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colpeia · 6 years ago

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Sungrass Oasis

~ Music ~

The crisp ocean breeze felt revitalizing and abrupt in such sunbaked air. Beneath an otherwise lavender sky, peach colors streaked around the sun as it hid behind a glittering turquoise horizon. Salty sea turtles roamed the shore.

On a large wooden deck overlooking the beach, a pair of tawny blood elves squatted over the sides of opposite lounge chairs.

A pensive sigh escaped Colpeia as she gazed up. “Well, at least we’re no longer hated for what we’re not.”

The solemn nature of Roholly’s nod didn’t stop the characteristically peppy bounce of her ponytail. She said nothing.

“What are mother and father going to do?”

“They’re returning to the glass forge,” Roholly said. “It’s still there, thankfully, and undamaged. So they’re going to continue running Beamgully Crystal like before.” She hesitated, an uncomfortable thought tugging her lips. “I’m honestly not sure whether Eversong Woods is going to welcome them back with awkward guilt, or the same scowls that made them leave. You know how they are about their craft, though.”

“Passionate.”

“I mean, it’s just as well. Finding a suitable place in Dalaran never got easier. Not for them at least.”

“Are you’re staying, then?” Colpeia asked.

There was gratitude in Roholly’s smile. She glimpsed at her feet. “Mhmm. I’ve already settled in, so it’s like, why return to Silvermoon? Why return to a place that was so quick to cast us out? People I had worked with for years acted like they’d never known me... It hurt.” The echo of grief leaking into her voice dropped to bitter sarcasm, “Really, I’d love to see how they deal with telling patients they need a root canal. They were far too sour. The people I work with now are a lot nicer.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“What about you though? Enough clientele?”

Colpeia huffed a laugh, “They haven’t stopped. Though, most of them have been architects. Civilians want to rebuild and protect themselves. After Lordaeron and what happened in Teldrassil, I’m not surprised.” She stopped, her humble expression heralding a confession. “Actually, because of the extra money, there is something else I want to do.”

“What’s that?” Roholly blinked, bewildered. “And honestly, why? Why work any harder when you’ve already such a solid income?”

“When this war started I was already tired. I’ve rested. Now I see a lot of other people tired. Tired, injured, and very sad. I want to give them a place to rest.” Unthinkingly, she turned to the hills winding just behind and beyond the beach house. They resembled dried and knotted-up honeycombs. “A place with soft seats and hot tea. Maybe somewhere in Gadgetzan.”

“That sounds ambitious when you don’t have a tribe to help you,” Roholly joked.

Colpeia looked back at her and returned a knowing smile.

She sat on the bed, her room under the blue blanket of midnight. A silvery glow brushed every contour. The window behind her was open, revealing distant waves glittering under a nearly full moon. Their rhythmic whisper was a soothing but everyday nostalgia to her while a cool draft carried its hush inside. Colpeia’s long stare sank into the vanity mirror against the wall. She looked as dazed as she felt.

Her motivation wasn’t purely altruistic, and she knew it. This was a time of war. She was plagued by an addiction only battles could feed - not for bloodlust or power, but an insatiable redemption she didn’t need in the first place. It spiraled her into a desperate black hole of this-still-isn’t-good-enough-to-absolve-me. If she dedicated herself to soothing survivors, it meant she couldn’t go to wanton lengths rescuing people in danger.

The mathematician knew a negative feedback loop when she saw one. Colpeia was Tildalune’s curse, which made her feel guilty, which piled onto her continued self-blame, which was Tildalune’s curse. She projected her acquaintance’s death onto people in danger only to re-experience severe personal failure if they weren’t saved. This trigger was unavoidable in wartime.

It was fortunate her tribe offered so many methods of mind-healing; they were helping. It couldn’t stop there, however. Constant over-exposure didn’t help to desensitize her, but a change in environment might.

How does one stop a negative feedback loop? Replace the causing variable. After Tildalune’s death, she had fantasies of nurturing her back to health and providing comfort. What if Colpeia frequently did something that she would associate with this ‘fake memory’? She could soothe people who survived danger, instead of succeeding or failing as their white knight.

She could learn to stop. She could focus on how she’d grown to care about Tildalune instead of how she’d failed her.

Tildalune’s spirit could be free to move on. She promised.

A vague breath of a silhouette flashed the corner of her eye, and a honeyed voice beamed in her head:

It’s time. Run, my sweet desert gazelle. It’s waiting for you. You know I’ll be right behind you.

For the next week Colpeia was a montage of sending proposal letters, receiving terms, ordering equipment, and huddling over a floor plan.

In an eclipse-like flash, holding a crescent pendant, she vanished. Colpeia reappeared amidst the celestial themed tents and Silithus-esque crystals floating above the ground. Presenting her floor plan to a gradually swelling group, she delved into thorough detail - the aesthetic, the business plan, the modest building she’d be renting, the spirit of the lounge. The appraising eyes mulling over her words eventually exchanged amenable glances.

Several yards from the shore, a herd of camels sped majestically across the gold sand, their hooves kicking up clouds in their wake. Thick ribbons of cloth gracefully fluttered behind their human and elven riders. Gadgetzan drew nearer.

Slowing to a saunter through the dusty port town, the half-dozen Shafise approached the clay dome building Colpeia had described. Knicks of moderate wear greeted them.

The following month was a slew of repairs, painting, tiling, heaving furniture, positioning lights atop secured ladders, and repositioning ornaments. Regularly catered at the entrance were water and food fine enough to convey a grateful gesture.

Sungrass Oasis was ready to open.

Colpeia sat over the bar scanning over a collection of slender menus. They catalogued an overwhelming list of loose-leaf and blooming flower teas. The rest were fanciful snacks: clamlette magnifique, clam chowder, goblin deviled clams, firebloom crab cakes, cactus fruit salad, Shafisian desert dumplings, hot roc wings, fried scorpid, and prickly pear sorbet. She wasn’t initially pleased about needing a supply of meat, until a goblin explained they always had these ingredients leftover after pest control and harbor maintenance. It was good they didn’t go to waste. This would also give the Shafise tribe the opportunity to showcase some of their traditional recipes along with blends.

Though a hole-in-the-wall, it was contemporary chic and polished, a message of modern class that she knew would hook the landlord’s interest. The floor was tiled in sleek black, and the walls painted white, brought to life by voguish artwork. Framed in thick, black frames, the paintings were as soothing as they were stylish. They depicted modern abstract, turquoise beaches, and desert blossoms. A few were pieces that might have been pretentious in another setting, but somehow felt innocently trendy here. Two of them were offset by equidistant sandstone bowls resting in tasteful square impressions on the wall. Sweeping glass sculptures ribboned with solid colors, some glittering in the light, added bold character. Most of them were feet tall and stood on the floor.

On each black chair was a plush, pale yellow cushion. Filled with sand, sea glass, and shells, a candle resting in a glass bowl embellished every table, along with a daisy in a white vase. A handful of firebloom petals were strewn about them.

Outdoor seating overlooking the beach waited behind a thick curtain. It ironically had more space than inside. Fit for a posh vacation photograph, a pergola strung with lanterns hung over the display, with translucent lilac curtains draped to the sides. To keep customers warm in the chilly desert evenings, a gemstone fire pit sat in the middle. The area was lined with potted, flowering cacti and a low wicker-weave fence. In place of daises were

One task remained before it opened: Reach out to old friends.

#stories #new tea lounge!#won't be a huge thing #might host a casual event or two with it idk

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fishing-exposed · 4 years ago

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@OLINEPRIDE: 1st time making Blackened Red Snapper. Taste is a solid 9.1, presentation 3.4 (pretty delicate fish) I thought it would slide out the cast iron skillet, I thought wrong haha. Clam Chowder vet, nailed that. https://t.co/BU3QwRmRsp

#baffinbay #baffin bay #baffin_bay #Baffin Bay #baffin bay rod and gun #BaffinBayRodandGun #Baf

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clamjumper5-blog · 5 years ago

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Thai Beef Basil with Coconut Rice

This Thai Beef Basil with Coconut Rice is an incredibly flavorful, easy-to-make dinner that can be customized for all types of spicy food level preferences. It’s on regular rotation in our weekly meal plans!

(This recipe for Thai Beef Basil was originally posted in Februrary 2011, but was updated with new photos and content in 2018).

One of my favorite things in life is going out for Thai or Indian food with Chris. It’s basically like free entertainment when I watch him order food to his ideal level of spiciness. BTW, his ideal level of spiciness is “AS HOT AS YOU CAN POSSIBLY MAKE IT.” He has all kinds of strategies to get the waiter or waitress to understand how spicy he wants his food including telling them, “make it Thai hot, please” and “I want 10 stars!” and “make it as spicy as you can; I promise I will eat it!” But my favorite is when he says, “make me cry!” For the record, in the almost ten years I’ve been with Chris, there have only been two occasions where he’s found the food he’s ordered ridiculously spicy… Almost to the point of tears. It’s generally not even close to being hot enough, no matter how he orders it.

I love spicy food, too, but definitely not to the level he does. Call me crazy, but I don’t quite see the joy in crying while I’m eating. I cook a lot of spicy food at home and love that it’s easy to vary spicy levels serving to serving, whether it’s by adding some additional peppers into one person’s serving, sprinkling on some crushed red pepper, or drizzling on lots of Sriracha (also of note, Chris recently tried to argue with me that Sriracha isn’t meant to be spicy. Hello??). I discovered a Thai beef and coconut rice recipe from Martha Stewart about 8 years ago and have slowly adapted it to our specific tastes over the years. It’s one of the meals we have in our regular rotation now and one we both get super excited about.

It’s delicious year-round, but especially during the summer considering many of us likely have absolutely out of control basil plants growing on our decks.

THAI BEEF BASIL WITH COCONUT RICE RECIPE

One awesome thing about this Thai beef basil recipe is that it’s so versatile and can cater to many different tastes for spice. It’s easy to get the flavor of peppers without too much heat by simply removing the seeds of the peppers. But you can leave them in if you love heat. You can also use fewer peppers for those who are spicy-averse and you can add additional peppers as garnish for anyone who loves it. And when push comes to shove, you can always add garnishes like lime wedges to cut the heat or crushed red pepper and Sriracha sauce to add more.

I should also mention that the coconut rice is an excellent complement to the Thai beef because it’s nice and mild and helps take away a little bit of the heat in each bite.

WHAT KIND OF PEPPERS SHOULD I USE?

The good news is that you can really use any type of spicy pepper for this dish. I love using Thai chili peppers, but they can sometimes be tough to find, so I often substitute with habanero peppers or long hot chili peppers. If you want a little less heat, but still lots of flavor, use jalapeño peppers. And like I mentioned above, keep in or remove the seeds depending on your preferences.

CAN I SUBSTITUTE QUINOA OR BROWN RICE?

Yes! I actually make this dish all the time with quinoa and occasionally use brown rice, too. But it’s definitely at it’s most indulgent and best with jasmine rice. The jasmine rice is so light and fluffy with an awesome touch of sweetness from the coconut milk. Quinoa and brown rice have more of a nutty flavor and the coconut milk isn’t quite as prevalent in it. But since I like to make a big batch of this and eat it for leftovers throughout the week, I often try to make it a bit healthier with quinoa. You can use whatever type of grain you prefer!

CAN I SUBSTITUTE GROUND CHICKEN, GROUND PORK, OR STEAK?

Yes to all! Obviously you may not be able to call this “beef basil” depending on what meat you use, but you can certainly use any type of ground beef or even steak in this dish. I told you it was versatile!

You’ll want to get your rice started first and then get going on the rest of the recipe. It’s a quick and easy one, which means you’ll have dinner on the table in no time. Though my husband doesn’t do too much to help out in the kitchen, he always offers to chop my chili peppers and garlic for this recipe, which is pretty much the toughest part. If you’re chopping the peppers, I recommend wearing gloves… Especially if you wear contacts. If you’ve never felt the pain of touching your eye after chopping a hot pepper, count yourself very lucky!

After sautéing half the hot peppers and all the garlic, you’ll add the beef, then mix in a soy sauce/fish sauce/sugar solution and then add in chopped tomatoes, basil, and remaining peppers and briefly cook.

Serve the fluffy coconut rice in a bowl with the beef basil served over the top. If you love the spice, sprinkle on additional chopped peppers, a little crushed pepper, and a Sriracha drizzle. And top off with lime wedges. Even if you’re not trying to cut the heat, there’s something so delicious about a little bit of fresh lime juice squeezed on the top of this dish.

Thai beef basil is actually the dish Chris most often orders when we’re at a Thai restaurant, so it makes me extra happy that he loves my version so much. I haven’t actually made him cry… But I’ve gotten his serving to the spicy level that he’s talking about when he says “make me cry.”

I know this isn’t really traditional Thai food and is definitely Americanized (especially if you’re using jalapeño peppers or quinoa!), but it’s an eclectic fusion dinner that is sure to satisfy most Thai food cravings… Which I get all the time!

Honestly, I think my favorite part of this dish is all that fresh basil. I want a piece of basil in every bite! It’s funny because Chris often leaves his basil behind and makes sure to eat every single pepper.

Believe it or not, it’s actually quite rare that I make recipes twice. I just love trying new things too much and unless a recipe is off-the-walls amazing, I probably won’t make it again for quite a while. This Thai beef basil qualifies as off-the-walls amazing. Plus, it’s so quick and simple, that it’s one of those meals I can add to my weekly meal plan and know that I won’t have to spend all night in the kitchen. It’s right up there with tacos as one of our “eat all the time” meals.

I should note that I actually have managed to make Chris cry with spicy food just once in our 10 years together. It was with a ridiculously spicy ghost chili pepper sauce that we used ONE drop of in mac and cheese. He claims his hearing was affected and refused to go near it again. I opted out of trying it. Do you blame me??

How spicy do you like your food?

If you’re looking for other recipes with a kick, check out my Spicy Clam Chowder with Corn or my Spicy Lime Linguine with Clams and Sausage.

5 from 3 votes

Thai Beef Basil

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

35 mins

This Thai Beef Basil with Coconut Rice is an incredibly flavorful, easy-to-make dinner that can be customized for all types of spicy food level preferences.

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Eclectic, Fusion, Thai

Keyword: Beef, Rice, Spicy

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Sues

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups jasmine rice (can also use brown rice or quinoa)

1 can light coconut milk

1 1/4 cups water

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 Tbsp chopped Thai chili peppers (can also use habanero, long hot chili peppers, or jalapeño peppers), seeds removed to tone down heat if desired + additional peppers for topping if extra heat is desired

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb. lean ground sirloin

3 Tbsp fish sauce

3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

1 tsp granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil

2 small tomatoes, chopped

Lime wedges, for garnish

crushed red pepper, for topping

Sriracha, for serving

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine rice, coconut milk, water, and salt. Let mixture come to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover. Let simmer until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is nice and fluffy, about 20 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, heat a cast-iron skillet or wok over high, add the oil, and toss in half the hot peppers and garlic. Cook for about 15 seconds. Turn the heat down to medium-high and add the beef and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, for about 5 minutes, until just cooked through.

In a small bowl, stir together fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir this mixture into the beef and cook for another 30 seconds.

Add basil, tomatoes, and remaining peppers and stir to combine. When basil is starting to wilt, remove pan from heat, about 30 seconds.

Serve coconut rice in bowls and top with beef basil mixture. Garnish with lime wedges, crushed red pepper, and Sriracha sauce, if desired. For extra heat, add additional chopped peppers.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from Martha Stewart

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Source: https://wearenotmartha.com/thai-beef-basil-with-coconut-rice/

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kristablogs · 5 years ago

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Eleven soup recipes perfect for freezing and hoarding

Please don't freeze the entire chicken like this when you store this soup. There's a process. (Jenny Huang/)

Follow all of PopSci’s COVID-19 coverage here, including travel advice, pregnancy concerns, and the latest findings on the virus itself.

As humanity responds to the COVID-19 pandemic by canceling large events, working from home, self-quarantining, and locking down portions of countries where the virus has spread quickly, there’s a chance you might be stuck inside for a while. And you gotta eat. Canned food and other non-perishables are fine and all, but we’ve got two words that will absolutely change the game: Frozen. Soup.

Beyond the fact that soups are like warm hugs for your insides, freezing them allows you to transform quick-spoiling produce into a long-lasting food supply that’s easy to reheat. Just drop those savory blocks of soup-ice in a pot and let ‘em melt. Plus, cooking is an excellent way to pass the time when you can’t leave the house. Heck, get the whole family involved.

So we asked our good friends at Saveur to send us their favorite soup recipes. Now, we’re passing them on to you.

“Green” gumbo (gumbo z’herbes)

Traditionally, there's no meat in this gumbo, but you can use meat stock if you want. (Thomas Payne/)

A traditional dish for Louisiana’s Catholics during Lent, this meatless gumbo recipe serves 10 to 12 people. The ingredients are fairly standard, combining yellow onions, celery, a green bell pepper, and garlic with a sizeable amount of whatever leafy greens you have on hand. It’s one of Saveur food editor Kat Craddock’s favorites, and although it’s usually vegetable-only, she sometimes likes to sneak in a little andouille sausage or a smoked turkey leg.

Spring pea soup with leeks and herbs

This vibrant soup is excellent served warm or chilled, but we haven't tried it as a popsicle. (Thomas Payne/)

This simple soup contains exactly what is advertised: peas, leeks, and herbs. There’s a little more to it than that, of course, but not much. As a bonus, if you’ve been looking for a reason to use that bag of frozen peas that’s gone untouched for ages, you can use it here. Start to finish, it’ll take about two hours to make this recipe, and you’ll need a blender.

Caramelized onion, fennel, and mushroom soup

If you get bored of how this one tastes, just make it with different mushrooms. Problem solved. (Farideh Sadeghin/)

Another straightforward recipe, this one’s for the mushroom lovers. Yeah, you can use a pound of your favorite mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, portobello, whatever), but you can also amp up that earthy flavor with 8 cups of mushroom stock. If you’d rather not, or just don’t have any on hand, you can just use beef stock. Pour a little bit of white wine in there, too, while you’re at it.

Chickpea and pasta soup

This soup is a meal in and of itself. (Farideh Sadeghin/)

Adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe, this soup needs no accompaniments—it’ll fill you up on its own. If you’ve got canned chickpeas in your pantry, simply combine them with celery, a carrot, an onion, and a few ingredients. Then toss in some pasta. You might find it a bit thicker than the soup you’re used to—the pasta absorbs a lot of liquid—but you can add more stock to thin it out as it reheats.

Roasted chicken, corn, and saffron soup

It's hard to go wrong with chicken and noodles. (Matt Taylor-Gross/)

Chicken noodle soup is probably the first soup you remember eating, and you might think it’s hard to improve on something so loved. This recipe makes an old standard a little more fun. It’ll take two hours (you’ve got to roast a whole chicken), but when you’re done you’ll have enough for 8 to 10 people. If you’re not familiar with saffron, it’s a somewhat sweet spice that’s grown extensively in Spain and Iran, but can be purchased from a few growers in the U.S. as well as from international suppliers.

Carrot soup with ginger and leeks

Seasonally, this spicy carrot ginger soup is great in the winter, but who cares about seasons when you're stuck inside? (Katherine Whittaker/)

Get ready to puree some carrots—you’ll need a blender for this one. If you want to add a little heat to the soup, consider adding chopped hot red chiles or crushed red pepper flakes, but that’s totally optional if you like things on the mild side. Once you’ve got a nice, smooth base, add some cooked sausage to complete the dish.

Boeuf Bourguignon (Burgundy-style beef stew)

You might have to spend a little more time with this stew, but it's worth it. (Ingalls Photography/)

Most of the soups on this list so far have been heavily vegetable-based, but this one’s for the meat lovers. You will have to marinate the beef overnight, so make sure you’re prepared for that time commitment. Beyond its namesake ingredient, this stew has bacon, carrots, garlic, onions, and mushrooms. You can serve it with bread, too, but if you don’t have any, don’t worry—just eat it straight out of a bowl.

Chicken soup with rice, carrots, and kale

If you think food automatically tastes better when it's linked to a family member, you might like this soup. (Jenny Huang/)

This soup comes with a little bit of a story—it’s an adaptation of a soup that Saveur’s former editor-in-chief, Stacy Adimando, learned how to make from her grandmother. It’s a little more complicated than tossing a bunch of stuff into a pot, as you’ll need to cook and shred the chicken and make some rice, but this recipe transforms relatively simple ingredients into something Adimando says she simply “cannot live without.”

Eggs poached in tomato sauce (shakshuka)

For those who like to eat breakfast all day, or want to eat eggs for dinner. (Matt Taylor-Gross/)

Diverging a bit from what most you might consider soup, this hearty dish is a solid choice for any meal of the day. It’s a classic breakfast in Israel, and Craddock says it’s her go-to brunch for New Year’s Day because it’s so easy to prepare in advance. You don’t need a big pot for it either, just a 12-inch pan or cast iron skillet. Don’t poach the eggs before you freeze it, though—wait until you reheat the sauce and slide them just before serving.

Yucatecan turkey soup with lime (sopa de lima)

Charring the peppers, onion, and garlic before simmering them in the soup deepens the flavor of this take on the Yucatán's sopa de lima. (Jenny Huang/)

A popular regional specialty in Mérida, the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán, this deeply flavored soup combines turkey with peppers, onion, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, and lime. If you can’t get your hands on a turkey leg, skinless chicken thighs work, too. It goes well with corn chips.

Rhode Island clam chowder

Digging up clams can be hard. Pouring them out of a can is not. (Jenny Huang/)

This recipe calls for fresh clams, but Craddock says canned clams and clam broth are acceptable replacements if you’re stuck inside due to a viral outbreak. It’ll also be a little easier to do so, as cooking with whole clams can be tricky—if you don’t clean them well enough, they’ll leave sand in your food. But when you can’t go outside and want a little taste of New England, any kind of clams in a savory broth made with potatoes, onion, and celery will do the trick.

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scootoaster · 5 years ago

Text

Eleven soup recipes perfect for freezing and hoarding

Please don't freeze the entire chicken like this when you store this soup. There's a process. (Jenny Huang/)

Follow all of PopSci’s COVID-19 coverage here, including travel advice, pregnancy concerns, and the latest findings on the virus itself.

So we asked our good friends at Saveur to send us their favorite soup recipes. Now, we’re passing them on to you.

“Green” gumbo (gumbo z’herbes)

Traditionally, there's no meat in this gumbo, but you can use meat stock if you want. (Thomas Payne/)

Spring pea soup with leeks and herbs

This vibrant soup is excellent served warm or chilled, but we haven't tried it as a popsicle. (Thomas Payne/)

Caramelized onion, fennel, and mushroom soup

If you get bored of how this one tastes, just make it with different mushrooms. Problem solved. (Farideh Sadeghin/)

Chickpea and pasta soup

This soup is a meal in and of itself. (Farideh Sadeghin/)

Roasted chicken, corn, and saffron soup

It's hard to go wrong with chicken and noodles. (Matt Taylor-Gross/)

Carrot soup with ginger and leeks

Seasonally, this spicy carrot ginger soup is great in the winter, but who cares about seasons when you're stuck inside? (Katherine Whittaker/)

Boeuf Bourguignon (Burgundy-style beef stew)

You might have to spend a little more time with this stew, but it's worth it. (Ingalls Photography/)

Chicken soup with rice, carrots, and kale

If you think food automatically tastes better when it's linked to a family member, you might like this soup. (Jenny Huang/)

Eggs poached in tomato sauce (shakshuka)

For those who like to eat breakfast all day, or want to eat eggs for dinner. (Matt Taylor-Gross/)

Yucatecan turkey soup with lime (sopa de lima)

Charring the peppers, onion, and garlic before simmering them in the soup deepens the flavor of this take on the Yucatán's sopa de lima. (Jenny Huang/)

Rhode Island clam chowder

Digging up clams can be hard. Pouring them out of a can is not. (Jenny Huang/)

0 notes

pearcar93-blog · 5 years ago

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Hestan Essential Pan Review & Giveaway

posted by Jaden

This is a Hestan Essential Pan Review, including both PROs and CONs (and a giveaway at the end) – Jaden

We’ve been cooking with the Hestan Essential Pan for the past 3 weeks. It’s appropriately named…as I found myself reaching for this pan over all my other pieces of cookware. The size and shape of the pan makes it suitable for braising pork, making clam chowder, sautéing green beans, cooking carne asada and even a stir-fry for 2.

3.5 -Quart Hestan Essential Pan:

10″ diam., 3 1/2″ high (4 3/4″ high with lid).

5-qt. cap.

4 lb. 9 oz. with lid.

5-Quart Hestan Essential Pan:

11 1/2″ diam., 3 1/2″ high (5″ high with lid).

5-qt. cap.

4 lb. 9 oz. with lid

I have the 3.5 Quart Hestan Essential Pan:

What is Hestan Cookware?

The Hestan NanoBond surface is stainless steel bonded with thousands of titanium and chromium-based alloys. There are no chemicals used in this cooking surface. That means a cooking surface that’s environmentally friendly and incredibly durable….4x harder than stainless steel. The cookware is so innovative, that Hestan owns 14 global patents for the fit and finish.

Cooking with the Hestan Essential Pan

Tonight, we’re making carne asada tacos for me and my son.

I like the long, ergonomic handle. It fits my hand well.

Steak browns evenly. I really like the shape of the Essential Pan, the high sides allow you to stir, flip, toss your food without it spilling.

The Nanobond technology provides a very dense, extremely durable cooking surface. Food doesn’t stick. You can use metal utensils.

Since I also have the Hestan Frying Pan, I’ll show you how amazing this surface is. I’m warming up tortillas with cheese. Even if I sprinkle shredded cheese on the surface….

….it releases cleanly.

Tacos for my son….

And for me….

Cleaning the Hestan Essential Pan

Just a regular scrubby side of the sponge and dish soap.

I did find that after multiple uses of the pan, I needed to use Barkeeper’s Friend (liquid version, not the powder) to keep the surface shiny and new. Hestan also includes their own special cleansing polish, which works amazing.

One of my favorite features of the pan

The inside rivets are flush to make scrubbing the pot easier.

However, the outside of the pan, near the handle is really difficult to clean well, especially when grease and food bits get stuck between the pan and the bottom of the handle.

Does it scratch?

The Hestan cookware that gets the most abuse in my kitchen is the Hestan wok. Because of the nature of wok cooking, lots of movement in the pan, lots of moving the wok on and off the cooking grates, and well…because I’m also kinda hard on my cookware, I thought I’d show you comparison between two woks.

My old kitchen has heavy cast iron grates that tend scratch up all cookware.

This is the bottom of an almost $300 wok that’s 8 months old.

This is the bottom of the Hestan wok that is also 8 months old….but used more often. A few minor scratches, but barely noticeable.

Both pans were cleaned with Barkeeper’s Friend (liquid version, not the powder) right before I took the photos.

Hestan is expensive

Hestan cookware is sold at Williams Sonoma. It’s pricey. The 10-piece set is $1,500 on sale (though the price is comparable to other high-end stainless steel cookware, like All-Clad d5 or copper lines.)

The 3.5 quart Hestan Essential Pan with lid is on sale right now for $299. The larger 5-quart pan is $399. I have the 3.5 quart pan, and I found it the perfect size.

There is a lifetime warranty, and the cookware is made in Italy. I’ll add one more PRO to this cookware – it’s very lightweight. You can use a pan even this large with just one hand.

If I were to just get ONE Hestan cookware piece, it would be the 3.5 quart Hestan Essential Pan. It’s such a versatile size and shape. I’ve been using Hestan cookware line for over a year now. The pans still look brand new.

This was my first piece, a frying pan, 1 year old (and used weekly). It still looks brand new. Note that I always hand-wash my cookware, and also use the Hestan polishing paste about once every few weeks.

You can purchase Hestan cookware at Williams Sonoma or direct from Hestan’s website.

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theboisebeat · 7 years ago

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Kahootz Steak and Alehouse in Meridian is one of those places that grows on you fast. It has everything going for it—good food and a good bar with an excellent choice of local and craft beers. It’s a friendly place too, with excellent waitstaff. Walking in from the parking lot, a friendly man started talking to us, a nice conversation about where we were from and where we grew up, which turned out to be fairly close to him. I almost invited to join us, he was alone and seemed like he’d enjoy the company. When we went in, he headed for the kitchen and I realized he wasn’t just a single guest out for a night of dining and drinking alone. More about that later……

Kahootz has a nice indoor area with a sizable bar featuring a large selection of regular and craft beers on tap. Cocktails and wine are also available. One cocktail of note is the Belgian Mule, essentially as Moscow Mule but made with a nice Peach Lambic along with the ginger beer, yielding a very nice tasting drink. The beer selection is nothing short of amazing, featuring many good craft beers on tap, with some also rotated through. found the Half Hitch IPA from Crux in Bend, Oregon to be my favorite, full-bodied yet not overpowering, citrusy and with a nice kick. This was an excellent beer to go with the meat-centric menu at Kahootz.

Tables and booths inside provide plenty of seating. Meals are also served at the bar, which is especially good on on busy nights. There can be a wait on Friday and Saturday nights especially—-but who wants to go to a half-empty restaurant? Another option in good weather is a nice outdoor covered patio area which is especially good for big groups and families with children.

The appetizers at Kahootz are nice and perfect for sharing. They even have some daily special appetizers to change things up. The Stuffed Mushrooms one night were delicious, a good way to start the meal off. Their soups and salads are also a good start. On Friday nights, their Clam Chowder is a bowl of prize-winning flavor, thick but not too thick, chock full of good-sized clam pieces and with a nice zing to it. Their dinner salad is not just iceberg lettuce, but filled with micro green lettuces, red onions and grape tomatoes. There is a nice choice of dressings, but the one to try is the sweet onion, a burst of flavor that works perfectly on the salad.

Kahootz has a good menu of popular items plus several daily specials. One thing that Kahootz emphasizes is that the majority of their menu items are created in-house, from fresh, not frozen ingredients. Twice a week, fresh fish is flown in from a purveyor in the Pike’s Fish Market in Seattle. On one visit, the grilled mahi mahi was superb.with nice grill marks, the moist fish was served on top of a nice melange of chipotle rice, sauce with onions and peppers and a Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce. Both the flavor and presentation were equal to or better then many of the coastal fish houses that rave about their fish.

Pork chops are another item which are easy to find, but not so easy to find good ones. In several visits I’ve already had Kahootz’ Apple Brandy Pork Chops twice. The flavorful bone-in chop is grilled perfectly, deliciously moist and nice and thick. The apple brandy sauce perfectly complements the pork chop. Accompanying it, the roasted rosemary potatoes and grilled asparagus were a nice choice to complete the dish. If you like pork, this is a must-try dish; and if you’ve never had a good pork chop, this dish will certainly convert you to a pork fan.

Of course, the name of the place is Kahootz Steak and Alehouse, so you should expect some good steaks. All their beef is naturally raised and hand-carved in their kitchen. Choices include Filet Mignon and Top Sirloin. An occasional special of Ribeye Steak gives an additional choice, as does their popular Friday/Saturday special of Prime Rib. A great choice of steak is their New York Strip, available in 7 and 14 ounce sizes. The New York is well marbled, tender and flavorful. It’s an excellent choice for a nice dinner. All their beef is grilled to order and the menu specifies what each level of doneness is like so it can be grilled exactly as you like it.

Items like Sauteed Mushrooms, Grilled Prawns and Gorgonzola and Bacon can also be ordered to accompany the beef, which comes with Rosemary Roasted Red Potatoes or Wild Rice, a baguette and vegetable du jour. For an additional charge, a baked potato can also be ordered.

I had asked the waitress about the gentleman I’d met outside and it turned out to be John Forsberg, co-owner of Kahootz. When he came by the table to say hello again, I asked him a few questions about Kahootz. John explained, “I started this fifteen years ago; it used to be a rental store. I had a girlfriend at the time who was a really good server and we had talked about opening a restaurant. We tried to buy the restaurant that she was working at and the guy didn’t want to sell it, so we decided to do our own thing. With very short on due diligence, like most restaurant owners, we got into the restaurant business”.

I asked about the beef, the star of the show at Kahootz. John told me, “We use all high-quality beef. We started out with Black Angus and it was hard to get what we wanted all the time. You always hear this thing that the flavor’s in the fat, but I never believed that. I always believed it was in the spices, so we went with either choice or prime beef always and worked at getting natural beef instead of something that’s off of a feedlot. We’re not getting any corn or grain-fed beef here. It’s not what we want to produce here, we don’t want to give people antibiotics and all of the other stuff that comes with beef off of a yard”.

There are also a nice variety of pasta, seafood and chicken dishes for those who want something else. Sandwiches are available too, a good choice at lunch along with some ‘lighter’ steak and pasta items and a few nice entree salads. The Pork Chutney Ciabatta and Sirloin Steak Sandwich are only a few of the sandwich items that are available at either lunch or dinner.

The portions at Kahootz are generous and you’ll be tempted to eat it all, but by all means save a little room for dessert. The crown jewel at Kahootz is the Caramel Apple Almond Bread Pudding, which you’ll see going by constantly as it seems every table orders either a whole or half portion. Brought to table on a hot cast-iron skillet, the delicious bread pudding is topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. At the table, the server pours warm caramel sauce over it. When the sauce hits the hot skillet it bubbles, making for a really impressive dessert. Looks aside, though, this is an excellent bread pudding and with the sauce, something you’ll want to completely finish right there.

Kahootz Steak and Alehouse in Meridian is an excellent choice for dinner and well worth a drive from anywhere in the Treasure Valley. With friendly staff and a great bar, it’s a perfect place to go for a nice meal and drinks any day of the week.

Kahootz Steak and Alehouse

1603 N. Main Street

Meridian, ID 83646

(208) 895-9861

KahootzWebsite

Photo gallery follows. all photos by Ed simon for The Boise Beat.

#gallery-0-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Bread pudding bubbling caramel sauce closeup

Ribeye Steak special with grilled onions at Kahootz

Best clam chowder around is at Kahootz!

Grilled Mahi-mahi at Kahootz

Bread pudding on sizzling skillet at Kahootz

Grilled mahi-mahi mahi-mahi with Chipotle Rice

A delicious grilled pork chop

Half Hitch Beer by Crux Fermentation Project Brewery

Dinner Salad with Sweet Onion Dressing

New York Steak and roasted red potatoes

A welcoming sign at the bar

Closeup, Pork Chutney Ciabatta

Take a bite from this pork chop!

Ribeye Steak, onions, potatoes and asparagus Closeup at Kahootz

Pork Chutney CiabattaSAndwich for lunch or dinner

Craft Beer taps at Kahootz

A delicious Ribeye Steak with onions special

Stuffed Mushroom, appetizer special

Bubbling sauce on bread pudding plate

Belgian Mule from the bar

Kahootz Steak and Alehouse in Meridian Has Great Fresh Food; Wonderful Bar Kahootz Steak and Alehouse in Meridian is one of those places that grows on you fast. It has everything going for it---good food and a good bar with an excellent choice of local and craft beers.

#beef #beer #craft beer #Ed Simon #John Forsberg #Kahootz Steak and Alehouse #Meridian #natural beef #steak

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fadingfartconnoisseur · 8 years ago

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Where to Find the Best Food in Portland, Maine

There a couple of cities in the US that make for great weekend getaways. Short flights, good flight times, and small enough that once there that you can easily get a good sense without more than about two days.

Portland, Maine is one of these places.

I flew in late on a Friday, dropped my bags, and headed straight into town for a dinner at Fore Street. The rest of the time was spent wandering around both in and out of the main downtown area, sampling the calm local life the entire way.

Check out Kate’s experiences with the best food in Portland, Maine!

Fore Street

Told it was the Gramercy Tavern of Portland, Fore Street is the kind of place you make sure you stop in on when in town. The evening started off just as any other would; debating a menu and realizing a couple in their 70s was simultaneously getting engaged at the table next to us. Stunned and touched by this out of a movie scene, we did our best to proceed as normal, but will admit this moment likely elevated our entire experience.

From most tables you can see the kitchen crew at work, with the grill playing a leading role. Fish and meats are the centerpiece, with the salads not taking a backseat either.

To end the meal perfectly, as we dug into our apple pie a la mode the man to our right who no doubt kept catching our lingering stares said softly “romance lives,” and wished us a good night.

Lobster Shack

Two dozen red picnic tables and ocean views. Lobster Shack offers a menu of lobster rolls, crinkle fries, whoopie pies and beer. It’s all a destination seafood spot, 20 minutes outside of Portland and along the coastline, should be.

Street & Company

I wandered in here on a whim, and am extremely glad I did. Located on a cobblestone side street in the heart of the city, Street & Company, sister restaurant to Fore Street, well exceeded expectations.

The waiters are so friendly you looked at them twice, the cheese plates are packed with figs, honeys and cheeses, and heaping portions of pastas are served piping hot in the large cast iron pans they are originally cooked in.

Eventide Oyster Co.

I am a lobster roll person, as proclaimed by both myself, and others. Eventide is one of the best- on the entire east coast. Eventide’s interior oozes seaside living, with the food to back it up. There are oysters, bowls of clam chowder, crudos, and a choice of two lobster rolls; the warm brown butter vinaigrette option being the reason I place this at the very top.

Do not miss it.

Beal’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream

Portland has ice cream galore, with every other person on the streets seemingly holding a cup or cone in their hand. When deciding, I went for the always trusty personal connection.

Beal’s had a 1981 sign standing proud which is a good year; it birthed yours truly, and this ice cream shop, too. Wrapped in American flag paper, I took my double chocolate scoop cone to go, and continued on my way.

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Where to Find the Best Food in Portland, Maine is a post from: The Blonde Abroad

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