ravioli lasagna

this recipe was adapted from something out of a kraft food & family magazine from back in 2009.  it's really simple to cook, but i found it to be kind of boring as-written...which is why i've since adapted it.  if i were really awesome, though, i'd make my own ravioli and spaghetti sauce.  maybe one of these days...

it's sitting on a very pretty trivet that my sister gave me

ingredients:
1 large jar of spaghetti sauce (24-26 ounces or thereabouts)
1 can (14.5 ounces) dice tomatoes (i used stewed because i was too lazy to go to the store)
1 package of frozen ravioli (i used a 20 ounce package of four cheese ravioli)
12 ounces of sausage (today, i went for fully-cooked, smoked andouille chicken sausage)
1 zucchini
lots of shredded cheese (i went for a package of italian five cheese blend and half a package of sharp cheddar)
grated parmesan cheese

call it what you will (laziness, taking advantage of available ingredients, or something else altogether), but i do tend to get the sauces and other ingredients that have already been seasoned.  my spaghetti sauce was tomato and basil flavored, and the stewed tomatoes were italian recipe (garlic, basil, oregano).  i've found a brand of precooked sausage that has a variety of flavors, and typically i go for a sweet italian sausage, but this time, i decided to try something different.  the andouille (with spanish paprika, black pepper, and garlic) looked like it might provide a bolder, more aggressive flavor.  the downside is that these pre-packaged products are probably chock full of bad-for-me stuff.

preparation:
empty the tomatoes and the spaghetti sauce into a large bowl.  add the zucchini and sausage (sliced), and stir to ensure all the additives are thoroughly coated with tomatoey goodness.

use some of the sauce mixture to coat the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan.  layer half of the ravioli into the pan, and sprinkle with shredded cheese.  cover this layer with about half of the remaining sauce mixture.  layer the remaining ravioli into the dish, and cover with the last of the sauce.  sprinkle the whole thing with more shredded cheese.

cover the pan with aluminum foil, and bake at 400°F for 30 minutes (again, i turn the pan halfway through, regardless of the need). uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.  sprinkle with the parmesan when hot out of the oven.  let stand 10 minutes before serving.  if you like cheese (and i do), sprinkle some more parmesan onto the serving portion, just for good measure.

verdict:
first of all, i keep forgetting how much the melted italian five cheese blend stretches.  it's presumably due to the mozzarella, but it does take awhile to get a little strand all the way into a serving dish.  the true version of string cheese!

all told, though, i am pleased with this particular iteration of the recipe.  i did manage to coat all the ravioli with sauce, so nothing got crispy/burnt while baking (i've had problems with that in the past).  also, the andouille sausage works well with this dish; it provides a certain warmth to the mixture and leaves a pleasant lingering heat without being overpoweringly spicy.  this may need to be a permanent addition to my recipe...at least until i find something else i'd like to try.  this is also the first time i used the italian cheese mix instead of straight cheddar.  as much as i like cheddar, there are times when other cheeses are necessary.  and fake italian food is probably one of those times...so this will probably be another semi-permanent recipe addition.

i was hoping to capture the steam in the picture. oh well.

that said, i kind of wish i had added more zucchini.  in hindsight, i also think it might be interesting if i use the zucchini as a layer of the "lasagna" instead of mixing it in with the sauce.  hm...

this should be enough for about 5 brian-sized portions, so it looks like i have dinner for most of the week.

tropical chicken grill

the last time i went to key west (back in december of 2011), i discovered a cuban restaurant called el siboney.  i had never eaten cuban cuisine before, but the locals assured me it would be well worth the walk.  after eating the succulent roast pork and the fried sweet plantains, it was clear that the locals knew what they were talking about.

since i now know that i had been missing out on cuban food for all these years, i keep an eye out for cuban restaurants in the area.  for the past year or so, periodic online searches have come up empty, but in the past month or so, i did see a listing for a place off pelham road called the tropical chicken grill.  although i am by no means an expert, it appeared to be more of a cuban-inspired place than a full-fledged cuban restaurant.  i did, however, have an opportunity to try it this afternoon.

i got the roast pork (served over rice and beans) and a side order of plantains.  first off, i will say that the portion sizes are very generous; the regular portion was almost too much food for me, so the large would definitely be enough for two meals.  the plantains were nicely cooked, and the pork was flavorful.  however, i was faintly disappointed that the pork didn't get served with any of the roasting juice.  as far as i can tell, the meat is dropped on the grill and chopped before serving, so maybe that's the reason for the lack of juice.

the long and short of it is that this restaurant serves very worthwhile food for reasonable prices (lots of meat, rice, and beans; fried plantains on the side; and a drink for less than ten dollars).  i'd go back again, but i'm not sure i'd go when i'm specifically looking for cuban food.  i guess i'll have to keep looking.

on fame

judge me if you wish, but i'm watching the first episode of the taste on abc -- and it's almost entirely because anthony bourdain is on the show.  based on no reservations (and various other shows like top chef, etc), mr. bourdain is irreverant, sarcastic, and is unafraid of telling it like it is.  he has, to say the least, some rather evocative and cutting critiques of the food he dislikes, and it's amusing to hear his opinions.

i highly approve of his sense of humor and would love to meet him in person some day...but no way in hell would i want to cook for him!  call me crazy, but i even spent some time trying to find a way to beg and plead for a chance to carry camera gear for the travel channel (and specifically, for no reservations).  it would have been worth it to travel to beautiful places and have a local fixer who knows where to go to eat some absolutely delicious foods.  so what if the camera crew would be doing grunt work most of the time?  i'm convinced it would've been worth it.  sadly, no reservations is now ending, and this opportunity never came to pass.

there are quite a few famous dead people worth conversing with (einstein, twain, and feynman, to name a few), but would i like to meet many live celebrities?  not so much.  some people may want to meet celebrities just so they can say "i've met him" or "i saw her," but that strikes me as somewhat shallow.  for me, i'd rather meet interesting people; if they happen to be famous, that would be kind of a neat story.  but fame does not, in general, strike me as a valid reason for wanting to meet people.  infamy, on the other hand...!

maybe this notion of mine is because i'm somewhat allergic to attention.  i prefer a degree of anonymity, and constantly being in the public eye (and under the proverbial microscope) is a rather scary thought.  given that, maybe it's just as well that i'm not pretty enough, talented enough, or smart enough to become famous.

and here i am, writing a blog for anyone and everyone to read...go figure.

stir fry (kind of?)

i was feeling bold and experimental today.  chalk it up to taking a nice long hike at table rock state park, which made me hungry (and tired).  in this case, i went for a version of a pork stir fry.  it probably doesn't count as a traditional stir fry, but it was full of vegetables, smelled nice, and served over jasmine rice (and topped with chow mein noodles), it tasted even better.  so hey, here's to being (at least kind of) healthy!

prep time was about half an hour, cooking time was about 15-20 minutes, and i expect to have about 4-5 total meals out of this.

looks good enough to eat, huh?

ingredients:
pork chops (about 1 pound, sliced into strips)
sliced water chestnuts (5 ounces, drained)
baby carrots (a good handful, coarsely chopped)
broccoli floret (coarsely chopped)
macadamia nuts (handful, coarsely chopped)
green peas (14 ounce bag)
olive oil
texas pete
worchestershire sauce
seasonings (cayenne/black pepper, garlic powder, tarragon, oregano, paprika)
chow mein noodles

preparation:
after chopping the broccoli, carrots, and macadamia nuts, i added the drained water chestnuts and the bag of peas.  i never used to like water chestnuts, but lately, i've decided that they add an excellent crunchy texture to dishes.  after mixing the vegetables, i tossed them with a little olive oil and black pepper and put the bowl aside for later.

the pork chops happened to be the cheapest cuts at the grocery store, and i simply sliced them into strips to make the dish resemble a stir fry.  if it works, it works...right?  i added the pork strips to another mixing bowl and tossed them with olive oil (enough to coat the meat but not enough to pool at the bottom of the mixing bowl), texas pete (3-4 shakes), and some worchestershire sauce (2-3 shakes).  clearly, i would have used soy sauce if i were feeling particularly asian-inspired, but i figured i'd just see how it turned out.  in addition, i added black pepper, cayenne pepper, tarragon, garlic powder, oregano, and paprika.  paprika doesn't seem to do much but add a little color (aesthetics are important), and i added the pepper because i wanted a little heat.  obviously, the bowl had to be well-mixed to prevent some bits being bland and other bits being over-seasoned.

i preheated a large pan to medium to medium-high heat and browned the pork.  obviously, the pork has to be poked and prodded to cook everything evenly, but this is why spatulas exist.  once the pork was cooked (took about 8 minutes total), i stirred the vegetables into the pan and turned the heat up to high.  a pan is not a wok, but it'll do in a pinch...and like i said, i was experimenting.  i constantly stirred the whole mixture to ensure that all the vegetables got cooked (and not burned), and this took another 7-8 minutes.  my personal litmus test for doneness was to taste the carrot pieces and make sure that they were not cold in the center.

in the pan

verdict:
the pork turned out to be tender and had only a touch of heat to it.  since i was diluting the pork seasoning by adding a big bowl of (mostly unseasoned) vegetables, i could probably have added a little extra texas pete and/or cayenne pepper without things getting too out of hand.  similarly, i could have been a little less restrained on the other seasonings, but i've learned that leaving the leftovers in the refrigerator overnight seems to meld the flavors together...so i have high hopes for how it tastes after a little judicious reheating.  and not to pat myself on the back too hard, but i managed to cook the vegetables long enough that they were no longer raw -- yet short enough that they weren't overcooked and soggy; i call this a win.

in hindsight, using nearly a whole pound of peas was overkill, but i didn't want to end up with a partial bag in my freezer that would just turn into a chunk of ice.  and i like peas, so it's no big deal.  also, i can probably just put whole macadamia nuts into the mix next time; maybe it's because these nuts were a little older, or maybe they just cook down better than i expected, but the macadamia pieces had only a hint of crunch.

all told, i am well-pleased.

around it goes

so after more than 20 years since robert jordan first published the eye of the world, the final novel in the wheel of time series has been published.  i've been reading (and re-reading) this massively epic fantasy series since maybe the sixth or seventh grade, which means that as of now, these books have been a part of my library for more than half my life.  scary.

i've known for awhile that a memory of light would be out this january, but i never got around to pre-ordering.  considering how i tend to wander into bookstores on a fairly regular basis, i figured i wouldn't forget to pick up a copy.  because i'm just good like that.  so this past friday, i bought book 14 and began to read it.

maybe i should have stretched things out a bit...savored the experience a little longer.  but let's face it: the storytelling was pretty darn compelling, and i really didn't want to set the book down.  before i cracked the front cover, i made a guess that it would take less than a week to finish.  however, after less than 36 hours, i was done with more than 900 pages.  thus endeth the last book in a very long series.

give me another few years, and i'll probably start reading the whole thing yet again.

the sky is falling!

okay, fine...so it's just a little chicken.  and i can't help that i make bad puns.  or that people smile at them.

but yes, i was afraid that the second meyer lemon i got from dad's tree over christmas would go bad, and i am not quite up to the task of making a lemon pie (yet).  so i just stopped by the store after work for some chicken and broccoli.  thirty minutes later, and i had a splendid dinner of steamed broccoli, jasmine rice, and baked chicken.

winner, winner

ingredients:
boneless chicken (1 breast and 2 thighs)
1 meyer lemon
bacon pieces
olive oil
garlic powder
basil
thyme
salt/pepper

preparation:

for this baked chicken dish, i opened up the cabinet and chose some a few random herbs and spices that looked like they might work.  i have never been particularly afraid of experimenting with flavors, and from what i've seen, the basic herbs rarely clash unpleasantly.  in this case, basil and thyme seem to work with chicken, and i hadn't used them much lately.  so why not?

coat the chicken in olive oil, and dust both sides with the seasonings.  i used a fairly heavy hand with the basil and pepper, and i chose to use a little restraint with the thyme.  for better or worse, i also tend to limit the amount of salt i use; maybe i underseason a little, but i figure it's a lot easier to add more salt than it is to subtract some.

i sliced the lemon thinly and spread it across the top of the chicken, and then i added some bacon pieces on top of the whole ensemble.  because everything is always better with bacon.  bake at 350°F (uncovered) for about 25 minutes.  again, i tend to rotate the dish halfway through (whether it needs it or not).

verdict:
there was perhaps a little too much lemon for the amount of chicken i cooked.  i should either have baked more at one time, or maybe i should have just used the juice.  but the lemon slices look so cheerful on top of the baked chicken...and it seemed a shame to waste any of the lemon from dad's tree.

aside from that, the herb mixture definitely worked with the dark meat of the chicken thigh.  the chicken was tender and well-seasoned, and by mixing it in with the rice and broccoli, a little bit of the excess lemon flavor got soaked up.  all told, a successful experiment!

break an egg

i have accumulated a few pieces of kitchen paraphernalia over the years, but the first item i bought for myself back in 2006 was an omelet pan.  did i know how to make omelets when i bought the pan?  only vaguely.  before my purchase, my experience was limited to watching the guy in fountain dining hall make my breakfast.  but i was determined to learn.  fast-forward about six years (and much experimentation), and i am pleased to say that people now express their approval of my omelet-making skills.

behold

clearly, there is a method to the madness of omelet preparation, but i don't claim to understand why certain things work (or don't, as the case may be).  but they are perhaps my favorite things to cook.  it takes artistry.  and i enjoy thinking that i have a little bit of artistry in my soul.


ingredients:
2 eggs
milk
texas pete (or other hot sauce of your choice)
fillings of your choice (for the pictured omelet, i used bacon pieces and shredded some of dad's smoked turkey)
shredded cheese (i typically just go for cheddar)
black pepper

preparation:
crack the eggs into a bowl, and add the hot sauce.  i use three or four shakes because i like a little bit of spice.  beat the eggs with a  fork or small whisk.  add milk and mix some more.  i use maybe 1/4 to 1/2 of a cup, but it sort of depends on the size of the omelet pan.  too much milk and the pan will overflow...clearly not a good thing.

spritz the omelet pan with cooking spray, and sprinkle the fillings.  be generous...there is no reason to skimp on the bacon (or whatever).  as an exception, be careful when using tomatoes; i like tomatoes in omelets, but i've noticed that too much juice will prevent the egg from setting properly.  i think it's the acid.  but anyway, by putting these ingredients in the pan before adding the egg mixture, they get cooked into the omelet itself.  fancy!

put the pan on the stove, and turn heat up to medium to medium-high.  once things start to get warm, i make sure the egg mixture is well-stirred and carefully pour it into the pan.  as the mixture starts to cook, the edges of the omelet will begin to set.  use a wooden spatula to push the edges down.  carefully tilt and rotate the pan to allow the uncooked egg mixture to reach the edges.  continue to do this until no liquid egg mixture is present.

continue to cook for a minute or so, and then sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.  i personally like a lot of cheese in my omelet, so there is no reason to skimp here, either.  let the cheese melt and continue to cook until the omelet is less shiny.  clearly, this is a technical term to help you know when the omelet is done, and it's essentially where the artistry and experimentation comes in; it takes awhile to figure out just how long is optimal for a nicely browned (but not overly browned) omelet.

because i put the cheese on the omelet while it's still cooking, i don't flip things in the pan.  when it's finished, i simply slide the omelet onto a plate, and i let it fold over on itself as it slides off the pan.  add some freshly cracked black pepper if desired, and start eating!

the itch

it has been over three years since i last got my passport stamped...and more than a year since i've been on an airplane.  and 2012 kept me confined within a mere four states.  even worse, i have only increased the length of my wishlist of places to see...sadly, i have not placed any new checkmarks on that list in the past couple years.

don't get me wrong, it isn't like i haven't gone anywhere or done anything lately; looking back over the past year, i've been to the beach, to the mountains (multiple times), and to several places in between.  i've reconnected with a few old friends, and i've met some awesome new people.  but i suffer from a chronic case of wanderlust.  and the symptoms have been increasing as of late.
 
so yes, i clearly need to go somewhere new and unfamiliar in 2013.

although i have numerous european and pacific destinations on my list, i sort of want to stick to north america this time around.  san francisco would be awesome...especially if royal crown revue ever happens to perform again.  and i'm led to believe that there is some exceedingly tasty food to be found there.  not to mention the opportunity to drive through big sur country. 

another alternative i'm considering is vancouver.  in hindsight, i absolutely should have gone to the winter olympics there; even now, i'm kicking myself for not thinking about it beforehand.  but i understand that it's a fun place with some scenic drives of its own.

decisions, decisions...

auld lang syne

since i do live in the south, it is only proper that i have a semi-traditional new year's day meal.  i say semi-traditional because i'm sure i left something out.  clearly, i have the pork, the collard greens, and field peas (including black-eyed peas), but i also made a pineapple casserole.  i don't think pineapple is traditional for new year's day (at least not in the south), but i think it works well with pork.  and i'm the one eating this particular meal, so i don't need to cater to someone else's opinions regarding proper menu!

bon appetit!

all told, i'm fairly pleased.  adding a little ham and apple cider vinegar to the greens seems to make it tasty, and the pork was both tender and juicy.  i probably should have cooked some rice or something.  oh well.


for interested parties, the pineapple casserole is very simple to prepare, and it works as a dessert.  or merely as a complement to a more savory dish.  i think the recipe originated from a church cookbook, but mom's been making it for years.  and since i like it, i blatantly stole the recipe.  shame on me.

pineapple casserole

ingredients:
3/4 stick margarine
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 (20 ounce) can of crushed pineapple

preparation:
melt margarine in casserole dish (or, as i prefer, in a round pyrex dish).  i've found that about 30 seconds in the microwave works just about perfectly.  add the sugar, flour, and eggs to the bowl and mix well.  stir in the pineapple (again mixing well).  bake at 350°F for about one hour (uncovered).  i tend to rotate the dish in the oven a couple times.  maybe that's not necessary, but it certainly doesn't hurt anything.  the casserole is done when there's a nice golden skin on top.



the pork tenderloin is also pretty easy to cook.  in this case, i got a pre-marinated tenderloin at the store (half-price because it had reached its sell-by date!), so i didn't even have to worry about how to make it tasty.  i like the peppercorn marinade, but i took the liberty of adding thin slices of meyer lemon (fresh from dad's tree) on top.  bake at 350°F in a shallow dish (uncovered) for about 40 minutes, and then let it rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.

peppercorn pork tenderloin

technically, i suppose i should be using a meat thermometer and cook until the internal temperature reaches the proper level...but i don't have a meat thermometer.  i should probably remedy that.  eventually.

may everyone have a happy and healthy year in 2013!

amusement

sometimes, it's the small things that create the most amusement.  the week before christmas, people at work were bringing treats into the office to share...just something to help put people in a good mood before the holidays.  being the kind and conscientious person i am, i took a batch of chocolate chip cookies...and a box of clementines.  because as much as everyone likes cookies, sometimes you also need to put a healthy alternative in front of them.  at any rate, both the oranges and the cookies disappeared in approximately the same amount of time.  considering how clementines are fairly tasty, maybe this isn't all that surprising.  but i also had a couple people ask me for my cookie recipe.

this amused me for two reasons.  first, it means that after six years, people at work are finally realizing that i do in fact know how to cook.  for the longest time, people always expressed astonishment whenever i brought in leftovers that were clearly homemade.  second, their expressions when hearing this particular recipe was priceless:


i told them that preparation was simple; that pillsbury makes these special, ready-to-bake cookies.  et voila!