Blog Archives
Carving and Cracking
Thomas Keller's roast chicken courtesy simplyrecipes.com. Do NOT try this at home.
I can’t carve a cooked bird to save my life. Even sober. Though let’s be honest I can’t even recall the last time I got to the carving stage with my feet in my shoes and my bra on the inside of my sweater. I start pretty well, but eventually am reduced to tearing away at the flesh with my fingers and flinging it on the platter so as to get it to the table while it’s still warm and the guests are still upright. Anyways, the always helpful Jamie Oliver has a video on his site demonstrating how to carve up a chicken and it looks so easy I may even try it again myself. By the way, that’s one of Jamie’s minions (presumably a relative) who carves up the bird. When I first cued it up I thought I’d opened that pesky time machine by mistake again.
Now, I was considering starting a video series myself, but then I was thinking maybe I don’t have any particular skills to demonstrate. That was until I clicked on Jamie’s video of how to prepare a cooked lobster, and let me tell you that is just wrong. As I may have mentioned, I grew up in Maine where lobster shells are used as teething rings, and if there’s one thing I’m really good at, it’s extracting every last shred of edible foodstuffs from a lobster. And I don’t need no stinking knife to do it either, Blondie. So stay tuned.
If you’re wondering how to choose a lobster (or any seafood for that matter), take a stroll through my archives.
Gratin facile (bien sur)
So simple even a dipsomaniac could make it.
Not terribly artful, but golden and delicious!
Over the course of my life I have met only one person who actively dislikes potato gratin; unfortunately it is my daughter. As a result, I generally reserve this dish for company or special occasions so as to avoid seeing it pushed away, untouched, with a moue of distaste. Of course it’s a mercy, too, as I could eat the stuff three meals a day, pausing only to check on my order upgrade at the Scooter Store or to mainline yet more Lipitor.
I mean really, it’s potatoes, cream and cheese. What’s not to like?
So as I was saying, over the years I’ve tried lots of different approaches, which have yielded mixed results. In truth there are as many recipes for this as there are cooks. But here’s mine, which is generally foolproof and requires the least amount of work and clean up of any recipe I have tried.
Pumpkin Roll: Check it out!
Check out the Spatula Goddess’s recipe for pumpkin roll. I grew up on jelly roll, and this is a fabulous tweak on it. For those of you who aren’t entirely comfortable with baking, the directions are really clear and the photos will be a big help. What a great company dessert! Roll it up! Nicely done, Goddess.
Beets: The uber tuber
Don’t waste your greens!
Went our for dinner and had a delicious beet salad last night, and I was reminded how much I love these little gems. Now, I know they’ve gotten a bad rap, but honestly I don’t know why. They’re sweet, but not too sweet, and they’re loaded with lots of healthy nutrients I can’t be bothered to look up the spelling of. You know, whatever it is you get from dark colored fruits and vegetables. So, I thought I’d take a mo and mention the mighty beet and offer a bit of advice on preparing them.
Quick note: There seems to be a mania for raw beets at the moment, but that is just wrong. If you want to shred ’em and eat ’em raw, that’s between you and your god. Personally I never would. Call me a conscientious objector on the issue.
So right off quick, set your oven to 425 degrees.
Take your beets and lop off the leaves, leaving about an inch of stem on each beet. If the greens are fresh, you can wash them and steam them. They are absolutely delicious with a pat of butter and a drizzle of red wine vinegar. If you’ve never tried the greens, do so immediately. Some say they’re the best part of the veg.
Straighten up, you salty dogs!
Welcome to No Sodium Wednesday.
courtesy latestbookreviews.net
Today, I’m adding a new page to my site even though it’s starting to look like the inside of my underwear drawer (an overcrowded, crazed jumble of random cast-offs and mania-inducing clutter, which I suppose is also a pretty fair description of my mind, come to think of it), but I do this in the name of service to mankind. Really, I am all about selflessness, just ask me.
So here’s the thing: As I have mentioned in the past, some people are sensitive to salt and some are not. If you have high blood pressure, you need to deal with it, no question. Sodium is also a problem for people with kidney disease. One of the the simplest things you can do is cut back radically on sodium, though it’s easier said than done because it is in EVERYTHING (breakfast cereals, condiments, dairy items, processed foods, and restaurant meals to name but a few).
Kitchen Slattern 