Windy Cities and Sore Bums

visiting my two older sisters and an older brother in Chicago, IL.

we ride bikes EVERYWHERE!

i am not used to it and now my bum is sore. but nonetheless i bore the stony seat and rode to Wicker Park with my sister this evening and packed a picnic dinner.

caroline made us sammies.

blt's to be exact.

they were go yo yummy.

she got the recipe from seasaltwithfood.

they most definitely taste just as good if not better than they look!

we used artisan red leaf lettuce and and orange heirloom tomato.

i think that eating it them in the park in the heart of Chicago must have helped them taste a little better.

enjoy!

xoxo,

Mikey

Creamy Basil-Thyme Pasta

hello blogger cadets! long time no see, eh? well, i have had quite the year as a senior at a boarding school but still have managed to squeeze in a meal or two. . . just not the blog. my deepest apologies. the head chef up a school, Mrs. Stevens, had let me cook a meal here and there for the school. i have made a delicious chicken rubbed in a heaven of spices; ribs that were literally falling off of the bone; a recipe of my own: a rosemary-apple pork loin; and an absolutely spectacular recipe that i got from Bon Appétit for Whoopie Pies with Mint Filling and Chocolate Ganache. well, this weekend i escaped the prison of a school i go to =] and got away to a friend's house. this afternoon i returned from church and searched the barren cubbards for a morsel of food. i then decided to take what she had a make the best of it.

i decided to go with pasta [very easy to make and hard to go wrong with]. and here's what i made [serves 5]...

5 handfuls of pasta

1/2 a medium onion

4 Tbs. milk

2 C. water [this is only because of the lack of milk; if you have more that 4 Tbs. that substitute accordingly]

1 Tbs basil

1 Tbs. thyme

1/2 Tbs. rosemary

a couple pinches of salt

1 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. flour

4 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese

cook pasta according to the directions on the box.

meanwhile bring the milk and the water to a low boil and rub basil, thyme and rosemary between your palms with the sea salt and into the milk mixture. in a separate pan melt your butter and add the flower. whisk the mixture to make a blonde roux for about a minute [until a pale golden color]. then slowly add and whisk this into your milk. this will thicken it up a little. once thickened, add Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. drain the pasta and mix in your sauce. enjoy!

[NO REAL PARM SO I USED THIS]

[DELICIOUS ORGANIC MILK, TOO BAD WE DID'T HAVE MUCH]

and the final outcome...

Zapp's Potato Chips

these are delicious chips from Zapp's. they are incredibly crunchy. these chips have a nice coating of cajan spices while not being too spicy. they are good dipped in ranch dressing (which i normally detest). you can order them online at http://www.zapps.com/cgi-bin/zapps/index.html

Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Panini from BOC

this yumMy sandwich is from Breakfast Of Course (BOC). BOC is a restaurant in downtown Winston-Salem, NC. they make some killer food all of which is fresh. they even vegetarian options and some vegan selections to glean from. the food is a little on the pricey side but it's truly delicious. the service at BOC is excellent and everyone is amply friendly.

this panini is wonderfully delicious! the textures and flavors are so pleasing to my taste buds. the panini is dry grilled so the bread has a beautiful crunch to it. the pesto sauce has soaked into the ciabatta roll, creating two completely diverse textures between the crispy roll and the soft bread. i know the concept of tomato basil mozzarella is so simple and old school, but this is an out-of-body experience between to pieces of bread. =] i don't know what they do to it in the kitchen.

all credit goes to the BOC kitchen crew and Danny Webster for the original recipe.

‘Big Crumb’ Coffeecake with Rhubarb

not rhubarb season? don’t fret. I think this cake would be amazing with a blueberry, raspberry, sour cherry or any other tangy fruit filling you can think of. simply adjust the sugar level accordingly–most of these will need far less than rhubarb does to make them palatable.

butter for greasing pan

for the rhubarb filling:
1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

for the crumbs:
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) butter, melted
1 3/4 cups cake flour (I was out and used all-purpose and it worked great)

for the cake:
1/3 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour (ditto on the all-purpose flour–worked just fine)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons softened butter, cut into 8 pieces.

1. preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. for filling, slice rhubarb 1/2 inch thick and toss with sugar, cornstarch and ginger. set aside.

2. To make crumbs in a large bowl, whisk sugars, spices and salt into melted butter until smooth. then, add flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. it will look and feel like a solid dough. leave it pressed together in the bottom of the bowl and set aside.

3. to prepare cake, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. add butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. increase speed and beat for 30 seconds. add remaining sour cream mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula. scoop out about 1/2 cup batter and set aside. this is the kind of batter that made me want to lick the bowl (and i did) because it smells so good!

4. scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. spoon rhubarb over batter. dollop the "set-aside batter" over rhubarb; it does not have to be even.

5. using your fingers, break topping mixture into big crumbs. now, i'm talking BIG, like boulder-like crumbs. about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in size. they do not have to be uniform, but make sure most are around that size. sprinkle over cake. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean of batter (it might be moist from rhubarb), 45 to 55 minutes. cool completely before serving.

recipe from http://smittenkitchen.com/

Adapted from The New York Times 6/6/07

what i LOVE about this recipe is that it is a dessert ans not at all too sweet! it's just perfect! the cake possesses a ton of butter as you can see by the recipe, but what would it be WITHOUT the butter? =] its absolutely delicious and very moist. in fact, its so moist i would not suggest storing it in a sealed plastic bag. maybe something paper? anyway, i hope you enjoy this yuMy dessert!

duck.

the duck. one duck serves four people. it was attempted to to six way the night it was served in my house. a duck has a lot of bone and very little meat. For those who are watching their weight, take note because duck meat has a higher fat content, more calories and more saturated fat than chicken or turkey meat. Removing the layer of greasy fat is probably the most important part of cooking duck meat. There are a number of ways in which the fat can be removed. 1. prick the bird. the easiest method of removing fat is to prick the bird all over with a knife or a cocktail stick if you prefer, leaving a space of about 1 inch between holes. Care must be taken not to cut into the meat and to only pierce the skin and the layer of fat underneath. This is quite simple, as the fat is extremely soft, whilst the meat, which is below the fat, is slightly harder to the touch. By piercing the skin of the duck, this will allow the fat to drain out during roasting. The duck should be placed on a standing rack, which is then positioned in a roasting tray for cooking. This is so that the duck is not standing in it's own fat and so that the fat can be released more easily. 2. remove ant giblets from the cavity of the bird and reserve. Remove any fat deposits from the cavity and cut off excess skin around the neck. Rinse the bird under cold running water and pat dry. 3. pour boiling water over the duck's body to tighten the skin and pat dry once more. 4. Sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper and rub in. 5. Place the bird on its side in a roasting pan place in the oven and turn oven temperature to 350F. After about 15 minutes, turn birds on the other side and cook another 10 minutes. turn the bird breast up and cook for an additional 20 minutes, basting the bird as it renders fat. in all, cook the 5-lb duck for about 45 minutes. the sauce/ gravy ingredients 1/4 cup Butter or margarine 1/4 cup All-purpose flour 2 cups Milk 1/2 cup Orange juice 1/2 teaspoon Paprika 1 teaspoon Salt 1/4 teaspoon Pepper 2/3 cup Raisins make a basic blonde roux (Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth.) Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk and orange juice; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, and stir in remaining ingredients. delicious!!!! the duck can be served with a basic salad and some corn on the cob. enjoy! ChefMikey

guacamole, chips, and sunshine

today is a beautiful day in North Carolina! this is a fabulous day for some crunchy chips and guac. the guacamole recipe is from New York Times Mag. and it is by far the best recipe! there is no garlic in this dip so you wont be left with a green cloud hovering around you mouth afterward!

ingredients

3 tablespoons white onion, finely chopped, with another tablespoon for garnish

4 serrano chilies (seeds and all), finely chopped or to taste

3 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped

Sea salt to taste

3 avocados

½ cup tomatoes, finely chopped

directions

1. Put onion, chilies, cilantro and salt into a molcajete, and crush to a paste. (Or purée in a blender and transfer to a mixing bowl).

2. Cut avocados in half, and without peeling remove pit, and squeeze out the flesh. Mash avocado into onion-serrano base and mix well. Stir in ½ cup of tomatoes.

3. Sprinkle the surface with garnishes: ¼ cup tomato, onion and a tablespoon of finely chopped cilantro. Serve immediately.

Yield: About 2½ cups.

now for the chips! these are so scrumptious and crunchy. preheat your oven to 350F. smother both sides of some flour tortillas with olive oil from edge to edge. take a pizza cutter or a sharp knife and slice the tortillas like a pie, into wedges. spread the wedges across a cookie sheet and lightly salt them with sea salt. place then in the oven for about 20 minutes or until uniformly browned to a golden crisp! =] when the chips are done, both sides should be beautifully crisped! let the each crunchy goodness cool for about 5 minutes and serve with your guac bon appetit!!!

ChefMikey