In case there was any doubt about who the nicest man in Hollywood (heck, maybe the world) is:

[The Man Who Aged Me]

the NYT is poopy and now you have to register to read the article so I put it: [Here] until they threaten me, that is.

Posted under celebrity news/gossip

Eggs Florentine

This is not so much a recipe as it is a method. But I made this on Sunday morning and it turned out pretty good. Up to now I’ve had a really hard time with poached eggs. They never come out right. So I’m posting this so that others can try what I did and maybe it will work for them too.

Servings: 2

2 English Muffins, split
4 eggs
6 ounces chopped frozen spinach

Sauce (yes, I took the easy way out)
1 package instant Hollandaise sauce (I use Knorr)
1 cup milk
3 T butter

Thaw the spinach. I did this by softening it in the microwave then putting it in a sieve and letting hot water run over it until it’s thawed. Squeeze it out so it’s pretty dry. Put it in a microwave dish and let it sit until just before ready for assembly.

Toast the English muffins and set aside (you can do this while you’re doing the other stuff too)

Make the Hollandaise sauce according to the directions on the packet. Usually, heat the milk in the saucepan and add the mix, then once it’s combined, add the butter and whisk until melted. Set aside with a cover on it to keep warm.

Set a large saucepan on the stove on high. Add about 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar to the water along with some salt (once it’s hot, you don’t want to wreck your pan). When it’s at a pretty heavy boil, crack the eggs and lower them slowly one by one into the pan.

While the eggs are cooking you can butter the muffins and microwave the spinach on high for about one minute.

Place the spinach on the muffins evenly. Light a low fire under the sauce just to be sure it’s warm.

When the eggs are done (I didn’t touch them much at all while they were cooking, just made sure they did not stick to the pan) remove them from the pan, one at a time and drain with a paper towel; I just sort of patted them dry a little.

Place the egg on top of the muffin with spinach and then pour the Hollandaise sauce over the top.

Sounds kind of complicated, but it’s not really. Just takes practice getting all the things done at the same time. It was really good though!!

Posted under Breakfast, Cooking

OK so I’ve made several meals since I last posted, however, I forgot my password and was only able to post from work (where it was stored on the computer) and I’ve been too busy at work. So I’m going to cram three recipes in today.

The first one is this pork chop recipe that is an old standby. We usually have the ingredients on hand, and it’s quick and really yummy.

Pork Chops with Peppers and Olives

Servings: 2

1 green peppers — cut in thin strips

vegetable cooking spray

3 cloves garlic — minced

2/3 Cup fat-free chicken broth

½ cup black olives — cut in half

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon butter

2 pork chops

Spray large skillet with cooking spray. Cook chops until done. Place on platter and keep warm in a warm oven. Add pepper and garlic to skillet and cook 30 seconds. Add broth, olives and vinegar. Boil until liquid is reduced to glaze, scraping up browned bits (8 minutes). Mix in oregano and butter, whisk. Serve over chops.

Posted under Cooking, Pork, Random Thoughts

Alrighty, one we’d never tried before. I wasn’t sure how this would go. I usually buy my shrimp already cooked but this time I didn’t. But it turned out wonderfully. Very tasty and the fact that the shrimp was made on a charcoal grill makes all the difference. The extra smoky flavor was really good.

I halved this recipe for the two of us, though I only used ½ pound of shrimp, the rest of the ingredients I eyeballed or guessed on what was half. I also did not have fresh tomatoes, so I used canned diced (drained). Oh and I forgot the peanuts at the end. But frankly didn’t miss them.

I also served this with some Chinese noodles on the side to soak up the sauce, but I didn’t photograph them because they weren’t part of the actual recipe.

Shrimp With Bahian Peanut Sauce

Recipe By: Steven Raichlen, author of “The Barbecue! Bible”

Serving Size: 6

1 ½ Pounds Jumbo Shrimp — peeled and deveined

2 Cups Coconut Milk — divided

½ Cup Fresh Lime Juice — divided

6 Cloves Garlic — divided

1 Teaspoon Salt

½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Bunch Green Onions, Whole — trimmed and minced

1 Tablespoon Minced Ginger

½ Medium Red Bell Pepper — stemmed, seeded and chopped

2 Ripe Tomatoes — peeled and chopped

½ Cup Creamy Peanut Butter

½ Cup Fresh Cilantro

½ Teaspoon Cayenne

¼ Cup Chopped Peanuts — toasted

NOTES : Use bamboo skewers, soaked for 1 hour in cold water prior to grilling.

Heat coals (or preheat gas grill to high).

Rinse shrimp under cold running water, drain and blot dry with paper towels, set aside.

In a large non-reactive bowl, combine ¾ cup coconut milk, ¼ cup lime juice, 2 cloves minced garlic, salt and ground pepper. Add shrimp and toss to coat.

To make peanut sauce:

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add green onions, remaining garlic, ginger and bell peppers; sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, increase heat to high and cook for 1 minute to evaporate some of the tomato liquid.

Stir in peanut butter, remaining coconut milk, remaining lime juice and half the cilantro. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, until the mixture is well flavored and slightly thickened, 5 to 10 minutes.

Add cayenne pepper, and season with salt and pepper if necessary (the sauce should be highly seasoned). Remove from heat, keep warm and covered.

Drain shrimp and thread them onto skewers. Oil grill grate. Arrange the kebabs on the hot grate and grill, turning with tongs, until shrimp are nicely browned on the outside and firm and pink inside, about 2 minutes per side. Brush shrimp with some of the peanut sauce mixture after turning. Spoon remaining peanut sauce onto serving plates, dividing evenly.

Using a fork, slide shrimp off skewers onto each portion of sauce. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and remaining cilantro, serve immediately.

This recipe came from Epicurious.com

Posted under Cooking, Random Thoughts, Seafood

Apparently it would take 331.21 cans of Diet Coke with Splenda to kill me. I assume that means I’d have to ingest that amount.

See what can kill you:

Kill me now

Posted under Uncategorized

I made this last night. It’s one of our all time favorites. It’s one of those dishes that often comes out different each time. I always chalk it up to my inability to follow the recipe perfectly so I tried really hard last night to do it right. I even used measuring cups and spoons!

This time the sauce came out a little thinner than normal. It wasn’t until just now I realized that we didn’t do the step where you take the chicken out and boil the sauce until it’s thick. Der!! What can I say? We were hungry and after smelling that curry smell simmering for half an hour we were a little impatient.

It was still very yummy, however it needs a little salt. But don’t add it until you are eating it in case you don’t think it needs it.

Though I’ve never tried it, I imagine this would work well with tofu as well. I’ll try that next time.

Sri Lanka Chicken Curry

Recipe By: Bon Appetit Dec. 1993

Serving Size: 4

2/3 cup onion – chopped
5 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fresh ginger — peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ cup fresh cilantro
6 boned and skinned chicken thighs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
½ teaspoon turmeric

Blend first 6 ingredients plus ¼ cup cilantro in blender to paste. Rub paste over chicken.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over med-hi heat. Add chicken and brown on both sides, 3 minutes per side.

Add coconut milk, broth and turmeric. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, turning once (about 20 minutes).

Transfer chicken to serving plate. Boil liquid in skillet until reduced to sauce consistency (4 minutes).

Season with salt & pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with cilantro.

Posted under Chicken, Cooking, Random Thoughts