Monday Morn

Had a GREAT weekend down in NC visiting relatives that I hadn't seen in a long time. A great meal of spaghetti and especially the key lime pie!!

Sunday night was finally the night for hot turkey sandwiches - OMG soooooo delicious!

Don't know what I'll make for tonight yet.... but home to Michigan tomorrow.

Friday Morn

Going OUT to dinner tonight! Chinese!! I haven't had Chinese in a l o n g time - should be great!! (and I don't have to cook!)

Thanksgiving Eve

Had a wonderful turkey meal today...... and two small turkey sandwiches tonight! waHOO! STILL plenty of leftovers!

Thanksgiving Morn

Turkey and stuffing are in the oven - nothing fancy, just the traditional style. Made my pearl onions in cream sauce yesterday cause it's ALWAYS better when reheated. Giblets are simmering.

Only things left are the potatoes and some winter squash. It will be a wonderful meal!

Tuesday Afternoon

Making homemade pizzas tonight for a small gang. Got my pizza peel and pizza stone. Dough is ready, sauce is ready, already sliced the onions, mushrooms, red & green peppers, the homemade meatballs, the bacon and the slivered the pepperoni, . I'll let people tear their own pieces of ham and fresh basil for the top. They're gonna put their own toppings on and I'll just have to bake 'em!

They're gonna be AWESOME!

Monday Eve (2)

Just a photo of the sea bass plate

Monday Eve

Made a SPECTACULAR dinner tonight AND also found the grocery store of my dreams!

Those of you from Michigan should recognize the store named Meijers. It's a GREAT store (kind of a combination of a WalMart and a great grocery. And I always thought that it was the BEST grocery I'd ever seen. But I was in a grocery store today that was about the same size as Meijers but was ENTIRELY grocery! It's called Wegmans.

Found fresh Sea Bass, pan fried it gently and also made mashed taters w/a taste of Parmesan and sauteed asparagus with garlic and a sprinkle of lemon. ABSOLUTE HEAVEN!

Sunday Eve

Spent a wonderful saturday evening with great friends in Newport News, VA. Wonderful meal sat night of duck and a potato souffle! And today for lunch, OYSTERS!!! Had both fried oysters and grilled oysters with a corn/tomato salad.

Thursday Afternoon

I know, I know..... I haven't blogged in a couple of days...... no big reason other than I had nothing exciting to report. Had a hamburger last night - big deal.

BUT TONIGHT

On my last night here in Western Michigan (before a 10-day trip back East), I've made some au gratin potatoes (with Gruyere cheese) and am grilling a couple of chicken thighs.

HINT: if you wanna make it rain here, go light the grill!! sheesh!

Anyhow, the thighs are with my family recipe baste and they're gonna be GREAT!

Although I'll be out of town, I'm sure I'll still be cooking so, to all you diehards, follow along. Posts to come!

Tuesday Morn

Had chicken last night. Sauteed a couple of chicken tenders and was makin' myself a garlic sauce to go with 'em. Went to add just a bit of lemon juice (from a bottle) and added MUCH too much.

POOF!

LEMON CHICKEN!!

(But it was still quite tasty!)

Sunday 4:15pm

Just browned, drained and froze 5 lbs of ground beef and Italian sausage in preparation for some HUGE lasagnas that I'll make in a couple of weeks.

Sunday Morn

No new recipe today - just leftovers for dinner (stuffed pepper and a bit of chicken from yesterday) - they'll BOTH still be tasty!

My back is officially OUT due to quite a bit of time spent in my attic yesterday. It's a large attic but you can't really call it a 'walk - in', more like a 'crouch - in'..... had to clean up stuff on the floor and sort stuff since my 'ex' left it in such disarray. Good news is that I got a bunch done - back news is that I can barely move today.

So, COOK, EXPERIMENT and ENJOY! If you ever wanna share recipes, email me at tomwheeler@me.com and I can post 'em here..... or start your own blog.... I think there's a way I can possibly link to it from here.

Saturday Morn

The stuffed pepper last night was WONDERFUL! The 'gravy' was so full of flavor (and meat!) that I could only eat HALF of a pepper though - s'OK, I saved the other half - maybe tomorrow.

Today I've got another of those hankerings to have chicken. Just took a frozen breast from the freezer. Will pound it flat, flour, egg and crumb it and saute. Top it with some sharp mustard, a thin slice of ham and then provolone and under the broiler for a sec. I hope I have some roasted peppers in the fridge! They are EXCELLENT underneath all those layers of flavor!! Mashed potatoes as a starch but I wanna find some fresh veggie at the market.

Friday Afternoon - JAZZ

I found this thru FaceBook but I'd imagine that you could get there just thru the url..... it's a free stream of jazz music and all you have to do is become a 'fan' (perhaps you DO have to be thru FB, I'm not sure)..... but, if you like jazz (like I do!), check it out!

http://jazzmusicnetwork.net

Fri 1:30 EST

Pepper is defrosting.........sauce is made and cooling but I CAN'T KEEP MY TASTING SPOON OUTA IT!!!!! It is sooooooo scrumptious.

Which brings me to another point - TASTE and recipes

Recipes are merely guidelines to SOMEONE ELSE'S TASTE. Yes, for something you've never made before, they're a good guideline. But a recipe is NOT the same as 'baking directions' - baking depends on exact measurements to achieve a desired result. Recipes are guidelines but you must feel free to add, subtract, substitute, season to MAKE IT YOUR OWN!

Sorry - got interrupted by a salesman at the door but, on the walk back to the puter, I just HAD to taste the Sunday Gravy once again...... OMG!!!!!

OK..... remember that I'm a single guy, cooking only for myself. If I ever make something for 'company', I'll make what I want, to MY taste. I hope they like it, but, HEY, I don't own a restaurant and don't need to cook to other people's tastes. AND NEITHER DO YOU!

Cook.... adapt...... change....... experiment! AND NEVER GIVE UP!

Lecture over....... read chapter 5 before our next class..... LOL

Friday Morn

Gonna have one of my stuffed peppers for dinner! Now all I have to do is to make a sauce - think I'll make my version of 'Sunday Gravy'. I researched the origin/meaning of Sunday Gravy and the best (compilation) I could come up with was 'an American term for a tomato-based sauce including extra pieces of pork and/or beef along with the cooking juices thereof, often simmered for hours.

Most of the recipes I've seen introduce some pork ribs/spare ribs into the sauce as well as beef so I went a step further and added some left-over chunks of pot roast along with some gravy to a homemade marinara along with some additional spices.

I've gotta get that simmering if it's gonna be ready - there are SOME things that always taste better after cooling and reheating and I've found that THIS is one of 'em! So I've gotta get it heating so it can cool and I can then reheat for the stuffed pepper later!

Thursday Eve - the MOST succulent Pork Chop!

You may recall an earlier post here where I tried brining a pork tenderloin. Well the other day I saw a couple of thick pork chops at the market marked down to less than $4.00 total! I froze one and brined the other. Used a variation of the commercial 'Oven Fry' technique (dredge in egg, then bread crumbs (actually a combination of bread crumbs and Panko crumbs), then into a shallow pan in a 425 oven for about 20 minutes (turning halfway through).

The result was a juicy, not over-cooked, ultimately succulent, crispy pork chop. Served with (what we grew up with as) creamed potatoes (cooked, diced potatoes in a cream sauce [with some grated Gruyere that I fished outa the fridge]).

AWESOME!

Thursday Morn-I envy TV Chefs

I LOVE to cook (as if THAT'S not obvious!) and I really like the cooking shows on TV. But just ONCE I'd like to see an entire episode dealing with all of the off-camera people that HAVE TO CLEAN UP ALL THOSE PANS, BOWLS AND CUTTING BOARDS between 'takes'. It must be nice to be a chef in a restaurant setting - being a guy who can just COOK and never has to scrub pots or broiler pans - who never has to empty and then reload the dishwasher just to find the chinois - to be the guy that HAS more than one of each size of whisk (the one you need is ALWAYS dirty, ya know).

I mean, let's take "Boy Meets Grill" with Bobby Flay..... I really like that show! BUT..... does he, like, get a new grill for each episode??? The last time my grill racks looked like that it was still sitting in the showroom! Or pick ANY show (Ina's "Contessa", Guy's "Big Bite", Tyler's "Ultimate"... ANY of 'em) and take a look at their ovens. Granted, they are probably self-cleaning models but even THOSE need some elbow grease. "Put the chicken in at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes to crisp the skin..." CRISP THE SKIN???? That'd leave a layer of grease spatters that would take a whole CAN of EASY-OFF to remove in MY oven!

And can we talk about their 'Magic Sinks"? "Scoop the mixture out of the bowl and into the pan and we'll put the bowl in the sink" - next thing you see is that that bowl has DISAPPEARED!!! I WANT ONE O'THOSE SINKS!!!

I do my best to clean up after myself while I'm working in the kitchen - washing pots, loading the dishwasher etc. but it often piles up while I need to stay and keep stirring the polenta or sauteing the onions. I don't MIND cleaning up, I guess, I just wish it didn't take more time than cooking the meal in the FIRST place!

OK..... rant over.

Wednesday Afternoon

I was planning a thick, leftover pot roast panini sandwich for dinner when I realized that I needed a tomato. So I went to the local market. A SALE ON GREEN BELL PEPPERS!! WooHOOO! Bought three and came home, defrosted some ground beef, added a chopped (precooked) Italian sausage, some left-over homemade tomato sauce from the fridge, added some Italian seasonings and some sauteed onions and a big helping of grated cheddar. Made a small portion of Basmati rice and added THAT.... and........ VOILA! STUFFED PEPPERS!!!!

I didn't par-boil the peppers (as usual) cause I'm gonna freeze these..... and when heated again, the peppers always get even too tender.......

INTO THE FREEZER!!!!! They'll be GREAT!!!!!!

Wednesday Morn-Pot Roast Recipe (long)

Someone utilized the new checkboxes at the end of each post and checked the "I want the recipe".... sooooo here goes.

Lately I've been using bottom round roasts (smaller ones - cause they've been on sale!) but you could also use chuck. Chuck will take a little longer to trim after cooking, though, but it has more fat to make the meat really tender.

I've cooked these in pots ON the stove but lately I only use the oven. My fave is a big cast iron pt with a cover (cover is necessary!)

First, depending on the size of the roast, heat the pot on the stove under medium heat and saute some bacon (I always cut my bacon in half and I use anywhere between 3 HALF pieces to 6 half pieces. Cook until crisp. EAT THE BACON - YOU DESERVE IT!! LOL)

Next, salt & pepper the roast on all sides and brown in the bacon fat ON ALL SIDES. It should be deep brown. Remove to a platter.

Melt about 2 Tbsp butter in the pot and saute onions, chopped celery (big pieces) and carrot pieces. Salt & pepper. Saute only until light brown and add 2 - 3 shots of a good red wine. Stir to scrape up brown bits. Also add about 1 Tbsp tomato paste or perhaps 1/4 cup tomato sauce. Add whatever spice/herbs you like at this point - basil, dill, parsley, thyme.... any of these or any combination.

Return the roast to the pot and add beef STOCK to just below 1/2 way up the roast - remember, you're BRAISING, not BOILING.

COVER and put into a preheated oven at 325. Start watching a football game, mow the lawn or otherwise find something else to do for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the pot and turn the roast and replace into the oven. Watch the second half of the game or a Netflix movie for another hour or hour and a half, depending on the size of the roast.

Remove from the oven and place on the unheated stove for about 20 minutes, still covered.

Now, remove the roast to a cutting board and cover with foil.

Either strain the stock or, ideally, use a chinois (look it up if you don't know what that is). If you used chuck, the stock will have a bit of fat in it. You COULD cool it and skim it OR you could just buy a handy gravy separator and pour off the stock and discard the fat. I usually put the stock into a smaller pot at this point. It may be necessary to reduce the stock (boil). I always use flour to thicken but use what you're comfortable with (like cornstarch). Whichever you're using, remember that it doesn't thicken until it boils. So start with HOT stock, stir in a little thickener, reheat while whisking, judge thickness and repeat as necessary.

NOW you can check the seasoning and salt & pepper as necessary.

ENJOY! - I hoe this is what you were looking for :-)

Tuesday Morn

Made another Pot Roast last night. Yeah, I know, it seems like I'm overdosing on pot roast lately but truthfully, it's REALLY inexpensive (cheaper than hamburger often) and can make a delicious meal (or three or four!).

Anyway, TOM'S TIP FOR THE DAY! (LOL)
I've been experimenting with my pot roast (and gravy) for some time now. Don't overlook adding even MORE layers of flavor to the inexpensive but satisfying meal. i.e. after you brown the meat, remove it from the pot and saute some onion, celery and carrots (big chunks). Then before you return the meat to the pot, deglaze with a couple of shots of a nice red wine and add either some tomato paste (I love the stuff in the toothpaste tube!) or even some leftover spaghetti sauce, warm again and then add the roast. Now add enough beef stock (NOT broth - see below) to come 1/2 way up the roast or so. Cover and braise about 2 - 2 1/2 hours at about 300. Naturally add whatever spices you like before cooking - I really like a little basil. You'd be surprised the depth of flavor that the wine and tomato add to the roast and to the resultant gravy.

OK - Stocks vs. Broths There is definitely a place for broths but personally I hardly ever use them. Stocks, on the other hand, are traditionally made using the bones of whatever flavor and are a much more concentrated flavor (usually with MUCH less salt!!). The result is more flavor, less salt and a more satisfying 'mouth coat' to whatever you are making. Yes, they're a bit more expensive, but you're worth it!

Monday Morn - Wine Stoppers

In response to a recent comment, I'm posting just a few pics of some of my recent stoppers. I used to have a picture gallery online (actually, it's still there) but the pics are of my older stoppers and I just don't find the time to update them all.

So, here are some pics of some more recent ones. For some reason these pics don't post here in the order I intended so the reference in one of them to the 'previous pic' makes no sense - but you'll get the idea.

Sunday Eve

The new method of sealing the edges of the ravioli works WONDERS - NO MORE CRIMPING THE EDGES!! Crimping only toughens the edges and they NEVER cook properly.

The meat ravioli were awesome...... with a simple tomato sauce and some buttered bread, it was a wonderful meal! And I still have about 25 of them frozen!

And dessert was awesome also - a Bill Knapp's glazed cruller..... ohhhhhh heaven.

Sunday Afternoon

As if homemade pasta isn't messy ENOUGH, my first batch was much too dry..... wouldn't roll well at ALL...... soooooo off to the store to buy more ingredients (that were on the shopping list but I didn't need right away) and another batch (with an extra egg) is now resting in the fridge.

I had already made a meat filling (with ground beef and sausage and a bit of my homemade ricotta) so that'll keep. Now I just have to wait an hour and then start to roll (AGAIN!)

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Saturday Afternoon

I just HAD to have chicken today.... don't know why.... just HAD to. Went to the market but the cheapest chicken was a whole fryer. Sooooooo, a roasted chicken is dinner tonight - WELL within the budget! (Just hate to have the whole 'clean-up thing' but I'll cope.

BTW, Please, PLEASE leave a comment (or at least check something under RESPONSES)....... ya gotta understand that I have absolutely NO idea just how many people view this blog unless someone comments..... and sometimes I feel like it's kinda pointless. So leave a repsonse - either a Comment or a Resonse and let me know that you're there. Otherwise this seems kinda pointless.

Friday Afternoon

My burger patty is made/formed..... had to buy 2 lbs of ground beef to get the sale price today so I had to find a use for the rest. Made 2 other burgers that I'll freeze and to the balance, added some cooked Italian sausage and some spices/herbs, sauteed onions and the last of my fresh ricotta cheese to make a tasty filling for my next batch of homemade ravioli (which I should probably do this weekend!).

OK, even I was confused....

To leave a comment now, you just have to click on the text that says i.e. "0 Comments" or "1 Comment" (or whatever) beneath each post. You can then type/add a comment. OR you can just use the Reactions check boxes and NOT type in anything - either/both. Just helps me to know if anyone other than my immediate family is reading this drivel....... LOL

More Friday Morn

You may notice that I've added another way of 'commenting' below the Comments section - it's call Reactions. Feel free to use it.

Friday Morn

Well it's only 30 degrees outside this morning but it's supposed to warm up to about 50 by mid-afternoon. I think I'm just gonna grill a burger tonight - haven't grilled in a coupla weeks. w/cheese, LT & Mayo and maybe bacon on a toasted bakery roll! If I get really ambitious, I'll make some homemade french fries - nowadays that's cheaper than buying a bag of chips!

Thursday Afternoon

Woke up early this morning (1:45am)....... coffee...... took my usual pills....... a few hours later I was feelin' kinda queasy. Could be all that I ate last night or the little sleep that I got..... I dunno..... anyhow, I decided to cook something easy tonight.

Tonight: sauteed chicken tenders over chicken dressing, then baked..... mashed potatoes, sauteed summer squash. Should be great!

Wednesday Afternoon

Made my 'Beef Stew' (more accurately termed, 'Pot Roast Stew')..... big chunks of leftover pot roast, diced potatoes, carrots (both par boiled), pearl onions and, of course, GRAVY! The peas will go in last (just to heat).

Don't know if I wanna spend the time to make biscuits or just serve over Ciabatta bread...... will prob go with the easier of the two.

It's gonna be A W E S O M E !!!

Meanwhile, I'm watching (for the first time) "Heroes"..... still on season 1

Wednesday Morn

How could I have forgotten about fried rice?!?! It was wonderful! I just kept eating it and eating it until it was all gone!

No idea what's for dinner tonight but it'll probably have something to do with leftover pot roast...  Rain/snow flurries forecast so maybe..... a STEW!

Tuesday Afternoon

I JUST thought of something I haven't made in AGES! And it sounded so good I'm gonna make it for supper tonight.

CHICKEN FRIED RICE!!!!

Rice is already partially cooked and in the fridge, now I just have to saute a couple of chicken tenders, chop some veggies and I'm ready!

Monday Noon

My braised bottom Round Roast was exceptional! And the gravy was the best I've ever made!! (And I've made a LOT of pot roast gravy!)

It was SO good I just HAD to take a thin slice of it this morning just to prove I wasn't dreaming........

A little shopping today - some essentials but I found the same sale on that roast in another market - will freeze that one. Where else can I get three or four meals for about $5.10????

Guess what's for dinner tonight? (But I promised someone that I'd freeze about a cup of that gravy just for them).

Sunday Morn

Actually 'Plan B' last night was probably better than Plan A would have been! I found a oneless chicken breast in the freezer, defrosted it and pounded it thin. Flour, egg and Panko crumbs and a saute with an oven finish for a couple of minutes and then lightly spread with a sweet honey mustard. Along with a baked potato, it was wonderful!

Today I'm gonna braise that bottom round roast I got on sale for $1.99/lb.... wooHOOOO!