the Vaults...

I found our beautiful rooster! He was created by the same team that created the "live dough" heart (see previous post). This guy was created with "dead dough." What's the difference? I'll talk about that more in the future. Stay tuned!

Have a great day, Everyone, and Happy Eating! :)

One from the Vaults...

Here's a charming heart created by my team during our "Artisan Breads" class, circa 2010. We made a heart with "live" dough and a rooster with "dead" dough. I'll have to dig him up and post him, too. Our team: me- (Michele),  Korey Nerio, Elora Cavazos and Yasmine Marquez. We were one of the best teams of that semester, IMO.

Let's Talk About Food...

What I really want to do is encourage people of all ages, regardless of gender, to cook! It's become a habit for many people (especially Americans) to embrace "convenience food." Unfortunately, most convenience food contains a lot of junk that is bad for your health (and frankly, some of it doesn't even qualify as food in my book).

America has a problem with obesity. This is a touchy subject but I have to comment on this here. There is more than one reason for this. Some like to blame technology for causing us live a more sedentary lifestyle. That's part of the reason, but another big one is what we choose to eat.

Fast food is convenient. Okay, sure. It is also cheaper. Wait...is it? Is it really? How much does a burger, fries and a drink cost these days, for one person? Suppose that person has a family of 4, so you have to multiply that amount. Even if you have children young enough for a "kid's meal" menu item, it is still an insane amount of money to pay for a meal.

You can make meals at home that are fast and cost far less. You might even have leftovers you can use for lunch the next day.

What? You can't cook? Bull-pucky! Anyone can cook! You don't have to be a rocket scientist and you don't need a degree to cook. Some of the best cooks the world has ever seen were never classically trained.

Once you understand the fundamentals, you can cook anything. Don't let anyone tell you any different. Even if you have developed the belief that you can't cook: well, change that belief, dang it, because YOU CAN!

Cooking is a very rewarding experience. It's great for you and for your family, too. Your children will never forget the great meals that were created for them with your hands. Get the children involved, too. Learning to cook will really stimulate them intellectually as well as emotionally.

Forget about fancy, it doesn't have to be fancy to be good. Some of the best recipes are made using very few ingredients. 

So let's get out in that kitchen and get cooking! I'll have more on this later. Right now, how about I whip up some haricots et pain de maïs for supper? If you like beans and cornbread, you're in for a real treat! 


Happy Eating!