it’s nearing two o’clock on a pay day prior…I’ve got priors 😀 and while it’s not the end of the world, I’m going to miss this one… I’m reasonably pleased it isn’t mandatory. the last two days have been, hulu plus my way. star hummin’ some Stxx, “I’ll take those, Long nights, Impossibles odds, Keeping my eye to the keyhole. if it takes all that to be who i am, I’m gonna be a blue collar man.”
I’m through a large portion of what i missed of NO RESERVATIONS and amazingly I popped right into the heart of what was usable for me in “a Cook’s Tour.” I went seriously old school bringing up “The Frugal Gourmet”
my haha to you is I think my mind plays tricks on me. I remember many things but also see things almost for the first time as it would be fair to say I went and picked an episode of the Fruge that I hadn’t seen – or at least fully…it wasn’t rare that I’d oscilate back to watching the Hippy Painter – Bob Ross even if I didn’t take to the paints with my love of the happy little accidents. I’m serious though, I knew he bungled a word or two that Jeff Smith, But geez three out of four? and he really was a lummux when trying to offer legitimate crdit to his production chef Craig. but that wasn’t exactly what I mean by the viewing past I unfortunately can see why the back patting and almost false sounding praise would cause suit to be filed for sexual harassment…but again, I am not on that I’m on the something doesn’t jive with my timeline in what I knew when.
I even looked up Mexico One Plate at a Time. I am shocked to see that it lists no start date and thus empiric evidence suggest it hits 2006 which seriously doesn’t jive with when I was serving up the first adobada that I learned the confidance to try from that specific episode of Rick Bayless’ show so mentioned. because certain guests wouldn’t have been there as roommates and perhaps neither even would I have even lived there. It’s odd to think of some of the seinal events and see something of a problem with timelining points saying I couldn’t have done it two years before the show even aired!
for instance here’s things I used in cooking show Ideas
Mock Stock – Frugal Gourmet – I make a majority of my meatballs simmered first in stock then blackened some as there is no fry after a bubbling with ground beef simmered typically in chicken stock, sometimes chicken and pork and unlike the frug, I do this with boulion – I know I’m going to heck. I never made mock turtle soup…I’m hard pressed even to show you that episode of how mock stocks were given to mimick ingredients then hard to find.
wine, what kind of wine you cook with? Justin Wilson repeated many shows of his – you cook with wine you’ll drink. hint avoid that salted stuff called cooking wine. most recipes call for about one cup or one generous glass of wine. as much of the liquid is expected to evaporate why waste drowning something in wine when water will suffice.
while I don’t know everything mexican from strictly chef Rick Bayless, I wouldn’t have attempted the key tastes without his show on how to achieve that quintessential texture tastes LIKE mexico. this means I’m shocked I haven’t moled but lol I’ll get there. adobada was the signature taste to bring mexican alive for me so in a roast went and simmered in tangy chili water – which again little sub shows did the point out that you take the chilies and water and blend in blender and this over garlic seared meat is that magic simmer all til it just falls apart…other wiebsites and youtubes taught me to make the tacobell like filling which led to the understanding of modern foodsafety where food holds but only so long at x temperatures or you have to have water in the meat fillings as otherwise half the operational life of the fillling is dry as dust who wants cardboard meal? but until this magic moment I hadn’t done it. I knew by then how to make beans from scratch fairly well but never duplicated the taste of the restaurants and that’s okay I’m not exactly afraid to admit I’m not a grand cook just capable. I knew how to make taco meat via seasoning packs and also almost how to mix my own spices – I never knew about that water part for the holding which requires a thickener or who wants wet meat ?
little shows like good eats with alton brown explain something most cooks didn’t that is to say the science of food. after all, alton brown comes to us via bill nye the science guy’s production…Alton like rachel ray aren’t cooks persay but personalities. for instance, the stew textures and stock broth tastes require something of a long long time to break down those specific things in the meat connections and the bones themselves so one gets that toothiness…also beans and potato rice etc don’t exactly absorb water the way you might think they are forcibly cooked only from steam pressure hence you can really wreck a rice trying to cook it wrong and end up only with moosh. beans remain hard until enough steam enter them rehydrates and cooks them through – this is why soaking doesn’t change the cooking time significantly but is damned important if for no other reason than your previous generations did it so should you! but yes, it does serve more of a purpose than tradition it, soaking dried beans often overnight, truly makes a difference in the uniformity of your product… it however might take off two minutes of actual cooking time over two hours which is why I say it is of use but careful about stressing how much. it also is embarassing to me to have figured out via alton and connecting the dots how we have pinkish meats which are/ nitrated often. nitrates are sodium containing checial in this case sodium nitrate/ite etc. gun powder cantoins a potassium nitrate and all who bit off gun powder charges premeasured thus tasting a lot of nitrate per battle in the american civil war complained of not being male like up to that special task we like to think about…but if a corned beef remains pink because of the preservative its interesting why we insist on that look excepting I’ve seen many day old dried aged beef and it’s fine cooked but rather less than appetizing raw.
so, there is just a little about my gorging on general nostalgia…and now to mirror a sentiment so country… ” I thank daddy for the whoopin Momma for the cookin’ I thank the bank for the money and I thank God for YOU.” I am just saying that is a little slice of who to blame when I go spouting something food. yes, I learned this stuff by recipes and here’s something it took burt wolf who also showed the notepad as if he a master was still a student, to get it in my head that yes we compete to goad ourselves to our best or simply get the business to stay alive but ultimately the only loser in a food battle is the person who didn’t eat. there is no real winning or losing just arbitrary tastes that change so often you’d be surprised what is and isn’t the best you’ve ever had.
dishes that while stolen are mine
zucchini au gratin – originally swiped from the isle of capri’s casiono buffet.
maple chicken wings – from pbs and probably only mine cause I say so 😉 I can say I altered the recipe I remember hearing.
things that are mine
sweet heat kebabs marinade – essentially a cranberry hot pepper teriyaki
tequila orange arinade – long since to the world at large but not when I discover that it is also a teriyaki but fairly good with fish.
chocolate cardomum spice cake
sweet and sour NOTHING – a fine fry bread with chinese syle vegetables in a tangy tamarind sauce
I cant remember who to blame but
sweet onion red bean dip. I know it is mine by the ingredients chosen but I know also it didn’t “invent” it I just cant remember where it came from in2004ish. I can’t stand the japanese mung like but red beans it’s supposed to be made of and thus I use american small red beans and brown sugar instead of turbinado and the sweetest onion I can afford at the time with is a HUGE spanish yellow often even if vidalias and wala walas are signature yum.
it is somewhat irksome to see ev3n 20 years nearly from when I could say i could cook til now I can’t llay claim to pride in more things food but lol these still sell….or shall I say interest folk.
