Fajitas?

Who doesnt love fajitas? I make them often. Today I made both chicken and beef.

1. The chicken breasts I marinated in mojo sauce for a few hours. Mojo is great becuase it gives a nice garlicky/citrus flavor to meats. Its also AMAZING on pork.The steak I rub with chili powder, garlic powder and S&P.


2. I slice an onion and a bell pepper and some chili peppers thinly and put them in a frying pan with olive oil and hit em with high heat at first just to brown some of them a bit. Then I turn the burner on low and cover until they are nice and soft.


3. I obviously light the grill. And grill the meats.


4. I also like to make rice and beans as well.
   

Fajitas are a very good dinner and are quite simple to make.

Paninis-the revenge

Ya, so last time we talked I made the paninis. They were fantsatic. And in case you were wondering.... I am a hunka hunka burnin' love. Ladies love guys that can cook.... that why I have 3 kids... Ahem....

Dear Panini Maker

Dear Panini Maker,

I know you heard me talking to the crock pot. Yes, I do love her. But its a different kind of love. There is enough room in my heart for the both of you. I swear, you are so much more sophisticated and shiny. Nobody can brown my sandwiches and make them taste better than you can.

Paninis?

Oh man, you ever just made a prosciutto, mozzarella with tomato panini? Could it be any easier? Maybe some pepper is needed or a tiny bit of garlic. But "Lord Almighty, I feel my temperature risin'". Oh man... why is it that just toasting a sanwich makes it taste so much better? I love making paninis for dinner. The Boss does not like the proscuitto-so she misses out. Not my problem.... All I can tell you is that I am a hunk of burnin' love.

Not a recipe

I started to write this blog to talk about food... and whatever else comes to mind. This morning on the subway in to work I was trying to think of something to say. I wanted it to be something interesting.

I decided to talk about something that is very important to me. Now, I am not tooting my horn here but I do believe that with work, family, and my very limited social life I still have time to do something that is bigger than all of that.

I do volunteer work for Food & Friends. I have been delivering food to people who are very sick and shut in to their apartments all around my office in downtown. It really is an eye opening experience to deliver bag after bag of pre-prepared meals to people who you would never meet otherwise.

I have gotten to know some of the people over time on my route. Some just close their door after I hand them their meals. Some smile and say hello and nice to see you. One I actually chat with for a minute or two every time. I know that I am the only person that some of these people see that day. Just being able to do that one small thing for my neighbors makes me happy.

I would eventually like to be able to donate more of my time to this cause, maybe even help with the food preparation. Maybe I will start having my children volunteer with me when they are old enough. It's a good cause. It's the right thing to do. And maybe-just maybe I can teach my children that life is not all fun and games but more about being a kind person. Maybe this is a life lesson that I can share.

So if you have a minute-click on the logo above and check out Food & Friends. If you have a few extra dollars to spare, then please do so. If you have a few extra hours every month then please volunteer-if not for Food & Friends then for something else. Trust me-it will be an experience of a lifetime.

Taste of Summer on the Grill

Want to make an amazing taste of summer on the grill? I made something like this the other week for my mother in law. But tonight I decided to add some other stuff to it. Here it is:

Add all of this into a bowl with salt, olive oil & pepper:
3 Green squash - slice thinly like in the picture.
2 Red pepper - halved
3 ears of white corn
1 onion halved (think the equator)
4 Pasilla Peppers

Turn to coat.

The pasillas just need to blacken on all sides then move to the indirect heat side.

The onions go on the direct heat side and blacken both sides a little and then move to
indirect. But keep them close to the heat as onions take a while to really soften.

Red peppers need to blacken then move to indirect.

The corn needs to be burned a little on 2 sides and move to indirect.

Cook the squash directly until both sides are done (light green & soft should be gone). Move to the indirect & the coolest part of the grill.

Cover the indirect cooking veges (but make sure there is still a lot of air coming in) and use your best judgement.

Shave the ears of corn into a bowl.

Remove the charred skins from all the peppers.

Cut the rest (whatever size you like) of the vegetables and mix with corn in bowl. I added a few drops of the hot sauce as well.

Also: If anybody is listening.... This is what I want to do for Fathers Day. Just give me an hour alone and I will make you a nice dinner.

Who am I making dinner for?

OK. So I read other blogs. And a lot of women's blogs (they seem to be the people who do most of the cooking). So I know that most of my readers are women, and I'd like to get their take on this.

I found this funny picture in Google images. It was part of a blog post about what body types men and women prefer.

And the labels above hold true for me. It wasn't the girl in the middle that caught my eye. Actually, she wasn't even #2. Sorry Hollywood.

Ok, so there is an issue here....

I even bet that you made some assumptions about all 3 of them already. Middle girl- she eats tofu, works out, and maybe even really doesn't eat much. Girl on the right-maybe you think that she might be called larger but fit girl. Maybe she likes to have pizza and beers with her boyfriend or husband every Thursday. But she is not and would never be considered fat. Maybe she plays soccer or something. Girl on the left- She is not as toned as the other girls. Shes got curves though. She does seem to be a little softer than the other two.

So because I am a pig at heart, and love food. Which girl would I let have a nice dinner with me?

Middle girl- I bet you are quite spunky and fun but I enjoy cooking for a girl and sitting down to a nice dinner. I could be wrong and you might be able to out eat me but...you are a little skinny for my tastes anyway. Next.

Girl on the right-I bet you are a really fun girl to hang with. But I'm not really into blonds. Next.

Girl on the left- Hi, I'm Chris. Yes, I like a girl that looks like a woman but that isn't what caught my eye (aside from the very nice backside)... it was the "come hither look". Yes, and I bet you would help me cook and polish off the bottle with me as well....

SUMMARY:

Girls in the picture, you are all very pretty. Guys are easy. I'd have dinner with all of you since I bet you all have your own stories and are probably a lot of fun to be with. But really, the first one to give me "the look" over the shoulder wins. Truth.

Seriously..Whose Yer Daddy!

OK, so this recipe is amazing. Not only that but it is ridiculously easy to make and you will wind up looking like a total Rock Star. Thanks for the recipe Rachael Ray.

First get a London Broil (about 1 1/2 -2 pounds). Then in a bowl mix salt, pepper, chili powder, minced garlic and onion powder-go heavier on the S&P than the other ingredients. Rub the steak with the mixture on both sides and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
Salt and pepper
One 1-inch-thick top round London broil (about 2 pounds)
2 large red onions, thickly sliced
4 baking potatoes, sliced lengthwise ¼ inch thick (Think mini-potato plates)
3 cubanelle peppers, quartered lengthwise and seeded
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1. Preheat the grill to medium. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Brush the steak and the onion slices with some of the seasoned oil. Place the potatoes and peppers on a baking sheet and toss with the remaining seasoned oil. 2. Arrange the peppers and onion slices on the grill, cover and cook, turning occasionally, until charred and crisp-tender, 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Arrange the steak and potatoes on the grill, cover and cook for 9 minutes on each side for medium-rare.3. Coarsely chop the peppers and onions; return to the bowl. Thinly slice the steak against the grain and add to the mixture. Add the basil and toss. Serve the steak, peppers and onions on top of the potatoes.

Andrew Zimmern

This cat is the man. Seriously, the crap he eats FREAKS ME OUT. I honestly think the oddest thing I've ever had are chapulines (fried grasshoppers) which are actually quite good. If you ever get the chance to have a chapulines taco then I suggest that you try it with an open mind. Now I have never been a seafood fan but lately I have been trying more and more things. I went on a business trip recently and had a bunch of things to eat that a year ago I would have never tried. I can tell you that they were not my favorite things but I have tried them now (sea bass, ceviche, & a piece of octopus sushi). To this day I admit that the taste of a tuna steak makes me reel. I don't like it. But I have tried it. But this dude is straight up crazy. OK. So I will draw the absolute line if he wont eat it. His show is on the Travel Channel and he couldn't even eat the durian fruit from Malaysia. OK-so its got to be horrifying.





Hold me, I'm scared.

Dear Mrs. Katz,

Oh I totally screwed this experiment up. I bought a roaster chicken the other night and we didnt finish all of the meat. So I decided to experiment the next day with the leftovers. Chicken & Potato latkes. I remember having them at my friend Mikes house when I was a kid. His mom made them from scratch. So I figured, what the hell... So I mixed the rest of the chicken with 2 potatos that had been run through a grater, 2 eggs that had been beaten, some bread crumbs, and some shaved corn. Oh hell, how hard can making a latke be?

Dear Mrs. Katz,

Im sorry, I should have been paying attention to you while you were making those fantastic latkes. My first attempt was a complete failure. Maybe you were right. Mike and I really are idiots.

Love,

Chris

I should have looked at a recipe at least.....

It's now summer.... Beers & Brats anyone?

Ya, she makes me think of German culture too.

Okay, so seriously, who doesn't like bratwursts? I happen to LOVE them. There is nothing better than brats. I am sure that since they are associated with Germans and Oktoberfest, many associate them with the waning days and chillier temperatures.

Not me brotha! It's hot, you feel the need to grill out. Lets do this right. Good call. Here is how I do it.

Get an onion or two (not that sweet vidalia crap either), and some green bell peppers. Slice them thin.

Place in a skillet and salt them. Add just enough olive oil to coat after you flip them in the pan a few times.

Burner=HIGH.

Once you have them sizzling and some of the bottom ones are a little browned, turn the burner to low.

Cover and let it sit while they soften.

While you are doing this you need to have a pot on the other burner going. This needs to have all your brats (with a pinhole prick on each end) on the bottom and covered in beer (come on man-use St. Pauli).

You just need these to bubble - DO NOT BOIL until their color says, "I'm cooked!"

OH and by the way, I like to use a small amount (as much as will fit in the center of your palm) of curry powder in the beer. Your call.

While these are slowly getting their tasty on, you need to light the grill and have it ready. Once the Brats are ready (and you have turned off the softened onions and peppers and removed from the heat), throw them on the grill and blacken them slightly as well as toasting the buns.

Just put them all together with some grainy mustard before you add the pepper and onion deliciousness to the brat and take a trip to Bavaria.