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!!