A New Year's Resolution

I've never fallen into the trend of New Year's Resolutions. I like making the decision to be healthy independant of outside pressures. In the upcoming year, however, I'd like to make a resolution that is dependant upon this blog. It has separate conditions.

The first part to this New Year's Resolution is about offering opportunities for others to contribute to this blog. I love cooking and preparing meals and I love eating everything I make. I'm also interested to try recipes from others or eat the food that others have prepared. So, for 2010, I'd like to try recipes that others send to me as well as much free food I can get my hands on. I want to taste your homemade food and write about it. You can send me recipes at kjblack4god@yahoo.com.

The next part of this resolution-thing is to continue moving towards healthier ingredients. Since this blog, I've eaten healthier than ever before. I've become more aware of what foods are best for me as well as health benefits to a variety of foods. I never knew eating well could be so fun.

I'm looking forward to 2010. I'm sure it will be a great year because of many things in my life. I hope great food helps contribute to more happiness.

Happy New Year!

Sunday Soup Day: Green goodness soup

I had to think outside the box today. My father-in-law and brother-in-law are visiting today and they're very particular about what they eat. I wouldn't call them "picky" because they're extremely educated on their food decisions. I thought for a long time what to make for soup day because I knew they wouldn't be up for the creamy soups I've made in weeks past. I started leaning towards a bean soup, but ended up with a completely vegetable soup with all green veggies.

Green has significance for a few reasons. Steve and Ricky are both very environmentally aware, so I thought we'd "go green" today. Besides the environment, green is a popular Christmas color as well as the home digs for the Green Bay Packers who are playing their final regular season home game of the year today. Following the green theme, my grandmother was full-blooded Irish. In her honor, I'm listening to traditional Celtic music--very soothing. Plus, the number one movie in theatres in Avatar and we've all heard the underlying "green" agenda. I thought we'd follow the trend. After all, it's the end of 2009 and we're starting a new decade. I've heard a lot of media outlets report that green is the way to go from here on out.

The only ingredients that I added that weren't green were onion, garlic, chicken broth, crushed red pepper and Parmesan cheese (to add to the top when serving). The pepper gave it a little kick and the soup was surprisingly very hearty and flavorful. There were so many distinct ingredients that nearly every bite had a different taste.

I was extremely happy with the outcome. I cracked a can of Mountain Dew (green can) to offset the onslaught of folic acid. I might end up buying a Prius and voting for Ralph Nader...

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 onions
4 cloves garlic
1 green pepper
1 zucchini
4 stalks celery
1 leek
1 quart vegetable stock
2 cans (10 ounces each) chicken broth
6 ounces peas
10 ounces fresh green beans
10 ounces asparagus
4 ounces spinach and arugula mix
2 tablespoons fresh basil (chopped)
4 ounces green cabbage
1 baby bok choy
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Music: Karen Matheson - An Fhideag Airgrid
Weather: 19 and sunny

Christmas salad

On Christmas, my only assignment was to bring a "salad." To me, this was not very exciting. I thought about making a pasta salad, but that wouldn't have gone well with our traditional family meal, so I jazzed-up a green salad.

I say green salad because my intent was to add only ingredients that were colored green. I used lettuce, spinach, basil, cucumbers, green pepper, broccoli sprouts and bok choy. It worked out very well because I used ingredients straight from the refrigerator. I didn't have to buy anything. I chopped the ingredients and tossed them together.

We topped the salad with homemade vinaigrette. It was all very tasty. The basil and bok choy added a great flavor.

Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

As I try to be more creative with Christmas gifts this year, I've made up my mind to make my special vinaigrette for my family and friends. I make raspberry balsamic, champagne and pomegranate champagne vinaigrette at home for salads and as marinades. Today, I spent a few hours making each flavor in bulk to distribute.

I purchased small oil containers and exercised my artistic flair on Microsoft Word and created exclusive Kevin Eats labels. After wrapping ribbon around each bottle, I had a gift for nearly everyone I know. They're stylish bottles with colorful labels, but the real gift is what's inside.

I used premium extra virgin olive oil and [expensive] vinegar for each dressing. In my first blog I mentioned that your olive oil should be pure enough to drink. EVOO isn't an ingredient you go cheap on. I also used fresh garlic and freshly ground pepper and sea salt. Depending on the flavor, I added some sugar, too. I vigorously whisked everything together for superb vinaigrette.

Here are the ingredients for my raspberry balsamic vinaigrette:
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup raspberry balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Music: Lady GaGa - Bad Romance
Weather: 15-degrees, light snow in the morning

Sunday Soup Day: Lentil soup with Italian chicken sausage

Sundays are big days in my family. One of the reasons is because of the tradition that I've developed through Kevin Eats - Soup Day. I was out of town this weekend and I broke the streak of preparing elaborate soups for family and friends, so I went for a new recipe today and created another spectacular soup. There won't be a "case of the Mondays" today after ingesting this fantastic lentil soup with Italian chicken sausage. Mmmm.

Since I started this blog, I've been able to experiment with many different ethnic dishes. I've been drawn most to new Italian recipes. I was under the impression that Italian was synonymous with pasta, but it's not. I've dug deep and found many other traditional Italian meals and dishes, particularly those using beans and the combination of lentils and sausage has been very intriguing to me. Each new recipe introduces my taste buds to something unexpected. Using all organic ingredients today, not only did I enjoy the taste, but I felt super "green" in doing so.

Here's how it's done:

1. Heat two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken sausage and cook until browned, stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to bowl and set aside.

2. Add onion, carrots, parsnips, celery, garlic and Italian seasoning blend to drippings in the pot and add one more tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until the onion is translucent (the combination of vegetables and seasoning blend makes your kitchen smell wonderful).

3. Add lentils and stir to coat.

4. Add three quarts chicken broth and bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium and simmer until lentils are tender.

5. Add sausage to soup and simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Stir in spinach and cook until it's wilted (about three minutes).

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
24-ounces fully cooked chicken sausage, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
3 medium parsnips, chopped
4 medium celery stalks, chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning blend
8-ounces black lentils
8-ounces green/brown lentils
3 quarts organic chicken broth
5-ounces baby spinach leaves

Music: Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas (Is You)
Weather: 23-degrees

Sheetah shur shay

"Sheetah shur shay" is a special Chinese breakfast dish that includes bok choy, eggs, tomatoes and tomato sauce. A friend of mine named Zhang Fen stayed with me for a few days two years ago and prepared it for me. It's remained a constant on our breakfast menu ever since. Sheetah shur shay is my best recollection of Zhang's name for the meal. I'm positive my translations isn't even close to real Mandarin Chinese.

I was somewhat limited to what I could do with the flavor today. It's always difficult to make food in someone elses kitchen. I sauteed onion, garlic, green pepper and bok choy in water and soy sauce before adding eggs, tomatoes and tomato sauce. I also added crushed red pepper and ground Cayenne pepper.

The taste is very strange and difficult to explain. I love to combination of eggs and tomato sauce. The bok choy gives it a crunchy texture and a hint of light sweetness. Combined with the onion, garlic, pepper and soy sauce, it tastes "foreign." At home, I add Chinese 5-spice paste which gives it a kick, but I didn't have any this morning.

The condo-mates seemed to enjoy the sheetah shur shay. The were very hungry, so it was scarfed down quickly. Everyone said they liked the flavor, but didn't elaborate much. I can tell you, though, it was very good. Perfect texture, semi-sweet and very healthy.

Ingredients:
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 green pepper
1 bunch bok choy
9 eggs
3 tomatoes
soy sauce
3 tablespoons tomato sauce
crushed red pepper flakes
ground Cayenne pepper

Weather: 20-degrees, sunny mountain morning

Venison tacos

Yesterday I spent six hours dodging trees on the slopes at Steamboat Springs in Colorado. I'm not your typical mountain skier, but I can hold my own. It was my first time on skis this season and my legs started feeling the burn after only a few runs. Tree skiing turns out to be a terrific cardiovascular workout and I burned a ton of calories, so I was hungry!

When we returned to the condo, my brother made tacos. They were your typical homemade tacos, except he used venison meat (instead of beef). He added the perfect of garlic and herbs along with taco seasoning. He also poured a cup of water in the frying pan. It was extremely juicy. I couldn't stop myself from eating 10 tacos. That's right, 10. Another "not-so-bright" eating moment as I'm sure I'll feel the residual effects all day at Vail. That's our destination today.

In addition to the tacos, we had some healthier alternatives that the guys were confused about. They had never eaten Swiss chard, but they crossed the line of health yesterday and enjoyed it. I also baked a small acorn squash. After adding butter and sugar, it became dessert.

I ate too much...again

Nacho Mamma's in Stillwater is renown for generous portion sizes and authentic-tasting Mexican food. Going with a group of couples, the evening turned into a challenge of machismo and masculinity. I don't understand why men believe it's necessary to shove as much food as they can through their intestines to prove their worth as a man. Sadly, at times I'm guilty, and last night was one of those times.

Over a month ago, our small group bible study decided this Wednesday would be a social event and we'd spend some time eating dinner together. I appreciate opportunities to fellowship with other Christ followers. Somehow, prior to our get together, the amount of food I can consume in one sitting became a discussion topic and the challenge was brought forward to see if I could eat the smothered burrito at Nacho Mamma's. Of course, the others doubted more than Thomas (notice the bible study analogy), but I had none. I knew I'd be the only one feeling the regret of downing an entire three pound burrito, but I did it anyways.

During a typical dinner with friends, others are astonished by how much food I eat. I don't know why, but I've always been able to eat a lot. As a child, we never had leftovers the next day. I would sit at the table after everyone was excused and clean all of the pots and pans of extra food. I have vivid memories of finishing 2-3 additional servings of rice straight from the pan after dinner. To those who eat alongside me for the first time, this comes as a surprise, but it's not a surprise to family members or others I've shared meals with in the past.

I once ate the 40-ounce "Beefeater" at Prime Quarter Steakhouse in Madison in under 30 minutes. I also tackled the "Big Ass Burger Challenge" at State Street Brats. Think two-one pound patties on a loaf of sourdough bread with a pound of fries and 32 ounces of a beverage of choice. Naturally, the trick is to eat the fries first (starches digest quickly and leave room for the meat). These challenges aren't even when I eat the most. I usually consume the most food when I make a gourmet meal or we're out to eat and Liz or someone else doesn't finish their meal.

So, in the spirit of eating way too much food, I killed the smothered burrito. I didn't feel as though I overate until I left the restaurant to wrestle with a few athletes at Victory. That decision was far worse than packing my arteries with a 3,000 calorie burrito. I paid for it all through the night. The most irrational part: this is the third time in two weeks that I haven't been able to sleep after overeating. Last week I ate two large pizzas from Papa Murphy's for dinner (I couldn't stop eating because I couldn't get enough of the taste) and also overate the night I made a rib roast and lentils. Stupid. Dumb. Crazy. Idiotic. Good food, though.

I love food - sometimes too much. I'm sure this will happen again and certain I'm the only one who loses in moments like this, even if I win the contest.

Sunday Soup Day: Creamy chicken wild rice

Well, today's soup was quite possibly the best recipe that I've put together on Sunday Soup Day and I didn't make enough! I had a few guests over to watch football and when I was in the final touches, the crowd suddenly doubled. Needless to say, I didn't have enough soup for everyone and I won't be eating it tomorrow for lunch (drats!).

As a little guy, I remember my mom bringing home creamy chicken wild rice soup. We loved it so much that we always wanted more. Once in a while, I see chicken wild rice soup offered at restaurants, but hardly enough. So, I tried to create a creamy chicken wild rice soup to meet my needs. Instead, it surpassed every expectation I had. Everyone who was fortunate enough to enjoy a bowl agreed. It was magnificent.

Starting out, I chopped the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and sauteed them in the Dutch oven with some olive oil, thyme, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. When the vegetables were slightly soft, I added the chicken stock and chicken broth and cooked on medium heat until it boiled. In the meantime, I had the chicken in a frying pan with olive oil and salt and pepper. When the chicken was almost done, I chopped it and added it to the soup.

In a medium saucepan, I melted half a stick of butter, added 1/4 cup of flour and one can of cream of mushroom soup and stirred until it was smooth (it didn't boil). I inserted cooked wild rice to the cream mixture and mixed it in for about five minutes. Then, I adjoined the cream mixture to the soup and stirred in an additional 1/4 cup of half-n-half.

Everything cooked together for another ten minutes before I added the mushrooms. I wanted them to still have firmness. I also put slivered almonds on top (I didn't measure) and salt, pepper and Nature's Seasons seasoning. The consistency was not very thick, but it had a "white" tint and was very creamy. The thyme also presented a very distinct flavor.

I'll definately repeat this recipe.

Ingredients:
26 ounces chicken stock
10 ounces chicken broth
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 chopped onion
1 fresh parsley
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 cup dry white wine
16 ounces cooked wild rice
1/4 cup half-n-half
3 skinless boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste

Music: Train - Calling All Angels
Weather: 15 degrees, sunny

Buckwheat pancakes

Every December my family meets in Wisconsin Dells at the Chula Vista Resort. We rent a large sweet that sleeps 14 people. It's fully equiped with a kitchen, hot tub, fireplace and many other ammenities. This year, each of us chose a meal to prepare. I drew the short straw, so I made breakfast.

To be honest, I didn't have many ideas on what to make. After all, I wasn't in my kitchen, so it was difficult being creative. I finally decided to bring our always trustworthy Sturdiwheat pancake mix.

It took me less than 10 minutes to mix the batter. It took equal parts water and pancake mix in a bowl. I made enough batter for 25-30 "original" pancakes and 10-15 buckwheat pancakes. Both are always very good. Today, however, I didn't have cooking spray so I used the old school technique of buttering the girdle. It made the pancakes a little crispier than normal. Butter always makes things taste better, too.

We all had fun eating pancakes this morning. It doesn't get much better than a lazy morning with family and food.

Blueberry coffee cake

I'm not a big "baker," but I do enjoy making a simple dessert once in a while. This morning, I thought a soft and crumbly coffee cake would serve us well with a fresh cup of coffee.

I had a box of baking mix and on the side was a blueberry coffee cake recipe. It was an easy recipe that called for egg, oil, sugar, blueberries and the mix. I substituted the oil with apple sauce. Not only is apple sauce a healthy alternative, it also makes cake and cookies softer. I stirred in all of the ingredients and baked it in an 8x8 pan at 350-degrees for 45 minutes.

I love the smell of goodies in the oven, especially when fruit is an ingredient. The blueberries were extremely fragrant and the cake made our house smell like a bakery. We enjoyed a piece of cake while it still was warm. The apple sauce made it very moist, too.

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons apple sauce

2 1/2 cups Trader Joe's Multigrain Baking & Pancake Mix

1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

Beef prime rib roast and sausage with lentils and artichokes

I apologize that I didn't have the opportunity to write about our wonderful meal last night sooner. It took me all night to recover from the aftermath...I ate way too much and had a lot of dishes that needed my attention. With that said, it may have been the best, highest quality meal that I've ever made. Since I started this blog, my awareness of cooking and flavors has expanded ten-fold. I'm starting to feel a little pressure now to repeat these wonderful results. If my culinary skills continue to improve, I'll be in for a life of tremendous meals.

The menu was robust and included a beef prime rib roast, sausage with lentils and artichokes and Swiss chard with garlic and basil. I also baked a dozen pop overs that were provided by Sturdiwheat.

Beef prime rib roast

The preparation started on Wednesday. I picked out a beautiful prime rib roast (7 pounds) and marinaded it overnight. I'm slightly upset as I "shot from the hip" on the marinade and didn't write down the measurements of the ingredients. It was full of flavor. It was great.

I started with an onion, 6 cloves of garlic, a little orange juice and some olive oil. I made sure I didn't add too much liquid since I wanted a consistency that was similar to paste. I added oregano, rosemary, sage, ground pepper, salt, white pepper and red pepper flakes (great for winter cooking--claims to raise body temperature) and blended everything in a mini-food processor. I cut holes in the roast so the marinade would penetrate the outer sheath. After setting it in a stainless steel mixing bowl, I covered in with Saran wrap and refrigerated overnight.

I took the roast out of the 'fridge an hour before I cooked it. To roast, I put it on a baking pan with one cup of water and waited until the internal temperature was 130-degrees. It took approximately two hours in the oven at 350-degrees. It was nothing short of amazing! The "paste" was unbelievable. I'm kicking myself for not writing down the recipe.

Sausage with lentils and artichokes

This "side dish" could have been the entire meal. It was very rich and oh, so good. With an earthy taste, it was very nutritious as well. If you're reading this, you must take my word on this one. Make it as soon as you have the opportunity. It will blow you away. Who knew that some day I would cook with lentils and artichokes?

In a large frying pan, I heated extra virgin olive oil on medium heat then added garlic. I smashed the garlic instead of mincing it. Shortly after the garlic, I added the onions. I sauteed the garlic and onions until the onions looked transparent (2-3 minutes) and added the chicken sausage and bay leaves. About two minutes later, I added the artichokes (drained), sage, oregano sauteed for 4 to 5 minutes more.

The second part of the preparation came with the Beluga lentils. I prepared them according to the package instructions and had them waiting on the side to add to the vegetables. Along with the lentils, I added the chicken stock. Everything cooked together for abut 20 minutes. The goal was to stir until the chicken stock reduced completely. Then, I added buttermilk. It gave the final product a hint of sourness. It was so good; it was unexplainable

Swiss chard with garlic and basil

I also sauteed a bunch of Swiss chard. I'm beginning to love leafy green vegetables. That's a good thing, right? When I started the Swiss chard, it almost didn't fit in the frying pan. When it cooks, it shrinks, though. I fried it in olive oil and chicken stock and added garlic and basil. It's a favorite side dish of mine.

There's no great way to conclude this entry. This meal was fantastic. I wish I could think of a better adjective, but you'll just have to take my word on it and make it yourself. Let me know how it turns out for you.

Ingredients (sausage with lentils and artichokes):
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, smashed
1 yellow onion, diced
10 ounces chicken sausage (Trader Joe's basil & pesto chicken sausage)
3 small bay leaves
12 ounces marinated artichoke hearts, quartered (drained)
2 tablespoons sage
1 teaspoon oregano
4 cups cooked Beluga black lentils
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cups buttermilk

Music: Michael Buble - Haven't Met You Yet
Weather: 5-degrees and frigid

Candied almonds and walnuts

I woke up this morning and saw snowflakes outside my window. Immediately, I became more excited for Christmas. As snow accumulated throughout the day, my mind started wondering towards holiday treats.

With a baby and a beautiful wife bringing holiday cheer my way, it's easy for me to think of this as the most wonderful time of the year. So, without further ado, I got a start on filling our house with sweet sugary goodness.

I looked for all of the nuts that we had in our cupboards and found a bag of walnuts and half a container of almonds. I recalled the candied walnuts I had made a few weeks ago for my chestnut soup and repeated that recipe. As I expected, they turned out wonderfully.

The almonds, on the other hand, were a disaster. I poked around online for a recipe for candied almonds and found one that called for 1/2 cup water, 1 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. I brought the glaze to a boil an added two cups of almonds. Then came the problem. The recipe was clear that I was supposed to cook the almonds until the liquid fully evaporated and the consistency was syrupy. The reviews said over and over to cook the almonds longer than your instincts told you. Well, my instincts must have been correct because the almonds and the syrup turned black and burned. Needless to say, the almonds are outside in our garbage so they don't make our entire house smell like it's on fire.

The walnuts were good, though.

Music: Venessa Carlton - Ordinary Day
Weather: 20-degrees, blizzard conditions

Sunday Soup Day: Chicken soup for the soul

Nothing combats a gloomy and sick day quite like chicken noodle soup. When I woke up this morning with a scratchy sore throat, I knew I had to make chicken noodle soup. It's a classic home remedy and "good for the soul."

I started with two large pots on the stove. I cooked carrots, celery and onion in my cast-iron pot and boiled the chicken breasts in water and chicken broth to make the stock in the other. The ingredients were ready nearly simultaneously. I cut the chicken into small chunks and dumped the stock into the cast-iron pot with vegetables. I added the noodles and let everything cook together for 10 minutes. I added the parsley and it was ready to eat.

It was very hearty and extremely satisfying considering the cold symptoms. I love chicken noodle soup!

Ingredients:
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
24 ounces chicken broth
3 cups water
5 stalks celery
14 ounces carrots
1 onion
1/2 cup Italian parsley
12 ounces whole wheat blend noodles (wide noodle style, like egg noodles)
Salt, pepper and Nature's Seasoning to taste
Garlic and basil seasoning to taste

Music: Sanctus Real - Audience of One
Weather: 19-degrees

Kettle Chips

I was watching Tyler's Ultimate with Tyler Florence on the Food Network when I saw him making homemade potato chips. It looked fairly easy and fun, so I bought some potatoes and made my very own kettle chips.

In a large pot, I added 75/25 canola and olive oil and cooked over medium heat. I added green onion, thyme, rosemary and fresh garlic. The goal was to cook the herbs until they were crispy and shinny. This allowed the oil to be infused with the flavor of the herbs. Then I took the herbs out with a slotted spoon and left the oil. This is what I fried the potatoes in.

The potatoes needed to be sliced very thin. When held to the light, they appeared transparent. I put the potatoes in ice water to keep them from going brown. This process extracted the starch from them. I set them on paper towels and let them dry before I tossed them in the pot of oil.

I fried the potatoes in batches until they were golden brown and crispy. I took them out of the oil and placed them on a baking sheet covered with paper towel. Immediately, I added fresh ground pepper and sea salt. I prepared the salt and pepper in a mortar and pestle. The chips cooled very quickly and were ready for consumption. I bet you can't eat just one.

Ingredients:
4 large Yukon potatoes
Canola oil and olive oil (75/25)
2 cloves garlic
3 spring fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon sage
Ground pepper and sea salt

Music: Train - Calling All Angels
Weather: 24-degrees with snow

Roasted broccoli and sauteed baby reds (with Mediterranean crusted salmon)

What started out as a very ordinary dinner turned into an extraordinary meal with roasted broccoli and sauteed baby red potatoes. The main dish was a precrusted salmon from the frozen food section in the grocery store, but the side dishes catapulted this meal over the top.

I didn't eat many green vegetables growing up, so I'm just now becoming familiar with their taste and diversity in preparing them. Tonight, I tossed broccoli in olive oil and added thinly sliced garlic and roasted them in the oven at 425-degrees. When I took the pan out of the oven, I added fresh basil. It was utterly spectacular! The broccoli had a deep roasted flavor. The edges were blackened and crispy. The garlic jazzed it up just enough and the basil gave it a hint of earthy sweetness, but just being roasted made the broccoli fabulous.

The potatoes were also amazing. I used my Dutch oven and melted a tablespoon of butter. I threw the baby reds in the pot (they were all very small and approximately the same size) and sprinkled them with sea salt and freshly ground pepper then covered the pot. I made sure they cooked in their own juices. They came out extremely tender and flavorful. Butter, salt and pepper was all these potatoes needed.

Both of these side dishes were great. I'm in a very good mood right now because they came out as a very pleasant surprise. I started out with a simple dinner idea and it turned into a gourmet meal. I love when that happens!

Music: Kriss Kross - Jump
Weather: 35-degrees (the last "warm" day of the year...)