Alright... Its been a hot minute since my last post

But I got a good one for ya.

Homemade Pad Thai

Ingredient List
1 package pad Thai noodles
1 lime
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons siracha
2 eggs
1 lb raw chicken tenders
2 cups bean sprouts
crushed peanuts
Spicy sesame oil

Boil salted water in a large pan.  Drop in noodles and remove from heat. Let sit for 10 minutes drain and rinse.

Prep Sauce.  Add lime juice from one lime, fish sauce, red pepper flakes, and sugar in a small bowl stir till smooth.  Add sriracha and mix.

In a separate bowl whisk eggs and set aside.

Simultaneously, as you are cooking the noodles heat sesame oil in wok on high heat.  Add chicken stirring constantly. Once cooked through remove to a separate bowl.  Add more oil to work.  Pour whisked eggs into hot oil and scramble.  Add chicken back to wok.  Add rinsed cooked noodles and pour sauce over the top.  Use tongs to stir. I usually taste at this point to see what it needs.  Usually more pepper flakes and siracha.

Garnish with bean sprouts, lime wedges and crushed peanuts.

There you go Han!

Chiocciole pasta with a creamy smoked bacon and pea sauce

Tonight I dabbled with a new cookbook we got by Jaime Oliver.  Oh man was it a winner!  To say the least Sharon and I each had two helpings, which is not a stretch on any given night, but this was a Good dinner.  The lemon, mint and bacon flavors go really well together, which I was not sure about as I was cooking it up.

I made a few changes, nothing major but it needed to be kicked up a notch.

Here it is:
Ingredients
1 pound of smoked bacon
small bunch of mint
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 pound Chiocciole pasta (it looks like a snail shell)
a pat of butter
2 cups frozen peas
5 tablespoons heavy cream
1 lemon
Parmesan

Prep
Finely slice the bacon
Pick the mint leaves and finely chop the mint.

Cooking
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the pasta and cook according to the directions.  Heat the oil and butter on high in a large frying pan.  Add the bacon and grind a good dose of pepper over it.  Fry until crisp.  When it is crisp add the frozen peas and shake the pan.  Wait two minutes and add the cream and mint, lower the heat to medium.  Drain the pasta and add to the frying pan.  Halve the lemon and squeeze both halves over the pasta.  Use a spoon to combine the ingredients.  Sprinkle the parmesan over the top and shake the pan to distribute.

It seems weird, I know, but the flavors combine really well at the end of it.

As I look back on it you could add some crushed red pepper to kick it up a bit if you think it needs it, which I don't.

Don't forget if you're not drinking while you're cooking you're not cooking.

LC

Stardate August 22, 2010

So this is it blog entry number one.  Tonight I made Anchor Bar recipe buffalo wings.  Not fancy for the first entry but good nevertheless.  You see my cooking has never been about plating and garnish and the like .  I cook for myself and for my wife, because to be honest we like to eat and we can't go out to eat every night, because to be honest, we are not rich.

Here is a tad bit of history for you.  My wife and I have been married for three weeks and one day.  I come from a big Italian family where food was always the most important thing.  I always need to know my next meal is and when it will be served.  I am not fat, we do workout but my motivation for working out is so that I can eat what I want.

In the future, you can expect a few things from me.

1.) I will be crass and say what ever I want about my dinners.  If they were shit or if they were great.
2.) I will never talk about my wife's cooking.  This is about my cooking not other people's and her cooking is awesome.
3.) I will post pictures when I remember to.  I will try to remember often.
4.) If you want a recipe ask and you shall receive or if I think its good enough I will just go ahead and post it.

I look forward to many more posts.

Happy Eating,

LC