seasonal

Ama Ebi, sweet shrimp, are only available in NYC right now at a super cheap price. They are light in weight but red in color and female and usually filled with roe. Go ahead google ama ebi and you can peruse the photos that I thought about linking to. Instead maybe you remember these and they are not the same as these.Well let me be the first and if not the first then the next to tell you that these shrimp are sweet. You want to just ...mmm they have a different translucency when raw that makes you turn them into tartar.



These sweet shrimp and this - heaven.

chick-pea

Hum-us, hume-us... however you say it its garbanzo beans, tahini, olive oil, sea salt and lime and in my book, anything else is 'extra'. This has all of the above plus a mixture of roasted eggplant and garlic making it superhumus. I could have 'swirled' it differently for the photo but I was hungry and I wanted tons of olive oil so I made a divot.



Tortilla, pita, chips or whatever just scoop it up its that good. All I missed today was some olives.

memory lane

Remember the sardines well this is what you do. Procure some sardines of moderate length and girth. Leave them whole and uncut. Salt the heads liberally. Light squeeze of lime. Salty ice cubes on their faces and then they sit. Two days goes by and you begin to slice off tastes. When it tastes like you like it use it. I mixed this into eggs and sauces as a 'secret ingredient' it added a deeper depth. Its great on pizza. Its such a fresh and inexpensive way to add protien and big flavor. These four sardines were like 80 cents or so in season (now).





Spicy tuna is another thing entirely. Mild and flavored with the scallions, wasabi powder, sesame seed oil and soy sauce this fish is easy to make and easier to eat. As this sits it begins to turn opaque rapidly signaling a cooking process. It is so good.

the hood

This is where we bathe....

been there done that

I thought I had seen it all. Having lived in NYC for so many years I've seen my share of gay polish bikers from latin america, transvestite hookers, shemales and the female counter part what ever thats called -drag kings I guess. Goof ball tourists, goof ball tourists trying hard to blend in, guys from queens that act like they know everything, people who really do know everything, the naked cowboy, every flavor of thug, 'little people' conventions, the dog show, elephants, but this weekend I've truly seen it all.......







A license plate from Alaska and it was on MY block. I have never seen one before and to see it so far from where it originates is obviously something I had to write home about.



Cilantro, lime juice, garlic, pepper corns and olive oil in the blender created the bath that this roasted chicken bathed in over night before basking under the glow of a 300 degree oven for an hour.



Yucca, butter, canned milk and chicken broth made these mashers really unique.

all that and a bunch of chocolates

feeding an army

I've never had to 'feed an army'. Big parties are another matter, but isnt that usually a 'pot luck'. I love terms like that. A friend and I had 'lunch club' in college. It was hardly a club it was only her and it was only if I cooked. The premise was that one person could bring an ingredient to another persons house (club members of course - you know 'lunch club') and then a preparation of lunch would ensue. She took full advantage and always had a great lunch, I on the other hand did not. When I wanted to do 'lunch club' and I went to her with an ingredient I was welcomed with "were not playing today", now thats a little fib there because I didnt 'always' get the response since I only went once. She came over often. So we got pot luck and lunch club what else is there? BYOB but thats not a phrase its an acronym. I like onomottopeee ahs....sounds like sopaipillas or tortillas. Tag sale, yard sale, estate sale, nah those are not like pot luck. Sleep over - thats a good one - the sleep over. So far all three you dont know what your getting. Pot luck - says enough. Lunch club - good question. Sleep over - can get tricky. Lets see how about 'camp out' does that count? Today I filled out more simple forms and 'transgender' was a choice.

clue

I used to love that game, no in fact I only loved that game once and then I fell in gradual dislike. Then the movie came out with Peter Falk and I loathed it. So this is colonel custard in the kitchen with a beater.

EDIT: Why did'nt anyone tell me? Peter Falk is in Murder by Death NOT Clue.....



more eggs.........................

traitor

I got bored with omelettes, since I make them every morning for the little guy, I"ll tell you whats poppin' I opted for eggs benedict. I like these so much and I make them in so many ways it makes me dizzy. This crazy couple took the omelette to task and not only whipped up a nice one but got to EAT IT OUTSIDE if that isnt deluxe then I dont know what is.



I quartered red potatoes and drizzled olive oil and salt quick bounce around a hot saute pan and then popped them in the oven at 250 on a cookie sheet. Potatoes out of the way I filled a sauce pan with water and put some rice wine vinager and salt to boil for the eggs I have tried plain vinager and even red wine vinager believe me when I tell you I have tried other vinagers and I like rice wine -just enough 'other' flavor. On the boiling sauce pan I put a steel bowl and melted some butter to make the hollandaise. Hollandaise is quick after you separate the yolks. In a separate pan I sauted some collard greens and garlic slivers. Hollandaise made, potatoes roasted and 15 minutes have elapsed. Pop the english muffins in the toaster, poach the eggs assemble the dish, buttered toasted english muffin, a dab of collard greens, poached eggs, hollandaise, sweet shrimp (ama ebi) scallions, fresh ground pepper - and eat.



20 minutes from when I thought of it it was prepared, and 20 minutes after that it looked like this. Big breakfast in an hour, now what will I do?

live blogging

miso soup



sardines for a later date.





Can you imagine?


Its sushi time.



sushi rice with krill.



briney bitches.



krill



sake and salmon... sake and sake









well doggies jethro....

round one

Simple yes but difficult to do right.



I like soft and hardly browned.



Get the curds fluffy.



I added cheese, a sharp cheddar this time.



I like the tri fold usually but this is the half moon.

egg-zactly

make an omelete and post it....

This is a good example to draw from.
Make an omelete better than this

minis

Individual portion control. Sometimes I dont know what to do with myself so I make individual servings. Sometimes I crack out old diner menus that I have collected and I let people order from the menu and I try and see if I have the stuff to make it. Sometimes I take something that I make all the time and its fool proof and I completely screw it up because I think I can "make it better." Sometimes I microwave frozen swanson or banquet pot pies cause the kid likes em.



Sometimes I make individual eggplant parmeseans



Fry up the eggplant in the normal way.



Layer into a muffin tin with ricotta and sauce alternately.



Bake till bubbly. Serve it up.



Eat.

get my goat

Wow two goat posts in less than a month. I keep finding goat that looks super fresh at the store for a buck 79 per pound. Cant beat that with a wooden noodle so I keep getting it and its really good. I love gamey meat and this fits the bill. This time around it was more of a coconut ginger curry that I let stew down till it was thick and we made rotis. Now I dont want to go off and fool you a roti is ever so similar to a tortilla in my book so tortillas it was. We made a fusion meal I guess you could say since the roti is a kind of burrito or vice versa.... (do a search for "goat" in my blog...I was surprised)



The pup gnawed on some of the meat then wanted a pizza bagel so I complied. I cant always expect him to enjoy some of these flavors even though he does try.



Cheese is our friend.

reminds me

A friend of mine in a smaller town next to a larger town once got a job driving the Sesame Street bus. You can imagine she was psyched. Think about it. So she tells tells me about the first day and now I'm psyched. Think about it. Gets in the bus, starts the bus you know goes on the route. First stop. Two little chubby kids. My friend is confused when they ask "is this the sesame street bus?" and my friend says "yes and who are you?" they both giggle and she says "I'm patricia but you can call me patty." and the boy sheepishly in his brogue says "Im patrick flanagan but you can call me paddy too." "OK" says my friend, "find yourselves a seat" And on they go. Next stop is no different. She pulls up to the young fella who is in need of advanced care and he asks "is this the sesame street bus?" "and who are you?" "Special ross" he replies. "Ok get in" says my friend. On they go and here is the snottiest kid you have ever seen. "is this the sesame street bus?" "and you are" asks my friend. "Lester Cheese" says the kid and he runs in sits down and starts picking at his feet. Its at this point that she begins to wonder just where is big bird and the snuffleufagus instead I've got two obese patties, special ross with lester cheese pickin' bunions on the sesame street bus.

its on me