Cooking by the seat of my Pants Details

39 and holding…
2007-07-06 15:06:21
Just a quick note to say that today is my 39th pass through life on this lil’ planet. things have been hectic, but I’ll be back in the normal swing of things in the next day or two. Have a great day, Y’all! ...
Holding

Happy 4th of July!
2007-07-04 16:54:27
I hope all of my American counterparts are having a relaxing day at home with friends and family on our nation’s 231st birthday. Get out, enjoy some fireworks, and have a grand old time of it. If you’re in the mood for something sweet, check out this patriotic fourth of July shortcake recipe at Simply Recipes. Elise, as usual, has outdone herself. (The image at the top of the post is hers, and all credit goes where it belongs. Looks good, doesn’t it?) ...

Mixing up a little summertime fun
2007-07-02 22:14:26
Well boys and girls, July is upon us! For most of the country that means summertime, barbecues and outdoor fun for the Fourth of July celebrations. Good food, good friends and a few drinks shared while fireworks blare overhead, along with the “Ooooh’s and Aaahhhs” of children running underfoot. It’s the most American of days, and one that should be shared. Why not mix it up a bit this year with a few new Mixed Drinks? Supercocktails.com has a huge searchable database of Mixed Drink Recipes for alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and who knows, maybe a change from the “usual” will help to spice up your celebration? I was browsing and found a recipe for something called an “8th Birthday” that sounds fabulous. Ingredients for a 8th Birthday Chambord Raspberry Liqueur Dark Creme De Cacao Vodka Milk Quantities for one drink: 3/4 oz Chambord Raspberry Liqueur 1/4 oz Dark Creme de Cacao 1 oz Vodka 1 oz Milk Blending Instructions: Shake w ...
Fun Summertime

Your Pantry or Mine, No.2 - Part 2 - Pork Medallions with Herbed Garlic Cream Sauce
2007-06-29 03:38:33
For this issue of YPOM we delve into the deep dark world of leftovers! One of the things tat struck me about dew’s pantry list was that she had “Several cooked, half consumed pork roasts” lying around in her freezer that she usually uses for sandwiches. While pork sammiches are definitely on the good side of wonderful (especially if they’re pulled), I thought perhaps I’d dive in and see if we couldn’t pull a double-duty dinner out of what would otherwise be a porcine sacrifice to whole grain bread and a few lucky condiments. I’m not sure what variety of pork roast lives in dew’s freezer, but for this exercise I used a pork blade roast that weighed in at just a bit over 6 pounds. (It was the smallest they had at the market that day.) Said piece of meat was roasted with nothing but salt and pepper, served up gleefully for one meal, then retired to the fridge for three days before this experiment began. (more…) ...
Cream Garlic Pantry Pork Sauce

Thursday Thirteen #9 - Thirteen things about Giada
2007-06-27 23:19:00
Thirteen Things I can’t stand about Giada DeLaurentisGiada has become one of the next generations of Food Network royalty, though to be honest I can’t tell you why. At first I thought perhaps I was just missing something that the rest of the world saw in her, but in time I realized exactly why I had a problem watching her. What follows are 13 of those observations, in no particular order. There’s an old rule that states “Never trust a skinny chef.” - Ummmm, nuff said. Bulimia is not attractive. The only other skinny cook on FoodTV is Sandra Lee, and I think “Aunt Sandy” needs to be sent back to cooking school, with her coctail ingredients safely packed away somewhere else. (Or simply be stoned out of the studio. Perhaps we should just put them both in a room with Tony Bourdain and Mario Batali for a few hours. That should solve the problem.) Is Giada human, or an animatronic bobblehead? (One theory suggests she’s a time-tra ...

Your Pantry or Mine, No.2 - Part 1 - Chicken Salad with Curried Yogurt Dressing
2007-06-26 03:56:35
Due to my recent round of heath issues, this round of Your Pantry or Mine has gotten off to a slow start. I want to apologize to everyone who’s been waiting, it took me a few days to get back into the swing of things. This round of Your Pantry or Mine highlights the ingredients in dew’s pantry, which was more challenging because it holds almost the same ingredients I have in mine, with the exception of just those few I would have normally used to finish off a dish. With this in mind, and the fact that dew appeared to have an eye for healthy fare, (and an allergy to nuts) I decided that the first round of Your Pantry or Mine, No. 2 should be something on the lighter side, using the freshest ingredients from her list. (more…) ...
Chicken Dressing Pantry Salad

Thursday Thirteen #8 - Julia Child
2007-06-21 04:34:09
Thirteen Julia Child Quotes Last weeks quotes list got a lot of interest, and the primary comment given was “I want more Julia!” I say just ask and ye shall receive. Here are 13 quotes from the world’s First Lady of the Kitchen, the one, the only French Cook herself, Mrs. Julia Child Some people like to paint pictures, or do gardening, or build a boat in the basement. Other people get a tremendous pleasure out of the kitchen, because cooking is just as creative and imaginative as drawing, or wood carving, or music. The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude. Too much trouble,’ ‘Too expensive,’ or ‘Who will know the difference’ are death knells for good food. … Cooking is not a particularly difficult art, and the more you cook and learn about cooking, the more sense it makes. I have trouble with toast. Toast is very difficult. You have to watch it ...
Child Julia

Your Pantry or Mine No. 2 Is coming up - Dew’s Pantry List
2007-06-17 14:37:33
Now that I’m somewhat back on my feet after a serious illness, the time has come to dive in to the ingredients list for Your pantry or Mine, Number 2. In this installment I’ll be highlighting the pantry contents from dew, from the hidden side of a leaf (all lowercase is intentional), who’s list has me wondering just what combinations I can pull off that she hasn’t already tried, and asking if she actually cooks with all that alcohol. In either case, I’ve already come up with an idea or two and will be highlighting them here over the next two weeks. Maybe her pantry list will give you an idea or two as well? If so, dive right in and make it up. Just send me a link to the post in comments and I’ll be happy to point everyone over to it. One last reminder, If this event is to continue, I’ll need participants! Surely there’s someone out there who’s willing to share the contents of his or her pantry with the food blogging community? ...
Pantry

Looking for a few good blogs
2007-06-17 14:32:12
In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a new sidebar widget popping up all over the food blogosphere. The Foodie Blogroll, started by The Leftover Queen, has been growing rapidly, and is highlighting some of the most well known food blogs around, as well as some up-and-comers worth taking a look at. Joining the blogroll is simple. you can either pop over to the leftover queen and leave a comment here, or you can just scroll down my sidebar over there *pointing wildly to the right and down* and click the “click here to join” link at the top. (If you can’t see it you’re probably not running JavaScript, in which case I sound like a blathering idiot, but I’m used to that.) I will say that I’ve found some neat new blogs through it, and that I’ve seen a bit of a traffic boost as well, so no harm, no foul… As Ms. Stewart Would say (in her ever-so-annoying nasal voice) “It’s a good thing!” ...
Blogs

Because inquiring minds want to know
2007-06-16 21:41:10
Sorry for the gap in posts, Ladies and gents. I ended up in the hospital on Thursday night/Friday morning with a severe infection, and still haven’t quite gotten back into the swing of things (and they told me to rest, so I was resting) I’ll do my best to get back to things here in a day or so. for now I think I’m just going to listen to the doctors. ...
Minds

Thursday Thirteen #7 - 13 Quotes From My Culinary Idols
2007-06-13 22:52:46
Thirteen Quotes From My Culinary Idols Never use water unless you have to! I’m going to use vermouth! Julia Child The only thing that counts is if you know how to prepare your ingredients. Even if with the best and freshest ingredients in the world, if your dish is tasteless or burnt, it’s ruined. Martin Yan Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it. Julia Child So when I do Chinese cooking, I mix everything together, then the kids have to eat their vegetables. They won’t have the patience to pick them out. Martin Yan Enough people have now mentioned Bill Nye the Science Guy to me that I now desperately avoid it all costs. Alton Brown In general I love to eat anything. I enjoy anything that is well prepared, a good spaghetti, lasagna, taco, steak, sushi, refried beans. Martin Yan In department stores, so much kitchen equipment is bought indiscriminately by people who just come in for men’s underw ...
Culinary Idols

Your Pantry or Mine No. 1 - Part Two - Chai Spice Chicken
2007-06-13 18:37:59
It is with great pride that I present you with Your Pantry or Mine No.1, Part two of 3 2 highlighting the contents of the Computer Diva’s pantry. We’re back for round two of our scheduled three rounder. Unfortunately, there won’t be a round three this time around. Budget and time constraints simply wouldn’t allow three dishes, but I’m hoping that this gem will be enough to make up for that. When Jess sent in her list of ingredients and I asked for the updated list of teas and coffees, I think she thought I was insane, but I was hoping I’d see one of a few items for something just like this, and to my delight, chai spice tea was on the list. This is probably one of the simplest recipes I’ve ever posted on Cooking… by the seat of my Pants, but don’t let that stop you from giving this a whirl. The flavors and aromas of this dish are something just this side of heaven, with hints of Indian spice tugging at all of the senses at the sam ...
Chicken Pantry Spice

A Taste of Greece, Sardine Meze
2007-06-12 20:11:09
I discovered Meze, Small Bites Big Flavors from the Greek Table in my wife’s cookbook collection a few months ago. The impact that just flipping through the pages had on me was intense, immediate and life altering. I had to try some of this, and soon! Unfortunately, soon wasn’t soon enough. With everything that’s been going on in our lives, this book has sat on my desk, forlorn and forgotten for far too long. It’s happy tales of Greek lifestyles and traditions, recipes and reminiscing tone all but relegated to obscurity… Until today. For those who don’t know, meze is the Greek equivalent of Tappas. Small portions of food absolutely loaded with flavor, but each celebrating the main ingredient. The ingredients are generally simple, and while not necessarily something that every American household might have on hand, they’re all fairly easy to find in local markets now. The first recipe that caught my eye when I flipped open the cover was ...
Greece

Keeping the kids occupied over the summer
2007-06-12 18:53:40
When summer rolls around and the kids are home from school for extended periods it can be difficult to get them interested in more than blasting the heck out of something in front of a game console all day. s parents we look for other methods of keeping their interest, especially the younger kids. One sure fire way to keep them occupied is to let them in the kitchen to help with the cooking, my personal favorite method. If you really want your 5 year old to eat his green beans, it helps if he’s helped stem them first, or helped to snap the peas, and it’s a great way to get some “together time” witout the distractions of TV or video games. Another great distraction for little ones that not only engages their creative side but can keep the little devils darlin’s occupied for a while is coloring. Every one of my brood has a hidden Picasso or Warhol buried inside of themselves somewhere, and all it takes to let the artist out of the bag is a box of crayons ...
Kids Occupied Summer

Sweet spices, come to me…
2007-06-11 23:12:08
I mentioned earlier that I love Thai food, but that I’ve never been able to make anything that remotely satisfied my cravings for it from scratch. I still can’t make it from scratch, but I do finally have a lovely sampling of CurrySimple Thai Curries sitting here to play with. I’m going to be completely honest. The first writeup of this product that I did was sponsored. I’m not going to apologize for that, since when I said that I was planning on ordering from CurrySimple, I was serious. I like love curries! I love the flavor combinations, if not necessarily the heat. I love the complex flavors that assault all five of the senses, and perhaps even find a sixth. A good curry is almost a religious experience. I was surprised when the CEO of CurrySimple contacted me to thank me for my article. I’m not an A-List food blogger by any stretch, but I do try to be an honest one. When I was offered a free sample of their product, the answer was; “Of Co ...
Spices

Duck, Duck Goose: a drive to help morale overseas.
2007-06-11 14:11:25
I just got word from the lovely and completely charming Sandi over at Whistlestop Cafe Cooking about a drive to send rubber ducks to Afghanistan, to raise the morale of our troops and remind them to “be the duck, not the goose.” (In reference to the childhood game of duck, duck goose) You can find the details here. Unfortunately I probably won’t be sending one of my own. (I do what I can here, and living at one of the largest AF bases in the country gives us plenty of opportunity.) If you can spare the time, effort and money, this would be a wonderful thing. If not and you’ve got a blog, get the buzz going, it’s all for a good cause! ...
Drive Goose Help

The Food Snob Chronicles Volume 2: You’re not going to eat that are you?
2007-06-09 13:16:07
I hate to admit it, but the snob in me reared his ugly head again this week. It wasn’t pretty, and even though I’m the only person that heard the conversation, it still embarrassed me a bit to know that I was even thinking the way I was. It began innocently enough. I was going over the list of ingredients sent in by Jess, the first of the Your Pantry or Mine, participants and trying to decide which I was going to use when I realized I’d actually huffed. “Huffed”? Yeah, you know that noise you make when you blow air through your nose in exasperation. The noise you would expect the snobbiest faux French waiter to make if you have the horrible sense to request ketchup for your haricots verts, or worse, suggested that you’d rather have a domestic wine with your meal. Yep, that’s the sound, and it came out of me! So what caused this tiny fit of obnoxious behavior, you ask? Since these chronicles are as much a soul searching experience as they a ...
Chronicles Food Snob

Grow, my pretties! Grow!
2007-06-08 22:15:02
The last time I grew something for the sole purpose of eating it was when I was 12 years old. At the time we had a half-acre lot in Sonoma and had a fairly impressive garden behind the house. We grew our own corn, beans, green beans, squash, tomatoes, radishes, carrots, onions, chives and peppers every year that we lived in that house, and it taught me something of the value of incredibly fresh vegetables. I can remember snatching carrots from that garden, or the grapes off the fence that ran between our yard and the neighbor’s. (The grapes were considered a blight, not a blessing. In wine country they pop up everywhere, and are as notoriously hard to kill as blackberries if they’re growing wild.) Now I’ve got my own tiny little garden going, and it’s extremely exciting! These were planted roughly a week ago, and already I’m seeing shoots of thyme, chives, what I believe is basil and rosemary peeking out of the soil. In about another month, I&rs ...

Campfires, S’Mores, scary stories and summer movies.
2007-06-06 18:30:09
Summer has come around again. Hopefully you’ll be able to take some time out with family and friends for a picnic, a barbecue or two, or a camping trip. complete with fire, S’Mores and a few ghost stories, perhaps followed by a good scare at the theater. The 1408 Movie, based on a Stephen King story looks like it would fit that last bill. Ghost stories? Sure, they’re not just or the kids. A good storyteller can send a chill down the spine of a hardened B-Movie fanatic if given the right lighting (and a certain lack of mosquitoes.) Add a batch of hot cocoa for the kids, white Russians for the adults and chocolate and you’ve got the perfect camp out, even if it’s held in your own back yard. With a little imagination, you can. The most fun I think I ever had was listening to the story of “The Hook”. coincidentally I think it was the most scared I’ve ever been, especially since we were sitting in the middle of the redwood forest in the ...
Movies Stories Summer

A few random food related thingies.
2007-06-06 16:23:10
Here’s a few interesting food finds I ran across while Stumbling the web over the past few days. I know a lot of people are finicky about their 3 minute eggs, but how about a 300 minute egg? Yes, you heard me right, a Moroccan egg recipe that calls for roasting an egg for 5 hours! The writer claims it’s pretty good, but I don’t know if I’m brave enough to try it out. You might call it informative, but I call it image overload. The Pioneer Woman Cooks! presents the absolutely definitive step-by-step-by-step guide to bread pudding. (note, if you’re just starting out in cooking, this really is a great site, with tons of information, I was just overwhelmed with the photos…) The caffeine periodic table… Makes me go all sciency, with jitters! If you need a good chuckle after that, try the 86 rules of boozing. ...
Food

This year go big!
2007-06-05 19:16:08
Well folks, baseball season in starting up, and with it a hundred great excuses to have some people over for a great time with good grub, good company and, of course, the game. It’s always nice to have a bunch of people gathered around enjoying America’s pastime with some burgers, dogs and potato salad and I’ve got an idea that’ll add all the kick of a monster screen TV to the fun without the multiple-thousand dollar price tag. Rent a projector. It’s simple, a whole monstrous lot less expensive than you’d think, and could turn your next big bash into something everyone will be talking about all season. Here in Texas football is the big event, but there’s not reason not to check out some information on Austin projector rental before football season hits. Just imagine being the guy with the TV that covers an entire wall from floor to ceiling! All you have to do to be a hero at that point is add some brisket… Mmmm, tasty. ...

[First] � Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next � [Last]

3795 blogs in our database.
Statistics resets every week.