DIY Gourmet

Easy Crockpot Thai Chicken

2011-11-29T17:50:00.000-08:00

The other day I was solo parenting and desperately needed to have an ace supper ready by the time I came home so that way I would not be subjected to the horrors instant of macaroni and cheese. As I was packing kid friendly snacks and putting on rain boots a flash of inspiration came to me and the Easy Thai Crockpot / Slow Cooker Chicken was born.

Ingredients:
1 pack Chicken thighs
1 onion, sliced
1 stalk of lemongrass, bruised
1 handful crumbled sliced dried shitake mushrooms (optional)
1 can cheap beer
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 thumb ginger, chopped
1 fist cilantro stems, really chopped
1 sq inch of tamarind concentrate block
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Tom Yum paste
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Bang everything into your crockpot / slow cooker except for the cornstarch. Put on low and let cook away all day. Before serving add cornstarch to thicken liquid. Serve with steamed rice and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves. My kids loved it and my parenting sanity was saved. How can you go wrong with that?

Pasta Parchment Parcels

2010-08-20T23:04:00.000-07:00

The other night after my kids went to bed, my wife was feeling frisky and she grabbed the video camera and we...

cooked pasta.

Check it out...
Yummy Summer Grilled Veggie Pasta in Parchment Paper!

Banana Chocolate Chip Struesel Muffins

2010-05-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

My wife is away for 3 days taking a very deserved break leaving me to be super daddy and to not go crazy while she is gone. This should not be hard. Joanna cares for our 3 children by herself all the time as do millions of women and single moms all over the world. It is not like I am looking for a medal or anything here. The only issue is that I am night weening my son cold turkey and I lack the female bits necessary to give him what he really wants. And so far, things have been going great.
So in order to keep my girls occupied and to stop them from turning on each other like caged rats I thought we should make some Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins! I found this recipe on Epicurious.com and it rules.

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twelve 1/3-cup muffin cups with foil muffin liners. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Mix mashed bananas, egg, melted butter and milk in medium bowl. Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients just until blended (do not overmix). Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle streusel topping on top of each muffin. Bake muffins until tops are pale golden and tester inserted into center comes out with some melted chocolate attached but no crumbs, about 25 -30 minutes. Transfer muffins to rack; cool.

For streusel topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Of course there is absolutely nothing healthy about these muffins, nor should there be, so they make very effective single parent bartering chips. Consider yourself warned and distribute freely to your children to buy yourself a few minutes of sanity.

Zack Van R.I.P.

2009-12-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was fairly eventful. It was the one year anniversary of when I cut off my beautiful dreadlocked mane of glory at Sandra's birthday party. Here is a before picture...

Baby Eleanor and me chillin' at our GQ shoot...

and here is an after pic.

I would like to propose at toast to my follicular hero, Kramer...

Yesterday Joanna, Sophia and Pax were also in a car accident in our faithful 94 Ford Aerostar minivan, which the girls had dubbed "the Zack Van". (Affectionately named after Zack de la Rocha... (the antenna was bent in a Z shape and our license plate ended in RGE).

Before you panic, everyone is just fine. No one was hurt at all, and today we took everyone to the doctor's and chiropractor's for thorough check overs, and everyone is OK. But the Zack Van didn't fair so well and he no longer looks like the picture below whatsoever.
Well, he would if you removed the enormous dent in the passenger door shaped like a tool-loaded, speeding construction van, and if you replaced all the shattered glass, and if you could still open the sliding door, and if you put the front bumper back on, and stuffed the driver's airbag back in the steering wheel, and if you repaired the crushed front right rim and flat tire. Obviously, all that is not going to happen, and the Zack Van is gone for good.

I'm having difficulty processing all my emotions about yesterday. Above all, I am eternally grateful that my family is safe and healthy. I am very thankful for all our emergency services who were able to care for my loved ones with such kindness, gentleness (the firemen even gave Sophia a teddy bear!), and professionalism and for the invention of child car seats. (Make sure to educate yourself about the BC Paramedic Strike). I would also like to give a special shout out to Chris, Hillary, Stu, Jacqui, Mike, Gordie, Peter, and Sandra for taking such good care of us.

But I am still working through my feelings of helplessness and loss on top of the reality check about what really matters most in life. I wish I could celebrate the safety of my wife and kids without having to deal with the business of doctors and insurance companies and liability. And I feel robbed and cheated.

I kinda liked the Zack Van. I have never been a "car guy", but Joanna's cousin, Kelly, and her family gave us this van in September and helped us with $$$ to insure it. Their kindness and generosity was overwhelming and was a huge blessing to us as a family. The Zack Van was not new, the roof leaked, and my kids had done short work of getting cracker crumbs everywhere, but it had provided a new level of freedom and convenience to us that made our busy lives so much easier. It was also a sign of provision, hope, faithfulness, and goodness to me. And now it is gone. The really ironic thing is that in morning six hours before the accident I got a $50 parking ticket out in front of our house and Joanna also went and got an $85 massage for her tense shoulders.

Obviously I know that the world is not going to fall apart because I no longer have use of an aging chunk of rolling fiberglass, but I'm just trying to work through all of it, d'ya know what I mean? I guess the lesson here, kids, is to be grateful for whatcha got before it's gone and to cherish the ones you love every day. Can I have an Amen, brothers and sisters?

And now this next one goes out to the Zack Van.

We didn't have a lot of time together, buddy, but it was a good time. Thank you for your faithful service to our family and may you rest in peace.

And because this is supposed to be a food blog, here is a collection of recipes taken from "Being Dead Is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral".
When you are chowing down make sure that you pour one out for the Zack Van.

Rainy Day Malaysian Chicken Stew

2009-09-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

The other day it was raining here in the 'Couv (not all that unusual...) and it was just the kind of gray miserable day when you wanted to be home, wearing jammies, and eating something good, warm, and yummy. So one thing led to another and soon the jammies were on and the yummy Asian food was on it's way to our bellies. Just in case you are having a jammy day, I wanted to share this recipe with you. I guarantee that it will make you feel much better.

Speaking of jammies and desperately needing some yummy Asian food, my nephew Mason has been in and out of the hospital lately while he continues to kick leukemia's ass. Although he is only 14, Mason already is a ninja in the kitchen and can do some serious Asian yumminess throwdown. Mason, this episode of DIY Gourmet goes out to you...

Mason, demonstrating a few of his Ninja moves

Rainy Day Malaysian Chicken Stew
Ingredients

2 lbs chicken, cubed
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 thumb ginger, grated
3 onions, sliced
6 cups water
1 cup dried, chopped shitake mushrooms reconstituted in 2 cups boiling water
2 lbs potatoes, cubed
1/2 cup soy
2/3 cup miso paste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 cup cold water

Throw first 4 ingredients in hot wok with a big glug of oil. Fry until browned.
Add remaining ingredients except for the cornstarch and bring to a boil until the potatoes are cooked. Add cornstarch to thicken and adjust seasoning to taste. Serve over rice and pray for Mason's speedy recovery.

Mason, here are some more Ninjas in the kitchen, just to make your day.

Asian Fish Paper Parcels

2009-08-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a bunch of friends over and Joanna was able to score a smokin' good deal on some salmon, so I was feeling inspired. But I didn't have a lot of time to marinade or BBQ so I decided to steam the fish in newspaper. "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?", you say. Yep, first you smear delicious goo and fresh herbs all over your fish, and then you wrap it in newspaper, soak it in water, and roast it in the oven. The fish essentially steams inside the paper and gets a gentle and subtle flavour from your additions. Because I live in Vancouver, and because even when my fridge is basically empty I always have strange Asian condiments around, and because I just got back from Thailand, I decided to go with a Southeast Asian groove. Here it is, y'all...

Asian Steamed Fish Paper Parcels
Ingredients
1 whole fish (salmon, tilapia, mahi mahi, or anything else you can get your hands on), cleaned
1 fist fresh cilantro
2 big thumbs of ginger
6 cloves fresh garlic
2 stalks fresh lemongrass
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons miso paste
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
newspaper
stapler, or kitchen twine, or packing/duct tape if you are really desperate

Assembling the fish and parcel

Instructions
Using your favorite, sharp, big-ass kitchen knife, cut slits of both sides of the fish 2 cms apart. (This will allow your flavour goo and herbs more access to the meat.) In a food processor, whizzola the cilantro, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass into oblivion. In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, miso, oil, and vinegar until smooth.

The parcel, steamed, and cut open

Spread out a moderately thick sheath of newspaper. Sprinkle 1/3 of the herb mixture down on the paper. Using a spoon, smear a bit of your flavour goo on one side of the fish, making sure to rub it into the slit cuts. Place fish goo side down onto of the herbs. Spoon more goo into the belly cavity and rub some herbs in there as well. Finally, smear the rest of the goo on top of the fish, rubbing it into the cuts and sprinkling the last of your herb mixture on top.

Oh yeah!

Roll the fish up in the newspaper and fold the ends twice so that way steam will not escape. Seal the parcel however you can, hopefully with staples or kitchen twine, but I was desperate and used packing tape (yes, it does melt). Preheat the oven to 400 and soak the parcel in cold water in the sink for 5 minutes. Put the parcel on a baking sheet and bang it in the oven until it is done. Use a meat thermometer if you are sketchy, but I did mine for about 45 min. When it is done, pull it out, cut it open, and let the feasting begin! While you are enjoying your Asian aquatic yumminess, trip out on this...

Easy Miso Soup

2009-04-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

I rarely have time to think these days, much less spend a long preparing a meal. With the demands of being a super-daddy that I face every day, relaxing moments are sometimes hard to come by. So today I would like to present to you some simple-zen-in-a-bowl...
Easy Miso Soup
Ingredients
- 2 litres H2O
- 1/3 cup miso paste
- 1 pack (2 teaspoons) bonito soup base powder (available at Japanese grocery stores)
- 1 cube chicken bullion.

Throw in pot. Boil. Stir. Eat.

(If you want to get crazy you can cube up a little bit of firm tofu and throw that in along with some chopped green onion and some udon noodles, but don't break a sweat.)

Now that you are feeling all nice, chilled out, and relaxed, here is some irritating, sappy, kiddy J-pop (apparently extolling the virtues of miso soup) to snap you back to the harsh reality of life.

Pop Tart Martini

2009-04-18T20:26:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been beautiful in Vancouver and it finally feels that spring has arrived. The sun is shining and the cherry trees are in bloom. I was in the mood for something festive last night so I whipped up something that was bubbly, but wasn't too sweet. However, it does go down very easily. Consider yourself warned.

Pop Tart Martini (It isn't made with toaster pastry but it pops, and it's a bit tart)
Ingredients
1 shot gin
1 shot pomegranate juice
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon simple syrup
1 dash bitters
ice
white sugar
2 shots sparkling white wine
2 shots Mountain Dew
Rim a martini glass with sugar. Put first 5 ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake like you are having an epileptic fit. Strain into martini glass. Gently stir in sparkling wine and Mountain Dew. Make sure that you raise a toast to spring...

This recipe goes out to my buddies Lars and Phil who, at this very moment, are chatting on Facebook, joking about drunken heckling in the back of church tomorrow. You guys rule.

Speaking of Pop Tarts and Phil and Lars, I will leave y'all with this gem.

2009-02-06T21:12:00.000-08:00

This last week has been full of disappointment and bad news so feeling really creative to come up with amazing gourmet dishes has been a bit of a challenge. But because my freakin' awesome wife, Joanna, IS SO HOT RIGHT NOW! she managed to do some serious menu planning and came up with a brilliant plan to make a delicious pasta dinner out of all the random things that we had laying around in our cupboard. This recipe comes from epicurious.com which is my web 2.0 ace card when I need a recipe. Check it out.

Palermo Pasta with Clam Sauce

5 tablespoons butter
6 caper-wrapped anchovies in oil, drained (1 1/2 tablespoons oil reserved), chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 10-ounce cans baby clams, drained well, juices reserved
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup whipping cream

1 pound spaghettini
1/2 cup (packed) sliced fresh basil
Lemon wedges

Directions

Melt butter with anchovy oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped anchovy mixture and garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add clam juices and wine; boil 4 minutes to reduce slightly. Mix in cream and clams; set aside.

Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Return pasta to same pot. Add sauce; toss over medium-high heat until sauce coats pasta thickly, about 5 minutes. Mix in basil; season with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges. Turn on the Cure - Disintegration, slurp your delicious spaghetti, have a sip of wine, enjoy this one beautiful moment, and feel free to forget how much life sucks.

Thoughts about a tortilla...

2009-01-27T21:17:00.000-08:00

I set up a Facebook group yesterday to let people know when I updated my blog and many of you have already joined and left kind messages and encouraging comments... except you Mary. Mary was bummed that I hyped up the taco's and did not actually give a recipe, so today this one is for you, Mary.

For me a good taco has to start with a good tortilla. My personal tortilla epiphany happened in the mountains of Guatemala in 1991. I was in the middle of nowhere on a missions trip and the local indigenous women made us fresh tortillas over the open fire. They passed us some little balls of dough and tried to teach us how to pat them out with our hands and then openly mocked us as the stupid gringos that we were. That day the scales fell off my eyes and my life changed forever because I tasted manna for the first time and I have been ruined for anything else labeled a "tortilla" ever since.

Nothing else has ever came close but the following recipe is the best that we can hope for (unless you are harbouring a secret harem of indigenous Latin women in your basement to do your evil tortilla bidding.)
Ingredients
1 cup white flour
3/4 cup masa mix (mexican corn flour, available at Latin markets)
1/4 cup brown flour
1 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter or shortening
3/4 cup hot water

Directions
Mix together dry ingredients. Add shortening and use fork or pastry knife or even the tips of your fingers to work the fat into the dry ingredients until small pea-sized balls form. Gradually add hot water and mix until a stiff ball forms. Gently knead for 3-5 minutes, shape into ball, place in bowl, cover and let rest for 1 hour.
Then pinch off golf ball-sized pieces and roll into balls. Dust with flour, cover and let rest for another hour. When you are ready to cook, roll out into tortilla shape on floured counter with a floured rolling pin. Cook individually on a preheated super-hot cast iron frying pan until bubbles start to show on surface then flip over. (10 - 30 seconds/side) Eat while hot. Have a shot of tequila. Repeat. Listen to Pixies "Surfer Rosa" and continue alternating between fresh tortillas and tequila.

Taco Adventures

2009-01-26T21:05:00.000-08:00

Over New Year's we were in San Diego to attend a wedding. Being the culturally sensitive types that we are, we had to search out some amazing tacos. Our friends Craig and Kay Charlotte hooked us up at their favorite place, Taco El Gordo.

Eleanor rockin' the quesadilla

Sophia drunk on taco awesomeness

As you can see from the pictures, Eleanor and Sophia ate their faces off. I decided to walk on the wild side and promptly ordered one heart taco, one brain, and one tripe.
The heart taco was surprisingly plain and boring.
The brain taco was bland and mushy. If you have texture issues, you should definitely steer away from this one.
But the tripe taco was AWESOME. It was a little bit crispy, full of flavor, and every time I bit into it, my tongue did a Mexican Hat Dance. Ole!

So next time that you visit your local taqueria, why don't you grab some cahones, be a man, and chow down on the spicy intestine. Make me proud, y'all.

They're gone!

2008-12-08T20:49:00.001-08:00

Yep, I am natty no more but we auctioned off the dreads for over $2800! And all together we raised over $12000 for Sandra's expenses as she continues to kick cancer's butt.
A great night was had by all. (except for my neck, which is still really, really cold)

I guess I need to change my screen name now...

Yup, I'm cutting off the dreads...

2008-12-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

I have some news. I have decided to cut off my dreadlocks. Yep. You read that right.

And here is why. I think it's time. I"m almost 40 years old and I have enough hair to weave a drag net. My dreads are heavy and they drag on the floor when i work concerts. But really, the reason is Sandra.

Sandra is our dear, dear friend. Godmother to Eleanor, doula to both girl's births, permanent dinner guest, family photographer, only one of 2 non-blood-family members to have a soap dedicated to them, and dreadlock technician. Yes, Sandra made my dreads in 2001 and has maintained "our hair" faithfully ever since, up until the last year.
Sandra, you see, has breast cancer, and she can't lift her arms to do the dread maintenance any more. She is also unable to work as a photographer now, her mainstay for income, and so we are throwing her a birthday party that is also a fundraiser next Sunday night.

And, at the party, I am going to auction off the right to cut off each one of all 45 dreadlocks to raise money for the woman who brought those babies into being.

You can buy a dreadlock, the minimum bid is $20 a dread, more if you like. If we sell them all at a minimum bid, it would bring San $900 but I think I have at least a $1000 head of hair, so spread the word.

If you would like to buy a dread but you can't jet up to Vancouver for this stylin' shindig, go to the www.happybirthdaysandra.wordpress.com and click on "Donate", fill out the Paypal and then send me and email saying that your donation is to buy a dread.

Sandra is nearing the end of her radiation treatments and is doing well, but would still appreciate your thoughts and prayers for quick healing and energy, especially to enjoy her own party.

There will also be folk and tango dancing, 80's trance remix, cash bar, amazing door prizes, a killer silent auction, and birthday cake of course!

See ya there!
~pwade

My Drug of Choice

2008-11-10T21:25:00.000-08:00

Many years ago I was trained as a barista at an upscale vegetarian restaurant in Victoria which allowed my life long infatuation with one of God's kindest gifts to mankind to fully blossom into a gourmet obsession. Of course, at that time I was unmarried, I didn't have any children, and I actually had disposable income that I spent quite freely on ridiculously overpriced coffee beans, sushi, and CD's. Since then my coffee spending habits have REALLY changed but I think I have finally stumbled on my ultimate economic caffienation solution. Roast your own beans!

Now I have been reading online for years about people who have roasted their own coffee in a hot air popcorn popper and I haven't bothered because I thought it would be too much work. Finally one day I went down to my local independent microroaster cafe where my awesome friend Brandy works and I bought a kilo (that's 2.2 lbs for all my American friends) of high quality, organic green beans for not all that much $$$. (Really great coffee is way cheaper if you buy it green...) I came home, checked out www.coffeegeek.com to find some roasting tips, and dug out my popcorn popper. I poured some beans it, cranked it up, and waited, and waited, and waited... Apparently, my old popper just doesn't have the cojones to get hot enough to roast coffee. So I whipped out my trusty cast iron skillet, fired up my gas stove, grabbed a wooden spoon and got down with the roastin'! Below you will find a video of my first experiments.

Since then I have tweaked my process just a little. I now roast 3 cups at a time and when all the beans get to a light roast and take about 1/4 cup out. Then when they get to a medium roast I take another 1/4 cup out. I take the remaining beans to a standard dark roast and then take almost all the beans out of the pan leaving about a 1/4 cup to go to a very dark espresso roast. Then your final roast is a beautiful, multi-nuanced roast sensation. Let it cool off overnight and when you get up in the morning prepare yourself for the best cup of coffee you have ever had. Oh yes, you are that cool. Feel free to dig out your black beret, your anarchist poetry journal, and practice phrases like "delicious mouthfeel" and "complex acidity" and "Oh yeah? Well your mom drinks instant!"

Mexican Beer Can Chicken

2008-08-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

So we are currently on vacation with our favorite families, the Wilsons and the Alexanders. The kids are playing in the sun, splashing in the pool, and the margaritas have been plentiful. (And there was much rejoicing.) On top of that there has also been copious amounts of meat and karaoke (Did I already mention that Ian is really fast on blender duty for the margaritas?)

Last night we had a fever... and the only thing that could cure it was not cowbell, but rather Mexican Beer Can Chicken. If you are up for the challenge, here it is...

Mexican Beer Can Chicken

Mexi Peach Wet Rub
2 peaches
1 onion
1 big tomato
1 fist of fresh cilantro
zest and juice of 1 live
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 shot tequila
1/4 cup ketchup
1 canned chipotle pepper
1 whole fresh chicken
1 can cheap, nasty near beer (why would you shove a really good beer up a chicken's butt?)

Throw all ingredients into blender or food processor and get your groove on. Separate skin from the meat of the chicken and pretend that you are a customs officer doing a body cavity search and grab a handful o' tasty goo and rub it all over under the chicken skin (breast, thighs, legs, and back) and inside of the cavity. It is best if you let your chicken have some privacy after you have violated it so thoroughly. If possible, let it marinade in the fridge for at least 4 hours. While you are feeling like a big man because you have complete, total power over this poor, defenseless chicken, prepare the...

Mexican Spice Rub
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon oregano
2 tablespoons brown sugar.

Combine, stir, and rub all over, baby. Take your nasty near beer, open it and poke a few extra holes in the top of the can. Grab a funnel and pour some left over spice rub into the can. Take your chicken out of the fridge and tell it to look up at the ceiling and cough while you shove the can of beer up its butt. It should form a little tripod with the chicken legs forward and the can providing most of the support.

Ian, in the background, celebrating his margarita prowess

Before you turn on your BBQ, put a disposable aluminum pan directly in the middle of the BBQ, underneath the grill surface. fill it full of boiling water, replace the grill, and turn your BBQ on medium. Place your enema canned chicken directly over top of the pan and close the lid. Wait 10 minutes and then brush on the...

Chili Peach Glaze
1/2 cup peach jam
1/4 cup ketchup
1 chipotle pepper diced
zest and juice of 1 live
1 clove of garlic, diced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1./2 teaspoon salt

Continue to BBQ until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 180 degrees C, when taken with a meat thermometer. If all the water in the drip pan steams away, add more boiling water. Serve with anything Mexican-y and lots of Ian Wilson margaritas.

Anti-Infaticide Iced Coffee

2008-07-16T21:08:00.000-07:00

Yep, I haven't posted a recipe SINCE FRIGGIN' MARCH! Please feel free to leave a snarky comment about how lazy I am right after you pull your weight and come over to my house and scrub the floor, because I think that is the only thing that I didn't get done today.

Seriously, I am just stoked that I found 10 minutes of "leisure time" to blog somewhere inbetween my 4 jobs, the endless dirty dishes, the 6 loads of laundry that I did today, and the constant containment of the swath of domestic destruction that my 2 little girls manage to leave in their wake.

Soo... if you're a seriously sleep deprived, frazzled house-husband like me, nothing takes away the tension of a hot afternoon spent with overtired and hungry little girls like large amounts of caffeine and sugar. And here is the perfect delivery system...
Anti-Infaticide Iced Coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon hazelnut syrup
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tablespoons evaporated milk
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
6 frozen coffee ice cubes
1 cup RIDICULOUSLY strong chilled coffee

(Obviously you are going to plan a bit in advance to make coffee cubes and have extra coffee to chill. Just make another pot when you get up in the morning. But if you are as nonfunctional as I am in the morning, you will probably just end up drinking that pot as well. If so, make another pot of coffee when you get out of the shower. Make some coffee ice cubes and chill the rest cuz if you drink this pot you will just be peeing all day.)

Combine all ingredients in blender. Breathe deeply while the children scream. Pour into tall glass and add a few shots of Bailey's if you really need it. Sip slowly and notice how suddenly everything isn't so bad after all.

The Hawaiians Are Here!

2008-03-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

My excellent niece and nephew, Kelsi and Mason, are staying with us for a few days. They have spent their spring break visiting their Dad in Kamloops and experienced a bit of culture shock (which is surprising seeing how the logging redneck interior of British Columbia is so similar to the locals-only vibe of Waimanalo... insert sarcasm here).

So when they arrived I whipped them up a quick snack of Spam Musubi. For those of you not in the know, Spam Musubi is the snack that truly fuels the aloha spirit. And quite frankly, if you are going to eat Spam, (like if someone puts a gun to your head), you should definitely choose to enjoy your mystery meat in this fabulous pan-pacific-asian cross-cultural dish.
Ingredients

2-3 sheets nori
2 cups rice
2 cups water
1 can spam
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Mason, the Spam / Aloha Ambassador

Cooking Directions

Cook the rice, using equal parts rice and water. I use a rice cooker, but you can also cook it on the stove if you don't have a rice cooker.
Mix the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar in a bowl until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Cut the spam into 8 equal pieces, horizontally (like you are slicing the top off each time). Keep the can!
Place the spam slices in the sauce mix, marinate for as long as possible. I did about and hour.
Put the oil in a frying pan, heat over medium heat.
Fry the marinated spam until brown, about 2 minutes on each side.
Cut the nori into strips about 2.5 inches wide.
Wash the can that the spam was in very well and lightly oil the can
Fill the can with about an inch and a half of loosely packed rice, then squish it down very tightly. I even used my espresso tamper for extra packability. To get the rice out of the can, I slammed the can upside down on the cutting board until the rice came out. You might also try to line the can with plastic wrap before you pack the rice, so it’s easy to pull it out.
Place the rice on one end of the nori, so that they are perpendicular.
Place a slice of spam on the rice.
Wrap the nori around the spam/rice stack. Hold closed for a few seconds, it should stick. If it doesn’t stay closed, use a drop of water to close it.

Aloha, dude.

Fine Ham Abounds.

2008-03-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

He is risen! Yes, happy Easter y'all. This weekend Joanna took the culinary reins and whipped up the most amazing easter ham I have ever tasted. Yes, Jesus died to fulfill the New Covenant so that we could eat bacon... and delicious ham. And just to help you celebrate your religious freedom, please allow me to enable your next pork-induced coma.

Ham with Orange and Ginger Glaze
1 bone in ham
1/2 cup ginger ale
1/4 cup orange juice
Glaze

3/4	cup Orange Marmalade
1	tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2	teaspoons Dijon Mustard

Sauce

1	tablespoon cornstarch
2	tablespoons orange juice
2	teaspoons brown sugar

Directions

1.	Rub ham with salt and pepper and prepare and bake ham according to package directions, removing from oven 30 minutes before the end of baking time.
2.	Make Glaze: Mix marmalade, ginger and mustard in small bowl until well blended.
3.	Uncover; brush with the Orange and Ginger Glaze. Pour ginger ale and 1/4 cup orange juice into pan. Increase oven temperature to 425�F. Continue baking ham, uncovered, 30 minutes, basting with the pan juices every 10 minutes.Remove ham from oven; loosely cover with aluminum foil. Let stand about 15 minutes.
4.	Make Sauce: Meanwhile, beat cornstarch and 2 tablespoons orange juice in small bowl with wire whisk until well blended; set aside. Pour pan juices from ham into small saucepan; stir in sugar. Cook over medium-high heat 1 minute, or until mixture comes to a boil. Add cornstarch mixture; cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.
5.	Carve ham. Drizzle with the Sauce just before serving.

Before I complain too much...

2008-03-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

I thought I should also mention that my friend Rick gave me 2 awesome Simpsons books for my birthday as well as an Itunes gift card. The books have been just the thing as I have laid around the house not having any motivation to move.

So I guess all is not suckitude, and hey, it looks like the sun is going to shine today. Oh yeah, and Filter gave me a pound of dark roast Kona peaberry, which has definitely been my happy place the last few days, so I will stop whining now. Rick and Phil, you guys are good friends.

My Unfabulous Birthday Continued

2008-03-11T21:40:00.000-07:00

So as almost a full week has passed since my birthday, things have continued to suck. My wife, myself, and our 2 little girls are now all sick and I am exhausted from everything that had to be done last week. I think that I am going to call a do-over on this whole birthday thing and plan some amazing celebration when we have all recovered from this crazy thing called life. Maybe in April sometime. On a more positive note, my friend Ryan gave me 2 (count them, 2, not 1, 2) boxes of Captain Crunch for my birthday. Boo ya!
Even though life might be kicking me in the ribs, I still have awesome friends.

Happy Frickin' Birthday to Me!

2008-03-04T17:11:00.000-08:00

So friends, yesterday I just got back from Winnipeg where Joanna and I officiated the funeral for our friend Renee and, yes, it was probably the saddest, most depressing thing I have ever done. So needless to say, I really don't feel like a giant celebration today. But of course, the ever so fabulous Sandra has come over to give me my birthday present. Here it is....
Yup. That's a hand blender, a bag of Doritos, and a huge chunk of raw meat. Is she the greatest friend in the world or what?

Bootsy's Crispy Cornmeal Chipotle Waffles

2008-01-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

I don't know about y'all, but I am feelin' tha funk! Now, before you chow down on the Ultimate Fried Chicken, you are going to need some WAFFLES for the full experience and all-encompassing good vibrations. This combination and recipe may seem a bit odd to all y'all boring folks who have no funk deep in your soul, but rest assured, this recipe has been thoroughly tested (by skeptics I might add) and these delicious WAFFLES are just what Dr. Bootsy prescribed to deal with your medical condition lack of funkiness.

No need to worry, you're in good hands with Dr. Bootsy

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons instant yeast
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup grated white extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 large egg
2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon finely minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo*

Directions:
Blend flour, cornmeal, yeast sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in processor. Add 1/2 cup chilled butter; cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Or mix by hand using a pastry knife. Add cheese; cut in using on/off turns. Transfer flour mixture to large bowl. Whisk 1 egg in glass measuring cup. Add enough buttermilk to egg to measure 2 cups; stir in chipotles. Make well in center of dry ingredients. Pour buttermilk mixture into well; mix just until evenly moistened.

And there was great rejoicing.

Cover bowl with damp towel, and put in warm location and let batter rise for 3 hours.
When ready, pour a small potion of batter into your waffle iron according to manufacturer's recommendation. My waffle iron uses 1/4 cup/waffle. Cook just until crispy and golden brown. Mine took 3 minutes. Due to the extreme funkiness of the batter, your ready light and the thermometer on your waffle iron might be thrown off. Don't trust it. Be very careful not to overcook. Waffles are best if they are eaten immediately, straight off of the waffle iron while they are crispy.
Serve with...

Jalapeño Maple Syrup
1/4 cup jalapeño jelly
3/4 cup cheap imitation maple syrup

Combine ingredients in small sauce pan and heat. Pour into serving container and slather on absolutely anything that is desperately in need of more funk.

FRIED CHICKEN AND WAFFLES! GET DOWN! UUNNGGH!

2008-01-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, I am worried because I consider it my duty to blog responsibly and look out for the health and welfare of my friends and faithful blog readers. You see, I don't think that your body (or your juicy booty) will be able to withstand the yumminess of the following recipe. I suggest that you use extreme caution and vigilant funkiness when attempting to master the FRIED CHICKEN AND WAFFLES groove. Consider yourself warned. Now go find your platform boots, put on some Parliament Funkadelic, and let's get started...

The Ultimate Fried Chicken
8-10 pieces of chicken
Injection and marinade
2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Sri Racha hot sauce

Coating
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon ground mustard

Wet Dredge
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup of reserved buttermilk marinade

Final Dredge
1 cup Frosted Flakes or Capt. Crunch crumbs
remaining coating mix

oil for frying (peanut oil is great)

I have no idea who these ladies are, but they obviously are craving some ULTIMATE FRIED CHICKEN! UUNGGH!

Mix marinade ingredients together. Using a BBQ injector needle or the scariest horse syringe that you can find, pretend that you are are a stealth assassin and inject the marinade into chicken pieces. Place chicken in glass bowl, cover with remaining liquid and marinade in fridge for at least 4 hours. The longer the better. Pat chicken to dry and reserve leftover marinade.

Combine coating ingredients in large Ziplock bag. Shake to mix well. Place a few pieces of chicken in the bag at a time and seal shut. Turn up the funk. Shake your moneymaker (and the chicken as well) so that the chicken pieces are totally covered with coating. Repeat. Get down. Get back up again. Set chicken aside on a plate while you prepare the wet dredge and save the remaining coating ingredients.

Whisk wet dredge ingredients together in a large bowl. It might foam a bit. Don't panic and twist your ankle in your funky platform boots. Add the cereal crumbs to the coating bag for the final dredge. Now you are going to set up your fried chicken station! UUNNGGH!

Take a piece of coated chicken, dunk it quickly in the wet dredge, shake a few drops off, and then drop it in the coating bag. Seal and shake. Repeat. Stay funky. Once all the chicken is finished the 3 stages of coating, let them dry out a bit at room temperature for 20 min while your frying oil is heating.

Rick knows how to get down with the fried chicken.

Put about 3 inches of oil into a large deep pot; it should not come up more than half way. Heat until oil registers 350 to 365 degrees F on one of those clip-on deep-fry thermometers... CUZ ITS' HOT IN THE HOT TUB! Once the oil is at temperature, working in batches, carefully add the chicken pieces 3 or 4 at a time. Fry, turning the pieces once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Total cooking time should be about 30 minutes. When the chicken is done, take a big skimmer or tongs and remove the chicken pieces from the pot, shaking off as much oil as you can, and lay it on a tea towel or brown paper bag to soak up the oil. Sprinkle a dusting of cracked black pepper. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

Serve hot, with Bootsy's Crispy Cornmeal Chipotle WAFFLES and Jalapeño Maple Syrup. (Stay tuned for those recipes tomorrow...)

GOOD GOD!

Green Tea Martini

2008-01-06T23:29:00.000-08:00

Hey friends, I haven't posted for a long time, well, umm, ahh, you see... I just didn't want to. It felt too much like work and I am the boss of this blog!... so there! I cooked all sorts of amazing things, I even wrote things down and took some pictures but.... I guess the tyranny of the grind of life had me down for a little while. I think I am a little better now. Work hasn't been quite so busy and I have recovered from the Christmas psychosis (which did include the traditional Pallister family celebration turducken. I promise to tell you more about that later. Remind me.) Having said that, I have managed to take some time off and relax. So tonight I whipped up some tasty beverages for me and my hot wife, Joanna, and I thought that I would share my not so secret recipe with you. Joanna calls it the Kimono Remover because... well, um, ah, actually... Nevermind why she calls it that. That is none of your business, so lets move on to the recipe, shall we?

the Kimono Remover
1 cup strong brewed green tea
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
juice of 1 lime (save zest and a few slices for garnish)
2 - 4 shots sake according to taste
1 tablespoon simple syrup
lots of ice/ cocktail shaker/ martini glasses

Brew green tea with fresh ginger. Cool tea and chill shaker and glasses. Once tea is cool, combine in shaker with other ingredients. Shake, baby, shake. Shake it like your butt is on fire. Or if that doesn't work pretend that you are having a seizure. Or you could crank some Sigue Sigue Sputnik and pogo until you drop and are bleeding. By that time the drink should be sufficiently mixed.

Strain into chilled glasses and garnish with lime slice and zest.
Kampai!

Belicia joins our family

2007-11-25T20:51:00.000-08:00

At the end of the summer Joanna and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary, and our awesome friends Ang and Leigh got all our other amazing friends to pitch in to buy us a new computer (the screen died on our old one).
But not just any computer... A BRAND NEW MACBOOK PRO! Her name is Belicia, which means "dedicated to God." Needless to say, we feel incredibly blessed and we have the greatest friends in the world. I thought that you might like to watch this... (it was made on the new computer)

New Kilt!

2007-11-20T20:49:00.000-08:00

So as you all know, I entered a video contest this summer with some of my buddies to make a commercial for Utilikilts and I won a mess o' kilt in exchange for my excellent video. Today, the last of my kilt booty arrived in the mail... a special limited edition Mockumercial kilt (only 17 of them exist in the entire world). And the best part is yours truly is silk screened right on the front.
Word to your entire extended family.

This one goes out to my buddy, Filter

2007-10-27T23:53:00.000-07:00

Being the parent of two small children, I am having difficulty finding the time to post. I have at least 10 amazing recipes that I want to tell you about, but right now I am just trying my best to keep all my girls fed, cleaned, and clothed. However, the other night Joanna stumbled across this and I wanted to dedicate it to Filter and anyone else who wants to rock... and subvert the dominant paradigm.

Missing Moaike

2007-10-20T22:46:00.001-07:00

This weekend we are are visiting Joanna's acousins at their amazing winery. (Check them out at www.joie.ca) We are having a great time and the scenery is stunning, but our lovely Sandra is supposed to be with us but she couldn't come because she is sick. Today was awesome but it just wasn't the same somehow. Sandra, this one goes out to you...

Rainy Day Soup

2007-10-18T23:20:00.000-07:00

It is probably no surprise to anybody that today was absolutely miserable in the fine city of Vancouver. It was actually raining tigers and wolves. In spite of the torrential downpour and all the racket of the old, crazy Jewish guy next door hammering away on his boat project and rounding up a bunch of stray animals, I actually gathered up the courage to venture out and buy groceries for an amazing feed of Chanko Nabe, which I believe is the perfect thing to eat if you are wet and cold and worried that God is going to wipe the face of the earth clean so He can start all over again.

Quite simply, Chanko Nabe is sumo soup / stew and it is simply ridiculously tasty. I also figure that if it is good enough for this guy...

...then it is good enough for me.

Here is an interesting story if you dig reading extended prose about Asian soup. I know I do! Enough of the jawflapping... on with the recipe!

2 1/2 tsp. instant dashi flakes
1 lb. thinly sliced pork belly
3 tbsp. sake
2 tbsp. mirin (sweet rice wine)
3 tbsp. red miso
3 tbsp. white miso
1 medium carrot, trimmed, peeled, sliced crosswise on the bias, and blanched
2" piece daikon, peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise, and blanched
1 medium waxy potato, peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise and blanched
1 medium yellow onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise, and blanched
10 oz. firm tofu, Cut into 2" cubes
8 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps halved
2 oz. enoki mushrooms, trimmed
1 2.8-oz. package abura-age (deep-fried tofu), cut into 1 1/2" pieces
1/4 head napa cabbage, cored and cut into large pieces
16 bunch nira (flat Chinese chives)
4 cups steamed Japanese short-grain rice or 1 lb. udon noodles (optional)
2 eggs, lightly beaten (optional)

1. Bring 10 cups cold water to a boil in a wide medium pot over high heat. Add dashi flakes, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring until flakes completely dissolve, about 1 minute. Add pork, sake, and mirin to dashi and simmer, skimming any foam that rises to surface, until pork is tender, 15-30 minutes. Dissolve red and white misos in 1 cup broth from pot in a small bowl, then stir back into pot.

2. Add carrots, daikon, potatoes, onions, firm tofu, mushrooms, fried tofu, cabbage, and chives, in that order, and simmer until vegetables are just soft, about 5 minutes. The hot pot is now ready to be eaten "self-serve" style in medium bowls.

3. Once all the pork, vegetables, and tofu have been eaten, use a small sieve to pick out scraps. Bring remaining broth in pot back to a simmer, then add rice or noodles, if using, and stir in eggs, if using. Simmer until broth is absorbed by rice, about 5 minutes, or until noodles are cooked through, 6-8 minutes. Divide between bowls, and munch away until you weigh 400 pounds and have the desire to wear a giant diaper while beating the crap out of someone.

Isn't it great when someone says something nice about you.

2007-10-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

If you are a faithful reader of DIY Gourmet, you are well aware that I got second place in a Utilikilt video contest.

It was really fun to win the prize but it was even better to read their monthly newsletter. Check it out here and scroll to the bottom.

A Wise Man Once Said...

2007-09-24T22:00:00.001-07:00

This one goes out to my YWAM Seattle friends and anyone else who feels like life has got them down.

...I love you guys.
~pw

Hey YWAM Seattle, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind, YWAM Seattle

2007-09-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

Hey Seattle types,

Today I was reflecting on what a great weekend we had with y'all and how you have enriched our lives with your collective passion for life, relational integrity, and generous friendships. Jo and I are better people because you are our friends.

Hey, keep your heads up. Don't let the pursuit of truth and beauty drag you down. You guys are great at what you do, just don't forget to be yourselves. And don't let anyone push you to be something that you are not. Remember that the world goes not well, but the Kingdom comes.

there is a town in North Ontario...
~pw

Roasted Garlic and Herb Focaccia for 50 people

2007-09-03T15:53:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe online. Serve it with the Pepper steak and Honey dijon carrots. It is from Chef John Yamin of the Circadia Cafe in Seattle. Thanks, dude!

Don't even try to attempt this if you do not have access to a Hobart. If you don't know what a Hobart is, then stick to lame Costco garlic bread...

Yes, Ryan and I really are this sexy.

Yield: 12 lb

Bread starter (recipe follows)

1 recipe

Warm water

4 cups

Onions, diced, caramelized

1 cup

Garlic, roasted, chopped

1/4 cup

Dried herb blend, such as rosemary, oregano and thyme

1/4 cup

Salt

3 Tbsp.

Olive oil

3/4 cup

High-protein bread flour

12 cups

1. In mixer with paddle attachment, mix starter, warm water, onions, garlic, herbs, salt and olive oil. Add flour 1 cup at a time. When dough thickens, change paddle to dough hook; add remaining flour 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from side of bowl.

2. Knead dough by hand 5 to 10 minutes. Divide into 4 pieces and place in oiled containers. Cover and let rise 11/2 to 2 hours.

3. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again until doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

4. Punch down dough and shape into rounds. Refrigerate at least 12 hours and up to 36 hours. Remove from refrigerator at least 1 1/2 hours before use, place on floured surface and cover.

5. Shape into 4 oiled sheet pans and proof 30 to 45 minutes. Bake at 425F for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

Bread starter

Combine 1/3 cup honey, 1/3 cup active dry yeast and 4 cups warm water; let sit until yeast has dissolved and top is foamy. Blend in 2 cups high-protein bread flour; let mixture sit until bubbly and rising. Refrigerate until use.

Honey Dijon Carrots for 50 people

2007-09-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

Serve these carrots with the Creamy Tomato Pepper steak recipe below.

Honey Dijon Carrots
3 large bags baby carrots
1 large jar (800 mL) Dijon mustard
3 cups honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup lime juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 bunch fresh dill, chopped

Mark, the Dijon sauce sensei.

Prefill large pot with ample water to cover the carrots. DO NOT PUT THE CARROTS IN THE POT YET. Cover pot, bring water to a vigorous boil (might take 1 hour), and turn off heat. In sauté pan combine mustard, honey, sugar, lime juice, and fresh ginger. Simmer over low heat. Reboil water again judging time so that boil is achieved 15 minutes before serving. Once water is boiling vigorously add carrots and cook 5 – 8 minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK! (Unless you're English and like mushy, flavourless vegetables) Carrots should be cooked but should still have some snap. Drain carrots and toss with mustard mixture and fresh chopped dill.

Creamy Tomato Pepper Steak for 50 people

2007-09-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

This summer for the youth missions program that I work with I volunteered to be head chef for our final fancy dinner of every 10 day program and I developed this recipe. If you every need to feed about 50 people and you are sick and tired of Costco lasagna and garlic bread, this one is for you.

Steak Marinade
2 enormous Costco sirloin roasts (??lbs) cubed
2 L cheap cola
1 large can (700 mL) tomato sauce
3 cups vegetable oil
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup garlic puree
½ cup lemon juice
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup Club House brand Vegetable Seasoning
¼ cup Club House brand Italiano Seasoning
¼ cup Club House brand Garlic Plus Seasoning
1 cup ground pepper
2 Tablespoons salt

One day in advance combine meat and all ingredients in large non-metallic container and mix. Cover with cling film and refrigerate.

Ryan demonstrates his mastery of the grill.

Creamy Tomato Peppercorn Sauce
2 cups margarine
2 cups flour
1 L heavy cream
1 L half and half cream
½ cup beef bullion
6 cups hot water
6 small cans tomato paste
4 Tablespoons brandy extract
3 Tablespoons pickled green peppercorns, chopped
½ cup garlic puree
½ cup ground pepper
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon salt

Melt margarine in large skillet on medium low heat. Once melted, add flour. With whisk, stir constantly, so that mixture doesn’t burn, until it is golden brown. Slowly stir in both containers of cream to avoid lumps. Dissolve beef bullion in hot water and slowly add to mixture whisking out any lumps. Add tomato paste, brandy extract, pickled peppercorns, garlic, and ground pepper, vinegar and salt. Stir and simmer on low heat and keep warm.

Onion Pepper Mixture
12 sweet peppers (mixture of red, green, and yellow)
4 giant white onions
1 lb fresh mushrooms
2 dozen fresh tomatoes (Roma)

Slice mushrooms. Slice peppers and onions into half moons. Put peppers, onions, and mushrooms into same container. (can be done one day before). Slice tomatoes into large chunks. Set aside. Remove steak cubes from marinade and drain. Oil grill or very large skillets. Sauté pepper/onion/mushroom mixture over medium heat until onions are translucent. Set aside and keep warm. Add more oil to grill or skillets. Sauté steak cubes on high heat draining liquid as it cooks so that the meat browns on all sides. Be careful not to overcook. When meat is medium rare, combine meat, onion/pepper/mushroom mixture, and fresh tomatoes with the creamy peppercorn sauce in large steam pan. Serve with Honey Dijon Carrots and Focaccia Bread.

Craig and Jamie Rule!

2007-08-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my friends Craig and Jamie sent me an email telling me about how they tried the BBQ corn recipe. They even improvised a bit and... THEY SENT PICTURES!
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is precisely the kind of behavior that will get you widespread DIY Gourmet praise, exaltation, internet 2.o fame and general props and shoutouts. Faithful readers, feel free to learn from Craig and Jamie's example, get cookin', and send me pictures.
Peace.
~DJ Dread

Make your own DIY Sushi

2007-08-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days I have had a powerful hankerin' for sushi, but I have also been rather financially limited. So tonight I made a rude gesture towards the surly teenage Asian waitresses and blind peasant woodsmen hacks at a certain Commercial Drive budget sushi establishment, I sharpened my knife, summoned my inner samurai, and I made my own delicious sushi.

I decided to make 3 kinds of vegetarian sushi because I also couldn't afford any deluxe fish. My trio of Japanese yumminess was comprised of miso roasted eggplant rolls, roasted yam with lettuce rolls, and good 'ol kappa maki (that's cucumber roll for all you Philistines out there). Hey ho, let's go!
Ingredients
4 cups of short grain sushi rice
enough water to cover using the Mount Fuji method

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

1 large yam peeled and sliced thinly lengthwise
1 Japanese eggplant sliced thinly lengthwise
1 cucumber, julienned
small lettuce leaves

2 tablespoons miso paste
2 tablespoons mayo
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 clove garlic crushed
Directions
Prepare rice using sushi method described here. Mix vinegar sugar and salt in small saucepan. Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle over rice, mix in, and fan to cool to room temperature.

Mix miso, mayo, oil, and garlic. Brush on yam and eggplant slices. Roast on cookie sheets in 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and tender. Let cool and julienne.

Roll sushi using cucumber, yam, lettuce, and eggplant as fillings using method described here.

Itadakimasu!

BBQ Corn with Lime Spice Rub

2007-08-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

This is a summer favourite of ours and I think it is definitely the best way to eat corn on the cob.
Ingredients
1-2 ears of unshucked! corn per person (ears closed tight)
1/2 lime per person

1 teaspoon onion flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons brown sugar

lime / spice technique

Directions
Preheat BBQ on high. Combine spices together and mix. Divide equal portions of spice mix into enough ramekins for each dinner guest. Cut limes in half. Put unshucked corn on BBQ and turn down to medium heat. Grill for 5 minutes then flip over and grill other side for 5 minutes. Remove from BBQ and shuck burnt corn ears using oven mitts. The corn inside will be perfectly cooked and tasty. Serve hot with spice rub and lime halves by dipping cut lime face in spice mixture and then rubbing and squeezing on corn.

Kilt Commercial Video Awards

2007-08-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

My mates Leigh, Hillary, and myself made this video for a commercial contest run by Utilikilt and we got second place. We were pretty stoked. Here it is for your viewing pleasure...

Chicken Fried Bacon

2007-06-19T20:50:00.001-07:00

I am so jealous that I didn't think of this first, and I got to get to Snook, Texas...fast.

Sezzie's Lemonade

2007-06-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

We started Sarah's birthday celebrations with these yummy summer drinks. I call it Sezzie's Lemonade in honour of her special day.

Sezzie's Lemonade
1 shot tequila
1 squeeze of fresh lemon
high quality natural lemonade (like Santa Cruz Organic) or sparkling lemon soda like San Pelligrino Limonata
fresh mint for garnish
lemon slice for garnish
sugar
ice
Sugar the rim of a 12oz glass. Over ice combine tequila, squeeze of lemon, and lemonade to fill. Garnish with fresh mint and lemon slice.

It's Your Bithday! Bring on the Kotopita!

2007-06-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Sarah's birthday so we had her and Ang and Leigh over for a big yummy birthday bash. We started with big glasses of Sezzie's Lemonade, (see next post for recipe) and then moved directly to the main course of Kotopita (Greek Chicken Pie) served with Lemon Garlic Potatoes and Greek Salad. I found the Kotopita recipe online at this great site, but I tweaked it a bit to make it more interesting.

Kotopita (Greek Filo Chicken Pie)

INGREDIENTS	PREP	AMOUNT
Water		3 cups
Chicken thighs	boneless,	2 lbs
Butter		1/3 cup
Flour		1/3 cup
Onions	sliced	3
Garlic cloves	chopped	5
Spinach	chopped	1 bunch
Feta cheese	crumbled	1 1/2 cups
Dill, fresh	chopped	1 cup
Parsley	chopped	1 cup
Mint	chopped	2 Tbsp
Nutmeg		1 tsp
Salt & pepper		to taste
Oregano		2 tablespoons
Lemon juice and zest		1

Filo dough		12-14 sheets
Butter or olive oil		1/2 cup

METHOD

Basic Steps: Poach → Sauté → Thicken → Mix → Form bottom → Fill → Form top → Bake

Put the water and the chicken in a large saucepan. Add a little salt and pepper and simmer on med heat for about 30 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and set the chicken and the broth aside to cool. Remove the chicken from the broth and shred.
In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and stir in well. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook and stir another 5 minutes until the mixture is golden brown.
Pour the poaching broth all at once into the skillet and whisk together well to avoid lumps. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. It will thicken during this time.
In another pan add some oil and the onions and garlic and sauté quickly, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add spinach and saute until wilted.
Remove from heat and cool.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the feta, dill, mint, parsley, nutmeg, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and the thickened broth and the onion spinach mixture. Stir together well. Taste and adjust seasonings. Stir in the eggs.
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9"x9" baking dish or a deep-dish pie tin. Lay a layer of filo over the dish and brush with oil or butter. Add 5 or six more sheets of filo, each at a different angle to cover the dish well. Brush each with oil before adding the next. Press the filo well into all corners of the dish.
Add the chicken-cheese filling to the dish and spread out evenly.
Repeat process with the remaining filo to form a top to the dish. Trim the edges of filo that are hanging over the edge to about 1 1/2". Roll them together toward the center to form an edge.
Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake anywhere from 45-60 minutes, or until center is bubbly and crust is nicely browned.
Remove from the oven, let cool about 15 minutes and serve with a salad.

BBQ Mustard Dill Salmon

2007-06-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

This evening our friend Laura came over and wanted to learn how to BBQ salmon. She was excited about a mustard / dill groove so we invented this fabulous wet rub...

Laura rocks the mortar and pestle

BBQ Salmon Dill Mustard Wet Rub
1 teaspoon ground mustard powder or yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 handfuls fresh dill
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 small thumb fresh ginger
1 big tasty salmon fillet, skin on one side

Throw all ingredients into mortar and bash to oblivion with your pestle while singing the Ramone's - Beat On the Brat. Or if you haven't just returned from Cambodia with a huge stone mortar and pestle that cost you $2.75 you could use a blender; although it is not nearly as satisfying in that culinary violence sort of way. Make thin slices into the flesh of the salmon and massage your dill mustard goo all over the flesh side deep into the cuts. Stroke it, love it, caress it!

Oil the grill and preheat your BBQ on high for 5 min and then turn it down to low. Rip a piece of tinfoil twice as big as your fish and fold it over so that you have a 2-ply fish-sized piece of foil. Put your salmon directly on one half of the grill, skin side down. Close lid for 3 minutes. Wait patiently. Then place tinfoil on other side of grill and with 2 flippers carefully transfer fish directly onto the foil. Close lid again and let fish sizzle on the foil for 3-5 minutes until flaky but not dry. Bon Appetit!

Joanna's Amazing Margaritas

2007-05-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

Last night Leigh, Ang, and Sarah came over. Joanna made margaritas and let's just say that my beautiful wife is pretty dang handy with a blender and a bottle of tequila. Good times.

Joanna's Amazing Margaritas
1 can frozen concentrate limeade
1/2 can frozen concentrate berry punch
big handful trimmed fresh strawberries
1 tray ice cubes
1 cup of tequila

Toss all ingredients into your trusty blender and frapperoo. Adjust tequila potency according to taste. Pour into fancy glasses rimmed with sugar. Garnish with a fresh strawberry. Makes one full jug of summery happiness.

The Tuk Tuk Boom Boom

2007-05-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

Speaking of refreshing cocktails by the pool, here is what Phil is drinking today. He thought this one up with our friend Zack and called it the Brazen Hussy, but in the spirit of our fabulous Cambodian adventures we have decided to rename it the Tuk Tuk Boom Boom, because it goes down fast but it will hit you hard, just like the traffic here in Phomn Penh.

The Tuk Tuk Boom Boom

1 oz vodka

1 oz Cointreau

juice of 1 lime

Combine with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake it like the turbulence on a transpacific EVA Airlines flight. Serve in a chilled martini glass. Sip and repeat until you forget how hot it is.

Drinks by the Pool in Phomn Penh

2007-05-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I fly back to Canada for a triumphant reunion with my schmoopie and very cute family. The only thing that is keeping me sane right now after a very successful, although ridiculously hot and sweaty, 3 weeks in Cambodia is sipping refreshing cocktails beside the pool at my favourite hotel in the entire world. Today's current favorite beverage (I've had 3 so far) is essentially a mojito slurpee. Here is my rough guess of the recipe just like they whip it up here at the Billabong Hotel, deep in the heart of Phomn Penh.

The Mojito Slurpee

1 cup ice cubes

juice of one lime

2 oz rum

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 fist of fresh mint

Combine, blend the crap out of it, and sip beside the pool. Kampai!

jo hijacks the blog

2007-05-07T09:23:00.000-07:00

Greeting! It's Joanna and I am highjacking the blog. I thought all you dj dread fans would want another update, so here are some excerpts from Wade's email today:

I am in Siem Reap (tourist town closest to
Angkor Wat temples) and my net connection is awesome
but my keyboard sucks. It's like playing a really old
piano where you need to hammer each individual key
down really hard just for it to do anything.

phil, l. and dj dread at angkor watt

Yesterday we had lunch at a great Thai place.
In the afternoon we prepared for our time in
S'ville. I taught my usual balloon ninja skills.
Then we gave all the balloons away to the
neighbourhood kids so of course in a few minutes their
was a small riot in front of the house. It was
pretty funny.

This morning we left at 6 am for Siem Reap. The bus
was air conned but no leg room. Our driver is also the
slowest driver in all of Cambodia, which i think is
rather ironic. We stopped at a 'rest stop' and Phil
bought a bag of toasted crickets for everyone to try.
I ate a BBQ'd tarantula again. It was a lot bigger
than the one i had last year, and was honestly tastier
and way better than the crickets.

last year's tarantula

We had about 3 1/2 hours to see the temples. we saw
Angkor Watt ( the biggest one) and ta phrom (the jungle
one) everyone really loved it. Phil took a bunch of
pictures of me in [my utili] kilt so I can try and win a free
one. because we are in a tourist town We took
everyone out for pizza for supper and we are going to
a breakfast buffet before we leave tomorrow. We are
definitely in everyone's good books right now.

Soph, dj dread & the utilikilt

Tomorrow we go to Sianookville and we will be in the
bus for at least 11hrs, maybe 15 the way our driver
seems to take his time. There is no leg room so
please pray that I don't go insane.

The dread sensei probably will be out of touch for the rest of the trip, but returns home on the 20th...stay tuned! Love Joanna

Tuk Tuk Lunch Adventures

2007-05-02T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well I am in Cambodia and so far loving every minute of it. Yesterday Phil (most of this text is lifted directly from his blog), Rachel and I spent the day with Darah, our tuk tuk driver that we hired for the day. He took us all around the city of Phnom Penh showing us all the non-touristy places. It was so cool just to hang with him and hear about his family, his job, and his life.

We wanted to go for lunch at a local, non-tourist, Cambodian place so he took us to Mekong Island. And so the adventure begins...

We thought that it was going to be totally touristy and developed by the pictures that we saw on a billboard, but it turns out that the guy who took the picture is a liar and also a ninja master at Photoshop. When we got there we hopped on the ferry (less glamorous that it sounds, imagine a rusty, diesel belching, floating hunk of scrap steel) and headed across the Mekong to the island. The island paradise was a bunch of sketchy 6 foot high bamboo huts, mostly under water with grass roofs on them. We walked along the littered beach to the huts all the while being mobbed by sweet people asking us to buy their scarfs that they made. When we got to the huts the 4 of us sat down in confusion for lunch.

People were surrounding us the whole time asking us to buy stuff and we almost fell into the Mekong as the bamboo floor we were sitting on broke through. We waited for a while for lunch (they needed to kill the chicken and catch the fish), still not knowing what was going on, but having a great time talking and hanging out with Darah, and all our new friends trying to sell us their stuff. When lunch came we were not let down.

A whole fried fish, ungutted, served with fresh chili sauce: the scrawniest, most pathetic (although organic) chicken I have ever seen, served with lime rock salt; a mango chili salad finished with fish sauce; and a huge pot a of rice. All washed down with bottled water and weak beer served over ice. We ate until we were full and also shared our food with 3 kids and a one-eyed dog wading in the river. We all agreed that this was the best Asian lunch we have EVER had, even though a few times we were seriously wondering what we were getting into. Good times in Cambodia.

Airplane Pork Congee (with 1000 year old egg)

2007-05-01T17:01:00.000-07:00

I may not be able to post many recipes over the next few weeks because I am currently in Cambodia sampling the amazing food over here (and doing a bunch of other stuff as well.) On the flight over here I had my first ever congee. It was so delicious and warm and gingery and smooth and soul satisfyingly tasty (even though I have no idea what a 1000 year old egg is, and I'm not sure I want to know). Even though I can't guarantee it's yumminess, here is a recipe I found for pork congee. I mean if EVA Airlines can make a great congee, how hard can it really be?

INGREDIENTS
1 cup long grain white rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
5 cups water
1/2 pound boneless pork loin roast
1 1/2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1 salted (hard-cooked) duck egg, chopped
1 hundred-year egg, minced
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped green onion
ground black pepper to taste
soy sauce to taste
DIRECTIONS
Rinse and drain the rice, and place in a large pot. Stir in the salt and oil, and let stand for 5 minutes.
Add the pork to the rice, and stir in the water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through. Remove the pork from the pot with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Continue to simmer the rice for 20 minutes. Chop the pork into small cubes, and mix with the salted egg and hundred-year egg.
After the 20 minutes are up, stir the pork and egg mixture back into the congee along with the oyster sauce. Serve in bowls, and garnish with ginger and green onion. Have soy sauce and pepper on the side for seasoning.

Ultimate Mega Extreme Wings of Death

2007-04-15T20:03:00.000-07:00

My brother-in-law is staying with us and he is a hockey fan. Quite frankly, I could care less about hockey but I love Matt and tonight I made him hot wings to enjoy while watching the game. I personally think that these are THE BEST FREAKIN' HOT WINGS I HAVE EVER MADE! ...and believe me, I know my way around raw meat and hot fat.

Coating
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon powdered smoke
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 batch of chicken wings

Sauce
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons whiskey
1 cup of your choice of hot sauce
(I suggest 1/2 cup Tabasco Chipotle, 1/4 cup Tabasco Habanero, 1/4 cup SriRacha Rooster)

Mix dry coating ingredients together in a large plastic bag. Add wings and shake to coat. Deep fry in small batches for 8-10 min. Meanwhile add all sauce ingredients to saucepan mix and heat. Pour sauce over wings and toss to coat.

If you want wimpier wings, use a lame hot sauce or just go to Earls with your tail between your legs and never read my blog ever again. If you want hotter wings, then you are my kind of people and you should use more Habanero and / or add 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper to the coating.

The Best Waffle Recipe, EVER!

2007-04-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

Now I am a man who appreciates a fine waffle. I even convinced and won over my wife to my bacon waffles (yum!) So when I found a waffle blog I was a little skeptical about their recipe for amazing crispy waffles. Long story short, this morning I made easy crispy waffles and the scales fell off my eyes and I saw the light. What makes this recipe amazing and easy is that it is a yeast batter that you make the night before and then it rises overnight in the fridge. When you get up you stir to deflate it and I added just a tiny splash of milk to get it a bit thinner (it thickens up a bit overnight). Pour it into your waffle maker and prepare to receive a divine revelation.

Easy Crispy Waffles
2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 stick melted butter (1/2 cup)
2 cups warm milk (heated to about 110 degrees)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

The night before:
Combine and whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Combine the melted butter and milk. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients. Whisk eggs and vanilla together in a separate small bowl. Add the egg-vanilla mixture to the other mixture, and whisk until well-combined. Cover with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge until tomorrow morning.

The next morning:
Prepare waffle iron as usual. Stir the batter to deflate it (it should be puffy and frothy). Add to waffle iron the same way you would other batter, keeping in mind that this batter will rise more than batters that use baking powder instead of yeast.

Random Recipe Generator

2007-04-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Do you ever stare into your fridge which is jam-packed with stuff, but nothing edible, and wonder... "What am I going to eat?" Are you ever so tired, or so hungry, or so overwhelmed with life that you have no idea what you are going to make for supper? Well friends, the answer is here! Introducing the... Random Recipe Generator.

Lately I have been at a loss to try to think of amazing recipes and finding the luxury of time to blog amongst the daily duties of fatherhood has been difficult. Yesterday, our friend Puff (one of my most faithful blog readers) called to chat and mentioned that although she has enjoyed my endless ranting about the Godless, Evil Coffee Empire, she does really miss the good recipes.
Sorry Puff, 'cuz you're still out of luck. Although it is humourous, I certainly wouldn't call the following recipe any good...

Apples Supreme
Serves 1

You will need:

80ml vinegar
150ml tomato ketchup
150ml water
110g anchovies
5 apples

Preparation:

pre-heat the oven to 310 C
fry the apples
add the apples
sauté the anchovies
defrost the water
fry the anchovies
fry the water
eat the water
fry the apples
fry the vinegar
heat the apples
mix the anchovies in
simmer the anchovies gently for 20 minutes
put the tomato ketchup in the saucepan
bake for 30 minutes and serve hot

What? You don't like the recipe? No worries, just click on the Random Recipe Generator for a new recipe. Let's try it right now. Ta dah!

Mushrooms Creme Brulee

Serves 3

You will need:

40g mushrooms
10ml soy sauce
120ml coffee
70ml essence of vanilla

Preparation:

fry the essence of vanilla
microwave the essence of vanilla
microwave the mushrooms
fry the coffee until browned
grill the soy sauce
order out

Yum. I think the last step in the preparations of this one is the way to go. Well, there you have it friends. Play with the Random Recipe Generator as much as you want until I can post something that is actually edible. Have fun and remember, if the Random Recipe Generator actually spits out something resembling food, I'm sure it is only a coincidence. DIYGourmet assumes no liability or responsibility for any harm or medical conditions resulting from eating ANYTHING generated by the Random Recipe Generator.

Wade vs. Joanna Blog Counter Wars

2007-03-26T22:25:00.001-07:00

Lately Joanna has been very pround of the fact that the counter on her blog overtook mine. Everyday she usually has 1 or 2 hits more than me and we have been neck and neck for over a week. But now the gloves are off. Things have escalated to a point that our friend Sandra has even promised that she would practice Pallister equiblog surfing. But for those of you who are not as nice as Sandra, I challenge you to choose your favorite Pallister and show your support via blog hits. This current blog rivalry reminds me of this Simpson's episode where Bart and Lisa are on different hockey teams. I hope that you enjoy. Let the gratuitous blog hits begin! As Homer says starting at 02:20 in this clip...
"The winner will be showered with praise! The loser will be taunted and booed until my throat is sore!"

Social Revolution Through Pillow Fights

2007-03-25T22:48:00.000-07:00

Resistance is Futile. Prepare to be Assimilated.

2007-03-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse...

How to Roast Your Own Coffee Beans.

2007-03-23T21:02:00.001-07:00

My mate Stu sent me this link and I only wish that I would have thought of this first. On this video they use a hot air popcorn popper to roast green coffee beans. COOL! The Wayne's World wannabe production values are also so bad that this video has gone to the next level of awesomeness. Party Time, Excellent!

You're joking, right? Please tell me you are joking.

2007-03-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

For yet another sign that something is seriously wrong with this world click here.

Make Your Own Vanilla Syrup and Give Starbucks the Shaft!

2007-03-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

Lately in our house 5 pm - 11 pm has become the crying-child-don't-get-anything-done-bedtime-hour. It seems that Eleanor has decided that she will only be soothed if you hold her and bounce on the giant exercise ball for all 6 of those hours. Now I love holding and snuggling my daughter, but after about an hour on that stupid ball your mind starts to wander.

Please don't have your family picture taken at Walmart ever again. Please. For the love of all that's pure and holy, please hire someone who knows what they are doing. Like Sandra. She's nice. She takes good pictures. And she doesn't wear a stupid blue vest and a name tag. 'Nuf said.

I have tried reading while bouncing but that seems to be a one way ticket to a migraine. Of course you can watch TV, but we don't have cable, or more importantly, the Food Network. Drinking coffee while bouncing results in 3rd degree burns, and typing emails is next to impossible. All my ball time has done wonders for my spinal alignment but it has seriously cut into my computer time.

Today I decided to forgo the ball and to stand and do the baby sway while I read some blogs. I like to check out this food blog that I found. They have this great post about making your own vanilla syrup. Now if you make your own vanilla syrup then you can make your own amazingly yummy lattes at home and then you can boycott the Evil Empire. I haven't made the syrup yet but I was just happy to find someone else who hates Starbucks as much as I do. Of course, because I wasn't bouncing, Eleanor got seriously ticked and woke up. Oh well, I hope that the vanilla syrup is worth it.
To check out more people who hate Starbucks, click here. Fight the power.

Do it Yourself Ipod Battery Replacement

2007-03-16T21:08:00.000-07:00

I have had an incredibly hard time posting frequently with my current endless duties of superdaddy, soapmaster, and hard-working roadie extraordinaire. But just ten minutes ago I had a giant personal triumph.

I replaced my Ipod battery (to quote my daughter, Sophia) "all by myself." And let me tell you, it was not without trial. First of all, the instructions that came with my third party replacement battery weren't all that helpful, and of course the photos were minuscule and fuzzy. I also found out that Ipods are stinkin' difficult to get into. I guess that is a good thing, but just to make things even more challenging, one of the special plastic prying screwdrivers included with my new battery snapped in the middle of the ordeal. At that point I wanted some better instructions so I got online and found this incredibly helpful web page.

Once I took a deep breathe and chilled out it wasn't even that hard. However, if you have just had a quadruple iced mocha latte, and have a serious case of the shakes I wouldn't recommend trying it until you have a steady hand. My new battery is currently charging and I am stoked that it cost me $33 and a half hour of my patience as opposed to $99 and shipping and handling that Apple Inc. wanted to charge me. Smell you later, Steve Jobs...

My New Favorite Restaurant

2007-03-05T21:13:00.000-08:00

My birthday was on Sunday and due to babydom and my work schedule it passed almost without me knowing it, except for a fabulous breakfast and amazing espresso ice cream pie lovingly prepared by my foxy wife. So tonight I wanted to go for supper and I wanted it to be asiany and fabulous fresh and cheap and groovy and independent and family owned and Vancouver-y and within walking distance and I wanted my family to be the only white people in the establishment. Asking too much perhaps? Heck no!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to announce that my new favorite restaurant is the...

Hollywood Cafe Restaurant
2128 East Hastings, Vancouver BC
604 251-3322
Open 7 days a week 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

An online restaurant review is here. (Did I forget to mention that the review is mostly in Chinese? A very good sign of excellence if you ask me.)

The Hollywood specializes in Malaysian / Nonya / Hainanese food at amazing prices and huge portions in a clean family diner-type setting. How can you argue with that?

We ordered the Malaysian Dinner for 2. It was Roti Canai, Chicken Satay, Tom Yum Seafood Soup, Sweet and Sour Chicken, and Garlic Green Beans with Sambal Prawns and rice and dessert, and was it ever tasty... and cheap! Sophia loved everything and ate her face off. Joanna and I ate until we were stuffed and we took away a small container of leftovers. So three of us had a great meal all for $35 including tip.

Sophia partying down on the Malaysian feast.

For all my faithful readers who live in Vancouver, get over to this restaurant as soon as you can. Here is a map. For the rest of you, get on a plane to Vancouver as soon as you can and go to the Hollywood Cafe. Your transit directions from the airport are as follows...

Depart: 9:02a - VANCOUVER INTERNATL AIRPORT LEVEL 1
On route: 424 AIRPORT STN
Arrive: 9:08a - AIRPORT STN BAY 5

Transfer: 9:11a - AIRPORT STN BAY 1
On route: 98 BURRARD STN / B-LINE
Arrive: 9:35a - NORTHBOUND SEYMOUR ST AT W GEORGIA ST

Transfer: 9:37a - NORTHBOUND SEYMOUR ST AT DUNSMUIR ST
On route: 16 29TH AVE STATION
Arrive: 9:55a - EASTBOUND E HASTINGS ST AT LAKEWOOD DR

Joanna and Eleanor basking in the Combo-Meal-for-Two induced glow.

When you are done your meal, it is only a short 10 minute walk to our house to pop by for a quick post-birthday visit. And remember, meat and beer are always appropriate gifts.

p.s. I just answered my front door and Ang and Leigh just dropped off a birthday present of a package of pork ribs and some raw bacon... before I even uploaded this post. They are so cool!

A Beautiful Day for a Heart Attack

2007-02-25T14:13:00.000-08:00

The other day I whipped up this tasty little a.m. treat because I was starving after being awake most of the night with my superdaddy duties. If you have a heart condition or any other medical problem, I highly suggest that you stop reading now lest you fall into greasy temptation.

Ingredients:
1 fresh Portuguese bun
Dijon mustard
mayo
sliced fresh tomato
1 fat, fabulous sausage (chorizo or something of the like)
2 slices bacon
1/2 small onion, sliced
1 potato grated or leftover baked potato deskinned and chopped
2 cloves of garlic
handful of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 egg, whipped with fork
a few slices of cheese
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce

Start by frying the sausage and bacon in one frying pan. In another pan, slowly fry the onion and garlic in a splash of oil until soft and buttery. Keep meat and onions warm in oven. Fry potato into hash browns with oil and garlic. Once browned, toss in parsley. In other pan, pour in egg and sizzle into omelet, add slices of cheese on top. Meanwhile slice open bun, do the mayo and mustard thing, and add tomato, maybe a bit of fresh ground pepper. Now comes the fun part. Carefully remove cheese omelet from pan. Wrap sausage and bacon in the omelet like a burrito. Place into bun. Ladle up fried onions and hash browns. Add a splash of hot sauce and warm up the defibrillator. Consider yourself warned.

Sushi Samurai

2007-02-21T20:30:00.000-08:00

The other day Soph and I were playing toddler computer games on the CBC kid's website and I found this awesome game. Of course, I can only play it after she has gone to sleep.

In the game you are this little Japanese dude who climbs ladders, drops slices of fish and cucumber to make nigiri, and throws wasabi at your enemies (shitake, diakon, and fugu). Fun all around and just the thing for a good 10 minutes of distraction.

(Local) Food for Thought

2007-02-18T19:39:00.000-08:00

I haven't been cooking a lot lately because it taken all my energy just to keep things barely resembling normalcy around our house. Many of our friends have also brought over meals for us which has been a tremendous help. Thank you so much all of you.

I am also getting emails and comments from many of you who are really enjoying the blog. Once again, thank you for all your encouragement. But just because my life is now firmly entrenched in new parent craziness and I am not cooking as often as I usually do, I still don't want to disappoint my faithful readers. So I was thoroughly interested when our friend Audra (oops, I mean Guerrilla-Love-Hands) sent me this link.

Apparently these people are all about eating only locally produced food. I read though their page and it is a very interesting idea. The following explanation is taken from their web page (www.100milediet.org). Check it out...

About

When the average North American sits down to eat, each ingredient has typically travelled at least 1,500 miles—call it "the SUV diet." On the first day of spring, 2005, Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon (bios) chose to confront this unsettling statistic with a simple experiment. For one year, they would buy or gather their food and drink from within 100 miles of their apartment in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Since then, James and Alisa have gotten up-close-and-personal with issues ranging from the family-farm crisis to the environmental value of organic pears shipped across the globe. They've reconsidered vegetarianism and sunk their hands into community gardening. They've eaten a lot of potatoes.

Their 100-Mile Diet struck a deeper chord than anyone could have predicted. Within weeks, reprints of their blog at thetyee.ca had appeared on sites across the internet. Then came the media, from BBC Worldwide to Utne magazine. Dozens of individuals and grassroots groups have since launched their own 100-Mile Diet adventures. The need now is clear: a locus where 100-milers can get the information they need to try their own lifestyle experiments, and to exchange ideas and develop campaigns. That locus will be here at 100MileDiet.org—turning an idea into a movement.

Why Eat Local? 13 Lucky Reasons.

1. Taste the difference.

At a farmers’ market, most local produce has been picked inside of 24 hours. It comes to you ripe, fresh, and with its full flavor, unlike supermarket food that may have been picked weeks or months before. Close-to-home foods can also be bred for taste, rather than withstanding the abuse of shipping or industrial harvesting. Many of the foods we ate on the 100-Mile Diet were the best we’d ever had.

2. Know what you’re eating.

Buying food today is complicated. What pesticides were used? Is that corn genetically modified? Was that chicken free range or did it grow up in a box? People who eat locally find it easier to get answers. Many build relationships with farmers whom they trust. And when in doubt, they can drive out to the farms and see for themselves.

3. Meet your neighbors.

Local eating is social. Studies show that people shopping at farmers’ markets have 10 times more conversations than their counterparts at the supermarket. Join a community garden and you’ll actually meet the people you pass on the street. Sign up with the 100-Mile Diet Society; we’ll be working to connect people in your area who care about the same things you do.

4. Get in touch with the seasons.

When you eat locally, you eat what’s in season. You’ll remember that cherries are the taste of summer. Even in winter, comfort foods like squash soup and pancakes just make sense–a lot more sense than flavorless cherries from the other side of the world.

5. Discover new flavors.

Ever tried sunchokes? How about purslane, quail eggs, yerba mora, or tayberries? These are just a few of the new (to us) flavors we sampled over a year of local eating. Our local spot prawns, we learned, are tastier than popular tiger prawns. Even familiar foods were more interesting. Count the types of pear on offer at your supermarket. Maybe three? Small farms are keeping alive nearly 300 other varieties–while more than 2,000 more have been lost in our rush to sameness .

6. Explore your home.

Visiting local farms is a way to be a tourist on your own home turf, with plenty of stops for snacks.

7. Save the world.

A study in Iowa found that a regional diet consumed 17 times less oil and gas than a typical diet based on food shipped across the country. The ingredients for a typical British meal, sourced locally, traveled 66 times fewer “food miles.” Or we can just keep burning those fossil fuels and learn to live with global climate change, the fiercest hurricane seasons in history, wars over resources…

8. Support small farms.

We discovered that many people from all walks of life dream of working the land–maybe you do too. In areas with strong local markets, the family farm is reviving. That’s a whole lot better than the jobs at Wal-Mart and fast-food outlets that the globalized economy offers in North American towns.

9. Give back to the local economy.

A British study tracked how much of the money spent at a local food business stayed in the local economy, and how many times it was reinvested. The total value was almost twice the contribution of a dollar spent at a supermarket chain .

10. Be healthy.

Everyone wants to know whether the 100-Mile Diet worked as a weight-loss program. Well, yes, we lost a few pounds apiece. More importantly, though, we felt better than ever. We ate more vegetables and fewer processed products, sampled a wider variety of foods, and ate more fresh food at its nutritional peak. Eating from farmers’ markets and cooking from scratch, we never felt a need to count calories.

11. Create memories.

A friend of ours has a theory that a night spent making jam–or in his case, perogies–with friends will always be better a time than the latest Hollywood blockbuster. We’re convinced.

12. Have more fun while traveling.

Once you’re addicted to local eating, you’ll want to explore it wherever you go. On a recent trip to Mexico, earth-baked corn and hot-spiced sour oranges led us away from the resorts and into the small towns. Somewhere along the line, a mute magician gave us a free show over bowls of lime soup in a little cantina.

13. And always remember:

Everything about food and cooking is a metaphor for sex.

... well then, at least you are still paying attention if you have read this far. Heh, heh, heh, heh... they just said "sex".

So anyway, that is something to think about. Now, I'm not about to give up olives, or especially coffee just because it is not grown in the Lower Mainland but I am definitely going to sign up for their newsletter. I dare you to as well. I double-dog dare you.

The Trials of Bedtime and a Good, Stiff Drink

2007-02-16T20:07:00.000-08:00

We are all slowly adapting to life as we now know it with our latest family addition. Sophia has been doing awesome and loves her little sister, but as expected, has been testing all of our parenting boundaries and rules. In my pop psychology, touchy-feely, I've-read-all-the-right-books, birth prep class intellect I know that this phenomenon is called "normalizing" but the rest of me wants to call it "Do as I say or I will shake you like a British nanny!" (That was a joke everybody. It is a little device we call... sarcasm. Please don't call any child protection authorities, ((by the way, Maria doesn't work there anymore.)) I'm not going to shake a specific cute little girl, although it has been very tempting the last few days.)

I have found the perfect device to get me through the preparing-for-bedtime-tribulation. It is called... the evening cocktail, and last night I perfected my recipe. I call it...
The Burning Ring of Fire. It is essentially a tequila martini, and here is the recipe for all you parents of toddlers out there.

The Burning Ring of Fire

1 shot tequila
1 shot vodka
juice of 1/4 lime
1 dash Tabasco Chipotle sauce
1 dash Tabasco Habanero sauce
1 drop liquid smoke (mesquite if you can)
fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
slice of lime for garnish

Mix chili powder and salt on shallow plate. Use this mixture to rim a chilled martini glass. In a cocktail shaker toss in ice cubes and add tequila, vodka, lime juice, hot sauces, and liquid smoke. Shake like a disobedient toddler. Pour into martini glass, garish with lime slice, and finish with a smidge of fresh ground pepper on top.

Warning: This is not your average pastel-polo-shirt wussy martini. It does not come with an umbrella. It tastes like kerosene distilled through a sulfur-fired blast furnace. It is deliberately designed to be strong, harsh, and uncomfortable to remind one that just like life, somethings are hard to swallow but the pleasant, lingering warmth afterwards makes it all worthwhile.

Cute Girls and Guns.

2007-02-15T16:51:00.000-08:00

Today I was emailed pictures of my 14 year old niece at her junior prom. She looked absolutely stunning and I was once again reminded that all too soon I will be in the position of dealing with prepubescent boys, up to no good, sniffing around my daughters.

Yo, zitface, don't even think about even looking in the direction of one of my little princesses. Or else.

And thanks to our friend Audra, I have a plan. DIY crossbow. Oh yes, my friends, check it out here or here. Apparently, you don't need a license for a crossbow and they leave a much more ragged, brutal, less surgical wound than a 9mm. And isn't that just what you want when dealing with horny teenage boys? This is what the DIY revolution needs. Brutal handmade weapons! To arms comrades! Next target... McDonald's!

The Embodiment of the DIY Spirit

2007-02-14T17:59:00.001-08:00

As some of you know, it has been a busy few days around our house. Our daughter Eleanor was born at home at 9:25 pm on Feb 12. We are ecstatic and overjoyed. In a few days the grandparents are going to show up and our house will be baby-centric for quite some time.

So, I wanted to take some time to brag about my eldest daughter Sophia and how awesome she is. On the weekend we were doing some errands and we stopped by the Evil Swedish Empire. They had a special Valentines' Day craft organized for the kids, but rather than let some giant multinational corporation tell us how to have fun, in a flash of parenting genius I took Sophia over to the help-yourself-packaging-and-packing station and we made a very stylish crown for her to wear. Check it out below! She breathes the DIY ethos.

Soph Does It Herself

2007-02-14T16:59:00.000-08:00

Sophia stickin' it to the man!

Laptop Techno Will Rule the World.

2007-02-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

I finally managed to get my own songs onto this blog. It took me a while and a great recommendation from my friend Ben, the greatest laptop DJ in the world. He specializes in caffeine-fuelled, rain-drenched glitchcore. Check him out here and get your DIY groove on.

So scroll down and click on the mp3 player on the right, download my tunes, and tell all your friends. Rave on!

One Night In Bangkok

2007-02-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted for a while and I apologize. So many of you checked out my last BBQ post and left wonderfully kind comments that allowed me to relive all the wonderful meals and memories that we have shared together. Thank you so much. (By the way, Knight TV hasn't called me yet.)

This last week has been insane. Our baby is due in 3 days and I am trying to get as much soap work done as possible before the joyous occasion. When I get really busy, sometimes I forget to eat. I know, it's stupid because I love eating! Somewhere in the insanity I whipped up the greatest Pad Thai ever made by a white guy.

I lost my Pad Thai virginity when I was 19. It was the first time I had ever been in Asia, and I spent an amazing 6 weeks in Bangkok that changed my entire world, and most importantly, my tastebuds forever (the 4 days straight of heartburn were worth it!) Of course, Thai food tastes best in Thailand and everything else just pales in comparison. Until you can save up enough pennies to get to the best eating in the world, this recipe will have to do.

A big sloppy kiss for anyone who knows who this dude is.

Ingredients
Sauce
1 oz tamarind paste
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice cooking wine
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 can tomato paste
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
juice and zest of 1 lime
2 stalks lemongrass smashed
5 kaffir lime leaves.

Stir fry stuff
1 pack rice stick noodles
chicken, cut to stir fryability
handful of shrimp
1 block firm tofu, cubed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 huge thumb ginger
1 onion
4 green onions, chopped
2 eggs

Garnish
beansprouts
fist of cilantro, chopped
lime wedges
crushed peanuts

Soak noodles in plenty of cold water for at least 1 hour.

Combine tamarind paste with a 1/4 cup hot water in a small bowl and let soak for at least 15 minutes. Mash it and transfer the mud-like mixture to a strainer set into a bowl. Mash and push with a spoon, forcing liquid to strain into the bowl. Scrape off the juice that clings to the underside of the strainer. You will have about 5 tbsp of tamarind juice. Add to all the other sauce ingredients and simmer in small saucepan.

Heat oil in a wok. Add garlic, ginger and stir, letting it cook for about 30 seconds. Add chicken and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add onion, green onion, tofu and shrimps and stir-fry for 1 more minute. Break eggs into wok and let them fry without breaking them up for 1-2 minutes.

While eggs cook, quickly drain the noodles and then add to wok, giving them a quick fold, stir-frying for 1 minute from the bottom up. Continue stir-frying, mixing everything together for 1-2 minutes. Add all the sauce. Stir-fry for 30 seconds and take off heat.

Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with beansprouts, ground peanuts, and chopped cilantro. Stick a couple of lime wedges on the side and serve immediately.

Serve, eat, repeat.

The glories of BBQ.

2007-02-01T21:24:00.000-08:00

The other day my brother-in-law forwarded me an email about auditioning to be the next TV BBQ guru for a new show that is being developed by the same production company that has already made some great shows for the Food Network. The company is Knight TV and they are responsible for The Great Canadian Food Show, License to Grill, Cook Like a Chef, and This Food That Wine. Check it all out here.

Anyway, is seems to me that I was born for this exact gig, so I sent them an audition tape. Then I started getting all philosophical about why I love to BBQ and I wanted to share these happy thoughts with y'all.

I love to BBQ because I believe it is the fastest and most reliable method of producing guaranteed warm-fuzzy eating memories with people that you love. I mean, that is essentially why I cook. Sure it all tastes great, but I do it because food is the currency that we trade in exchange for the services rendered of unforgetable memories, quality conversation, and the shared joy of time spent together. Culture, life, love, family, celebration, and the entire fabric of our society all happen around the kitchen table. BBQ just happens to be one of the best ways to do it.

There is something about the magic alchemy of flame, smoke, and meat that transforms the neurological reaction between the tastebuds and brain into a transcendental glimpse into heaven. But most importantly, BBQ is the food of celebrations, summer, vacations, birthdays, backyard parties, going to the beach, and long weekends. Good BBQ takes careful preparation, diligence, patience, and a lot of love. Hmm, that sounds alot like the real meaning of life, doesn't it?

So friends, I have told the good people at Knight TV to check out this blog to see what I am all about. If I have ever made you amazing BBQ, now is the time that I'm calling in my favours. I want you to leave a comment to this post about the happy memories and great BBQ that you have shared with me. If you don't have a Blogger account you will have to register so that way we all know who you are. Don't worry, that takes way less time than making a good Jerk Chicken marinade. Make sure to add a cool picture of yourself to your Blogger profile so that way when you comment, I can see your pretty face and relive the BBQ good times with you.

Until the next time we grill together...
your friend,

~pwade

Supper Club

2007-01-28T20:54:00.000-08:00

We meet with 8 friends every two months for a gourmet supper club. All of us love to cook and eat. We all take turns preparing different courses and we go all out. Last night we had an appetizer of thai chicken with red chilis on shoestring potatoes, 5 spice duck with pomegratate jus, and fruit cornucopia with custard and raspberry coulis. Yeah baby, Papa's got a brand new bag. Feel free to drool and live vicariously through the following photos. Yes, it really was that good.

Birth Class Salad

2007-01-28T17:53:00.000-08:00

Today we went to our birthing again class in preparation for the new kid. It was an absolutely fabulous class run by a doula named Sarah. She is a great teacher and we had a fun time and walked away feeling re-energized and empowered for the upcoming momentous event. If you are having a kid, you absolutely must check out her website here, and take a class or hire her to doula for you.

The class was an all day affair so we each brought a potluck dish. The four other couples in the class were funny, intelligent, caring, kindred-soul types who all brought yummy food so we ended up with a fabulous gourmet lunch. I got a few compliments on my Mediterranean couscous salad that I brought, so here it is for your enjoyment.

Ingredients
1 box couscous
1 cube vegetable bullion
1 tablespoon oregano
fresh ground pepper to taste

1 cucumber, peeled
1/2 red onion, diced
hunk o' feta, diced
bunch kalamata olives
2 tomatoes
fist of cilantro, chopped fine

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Prepare couscous according to instructions on label but add the veggie bullion to the hot couscous water for extra flavour. When couscous is done, fluff with a fork and add pepper and oregano. Let cool. Combine cuke, tomatoes, onion, feta, olives, and cilantro. Add couscous and mix. Whisk together remaining ingredients for dressing and toss until everything is combined. Happy birthing!

Honey Dijon Carrots

2007-01-26T20:46:00.000-08:00

Sophia actually preferred these carrots over the lamb. I don't think she has learned that carrots aren't cute yet. Oh well, I ate her lamb. Everyone wins!

Ingredients
bunch of carrots cut as you are so inspired
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper

Boil the carrots until they are almost done but still crisp. If you are English, this might be incredibly difficult. (Sorry Bob, Helen, Gill, Paul, Ralph, Rachel, Ray, Tina, Peter, Henri, Heidi, Paul, Serena, and all of Joanna's family. Please tell your countrymen to stop boiling the crap out of their veggies.)
Drain the water and quickly add the butter, Dijon, and honey so that everything melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Yum. God save the Queen, the facist regime.

Balsamic Mint Lavender Reduction

2007-01-26T20:37:00.000-08:00

When you go to plate the lamb chops, whip up this glaze to drizzle over the chops...

Ingredients
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 splash soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
2 teaspoons lavender

Bring ingredients to a boil in a small sauce pan. Boil down until reduced and thickened but be careful not to boil it too long or you will have vinegar taffy.

Mary Had A Tasty Little Lamb...

2007-01-24T22:53:00.000-08:00

Our friend Shannon wanted to hang out and brought over some gorgeous halal lamb chops last night. I marinated them up, made a rub and this evening she came over and brought along Lucas and Ari for the lamb feast. (There are three morals to this story. One, if you bring me delicious meat, I will cook for you. Two, our Muslim brothers know their way around a butcher shop. Three, cute things taste good.)

So anyway, buy yourself some cute little lamb and turn the volume up to 11. You will need...

Marinade
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup beer
1/4 cup oil
1 sm onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon lavender
1 tablespoon oregano

Bang everything together, mix, and pour into giant Ziplock. Add chops and marinade overnight in fridge.

Tasty Little Lamb Spice Rub
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon crushed mustard seed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon lavender
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon mint
1 teaspoon lemonade crystals

Take lamb out of marinade, wash and dry chops. Mix spices and rub both sides. BBQ. DO NOT OVERCOOK! After all this work that would just be blasphemy and that cute, fuzzy, little lamb would have died in vain. For more info about the ultimate BBQ doneness poke test click here. Let chops rest 5 minutes and sprinkle leftover rub on them before serving with Balsamic Lavender Reduction, Honey Dijon Carrots and Rustic Smashed Potatoes. Those recipes to come soon...

McGut Rot

2007-01-20T21:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight we were doing some errands so we stopped at a fast food restaurant to eat. Earlier in the day I had shown Ben an awesome flash-based video game that my friend Hillary showed me. It is a hilarious, satirical Sim-esque video game where you control an evil international fast food corporation where you bulldoze rain forests, plant genetically modified soy, pump hormones into cattle before slaughter, fire minimum wage employees, and bribe environmentalists and nutritionists.
I can't believe that these guys haven't been sued into the next millenium yet. You have got to try this game. Download and play it before The Man says you can't. The game is a free download and you can get it here. If you want a deeper look into the freaky anti-McDonald's anarchist underground check it out here.

Ben's Burly Burritos

2007-01-18T20:44:00.000-08:00

My mate Ben from Seattle is staying for a few days. He is an awesome laptop DJ. Check him and his trax out here. Ben doesn't groove on the meat so we whipped up some stylin' yam burritos.

Ingredients:
2 yams
2 potatoes
1 onion
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic
zest and juice of 1 lime
Spice Rub
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon powdered tomato soup
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon lemonade crystals
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon hickory smoke powder

Peel and slice yams and potatoes. French fry style is groovy if you can (buy one of those groovy slicer things). Toss with oil and add garlic, zest and lime juice. Mix up spice rub and toss it in. Put spiced veg mixture on oiled baking sheets and put in the oven at 450 for 20 min. When done adjust salt according to taste. Serve with burrito shells and all fixins like rice, beans, salsa, guacamole, cilantro, cheese, etc. Boo-ya.

Sophia groovin' on the yam burritos

Ancient Chinese Secret

2007-01-17T21:08:00.000-08:00

Conflicting emotions are crashing over my soul like hurricane breakers smashing beach homes on the nightly news. I want to share the secret to life-long happiness with you, but it feels wrong. It feels like you should gain this secret knowlege on your own, only after years of painful searching. I also worry that the all-encompassing, souless, evil, unstoppable Internet, the godless betrayer of all secrets is not the forum to reveal such sacred knowlege. I worry that you might not have the character and inner fortitude to protect these secrets. But, I like you. I want you to be happy. I want you to win the admiration of your friends and family. I want you to make yummy food late at night and stay up reading a good book. I want your children to tug on your pants' leg, look up at you with gentle doe-like eyes, and with childhood awe and wonder ask if you will make them...

Super Ramen.

I know, I can't believe I am telling you this either. I mean, like, it's only our second date or something like that, huh? Please don't tell anyone else, let's keep it our special secret. Will you still respect me tomorrow morning?

I even hesitate to even put this miraculous dish through the recipe process. I feel like I am betraying the ancient deadly secrets of the Shaolin Monks. I might be killed for my betrayal.

Super Ramen is like jazz. (Shout out to you, Mark) Improvisation is name of the game but you must know the rules before you can break them. So here we go.

Super Ramen Recipe
1 pack pork Mama instant ramen (you may substitue Nong Shim if you absolutely have to but if you even think of using Ichiban, Mamee, Mr. Noodle, or some other crap like that then get out. I mean it. Get out! Right now. Stop reading and close your browser! You are not worthy of the Super Ramen secrets!)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons ABC sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tablespoon miso paste
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
splash coconut milk
1 egg
hand of bean sprouts
some sort of Chinese greens (I like baby bok choy or Chinese brocolli)
crushed peanuts

Grab your big ass ramen bowl. What's that? You don't own a ramen bowl? Well, this is a perfect time to smash open your piggy bank, take a field trip down to Chinatown, and blow the whole $3.99 on a monsterous porcelin soup bowl with pictures of fish or bamboo or something like that on it. Fill the bowl with water. Dump it in your soup pot. Dump in all the ramen flavour packs. (You can tell the quality of your ramen by how many different flavour packs it has. Mama has 3, if you are using ramen that only has one flavour pack then get out! Get out now!) Add the next eight ingredients and bring to a boil. Crack in the egg and whisk it to break it up. Add the noodles. Pour into your spankin' brand new ramen bowl. Slice greens and add on top with beansprouts and crushed peanuts. Garnish with a drizzle of ABC. Eat, slurp, and break on through to the other side.

Now go back to Chinatown, buy a bunch of sauce bottles that you have no idea what they are, clear your mind, and forget everything that I just told you and make it again. Then make it again, but better. Make it your own. You are the sensei, you have the power... Super Ramen power.

Bass Pedal Insanity

2007-01-16T17:27:00.000-08:00

We have been saving a small portion of $$ every month for me to spend on gear, so that way I don't feel that all my hard work is in vain, and that I am only expending energy to keep us barely financially floating. (Although I am sure everyone feels exactly the same way). Anyway, this last week the unthinkable happened. After toiling away endlessly, and watching our bills devour our family finances like Homer Simpson stalking a wild doughnut, I finally saved enough money to purchase The Mother of All Bass Guitar Pedals. My friends, stand in awe and behold the glory of the Boss GT6B...
Quite frankly, this thing scares me. It has more computing power than the entire Sputnik era Soviet Union circa 1957. I think it might even have a button that will do my taxes and brew my coffee in the morning. I just need to finish reading the instructions so I should have everything figured out by sometime in 2010.

Asian Spice Rub Pork Lettuce Wraps

2007-01-15T21:38:00.000-08:00

The other day my mate Stu gave me a deluxe chunk of pork and invited himself over for supper. (Mental note: if you give me quality meat, you can come to eat!) That humble pork roast was magically transformed tonight into Asian Spice Rub Lettuce Wraps. Here's the lowdown.

Ingredients
yummy chunk o' pork

Marinade
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 cup sake
2 tablespoons black bean sauce
2 tablespoons ABC sweet soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
thumb ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed

Spice Rub
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chinese 5 spice powder
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon green tea, powdered
1 teaspoon lemonade crystals
2 teaspoons brown sugar

Asian Slaw
1 cucumber, grated
4 carrots, grated
1 sm daikon, grated
1 fistful beansprouts
sm bunch fresh mint finely chopped
sm bunch fresh basil finely chopped
sm bunch fresh cilantro finely chopped
1 handful crushed peanuts
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup oil
juice 1 lime
splash fish sauce
splash sesame oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar

rice stick noodles
1 or 2 heads iceberg lettuce
crushed peanuts
Sriracha Rooster Sauce
ABC sweet soy sauce

Instructions
-Mix all marinade ingredients and pour over pork in a Ziplock bag. Marinate in fridge overnight. 2 hours before tucker time dry off pork and make spice rub.
-Mix spices and rub on meat. (Duh, that's why it's called spice rub.) Fire up your BBQ on high but only light one side. Put the pork ON THE SIDE THAT IS NOT LIT. This is called indirect grilling and is a fabulous way to cook a larger piece of meat. After a half hour rotate the meat so that the side that was away from the heat gets a turn.
-Meanwhile, make your asian slaw which just involves alot of grating and chopping.
-Soften the rice stick noodles by pouring boiling water over them and let them sit for 10 min
-After 1 hour of indirect grilling check your pork. It should be done, take it off, slice, shred, or chop and sprikle it with any leftover rub.
-drain and rinse the noodles and prepare for yumminess

Get yourself a very large napkin cuz this is going to be messy but worth it. Pull off a large leaf of lettuce to use in a burritoesque fashion. Place some noodles, pork, slaw, peanuts, and a drizzle of ABC and Sriracha into the leaf. Wrap it all up and munch to your heart's content.

It finally works!

2007-01-14T20:19:00.000-08:00

Well friends, my domain name www.diygourmet.ca finally works. Last night my buddy Chris came over, got his geek on and solved all my problems. Of course, I'd been trying to figure this out for a week and haven't posted because of my web stupidity but Chris fired up his amazing programming mojo and had my domain name humming at warp factor in only five minutes.

The moral of this story is that everyone needs a friend with full geek credibility. If you don't have such a friend, that's OK, you can use mine.

insert A-Team theme music here

If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find him (www.chrisoneill.ca), maybe you can hire... Steel O'Neill, web ninja.

Onto other things. This last week I have been feeling rather ill with a nasty cold/cough so I would like to share with you my DIY Gourmet uber-hot toddy recipe. I don't know if it will actually make you feel better, but it sure goes down easy.

juice and zest of one lemon
thumb of ginger, grated
mint teabag
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoon Nin Jion cough syrup
3 oz sake (most important ingredient of all)
hot water

Bang everything in your favourite enormous mug and add hot water to fill. Let steep for at least 5 minutes. Adjust sweetness by adding more honey if you like. If you don't want floaties in your toddy you can use a tea ball for the zest and the ginger. Bottoms up, here's to your health.

...all we need is just a little patience.

2007-01-09T21:26:00.000-08:00

So...
apparently it takes about 2 days for the omnipotent Internet to send the elves running back and forth with all the 1's and 0's to figure out where my new snazzy domain name is (www.diygourmet.ca!) and exactly what it is supposed to do with it. That of course is assuming that I haven't seriously screwed up, which I probably have. Until the elves have finished their mysterious business feel free to check out my buddy Craig's adventures in making an immersion wort chiller here.

New Domain Name.

2007-01-09T11:32:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

If you are able to read this, it means that I have successfully changed my domain name to...

www.diygourmet.ca

and have associated that name to this Blogger page. Woo Hoo! If you haven't bookmarked this amazing blog already, now you can save keystrokes by just typing...

www.diygourmet.ca

It even rhymes! Tell all your friends...

www.diygourmet.ca

If you can't read this, it means that I have seriously screwed something up and I am stuck in HTML limbo hell. Oh well, my area of expertise is cooking, not web publishing. Hopefully, I'll figure it out eventually.

Veggiesaurus Tikka Masala

2007-01-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

I'm currently visiting friends in Seattle. My buddy Phil asked me if I would help him cook a meal for a bunch of his vegetarian friends. Now I obviously love chewing flesh as you can tell from all my previous turducken posts, but nonetheless, I enjoy the unique challenge and bloody vegetable slaughter of a great vegetarian meal. (If you are interested in some further reading regarding how your veggies scream when you chop them up into curry check out this and this).

For your sadistic enjoyment of torturing vegetables, I present you with Wade’s Veggiesaurus Tikka Masala...

Yummy Curry
1 cup plain yogurt (avoid low fat or non-fat yogurt for a richer flavor)
2 cup heavy cream
1 large can diced tomatoes
2 sm cans tomato paste
1 cup ground almonds (or approx 6 tablespoons almond butter)
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
3 tablespoons ground cumin
4 tablespoons garam masala
1 teaspoon red chili powder
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons turmeric
6 green cardamom pods, crushed
2-inches cinnamon stick
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard

Veggies
1 large onion, chopped
1 can chickpeas
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 head cauliflower, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 fresh green chili, chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped

Put all sauce ingredients in crockpot (crockpot is easiest because you don’t need to stir and you can forget about it) or in big soup pot on stove on low (If you do it on the stove, remember to stir so that the bottom doesn’t burn). Throw in all veggies and simmer on low heat all day. If you let it cook 6 or more hours on low the veggies will cook through in the sauce and be supper yummy. If you don’t have the time, precook the veggies till done and combine with curry. Garnish with more fresh cilantro and serve with Raita and Naan, and a selection of chutneys.

My little friend Emma helping me make curry.

Raita
1 cup plain yogurt
½ cucumber, peeled and grated
½ lemon, juiced
thumb fresh ginger, chopped
fist of fresh cilantro, chopped
fist of fresh mint, chopped

Bang everything together, mix

Naan
2 ½ teaspoons dry yeast
5 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 ½ cups white flour
1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Combine ingredients together according to what works best for your bread machine. Select dough setting and start. When dough is finished, punch down and divide into 12 equal sized balls. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and a damp tea towel, let rise until just before cooking. Light and preheat BBQ on high. Flour counter surface and rolling pin and roll out each ball to a thin oval. Heavily oil BBQ grate and grill each naan on high until puffed and blistered (approx 1 min a side). Yum

New Year's Blessings

2007-01-01T21:21:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,
Now you have all the info you need for your future family fowl (not foul) festivities. As you reflect on the past year and look forward to 2007, I pray that your kitchen will always be blessed with a cupboard full of good food and that you will share your table with those you love and cherish. I would feel honoured if I may in anyway be able to share or help in your family culinary adventures though this blog. Please keep checking back as I post recipes, share thoughts, and tell stories of the special moments that happen in my kitchen and around my table. Together, let's reclaim good eating as a tool of sharing joy, love, and equality to all those who God brings into our homes this year.

Go, eat your bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works. Let your garments always be white, And let your head lack no oil. Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

All my love and warm wishes,
~DJ Dread

I Want To Drown In Gravy.

2006-12-29T20:29:00.000-08:00

Now that your turducken is out of the oven and your cranberry is sauce is simmering, it is time to make gravy and lots of it. It is an absolute crime and insult to your guests to run out of gravy. I usually tend to make about 5 litres so that I can freeze it and be guaranteed gravy yumminess for months to come. I mean, really, what doesn't taste better dunked, slathered, or swimming in gravy? How 'bout gravy gelato with bits of cranberry? Maybe I'll try that in a couple of weeks when I run out of turducken but I still have 3 litres of gravy in my freezer... but I digress.
I start by melting a bunch of butter then add approx. 1/2 - 3/4 cup of flour. Keep stirring the resulting paste. Let it brown and then slowly add the turducken stock you made and keep whisking to avoid lumps. Do not use the runoff turducken fat to season the gravy because it will be way too salty because of brining. Add at least 1 cup of white wine and 1 cup of apple juice for sweetness. Tweak with rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme, and fresh ground black pepper adding more wine and apple juice if need be. For the ultimate gravy science explanation and recipe mojo, check out this page by Alton Brown. He is a dude on Food Network and his shows are always chock full of fascinating food science and helpful tips. You should definitely program your VCR.

p.s. I'm serious about the gravy gelato. Stay tuned...

Cranberries. (Zom-bie, Zom-bie, Zom-bie-e-e)

2006-12-28T18:10:00.000-08:00

What giant fowl feast is complete without cranberry sauce? Now you could go to your local outlet of some giant, multinational food conglomerate and buy a tin of that red glop that comes out of the can with a sickening schlurshlop and then just quivers in your serving dish still in its antiseptic, cylindrical mass. And in late night, turkey sandwich-induced, emergency situations, I have done just that. However, we are not going to advance the DIY slow food revolution and uphold our punk rock, more-gourmet-than-thou, smirking attitude if we stoop to that. We are going to make our own.
Freshly made cranberry sauce is the volume knob that goes to 11 on the vintage tube amp that is your beautiful turducken. And just like power chord rock and roll, it's beauty is in it's simplicity. You will need...

1 bag of fresh cranberries
1 thumb of fresh ginger, grated
1-2 oranges, zest and juice
1/2 - 1 cup of sugar
a few splashes of some fancy booze that you have laying around. (I used leftover Champagne from making Mimosas for Christmas morning. Any sort of wine will work, sake would be very interesting, vodka would do in a pinch, gin... I'm not so sure of. Just feel free to improvise.)

Dump everything in a sauce pan on low heat. Start with less sugar rather than more. As you constantly stir, the cranberries will pop and release their juicy goodness. Continue and the sauce will thicken. Adjust sugar, orange, and booze according to your liking and you are done.

Slow and Low, That is the Tempo.

2006-12-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

Because of the extreme delicious mass of the turducken, it must be cooked slowly at a low temperature so that everything inside is fully cooked while the outside won't become a diamond in a thousand years. It is a good idea to budget 10 -12 hours if you are cooking at 200 degrees. You should definitely not exceed 250 degrees. I got up at 5 a.m, took the beast out of the cooler, and massaged the skin with a butter/mayo mixture and sprinkled it with sage, thyme, oregano, and pepper. NO SALT!

Place a large cake tin upside down in your giant roasting pan so that the turducken sits on it and is elevated above the bottom of the roasting pan. This allows the fat to run off the bird while it cooks and collect in the bottom of the pan so that the bird doesn't go soggy in it's own fat.

Throw the whole thing in the oven (no lid) at 2oo degrees and go back to bed. When you eventually drag yourself out of bed and drug yourself with enough caffeine to feel human, resist the urge to open the oven. If you do so you will loose precious heat. Instead, pour yourself another coffee and go open your Christmas presents and bask in the love of your family and friends.

At around noon, grab your tin foil and a meat thermometer, and open the oven. Hopefully, your turducken will look like this...
The skin should be browned nicely, but we don't want it to burn and there is still a whole lotta cooking to still happen. Using the tinfoil, make your bird a protective breastplate and some shinguards to wrap around the drumsticks. This should keep the tasty, crispy skin from burning.

Plunge the meat thermometer deep into the bird just like the adrenaline needle scene in "Pulp Fiction". Now it is time for some independent, critical thought. Don't freak out, keep your wits about you, maybe you should get another cup of coffee. Your turducken has been in the oven for 7 hours already. Check the internal temperature on the meat thermometer. 165 degrees is our magic number where all salmonella beasties die a tragic death. We must get the bird to that internal temperature or else Grandma is making a special visit to the hospital and your family will be mocking you at every family holiday feast for years to come. You have another 3 - 4 hours to go. The big question that only you can answer is this...

Do you need to turn up the oven?

At this point I decided to go from 200 degrees to 225 degrees. As soon as you make your decision and have the tinfoil armour in place, close the oven as quickly as possible and don't open it until you absolutely have to. When the magic time comes to pull your finished culinary masterpiece out of the oven, make sure that you cover it with tinfoil (or the lid to your roaster) and let it rest for a 1/2 hour before you carve so that all your tasty turducken juices can sink back into the meat.

Assemble your turducken like a mad scientist.

2006-12-26T12:58:00.000-08:00

Once your stuffing is done it is time to start playing with the splayed bird carcasses. Pull your birds out of the brine and thoroughly rinse them under cold running water. It is of utmost importance that you do not fudge this step or your finished turducken will be disgustingly salty. It is also important not to add any salt to any part of the turducken process after you have rinsed.

Spread the spatchcocked turkey flat out on your work surface. Smear on a layer of one type of your yummy stuffing. Lay the duck down on top of that. Add another layer of a different stuffing. Then lay out the chicken and put a layer of your last stuffing on top of that. It is important to remember the burrito rule...

Thou shalt not overstuff or extreme messiness shalt visit thine plate like locusts to your fields (or spam to your Hotmail).

Put your extra stuffing back in the fridge and warm it up in the oven just before the feast begins. For this next part you are either going to need the help of some friends or grow another two arms. I recommend enlisting some friends.

One of you is going to fold the turkey up with everything inside and hold it closed. The other person is going to grab a needle and some cotton thread and stitch this culinary Frankenstein up so that it resembles an actual turkey. Patience, a steady hand, and good light is the key here. Surgery training is optional but extremely helpful.

While you are sewing up the beast, try to stitch through as much meat as you can so that the stitches don't rip out of the turkey skin under the pressure of all that compressed stuffing. If you manage to pull this off, you will be rewarded with a delicious looking fat, juicy bird like this...

If it is 1 a.m. Christmas Eve (speaking from my personal experience), put the Frankenbird back in the cooler/fridge to keep everything foodsafe and go to bed because you will be getting up in 4 hours to put this sucker in the oven.

You can never have too much stuffing.

2006-12-25T22:50:00.000-08:00

So you are going to need three different types of stuffing. Stuffing is easy, you can make it up just like punk band names, except that punk bands names use gross stuff like phlegm and maggots and stuffing uses yummy stuff like sausage and bacon.

If you need to name your punk band, do it here. If you need to make stuffing just take a bunch of yummy stuff, combine it with other yummy stuff, add some bread cubes and sage and you have stuffing. This year I did the following...
Roasted Garlic, Bacon, and 2 Types of Mushroom Stuffing

3 heads roasted garlic
bunch of bacon, chopped
white mushrooms, chopped
shitake, portebello, or any other type of mushrooms that won't trip you out, chopped
turducken stock
toasted bread cubes
sage, thyme, oregano, pepper

Fry bacon, add mushrooms and saute. Toss in roasted garlic cloves. Combine fried stuff with bread cubes in casserole dish. Season. Ladle enough stock over the mixture to moisten. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Sausage, Leek, Apple, and Almond Stuffing

2 packs bulk sausage meat
1 large leek, white part only sliced
4 Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced
1 pack sliced almonds
turducken stock
toasted bread cubes
sage, thyme, oregano, pepper

Fry sausage. Add leeks and saute. Toss in apples and almonds. Combine fried stuff with bread cubes in casserole dish. Season. Ladle enough stock over the mixture to moisten. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Onion, Pinenut and Parsley Stuffing with Dried Cranberries

3 onions, chopped
1 pack of pinenuts
1 bunch parsley, chopped
big fistfull of dried cranberries
turducken stock
toasted bread cubes
sage, thyme, oregano, pepper

You know the drill by now.

Spatchcock... heh, heh, heh, yeah

2006-12-25T21:33:00.000-08:00

OK, now it is time to prove your worth. The entire rib cages need to removed from all the birds. Make sure that your kitchen knife is really sharp. Start with the chicken and then the duck so that way by the time you get to the turkey you are a pro. No need to freak out.

All you are going to do is make one straight cut down the back through the skin and meat until you hit the spine. Then you are going to cut the meat away from the rib cage and bones on one side. When you hit a leg or wing, cut through the socket of the ball joint leaving the bone in the leg but freeing the rib cage. Do the same thing on the other side so that when you are done the rib cage is totally free and the bird is laid out flat like a book. If you hack to death don't worry but remember that you want to have mastered this process by the time you get to the turkey because the turkey must stay in one unmarred piece. For a more detailed explanation check it out here.

Keep all the bones to make stock and throw them in a big pot. Cover with water, bring to a boil, and simmer overnight. You will want this stock for the stuffing and to make gravy.

If you are looking at these photos and you are a professional chef, (I'm talking about you, Heidi and Ray) you will have already noticed that I have the knife skills of a blind woodsman. Please forgive me. I hang my head in shame.

Depending on your cooking schedule, either proceed to assemble the turducken, or throw the spatchcocked birds back into your brine. Change your frozen jugs to keep everything cool.

Turducken Brine

2006-12-24T00:04:00.000-08:00

OK. Here it is. With the holidays bearing down on us like that 18 wheeler in "Enter Sandman" I thought it was time that I shared with you how to work the ultimate poultry mojo.

1 word, 3 birds. Tur. Duck. En.

(That's a deboned turkey stuffed with a deboned duck and chicken, along with 3 different layers of stuffing for those of you not in the know.)

First you must defrost. Get a big Coleman cooler and put the frozen birds in there and cover with cold water. Change the water every 8 hours and in 1 - 2 days you will have unthawed birds. Make sure to keep the temperature in there cool so that no one dies of samonella. Once the birds are thawed, empty and wash out cooler. Get a bunch of empty 4 litre (1 gallon for all my American friends) milk jugs and 2 litre pop bottles, fill them almost to the top with water, and freeze them for the next step.

Now it is time to get your brine on. Even if you are not up to the challenge of the turducken, you should definately master the art of the brine. This one secret will forever banish the feared flavourless fowl from your family festivities. For a complete scientific explanation of brining, check it out here.

Enough chit chat, it is time to whip up a batch of Wade's Happy Holiday Brine. You will need...

1 entire box of kosher salt
2 cups sugar
1 2 lb bag cooking onions
1 bunch parsley
2 heads fresh garlic
2 cups vinegar
2 cans cheap frozen apple juice concentrate
1 can frozen cranberry juice concentrate
1/2 cup pepper

Dissolve salt and sugar in boiling water. Cool down. Add all the rest of the ingredients into a food processor or blender and goo-ify. Dump blender contents and salt / sugar solution into cooler. Mix.

Put at least 2 frozen milk jugs into the cooler. These serve 2 purposes. One, it keeps the brine and the birds at food safe temperatures. Two, they occupy cooler room so that you don't have to dilute your brine so that you have enough liquid to cover the birds. Cram in the birds and add just enough water to cover all the birds. Use a few frozen pop bottles to help submerge the birds. Let brine for at least 24 hours.

Stay tuned for... Spatchcocking! Heh, heh, heh, heh... I just said "spatchcock"

Finally!

2006-12-23T23:37:00.000-08:00

Well friends, it is true. I finally have a blog. It is my desire to share with you a few things that are very important to me like food, music, my gorgeous family, and the interconnectedness of life as it relates to food, music, and my gorgeous family. I started this blog in the spring when I went to Cambodia, but I never updated it. So for those of you who have been waiting patiently, here is a sweet picture of me in Cambodia eating a BBQ'd tarantula on the bus...

Yum.