Welp, it's New Years, and instead of getting crazy drunk or partying, I am hanging out at home. I did make a decent meal, however, and I will share it with you! You get what it is from the title, so here ya goooooo.
Mushrooms:
I found a package of two portabellas for a reasonable price. I didn't want them to go to waste, but I wasn't sure how I wanted to cook them. I concluded that deep-frying would be pretty good since I hadn't broken out the Fry Daddy for quite some time.
I did a traditional battering or coating for these. I think next time I will make an actual batter, since they didn't turn out as well as I hoped. I did a flour-egg wash-breadcrumb coating. If you don't know what that is look it up. I am too tired to type it all out. I fried them in a thoroughly-heated Fry Daddy (following all safety instructions). I let them brown pretty significantly, since I didn't slice them very thin, and I wanted them to cook through.
The flavor overall was OK. I think that I made them too thick and overcooked them overall. I think a little less brown and a bit more golden would have worked better. Also, I only have Italian Seasoned breadcrumbs, so a self-seasoned mixture may have been better. The mushrooms weren't very fresh I realized, so this held them back slightly.
Roasted Red Potatoes:
Pretty simple: diced some potatoes, tossed in canola oil, and cooked in an oven with a few spices. I used seasoned salt (hell yeah!), pepper, and a bit of rosemary. I don't like strong rosemary, so it all worked out pretty well.
I used a heavy pan, oiled and seasoned them, and baked them in a 400 degree oven. 'Nuff SAIIIIIIDDD.
Overall flavor was pretty good. The rosemary gave it very earthy notes (like potatoes need more help), but the way it all was worked pretty well. I think that a 350 degree oven would have worked better, but I ran out of time and needed it on the fly!
Pork Chops:
Again, simplicity was key. I had purchased a bulk package of pork chops that were discounted due to being in bulk, and also for not being the most "eye-catching" cuts. I had packaged them individually in zip bags, so it worked perfectly for two!
I cooked them in a medium pan in a bit of canola oil. I used salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic powder (the real powder, like flour, not granules), and a bit of onion powder. I went light on the seasoning since I wanted the pork flavor to shine. I used medium-high heat and browned them on both sides. I then turned the heat to medium-low and let them cook longer to temperature. I cooked them to a medium-well (which isn't technically recommended, but it is a bit more tender and flavorful).
Overall flavor was pretty good. Since the chops weren't "ideal" they were a little varied on cooking times, but flavor was good. The differing chops meant various fat formations, so that was a little disappointing at moments. The chops were more tender than I thought. They were pretty good and a bit of different protein than usual, so it was nice.
The meal itself was a bit "thick" or heavy. I should have mashed the potatoes and had a bit of gravy as well, or had a vegetable as well. It wasn't the most healthy meal, since all of it required oil in certain quantities. The flavor was OK, and it was a filling and different meal, which was what mattered overall. Anyway, that's it for now.
Later, y'all.
-Tim
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
We put the Christ in Christmas
Hello loyal readers... ha.
Well, it's Christmas day and thus far it has been good. Lots of good things happening, with family get-togethers and such. Anyway, enough generic holiday wishes. I am sure you are tired of them by now.
We at twofatamateurs are not going to go into a whole holiday meal, we leave that to our families. Food Network has a lot of good holiday ideas, so check their site out if you're looking for that sort of thing. If you haven't noticed we are pretty lazy around here, so don't expect us to really link to or provide useful information. We are the middleman, but it costs the same whether you cut us out or not.
I did happen to get a nice set of food dishes, however. I will spare you the intricate details and hope it will suffice to say "they are good." Once I get to washing all of them, I will have few excuses and will actually have to cook. Then I will have all kinds of misadventures and botched recipes to share with the three people that read this! Yay!
Anyway, I am going off 3 1/2 hours of sleep, so I will end this drawn-out, half-assed holiday post. Hope none of you burn your homes down. Or burn anything.
Bye!
-Tim
Well, it's Christmas day and thus far it has been good. Lots of good things happening, with family get-togethers and such. Anyway, enough generic holiday wishes. I am sure you are tired of them by now.
We at twofatamateurs are not going to go into a whole holiday meal, we leave that to our families. Food Network has a lot of good holiday ideas, so check their site out if you're looking for that sort of thing. If you haven't noticed we are pretty lazy around here, so don't expect us to really link to or provide useful information. We are the middleman, but it costs the same whether you cut us out or not.
I did happen to get a nice set of food dishes, however. I will spare you the intricate details and hope it will suffice to say "they are good." Once I get to washing all of them, I will have few excuses and will actually have to cook. Then I will have all kinds of misadventures and botched recipes to share with the three people that read this! Yay!
Anyway, I am going off 3 1/2 hours of sleep, so I will end this drawn-out, half-assed holiday post. Hope none of you burn your homes down. Or burn anything.
Bye!
-Tim
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Corn and Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Andouille Sausage
So, I basically stole this from another blog, but I will give the recipe as well (with my minor changes), and link to the original site (which links to the site that was the very original).
1 cup brown rice (I used white, worked fine)
4 cups chicken broth (can use vegetable for vegan/vegetarian [see very original])
6 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (fresh ground if possible)
3 ears of corn (I used one 15oz can, fresh is best)
2 large red bell peppers
2 minced garlic cloves
1 TBS of olive oil (canola oil works fine too, just for sauteing)
8oz andouille sausage (can use kielbasa, or go without if you're vegan/veg)
-Get a large stock pot, and put rice, water, and broth, bring to a boil. Original says to simmer for an hour, or until soft. It's important to point out the rice is more of a thickener, or an almost mushy/starchy base, not like an individual "chunk" ingredient.
-While rice is cooking, roast red peppers.* Remove skin and place in reclosable plastic bag for 15 minutes. Remove skins and seeds, and slice into 1'' thin strips.
-Heat the oil in a pan, and saute garlic (1 min), add corn (3-5 minutes). Remove from heat and add in prepared red peppers.
-When the rice is fully cooked, add the mixture from the pan into your pot.
-If using sausage, slice into 1/4'' slices and saute for a minute or two, then add to the pot as well. Add salt and pepper as well. **
-Simmer for 30 minutes, or until it thickens significantly.
* This was strange, so look it up before you do it. Use fresh peppers, and what I did was wrap them in olive oil, a bit of sea salt, and foil, and broiled them. I didn't broil them enough, and it was very tough at times to remove the skin. Make sure to follow roasting instructions closely, since I nearly burned down my apartment.
**The andouille sausage was strong-flavored and spicy. I think next time I will use less or cut smaller, since the spice and flavor takes away to the sweet/savory notes of the broth/veggies.
Like I said, I used this recipe from another site, but I wanted to add my notes about it and hopefully yours turns out even better :)
Recipe (where I got it)
-Tim
1 cup brown rice (I used white, worked fine)
4 cups chicken broth (can use vegetable for vegan/vegetarian [see very original])
6 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (fresh ground if possible)
3 ears of corn (I used one 15oz can, fresh is best)
2 large red bell peppers
2 minced garlic cloves
1 TBS of olive oil (canola oil works fine too, just for sauteing)
8oz andouille sausage (can use kielbasa, or go without if you're vegan/veg)
-Get a large stock pot, and put rice, water, and broth, bring to a boil. Original says to simmer for an hour, or until soft. It's important to point out the rice is more of a thickener, or an almost mushy/starchy base, not like an individual "chunk" ingredient.
-While rice is cooking, roast red peppers.* Remove skin and place in reclosable plastic bag for 15 minutes. Remove skins and seeds, and slice into 1'' thin strips.
-Heat the oil in a pan, and saute garlic (1 min), add corn (3-5 minutes). Remove from heat and add in prepared red peppers.
-When the rice is fully cooked, add the mixture from the pan into your pot.
-If using sausage, slice into 1/4'' slices and saute for a minute or two, then add to the pot as well. Add salt and pepper as well. **
-Simmer for 30 minutes, or until it thickens significantly.
* This was strange, so look it up before you do it. Use fresh peppers, and what I did was wrap them in olive oil, a bit of sea salt, and foil, and broiled them. I didn't broil them enough, and it was very tough at times to remove the skin. Make sure to follow roasting instructions closely, since I nearly burned down my apartment.
**The andouille sausage was strong-flavored and spicy. I think next time I will use less or cut smaller, since the spice and flavor takes away to the sweet/savory notes of the broth/veggies.
Like I said, I used this recipe from another site, but I wanted to add my notes about it and hopefully yours turns out even better :)
Recipe (where I got it)
-Tim
Round 1- FIGHT!!!
Hello readers reader,
Welcome to the blog created by Jake and I. We were and still are kind of unsure as to how/what we are doing (how's that for a sweet sentence?). So, as we have mentioned, we will talk about food adventures and the like. But, if you don't know who we are, here's a little background for you.
Jake and I (Tim) are two friends that have a passion for many things, and we are masters of few things. Being large men in our twenties, we call our blog "Two Fat Amateurs." We hail from small-town Iowa, and after various years of college, moving, families, floods, and fun, we decided that we should share with the world our backwards insights, bad recipes, and general debauchery. Jake and I have each put in a number of years in food service, and through our own amateur home cooking plus general *poor* training, we now consider ourselves masters of the cheap meal. We thought that a number of you would like to see how little money can go into making a decent meal. We also thought that you would like to share in our adventures as we attempt to adjust into adulthood *poorly*.
Anyway, now that you have an idea of where we come from, we welcome you to comment, email (if we can figure this all out), or ask us anything that you want.
-Tim
Welcome to the blog created by Jake and I. We were and still are kind of unsure as to how/what we are doing (how's that for a sweet sentence?). So, as we have mentioned, we will talk about food adventures and the like. But, if you don't know who we are, here's a little background for you.
Jake and I (Tim) are two friends that have a passion for many things, and we are masters of few things. Being large men in our twenties, we call our blog "Two Fat Amateurs." We hail from small-town Iowa, and after various years of college, moving, families, floods, and fun, we decided that we should share with the world our backwards insights, bad recipes, and general debauchery. Jake and I have each put in a number of years in food service, and through our own amateur home cooking plus general *poor* training, we now consider ourselves masters of the cheap meal. We thought that a number of you would like to see how little money can go into making a decent meal. We also thought that you would like to share in our adventures as we attempt to adjust into adulthood *poorly*.
Anyway, now that you have an idea of where we come from, we welcome you to comment, email (if we can figure this all out), or ask us anything that you want.
-Tim
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