dysonrules - Commander of Food

dysonrules - Commander of Food
Chocolate is life.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

RECIPE POST #3

SPAGHETTI

Okay, this is a tough one for me because I never make it the same way twice. It totally depends on what I have in the cupboard or what I’m in the mood for. But here are a few basics to start with.

1 pound ground beef (or ground whatev you like)
1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
1 or 2 cloves garlic
Mushrooms (optional)
Onions (optional)
Bell Pepper – capsicum (optional)

Now, normally I will brown the meat together until it’s well cooked, drain off the grease, and then add the garlic for a bit. If you like onion and peppers in yours (which I do NOT) add them when the meat is done and cook until they are a bit tender. You can also throw whatever other veggies you like in there, such as diced zucchini. I usually don’t bother with the mushrooms unless I happen to have some.

To make it vegetarian, just use a bit of olive oil and toss in the garlic and a pile of veggies. I would probably use carrots, peppers, zucchini, and fifty billion mushrooms because I like them.

Now, on to the sauce. Here is where it gets fun.

Traditional:
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes (15 oz)
1 can tomato paste (8 oz)
A whole lotta seasonings like:
Basil
Oregano
Rosemary
Salt
Pepper
(I normally use dried, but if you can get the fresh stuff it’s SO MUCH BETTER.) Um, I just kind of toss it in a teaspoonish glop at a time until I like the taste. Let it cook down a bit before tasting! The flavours take about fifteen minutes to blend.

Lazy:
Buy a jar of Ragu® Chunky Garden Combination sauce
Add a can of Italian Style Diced Tomatoes
VOILA.
Really, I’ve never seen the need to add seasoning to that one. I really like it. I’ve tried forty gobillion different jarred sauces and that one is still my fav. Do not buy Ragu Meat sauce. It is VILE.

Even Lazier:

Buy McCormick’s Spaghetti Sauce packet and add the stuff it says to on the back.
I think it’s a can of sauce and a can of paste. Pretty easy and tastes surprisingly good, especially when you get bored with the methods above and want a change.

AND if you get bored with that, you can always take the meat, toss it into a bowl, add some minced garlic, minced onion (or dried onion flakes – I love those) and bread crumbs and shape them into meatballs before browning them and adding the sauce. If you hate cooking meatballs in the skillet (like me) you can put them into a baking dish and bake them first. Much easier, but then you have another pan to clean up, unless you’re lucky and can use an oven-safe skillet.

ALSO if you really want to switch it up, you can skip the ground meat and brown some chicken breasts in a bit of olive oil. Add whichever tomato sauce method you choose, let it simmer for about 30 minutes, and top each chicken breast with a handful of mozzarella cheese and some Parmesan. Easy and awesome alternative to regular spaghetti.

SERVE ALL OF THE ABOVE OPTIONS OVER COOKED SPAGHETTI NOODLES. Obviously. :D Also, if you can stand to part with it, about a quarter of a glass of red wine is really good tossed into your sauce.

RECIPE POST #2

DUMP CHILI!

This is probably the easiest recipe of all time. You'll need a crock pot, or if you plan to be home all day, a large pan that you can simmer all day without burning whatever you're cooking. You'll need:

1 pound ground beef
1 can pinto beans*
1 can black beans*
1 large jar of your fav salsa*

Brown the beef, toss it into the crock pot, and DUMP IN the other stuff. Cook on low for eight hours or on high for four.

*Now, here is the fun part. You can use ANY sort of beans you like. Kidney beans, ranch style beans, white beans, chili with beans, whatever you like. AND you can use any sort of salsa. Once I made it with peach/pineapple salsa and it had a really different, sweet flavour. The salsa determines the heat level, so use mild salsa if you don't like it spicy and HOT salsa if you like it to burn your taste buds.

I don't see why this wouldn't work without meat, although I haven't tried it. You could dump all sorts of other things in there, too.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

RECIPE POST #1

FOOD IS AWESOME. I cook almost every day and I love to cook, so I'll be posting my best easy/fast recipes here for everyone to enjoy. Most of them contain meat because I am carnivorous. I'll add veggie modifications if I have them. Today's recipe:

GRILLED TERIYAKI PORK CHOPS

4 Pork Chops (I prefer boneless loin chops, but any sort will work)
Salt and Pepper
1 large onion
1 can pineapple slices (I've never tried it with fresh pineapple, but YUM)
1 bell pepper (capsicum)
1 bottle Teriyaki Sauce
Aluminum foil

Preheat your grill, or set your oven to about 400 F. I usually start some white rice about the time I turn on the grill, because it takes 20 minutes and should be done about the same time as the pork chops.

Tear off a large piece of foil, probably 12 inches by 12 inches or so. Feel free to use two pieces to be sure of keeping the juice inside.

Place one chop in the center of the foil. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper according to your preference. I don't use much salt and I adore pepper, so I tend to load it up with pepper.

Slice the onion into circles and place one circle atop the chop. I usually go with about 1/8 inch slices, unless it's a sweet onion and then I make it a bit thicker because I like the flavour. So the same with the bell pepper, adding a slice atop the onion. Take out a pineapple slice (or two!) and toss those atop the chop/onion/pepper stack.

Fold up the sides of the foil a bit to make a bowl because next you'll sprinkle on the teriyaki sauce. I use this amazing miso-flavoured one, but any sort will work. I use about a tablespoon of the teriyaki sauce.

Next, seal up the foil to make a nice pouch around the chop and keep everything from leaking out. Repeat this process until all of your chops are packaged up, then go and put them on a medium hot grill.

Leave them out there for 15 minutes. It should take about the same amount of time in the oven, perhaps five minutes longer to be safe. I've not tried it in the oven, so you might try it for 15 and then cut one open to see if it's fully cooked.

Take them off the grill, slap some white rice onto a dish, and carefully tear open the foil - watch the steam! Pour the juice over the rice and top with the pork chop veggie stack. With rice, this makes a full meal because you've got meat, carbs, veggies, and fruit. It's good with a side salad, too.

This is one of the healthiest recipes I own, plus it's very quick - 30 minutes tops, and is excellent for hot summer days. You can also try different sauces - I plan to try it with a Thai peanut sauce one day. I think chicken breast would be an excellent substitute for the pork, though you might reduce the cooking time by 3 minutes or so. EXPERIMENT! Remember, recipes are only guidelines.

ARACHNOPHOBIA DEATHMATCH 2010

There have been no new updates on Arachnophobia Deathmatch 2010, which is a bit alarming. Normally the horrific wonders have invaded by now and they had such a steady presence in July that I feared August would see record numbers of the bastards. And yet, it is now nearly the end of August and I have seen nary an eight-legged soul.

Either they have seen the error of their ways and will no longer disturb me with their presence... or they are plotting mass invasion.

I will stay alert.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Aracnophobia Deathmatch 2010

Today's round of Deathmatch was VERY EXCITING and I hope never to have to repeat it. *shudders*

While lounging on my bed, which has no headboard, blithely typing on my laptop, I happen to glance over and see an eight-legged horror of medium size crawling toward me on the wall. D:

I immediately leap off the bed and try to locate something appropriate for smashing, discarding a rolled up pair of socks, a small paperback book, anything belonging to me that might get spider residue on it, and finally settle on a fair-sized sturdy box. Seeing that the offending creature is on the wall next to my BED, and not wanting it to drop down between the wall and the bed, I know I only have one shot at it. Which is why, of course, I fuck it up. I smack the horror with the box, freak out a bit, jump stupidly, drop the box, the spider skitters up the wall a bit... and drops down between the wall and the bed.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.

Now it is UNDER MY BED. STILL ALIVE. WAITING FOR ME TO GO TO SLEEP SO IT CAN STEALTHILY CREEP UP WHEN I'M NOT SUSPECTING AND CRAWL ON ME OR BITE ME OR DO WHATEVER HORRIBLE THING IT CAN TO GET VENGEANCE FOR UNTOLD NUMBER OF ITS NASTY BRETHREN! *SCREAMS*

Naturally, I did what any sane (or slightly deranged) person would do. I completely took apart my bed, removing blankets, sheets, dust ruffle, and both mattresses, propping them up carefully while ensuring the creature wasn't clinging to any of those items. Terrifying experience, let me tell you. Especially while barefoot clad only in a robe.

I see no scuttling creatures and remove half a pound of LEGOS, several cut up paper bits, a few candy wrappers, and a white shirt I've been looking for from the floor of what was formerly "under the bed". Surprisingly light haul, considering I haven't even looked under there in three months. But I digress.

After article removal, I see a crunched up spiderish sort of thing that is not moving. Apparently my botched attempt at arachnid murder had been successful. Just to be safe, I retrieved the box and mashed it another dozen or so times. I believe it is fully dead now.

*shudders* Then I had to replace the mattresses and retrieve new bedding and throw the old bedding into the washer, so one quick spider-mashing incident turned into a 45 minute ordeal. I'm almost tempted to call this one a draw because of the hassle, but since the offending creature is now a CORPSE, I will declare myself victorious.

Evil Hellish Arachnid Army: 1
Dyson: 5