Cans are okay

Tonights dinner is pretty much assemblage cooking.  The only thing I did was boil water, grill chicken, open a can and run my timer.  For all of that, however, I have a colorful and tasty plate that was economical, easy to prepare, and low heat.  I like low heat in a summer kitchen.

Yesterday I put some chicken breasts in a zip top bag with Stubb's Marinade for chicken.  I have tried the pork and beef versions but they are not as good as the chicken kind.  The chicken marinade is heavy on the vinegar giving the meat a tang and zip that offset a grilled crust nicely.  I have found that marinading overnight leads to a juicier and more flavorful breast than just basting or dry rub alone.

Tonight I pulled out three breasts and as they were coming up to room temperature I prepared the Quinoa.  I discovered Quinoa a few years ago while looking for an alternative to rice, brown rice, and potatoes.  Since I have been cooking with it it has become far more available and because of that it has become a more regular grain on my table.  One of the reasons that Quinoa is a regular during the summer is because of the "low heat" preparation.  I put one part Quinoa and two parts water in a pan, bring to a boil, boil for five minutes, remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for 15 more minutes.  After the 15 minutes are up I dress the grain with olive oil and an acid of some sort, today it was red wine vinegar.

I put the chicken on the pre-heated grill and cooked to my preferred crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside doneness.  (This usually takes a good 10-15 minutes with multiple flipping and moving the breasts into, and out of, the hot spots on my grill)

While the chicken was cooking I put together the last part of the meal, and the title of the post.  I opened a can of sliced beets from Stop and Shop.  I have made my own beets, I have opened cans of beets.  I cannot reliably tell the difference except when I open a can of beets I don't look like I have been skinning large animals.  I will continue to use canned beets, the convenience and lack of pink cuticles make it worth the lack of effort; plus my summer kitchen is kept that much cooler.  Over the beets-from-a-can-that-kept-my-summer-kitchen-cool-and-taste-as-good-as-the-ones-that-make-my-hands-look-like-a-skinner I crumbled some feta cheese.  After mixing and grinding on a bit of black pepper my meal was complete.

In all, my stove was on about 8 minutes, one burner only; the cool summer kitchen was preserved for the most part.  My grill was on for about 30 minutes total between the warm up and the cooking.

And there you have it: Dinner is served!

Traffic and Cupcakes

A few months ago I was caught in traffic on my way to work.  There was a truck that had gotten stuck under an underpass on the Hutchinson River Parkway.  I spent the better part of two hours getting to work and when I got there I was relaxed, chipper, and in a great mood.

This may seem counter intuitive, as up until that point in my life traffic was a blood pressure raising, rage inducing, affront to my right to drive a car.  But remembering a line from Dan Telfer's comedy routine about the best dinosaur (well worth the time to find on YouTube) I started to think about cupcakes.

Now in my mind cupcakes are over rated and over done.  The Mrs. Petunia has brought me cupcakes from "The City"and Brooklyn and some were good and some were just too big, to overdone and in my mind too gimmicky.  So as I sat in traffic, drinking my coffee my mind turned to one of my favorite cakes: the Boston Cream Pie.

From fresh Boston Cream Pie made for a casual dinner with a co-worker and his wife

My brother had made one when The Mrs. Petunia and I visited him out in Pittsburgh.  I was inspired and went on to make my own, a lot, at any occasion.  I thought that I might be able to turn this favorite into a cupcake.  

The idea turned over and over in my head through traffic and through the next few weeks.  Eventually I was called away from my duties of teaching to score State Tests.  I became friendly (and honestly a bit competitive) with my table mates.  We all agreed to bring something to eat on the last day and I volunteered them to be my Boston Cream Pie Cup Cake taste testers.  

I used my standard BCP recipe.  For the record it is NOT my recipe but one I found online.

I filled the cups of my cupcake pan half way with the cake batter and baked at 350 (rotating positions in the oven twice) for about 20 minutes.  

While the cupcakes were cooking I filled a piping bag with my custard (made before and cooled) and put on a star tip.  (Technically I put the tip on, then filled the bag.  It is easier that way) and filled the cakes with custard.  The trick is to push the tip about half way into the cupcake and squeeze until the cupcake "plumps"

Cupcakes piped full of custard

My mistake was in the frosting.  I did not add enough cream to make the Jaques Torres dark chocolate (The Mrs. Petunia knows how to shop for chocolate) glossy like the topping of the inspiration cake above.  The flavor profile was excellent but I need to work on my gloss.  The cupcakes were well received by table mates and co-workers alike.  

The final product.  Notice the lack of sheen on the frosting.

So there you have it gentle readers, from traffic to table; the BCPCC (BCPCC? sounds like a Boston area community college).

 Desert is served.

For my fans

I used to "live blog" my food on Facebook.  I was always pleased with the responses people had with the pictures of my food.  Now that I am rarely on Facebook it seems that my friends miss my food pictures.

Awwww

Because I have no interest in Pinterest, Twitter, the picture thing through Facebook who's name is eluding me, or any other time sink, I decided to start updating this blog (again).


I have some food I want to share with my friends and because not all of you live close enough to come over for a taste this is the way I will do it, through the Interwebs!

As soon as I figure out how to get pics up seamlessly I think you can expect Baked Falafel, Baltimore Pit Beef, German Potato Salad, Hummus, and my version of Tiger Sauce.

I have a gathering at the house tomorrow and decided to do Pit Beef (gathering of guys, we are trying to be manly Urgh!) which has come up as an option a few times for Baltimore's dish on the SuperBowl Supper.  

For now a picture of the Cherry Pie I baked for my birthday.  (Pie Dough from fresh, cherries from a can, but not cherry filling)

BBQ Chicken and Rice

Not wanting to go to the market on my way home from work (I got mired in the science stock room) I worked with what I had.  I had a breast and a half left over from my jambalaya experiment as well as some chorizo sausage.  I spied a bottle of BBQ sauce that The Mrs. and I had bought in Tennessee
the last time we were down there to visit her folks and an idea formed. 

I julianned up the chorizo, cubed the chicken (about 1 inch chunks) and diced some garlic and tossed it all in a bowl with oil, rice wine vinnegar, salt, pepper, some pizza seasoning and the aforementioned BBQ sauce.  It smelled wonderful, and only smelled better as the time wore on. 

I put some rice in, and when it came out for its rest I tossed an onion (rough dice) into some warmed oil and let it soften.  (I used a pan that The Mrs. brought to the marriage that I particularly like.  It is a large flat bottomed wok type pan in a nice heavy stainless steel) When the onions were nice and almost translucent I tossed the entire bowl, chicken, marinade and all, into the pan.

I tossed and stirred until the chicken was cooked through but not over done and served it over rice.  My plate tasted delicious for a grand total of 20 minutes of work, we can only hope that The Mrs. feels the same way. 

Pictures to follow.

Practice Practice Practice

The culinary countdown has begun.

I realized that I have to cook jambalya for a crowd this weekend, so the poor Mrs. will be my test subject.  I stopped by the grocery today and picked up chorizo, chicken, shrimp, rice and tomato soup base.

When I got home I dusted off my mothers "Harvest Gold" enameled cast iron casserole and set it over low heat with some olive oil.

Harvest Gold, a timeless color

I diced up one onion and two cloves of garlic, tossed them into the warm oil and let them soften.

After 7 minutes or so I cubed up some of the chorizo and introduced the spicy sausage into the "flavor pool" (Thanks Guy).  The sausage gave the onions a lovely dark color, as well as really heady aroma in the kitchen.  After a few more minutes I put some chicken breast (cubed into about one inch cubes) and let it brown on all sides. 

I seasoned with a hint of cumin, some freshly ground pepper, kosher salt and cajun seasoning.

A can of condensed tomato soup went on top of the assorted meats as well as two cans of water to make a thin tomato broth.  I seasoned the broth with two shakes of hot sauce, a dollop of A1 for beef base flavor and a shake or two of worchester sauce because it goes well with tomato.

The base ready for the oven (pre rice)

I cranked the heat up to high, induced a boil and tossed the entire pan in a 350 degree oven for half an hour.  I will toss in about a cup of rice and put back into the oven for another 20 minutes.  When it comes out I will stir in the shrimp and let the residual heat cook them as the rice sets up.  We can only hope it a good starting point for a delish dish to honor the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Shrimp ready to be stirred in

Pictures at dinner time Gentle Readers; fingers crossed.

 

Dinner is Served

Pizza

I made pizza tonight.  Ever since The Mrs. bought me a pizza stone I have been experimenting with breads, pizza and fococcia to name a few things.  I used to let my Bread Man 3 million make the dough for me, but decided a few days ago to try my hand at making the dough on my own.  I put the dough hook into my beloved Kitchen Aid mixer, bodged together a dough recipie and let fly.  The results were delicious.  I remember My Man Alton had said something about letting the dough rest in the 'fridge over night.  I put a chunk of my dough in the fridge and baked it off the next day.  It was twice as good as the day before.  I had made a white pizza because I was out of tomato sauce, but it was good enough to share with a co-worker or two, both of whom confirmed my (clearly unbiased) opinion that I had "done good". 

Last night I put together a batch of my dough, let it sit over night and cooked it today.  The difference is marked.  The overnight crust has a great balance of chewy, light and crisp.  Part of the overall effect is the oven and the stone, but I am convinced that the dough has to be right to take full advantage of all the parts that make up a good pizza. 

I also subscribe (now) to the "less is more" theory of pizza making/eating.  Two toppings at the most is my new motto.  Of course I am making smaller pizza's so I can make two or three, each with it's own topping and be happy. 

Pizza Dough
3 cups AP flour (or 2 cups AP one cup Whole Wheat)
3-6 Tablespoons of olive oil
One Packet of Yeast bloomed in one cup of warm water
Two Tablespoons Sugar
One teaspoon salt. 

I put the dry (Flour, sugar and salt) in the bowl of my stand mixer and sift with dough hook. 

Then you add the oil, starting with 3 Tbs. Turn the mixer on to medium and wait until the oil incorporates with the flour.  (you may need to push the flour down the sides of the bowl) add oil untill you get a good slightly lumpy but dry flour. 

I add the bloomed yeast and warm water in two stages.

I turn the mixer on to low (be sure to lock the head down once the dough comes together) and add up to another half cup of warm water untill the dough forms and is kneaded by the dough hook.

I let the mixer run for about 7-10 more minutes then take the dough out of the bowl and form it into a "jellyfish" and put it in a bowl (glass or aluminum are what I use) that has been sprayed with olive oil.  I cover the dough with wax paper and cover the bowl with a wet tea towel and put in my fridge overnight.  I punch the dough down in the morning, re-cover and use when I get home. 

If you have a mixer, or some time on your hands and want a good workout, I suggest you try making your own dough.  I never would have a year ago, but now that I have I don't see going back any time soon.  It is dead easy, cheap as chips, and gosh-darn tasty. 

So there you have it Gentle Reader, Pizza is served. 

From the Sea

I found some Atlantic salmon at my local Pathmark.  It looked good, and (while farm raised and fed feed for color) had a nice body and fat striation.  We haven't had fish in a while so I threw cation to the wind and picked up 3 portions.  I figure I can feed the two of us, and me for dinner tomorrow out of these three slabs.  If The Mrs. is particularly hungry she can have two portions.

I have seasoned the fish with salt and pepper, then sprayed with olive oil (using my new kitchen gadget the olive oil atomizer) and have placed them skin side down my black oven sheet.  (over foil for ease of cleaning)  I will introduce them into a VERY hot oven (490 because of the foccacia I am baking as well) on the top rack and hope for them to be done in 10 minutes or so.

I will put the fish in the oven as soon as the rice comes out.

The rice is 1.5 cups of water brought to a boil
1 cup of rice poured into the boiling water
Stir with a fork or chopsticks and put the lid back on the (oven proof) pan
When it all comes back to a boil, put the entire thing into your oven for 20 minutes.
After 20 mintues take the pan out and let it rest for 10 minutes
After the 10 minutes, take the lid off the rice, fluff with a fork (or chopsticks)
The rice should be soft and fluffy.
NB: there is very little chance of burning the rice during this as there are no "hot spots" on the pan and the heat is even all around.
Also: so long as the oven temp. is above 350 and below melting point of the pan, the water will do it's thermal insulation trick and keep the rice at optimal cooking temperature.  I have used this technique for years and have (with the exception of a few *magnificent* faliures) had good results.

I will pull the fish when it flakes nicely under the fork (about 10 minute as I said above) and let it rest while I assemble the rice on a plate.

It is a simple dinner, but tasty and vaguely nutritious.

Dinner is served!

We won't mention the brownies for desert.

Menu

Well, the menu for the SuperBowl party is almost set.  Indiana will be represented by "Fried Pork Loin Sandwiches" or a center loin pork-chop, butterflied out, breaded and then deep fried (I may go with a pan fry in cast iron, depending on the availability of my boys Fry-Daddy.  I think one of his overly health conscious ex's may have slipped it in the garbage.) 

My thought is to do this with a pork loin, and make "Sliders" or small sandwich's for passing on a plate.  This will make shopping, frying, portion control and serving much easier.  Still, fried pork is NEVER a bad thing.

I am waiting on the overtime between Minnesota and New Orleans to come in.  Minnesota is (to me) calling for a wild rice pilaf with dried cranberries, but The Mrs. is holding out for some form of Scandinavian food like Gravlox, herring (in any way I can remember from the honey moon) or perhaps a Swedish Smorgasbord.

Aaaaand after seeing the game wining field goal by The Saints, it would seem that the other half of dinner will be a jambalaya. 

This is going to be a AWESOME dinner.  Both The Mrs. and I have been knocked out of my school's pool, but we are both excited for a good company, good dinner, good game and the best team winning.

Pictures will be posted of the feast in two weeks gentle readers, but there will be dinners between then and now.

I close with the final thought, finish if you can.

"Breakfasts come and go René......."

The roast is still giving

Nothing too exciting today gentle readers.  I have taken the potatoes that were under the roast (lots of amazing flavor I assure you) and sliced them thinly.  (about 1/8 of an inch)  I put a potato (sliced) and a slice of roast on my samosa dough (see earlier post) rolled out. 

They are in the oven at 375 as I type. 

Pictures when they come out. 

Bon Apetit

The Roast that keeps on Giving

A few weeks ago I made a roast of beef.  The Mrs. and I ate well off the beef for about 3 days, including steak and eggs, cold roast sandwiches, re-warmed roast, and of course the original roast.  By my calculations we fed two people 4 meals on one piece of meat.  (it was under two kilo's)

Today I braved the busy halls of my local Pathmark and found a Rib Eye roast on sale for $3.29 a pound (for club members).  Knowing the length to which I can streatch such a piece of meat (even thinking Roast Beef Hash on Saturday) I was excited to find a 3.6 pound (apx 1.5 kilos) eye roast for $12.  (rounding like Edward Norten here)

The Roast, potatoes, seasoned and ready to go

When I got it home I let it sit out for an hour or so.  I beleive in bringing meat up to room temperature before roasting, but Williams Sonama suggested chilling an eye roast before roasting to enhance flavor.  I am not sure on the science of this, but I split the difference, and let the hunk of beast come up for an hour, but still maintain some chill in the middle.  I am out of oninos, so I used qartered potatoes as a roasting rack.  I wiped the roast down with olive oil, sprinkeled on some Kosher salt (to draw out the protiens dont you know?) and then seasoned with my trusty pizza seasoning.  When I knew The Mrs. plans I turned the oven on to 475.  When the oven hit temp I introduced the roast to the hotbox (middle rack) and turned the heat down to 350.

I know my man Alton advocates a "low then high" method of roasting, I have found with my personal sized roasts the "high then low" method works for me.

After a 40 minutes there was VERY little thermal action

My new Pot Holder, thing is awesome (and from our regestry)

so I put the roast back into the oven (top rack this time) for another 40 minutes.  The center reads 110 now (after checking) and I know that I want to pull the roast at 120.  (Degrees F)  With a caryover of around 10 degrees my roast should wind up around 125-130, or a wonderful medium-rare, in the middle.  The ends shoudl be wonderful and crusty, full of flavor, the center full of juice and redness.

Roast out of the oven after 80 minutes (One hour twenty minutes)

I will, of course, let this rest for 10-15 minutes for the carryover to take effect, as well as letting the juices re-distribute; that is go back into the roast as the meat cools and relaxes.  There is some science behind all this, but that is a later post.

The Roast Rests under an aluminum tent

Pictures will follow.  For now, gentle reader (and eater) imagine the smell in the kitchen. 

Dinner is served.  

Have a good Wednesday, and look for some leftover recipes soon.

MLK was the Man

Martin Luther King Jr. was the MAN.

That being said, I am going to just cook a meal that will feed sweetie and me for a day or two.

I have been marinading a pork loin in Italian dressing for the majority of the day.  I will put it in a 400 degree oven next to some potatoes, (tossed in the same dressing) and carrots.

As it comes out of the oven I will rest it on a resting rig (small plate inverted over a large plate over paper towels) let it sit for 10 minutes and then carve.

Resting Rig.

I hope to have extra potatoes and carrots (Samosas tomorrow I am thinking).  I bought some salad in a bag and will serve it next to the pork and tubers.

My thought is feed sweetie as she would like to be fed (less bread than I have been making lately) and work with what I have.

Pics to follow when I make the meal

Dinner is served.  Tubers, Rice, Foccacia and the pork. 

Long Lines and Frozen Shrimp

I went to my local Pathmark today.  I had just changed the left taillight of my car at the insistence of a very nice and respectful officer in the NYPD.  It would seem I had a taillight out and that caused said nice young officer to pull me over, run my name and bid me a good day; my thought is he was looking for somebody else and was slightly disappointed that I was not he.

There were no red baskets available at Pathmark; and the lines were too long to contemplate so I bid my supermart good day and went off home (by way of the "Super Lube" for an oil change and a free car wash).  This tactical retreat away from the clogged checkout lanes of my local grocery left me at the tender mercies of the food I have stockpiled against such a day.  There was nothing in the 'fridge, but some frozen shrimp in the freezer, tomato sauce and pasta in the cupboard and onion in the root cellar. (the empty space between the microwave and the coffee maker) 

I made a very nice shrimp Giopinno (Italian seafood in spicy tomato broth) served over the corkscrew pasta (caviatelli) and an olive feta foccacia. 

Recipes is as follows:
Giopinno

Two small onions, one diced one frenched
Four cloves of garlic
10 medium pitted olives rough chopped
Spices (salt, pepper, chili powder)
6 glugs of olive oil
one pat of butter (about one Tablespoon) 
two medium (one large) can of tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine
Rice Wine Vinegar to taste

3/4-1 pound of shrimp (shelled and de-veined)

I use my large straight sided sauce pan (oddly enough, it is fantastic for cooking sauces) and put the onions into a cold pan with three glugs of olive oil, a pat of butter and turn the heat to medium.  I stir this until the onions have a "see through" quality (between 7-10 minutes) and are ready for spicing.  Sprinkle on salt, freshly ground black pepper, chili powder and anything else you want.  I like my supermarkets "Pizza Blend" for some depth of flavor.  I toss in the diced garlic at this point and cook everything for another 7-10 minutes over medium heat; stirring as needed to layer flavor and keep anything from sticking.  Then put the two cans of sauce and the wine into the pot, turn heat to high and wait for bubbles; upon bubbles I turn the heat back to medium and leave the sauce alone, stirring occasionally, checking for seasoning and balancing the sweetness of the canned tomato with the rice wine vinegar.
Let it simmer untill you introduce the pasta to the boiling water. 

Pasta

Cook as per the package, using plenty of salted water, to "Al Dente" or slightly firmer than you would think you would like.  Don't worry, the carry over heat, and the heat from the sauce will cook the last few bits of the pasta.

As you put the pasta in the water, stir and cover put the shrimp into the sauce, it will be done by the time you are ready to serve. 

Foccaia

1 and 1/8th cup of warm water
two tablespoons of oil
one teaspoon of salt
3 and 1/3 cup of flour
two teaspoons of sugar
one packet of dry active yeast

toppings

Feta Cheese
Olives
Olive Oil
Spices

I put all the ingredients into my bread-maker (breadman 3million), set it to dough and let it do its job.  One hour and 20 minutes later I kneed the dough out on a floured surface, dimple with my fingers, introduce the toppings (feta cheese and olives today) drizzle with olive oil and let it sit for 10-20 minutes.  Put into a 400 degree oven (on a pizza stone) and let cook until bottom is crispy
 and top is done.  I would love to give you times, but your best bet is to stay in the kitchen and check the progress through the window in the oven.  Don't open the oven door more than twice because you loose alot of hot air that way, and hot air belongs IN the oven, not OUT of the oven.  When it is done, take it out, rest it for AT LEAST 10 minutes, cut it and serve with your sauce over pasta. 

It was a delicious meal born of an impatience with long lines.  I would say the lesson today is keep food in your larder and be prepared to be inventive. 

Onions and Oil, ready for the medium heat

Onions and Oil, after abotu 10 minutes I just put in the olives and garlic.  Note the Frenched onion wilted and *just* taking on color

Foccacia, proofed and ready for the oven; remember flour the Peel (Emma) for easy transfer

The bottom of the foccaia, note the brown and crispy; if you see this you are done

Dinner is served!

Day After Samosa

Last night I made a delightful roast pork loin, rice and tuber dish.  I made extra with the hopes of making Samosas tonight.  Lo and Behold, I have enough tubers and rice to make some most excellent Indian pocket food.

I first had a good samosa at the Blue Hill Farmers Market when my fiance (now The Mrs.), her mother and I were on wedding reconnaissance.  We had gone to the Farmers Market in search of yarn, but seeing no yarn we looked around at all the stalls and marveled at all the things on sale.  As we were about to leave (to go yarn shopping) The Mrs. reminded me that I should have something to eat.  The nearest thing that looked good was what looked like a pyramid of dough.  Triangular bottom, sides rising to a point, good brown sheen to the dough; in short an interesting and intriguing mid morning snack.  The purveyor of this morsel told me it was a Samosa and had no meat; upon further questioning I was informed that NONE of his food had any meat.  Since I had a spot in my stomach for food, and a joy of geometry in my heart I payed for the snack.  It was awesome, it had potato, cauliflower, other veggies and a wonderful mellow curry and cumin flavor.  Since then I have been trying to re-create (with meat this time) the experience.  I have come close, and my recipe is below. 

The dough, an un-leavened affair, is a modified recipe from an old internet search.  I would give full credit where it is due, but I cant for the life of me remember where I found the recipe.

It starts with two cups of flour(I use one of whole wheat and a sprinkle of corn meal),
1/2 a teaspoon of salt,
4 tablespoons of oil
enough water to bring it all together.

I sift the flour and salt together and add the oil.  I use my fingertips to whisk it all together until I get a sort of small pea crumb texture.  Then I pour in the water, bit by bit while working the dough; when the dough is wet enough to stay together and not split, but dry enough not to stick to everything you have enough water.  Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, roll into a nice disk and set aside for 45 minutes to an hour.  When you come back to it, cut it into 6 even pieces and roll them out on a floured surface until they make disks.  Fill them, and pinch them into triangles.  Bake at 375 until crispy and brown, about 30 minutes.

For the filling I use what I have lying around (tonight it will be carrot, potato, rice and maybe a smidge of pork with all manner of spices, cumin and fennel being two of my favorite for this application).  If I ever remember to bring my camera home, I will have pictures of these edible labors of love.

The Filling

The dough, ready to be rolled out

Rolled dough with filling in place

The first fold and pinch (Use water on the dough to get a nice bond)

Folded, sealed and ready to go

All six, ready to bake

Pork Loin and Rice. Roasted Tubers

It's all because I wanted to type "tubers" but it is a funny word to say; right up there with "legume", "kumquat" and "turnip". 

I am marinading about a pound of pork loin in World Harbors Acadia Marinade.  The loin will marinade for about 45 minutes to an hour as it comes up to room temperature.  Then I will put it on a bed of sliced onion in a glass roasting pan.  The onion keeps the pork up off the bottom of the pan, imparts some flavor and becomes a lovely part of the roasted tubers.  This pan of pork and onion (which might or might not be a "tuber" depending on how much I trust my cursory web search) will go into a 400 degree oven.  Along side of the pork and onion (might be a tuber) I will put chopped potatoes, and sliced carrots on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper.  This pan, too, shall go into the oven.  I chop the potato to an approximate size of a pink school eraser; the carrots get about half an inch bias (slant) cut

I pull the pork at an internal temperature of 140 degrees, and let it rest for 10 minutes.  To keep the loin, or anything I am resting, from getting overwhelmed by its own juices I always rest on a small plant turned upside down over paper towels on a larger plate)  By the end of the 10 minutes the internal temperature (at the largest part natch) should have risen another 5 degrees or so. The original roasting time usually takes around 40 minutes, but check after 20, depending on oven, size, position yadda yadda yadda. 

While the loin is resting, I slop the roasted onions and juices over the roasting tubers, give a stir and re-introduce into the roasting oven. This allows the pork fat that has rendered and the onions to be part of the roasted tubers.  (They usually become part of a day after Samosa, so stay tuned gentle reader)

Now to the rice.  I boil a cup and a half of water, introduce a cup of rice, stir like crazy for 10 seconds, re-lid and wait for the starchy water to start bumping the lid.  When the lid has been bumped I move the whole pan, lid and all, into the oven (still at 400 deg.F) for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes I remove the rice and let it sit for 10 minutes extra.  (If you plan well, the pork and rice come out around the same time and will have rested for the same 10 minutes.  In those 10 minutes the tubers finish roasting and everything is ready at the same time.  This is the timing that comes with experience and luck) I then fluff the rice with chopsticks (a fork is fine) and I have lovely white, fluffy, unburnt rice. 

For those of you who are list oriented:
1lb pork loin (buy the pre-packaged ones at 2 lbs, they usually have two back to back)
Marinade of choice in a large zip-top bag.
4 Medium sized potatoes, cut into shapes that resemble a pink erasor.
3 carrots cut into 1/4 inch rounds, if you want to look fancy cut on the bias
2 small/medium (one honking big) onion, sliced about 1/2 inch thick for the bottom of the roasting pan.
3 glugs of olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste (go nuts with other seasonings, Cajun, Garlic, Old Bay; The Mrs. likes her 'taters to taste like 'taters)
1 cup rice and 1&1/2 cup water.

This is my first recipe post so please gentle readers, be gentile. 

Repurpose

I am self hijacking this blog for a few reasons. Facebook has reared it ugly head, and I have found myself posting things that I am cooking. This has led to some (I wish I could say several, but I am in a truthful mode tonight) requests for pictures, recipes, motivation and explanation. This is to be the forum for meeting said requests.

The other kernal of fun for all of this is a challenge that was laid down last Friday Happy Hour. (Thankfully no pics) I am on the hook to cook a Super-Bowl dinner with the menu dictated by the teams playing. For instance, earlier tonight my beloved Patriots had a (admittedly slim) chance at the Super-Bowl and would have brought New England Clam Chowder to the table. Baltimore is still in it and I am looking for a good CrabCake recipe (that and some lake trout).

When I was informed that the Cowboys were the second winners last night my initial (and vocal) thought was Oooooo, BBQ is still in.

So, readers; I hope to have pictures, recipes, anecdotes and dinners up until the Super-Bowl at least.

I will be using the Mrs. (that is the wife) as one of my football experts. That being said, any and all mistakes to follow are mine and mine alone.

So saddle up food lovers, it is time for a culinary rodeo.

Steady Work

I havent posted in a while, but I have found a steady substitute job. Here is what I think....

I have landed in a permanent sub position at my old school. It is a
good enough job, in that I get work every day and I know where I can
park. I am also among friends of three years and that makes a large
difference. I run the "In-House" detention. It is where wayward
students are placed as punishment. In a perfect world they would sit,
feel shame and do work work work. In a perfect world there is a
frictionless slope as well. My job is pretty much to keep them in the
room, out of the hair of the students and faculty. I have found that
if my room has the door closed and the students don't make any forays
to the hallways (except for bathroom breaks periods 3 and 7) I am
pretty much left alone. The hardest part is keeping the kids quiet.
The culture here in the Bronx is not one given to quiet introspection.
Students have great difficulty sitting still and quiet for more than
40 minutes at best. That is when I have to stand in front of the door
and explain that I will not let them out. Some behave and sit at this
point, others choose to question my lineage, marital relations with my
mother, or request fellatio (seriously, a 13 year old girl told me to
"Suck My Dick" and that was 10 am. Nothing like that with your
morning coffee to realize that you aren't in the suburbs of Boston any
more) or just play with my name in increasingly inventive ways. Mr.
Bacon-Egg-an'-Cheese is a popular one. This, of course as a
professional educator, I am required to let roll off my back as rain
from a mallards brawny shoulders. Sometimes they say things that just
make me laugh, and sometimes they just sit and shut up, but those are
the rare days.

Another contributing factor to my day is the ratio of Special
Education students in the room. The population is difficult enough to
deal with when you are a trusted teacher in a familiar surrounding.
When you are seen as the Antagonist, in a non-familiar and threatening
room, all bets are off as to behavior. I have had ceiling tiles
broken, my laptop molested (she picked it up as if to throw) and more
horrifically my knitting torn off needles. Students have tried to
call the police department to report a kidnapping (because I was
giving them PB&J for lunch, not pizza) and all manner of other
disruptive behavior.

Did I mention that I consider this a good job? It is steady work with
little BS (no lesson plans, bulletin boards, observations following a
BS curriculum) and I get out by 3:30 every day.

Street Cleaning

One of the pains in the ass about owning a car in NYC is the fact that they (you know THEY) make you move it so that the streets can be swept. Now, I am all for clean streets. I have seen historical evidence of dirty streets and I am pretty sure that if the garbage is left un-checked there will be rats and roaches and pigeons...oh my! So, that leaves the question of where exactly to park. I used to live in The Bronx; you parked as close to your house/apt as you could, and that was that. Some people took up two parking spots with one car so you would not park in front of their house, some used a second (unregistered I think) car as a place holder so they never lost the "perfect spot" and some, like me, drove around in circles looking for a spot.

Well, as the French say "Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose." I STILL drive around in circles looking for a spot, but now I have to do it twice a week at the least to avoid the ticket. There are certain parts of the on street parking that need to be free of cars so the street sweeper truck (AWESOME) can, ummm sweep the street. So, no matter where you park there are signs that alert the literate as to when the street sweeper trucks will be coming by. As with all things municipal you get a time frame, 9:00-11:00 Tues-Fri, 11:30-1:00 Mon-Thurs. So, now the chess match begins.

I am balancing connviniance with proximity. How close can I park to my building? (Not right in front mind you, the neighbors and the radio cars getting radios installed seem to have eminent domain on those particular spots) When do I have to move my car? What days, what hours? And sometimes you forget where exactly you parked and wake up in the middle of the night worried that you made a mistake and parked on the East side of the street, not the West. Then having moved your car for the sweeper, where did you move it? I often find myself in a spot for the NEXT round of sweeping the same day. I then run down to my car about 45 minutes before the window of the FIRST sweeping closes, park my car in a clean spot and wait until I can safely leave my venerable Tahoe Blue (blue Nissan Pathfinder).

For Instance: The WEST side of the main parking are is swept Tuesday and Friday between 9:30 and 11:00. The South side of my street is swept Tuesday and Friday between 11:30 and 1:00pm. So, I could get to Tahoe Blue at 9:15 and move her over to my street, find a spot on the south side of the street (not ideal spots because if you are in them in another two hours you will be ticketed/towed). Then, around 10:15 return to Tahoe Blue and drive over to a spot on the freshly swept west side of the parking street. I will sit and read a book and listen to ESPN Radio (1050 NYC Max Kellerman show) until 11:00 when I will be able to leave the car until the next round of shifting.

If you think it is confusing to read, think how hard it is to write, let alone do on a twice-a-week basis.

songs of the sea

When I was young, very young, I had a music teacher who played the auto harp. She also insisted that the boys in music class sing the classic song "Cape Cod" in which Cape Cod denizens solved all problems with codfish; "Cape Cod girls have no combs/ they combed their hair with codfish bones" and the like. Little did I know, that this song coupled with the classic, "What shall we do with a drunken sailor" would be my introduction to the traditional working songs of the sea.

I have sailed or been around boats for my whole life. I started sailing my own boat (a small, one sailed, affair to be sure) around the age of 10 I think, although it could be earlier. I never was one for commercial pursuits on the water, but I had a sense of history; and that has led to sea chantey’s. I remember vividly my class trip to Mystic Seaport where I corrected the docent about the correct use of "decimate". He said that the whaling ships "...decimated the whale population." I pointed out (out of earshot of my classmates) that the term decimate meant kill every tenth one, and there was no way that this could be proven or even undertaken by a whaling ship. My definition was met with tolerant and hostile silence from both my teachers and the docent. I suppose being a precocious twelve year old has some pitfalls to it.

But later in my life I was to encounter "Sea Chantey Night" at the Griswold Inn, Essex Ct. I worked at the Inn, but did not work Mondays. Long story short when I no longer worked at the Inn, I used to attend Sea Chantey Night for the good songs, the comradery and the fact that my roommate at the time knew all the words; I began to learn the words quickly. I now know that there is an oral history of life a sail, and like scrimshaw it is a dying art. I celebrate the songs I can find, and seek out those that I remember but cannot sing. I sing what I can, when I can. I still sail, quite a bit as has been pointed out by my friends, and try to keep the tradition alive but the more I know the more I realize that I know so little as to be almost insulting to the art form.

LimeWire is no help. There are few quality recordings of the traditional songs of the sea, and those that exist are often "Moderned" up to sound better. The problem with the moderning has sometimes erased the cadence or purpose of the original song. On the other hand, sometimes the song is pure and equally indescribable. I know of no resource to help me with all the lyrics, meanings and tunes.

The reason that I am going on at such great length is that I created a play list on my Itunes, being downloaded to my Ipod as I type, of all my songs of the sea, or songs that I felt belonged in that category. I would like to expand my collection, but am unsure how. Any and all help is appreciated.

Back in Black

So, it has been almost a month since my last post, but I am okay with
that. And from the lack of responses, and the lack of readership it
would seem you all are okay with it as well.

Back in School,
dealing with my last two courses for my Masters of Education, and let
me tell you I shudder to see the cannon fodder that is being thrown
into the New York City Bord of Education. Axe is not a verb folks,

I am also on Unemployment. Truly have I achieved my PWT destiny;
welcome me with open arms those of you who leach upon the system, I
come in peace, and unshaven. Basically, it pays more for me to not work
for a bit than it would for me to get off mytuchus and actually
contribute to society. I am reeling from the implications, I suppose if
I could get pregnant I could up my earning potential, but since that
wont happen I guess the kind taxpayers are safe for the moment.

That all being typed, I do plan on re-mounting my campaign
of decency and grammar in the hallowed halls of Education here in New
York City; just as soon as I have my dual masters and my pay bump.

Off to do some homework (who am I kidding I am going to grab a bite to eat and watch some TV) and then later for a ride.

Nonexistant readers, thank you for your indulgence of time.

A special room in Hell

Now I know that the title quote was referring to the resting place for un-baptized babies, not being baptized they would be precluded from heaven, but being basically sinless they did not really deserve hell so they would be afforded "a special room in hell".

Personally I have another special room, it is for bike thieves; and it should be uncomfy, perhaps with the thieves chained up to a rack while others try to break the locks around them.

My bike was stolen on Wednesday night. I was in my men’s knit night with my bike cabled to a tree outside. I have used the tree and that spot several times, but last Wednesday it was gone when I came out. I went through the stages quickly, especially the one where you wander around making sure that it was THIS tree to which it was chained. Then I went to the 20th precinct and made a report. They were nothing but professional and courteous to the point of calling me the next day to make sure I got my case number. Those guys were cool.

So, I was out a bike, in shock and upset. After some drinks and long thought I decided that perhaps I should replace my beloved Klein with something less flashy, and maybe even more suited for city life. I found a Cannonade Bad Boy NYC at my local bike shop, and after new pedals lights and a HUGE freakin’ lock (the Kryptonite NY Fugeddaboutit) I was back in business. I posted my loss on Craigs List, and asked my bike shop to be on the lookout for my old bike. Chances are it will come into a shop at some point and I hope to be able to talk to the thief, perhaps inform him of my displeasure with his actions. (Or her, I am not ruling out a band of bikini clad bike ninjas stealing bikes and riding away for pillow fights or something; just unlikely it seems what with the cost of quality fighting pillows)

So, re-biked in a more city friendly way I am about to go to Cape Cod for the weekend. I won’t be bringing my bike but I will be bringing my knitting.

Have a happy and safe Labor Day,

See you all in September.