Carrot,Garlic and Grape.

Today I've combined carrots, garlic and

grapes. This is a nice trio. 

Juice can go straight to the bloodstream which also helps the body conserve energy since there's not a need for digestion. Vegetable juice is very tasty and good for us. I plan to increase my fresh juice intake. Until we meet again. Happy eating and happy drinking

A simple but filling breakfast

On a random Thursday morning, I woke up felling the need to eat a better than usual breakfast. I went to the grocery store and bought the little package of smoked salmon they sell,some eggs, and bread. I heated the salmon just enough to knock the chill off of it. I fried the eggs over easy topped it with a little siracha and made toast with Nutella and my normal green tea. Everything was simple to make but the addition of the smoked salmon really took breakfast to another level. Eat, drink, and be happy!!!

A decent meal for Zena and I

Here lately I been rather broke and eating a lot of beans and rice. This particular day I wanted to do a little more than just plan old beans a rice. So I decided to go to Jays International Market and pick up some things to enhance my plan Jane beans and rice. I picked up some coconut milk to cook in with my beans and rice. I also got some thyme for the peas and rice. Aside from that I decided to buy a couple of Red Snappers that I ended up whole frying stuffed with garlic and thyme. To go along with everything, I fried some plantains and made a salad as well. The meal was a success and I'm looking forward to doing something similar very soon. Until next time cheers!

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It pays to know people

After attending a graduation dinner, my brother wanted to have a drink before calling it a night. We decided to go to the Gamlin Whiskey House. I had been wanting to go there for quite sometime. One of my old bosses is the Executive Chef there. Upon us entering, I immediately recognized several faces. I ask if Ivy was by chance there?  Turns out that he was. He came out and we talked for about ten minutes or so and as I expected he had to go check on Sub Zero which he also runs. Before he left he ask if I would like to try some of the food. Even though I had already eaten, my answer was "Sure I'll try a little something.  For starters, he gave us some kale chips that were seasoned with what I think was paprika and some olive and a touch of salt. Along with that was a bread and butter board with three different types of bread and butter. 

Before we could dive into either of these items, more things were coming out.  He gave us a scallop ceviche, shrimp and grits, crab cakes on a bed of spinach and  a smoked salmon dish. 

Needless to say, we were overwhelmed with the amount of food that sat in front of us. The ceviche and crab cakes were the first to go. The crab cakes were very most and well seasoned and the spinach was a good accompaniment to the dish. The scallop ceviche was light and refreshing. I would definitely order then again. We both also had a double shot of some whiskey that was made in this state. At this point we were full as if we had just had a holiday dinner. I had the server pack up the rest of the food and I ate off of or for the entire next day.  It really does pay to know people on this industry. 

Big L's Graduation Dinner

Thursday May 15th, my sister had her hooding ceremony for SLUH Law. Afterwards, we had dinner at Batolino's Osteria at 44 and Hampton. It's on the first level of the Drury Inn. Nice dinning room and good service.  I got started with Minestrone soup. Very nice flavor a little spicy(In a good way). I would have liked to have had more beans and some pasta but I know that every chef's recipe is different. 

There were bread baskets on the table as well. For my entrée I had a seafood linguine pasta. You can get it with a cream or red sauce. I chose the cream sauce. I could see some type of white fish, clams, mussels, crab and what I think was bay scallops. The portion was generous and like the soup this is excellently flavored. 

Very nice dinning experience and I'll be back!! If you're every in the area Bartolino's is an excellent destination to consider. Until next time Work hard! Eat good! Drink good! Live life!

Vegetable Pâté

During my phase of Garde Manger we did a week on forced meats which includes pâtés. Pâtés are usually ground meat and fat that are put into a mold and cooked. Once they are chilled, you can slice them and they can be  spreadable. I was reading a story in Sauce magazine about mushroom pâté. I didn't think you could make exclusive vegetable pâtés but I was wrong. As long as there is the presence of a binder the vegetable pâté is possible. I've found a recipe for a tri-color vegetable pâté. The light colored layer is cannellini beans. The red layer is roasted red pepper and the green layer is a pesto sauce. The picture of a vegetable pâté comes from Alexianpate.com instead of roasted red peppers this one uses carrots. 

This is amazing and I'll be trying the vegetable pâté before the months out. As long as you keep an open mind you can learn something everyday. Cheers!

Shrimp and Green Mango Curry

While browsing through my Asia the Beautiful Cookbook, I came across this recipe that comes from India.  The recipe calls for a pound and a half of shrimp. Two large unripe mangoes, two thirds of a cup of coconut grated. One tablespoon of coriander seeds, six red chilies, two cups of water, 2 medium onions, 2 and a half tablespoons of coconut or vegetable oil, 2 curry or bay leaves, three fourth teaspoon of turmeric, cilantro and a half cup of thick coconut milk. The picture comes from the Asia the Beautiful Cookbook.

There's spice here but I'm sure the coconut and green mango balance the dish. I'll for surely review this one after having a chance to actually prepare it. Until then, keep eating and cooking good food!!

 

Fresh or Frozen?

Recently I found myself in the middle of a debate comparing fresh and frozen vegetables.  My personal preference is always fresh over frozen however, I understand the need for using frozen if you feel as if you really don't have another choice.  I would go on to say it depends on what you're using the vegetables for as well.  For certain things like for example a spinach cheese dip frozen spinach is acceptable because the spinach is cooked into the cheese and other ingredients.  For other vegetables like carrots, I feel that frozen is unacceptable because the texture becomes totally spongy.  The process of freezing also leaves the vegetables lifeless.  If  I'm ever left with a choice I choice fresh seasonal vegetables over frozen.  Until next time cheers!

You've got to pay!!!

In order to live a healthy life style, you've got to be ready to spend more money than you would if you ate like the average person.  Everything from the grass-fed meats and dairy to the organic produce is considerably higher than the other similar products.  Supplemental vitamins and minerals add to this expense as well.  I believe it's by design that the healthy things cost more.  By doing this, only those that can afford the products will be in optimal health.  As I continue this journey called, I want to figure out how to make healthy products available for all people no matter how much money they have.  I believe it's our right as human beings to be able to eat life giving foods and supplements.

My neighborhood Chinese food spot

Most people have a neighborhood Chinese food spot that they exclusively go to. Mine is Harold's at Union and Cabbanne. I've been going there for about four years or so. When I go,  I usually get a half order of shrimp fried rice and a shrimp St. Paul sandwich. My daughter likes the vegetable fried rice and we share an order of crab Rangoon. We used to get an order of crab claws but he's not able to get the crab anymore.  I took the picture after I had started eating so it's not the prettiest plate but it still looks good. 

If your craving hood Chinese food and your close by Union and Cabbanne, stop by Harold's you won't be dissatisfied. 

A day at the office.

Most people's office probably has a desk, phone and maybe even an awesome view of the downtown sky line. However, my office is a lot different from that. My office is on what is called the kettle row at Washington Universities campus. Kettle row consists of seven steam kettles and two tilt skillets. 

This is what a steam kettle looks like. The ones on this kettle row range from 20 to 50 or so gallons full. On an average I make about a hundred of gallons of soup on a busy day. This being the last week of school, production has really come to an end. 

This Chorizo Corn Chowder looks like really nothing in this big kettle. I was making ten gallons of this soup. I failed to take a picture of the big monster machine that we use to pump the soup into gallons bags. It's something that I had never seen before working this job. Once I pump the soup, I have to cool them in a ice bath in order to prevent spoilage. The following day, the soups will be sent out to various locations around campus. This is my office.  

Sunday Brunch

On Sundays, my daughter and I usually have brunch. A couple of Sundays ago we decided to have stuffed French toast and omelets. Omelets are pretty straight  forward so here I plan to detail the stuffed  French toast recipe. For starters, your ingredients are cream cheese, French bread, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and some type of fruit. I chose to use blackberries and strawberries.

 

The eggs, nutmeg and cinnamon are for dipping the French toast in before placing it in a lightly greased pan. The French toast is prepped by first mixing your filling which would be the cream cheese plus your fruit. Once your filling is mixed, cut your French bread and begin to stuff your filling inside. I use gloves for this process. 

Once the French toast is stuffed, I place it in the freezer for ten minutes or so to let the filling set up. After the waiting period has passed, you can slice your French toast to prepare it to be cooked. 

Upon cutting it, if it still seems a little soft, pop it back in the freezer until your ready to cook it. If that time is more than fifteen minutes or so, pull it out at least five minutes before your ready to cook it so that it is not to hard. In your lightly oiled medium heated pan, place your egg washed French toast in to cook letting each side brown. 

After it has browned, pull it out and plate it immediately to be eaten or you can put it in a slightly warmed oven to hold until your ready to eat. If the ovens to hot or it stays in there to long, the filling will melt out. My daughter insisted on having whip cream on her's so I made some without a mixer. 

When serving, I top the French toast with what ever fruit I stuff it with give the eater another dose of yummy goodness. 

The complete brunch featured French toast, an omelet with Chinese broccoli, ginger tea and orange pineapple juice. 

Another successful meal on the table. Bon Appetite!!

Hibachi Grill and Buffet

This past Thursday I went to the Hibachi Grill and Buffet on Westflorisant Ave. This was a big deal for me because I haven't been to a buffet in over ten years. My last time going to one I got extremely sick afterwards. So immediately upon entering, I check the overall condition of the buffet. It was very clean and well stocked except for the sushi which I believe they probably don't restock after a certain time. So to start off, I had a salad, chilled mussels and some stuffed mushrooms. 

The salad and mussels were very good. The mushrooms were stuffed with something that I couldn't quite figure out what it was so I didn't eat them. Next I got a piece of salmon with a semi-sweet glaze and a penne pasta with shrimp and a white sauce. 

I didn't like the salmon it was kind of bland and dry. The pasta was flavorful with nice texture of the shrimp and penne.   My next time around I got a baked white fish (because another guest claimed "This is the best fish in here"), garlic bread and some head on coconut shrimp. 

Well turns out I didn't feel the same way as that guest. The fish tasted like it has been sitting in water and the shrimp were more trouble than they were worth. The bread was flavorful and crisp but not dry. It was quite tasty. At this point I started getting a little full but still returned a couple of more times to get my money's worth. I realized they had a miso soup which is one of my favorites. 

This particular miso soup was rather salty. Miso is already salty by itself you really don't have to add more salt to it. By this point I was really done but my buddy that I was with kept going on so much about these little cakes that they offered, I had to try some. 

They were really good. They were moist and not to sweet but sweet enough. For my first time eating at a buffet in several years, I thought the experience was pretty good. The server made sure my water stayed full and that dirty dishes were cleared fast. On a scale of 1-10, I would give them a 7. I would go back again only earlier like right as they open for dinner so I can try the sushi. I also noticed after I was full that they had a hibachi station where you could pick out ingredients and they would cook them up for you. I'll have to try that next time as well. If your ever in that part of town and need something to eat, give the Hibacihi Grill a try. There were several things I didn't try because I don't eat beef, pork or chicken so for someone that does, those items may appeal to you. As always I stress eat, drink, and be happy!!!

Pie from leftover dough.

At the end of my baking phase, there was a lot of pie dough left. Since no one was taking any I loaded up all of the dough and froze it for future use. To keep honing my skills, I started baking pies on the weekend with my daughter. Since the doughs are a little older they tend to be a little dry but still good. My first reproduction was the mile high apple pie. A side from the crack in the top, this pie was very good. 

I knew that it wouldn't be perfect when I was having trouble rolling the dough out an it didn't want to stay together. The next pie I made was the pecan pie. This one didn't present as much problems since I only needed a bottom crust. Again other than being a little dry this pie was just about as good as my grandma used to make. 

This dough didn't want to hold together but I made it work. I believe I have maybe two more to use before I lose them. Until next time be happy eat, drink, and be happy!  

Legumes and grains.

When ever people hear that I don't eat chicken, beef or pork the next question I get is "Where do you get your protein from?" My answer is usually nuts, beans and seafood. For a good ten to fifteen years my primary source of protein was beans. I always pair my beans with brown or basmati rice. Within most of the Caribbean cuisines beans and rice are a part of all meals except breakfast as far as I've seen. There are several varieties of beans and rice which would keep the average person from getting bored with the same offerings day after day. Early on in my bean and rice eating I would try different combination of the two each week until I was tired of eating beans. For a healthy, simple fulfilling meal, give beans and rice a try. Pair them with your favorite greens and some corn bread and you can't go wrong. 

Coffee or Tea ?

For all of my adult life, I've been a serious tea drinker. It started out being an exclusive breakfast event with a tea that's called Morning Thunder. It soon became an anytime of the day event upon me discovering all the different herb teas that taste good warm or cold. Tea such as mint is a perfect example of a tea that's good hot or cold. I mix this tea with apple juice in the summer to make a refreshing thirst quencher. 

     About ten years ago, I was running late for a real estate event and didn't get a chance to eat a thing. They were serving coffee and donuts at the event. By me not having anything in my system, I gave the coffee a try. That was the start of my coffee drinking. When I can afford it, I like Jamaican and Ethiopian coffee which are two of the best in the world. I tend to drink more coffee in the colder months and tea all year long. I've got love for coffee but tea will always be the best in my book. 

A Blast From The Recent Past

Towards the end of my last phase, I did an ice sculpture for the first time in life. I chose to do a tuna for my project. When all was said and done, my fish resembled more of a shark but turned out better than I expected. To start the whole process you have to draw up a template unless you are a artist and can imagine what you want to see on the ice. Once you have your template you need to trace it on to the ice. Then you start by making some of your bigger cuts with the chain saw. Next you move to hand chisels and other hand held rotary tools to detail the carving. The day of the carving was still a little cold out and the fact that we were working with ice made it colder of course. Just like with any other job, the tool makes the job. Check out the pics of my first ice sculpture. Let me know if anyone needs one. 

The finish product!!! In the future I'll work at cutting out more of the fish and defining it more.  

Fish and my eating preferences

Being from St. Louis, my first experiences with fish would be jack salmon, cat fish, buffalo and it was for the most part fried. I'm not frowning on any of those varieties of fish however like the saying says, "there are plenty fish in the sea".  The variety of eatable fish is enormous. It's a little costly for seafood by us being in the middle of the country but you can get a quality product at Bob's.  Now as far as I'm concern, I prefer eating the fish whole.  The one exception would be a big fish like the salmon we had for fish fabrication. Other than that,  I believe just like with anything else, when you leave the bone in you get more flavor. It's easier to gage freshness of the whole fish.  

Full size salmon. We ended up doing salmon five ways. Poached, grilled, salmon bacon, baked and ceviche. 

All of these preparation were quit tasty, I would recommend them to people maybe trying to break into eating something other than the local river fish. Tilapia is good as well maybe even better because some people feel that salmon is to fishy for them. It's all about what you like. All I ask is that you be open to give all fish a try before you count it out. Happy Eating Until Next Time!!!

My absolute favorite Miso soup!

Your meals don't have to be extra complex to taste good. Miso soup is one of the simplest soups to make and one of the best tasting around. It's excellent for a first course or an extra light main course. 

Wakeme seaweed, tofu, vegetable stock, miso, sesame oil, soy sauce, green onions and garlic. 

Only half the block of tofu is used for this recipe. The other half can be stored in a zip loc bag for a couple of days. 

Reconstitute  three tablespoons of seaweed. This is what it looks like after a couple of minutes submerged in water. Before adding it to the soup  I rinse the seaweed for a couple of minutes to rid it of the fishy smell if there's any.

     Start off by sautéing the garlic and green onion in a little vegetable oil for five minutes then add all other ingredients making sure not to let the miso boil because you kill a lot of the good properties if you let it boil. 

We ate the entire pot of soup in one setting. I plan to double this recipe from this point on. It's good to have some leftovers by me having school at night any advantage is welcomed. Until next time eat, drink and be merry!!

Clams with radish and Chinese broccoli

This past Thursday, I cooked up the last of my seafood that I bought from Bob's Seafood.  I had a pound or so of big beautiful farm raised clams. Before cooking them I like to run water over them to remove any sand or dirt that might still be on them.  I did these the same as I did the mussels. A white wine butter sauce. My vegetable choices were what I had in the refrigerator.  

I grated the radishes and added about three or so tablespoons if rice vinegar and a tablespoon or so of honey. Clear wrap the bowl and refrigerate. 

I used half this bunch of Chinese broccoli   sautéed it in a little vegetable stock with green onions, garlic, and soy sauce. 

I start the clams off by sautéing  butter, green onion, and garlic for about a thirty seconds then I added a little vegetable stock and wine. Clams take a little longer to cook than mussels so I added the stock. All but one opened up. I think that's pretty good.  

I enjoyed the tart and sweet flavor of the radish. The Chinese broccoli has a flavor of our broccoli with the tenderness of a spinach. The clams were exceptionally tasty in the white wine garlic butter sauce and there natural juices. I usually would have a starch of some sort with the meal but this is what I came up with when looking at what I needed to use or lose. Happy Eating until next time!!!