Spent some time this afternoon in the presence of this young lady.
Always fantastic, as is this distinguished gentleman.
And since the third was so happy to see me I won't put a picture of her, she hates cameras.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Sunday Critters #3
Spent some time this afternoon in the presence of this young lady.
Always fantastic, as is this distinguished gentleman.
And since the third was so happy to see me I won't put a picture of her, she hates cameras.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Mmmm, Meatloaf
And I had been doing so well with the posting. Such is life. Anyway, meatloaf. I made this while I was house-sitting for some friends (mostly dog sitting, really) and I tried a different way of mixing it up. I used fresh bread crumb, that I toasted. Then I mixed the chopped raw onion and garlic in the crumbs with some spices and hot sauce.
Then I toasted them again, after which I added an egg and mixed it all up. The onions put out some liquid and the whole mess became this awesome flavor base. When I added the beef I mixed it together with a knife which seems to have kept me from overworking the mixture and making it tough.
I do meatloaf free form, too, more browned bits and less grease. This is a good time. I've also found that a little hatching on it increases browning and helps glaze stick.
Mmm, glaze. This is ketchup, cider vinegar, brown sugar (all in about equal proportions) and more hot sauce. Oh and black pepper.
Gotta have pepper.
But yeah, I know it's not a recipe but the whole thing worked out wicked good. Look at how moist it is!
Made killer sandwiches.
I used some of the leftovers to make mini shepherds pies, I'll cover that another time. Another cool thing about meatloaf is it freezes well, that's always nice. Anyone have any meatloaf secrets they want to share? This was awesome, but I'm still perfecting my technique and will take any wisdom the nets have to offer.
Then I toasted them again, after which I added an egg and mixed it all up. The onions put out some liquid and the whole mess became this awesome flavor base. When I added the beef I mixed it together with a knife which seems to have kept me from overworking the mixture and making it tough.
I do meatloaf free form, too, more browned bits and less grease. This is a good time. I've also found that a little hatching on it increases browning and helps glaze stick.
Mmm, glaze. This is ketchup, cider vinegar, brown sugar (all in about equal proportions) and more hot sauce. Oh and black pepper.
But yeah, I know it's not a recipe but the whole thing worked out wicked good. Look at how moist it is!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Crunchy Lemon Pepper Tilapia
I don't have a recipe for this or really very many shots, but I'm trying to keep my posting momentum going so I figured I'd share. Plus I got a couple decent pics and it tasted awesome. 
I whipped it up on the spur of the moment because I was trying to figure out what to do with this tiny egg.
It was in a half dozen fresh farm eggs my brother gave me but it was too little for baking or scrambling or anything. So I breaded fish with it. The breading was just fresh crumbs, dry lemon peel, lots cracked black pepper and some salt. Basic flour, egg, crumbs deal, then I let it chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes or so. I've found that really helps it keep the coating.
But then just a little oil in a hot anodized aluminum pan (perfect for this, I love those pans), fry, flip and lunch. 
A little homemade tartar sauce on the side and I was a happy camper. 
The only thing I was missing was some kind of side dish, maybe a salad of some stripe. Ah well, next time.
Speaking of upcoming times, I have a whole bunch of cool stuff to post about once I get my long post writing mojo up and running. My brother recently made eclairs, I've got a killer meatloaf and some mini shepherds pies to name a few. Maybe now that the heat is lessening I'll be less inclined to hibernate. Heh.
I whipped it up on the spur of the moment because I was trying to figure out what to do with this tiny egg.
It was in a half dozen fresh farm eggs my brother gave me but it was too little for baking or scrambling or anything. So I breaded fish with it. The breading was just fresh crumbs, dry lemon peel, lots cracked black pepper and some salt. Basic flour, egg, crumbs deal, then I let it chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes or so. I've found that really helps it keep the coating.
But then just a little oil in a hot anodized aluminum pan (perfect for this, I love those pans), fry, flip and lunch. 
A little homemade tartar sauce on the side and I was a happy camper. 
The only thing I was missing was some kind of side dish, maybe a salad of some stripe. Ah well, next time.Speaking of upcoming times, I have a whole bunch of cool stuff to post about once I get my long post writing mojo up and running. My brother recently made eclairs, I've got a killer meatloaf and some mini shepherds pies to name a few. Maybe now that the heat is lessening I'll be less inclined to hibernate. Heh.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Fried Tamales
Yeah, you heard me. Want to make tamales even better? Brown them up in a skillet. 
With a non stick one you only need a little oil and the crispy, corny, browned masa mixture is awesome. This is, of course, done with already made tamales. In my case straight from the freezer, which is always convenient.
I don't think frying instead of steaming would really work well as the initial cooking. But it is a great way to thaw/reheat them, it adds great flavor. As it turned out, I was making some beans that were in a very Mexican style when I was taking these pics so I poured some of the liquid from them over the tamales after the first flip. 
Then I poured some more on after I plated them. 
Because really, why the hell not? The ... dough? Casing? Enrobement? What is the outer layer of a tamale called, anyway? Whatever it is, it soaked up the sauce like a sponge and made something that's already awesome even better. 
So, in closing, fry your tamales. You'll be glad you did.
With a non stick one you only need a little oil and the crispy, corny, browned masa mixture is awesome. This is, of course, done with already made tamales. In my case straight from the freezer, which is always convenient.
I don't think frying instead of steaming would really work well as the initial cooking. But it is a great way to thaw/reheat them, it adds great flavor. As it turned out, I was making some beans that were in a very Mexican style when I was taking these pics so I poured some of the liquid from them over the tamales after the first flip. 
Then I poured some more on after I plated them. 
Because really, why the hell not? The ... dough? Casing? Enrobement? What is the outer layer of a tamale called, anyway? Whatever it is, it soaked up the sauce like a sponge and made something that's already awesome even better. 
So, in closing, fry your tamales. You'll be glad you did.Sunday, September 9, 2012
Sunday Critters #2
Right, I know. I've been neglectful. But let's not dwell on the past, shall we? I know I'm sorry, you know I'm sorry. Bygones should really be bygones. But, I will offer up the following pictures as evidence of my sincerity.
I've posted once before about my friends pups, but I house sat for them a couple weeks ago and got some good pics. Like this one of Zelda sitting on my outstretched legs.
Although, to be fair, if it comes out clear pretty much every picture of her is good. And Suki, of course. 
He's another one that doesn't really take bad pics and I like the lighting. I was particularly pleased with this one of Obe (cat) loving on Angel (dog).
Angel is terrified of cameras and Obe doesn't often make with the affection. So there you go, dogs and cats. Living together in harmony. I also got some pics of the food I made in their enormous kitchen, I'll post about that this week. Probably. Heh.
I've posted once before about my friends pups, but I house sat for them a couple weeks ago and got some good pics. Like this one of Zelda sitting on my outstretched legs.
Although, to be fair, if it comes out clear pretty much every picture of her is good. And Suki, of course. 
He's another one that doesn't really take bad pics and I like the lighting. I was particularly pleased with this one of Obe (cat) loving on Angel (dog).
Angel is terrified of cameras and Obe doesn't often make with the affection. So there you go, dogs and cats. Living together in harmony. I also got some pics of the food I made in their enormous kitchen, I'll post about that this week. Probably. Heh.