This was my thanksgiving dinner,
Appetizers- deviled eggs, chips and fresh green tomatillo salsa, Gorgonzola stuffed mushrooms
Dinner-
- green bean/carrot salad with crispy shallots
- spinach and apple salad with Gorgonzola with boysenberry vinaigrette
- oven roasted butternut squash and sage
- Cranberry relish
- turkey
- gravy
- cheerio apple bacon stuffing
- traditional Mema stuffing
- bacon brussle sprouts
- Mashed potatoes
- sweet Hawaiian dinner rolls
Dessert
-Apple pie
- Pumpkin pie
Beer-
- Pyramid Snow Cap
- Lagunitas Hop Stupid
- Bridgeport Ebeneezer Ale
What was yours?
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Pro tip.
Pro tip: Do you want the "I just took hours to cook this" smell but be super lazy? Put an onion in the oven then go buy one of those rotisserie chickens.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Kitchen Tip
Kitchen Tip: Get your cookware at IKEA. Seriously. Buy the midgrade stuff like the IKEA 365 line. It's solid and cheap enough to be rough with. A nice 9 inch frying an will run you about $15. And in my opinion that pan is way better than the twice as expensive kind you get at other places.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Food tip:
Next time you buy paprika get the Sweet Hungarian Paprika variety. Way tastier. More aromatic.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Cooking fact:: Broth vs. Stock
Cooking fact: What's the difference between "stock" and "broth"? Well, the difference is that stock is made with bones. That means there's collagen in the liquid which will give a more satin texture. And turns kinda gelatinous when it gets cold. Oh and one more thing, broth usually has little floaties and chunkies swirling around in the liquid. Stock on the other hand is just a nice thin liquid.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Pro tip of the day
Mr. Finicky's Pro tip of the day:
Right about now you can buy basil plants for 2 or 3 bucks. Not only is that cheaper than the 4 or 5 dollar bags from the produce department, you get way more basil than in the bags, and it can grow more!
Right about now you can buy basil plants for 2 or 3 bucks. Not only is that cheaper than the 4 or 5 dollar bags from the produce department, you get way more basil than in the bags, and it can grow more!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Mr. Finicky on Facebook
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Food Tip of the Day
Food Tip of the Day:
Nothing goes better with fresh tomatoes than fresh herbs. But most of the time you're not going to use the whole bunch of parsley at one time. So to keep those leafy herbs like cilantro, Italian parsley, rosemary, etc fresh just wash the bunch, cut a little of the stems off and put it in a glass 1/3 filled with water. Not only do they stay fresh for about 2 weeks they also are a pretty centerpiece!
Nothing goes better with fresh tomatoes than fresh herbs. But most of the time you're not going to use the whole bunch of parsley at one time. So to keep those leafy herbs like cilantro, Italian parsley, rosemary, etc fresh just wash the bunch, cut a little of the stems off and put it in a glass 1/3 filled with water. Not only do they stay fresh for about 2 weeks they also are a pretty centerpiece!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
How to peel and seed a tomato
Peeling and seeding a tomato is really not too tough, but why would you wan to? Without the seeds sauces are more velvety, that is more uniform in consistency. Seed are tough, and don't taste all that great after they're cooked for a long time.
In my opinion the bigger the tomato the easier this process is.
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, enough to completely cover your tomatoes.
While you wait for the water to boil de-stem and wash your toms (this should go without saying but for instructional purposes I'll include).
2. With tongs or a slotted spoon drop about 7-10 medium sized tomatoes into the boiling water. And wait a little bit. Typically for me this takes about a minute for a medium sized tomato.
3. When you see the skin wrinkle or split open take the tomato out and put it in an ice bath (a cold water bath will do it if you make sure to replace the water when it gets warm). This is to make them cool enough to handle and to stop the cooking process.
4. When the toms are cool enough to handle just peel off the loose skin!
5. To cut the tom take the tomato, stem up, and with a knife cut the tom in half just to the right of the stem. Flip the tom half with the stem on its side and cut the top off so it's flat. Put the tom on its flat top(stem on the cutting board) and surgery that stem out. I make two cuts at an angle to form a little stem pyramid then I just yank it out.
6. Take the tom halves and use your fingers to scoop out the seeds. Now you are never going to get every single seed so don't obsess about it. And don't forget to wash your hands before you cook.
Yeah! Now you have tomatoes ready for canning or to make any number of tomato and tomato sauce dishes.
In my opinion the bigger the tomato the easier this process is.
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, enough to completely cover your tomatoes.
While you wait for the water to boil de-stem and wash your toms (this should go without saying but for instructional purposes I'll include).
2. With tongs or a slotted spoon drop about 7-10 medium sized tomatoes into the boiling water. And wait a little bit. Typically for me this takes about a minute for a medium sized tomato.
3. When you see the skin wrinkle or split open take the tomato out and put it in an ice bath (a cold water bath will do it if you make sure to replace the water when it gets warm). This is to make them cool enough to handle and to stop the cooking process.
4. When the toms are cool enough to handle just peel off the loose skin!
5. To cut the tom take the tomato, stem up, and with a knife cut the tom in half just to the right of the stem. Flip the tom half with the stem on its side and cut the top off so it's flat. Put the tom on its flat top(stem on the cutting board) and surgery that stem out. I make two cuts at an angle to form a little stem pyramid then I just yank it out.
6. Take the tom halves and use your fingers to scoop out the seeds. Now you are never going to get every single seed so don't obsess about it. And don't forget to wash your hands before you cook.
Yeah! Now you have tomatoes ready for canning or to make any number of tomato and tomato sauce dishes.
Lasagna
Lasagna with oyster mushroom and yellow pear tomato bruschetta.
SUPER NOM. Nearly perfect. Sauce is made with fresh basil and tomatoes from the garden. So is the bruschetta which has fresh mozz.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Mr. Finicky's cooking philosophy
I don’t use recipes. Well, I don’t use recipes line for line, measurement for measurement. Instead I like to peruse several recipes of the same dish and get a feel for it. Then I like to look at pictures and get a feel for how the dish looks. The I make up my own version. Why do I do this? Because I’m cooking from the gut.
Yes, I know it’s cliche, I don’t care. To be a great cook requires feeling. A hunch. A short leap into the future to bring those tastes to the present. It requires intuition. No two kitchens are alike as so no two recipes should be alike. And it requires mistakes. To be a great cook you need to be willing to make and learn from your mistakes. None of these thing are achievable with being a slave to a recipe. Neither is cooking prowess achievable with ego and undue bravado.
I am no great cook. At least not yet, for I intend to keep on practicing. And that practicing is what you’re seeing in this blog. I’m learning. I understand more about flavors and textures now than ever before. I am learning restraint and consistency. But most of all I’m tasting. Tasting all sorts of combinations of good food. Tasting the ingredients to the meal. Tasting the sauces and cheeses and everything that goes into a dish. By doing this I’m giving my brain memories of different cooking situations. I’m giving my body muscle/sense memory.
So with that said I want you to understand that my recipes that I’m going to post are formated more like a general discussion. They don’t contain exact measurements or cooking time. They have ball park temperatures instead of hard and fast degree settings. The recipes are jumping off points for your own culinary explorations. And I would love for you to comment and add your kno
wledge to the pot.
Cooking is a great source of peace for me and I am utterly grateful to be able to eat as well as I do. So maybe we can share those feelings. Let’s cook....
Yes, I know it’s cliche, I don’t care. To be a great cook requires feeling. A hunch. A short leap into the future to bring those tastes to the present. It requires intuition. No two kitchens are alike as so no two recipes should be alike. And it requires mistakes. To be a great cook you need to be willing to make and learn from your mistakes. None of these thing are achievable with being a slave to a recipe. Neither is cooking prowess achievable with ego and undue bravado.
I am no great cook. At least not yet, for I intend to keep on practicing. And that practicing is what you’re seeing in this blog. I’m learning. I understand more about flavors and textures now than ever before. I am learning restraint and consistency. But most of all I’m tasting. Tasting all sorts of combinations of good food. Tasting the ingredients to the meal. Tasting the sauces and cheeses and everything that goes into a dish. By doing this I’m giving my brain memories of different cooking situations. I’m giving my body muscle/sense memory.
So with that said I want you to understand that my recipes that I’m going to post are formated more like a general discussion. They don’t contain exact measurements or cooking time. They have ball park temperatures instead of hard and fast degree settings. The recipes are jumping off points for your own culinary explorations. And I would love for you to comment and add your kno
wledge to the pot.
Cooking is a great source of peace for me and I am utterly grateful to be able to eat as well as I do. So maybe we can share those feelings. Let’s cook....
Friday, August 26, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Food Review: Pine State Biscuits
Pine State Biscuits
Hours & Locations:
3640 SE Belmont Street (503) 236-3346 Open 7 days a week, 7am - 2pm
2204 NE Alberta (503) 477-6605 Open 7 days a week, 7am - 2pm
Fri/Sat late night 6pm - 1am!!
http://pinestatebiscuits.com/
Price: $-$$
Rating: 4 out of 5 (A low, low 4)
Pine State Biscuits is definitely a much hyped Portland food spot. Especially with it’s Food Network recognition. Was it worth the hype? That depends.
The food was delicious. Their signature biscuit sandwich is “the reggie” and all wedgie jokes aside this is a hefty beast. Lovely in construction, but better in my stomach. Fried chicken, bacon, cheese, gravy on a biscuit. The gravy was porky and mildly pepperish. The chicken was tender. The thick sliced bacon, my favorite part, was perfectly cooked to withstand the gravy.
Basically all other sandwiches are a combination of the ingredients in “the reggie”, along with other kinds of cheese, some steak, fried green tomato, and other condiments. Sides included hash browns, extra biscuits, meat sides, etc.
I tried the hash browns. They were alright. I loves me some hash browns most of the time. These were almost great. Nice crispy thin top with moist but firm potato insides. Then they went and threw a dusting of sweet paprika on top. I thought it was just kinda hipster decoration/flavoring. Not because paprika is bad but because the dish didn’t need it. I know what the chef was going for but I’m finicky like that. Solid buttery browns would have been enough to put me into shovel mode. But instead “oh look my hash browns are sweet, oh what is that. Yeah paprika, meh. Oh I’m so different look at me”.
But the worst part is there’s no place to sit. And it’s first come first seated, after ordering at the counter. I like being served. If I wanted to stand up and eat I’d get a slice pizza. The place had barely any table seating and a wall of maybe 5 bar stools. Super, super crowded thus diminishing from the experience. Food just doesn’t taste as good when people are constantly bumping into you and asking to move so they can get to the one empty seat.
In total it’s a quaint place to go for food tourist but I don’t see it so phenomenal that I would endure the crowdy-ness again. Unless someone is visiting and had it on their list.
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