Today's Word

Today's word from the Food Lover's Companion is important if you ever plan to visit 4 or 5 star restaurants. It's actually 2, but here it is: "Prix Fixe". 

Pronounced PREE FEEKS it is a french term meaning "fixed price", referring to a complete meal served by a restaurant or hotel for a preset price. Sometimes a menu offers several choices for each course for this set price. 

Many upscales restaurants use this type of menu to ensure they get top dollar for their meals, however this can limit the guests willing to pay the usually higher prices. Usually restaurants that use the Prix Fixe menu change their menu daily, and offer 3 to 5 courses for this fixed price. For more info on the history of Prix Fixe see wikipedia.org on the topic. 

Today's Word

I hope this will be a regular feature on my blog as a way to educated myself and others about the culinary world. I found my copy of the Food Lover's Companion from my days at New England Culinary Institute, and decided that every day I would flip the book open and look for a random word I wasn't familiar with, and look it up. Hope you enjoy it:

Today's word is: Marmite: A tall, covered, straight-sided cooking pot from France, used for long-cooking stews and dishes such as Cassoulet and Pot-Au-Feu. It's usually made of EARTHENWARE. Petites marmites are identically shaped miniature  covered pots used as soup bowls. Here is what a Petite marmite looks like:

Dressings: Southern Ranch

Southern Ranch Dressing:

Super tasty, Super good, and oh so un-healthy!

This recipe makes a quart of dressing:

2 Cups of Mayo

1 Cup of Sour Cream

3/4 Cup of buttermilk

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

2 tablespoons of black pepper

1 tablespoon of Salt

1.5 tablespoons of fresh minced parsley 

Mix ingredients thoroughly and refrigerate when done. Makes a great dip for a Superbowl Party, or for salad dressing!

Sounds Good: Maple Snickerdoodles

This is a fabulous recipe I have from my days up in Vermont:

Maple Snickerdoodles, don't be cheap, get the real Vermont maple not some High Fructose garbage. You'll taste the difference. 

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup margarine, softened
3 cups white sugar
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons REAL maple syrup (NOT GARBAGE)
2 egg
1/2 cup maple sugar 

Preheat oven to 350 F

You're gonna need 2 large bowls for this recipe (makes a lot of cookies) and a small bowl (1 cup of white sugar and 1/2 cup Maple sugar)

1st Bowl:

Flour, baking powder/Soda and cinnamon 

2nd Bowl: Softened Margarine gets lightly whipped with 2 cups of Sugar until well mixed and fluffy. Mix eggs, and Maple until incorporated. 

Gradually incorporate 1st Bowl into 2nd. 


Now if you've ever made snickerdoodles you know what to do: Make little golf ball size balls and roll em in the sugar. 

UNGREASED COOKIE SHEET

Cook for about 10 minutes. They will be a bit gooey because of maple let em cool a good 10 minutes on racks before you snack on em! 

More Q & A from Mormon Apologetics

I cut and paste this question and Answer from www.mormonapologetics.org because it is an important question and most people don't have a clue about cooking pork:

I love this thread! Great idea Matthew. I have a question about cooking pork. When my wife and I make pork loin or pork roast, it is tender and delicious. But when we have pork loin chops they are pretty tough. Maybe we are using the wrong recipes. I don't know. But I'd love to figure out how to make a great pork loin chop.

Well I suck at defending mormonism, might as well help feed the people who can! Do you have a cast iron pan?? This is the secret to great pork. Also, again, DON'T OVER COOK! Pork is DONE at 150ish. Better at 145. Don't temp or stick pork with anything until it has been caramelized on both sides. Use tongs not a fork. Also avoid using butter to cook it with. Use an oil with a high smoke point like Sunflower oil (450F before it starts to burn). Burning is bad. Marinading also does a world of difference, it adds flavor and moisture. I posted earlier about pork loin. If you use a cast Iron pan you can also deglaze the pan after you're done cooking it with a white wine and make awesome gravy with the flavors.

I love a well marinated cooked pork loin! Some nice glaze or sauce on top TASTY!

Question and Answers from Mormon Apologetics.org

Occasionally I get emails from people on this board about Food, Cooking and recipes. Does anyone else have questions, curiosities, or even better a recipe you'd like to share???

Chef Matthew

From Lucas_S:

Sure, I've got one. I recently roasted a few chickens for dinner for myself and a few friends, and decided to use the leftover bones and skin to make stock. All the leftover chicken parts went into a stock pot, followed by about a gallon and a half of water, an onion, a few carrots, a few stalks of celery, some peppercorns, and some fresh basil. I brought this all to a boil, then let it simmer until I thought it tasted good, which ended up being about 6 hours. I strained everything out, and then reduced it a bit further, and put some of it away in the freezer for later use, but kept the bulk of it in the fridge to make soup the next day.

Now, I understand that a certain amount of stiffening happens when stock gets cold because of the gelatin released from whatever bones you're using, but this stuff basically turned to jello. Despite being gross looking, it made really good red beans and rice. Is there any way to keep the stock from stiffening up so much?

From Chef Matthew:

Once you reduce it further it started to become glace, which is even better than stock, the flavors are more concentrated. There is 0 problem freezing stock/glace. One of my favorite chefs said she bought a fridge/freezer unit that made ice cubes so she didn't need ice cube trays anymore. So she nows them for her glace (reduced stock). She then pops a block of iced glace out when she wants to make an "instant" sauce. A great time saver. 

I would suggest if you don't like it so stiff to use it more quickly, or don't freeze it. It will keep in the fridge for about a week. However, the more you reduce it, the more concentrated it becomes, thus more jello like. However in my opinion, the better it is. 

If you can get a hold of a local butcher, try to get cow/veal NECK bones. They may cost you a bit more, but they make fabulous veal/beef stock because of all the marrow/gelatin in the neck bones. 

From LDSTORONTO: 

Yes! I'm a fairly decent 'dad' cook, but something that has eluded me for as long as I've been cooking is roast chicken. Every time I make a roasted chicken, the bird comes out looking great, but the breast meat is too dry. I've tried covering it, uncovering it, even cooking it breast-side down. So my question - How do I make a juicy roast chicken?

Thanks!

H.

From Chef Matthew:

Ever have a dry turkey at thanksgiving? Most people cook their poultry to the ungodly temperature of 185 F. YUCK! While everyone says you're supposed to cook poultry to 165 most don't know you should pull it from the oven at 155. There is a thing called "carry over cooking". The protein keeps cooking even though it has been pulled from the heating source because it's still very hot. You need to pull the chicken earlier and let it "rest". Or allow the molecules to settle. I cooked a boneless turkey I got from the Church welfare system tonight for dinner and my wife was amazed at how much juice came out when I cut into it. The reason, I only cooked it till the internal temp was about 155 with the oven at 350 F. Then I let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes before I cut into it. It was freakin tasty with potatoes and gravy! I only regret I didn't take photos to show you. Maybe next time....

Sounds Good: Buttermilk Homemade Rolls

Buttermilk Quick Hot Rolls

 

2 C lukewarm buttermilk

8 TB melted shortening or butter

3/4 C sugar

1 tsp. salt

3 tsp. baking powder

2 eggs, well-beaten

2 yeast packages, softened in 1/3 C lukewarm water

1/2 tsp. baking soda

6+ C flour

 

Mix the above ingredients together. Knead lightly. Let dough rest for 10 minutes. Roll, shape dough in desired-shaped rolls. Let rise approx. 1 hour. Bake @ 350 degrees for approx. 15 minutes. Makes about 3-4 dozen rools depending on the size of the roll.

 

A wonderful homemade buttermilk rolls recipe made for years by my Mother

Enjoy it!

Lessons learned from Gordon Ramsey: Family

LESSONS FROM RAMSEY: LESSON 1 Family

Recently, Tim Roche, a manager who I work for,  loaned me an autobiography of the world famous Chef Gordon Ramsey. A man, personally, until now, I had little respect for as a Chef. I find his shows over the top, rude, drama queen, and I don't like his in your face attitude. Things can be accomplished in the same manner through better means than yelling and cursing. Every kitchen I've been in where I had a boss who yelled and cursed, I have 0 respect for. Chef Ramsey isn't any different. 

Having read only the first chapter of his book so far, I have realized there are some lessons to be learned from this asshole of a Chef. And appreciating the family I have is lesson 1. Ramsey begins his book talking about the long abusive relationship he had with his dad. A man hell bent on ruining everyone's life, including Gordon's, it is truly sad what this Chef had to put up with growing up in life. It makes me sad to think that there are humans in the world as evil as his dad was to Gordon's family. 

My family isn't/wasn't perfect growing up. We did move around, 5 different times before my dad, Paul Glenn, died. However, there wasn't anything compared in my life to the level of abuse and hate in Gordon's family in mine. I was raised in family that cared for my well being, who wanted me to succeed and wanted only for me to do my best. The same certainly not true with Gordon. 

I would never dare to ever compare myself to Nephi of old, but I do love this scripture and in part it says some things about the way I feel about my own family:

1 Nephi 1:1

1 I, NEPHI, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.

In summation, the first lesson to be learned from Ramsey: Family is important. Be good to your family, love them, help them, and try to be a good person. 

Recommendations if you plan to visit Olive Garden

Some of you may or may not know that currently I am employed at The Olive Garden, "When you're here you're family". Which is true for the most part, at least at my location. The management at my location truly does care if you have a great experience. Having said that I would like to give my DOs, and DON'Ts, as an opinion from an employee perspective. I have had the chance to make 99.99% of everything on the menu and taste most of it. Most of the DON'Ts are because I have a problem with how the dishes are presented or their taste combos. It's not because any of them are poor quality, it's just I think they could be better. 

So lets start of with the DON'Ts. 

1) The new chicken Carbonara is a don't for several reasons. The sauce is very thick and pasty. It includes bacon bits in the paste already and then has pancetta added with red peppers. For me the taste isn't worth it. It's about a C+ to me. 

2) Stuffed Chicken Marsala: a double lobe of chicken with a cheese stuffing in the middle. Drenched in a creamy mushroom marsala sauce this dish is a no no. Most of the employees I work with have trouble getting this cooked correctly and as a result the chicken gets served very over cooked, if not burned. The mashed potatoes that are served with it are usually prepared incorrectly as well or sometimes old. The sauce can cover up a lot these weakness, but I think there are many other items worth eating on the menu to spend money on this. I give it a C- even though my wife likes it when prepared correctly. 

3) Steak Toscano: Now why on earth would ever go to an Italian restaurant and order a steak? Longhorn, at least in my area, is across the street. Getting the temperature right on this steak is often very difficult for the employees I work with because most have had little to no proper training on steak temperature. Also it comes with fried potatoes and a demi-gloss sauce. Really not worth the money. I give it a C- and you an F if you order it. 

4) Pizza: Really? You're going to eat pizza at Olive Garden? Try Pizza Hut, Dominos, or Papa Johns. You don't go to an italian restaurant and eat pizza. UNLESS you are going to get it as an appetizer and share it with people.  B- In taste and quality, D+ If you order it. 

5) Capellini Pomodora: This, to me, is the most boring dish Olive Garden serves. Angel hair pasta, marinara sauce, and a tomato basil mix. Great for vegetarians who aren't very hungry. I give it C, for being boring. 

DOs:

1) Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo: Fettucini Alfredo with spinach and gorgonzola cheese. This comes with 4 pieces of steak cooked to order. This steak is worth the price. Very tasty. I give this dish an A-

2) Lasagna Classico: Very good if done correctly. Tons of meat sauce, cheese and lasagna noodles. Super tasty. I give this dish an A. 

3) Tour of Italy: Chicken Parmesan, small portion of Lasagna, and a small portion of fettucini alfredo. Super awesome A+ and if it happens to be on special for a lower price even better. 

4) Braised Beef Tortellini:  A very nice mix of filled pasta, sauce, and meat. Beef is good, marsala sauce is decent, and the cheese tortellini is nice. B+ is about right for this dish. 

5) Seafood Alfredo: Sauteed shrimp, scallops, and fettucini alfredo. Very creamy, simple but very tasty if you like seafood. I give it an A-. 

Now it is important for the reader to know that these are my opinions and my tastes. They in no way reflect the opinions of the restaurant. Also these dishes, DON'Ts and DOs can be both bad or good depending on your local employees. Unfortunately, a good portion of Olive Garden employees don't have professional culinary training. They are however trained well enough that if they pay attention and care enough, they should be able to produce these entree's close to picture perfect. 

Enjoy!

Sounds Good: Salmon Steaks w/Bercy Sauce, sauteed gnocchi and green beans

Today was our 6th wedding anniversary. Time flies when you're having fun! To make it special, and save money, we decided to have a 5 star meal, on a 1 star budget. 

I made the potato gnocchi again but I sauteed it this team to give it texture, color, and flavor. I also sauteed some blanched green beans with them. I used a fish stock from the grocery story to make a Veloute Sauce. Then, I took some Sauvignon Blanc wine with white onions, and more fish stock, and reduced the liquid to almost nothing, and then added it back to the Veloute Sauce. Combining them makes something called a Bercy sauce. Super tasty, on the strong side, but paired with a lightly seasoned Salmon Steak, it was awesome. 

Below are the pictures:

If you have questions or comments, PLEASE POST THEM!

Sounds Good: Potato Gnocchi

I came across this recipe in a book we've had for a long time, I can't even remember where I got it from, called "Potatoes" practical cooking. The recipe for this potato Gnocchi is on page 112 and also includes a cheese sauce which we tried as well and it wasn't to bad. I didn't like it enough to include it in this post on my blog.

If you would like more info on the Gnocchi, see here

Ingredients:

1# of Chef's or Russet Potatoes small diced
2 Cups all purpose flour
1 Egg, beaten
1 tbsp milk
Salt n Pepper to taste
Parsley to garnish

Cook diced potatoes in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Drain well and mash potatoes until smooth and lump free. Beat in flour, egg, and milk, season with salt and pepper and kneed together until it becomes a stiff dough.

On a floured counter top, roll out snakes about a half inch thick and cut with a sharp knife about every inch of the snake. Cook in a boiling pot of salty water for a few minutes, they rise to surface when fully cooked. Be sure to have an instrument like a strainer ready to scoop them out as they get nasty if you over cook them.

Now after they're all cooked you can serve them a variety of different ways, with cream sauces, tomato based sauces. I enjoy them sauteed slightly in butter until just golden brown and tossed with Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy, please post your comments below!

Sounds Good: Parm Crusted Tilapia

Parm Crust: Equal parts Panko Bread Crust and parmesan cheese. For 2 filets of Tilapia use:

1/8 Cup of Panko Bread
1/8 Cup of Parmesan

Mix thoroughly

Simple Béchamel Sauce: You need just barely enough to cover both filets.

1-1/2 teaspoons butter
3/4 teaspoon grated onion
3/4 teaspoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chicken broth
2 tablespoons half-and-half
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/8 pinch dried thyme
1/8 pinch ground cayenne pepper

This recipe should just yield a few ounces of sauce, about 3 ounces.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Place filets in a non stick oven pan. Cover filets in béchamel. Cover béchamel in Parm crust completely. Cook in oven until fish is an internal temp of at least 145 and parm crust begins to brown.

Recommended sides: Rice and some sauteed vegetables (julienned carrots with broccoli)

Photos coming soon: I will show you how to make this delicious dish from a well known restaurant chain.

Sounds Good: Meat is tasty tasty murder :)

Meat, it's delicious, it provides your body with energy and it makes you strong. Just don't consume obscene amounts of it.

Sounds Good #14 Steak Linguine Alfredo

Unfortunately at the moment I don't have time to post the recipe, I will later tonight. For now here are the photos:

This photos what you'll need to make the recipe. I tried to make it organic as possible.

Alfredo working in the back right. Linguine bottom left. Beef bottom right.

Saute'ing the steak. Butter, Pepper, Salt.

2 Different plate presentations, 1 with everything mixed and the other with steak on top.

Close up of the bowl I thought looked more appealing!

I will add the recipe here later.

Sounds Good #13 Mushroom Risotto

Photo and recipe from www.allrecipes.com

I found this recipes at www.allrecipes.com and just love it so I'm passing it along. 

6 Cups of Chicken broth, divided

3T Olive oil, divided

1# Portabello Mushrooms - thinly sliced

1# white mushrooms - thinly sliced

2 shallots, small diced

1.5 Cups Arborio rice

.5 Cup Chardonnay wine

Sea Salt to taste

Fresh Ground pepper to taste

3T finely chopped chives

4T butter

.33 Cup grated Parm

Cook thinly sliced mushrooms in about 2T of oil in a pan. About 3 minutes. Set aside. Use a cap full of olive oil and saute the chopped shallots and cook for about 1 minute. Add rice, stir to coat the rice kernels with the oil for about 2 minutes. This is called Nacre. When the rice has become a golden color add Chardonnay and stir until wine is fully absorbed. Add broth or stock .5 Cup at a time. Continue adding until rice is au dente (not hard but not mushy). Remove from the heat and mix in mushrooms, butter, chives and cheese. Season with salt n pepper. Enjoy!

Sounds Good #12 Italian Tuscan Soup (slightly spicy)

I unfortunately do not have photos of this recipe yet.......I will add and edit this post when I have time to buy the ingredients and post photos for you. This recipe makes about 1 gallon of soup which is a lot but it's a hearty meal and if you like soup, you'll like this. 

This is a modified recipe from a restaurant chain:

1# of Ground Sausage (Try to avoid sausages that have dextrose or sugar)

2 teaspoons of Crushed Red Peppers

2 oz of Ham preferably cubed or small chunks

1/2# Onions (White or Yellow). 

2 oz of Green Onions thinly sliced

1T of Minced Garlic

4T of Chicken base

2.5 Qt Hot Water

2.5# of Russet or Chef's potatoes sliced thinly or into small cubes

1 Pint Cups of Heavy Cream

1 teaspoon of Pepper

Start a large pot on the stove on a medium-high heat and cook sausage. Use the fat from the ground up (or broken up if you wish) sausage to saute the minced garlic, pepper, crushed red peppers, green and yellow onions, and ham. 

Cook until onions become translucent without scorching other ingredients. Lower heat if necessary. Mix hot water and chicken base and stir until dissolved. De-glaze the pan by pouring the "chicken stock" into the pot to loosen anything and unlock all the flavors. Add potatoes and bring to a simmer. 

Once temperature hits at least 185 F test consistency of potatoes, to make sure fork tender (fork can enter and exit softly and with out force). Mix in heavy cream gently whisk until thickens. Once soup hits at least 185 again, turn off heat, and serve. If you wish to serve later chill rapidly till at least 32 F. When reserving make sure temperature reach again at 185. 

What I love about this recipe is that it can be modified very easily. You can make it spicy, you can make it bland, you can use bacon or no meat at all. You can add greens like spinach or collard greens for a green leafy flavor, or you and other ingredients to make it your own. 

Enjoy :) 

5 Worst Foods for your body/10 Best

http://revistaepoca.globo.com/Revista/Epoca/0,,EMI8290-15254,00-A+BATATA+FRITA+E+UM+PESADELO+NUTRICIONAL.html

My wife found this article on the Brazilian News Network: Globo.com. It is a book written by an American by the name of Jonny Bowden. The article lists the 5 worst foods you can eat and lists the 10 best for your body. This caught my attention because unfortunately I eat 4 out of the 5 regularly!!! To make things worse I rarely eat any of the 10 Best foods for your body, according to this author. So, here are the Worst:

1. Chips/Snacks: Full of Sugar, Trans Fat, and very little nutritional value they don't really benefit the body in any real form other than pleasure.
   
2. Soda: Full of Sugar/High Fructose Corn Syrup and other chemicals. Even diet sodas are full of "sweeteners" and other chemicals that aren't found naturally.
   
3. French Fries: Deep fried in oil, that is repeatedly used, it raises the fat and trans fat levels in fries. Bad for the heart. Too bad they're so tasty.....
   
4. Cotton Candy: According to the author Jonny Bowden, Cotton Candy shouldn't exist. Made of pure sugar and other chemicals Cotton Candy is the only item on the list I don't eat.
   
5. White Bread: Pure Carbs, white bread has no real nutritional value.
   

1. Sardines: Rich in proteins, full of magnesium and other essential minerals. This kind of fish also helps out the digestive system. Bowden calls Sardines "Health Food" in a can.
   
2. Cabbage: Very high in anti-oxidants.

3. Beet leaves: Are almost always thrown away, however apparently are rich in vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants. Bowden also says that beets themselves are a vegetable very full of healthy vitamins and minerals. The leaves can be eaten raw just like spinach in a salad.
   

4. Acai: A Brazilian fruit is one of the fruits in the world with the highest concentrate of anti-oxidants. It is also rich in Mono/Poly saturated fats that reduce cholesterol.
   

5. Guava: Another fruit found in Brazil very rich in fiber, minerals and vitamins.
   

6. Fresh Cherries: Very high in vitamins and contains a natural anti-inflammatory. Eaten alone or with yogurt it benefits the body.
   

7. Bitter-Sweet Chocolate: Helps lower blood pressure and good for the circulatory system of the body. Contains high concentrates of magnesium.
   

8. Nuts: Cashews, Peanuts, Almonds, all can raise your calorie count but they all contain lots of minerals, proteins, and are high in Omega 3 & 9.

9. Cinnamon: Helps control sugar and cholesterol in the blood.

10. Pumpkin seeds: Full of Magnesium. They are so full of magnesium Bowden says that French studies conclude that men with high levels of magnesium have a 40% chance of suffering from premature death as compared to those with lower levels. Toast them and eat them whole. The shell is very rich in fiber.

Well, unfortunately, in my personal diet, I include very few of these items. I love chocolate, but unfortunately, not bitter-sweet. I've eaten pumpkin seeds, but I'm not a huge fan of them. I love Guava Juice but at the moment it is very expensive, about $3 a liter. I love cinnamon but usually on baked goods. I love cherry flavoring, and even the cocktail cherries but don't regularly eat them.

As far as the 5 worst things to eat, I consume 4 of them regularly and will have to do what I can to limit or eliminate them from my diet.

Sounds Good #11 Home Made Flat Bread Pizza

MMMM Flatbread pizza with Mozz & Goat Cheese, and Portabello Mushrooms

MMM Creamy n Cheesy 

A few slices of the flat bread and

 some sliced green olives for Lisiane

1 Envelope of active dry yeast

1 cup lukewarm water

2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons white sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup butter or margarine

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

mix water and yeast and let stand for 1o minutes. Mix remaining ingredients 

Bake at 350 F until just golden. Remove bread and butter. Spread cheese, and desired ingredients on top and bake until melted. Remove, Cut, ENJOY!

If you drink wine, this best goes with a red wine particularly Cab. Sauvignon especially if you add portabello mushrooms and goat cheese. 

Organic Food is important a short 2 minute clip

I found this clip on youtube about Organic Farming and foods. It's worth watching.

Substainable Farming, A cool story about a local farm

Sounds Good #10 Orange Chicken

Serves 4

Sauce

1.5 Cups of Water

2T Orange Juice

.25 Cup of Lemon Juice

.33 Cup of Rice Wine Vin

2.5T Soy Sauce

1t Grated Orange Zest

1 Cup Brown Sugar

.5t Fresh Grated Ginger 

.5t Minced Garlic

2T Scallions (Green Onions)

.25t Red Pepper Flakes

Slurry

1T Water

2t Corn Starch

Chicken

2 Boneless Chicken Breasts cut in .5 inch cubes

1 Cup AP flour

.25t Salt

.25t Pepper

3T Olive Oil

Pour 1.5 Cups of water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice wine vin, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring mixture to a boil and remove from heat. Cool 10 to 15 minutes. 

Place chicken pieces into a re-sealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours. In another re-sealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt and pepper. Add the marinated chicken pieces from the other bag (after 2 hours of refrigeration), seal the bag and shake to coat. 

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides. Drain on a plated lined with paper towels and cover with aluminum foil. Keep warm in oven about 200 degrees F.  Mix together 1T of water and 2t of cornstarch and stir into remaining heated sauce. Pour over cooked chicken and serve. 

Sauteed carrots, peanuts, broccoli, scallions, snow peas, or mushrooms can be added to make meal even better. Server over basmati or jasmine rice.

Sounds Good #9 French Crepes

This recipe is from Susan Spicer and her Cookbook: Crescent City Cooking page 61 to 63

3/4 Cup of milk

2 Tablespoons of butter, plus extra for frying

3 eggs

1 Cup Flour

1/8 teaspoon Salt

2 Tablespoons of herbs, such as any combo of Tarragon, thyme, chives, and parsley

Scald the milk and add the 2 tablespoons butter, then cool to lukewarm. 

Place the eggs, flour, salt, and cooled milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the herbs and pulse a time or two to mix. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator to relax and release air bubbles. If used the next day from fridge, thin slightly with a tablespoon or 2 of water. Melt a small amount of butter in a small nonstick skillet or crepe pan and when hot, pour in about 2 tablespoons of batter swirling to coat  the bottom of pan. Cook for about 30 seconds, then flip and cook for about 5 seconds. Remove from the pan and repeat. Should make about 12-16 crepes. Wrap extra crepes in plastic and refrigerate or freeze for another time. 

Sounds Good: Not forgotten......

To anybody who frequents this blog I have not forgotten the major point of having this blog and that is: Recipes. Having spent to much time battling the "evil ones" on an website that shall remain nameless, I have just been to lazy to post anything new. I have tried some different things and even bought a new book that has some awesome recipes in it. If I get around to it on my day off tomorrow, I'll post one. 

NECI Graduation Weekend fotos

Hello everyone,

 I have finally finished posting dozens of photos on my blog. I had to post them in backwards order so when you seem them on  the page they are in order of when they happened. Please be sure to see them all. You will have to go to the next page to see them all (older posts). 

I appreciate all comments and critiques. 

Matthew

NECI Graduation Saturday June 21 (Beginning of the day)

The big tent where it will all take place.

A grande tenda onde tudo vai acontecer.
The last of the group. Nearly 30 us started in March 2006. Only 7 of us actually made it to graduation. However, several opted to move on to the Bachelor's program. 

Os ultimos do grupo. Quase 30 de nos comeceu em Marco 2006. So 7 atualmente se formou. Porem, algums decidiram fazer o grau maior de 4 anos. 
After signing in and getting my jacket, I walked upstairs to get in line to walk to the tent. 

Depois cadastrando, recebendo minha jaqueta, eu subi para entrar na linha para andar para a tenda. 
Walking in alphabetical order to the tent (from the hotel), to begin the ceremony. 

Andando em ordem alphabetica para a tenda (do hotel), para comecar a formatura. 
Walking in the tent to get things started. It's bit low, I had to duck. 

Entrando na tenda para comecar o ceremonia. A tenda e' baiao, tive que baixar minha cabeca.