Day 64: Simple Salsa...

I’ve posted an earlier salsa recipe when I first stated this ongoing marathon of recipe postings, but this one is faster to make, and much more mild, so that it can complement and not overwhelm the flavour of the taco filling.

Enjoy...

Day 63: Beef Taco Mixture...

In my second part of my taco recipe, we have the beef mixture.  If you blink too quickly, you’ll have it done and cooked before you know it.

Enjoy...

Day 62: Tortillas...

 

On the weekend I had the hankering for tacos.  Normally I make my own salsa and mix up some ground beef with seasoning, and I’m done.  This time was different.  I decided to make my own tortillas...

So over the next couple of days, I’ll be posting everything you need to make tacos from scratch.

Enjoy...

Day 61: Sesame Tea Chicken...

Not much to say about this recipe, except that it saved my life, once.  The Koga Ninja clan sent one of their assassin’s to kill me, but I happened to be making these tasty chicken thighs, and the smell gave the killer pause.  I offered one, figuring I’d stall for time, and it was well received.  He asked for another.  I kept feeding him chicken thighs until he was bloated and unable to move.  I rolled him off my deck, let him fall ten feet and called the police.

I immediately moved, and so far they haven’t tracked me down, or maybe they didn’t want any more of their members having to face the humiliation of getting arrested.

Enjoy...

Day 60: Everything But The Kitchen Sink Gumbo...

It finally happened.  After two attempts, and a short wait for the key ingredient (File Powder) to come in through the mail, I’ve finally managed to put together what I think is a great Gumbo.

Now first off, I should mention a few things about Gumbo.  If we cast off the mystery, philosophy, and near-religion surrounding Gumbo, it helps to look at this as a stew.  So other than some key ingredients, you can add whatever you want, and still call it Gumbo.

The key ingredients?  File Powder.  File Powder is made from dried, ground sassafras leaves.  You can’t call it Gumbo without it, plain and simple.  The other thing, is the Trinity.  The basis for Cajun cooking is the trinity, which consists of equal parts onion, celery and bell pepper.  The third ingredient, is a good roux.  Roux is a mixture of oil and flour, cooked and used as a thickening agent.  Anyone who has made gravy from scratch will be familiar with this process.

Where do I get File Powder?  The only place I found was Chily Chilies in the East end of Ottawa.  They are an online store, so if it’s a bit out of your way to get to, they can mail you the goods.

Once you’re familiar with the process, and you have the three key ingredients listed above, you can make your own Gumbo using anything you want.  So have some friends over, crack open some beers, play some blues and have some fun making a whole big pile of Gumbo.

Enjoy...

Day 59: Japanese Risotto...

I’d recently watched a cooking show on risotto, and it got me thinking.  Most cultures across this massive globe make use of rice, so why does risotto need to be a strictly European thing?  I mean really, all you’re doing is cooking rice in a flavourful liquid to develop a creamy sauce out of the starches.  Everything else just adds to the taste.  Now, having a large selection of Asian supplies handy at all times, I decided on Japanese, because Sushi rice is similar to the short grain arborio style you normally cook risotto with, and I had plenty of that.  Then it was a matter of picking up anything Japanese equivalent to what you might find in Italian risotto.  The rest was just tasty.  I doubt it, but I like to think I’m the first person on the planet to try this.

Enjoy...

Day 58: Stir-Fried Dumplings...

This is the kind of thing I really like, a re-use of  previous recipe.  Often you can turn leftovers into a brand new dish, and that’s exactly what this is.  My Day 21 recipe was for Wontons, a simple Chinese dumpling recipe, that can be frozen and reused.  This time I decided to use them in a stir-fry.

Enjoy...

Day 57: Italian Style Rice Salad...

It’s fun to imagine that you are sitting out under the warm sun of the Mediterranean with a bottle of red, a rolling hillside covered in olive groves, and the hearty notes of debate in the air.  For those of us that can’t have that any time soon, there’s always this dish.  It’s great indoors, or outdoors on the patio.

Enjoy...

Day 56: Fruit Smoothie...

Smoothie’s are fast becoming the busy person’s answer to breakfast these days.  With so many variations, you could write a book, and many have, on the subject alone.  This is one I made on the weekend before a long run.

Enjoy...

Day 55: Chewy Chocolate Brownies...

People often refer to various foods or treats as being ‘better than sex,’ but this one is different.  This recipe for Brownies IS sex.  It’s hot, wet, uninhibited, primal sex.  But only when I make it, because I’m withholding the secret ingredient.  Sorry but once and a while you’ve got to keep one or two tricks up your sleeve.  They’re still good without it, though.

Enjoy...

Day 54: Carrot and Potato Soup...

If you’re looking for a nice, simple, and very tasty soup that warms the belly on a cold, rainy weekend, you can’t do much better than this.

Enjoy...

Day 53: Cheese Cake Ice Cream...

This ice cream recipe came straight from Hell.  Once dabbled with a Ouija board, and the legion of demons told me to write this recipe down.  Make at your own risk.

Seriously, don’t try it, unless you want to gain a few pounds.

Enjoy...

Day 52: Cappuccino Chocolate Ice Cream...

Holy crap!  It’s catch-up time.  Last week was busy, so I missed a lot of posts, but today I make all that up.  To start off, and since last week was so damn hot, here’s a nice little ice cream recipe that I’m told is better than sex, but I don’t believe it.

Enjoy...