Pesto

Ingredients:

2-2 1/2 cups of Basil leafs

1/3 pine nuts

1/2 cup of Pecorino Reggiano

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

You're going to need a food processor! Put the Pecorino Reggiano cheese into the processor, I buy a block and just cube it into there. Processes it and then add in the pine nuts and continue to process. You're going to want a rough grate of it, not fine! Finally add in the rest of the ingredients and process. I keep it for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator but if you want to keep it longer freeze it.

Pesto Grilled Chicken

Prep:

Pesto (see recipe below)

Chicken breast (butterflied)

Grill Spray

Directions:

Preheat grill on high. Butterfly the chicken breast and put a good layer of pesto in the middle of it. I like to refrigerate my pesto over night so its a little hard from the oil's congealing. Spray grill with a grill spray and grill your chicken about 6 mins on each side. I like to change the direction I'm grill the piece of chicken to make cross grill marks.

Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups rice

3 cups water

3/4 cups of peas

1/2 cup string beans chopped into 1/2 inch parts

1/2 carrots chopped

1 onion diced

2 cloves garlic

3 eggs scrambled

1-2 tbsp of chili garlic sauce

salt

Sesame oil

Preparation:

2 cups of uncooked rice with 3 cups of water and 1/2 tpbs of sesame oil and a pinch of salt. Let that come to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cook it for about 20-30 mins and once completely let it sit. You can let it sit for an hour or so letting it dry out

Warm a saute pan up on low heat and place the 2 gloves of minced garlic in the pan do not burn or brown, just get it golden. Add in the onion and let that saute for 5 mins. Increase heat and add in the carrots, peas, and string beans. Let them soften up and take them out of the pan. Add some more sesame oil and then scramble the 3 eggs. once they are scrambled add the vegetables back into the pan and add in the rice. Leave about 1 and 1/2 cups aside. Mix up with the heat still on. Add in about 1/3 cups of soy sauce and a table spoon of chili garlic sauce if you like it spicy. Continue to mix and let sit with heat off. Taste and add more soy/salt depending on your taste.

** you can use whatever vegetables you want to use in this I just gave you what I used today**

Tri Tip

Ingredients:
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
1/4 cup malt vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
A nice piece of trip-tip, anywhere from 1.5 to 4 lbs.

Preparation:
In a saucepan, mix together 1/4 cup of the sugar and 1/4 cup of the water and bring to a boil, stirring all the while. When the sugar gets a dark color, add the spices and stir. Bring back to a boil for a minute, and then add the vinegar, the other 1/4 cup of water, the soy sauce, and the fish sauce. Mix well and taste. If you feel like it needs more "balance," add a little more salt. Add the garlic and the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bring back to a boil, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Let cool.

Place the tri-tip roast in a shallow baking dish or a Ziploc bag and pour the cooled marinade over. Place in fridge and let marinade for overnight.

Pre-heat the grill on high for 5 mins so the grill is hot. Then reduce the heat down to medium heat area. I flip mine every 5 minutes. Usually takes about 20 mins or so. I take mine off the grill when the internal temp hits 120 degrees. Let it sit before cutting into it.

French Press

So I've always been told I'm a "bull in a china shop" and the other day I continued with that.... I was cleaning my coffee pot and smashed it in the sink, needless to say I needed a new one. So never had a French Press and always heard they make a good cup of coffee so I went out and got one. For me when it comes to buying things I go BIG or I just go home. I got the biggest one they had: Bodum Chambord Coffee Press "12 Cups" and today I tried it out. Read the directions which isn't like me at all. For every 4 oz you add 1 tablespoon of course coffee: lets just say this will make Jet Fuel if you need it.

So 24 oz of water boiled on the stove in a pot NOT the French Press. While that was boiling I put 6 tbsp of Dunkin' Dark in the glass container without the press in it. One the water was at a complete boil I poured that into it. Let it sit for a couple minutes and stirred it with a plastic spoon. NOW the tricky part, put the press on and SLOWLY, I MEAN SLOWY press down on it. Don't rush it believe me you don't want coffee grind in your coffee!

So the out come of this: A French Press does make a nice cup of coffee. Its darker then a coffee maker and has a nicer flavor to it, but there is a little more work to it and you need to have the patients to do it. A complete side note you may want to use a less caffeinated coffee, cause you're going to get it all from this!

Finished Product:

Blackened Salmon, Jasmine Rice, Corn off the cob and a Caesar Salad

Blackened Salmon

Follow the recipe for the blackening Seasoning and apply generously to the Salmon 3 hours prior to cooking. I leave the skin on my Salmon and cook them on the grill, Medium temp, with the skin side down first. Leave it there for about 6 mins then you can flip it over. At this point you can peal the skin off. Once skin is pealed off I usually apply more Blackening Seasoning to the bottom side. Cook for another 4 mins and it should be cooked. The Salmon will feel firm when it is fully cooked. If you're not sure what "firm" feels like use the muscle between your thumb and pointer finger for a judgement. Make a fist without clenching tight that would be rare, medium clenching would be medium and a fully clenched fist would be well done. You can use that as your judgement.

"Mint Chip Martini "

2 shots of Vanilla Vodka Stolichnaya

1 to 1 1/2 shots of Creme de Cacao

1/2 shot of Peppermint Schnapps

1 Martini Glass

Put lots of ice in a metal shaker, add the alcohol, shake the hell out of if for a good 20 seconds-REMEMBER the colder it gets the smoother it'll go down. Strain into a Martini glass and serve.

"Pico De Gallo"

3-4 Tomatos diced

1/2 medium sized Shallot finely diced

1/3 to 1/2 cup of frozen corn defrosted

1/3 cup Chopped Cilantro (leaves only)

1 clove of Garlic minced

1 jalapeño seeded and minced (add more or less depending on your liking)

Salt to taste

let it sit after you mix everything up for a while so the flavors marry

Blackening Seasoning

(Fish or Chicken)

Ingredients:

1 teaspoons ground paprika

2 teaspoons dried leaf thyme

1 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoons black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to your taste

1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano

3/8 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Lemonade

2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup of sugar

1/4 cup honey

7-8 cups water

Dissolve the sugar in the water before adding the honey. Once the sugar, honey and water a completely mixed add the lemon juice to the mixture. Place into the refrigerator for 2 hours. Make sure you taste the mixture, you may need to add more of one of the ingredients. (Side note: if you want to dissolve the sugar and honey faster warm the water on the stove then add them.)

I hear that a shot of Southern Comfort in a glass with this comes out pretty well. Or if you're my mother a good splash of Grey Goose.

"the ocean"

Grape Shakka

Ketel One

Tonic Water

Get yourself a "double old fashion" glass and fill it with ice. Then pure about a shot of Grape Shakka into it followed by a shot of Kettle One vodka or whichever vodka you like. Then slowly pure the Tonic water into the glass the "blue" color should stay at the bottom of the glass and create a wave motion. Basically it tastes like a Vodka and Tonic with a hint of grape.

A little bit about me

20 April 2010

So today is the first time I've ever even sat down to think about putting up something like this. I decided to do this when a good friend of mine asked me too cause he was getting sick of seeing my nightly dinners posted on Face Book. I'm sure I'll be posting these blogs for myself and I guess it will be a good way to keep myself busy.

I must warn you of 2 things first:

1. I'm the worst at spelling

2. I do not have any formal culinary training so my food in which I make is from reading, seeing how my parents and friends cooked and from my own pallet.

Heres a little bit about me I recently moved to the West Coast after 31 years living on the East Coast Boston to be exact. Now I'm living on Hermosa Beach, CA and learning to be in the role of the person that takes care of the house, food shopping and cleaning.