Food for thought....

Jeez, life gets in the way of our plans sometimes, huh?

I was excited to start this blog (especially since I was given a new cast iron skillet) but then things went CRAZY!!!!!

I got a little sick. Then I had to move.

But now I am happy as a clam in my new apartment and ready to start COOKING AGAIN!!!!!

Why did I decide to look at this picture . I want all of the funnel cakes.

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Apr 14, 2016 at 2:33pm PDT

funnel cake at my first crawfish competition!!!

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Apr 5, 2016 at 12:32pm PDT

I'll take all of this please.

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Mar 13, 2016 at 4:31pm PDT

This was at the Frosch's crawfish boil. Awesome day. Awesome folks.

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on May 13, 2016 at 8:26am PDT

She's back!

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on May 13, 2016 at 8:26am PDT

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on May 13, 2016 at 8:26am PDT

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on May 13, 2016 at 8:24am PDT

The Pot Roast has Gone Crazy!

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Feb 27, 2016 at 1:26pm PST

Slow cooker. Crock pot. Who cares what you call it. These bad boys are the alchemists of awesome.

Last night I saw a beautiful piece of rump roast on sale for $3.99/lb. So, yeah I saw that and immediately started googling "rump roast slow cooker" to see what I could come up with.

I decided to go with a classic American rump roast crock pot dish. Meat! Coca-Cola (or any dark soda) with onions, beef stock, potatoes, carrots, garlic and salt and pepper.

The recipe(s) I looked at said, "HAYYY!!!! GURRRLLL!!!! HAYYYY! Just cut this up and pour a soda on it and you are done!"

So, I did.

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Feb 27, 2016 at 1:32pm PST

Holy Moly! It only took five minutes to chop this up and put it in the crock pot!!!

I started with

2.5 lbs rump roast
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 bag of baby carrots
6 red russet potatoes (washed with skin on)
1 white onion halved
1 bottle Mexican Coke (I used this because Mexican cola uses real sugar)
2 cups beef stock
chili powder
salt
pepper

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Feb 27, 2016 at 1:31pm PST

I put this delicious piece of meat on high for 8 hours expected to come back to...

HA! This is when the truth comes out.

This is pretty. It looks gooooooooooood.
It wasn't.

It was, meh.

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Feb 27, 2016 at 1:30pm PST

Pretty...but lacking in flavor.
No, I mean...It didn't taste like ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK!

The meat, carrots, onions, and potatoes were cooked. Cooked well. They just... didn't taste like anything.

So, I circled back, added some stuff and came up with this.

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Feb 27, 2016 at 1:28pm PST

So....I added
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 large white onion
2 chopped red apples
salt
pepper


I added more beef stock and some water, but this is definitely up to the individual cooker. I wanted to have some juice for dipping bread in. (I would suggest egg noodles with this too).

I put it on for a few more hours.

Holy moly. Good things come to those who wait.



In a situation like this where it seems like you've done everything right down to the last single ingredient...


Go Rogue!
I like spicy, garlicy, salty flavors. I just added more of what I liked and diplomatically tried to add some other elements that I thought others would like if they got to taste the roast (if I didn't eat it all). That was why I added brown sugar. If I had oregano or parsley I would have added it, for sure.

Sriracha is probably the best condiment ever invented. It is sweet and hot and tangy and tangy and spicy and did I mention, HOT. I think this is why it has become such a staple at so many restaurants and home tables. Adding Sriracha as an option as a condiment is a great option for your dining partners if you don't particularly care for it.



I grabbed a loaf of French bread for my roast turned beef stew and it was................


DELICIOUS!

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Feb 27, 2016 at 1:26pm PST

Winning the Morning Part 1

I have been reading a lot about different steps to take to "win" your day. Simple things to do as soon as you wake up that will enhance your day and as a result make your life sooooooooooo much better. Get up! (Yeah, ok. I thought that was a given). Get out of bed! Brush your teeth! (Once I saw brushing ones own teeth as an exercise to bettering ones own life I realized I should broaden my search past googling, "win, morning, easy").

So I googled, and I bing'd. I found some stuff I thought would work. At least for me.

So this is my recipe for cooking up a good day.

Get up!
HA! That's not number one on the list!

I decided to start with...


1) Make your bed.
Make your bed.
Make your bed.

This may seem stupid. It may seem simple. But....think ahead 12 hours. How good does it feel to turn down your blankets and get into a bed that has been sitting and waiting for you all day?!
The scientific reasoning behind this is that making your bed every morning gives you your first real sense of accomplishment of the day. Hey! I woke up! Annndddd....my bed is made!

2) Drink a glass of water.
For some of us, drinking water, PLAIN WATER, is an accomplishment in and of itself. Just do it. Drink the water. One glass.
Ok.

3) Get Dressed

Again, to some of this may seem so silly, but it is NOT. Get up. Get dressed. Look Good, Feel Good, Do Good.


4) Eat something.
That's it. Eat something.


This one is the most important.

Before you leave the house.

Before you talk to anyone.

5) Smile.


Smile.


SMILE.



For Five seconds smile as hard as you can. Look as ridiculous as you can. Dance hard for five full seconds.

Think about your puppy.

Think about people dancing.

Laugh at yourself.

Laugh at baby goats.

Laugh at life!

Do it.

Munchin' Mediterranean Style

One of my favorite aspects of cooking at home is the control that I have over my caloric intake. When I dine out at a restaurant I tend to gravitate toward foods that are usually loaded with cheese. Or butter. Or both. Don't even get me started on bread baskets. Seriously. Please don't put a bread basket in front of me. Or the tortilla chip basket, for that matter.

When I'm grocery shopping I feel more compelled to buy some kind of a lean meat, a veggie and some kind of carb that won't make me feel like the Michelin Man.

I lucked into a big juicy sushi grade tuna steak the other night. For 50% off! I asked the man behind the fish counter if it was still good and he said yes. Good enough for me!

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Feb 24, 2016 at 7:07am PST

I decided to go Mediterranean for the night (same night as the Shaya hummus http://thebitchnkitchen.blogspot.com/2016/02/hummus.html) so I grabbed some couscous, a cucumber, a tomato and some feta cheese. When I buy feta or goat cheese or really any soft cheese that comes pre-flavored I always pick a garlic&herb option.

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Feb 24, 2016 at 3:07pm PST

This is so quick and easy!!!

Pan Seared Tuna
1 large tuna steak
EVOO
salt
pepper

Put the tuna steak on a plate and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until just before you are ready to cook.

Heat up a quarter sized amount of oil in the skillet. Once you can make water dance on the pan toss your tuna steak on the heat. Immediately drop the tuna steak in the pan. I personally like my tuna pink in the middle so I cooked it for two minutes on one side and then flipped it for another 2 minutes. It got a nice brown sear from the pan and was cooked, but not OVERCOOKED. The steak I had was sushi grade so I definitely could have gotten away with cooking it for a shorter amount of time.

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Feb 24, 2016 at 7:03am PST

Couscous Salad
one box of Near East pine nut couscous (I swear by this stuff. It only takes about 8 minutes to cook in total)
1 large cucumber
1 large tomato
1 container feta cheese
balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper
lemon

Made the couscous by boiling water with one tablespoon of butter. Once the water reaches a boil, turn off the heat. Add the couscous pearls and the seasoning packet. Remove the prepared couscous from heat.
Dice both the cucumber and the tomato, leaving out the tomato seeds. Transfer into a bowl. Add feta cheese to bowl. Add two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and a healthy dash of salt and pepper. Add one teaspoon of dried basil. Stir until veggies and cheese are coated. Add more balsamic vinegar if necessary. Stir in the couscous and....you're done!

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Feb 24, 2016 at 5:07pm PST

This was delicious and pretty healthy. The nutty flavor of the couscous paired really well with the fish. Next time I think I would add even more vegetables to the salad.

HUMMUS!!!!

I think everyone has a few go-to recipes that they keep in their back pocket for last minute parties, potlucks and office gatherings. Hummus is on my last minute list, for sure. Generally, you can't go wrong with hummus. If you have a blender/food processor some chick peas and tahini (everyone I know has a few cloves of garlic hanging around as well) you are basically done. It's so easy a kid could make it and people just love hummus.
I like to add lots of garlic and pine nuts to mine. I occasionally roast a red pepper in balsamic vinegar and olive oil and add that in as well.
I met a woman selling her hummus at the Hollygrove Farmer's Market a few weeks back. Hers was tangy and delicious. Her secret ingredient? Lime juice instead of lemon! It made a huge difference and I loved it.

Truth be told, if I have a taste for hummus it's pretty likely that I will just scoot over to the market and grab some Sabra brand hummus with some pita chips.

But....last night I was feeling bold and sassy. I stumbled upon Alon Shaya's hummus recipe. Alon Shaya is from Israel and the 2015 winner of the James Beard Best Chef South award. WHOA! Esquire magazine named his restaurant, Shaya, "The Best New Restaurant in America". I haven't made it there yet, but I was excited to try out Alon's variation of this Middle Eastern staple.


Alon Shaya's Hummus

1 lb dried chickpeas (2 1/2 cups) soaked overnight and drained used 2 cans of chickpeas drained
8 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup EVOO
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Canola oil (for frying)
1/2 pound cauliflower, cut into 1/2 inch florets (used an entire head of cauliflower broken up into random sized florets)
1 large onion, halved and thinly (he means THINLY) sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons finely crushed pink peppercorns
2 teaspoons of curry powder

Cover the chickpeas, garlic and baking soda in two inches of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over medium heat. Stir occasionally until chickpeas are tender, about 45 minutes.

Drain chickpeas, garlic, baking soda and transfer to the food processor: puree until silky smooth. Once smooth, turn off the machine and slowly add in tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and cumin. Salt as desired.

In a skillet heat up 1/4 inch of Canola oil. (I used vegetable). Add cauliflower and fry over medium/high heat, stirring until tender and browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined bowl to drain excess oil. Add 1 teaspoon of curry powder and salt and toss.

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Feb 24, 2016 at 10:16am PST

Pour off a majority of the oil and add the onions and a dash of salt. (Leave enough oil to generously coat the onions). Stir over medium heat until onions are translucent and beginning to brown. Add in the second teaspoon of curry powder and stir over heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Plop the delicious hummus into a bowl and gently stir in cauliflower and onion. Garnish with parsley. Serve with warm pita, veggies or pita chips.

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Feb 24, 2016 at 2:33pm PST

So, this hummus recipe was not of the quick, I just remembered I have an office party tomorrow, variety. It was, however, absolutely delicious.

Ask Away!

I'm known for being inquisitive. Life has taught me that jumping into anything, be it a career, a major in college, a relationship or even a recipe can be bad news if I don't have all of the facts. As a child my mom would take me to Oscar's Butcher Shop in Warrensburg, NY to get their famous Easter Hams and whatever other tender, juicy cuts she needed. While hanging out in a shop with slabs of dead meat wasn't really something I looked forward to as an 8 year old, I guess I ended up taking a bit away from those visits with my mother.

Always, always, ALWAYS ask questions about your meat (and everything else). Questions as simple as, what is the best cut of meat that you have this week? Where was this animal raised and butchered? Was it grass fed? Cage free? Hormones?

The more we learn about the meat industry the more important it is us for us to ask questions about what we are putting in our bodies. Knowledge is power! Nowadays we all know that our food choices have a direct impact on the quality of life we will lead.

Developing relationships with the people that surround you is obviously important. The folks that work behind the meat counter or at the fish market KNOW THEIR SHIT. How many times have I gone into the store with a very specific dish in mind and talked to the butcher and changed my mind completely. Recently I was asking about T-bone steaks and how to cook them if a grill was unavailable. The butcher I spoke told me to pan sear each side and then bake it uncovered. This is pretty standard info, but then he rewarded me with this little gem: Whenever possible when cooking meat bone in, season the heck out of that bone and give it a nice thick smear of butter. He said the marrow will suck up the seasoning quickly and the butter acts as both a seal and a baster for the meat while it cooks. I tried it. It works!

The other day while I took my self-indulgent stroll through the cheese department I asked a woman for the whereabouts of the gouda. She showed me a few different kinds and asked what I would I would be using it for. I told her that I was planning on making gouda and horseradish smashed potatoes. She told me to go for the soft, red wax gouda as opposed to some of the aged or smoked variations which wouldn't melt as well in the pot.


She then went on to tell me about her love of mashed potatoes and that her in-laws in Ohio often made a chicken stew that they served over mashed potatoes. Apparently this is staple dish in the Mid-West brought by Irish Families as they moved across the country. I guess it's done down here in Louisiana as well. Gumbo on mashed potatoes often topped with melted cheese.

When I lived in South Philly I loved heading to DiBruno's cheese market on 7th st. The men working there would fill my belly with cheese and my brain with different ideas for wine pairings and suggestions for dried meats.

There are so many citrus groves in my area and I am really looking forward to speaking with some of the local growers about different ways to add citrus to my cooking catalogue. Preserves are definitely on the menu.

I hope that the recipes I share inspire you to go on your own culinary adventure! The tour guides are all around us; at the butcher shop, in the produce section, or maybe even the person ahead of you in the checkout line who has something in their cart that you have been dying to try. Be bold! Speak up! Your tummy will thank you!


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Catfish on a Hot Tinfoil Roof

I don't know about you, but my cooking decisions are made one of two ways. Did I see something, smell something, that just seemed so gosh darn delicious that I absolutely have to cook it or I could potentially die?! Or...did I go through the weekly sales flier for the local grocery store and see something that I could probably make taste ok on the cheap?

This concoction came into being because of the latter, but will now be remembered in the former category of deliciousness that will need to be reproduced.

Back it up.

Catfish is EVERYWHERE down here and it is usually delicious, but, it is also usually fried. When I eat something fried, I usually write it off as something I won't make at home, because:
a) I don't have a frier
b) Frying is messy and clean-up can be atrocious
c) I don't want to get fat

Now, speed it up.

Catfish was on sale for $3.99 a lb, so I perused the internet and found some recipes for baked catfish. I mated a few and the incestuous result was quick, easy and pretty low on calories and easy on my wallet.

************************

Prep Time : 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Ingredients that I used:

2 lbs catfish (3 big filets)
Cilantro (I bought one big bunch and finely chopped about half of it)
Garlic (5 cloves, finely chopped)
2 serrano chiles (sliced thinly)
3 sweet red peppers (sliced thinly)
1 BIG red onion (finely chopped)
1 pound of pineapple (cut into chunks)
1 lemon (thinly sliced)
1 lime (thinly sliced)
cayenne pepper
sea salt
black pepper
olive oil

rice (I used Zatarain's Caribbean rice which has hints of various "island spices", coconut and pineapple).

*************************

Preheat the oven to 375

Lightly dust each catfish filet with salt and pepper. Place each on an individual piece of tinfoil (big enough to be folded and over and wrapped like a burrito). Then put each catfish foil on a cookie sheet and place it to the side.

Chop the cilantro, garlic, peppers, onions. Heap generously on each individual filet. Chop the pineapple and add to the filets. Lastly, add the thinly sliced lemon and lime on top (I did this so that the flavor would soak, but the bitter rinds could be easily removed once cooked). I then topped with someone cayenne pepper. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over each filet.

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Feb 24, 2016 at 11:55am PST

Wrap the foil around the filets like a burrito, or any kind of other wrap thing that prevents catfish juice from leaking all over your oven and kitchen.

Bake for 15-20 mins. You will know when the filets are done because the veggies will be clear and the fish will be white and flaky when separated with a fork.


I used a rice cooker for the Zatarain's rice. This took about 20 minutes, so both parts of the meal were finished at the same time.
I debated using Thai noodles that I had lying around, and I can honestly say I am glad I went with the rice. It soaked up a lot of the juice when plated with the catfish and added a nice textural dimension.

A photo posted by Alyssa (@apjord01) on Feb 24, 2016 at 11:56am PST

This was a bright, cheery dish packed with a lot of flavor. I ate a lot and didn't feel gross and I certainly didn't get that terrible feeling I get after I eat fried catfish.