Chuc Mang Nam Moi (Happy Chinese New Year)

Happy Chinese New Year!

It has finally snowed here in Mammoth Lakes after TWO months of no precipitation.  It has been the driest winter on record since the 1800-somethings when they started recording things like that.  What a good start to the year of the Dragon!  Here are some pictures from this morning.

Snow on the deck

the VW is covered

Matt starting to shovel

Lots of shoveling to be done

Curious George

Despite the look on his face, George is actually happy.

Top Burnt Chef's Holiday Gift Guide 2011

The holiday season is upon us! Normally I am working like crazy but this is the first year since graduating culinary school that I will NOT be working in a kitchen.  So I actually have some time to enjoy the holidays!  I actually haven't done any Christmas shopping yet (finals week and all, oh and living in a town where almost everything is branded with the ski area logo) but if you are shopping for a foodie-obsessed individual (or myself) these are the gifts I would give (or hope to receive, HINT HINT).

Gifts to Give

1. Lodge Cast Iron Skillet - from $22-$65
This is the workhorse of my kitchen.  I use this pan more than anything else.  I have fancy All-Clad pans and a Le Creuset but I always return to the cast iron.  It is the best pan to cook grilled cheeses and my favorite pan to cook hamburgers.  I seriously use it for everything, to bake mac and cheese, corn bread, fry chicken. If you are at all serious about cooking, you need to get one of these.  Chances are you grandmother has one that she has been using for twenty years.
                                                                                                     You can purchase it here

2. Cast-Iron Bacon Press - $12.95
My other workhorse. Let this heat up with your cast-iron skillet and you will have perfectly grilled cheeses.  It's also perfect for getting flat bacon.  Who likes curly bacon?  Not me!

You can purchase it here

3. Microplane Box Grater - $34.95

The price is a bit steep for a box grater but Microplane makes the best grater. Every professional chef will have some form of Microplane in his toolkit. Made with surgical grade stainless steel, this box grater has three grating blades, including a fine/zester! It has rubber feet so no slipping when you are grating. And I love how the grating surface is slightly elevated so you can grate the full length of the cheese!  This is the Ferrari of box graters. 

You can purchase it here

4. Fish Spatula - $15

Of all the spatulas, non-stick, rubber, silicone, etc. I like the fish spatula the best.  I use it for more than fish.  It's great for flipping grilled cheeses and burgers.  It's very thin and flexible and I like the wooden handle.  

Buy a fish spatula here

5.  Japanese Mandoline - $21

This is another workhorse in my kitchen.  I absolutely LOVE this tool.  It slices and dices with precision.  It's extremely sharp and people have definitely lost the tips of their fingers but you will not find a better tool that will slice and julienne with precision. For $21, you can't beat the price.  It comes with three different blades (4 if you include the straight blade) and is adjustable so you can make paper thin slices or thicker slices (1/4")

You can purchase it here

My Wish List

1. Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook- $20

I am obsessed with all things David Chang of Momofuku and I am addicted to his style of cooking.  Christina Tosi is his pastry chef and she has come up with simple yet mind-blowing desserts such as Crack Pie and Blueberry and Cream Cookies.  These are a collection of her pastry recipes for the Momofuku concepts in Manhattan.  

Buy this book for me here

2. Subscription to Lucky Peach Magazine- $28

I warned you, I am obsessed with all things David Chang and Lucky Peach is his quarterly magazine that he edits with Momofuku cookbook co-author Peter Meehan. Not your average food magazine, Lucky Peach is "a new journal of food writing. It is a mélange of travelogue, essays, art, photography, rants, and recipes in a full-color, meticulously designed format. (The) aim is to produce a publication that appeals to diehard foodies as well as fans of good writing and art in general." The first issue was solely dedicated to ramen with guest writers like Anthony Bourdain and Wylie DuFrense praising the glorious soup that is ramen.

Order me a subscription here

3. Cheese of the Month Club Subscription

Who wouldn't want this?  Every month Cowgirl Creamery will send you one pound of cheese with an accompaniment. There are three subscriptions to choose from: 3-month, 6-month and 12-month subscriptions. 

Send me some cheese by ordering here

4. Nixon Kensington watch in Gold- $150

Ok this is not a culinary thing but it has been a long time since I have been allowed to wear a nice watch. Since I am no longer working in a kitchen, I am enjoying wearing jewelry again.  I don't wear too much jewelry in the first place but I am obsessed with mens style watches. I need this watch! Does anybody have a Nixon hook up or access to a pro-form?

Buy me this watch here

Elderberry Jammin'

In September, I went camping at the East Walker River.  We found a neat little camp site right off the road.  I noticed as we were attempting to off-road my Jetta, there were a number of bushes with blue berries.  The first rule of foraging is to POSITIVELY ID YOUR PLANT! Since we had no cell reception, I couldn't use those nifty apps where you take picture of the plants and it IDs it for you. Luckily, a truck pulled up and these people started plucking berries off the tree! Curious, I asked them what they were doing and I found out they were local Native Americans.  They were picking elderberries for their elders to make syrup and preserves.  My eyes lit up as I was extremely excited to go berry picking.  My attempt to go apple picking earlier in the century old orchards of Yosemite was thwarted by my lazy boyfriend (and the unexpected death of a good friend) so I'll be damned if something interferes with my berry picking!

After finding out the berries weren't poisonous, I began spotting the bushes everywhere.  The elderberry bushes were concentrated with in a 100 yards of each other so I didn't have to walk very far.  Elderberries grow in clusters and are ripe when the fruit has turned almost white.  It should look like a dusting of powdered sugar on the blue berries.

Elderberries are found throughout most of the world, in Europe, Asia, the Americas and even Australia. They supposedly have mystic and healing characteristics. In some areas, the elder tree was supposed to ward of evil spirits and give protections from witches.  Some say that witches congregate under their branches, especially when it is full of fruit. According to folklore, you should never cut down or burn an elder tree.  Spirits will haunt you.  And now for my favorite piece of trivia about the elder tree, the wood from an elder tree was used to create the Wand of Destiny, Death Stick, the Elder Wand aka Dumbeldore's wand from Harry Potter.

 Elderberry flowers are used to create elderberry cordials which are so popular right now with mixologists.  You probably have had a drink with St. Germain in it.  Wine, cordials and marmalades can be made from the berries. A popular dish in Europe is to eat pancakes with elderberries. Elderberries have been used medicinally throughout the centuries. You can find elderberries as an ingredient for almost all holistic cold medicines.  Eating elderberries has been shown to reduce congestion and may be an effective treatment for the H1N1 flu otherwise known as the Avian flu.  It is also effective in treating other types of flus and is even being recommended for AIDS and cancer patients for its ability to boost and sustain the immune system.  For more information about the health benefits of the elderberry check out wikipedia's page on Elderberries.

So what did I do with my 10 lbs of elderberries?  I made elderberry preserves, elderberry grape jelly (with organic, local grapes grown by my neighbor), elderberry syrup and elderberry vinegar!  Hopefully I will have a flu-free winter!

Some of the fruits of my labor

Listening to Bob Marley- Jammin

SCREW YOU J.Crew

I'm going to go off a tangent from my normal food writing.  I want to tell the people of the Internet of how CRAPPY J.Crew customer service is. Normally I love J.Crew.  I would say a good 40% of my wardrobe is from J.Crew.  If you want to buy me a present, buy me something from J.Crew.  So that's what I got for my birthday, stuff from J.Crew.  Cessie, Matt's mom, is slowly figuring that out.  Unfortunately, she still gets the sizes wrong.  So I mailed back the J.Crew cashmere cardigan along with a copy of the gift receipt and note specifying I wanted to exchange the too small sweater for the Minnie Pant , style number 18850, color black, size 00. If there is anything left over, please put in on a gift card.  And then I included my shipping address.  So three weeks go by, I still haven't heard anything.  Concerned that the return may have been lost, I contact the J.Crew customer service.  I spoke with Charlene who assured me that the return was not lost and sometimes because I  didn't print a  return label using J.Crew and because it wasn't an online order, the return may take longer.  She promised to contact me as soon as it arrived.  I even emailed Charlene a copy of the receipt along with what I wanted to exchange the sweater for.

My email was to-the-point, right?  No where does it say, please refund the credit card!!!!

Charlene was true to her word and phoned several days later to inform me that the return had been received and was being processed.  I should receive the exchange in a week.  I waited a week, still no package from J.Crew.  Again I contact customer service.  I find out that instead of exchanging the sweater and issuing a gift card, Cessie's credit card was refunded.  The customer service agent apologized and said they would reverse the transaction and send out a gift card for $184 by USPS Priority Mail and I should receive it within 2-3 days. It has now been a week.  I called again to find out, that they can't issue me a gift card unless they receive permission from Cessie.  So now I have no sweater, no pants, no gift card, NO FREAKIN' BIRTHDAY GIFT.

 Thanks a lot J.Crew for NOTHING! I can't believe this is how you treat a gift exchange.  It says on the effin receipt: Valid for exchange/merchandise credit ONLY

Also I did another exchange with J.Crew, they only credited me the cost of the merchandise and no sales tax.  So when I went to use the gift card, I had to pay tax on that transaction.  So they double tax you!!!!!!!! 

It's a good thing J.Crew makes incredibly cute clothes otherwise, I would NEVER shop there again after this experience.

SCREW YOU J.CREW

Orange County Food Fix

People always ask me what my favorite things to eat are.  They assume because I am a chef that I will say something exotic or pretentious like terrine of foie gras or sous vide lamb. To be perfectly honest, I like crappy food.  Not crappy in that it is made poorly, but crappy in that it is bad for you and will cause you to lose years on your life through continuous eating of said food.  I am a huge fan of cheeseburgers, french fries, tater tots, tacos, nachos, anything with pump cheese, macaroni and cheese, cheese (especially the unpasteurized kind) pork products especially bacon, ramen, oh glorious ramen.  These are just a few of my favorite things.  Don't get me wrong, I love vegetables and I am growing quite the vegetable garden but when faced with the choice of an In N Out cheeseburger with animal fries or an heirloom tomato salad, I'm going to pick the cheeseburger and fries. Although I would rather and most likely eat all three.

I was lucky enough to visit Orange County for the last two weeks of July.  One of those weeks was for work but my last week there was all about catching up on the friends and food that I don't get to see when I'm living in the sticks.  I was also very fortunate to be visiting while the OC Fair was in town.  If you read my blog, you will know I LOVE THE FAIR.

One week isn't enough to hit up all the food I wanted to eat, so it took some strategic planning.  I try not to repeat meals so that I can get in as much variety as possible but my disdain for traffic kept me within a 5 mile radius of the coast.  (I always think I miss living in the city but then I drive and I am grateful I live in a town that is 4 square miles).  I ended up breaking my no-repeat rule.  I ate In' N Out and ramen twice.

Here are some of the places I have to eat while I'm in Orange County.  This is the Costa Mesa edition as I was too lazy to drive anywhere.

1. In N Out (duh)

Any Southern California native will tell you In N Out burger is one of the best things about living in So Cal.  It is my first stop as soon as I hit "Southern California," which in my case would be Lancaster.  I almost always drive through Mojave because the In N Out is closer than when driving through Adelanto. (The Lancaster one is 4 hours from my house instead the one on the 15 which is an extra 45 minutes) Yes that is how I pick my driving route: Which route will take me the closest and fastest to In N Out. In fact, I time my drive so that I will arrive at In N Out around 1:30PM, my ideal lunch time.

2. Mitsuwa food court

I love eating at the Mitsuwa food court.  My visit in July was the first time I've been in over a year.  There were two new restaurants since I visited last.  I think one was a bento box place and the other was a Hawaiian place.  I'm not sure because as soon as I entered the food court, I made a bee-line to the ramen.  If you don't know which was is the ramen place at Mitsuwa, it's the place with the longest line.  Instead of my usual salt ramen with char sui pork, I ordered the new special, Pork Ramen.  You can pick the ramen broth; I chose salt.  I'm not sure how it differs from my usual order.  The only difference I could see was that instead of putting the pork in the broth, it came on the side.  Either way, it was a bowl of deliciousness.  I went back once more, making it my last stop before driving home, breaking my rule of never repeating meals.

3. Pupeseria San Sivar

If you have never had a pupusa, I suggest you drop everything you are doing and head down to 1940 Harbor Blvd and try one.  Pupusas are Salvadoran food.  It is a thick corn tortilla (quite similar to a gordita but it isn't fried) that is stuffed with cheese and other good stuff. They are cooked on the flat top and I love how the cheese oozes and creates a crunchy cheese skirt.  I always order a plain cheese and a bean and cheese. If I want to be healthy, I order squash and cheese. They serve the pupusas with pickled vegetables and a red sauce that is more tangy than spicy.  You put the pickled vegetables on top with a dousing of the red sauce, fold it up like a taco and enjoy.  They serve other Salvadoran food as well as some Mexican food but I almost always get the pupusas.  The sweet corn tamales are another treat to try.  They mostly speak Spanish there and the pupusas are a bit slow to come out but I take it as a sign of authenticity!

San Sivar is on the corner of Harbor Blvd. and 19th St. in that small weird little strip mall across the street from Weinersnitzel. You know, the one with the German deli, which by the way is another great place for some cheap eats. 1940 Harbor Blvd, Costa Mesa 92627

4. Del Taco

OK I know it is weird to put Del Taco on this list especially when there are at least 5 taquerias within walking distance of where I stayed.  It's just that Del Taco has a special place in my heart since we used to forge notes in high school to allow us to eat off-campus.  We would always eat at Del Taco because that was the closest fast food place to my high school.  And there's something to be said about chicken soft tacos and nacho fries at 2 AM after an all-night dance party at Mutant HQ.

Honorable Mentions (places I couldn't go to but are just as worthy)

5. Taco Mesa
So I wasn't able to hit up Taco Mesa while I was visiting but when I lived on the Westside, I ate at Taco Mesa at least once a week. Taco Mesa is a popular family-owned chain in Orange County so I won't bother explaining what it is.  My favorite things are the Tacos al Pastor, the lobster bisque and the agua frescas.

Taco Mesa is located across the street from the Costa Mesa DMV.  647 W. 19th St, Costa Mesa 92627




6. Taqueria Granjenal
I lived in the neighborhood across the street from this humble little taco stand which won "Best Taco" in 2004 by OC Weekly as well as "Best Meal You Can Pay For With Couch Change" in 2010.  Regardless of the titles, I ate there a lot.  The beans are some of the best and are a perfect vehicle for the smoky dark-red salsa that accompanies every order along with a bag of pickled carrots.  It is less greasy and sketchy than the other taqueria that most people are familiar with (Alejandros) My usual order from Granjenal was the vegetarian tostada, a crunchy tortilla loaded with beans, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and avocados, an order of beans, chips and loads of salsa.  I think the whole order cost less than $5.

Taqueria Granjenal is located on the corner of 19th St and Monrovia in Costa Mesa 889 W. 19th St, Costa Mesa 92627


7. TK Burger formerly Johnny G's
When I first moved in the neighborhood, TK Burger used to be Johnny G's.  It was our hangover spot because most of the usual places (Plum's, Haute Cakes, Cappy's) had waits that were just unbearable when you are hung over.  The breakfast burrito was my favorite but the cheeseburgers were just as good. And they had chili fries!  TK Burger took over and thankfully they kept the breakfast burritos although no more chili fries (or burgers) This TK Burger has more seating than the other TK Burgers plus an extended menu so it's my favorite TK.  I miss Johnny G's and its chili fries but TK is doing a great job filling Johnny G's shoes.

8. El Toro Bravo
I almost forgot to include this little hidden gem on my list.  It would be blasphemous if I didn't include this hole-in-the-wall tortillaria/taqueria.  Tucked in the corner by Smart n Final on 19th St, El Toro Bravo makes corn tortillas on-site.  They make the BEST tortilla chips.  They are perfect for chilaquiles. Especially with the house made salsa sold there.  I love the salsa fresca as well as the blended.  I could drink it.  Along with the best corn tortillas, they sell carne asada and carnitas both prepared or marinated for you to take home and cook.  So you can get tacos or a burrito to go or pick up some tortillas, meat and salsa for your next BBQ.  There is always a line and they only take cash. But it is totally worth it for the fresh tortillas.

El Toro Bravo is located on 19th St in Costa Mesa by the Smart n' Final.  It is tucked away in the corner by Jugos Acapulco. 745 W. 19th St, Costa Mesa 92627.




Did I leave any places out?  What are some of your places to eat in Costa Mesa or Orange County?
Listening to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes-Home

We miss you Bloo. 1976-2011

photo courtesy of Nate

Earlier this week, Mammoth Lakes lost a friend and sister.  Our friend Bloo unexpectedly passed away.   Bloo was one of the nicest people you will have ever met.  She truly embodied the phrases puravida and stoke for life.  Never have I met such a positive force before.  She exuded life, adventure and all the wonderful possibilities nature had to offer.  We had a mutual love of many things: music, dogs, gardening, all things green, and most of all snowboarding.  There never was a powder day that you didn't see Bloo on the hill.  It was one of those things you can always count on: chair 22 never opening on time and Bloo out on a powder day.  I will never forget our awesome powder days together, our awesome hiking adventures and our brief but wonderful time together. And who could ever forget  that voice?

Even though you are reunited with Mingus (6-19-2011) and I know you two are shredding the eternal pow. We miss you so much, Bloo.  It was too soon, for both of you.

Listening to Bob Marley- One Love

Blueberries!

Summer means berries.

Burnt's Blueberry Vodka

I have been noticing all the blueberries on sale as well as all the great recipes other blogs have been posting.  I usually make blueberry muffins or cobbler but I wanted to try something different.  I saw Bon Appetit's blog, Infuse Your Booze, and I wanted to make blueberry vodka.  In addition to the blueberry vodka, I also made strawberry vodka, pineapple vodka and watermelon vodka.  You have to try this.  It is so tasty and so much better than those infused vodkas you buy at the store (so long Absolut Acai Berry aka vomit inducer)

Bon Appetit also featured Blueberry and Cream Cookies by Christina Tosi of Momofuku.  The same cookie was also the Cookie of the day on Martha Stewart.  I am obsessed with all things David Chang so I had to make these cookies.  They. Are. Awesome. I love chewy, thin cookies and these are exactly that.  The recipe calls for dried blueberries but you can use fresh. 

Hank wants the cookie

Here is a list of my favorite blueberry recipes:
Infuse Your Booze
Blueberry and Cream Cookies
Thomas Keller's Blueberry Cobbler
Banana Muffins with Blueberries -this recipe doesn't call for blueberries but I add them.

Perfect Burger recipe

From the Celebrity Cookbook, published in 1967

Dean Martin is my kind of man.

Source: NY MAG

Listening to Dean Martin- You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You

Coconut Water Cure-All

Fourth of July weekend means lots of things: patriotism, BBQs, block parties, fireworks.....besides all the USA pride, the true common theme this weekend is getting shitfaced.  Three days in a row of total inebriation. Maybe in my college days, this is something I could handle but now that I am in the ripe age group of 30+, my body can only tolerate so much hangover.  My go-to cure for hangovers or when I'm feeling crappy is coconut water.   I swear this stuff is a miracle.  It is so good you can LITERALLY streamline it into your veins.  (True story, in WWII, coconut water was used in blood transfusions because of its electrolyte content, pH and viscosity are similar to blood plasma. Besides blood transfusions, coconut water has a multitude of medical uses).  

So when you're hungover, you are supposed to recover by drinking a Gatorade and eating something greasy.  But if you're like me, Gatorade tastes like radioactive piss that has been fermenting in the sun for several years. Coconut water tastes good. Coconut water is a natural sports drink.  Coconut water is loaded with natural occurring electrolytes, B vitamins and more potassium than a banana so it's actually better than a sports drink.  If you compare them side-by-side, you will notice that a sports drink like Gatorade will have double the amount of sugar, less potassium and no protein.  All the sugars are natural in coconut water while commercial sports drinks sweeten their products with high fructose corn syrup or other artificial sweeteners. Bleh. 

I also live in high altitude (8000 ft above sea level).  For people coming from sea-level, it's very important to stay hydrated.  When I'm really dehydrated at altitude, I sometimes find it hard to drink enough water to stay hydrated.  That's where coconut water is the cure-all.  Altitude sickness symptoms include headache, dizziness and nausea and I swear coconut water fixes them all.  Within 15 minutes of drinking a coconut water, I always feel better.

 

There are lots of brands of coconut water available but my favorite brand is Vita-Coco.  I think it tastes the best out of all the competition.  It even won the Bon Appetit Supermarket Standoff.  Vita-Coco advertises itself as being all-natural and not from concentrate. "It's like sticking a straw in a coconut." is their slogan.  It REALLY does tastes like sticking a straw in a coconut.  What consumers don't know and what the Supermarket Standoff failed to do was differentiate the fresh coconut waters from concentrate but the taste test does show the preference for the fresher coconut water.  Vita-Coco and O.N.E. are both fresh but the brand Zico is made from concentrate, which means they juice all the coconuts and mix the juices together.  It goes through a pasteurization process which in my opinion ruins the fresh taste.  I also think the plastic bottles make the coconut water taste funny.  I prefer the Tetra Pak which is like a juice box.  Also coconuts from different places will produce different tasting juice.  Vita-Coco uses coconuts from Brazil while O.N.E. uses coconuts from Thailand.  

Vita-Coco has been getting lots of media attention as well.  Madonna, Demi Moore, Anothony Kiedis and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers are investors in Vita-Coco.  If you Google "Vita-Coco" and "celebrities, over 900,000 results pop up, including this one from E! "Why is every celebrity drinking coconut water".  Just recently, Vita-Coco signed Rihanna as their spokesperson and Kelly Slater as a sponsored athlete.  A copy of US Weekly is endorsement enough for Vita-Coco. 

But who cares about the celebrities and super athletes that drink coconut water.  Try it for yourself. Next time you are hungover and feeling completely shattered, reach for the coconut water.  You will thank me. 

This was supposed to be posted by July 1 but due to hangovers and such, it got delayed. 

Listening to Katy Perry-Firework 

Cornflake Crusted French Toast with Strawberries

Breakfast is important.  We all heard the studies about how eating breakfast is important to maintain your concentration, metabolism, yadda yadda yadda, but for me breakfast is important because it used to be the one meal I prepared for myself at home.  Most of my other meals were eaten at work, standing in the corner behind the oven or sitting on a dish machine rack by the mop sink.  Now that I am unemployed, I cook all my meals at home and eat them sitting down (usually in front of the TV) but breakfast still has a special place in my heart.

During the winter, I pretty-much ski everyday. I'll ski for about 3 hours (more if it is a powder day), go home, have a quick bite like a grilled cheese (if time permits) then make my way to work.  So breakfast basically became the only complete meal I could enjoy without having to wolf down my food. I like typical breakfast foods: bacon and eggs, pancakes, waffles, eggs in a basket, fritattas .......

For awhile now, I've had the craving for French Toast.  French Toast is not something I usually make because it is more labor intensive than I prefer. Soaking the bread and cooking it was usually one more step than I'd like to do.  But somewhere I saw this picture of cornflake crusted french toast and I just had to eat it.

Cornflake crusted french toast actually involves THREE steps! But I knew the extra labor of coating the french toast would yield a delicious crunch, so I fought back the laziness and coated my french toast!


Cornflake Crusted French Toast
makes 4

8 slices of thickly sliced bread
1/4 cup cream
2 TBSP. whole milk
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 eggs, beaten
3 cups cornflakes, coarsely crushed
6 TBSP. butter
Maple Syrup, to serve
Fresh Berries, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 200˚F.
2. In a shallow dish, mix cream, milk, salt, sugar, cinnamon and eggs.  Put crushed cornflakes in another dish.  Working with one slice at a time, soak each slice for 10 seconds on each side, then place in dish with cornflakes, pressing cornflakes onto each side.  Transfer french toast to parchment lined baking sheet.
3. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 3 TBSP butter and heat until butter starts to foam.  Add four slices of the french toast and cook, turning once, until both sides are golden brown.  Transfer french toast to warm oven, wipe out the skillet, add remaining 3 TBSP of butter and cook the remaining four pieces.
4. Divide the french toast amongst 4 plates and serve with warm maple syrup and fresh berries

Cheers,
Burnt

Listening to Katy Perry- Last Friday Night

Welcome Back

It has been a long while since I have been here.  My last visit was almost a year ago.  I apologize for visiting so infrequently but my passion for cooking and baking waned last year as I struggled with my job. I was working the fry station and cooking (rather, frying) became the bane of my existence.  I stopped cooking at home and ate mostly a diet of Carl's Jr and frozen macaroni and cheese.  I would immediately come home from work, smoke until my lungs hurt, and watch reruns of the Gilmore Girls while eating terrible junk food. It was amazing to see how this one job completely ruined my passion for cooking and eating.  Eventually, I found another cooking job where I didn't want to slit my wrists everyday.  Slowly, my passion for eating was reignited.  Unfortunately I was laid off from that job so I am finding myself with lots of time to spare.  And since I have all this free time now, why not start blogging again.

Another reason why I stopped blogging was because I was intimidated by the other food bloggers who took great pictures of their food and made exotic dishes or technical dishes that I didn't have the time or patience to execute. I mean, hear I am, a professional chef, a graduate from culinary school, and these housewives and amateur cooks are schooling me at home cooking!  It made me feel stupid and inadequate as a professional chef. Not only, did I NOT have the time to make these dishes (I was working 8-10 hours a day plus I ski ALOT) but I didn't have the money to pay for the ingredients (a line cook make on average $10/hr).  Even if I did have the money to make these exotic dishes, I didn't want to spend hours in the kitchen to create one plated dinner.  For these housewives and amateur cooks, cooking was an escape from the pressures of the working world.  For me, cooking was my working world and the last thing I wanted to do was to spend more time in the kitchen.  As a result, when I did cook at home, my dishes were simple, required few ingredients and usually took less than 30 minutes to make.

So here is the deal: I'm not a millionaire rancher's wife,  I don't have a fancy kitchen or very much money to spend on ingredients but hopefully the recipes I post will be tasty and delicious.  This is how a professional (unemployed) line cook eats for herself.  I am also very interested in food policy so I will be posting articles about food policy along with posts about gardening, funny dog pictures and whatever I feel like.

Cheers,
Burnt

Listening to Adele -Rolling in the Deep

I'm BAAAAACK!

Wow, it has been forever. After a busy, busy winter and an equally busy summer, I'm back with a redesigned blog and logo! I promise to try and keep blogging.  I swear.  To kick off my return, I present to you slow cooker chili mac! I just got a slow cooker and I have been testing out new recipes.  Fall is slowly making its way to winter and slow cooker recipes are just what I need on these frosty days. Also I can't wait to come home from skiing to enjoy a meal waiting for me in the slow cooker.

This chili is perfect for this autumn weather.  I prefer chili made with chuck roast but the BF likes ground beef chili better but this chili has good beefy flavor.  I am also of the Texas style chili persuasion- NO BEANS!  I made the chili in my slow cooker but you can easily make it on the stovetop.






 



TBC Slow Cooker Chili
makes 6 portions


3 slices of bacon, diced
1 small onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1½  lb. ground beef
½  tsp. oregano
½ tsp. cumin
1 TBSP. chili powder
1 14oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 can of water
7-8 drops hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste


Preheat a skillet to medium heat.  When it is ready add the bacon and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat. Next add the onion and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes.  Add the garlic, spices and ground beef, breaking up with a wooden spoon.  Cook until no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and using the same tomato can, add 1/2 can of water. Stir to combine.  Add beef and tomato mixture to slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours.  If you don't have a slow cooker, bring the beef and tomato mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Continue to simmer on the stove top for 4 hours.

NO Fry Corn Dog Maker

What, you say? Is this possible?  Apparently so.  Thanks to @mylastbite I found this amazing contraption.  According to the manufactuerer:

Our No Fry Corn Dog Maker doesn't rely on messy frying. You can enjoy healthier and tastier treats by simply preparing your favorite batter, dipping in your food of choice, and baking them in our easy to clean non-stick, countertop snack maker.

Try your hand at corn dogs (veggie, kosher… it doesn't matter), pizza roll cheese sticks, breakfast pancake sausage rolls and even CANDY BARS on a stick! If you can dip it in batter and put it on a stick our new No Fry Corn Dog Maker can take care of the rest!

Great for slumber parties and Sundays in front of the TV catching the game!

Includes 24 sticks and a recipe book with a classic corn dog batter and a corn dog muffin recipe included.

Retails for $24.99, this will make a great Christmas present for your favorite weiner.  You can buy the No-Fry Corn Dog Maker at Perpetual Kid

Butternut Squash Soup

Winter is finally here! We are in the midst of a huge winter storm that is expected to bring over 20 inches of precipitation which can mean anywhere from 2-5 feet of snow. I have been holed up in my condo for several days now because it is SO COLD! Like 22˚F with crazy 75 MPH winds.  It is miserable.

Since it is so cold, I've been making really homey and comforting foods.  This butternut squash soup will warm you up and is super easy to make.  It only requires a few ingredients which is good on a day like today when the wind is howling, the snow is falling and going outside can be treacherous.  This soup can be made vegetarian by substituting vegetable broth for chicken broth however the soup will taste much sweeter! It is also a good gluten-free option for those with gluten allergies.

TBC Butternut Squash Soup
makes 4 generous entree portions or 6 appetizer servings


1-3 to 3 1/2 lb. butternut squash
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 medium sized boiling potato (about 10 oz), peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks
Thyme, fresh or dried
Salt and pepper to taste

 Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line baking sheet with foil. Halve butternut squash lengthwise.  Scoop out and discard seeds. Brush one half with 1 TBSP oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place flesh side down on the lined baking sheet and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Reserve the other butternut squash half for another use like butternut squash risotto.  When baked squash is done, you should be able to pierce the flesh with a paring knife with little resistance.  After the squash has cooled enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and reserve.

Put the remaining TBSP oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and some salt and pepper (but not too much because the broth maybe seasoned already). Saute a few more minutes being careful to not burn the garlic.  

Add the broth, potatoes and reserved butternut squash. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer for 25-30 minutes until potatoes are tender and can be pierced with a paring knife with no resistance.

Transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Taste the soup and adjust seasonings adding more salt and pepper if needed.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with some cream, chives or croutons if desired.

Song: Baby, It's Cold Outside

Oh Snap! Martha says it like it is

Don't mess with Martha!  Last week, Martha went on Nightline to do her first interview since her release from prison in 2004.  When asked about Rachael Ray, this is what Martha had to say:

  

"Well, to me, she professed that she could -- cannot bake," said Stewart. "She -- just did a new cookbook which is just a re-edit of a lot of her old recipes. She -- and that's not good enough for me. I mean, I really want to write a book that is a unique and lasting thing. Something that will really fulfill a need in someone's library. So, she's different. She's -- she's more of an entertainer than she is, with her bubbly personality, than she is a teacher, like me. That's not what she's professing to be... She does it very differently than I do, she's a totally different kind cook than I am. I don't know if she has a garden, I don't think so, but if she does, she doesn't show that on her show so much."

Nightline then followed up with Rachael Ray, who pretty much agreed with Martha.

"Why would it make me mad?" said Ray. "Her skill set is far beyond mine. That's simply the reality of it. That doesn't mean that what I do isn't important too... I don't consider it needling. I really just think she's being honest. She does have a better skill set than I do when it comes to producing a beautiful, perfect, high-quality meal. I'd rather eat Martha's than mine, too." 

Martha then went on her show today (Monday) and issued a formal apology to Rachael Ray stating:

"there are no bad feelings between us nor have there ever been. I truly believe that Rachael has done a terrific job bringing people — many people who would of never have even stepped into the kitchen or made a dish — to cook."

I myself am not a fan of Rachael Ray (I worship Martha).  Every time she says EVOO or Yum-o, it's like nails on a chalkboard to me.  Absolutely drives me nuts.  But I will have to agree with Martha that she does introduce cooking to many people who would normally never cook.  She really does simplify cooking. Whenever anybody asks me about getting into cooking, I always recommend Rachael Ray's books because all of her recipes are easy to make.  In fact, I think my first cookbook was a Rachael Ray book.

You can watch the Nightline video footage here

Then later at a red carpet event, Martha was asked about Sarah Palin.

"She's very boring to me, very boring. And a very, to me, kind of a dangerous person. I mean, she's dangerous. She speaks, she's, she's so confused. And anyone like that in government is a real problem."

The reporter then asked Martha whether or not she was catching any of the hoopla and publicity surrounding Sarah Palin's new book. In which she replied:

"Oh I wouldn't watch her if you paid me."

SNAP! 

Blizzard Dog Ice Cream

There was an article in the NY Times about sixteen year old New Yorker, Christian Liendo. Christian invented an ice cream for dogs.  He came up with the idea for an entrepreneurial competition. Inspired by his afternoons at his grandmother's eating ice cream but not being able to share his delicious treat with her dog, Max, Christian experimented with dog friendly ingredients such as carbo powder, soy milk, lactose free milk. With Max as his taster, Christian soon developed flavors doggies craved! He hopes to sell his doggie ice cream  alongside regular ice cream at ice cream stores. Hopefully sooner than later, Christian.  I know Hank and George would like to try some!

You can read more about Blizzard Dog at the NY Times.

Photo: Robert Stolarick/NY Times 

Bacon MMMvelopes -Mailing letters has never been so tasty!

This bacon craze has gone too far. Now there are Bacon Flavored MMMvelopes. From the bacon obsessed peeps at J&D's , makers of Baconnaise and Bacon Salt, now you can get the flavor of bacon when sending your snail mail. These standard 10" envelopes look like bacon and taste like real bacon. It does not contain real bacon so there is no need for refrigeration and your vegetarian friends can enjoy the taste they miss the most. According to Gizmodo "you get the taste of bacon and a deep feeling of emptiness inside yourself." You can buy this great invention at mmmvelopes.com, $6.99 for 25. Also be sure to check out the J&D's website for their other bacon products.


Source: Serious Eats

Homemade Dog Biscuits

I have been so bored! This lack of weather in my new home is really driving me bonkers. To pass the time in between dog walks on the golf course and Farmville sessions, I have been experimenting with baking in the high altitude (The town of Mammoth Lakes is at an elevation of 7800). For my first experiment I thought I would make dog biscuits because dogs don't care about texture or whether or not the dough has risen properly.

After some Internet research, I found this great website www.bullwrinkle.com. It has a ton of great dog biscuit recipes as well as information and tips about bulldogs and owning dogs. I made the Everyday Dog biscuit and my dogs LOVE them. These dog biscuits are super easy to make and are made with ingredients that are found in any typical pantry. The high altitude didn't affect the recipe too much (I added a little extra of water) and I omitted the garlic because I read somewhere that garlic may not be so great for dogs digestion. Also since I just moved and didn't have any honey I substituted black strap molasses. I've heard of molasses dog treats so I don't think the molasses substitution affected the outcome too much. Hank and George still gobbled up the treats.


Everyday Dog Biscuit
Originally published at www.bullwrinkle.com

2 tsp. dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 TBSP dry parsley
2 TBSP minced garlic (I omitted the garlic)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 TBSP honey ( I used black strap molasses)
1 egg
5-6 cups whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

In a bowl, dissolve yeast into water. After it foams (about 5 minutes), stir in parsley, garlic (if using), honey, egg and chicken broth. Gradually add flour, stirring to combine until a stiff dough forms. If using a stand mixer, using the dough hook, mix until dough pulls away from the side of the ball, forming a ball on the hook. It should be smooth. If mixing by hand, knead on a floured surface, until smooth. Shape dough into a disk and roll to 1/4 inch thickness.

Using dog bone cutters, make biscuits. Gather scraps, re-roll and cut out more biscuits. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 30 minutes, remove from oven and turn over. Bake for another 15 minutes. After the biscuits are done baking, transfer all the biscuits to a baking sheet and leave in oven overnight to crisp.

Thumbprint Cookies

My neighbor in Costa Mesa gave me two jars of apricot jam she made from her backyard apricot trees. I am a huge fan of the thumbprint cookies with the jam filled centers so I used her apricot jam for my cookie filling. You must try making these cookies. They are far superior to the store bought kind. I used a great recipe from the December 2007 issue of Gourmet magazine. You can find the recipe here at epicurious.com


Jam Thumbprint Cookies
recipe by Gourmet magazine

2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
your favorite jam

To make cookie dough:
Whisk together flour and salt. Beat butter and sugar in bowl with electric mixer until light colored and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. At low speed, add flour in three batches, mixing until dough forms. Divide dough in half and flatten into a disc and chill until firm, at least an hour.

To assemble and bake cookie:
Roll 1 oz (about 1 TBSP) of dough into a ball, then flatten slightly. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Continue with the rest of dough. When all the cookies are rolled out, using the end of a wooden spoon, make an indentation in the center of each cookie.

Place your favorite jam in a pastry bag or a plastic bag with one of the corners snipped off. Pipe enough jam to fill the indentation in each cookie, about 1/8 tsp. I like to refrigerate the cookies for at least another 45 minutes after assembling the cookie to prevent overspreading.

After cookies have chilled, bake in 350˚F oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cookies are baked through and the edges are golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies. These cookies are best eaten the day they are baked but they can be stored for two days in an air tight container.

Corn and Bacon Pasta

I have been a terrible blogger. I apologize. I have actually been cooking up a storm. I have been trying to perfect my pie technique and am proud to say, I am pretty close! But more on pie later. I just recently moved to Mammoth Lakes home of Mammoth Mountain Ski resort. Hopefully I will be working at the Westin Monache Resort but in this economy one cannot put all her chickens in a basket. I am SO bored right now as there is no snow so no work. This is the perfect chance for me to catch up on my blogging. I have so many recipes and pictures backed up from last month!

Because of the big move, money has been kind of tight and I was also trying to use some of the ingredients that wouldn't survive the 5 hour drive to Mammoth. This is another great pantry dinner. It's probably not the healthiest but I love the salty bacon with the sweet corn. It is one of my favorite flavor combinations. This is also one of my go-to-recipes when I don't feel like cooking. With a green salad, this meal is super simple and takes less than 30 minutes!


TBC's Orecchiette with Corn and Bacon
serves a generous 2 portions

4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces.
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 TBSP butter
2 ears of corn, shucked and kernels removed or 2 cups frozen corn
8 oz. orecchiette pasta or other short pasta
2 TBSP cream
chives for garnish

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water. Drain and reserve.

Cook bacon in a medium size saute pan over medium heat until crispy. Drain on paper towel and reserve.

Pour out bacon grease. Add the butter and wait until foam subsides. Add the chopped shallots and cook until translucent. Add the corn and cook until corn starts to make popping noises.

Combine cooked pasta with corn mixture. Add the cream and toss pasta to coat. Divide servings among bowls and add bacon and chives.