Kevin's Watch

Tonight, all I had was a salami sandwich, a bowl of cottage cheese and a few corn chips and salsa.

For tomorrow, I'm going to try to grill Beer Can Chicken for the first time, and will make risotto with mushrooms to go with it.

Beer Can Chicken

You HAVE to explain THAT one!

Stonemaybe wrote:

Beer Can Chicken

You HAVE to explain THAT one!

Of course!

Beer Can Chicken

1 (4-pound) whole chicken
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons of your favorite dry spice rub
1 can beer

Remove neck and giblets from chicken and discard. Rinse chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub chicken lightly with oil then rub inside and out with salt, pepper and dry rub. Set aside.
Open beer can and take several gulps (make them big gulps so that the can is half full). Place beer can on a solid surface. Grabbing a chicken leg in each hand, plunk the bird cavity over the beer can. Transfer the bird-on-a-can to your grill and place in the center of the grate, balancing the bird on its 2 legs and the can like a tripod.
Cook the chicken over medium-high, indirect heat (i.e. no coals or burners on directly under the bird), with the grill cover on, for approximately 1 1/4 hours or until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F in the breast area and 180 degrees F in the thigh, or until the thigh juice runs clear when stabbed with a sharp knife. Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

WOW!

Let us know how it goes!

Tonight it's salmon quiche! Grilled salmon, roasted red peppers, carmelized onion, crimini mushrooms, asparagus, colbyjack and swiss cheeses, in the following custard blend:

4 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
3 tblspn flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper


Put all other ingredients in bottom of pie crust and cover with custard blend then sprinkle paprika on top and bake at 375 for about 40-45 minutes. (Until center doesn't liquid jiggle)

I find that this base is awesome and I love to mix it up with various ingredients. Some of my fave mixes are Jack/cheddar cheese with linguica and mushroom, mozzarella with a touch of parmesan, asiago and romano with fresh spinach, fresh tomato, fresh basil and italian sausage, and gruyere with crab, asparagus and corn....I know, sounds weird but it's freaking delish!

One hint with this is that on precooked ingredients such as the onion or sausage I advise blackening or what you might think of as overcooking because it has a tendency to soften things when baked.

Jenn, remind me to pop in for dinner next time I'm in California!

Anytime Stonemaybe!

:::hanging head:::

I haven't cooked in days. Someone, motivate me!!

Ok, Menolly, here's my attempt.

Cameraman Jenn's Beef Stroganoff

2 pounds cubed potroast cut beef
3 large white onions
1 pound crimini mushrooms
16 ounces of sour cream
2 cups red wine
1 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup grated romano
1/2 cup grated aged asiago
1/4 cup grated formaggio (optional)
pinch of oregano
pinch of thyme
pinch of marjoram
pinch of rosemary
2 tablespoons basil (preferably fresh)
salt to taste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions:

Put a healthy wallop of olive oil in a large saucepan, when hot, add the beef and half the onions. Cook meat and onions stirring occasionally until the onions liquefy and the beef almost burns. Add the red wine and cook until the liquid is almost gone. Add enough water to cover the beef, add the spices and simmer for about twenty minutes. Add the rest of the onions and the mushrooms. Simmer until the liquid starts to thicken and has reduced to a quarter inch layer in the bottom of the pan. Add the sour cream and cheeses. Simmer for about five to ten more minutes then serve over wide egg noodles.

I generally serve this with a side salad of mixed greens, cucumber, tomato, feta cheese, toasted hazelnuts and mandarin oranges and garlic bread.

Oh yum...

Now to plan a grocery list of needed items.

Probabley nothing, i have no food ! And Tesco's is so far away.

What is Tesco's?

Think UK Wallmart but probably not as good.

(It is Wallmart isn't it that huge US chain of supermarkets?)

And Warmark - I refuse to believe that Tesco's is 'too far', haven't they got one in every square mile?

Edit: what's a cup? (in mls or grams)
what's romano?
what's asiago?

Stonemaybe wrote:Think UK Wallmart but probably not as good.

Ahhhh...OK.

Stonemaybe wrote:(It is Wallmart isn't it that huge US chain of supermarkets?)

It's Wal-Mart, but close enough.

Stonemaybe wrote:Edit: what's a cup? (in mls or grams)

For liquid like water or wine: 237ml
Paul says the cheese would be too variable to give a gram weight...

Stonemaybe wrote:what's romano?

pecorino romano
You can probaby use parmesano reggiano, if you must.

Stonemaybe wrote:what's asiago?

Asiago

The cheese blend from my stroganoff recipe is my general italian blend that I use in almost all my italian recipes that call for parmesan. I find it really enhances the food above and beyond plain parmesan. The asiago adds a smoky flavor, the romano a sharpness and the formaggio a tangyness. Together they are cheese fit for Dionysus. When I make lasagna, I cheat and use small curd cottage cheese instead of ricotta (when cooked you can't tell the difference), however, I add an egg or two and a hefty amount of the above mentioned cheese blend to the cottage cheese and after baking in the lasagna it's so good it will make you cry. I also top marinara sauces with it and sprinkle it over the tops of eggplant/chicken/veal parmesan. I get the cheeses from either Trader Joe's or Costco and then grate it all up in the proportions and then store it in a bag in the fridge.

Jenn, I do practically the same, although my grated cheeses (which I'm doing ahead less and less since I have my microplane now) I zip-lock and store in the freezer.

I try not to freeze cheese because I think, (I could just be crazy) that it makes the texture a bit grainy.

Stonemaybe wrote:Think UK Wallmart but probably not as good.

(It is Wallmart isn't it that huge US chain of supermarkets?)

And Warmark - I refuse to believe that Tesco's is 'too far', haven't they got one in every square mile?

Edit: what's a cup? (in mls or grams)
what's romano?
what's asiago?

Yes, its a large supermarket.

Heh there could well be one every square mile, but thats still too far. heh.

Warmark, you lazy bum! Go get yourself a healthy dinner right NOW!


Sorry, got all Momlike on you there for a minute.

Cameraman Jenn wrote:I try not to freeze cheese because I think, (I could just be crazy) that it makes the texture a bit grainy.

Oh, you're not crazy. But, for a home cooked meal, my palate's not quite that refined...

Cameraman Jenn wrote: Sorry, got all Momlike on you there for a minute.

Tee-hee!!

I could swear that line wasn't there a moment ago...