Richard of Gloucester
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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Richard of Gloucester" journal:[<< Previous 20 entries]
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05:39 pm
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Gnomish bacon salad
--half a pound of bacon
--about eight to ten cherry tomatoes, halved
--about seven baby portabella mushrooms, rinsed and quarted
--fresh mozarella balls packed in some kind of Italian blend, in even proportion to the other ingredients (I didn't look at the weight on the package)
--worcestershire sauce
--some manner of vinaigrette dressing
cut the bacon into inch and a half bits and stir-cook in a skillet until desired doneness. Set aside on paper towel, leaving the grease in the skillet. Add the quartered mushrooms to the skillet, watch out for popping, and stir immediately. Add a generous splash of worcestershire and continue to stir fry for about three minutes. Add bacon, mushrooms, cheese, and tomatoes to a bowl, toss with vinaigrette dressing. serve immediately.
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09:25 am
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I cast Burning Hands!
Nathan's first rule of Chili: No matter how good it is the first night, it's ALWAYS better the next day.
I apparently can't get any Abita products or any other Louisiana beer in Lubbock anymore, which means I am out both Abita Turbodog and Blackened Voodoo to use in my chili recipe. I also intended to try Redbridge lager in the recipe, but I can't get that here either. So instead I used a Scottish ale called "Wee Heavy."
...It lives up to its name. It'll put hair on yer chest. It was the color of tar, and my spoon stood up in it unaided.
But now, I've got capsacin all over the middle and ring fingers of my left hand from cutting up chipotle peppers (both for the chili and for my pickled sausages). And it FUCKING BURNS. I've washed and washed, I've wiped my hands down with vinegar, I can't think of anything else to do. Does it just have to wear off?
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07:24 am
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quick pack dill pickles
My experiments have been successful in theory so far, which is to say, I can make quick pack pickles, can them, and they will keep on the shelf and be edible. However, I have been having to experiment by tweaking the recipe because the Ball book calls for way too much salt if you're not using sugar (and I don't use sugar).
My last experiment called for only a teaspoon of salt in the two-cup brine mixture. (experienced canners will say, "what, are you making only one jar at a time or something?" to which I say, Yes, I am, whilst I experiment with the recipe. I'll do full batches once I get a recipe I like.) This recipe actually undershot the salt by just a bit, but were still very delicious and highly edible. Next time I'll up the salt to a tablespoon.
--one cup purified water
--one cup distilled white vinegar
--one tbsp canning salt
--a garlic clove
--half a teaspoon mustard seeds
--half a teaspoon peppercorns
--a sprig of fresh dill
--a bay leaf
--two pickling cucumbers, or one large one, cut into spears right for your jar
simmer the lid and jar
boil the pickling mixture for ten minutes (everything listed above except the cucumbers
remove jar, dump out hot water, add in cucumbers, an extra clove of garlic, and two sprigs of dill
add lid, screw on band finger-tight
boil for fifteen minutes covered in water
remove, let cool.
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10:26 am
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And now, it's time for:
ABSURD CELEBRITY THEATRE!
( This time, with illustrations! )
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09:18 am
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The cleaning of the kitchen
This week's cleaning of the kitchen went much farther than most of mine do. I cleaned out the fridge. I threw away a whole trashbag worth of old stuff, and found three of my pyrex storage containers full of old dead food. I also fixed the bottom drawer, which had always been crooked, and caused stuff to slide forward on the shelf above it. In the process, I got a pool of sticky, caramelized something or other mopped up out of the bottom.
I now have room for my bread machine, which I intend to pick up from storage today, and for my Harsch fermentation crock. I intend to set some dill pickles on to brine this weekend, after an extravaganza of quick-pack dill pickles and loose fresh sausage.
Tags: i
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11:59 am
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Cue up the Sorceror's Apprentice
Tonight I begin the ritual cleaning of the kitchen.
This weekend I intend to:
A) Make sausage
B) quick-pack some more experimental pickle recipes, and
C) clean out the fridge to set some kosher fermented dill pickles on to brine.
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08:48 am
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Not tagged, but doing it anyway
Stolen from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) a_kosmos. Also, Falco said it looked like fun, so he's doing it too.
( It's memey! )
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06:20 pm
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top 101 movie moments
I did this following liamtheruiner right off his cliff. His list inspired me to do one.
Note that this is not a commentary on the actual artistic quality of the movie, except where noted, just the moments or scenes I found most memorable or emotionally impactful. Also, refer to the two links below for two obscure terms I used in the list.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/SugarWiki/CrowningMomentOfAwesome?from=Main.CrowningMomentOfAwesome
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BigLippedAlligatorMoment
WARNING: SPOILERS BEHIND THE CUT
( So without further ado... )
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02:38 pm
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Meep!
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/meep-nonsense-word-students-hot-water/story?id=9054266
My heart goes out to Principal Murray. I mean--Oh, my god. These students were actually going to speak a word in a concerted effort. The horrors he must deal with every day; it's a wonder he doesn't have PTSD, being principal of a school where the kids have some harmless nonsensical piece of pop culture they can bond over that doesn't involve wearing their pants down around their knees. For pity's sake, someone get this man a teddy bear and a hot cocoa.
I fucking hate the public school system with a throbbing purple passion that can best be conveyed by me climbing the Empire State Building with Fay Wray in one hand and cutting loose a great cyclopean wind to all of Humanity.
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01:52 pm
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I believe I can fry...I believe I can cook the sky...
--one dozen jalepenos, de-stemmed, de-seeded, and sliced in half length wise
--one bowl of cheese mixture containing mozzarella, fontina, gorgonzola, and parmesean with chopped green onion and sun-dried tomato bits
--one bowl of egg
--one bowl of all-purpose flour
--one bowl of breadcrumbs seasoned Italian
--one deep-fryer with vegetable oil
press a small handful of the cheese mixture (a lump about the size of a gumball) into an oblong shape and place inside one of the jalepeno halves. Repeat until all jalepenos are filled.
take the first one and roll it lightly in flour, then dip it in egg coating generously, then roll it in breadcrumbs. place on a cookie sheet. Repeat until all jalepenos are thus processed.
chill for 15 minutes in fridge. ...On second thought, you chill for fifteen minutes at your computer, and chill the jalepenos for fifteen minutes in the fridge.
turn on the fryer and heat the oil. when it is hot, dunk the first batch for three minutes. drain, and overturn onto a plate. Repeat until all jalepenos are cooked.
Recipe: A- The Reginelli's cheese mix really was meant to be for pizza, but it's still damn good in other stuff. I did get a couple of jalepenos that were hotter than the rest.
Hardware: A+ Emeril's makes a fine deep fryer. The lid fits nicely, and prevents scary popping. It also aparently filters and stores its own oil automatically, but that's still three hours off since it has to cool.
The breading process: B+ There is apparently more art than science to the breading. I did read Alton Brown's advice, and so I could tell when I had done something wrong. However, I think it'll just take practice to get it right. Even so, the breading got done evenly, formed a good shell for the food, and tastes good, so it did work in spite of my inexperienced clumsiness.
The cooking process: B I orriginally set the temp at 370, which was way too hot for this food. I got lucky with the first batch, in that I put it in too early, so it wasn't quite that hot yet. The results were perfect. The second batch was overdone, and the third batch almost was, but I cut the time back to two minutes. Next time, I will set the temp at 320.
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10:46 am
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First attempt at deep frying:
Normally, when I embark upon a new cooking technique, I show proper respect for my pre-existing ignorance by trying a simple recipe by the book. That may be the advisable thing to do tomorrow, but it is not what I will do. Instead, I am going to gamble on my cooking instinct and leap right into the experiment headfirst--
--wow. That sounds so wrong when we talk about deep frying, doesn't it?
ANYWAY, here is what I intend to attempt tomorrow:
Jalepeno poppers stuffed with a mixture of mozarella, fontina, gorgonzola, and parmesean cheeses, with green onion and tomato, in a batter of flour, egg, and Italian breadcrumbs. I will be using canola vegetable oil, and an Emeril's deep fat fryer given to me by my mother. I will also need to purchase a sifter for the flour.
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11:38 am
[Link] | This weekend: Deep frying. I haven't decided what yet. Possibly Scotch eggs, possibly jalepeno poppers, possibly wontons, possibly something else yet. If you have a suggestion, by all means, post it.
Next weekend: Home canning and preserving. I know at least one recipe is going to involve all-beef kosher franks which I will pickle the hell out of.
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08:36 am
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Heading back to Dallas
tomorrow morning as early as possible. I will be staying until Tuesday morning.
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12:47 pm
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And also...
http://www.cnn.com/2009/OPINION/10/26/lotto.optical.illusions/index.html
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09:37 am
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The Mighty Quinn, Part One
( Come all without, come all within... )
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08:13 am
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The House Blend
I have decided, given my recent and very successful experiments, to go ahead and declare chipotle, lime, garlic, cilantro, and onion to be the five basic ingredients of my house cooking. Kinda like how you have the "holy trinity" of cajun cooking (onion, bell pepper, and celery)? You can go almost anywhere with my house blend: taquitos, fish, shrimp, chicken, chicken sausage--this morning I did a quesadilla, by combining it with JP's unstoppable tortilla-frying technique and some jack cheese. I would imagine you could do it with salsas, picantes, fajitas, anything that is either mixed or pan-sautee'd. For some dishes, add some smoked spanish paprika, bell pepper, substitute some green onion in place of what you normally use, maybe even some cider vinegar.
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07:24 pm
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Family taquito recipe
I call this a family taquito recipe because it is very heavily influenced by my cousin-in-law's famous taquito recipe. Those familiar with his will notice many key ingredients and steps in common.
--corn tortillas
--butter (about two tbsp
--1 lb ground beef
--one bell pepper, chopped
--about five pearl onions, chopped*
--about ten cherry tomatoes, quartered*
--about four tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (I just snipped it off in the skillet until it looked right)
--1 Penzey's dried chipotle pepper, minced
--two small or one medium or large clove of garlic, pressed
--about 1 to 1 and a half tbsp smoked spanish paprika
--1 lime
--half a wheel of cotija cheese
--about a teaspoon of salt
brown the meat with all the seasonings and veggies except the lime and the butter.
add the cheese, mix in well. It won't truly melt-I think I got the wrong kind. I was trying to remember what JP used, and took a guess. Even so, the results were good.
juice the lime into the meat mixture and stir/mix well. turn off heat or reduce to low to keep warm.
melt the butter in a second, smaller skillet. drop in one tortilla, cook until desired doneness.
put the tortilla on a plate, fill with meat mixture. repeat process until desired portions reached.
*Since I only cook for myself most days, I find myself wasting portions of celery, onion, etc because I can only get them in units about twice to four times the size I need. I can't really fix that for celery, but I fix that for onion and tomato by buying the packages of the little tiny ones instead of one whole one, since that way I can measure out only what I need that night.
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11:13 am
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Best homemade ramen broth I've ever had
--2 1/2 cups of water
--handful of rice noodles
--about 1 1/2 tbsp beef base. doesn't have to be exact.
--1 clove of garlic, peeled but whole
--just a hint of ground ginger, maybe a quarter teaspoon at most
--about two tbsp leftover fresh cilantro
--maybe two tbsp leftover onion (I'd have preferred to use fresh green onion, chopped, but I was using what I had)
--about a teaspoon of soy sauce
--salt and pepper to taste
--half a lime
combine all ingredients except the lime and the rice noodles, boil about ten minutes
add rice noodles, cook until limp
pour the whole thing into a bowl
juice the lime into the bowl
eat
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08:53 am
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news on Carrie
I'm having trouble posting on Facebook, as is, so I'll post here and hope my facebook RSS-feed actually picks it up like it's supposed to. It's been somewhat hit and miss along with my connection.
Anyway, she got moved out of CCU and is now in her own private room. I was over at Mom and Jim's when the news came down, and I got the email from Rebecca this morning. She's on the mend, on the move, and now the family will be taking a more direct role in her PT and OT.
So yeah. Absolutely phenomenal. "Doot doooooo dee doo-doo!" Oh fer cryin' out loud--get them outta here! Friggin' muppets. Nothing is sacred these days. It's abominable. "Doot doo-dee doot!" GAHHH! Stop it!
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08:46 am
[Link] | http://www.theonion.com/content/news/legion_of_terra_cotta_mouseketeers?utm_source=c-section
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