This.

Just a teaser... I'll follow up with my attempt later this week.  Cheers!
http://vimeo.com/39727309

Sunny Sundays

Woke up this morning to a cafe au lait, a grapefruit mimosa and a sunny side up to match my sunny day.  Serve over grilled asparagus and eat outside. xoxo

The Deal:

Calories: 120; Fat: 9g; Carbs: 1.2; Protein: 11.3

One Night in Bangkok

I've been super busy lately.  SUPER busy.  So busy, that cooking a full on dinner at the end of my day seems impossibly ridiculous.  Not to mention impossibly time consuming.  No need to make an effort not to pull up my saved profile on Angelico and call in a delivery because even delivery would take too long.  I need something QUICK that involves little effort so that I can get to the next item on my to do list.

A long time ago (those who are TSLB regulars are familiar with my situation) I went to Costco and went WILD OUT.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Don't go into Costco slightly hungry.  You'll end up sampling everything and walking out with a bulk box of ramen noodles and enough bratwurst sausage to feed an army.  You convince yourself that as a single girl who's trying to maintain a 27 jean, that yes, you ABSOLUTELY NEED that bulk box of chicken flavoured ramen.  What.  The.  F***??  I'm down to the last 6 packs and it's been about two years.  Seriously.

But I must confess... why do I want to get back in my car, head into VA (y'all know how I feel about Virginia) pay the $50 membership dues and tackle the oversize cart?  Whyyyyyy?  I ABSOLUTELY NEED another case of ramen noodles.  Maybe a variety to carry me through the next 6 years....

Simply for the things you can do with it... and do with it you can.  It's endless... I mean, a bowl ought just come with ramen noodles built into the bottom.  It doesn't matter what you're serving, it will be knighted by the addition of random vegetables and meats making an old stew a new bouillabaise.  I swear, the calories aren't that bad if you don't use the pack of poison they include.

Years ago I read a totally captivating article about maximum security prisons and the eating habits of the inmates.  It's all the same it seems. Socially, we all congregate around the kitchen (commissary in this case).  Ramen is a staple of the commissary, as it's convenient and it's cheap, and spreads are usually made from it (avec acoutrement).  These guys had it down to a science and were eating chinese takeout from the ingredients purchased in the commissary.  That's a fantastic episode of Chopped if you ask me.  I found the article completely and totally fascinating.  Engrossing, really.  Someday, I think I'll try a Max Hackett* Special.  Sweet and Sour Pork.  You will HOWL when I tell you how he does it, there is something so gangsta about it..... I suppose I should have known.  Someday.... someday I'll spend One Night in Lockup and share the results...

*This Max Hackett is not one Max Hackett married to Clover Graham Hackett who used to direct traffic at Great Adventure while dancing like Willard from Footloose... it's another one... 

Anyway, I started fantasizing (yes, fantasizing) about things I could do and would do with ramen.  Tonight, I'm spending the night in Bangkok.  To the ramen, I'm adding asparagus tips, mushrooms, and scallion for depth and colour, as well as chopped ginger and lemongrass for flavour.  I can't wait for this to take me all of 6 minutes...

Heat 1/2 cup coconut milk with 1 1/2 cups of seafood stock until it starts to simmer, add the ramen.  Cook until noodles start to soften then add vegetables and shrimp.  Cook until vegetables are tender and shrimp is fully cooked.  Garnish with flat leaf parsley.

Consider this our first night with our ramen adventures.... I forsee a fast and frenzied affair...

Lazy Days

So, I had a lazy weekend.  There were plans made and projects to finish, but no accomplishments nor honored commitments.  Just a couple of days catching up with my friends Bobby, Tyler, Alex, and Giada.  It's been so long and they were happy to see me too.  I literally spent the weekend watching countless cooking channel shows, jotting down notes, experimenting in the kitchen complete with two runs to the grocery store that were way more expensive than I'd planned.  All in the same sweatshirt.  But it was good.  Funny enough, with all that education, and all that note taking, and all that green thrown to the market, nothing really got cooked except the chili (soooooooooo hearty and delicious.. finally allowing me to put a few of those gifted canned goods to good use... I'll give you the recipe, I swear).  A lot of great ideas were born and you'll see plenty of them in upcoming posts, but nothing really made it to the table. Except the pork chop I'd defrosted on Friday night.  In all my culinary glory, I'd totally forgot about it.  Well, let me tell you, that all that food fantasizing works up an appetite and watching the Cooking Channel all weekend rounds that out.  So here we go, pork chops with baked apples.

** It's ideal if you can sear and bake the chop in the same dish.... There is something so purist about it, don't you think?**

Sear the pork on each side for good colour, then add sprig of rosemary.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 until done (around 25 minutes or less, if you can get away with it... that's my personal opinion).  While that's baking, bake some apple slices too, you know for garnish.  Bake the apple slices with a pat of butter until soft.  Serve on top of the chops.

Perfect.

The Deal:

Calories: 297; Fat: 11g; Protein: 24g; Carbs: 21g