#mmm garlic bread tasty

[aid00t]

sir what is your opinion on garlic bread

the bodies are stored in the walls :)

[tilbageidanmark]

Focacciart

[ratsoh-writes]

Are there any dishes or recipes unique to grimmtale? Anything that is especially considered a delicacy to the Grimm folks?

Mmm lemme give some plants that are both food and potions ingredients!

Star-root: a deep blue root with glowing white speckles. When peeled, the flesh inside glows like a beacon. It tastes like a watery potato and is used in fire potions as well as fever reducers. And it’s delicious in salads

Deaths breath: a black leafed herb that doesn’t do anything special on its own, but if eaten raw can cause paranoid hallucinations. It’s used in pheromone and calming potions, and if cooked properly is a good substitute for black pepper.

Dustmouth peppers: the third hottest pepper in the world, these grey peppers can only be grown underground. They’re used in aphrodisiac potions and energy potions. They are dried and added as seasonings to souls, curries and rubs to make an especially spicy meal as well

Chicken of the caves: closely related to the mushroom chicken of the woods, this mushroom is very similar in appearance but with more of a grey color. And it still tastes like chicken! It’s used in nutrient potions or just as a tasty part of a meal

Fillers: a tall grain that can only be grown in wetlands, fillers is a tall grass that grows egg sacks in the underwater portion of the grass blade. The egg sacks are drained of fluid and dried and ground into flour, or used as a cheese substitute in meals. It has a mild cheesy flavor. They are also used in nutrient potions and pregnancy potions (to help with morning sickness) as well as hormone control potions.

Silk press: a flat lily pad with a beautiful royal purple color. The young leaves are harvested and juiced. They taste like sugary plums and are a favorite treat in ice creams for young Grimm monsters. They are used in hair potions and are an ingredient in any color changer potions geared towards purple.

Subterranean olive: these olive trees will grow in swamps partly submerged under the water. They’re finicky plants and take hundreds of years to finally bear fruit. The olives are pitch black and are much more bitter than their surface cousins. The oil can be used in cooking but nobody but the rich would dare waste it that way. It is used in strengthening potions

Shaman pear: another fruit tree made for the swamps, the shamans pear will grow a bulbous Pearlike fruit that taste just like.. a dragon fruit! It’s so strange as it’s nearly indistinguishable from normal pears unless you poke it to feel its texture and firmness. These fruits are used in color changing potions from yellow green and white. And they make great snacks on their own!

Lesser pumpkin: these mini magical pumpkins are the size of a man’s palm, and come in oranges, whites, purples and black. When ripe, they create cracks in the faces like carved jack o lanterns. And when they’re close to overripe, they start moaning lol. They’re used in healing potions and nutrition potions as well as voice changing potions. They are cooked and eaten like normal pumpkins as well

Now Grimm monsters are big seafood lovers! The top three dishes from their culture all involve something from the water somehow!

Break and bake: clams and mussels are broken open and soaked in a Dustmouth and jalapeño mixture before being breaded, cut up with a bunch of tuber veggies and peas and baked in a simple pie crust. It’s terribly spicy and delicious. Not for those weak against the burn

Reapers trout. A trout is carefully cleaned and scaled before being laid on a bed of deaths breath, onion and garlic. Traditionally the veggies are cooked before and the fish is eaten with them raw with some lemon, but the modern dish has the fish baked with the veggies.

The pregnant ladies helpmeet: or just helpmeet for short, this dish must be made with filler flour in order to work as for some reason the plant soothes pregnancy symptoms like morning sickness. A ball of filler dough lightly seasoned with spices like cinnamon and allspice is rolled out. In the middle a filling of pumpkin and/or fruit is added. The dough is folded over and cut into cute shapes before being baked in an oven or in tinfoil over coals. When finished top with some cream cheese and powdered sugar. Many pregnant ladies and monsters rely on this dish to be able to eat everything else they love

[transgender-scout]

Dinner time. Do I:

1. Make the frozen Alfredo in the freezer

Pros: easy to make, have lunch for tomorrow.

Cons: not in the mood for Alfredo, Will have it for lunch for the next three days

2. Make spaghetti

Pros: mmm tasty, I also bought cheesy garlic bread to go with it

Cons: I have to actually cook, I have to turn the oven on and set the smoke detector off, scaring my cat

3. Make the frozen gyros I have in the freezer

Pros: will certainly be tasty, maybe leftovers for tomorrow, fancy, I love gyros

Cons: I’ve never had this brand before so idk if I’ll like it, LOTS of cooking, not sure if I have to make all four right now or if I can save them for later

4. Eat the leftover chicken I have in the fridge

Pros: gets rid of leftovers, quick dinner

Cons: nothing for lunch tomorrow

5. Eat snacks instead of a meal

Pros: I don’t have to cook and get to go straight into video games

Cons: literally everything

[meatymidnightmultiverse]

Perhaps a little bit of both going forward would be a fun idea, but in general, she saw it as a way to simply give into cravings she had and also allow Megumi to go nuts with whatever she felt like making. More research would certainly be needed too.

"Mmm, ah'm thinkin' chicken parm with garlic bread. Lotta tasty carbs in that~! An' some cheesecake t' finish fer dessert!"

meatymidnightmultiverse​:

That was true, it would be a normal thing, but this level of weight might go pretty well above that if these books were much indication. On the plus side, she does have an expert chef as a girlfriend, so that really benefits this endeavor.

Of course, getting it all started was an entirely different matter. Sure, they could take a page or two from those stories, but…

“Uhh, ah could give Claire a call fer some pastries, but ah mostly wanna try an’ git huge off yer cookin’ if anythin’, y'know? Maybe an extra big dinner t'night if yer feelin’ up t’ it!”

Megumi wasn’t too sure what to suggest. The cause of her concern came from the idea that Megumi wasn’t sure if the other was more wanting to follow what the story had laid out or if there was reason to focus on more experimental things… No doubt Tina would look into this fetish more once she had the time. Megumi had a feeling that was just what Tina would do.

“O-okay… I think I can manage that… Umm… What would you like for dinner?” The chef asked, nodding along with Tina’s suggestion.

[tilldeathdousart]

This makes me feel things 🤤😍

[norrlands-nonsense]

Something I want to know is…what’s your favorite meal?

That is a hard one because I love food and just want to answer ALL the meals! I don't have one top meal but at this very moment I am having some serious cravings for some super simple spaghetti aglio e olio. Or just any pasta really. Or some garlic bread. MMM carbs. ALL.THE.CARBS.

(And never forget cake. Always cake. Because yes cake is a meal! A tasty tasty meal)

[rubys-kitchen]

Honey Sesame Chicken

Chef’s Note: So sweet and yummy MMM!! Definitely feels worth the time and effort.

Ingredients

1 lb chicken, cubed    {{ the recipe recommends using breaded chicken, but you don’t have to }}

1/3 cup honey

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)

1 tbsp light brown sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

sesame seeds, to top

Instructions

0. Start water for rice, or rice in general, since it takes the longest. You might also want to start [steaming] your veggies. It’s easy to pull them off when done and just keep them warm with the lid on the pot.

1. Cook the chicken in a skillet with about a tbsp of oil over medium heat until browning.

If using breaded chicken, just prepare as package says

2. Make the honey sauce: In a small pan over medium heat, combine all remaining ingredients except sesame seeds. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 4 minutes.

Taste and make flavour adjustments as needed before continuing.

3. Pour into the skillet with chicken and continue cooking sauce. Spoon sauce over chicken while cooking. You want to see it bubbling and cook it down a lot. You want to keep it in this state as long as possible (moving it around so nothing can burn) to cook off liquid. Do this for like 4 minutes. Your sauce will not be thick, but it’s still tasty.

Tip: serve the sauce over the rice.

4. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with your favorite steamed vegetable and grain.

[dudelling]

garlic bread

pros: m mmm.......tasty garlic bread :P

cons: can not kiss vampires :(

[quicksilversquared]

There’s No Camembert in Tibet Outtakes: Chapter 4

I apologize for n o t h i n g.

Plagg’s Songbook

How Cheese is Made

Milk! Culture! Rennet!

The magic potion, oh, let it sit!

Cut it into curds- not too early! Little blocks of baby cheese!

Spin those curds and whey! Drain it off, hey hey hey!

Press those curds down tight, no more whey!

And then the cheese curds are salted- so squeaky!

Oh, fresh cheese curds- yum yum yum! I could eat them all day!

All kinds of curds! Plain, seasoned, deep-fried, poutine!

Garlic! Dill! Spice 'em up! Bread 'em, serve 'em, squeak between my teeth!

All the other curds- oh, where do they go?

They get cheddared and pressed and then the cheese is aged!

Oh, age that cheese, age it fine, let it develop a beautiful rind-

A natural rind! Oh, they dry out and the cheese forms a skin.

Rub it with oil and brine and let it age! And then, come time-

Cut off the rind and I'll get Cheddar and Stilton and Tommes

And oh, it'll feed my tum!

White and soft and fuzzy, you've got a bloomer!

Spray your cheese with mold, get it started,

Let it sit, and let the magic happen! It grows and grows and oh-

Brie! Camembert! Saint Andre! Heaven on my tongue!

If you wash and get moldy, that's a washed rind, ooh!

Stinky cheeses, so much fun! No hard rind here, no siree!

No mold, just bacteria! The smell of stinky feet fills the air, yum!

Let me sink my fangs into that Limberger, that Livarot, that Pont l'Eveque!

The Taleggio, the Epoisses, the Reblochon!

And then for Mozzarella, oh, no rind here!

Work it, knead it, make it stringy!

Twist and pull and push those curds

Form a ball

Then open your mouth and eat it all!

Adrien's notes: Why. Why.

Also, there's no set tune. Plagg sang this as a rock song once and a country song the next time. There's no rhyme or reason to it.

  The History of Cheese

It was 8000 BC

Stomachs were used to carry milk

Heat and rennet mixed together

And now you add a little salt

Salt was used for preservation

Keep those curds nice in summer sun

Make those cheese curds daily

The squeak is so much fun!

From Arabia! To Asia! Then Rome!

That glorious process did roam.

To England, and then beyond

The curd, the whey, the strong

Flavor beyond compare!

Oh, the smell that fills the air!

Milk in an animal's stomach

Turns to cheese all thanks to rennet!

Monks improved the taste

Through their tried and true ways

Gorgonzola in Italy, Roquefort in France

Many things made from curd and whey!

Hard cheese for the Romans

Now it becomes an art

Middle Ages was gold for testing

More varieties there art!

Less salt begets more cream

More cream is better for taste!

When it's colder cheeses can ripen

A glorious advance!

In those Middle Ages

First did appear

Camembert, cheddar, Gouda

The staples of anyone's year!

Cheeses continued to improve

Many, many rounds were made!

Many rounds were eaten

I had several per day-

Adrien's notes: Song has been cut off due to length and also the sanity of the scribe.

It was over an hour long and entirely set to the tune of the Mexican Hat Dance. Save me.

  Don't Stop Cheesin'

Adrien's notes: Sung to the tune of Don't Stop Believing

(Verse 1)

Just a cheesy treat!

Sitting there for me to eat!

Fresh mozzarella can be eaten anywhere!

Just a cheese bowl!

Get it for a small toll!

I would eat it anywhere!

(Verse 2)

Some cheddar in an aging room!

The smell of brine mmm-mm.

I could eat it all night

Because it's yum and yum and yum and yum!

(Chorus)

Camembert! Brie!

Up and down the cheese store shelves!

Parmesan! Gruyere! Eat it all night!

Come on, people! Live just to enjoy cheese!

Come on, it's just so good!

(Verse 3)

Working hard to get my Swiss

A dairy treat I'll never miss!

Paying anything to get a bite

Just one more time

Some will scoff, some say no

Some were born to pay their dues

To the best thing on the earth

Yes, it's cheese and cheese and cheese and cheese!

(Chorus)

Camembert! Brie!

Up and down the cheese store shelves!

Parmesan! Gruyere! Eat it all night!

Come on, people! Live just to enjoy cheese!

Come on, it's just so good!

(Outro) (x3)

Don't stop cheesing

Feed me some Camembert!

Cheese curds, feta!

  Gouda after midnight

Adrien's notes: sung to the tune of "Living after Midnight" by Judas Priest

(Chorus)

Gouda after midnight

Cheddar to the dawn

Colby to the mornin'

Then I'm gone, I'm gone.

(Verse 1)

I ate some cheese 'round one P.M.

Feta, Brie!

But now I'm all hungry again

Cheddar, Gouda!

I power up with my favorite type

And bathe in its radiant light

(Repeat chorus)

(Verse 2)

Got glorious edam, moldy blue

Camembert, Provolone!

Ready to buy them up on sale

Havarti, Monterey!

My stomach's growling, I'm ready to feast

My teeth are bared now, ready to eat

(Repeat Chorus)

(Verse 3)

Gorgonzola

I wanna eat ya!

My stomach's ready

A whole round!

The cheese board's ready, smellin' lovely

Ricotta, Swiss!

I'm getting hungrier by the minute

Roquefort, Vacherin!

I see the cheese and then home in

The crumbs are flying as I dig in

(Repeat chorus 3x)

  The Sound of Cheese

Adrien's notes: Do-Re-Mi from the Sound of Music.

Let's get some cheese from the kitchen

A very good place in the house

You had better have the basics in very good cheese

Let me have some cheese like Cheddar and Brie

I love cheese, I love cheese

My favorite food in the world just happens to be

Tasty cheese, tasty cheese

Tasty cheese in my tummy

Cheese! Some cheese! Some tasty cheese!

Someone, get me some Provolone!

Brie, a cheese to fill myself

Farmer's- a creamy, creamy one!

Swiss, a hard cheese on my tongue

Le Roule, all rolled in yummy stuff!

Taleggio, I'll have it on some bread

I want it all at home (oh-oh-oh)

(repeat. Over and over and over.)

  Somewhere over the Cheese Hill

Adrien's notes: Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Surprise.

Somewhere over the cheese hill

Cheddar on apple pie

Parmesan that I dream of

My cheesy lullaby

Somewhere over the cheese hill

Brie on rye

I dream of swimming in fondue

Someday it will come true

The smell of cheese will fill the car

White Stilton presented on a platter before me

When cheese is dribbled over mushroom tops

Lush and creamy, cheesy drops

That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the cheese hill

Brie on rye

And I dream of swimming in fondue

Oh why, oh why can't I?

Well, I see cheese in my dreams and mushrooms too

Cheese rinds bloom in green and blue

And I think to myself

What a wonderful Stilton

Well, I see Roquefort and I see Fontina

And Tomme de Savoie

I love Camembert

And I think to myself

What a wonderful taste

The colors of Shropshire Blue so pretty in my paws

And even more pretty in my mouth

I'd share with the people passing by

But they wouldn't appreciate it

Not like I do

No one loves cheese like I, like I do

I like gooey cheeses and I love their smell

How they taste so good I'll never know

And I think to myself

What a wonderful taste

The smell of cheese will fill the car

White Stilton presented on a platter before me

When cheese is dribbled over mushroom tops

Lush and creamy, cheesy drops

That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the cheese hill

Brie on rye

And I dream of swimming in fondue

Oh why, oh why can't I?

Ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh

[vittlemonster]

Seafood cioppino with fresh crab, black mussels, white fish, etc. San Francisco CA📍 @crabhouse39 📱 ••• Mmm, this cioppino was delicious and there was plenty of crab and seafood in it! 🦀 🐟 • • • #crabhouse39 #cioppino #crab #seafood #mussels #fish #dinner #stew #soup Black mussels with cheesy garlic bread. Palm Springs CA📍 @lulupalmsprings 📱 ••• These mussels weren’t the most refined bowl, but they were actually pretty tasty and the mussels were nice and plump. 😋 • • • #mussels #seafood #shellfish #dinner #palmsprings #psiloveyou #vacay #food #foodie #foodporn #foodgasm #foodstagram #vittlemonster #feedme #nofilter #instafood #eater #nomnom #yummy #tasty #eatersf #sfeats (at Crab House at Pier 39) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvg-DZQAK5_/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=tiv51s3o96nk

[donaldscene98-blog]

Dinner For the Newly Engaged

For those that have been through a wedding, not as a guest, but as a bride or groom, you probably remember how difficult it was to devote more than a handshake/hug and 30-second chit chat. You have anywhere from fifty to five hundred fifty people to say hello to and the clock is ticking. At our reception, we seriously had no longer than 15-20 seconds to greet our friends and family. And we felt horrible. We loved everything about our wedding. From having the private ceremony in Las Vegas to the chill, taco-catered reception in a quaint art gallery in Filipino Town. We wanted to be with our loved ones more than anything and it was simply impossible to hangout with our guests without disrespecting someone else. It's the one thing we regret the most but we decided that could at least make an attempt to hang out with our friends before their lives changed for the better as a married couple. We would simply invite them over for dinner and drill them with our wedding questions like they were in a smoky dungeon equipped with a swinging lamp.

In the last few months, three of our friends got engaged and standing on the other side of the fence, we couldn't help but be stoked for them. They are glowing like glow sticks at a warehouse rave. Since cooking for eight people can get a little crazy, we decided to split up the nights. And I apologize to MK & LY and YS & NS for not remembering to take photos. I was hustling and bustling as fast as I could. But I can assure you, you got the wilder, more inebriated D who wasn't afraid of taking bizarre photos. I've known MK and YS since college and it was comforting knowing they had found the one to move on with.

For them, I decided to go with a family style meal. Recently, Jeni and I have been eating weekly at Forage. Such a simple yet smart concept and Lucque's alumnus Jason Kim's cooking is homey and comforting. We also just got back from Fez, Morocco and were stocked up with some of the most amazing spices the world has to offer – for like nothing. I was dying to use these spices. If you haven't been to the Spice Station in Silver Lake or Santa Monica, it's a cook's paradise and you'll find yourself tossing out those spices that were there before you were even born. Here's what we had.

Moroccan Beef Stew with Daikon & Carrots I got this one spice mix that contained cumin, cinnamon, coriander and all spice. It is amazing and used pre-dominantly in tagine dishes. I learned that cumin is used in Morocco both for flavor enhancement and digestion, so we bought a lot. I slow boiled some chuck roast for 5-6 hours in chicken broth, tons of the Moroccan style spices, a few shots of Maggi sauce (hehe) and a little bit of red wine for color. I used daikon versus potatoes because I like the sweetness daikon gives to a stew/soup. It's the same vegetable used to create that beautiful sweetness in Vietnamese/Chiu Chow noodle broths ("hu tieu"). You have to take out the veggies after 1.5 hours because you don't want them to turn into unrecognizable pulp. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve over rice or cous cous. Everyone liked this but I was pretty annoyed by the beef, as it could've been more tender. I'd use short ribs next time.

Skillet-Killed Smoked Paprika & Rosemary Shrimp This is a guaranteed shrimp recipe that will make you even eat the shells of the shrimp if you were that hungry. In a mixing bowl, I throw in peeled, headless shrimp (or keep the shell on, but cut the shell over the vein so the marinade can seap through), 2-3 cloves of garlic chopped, generous amount of smoked paprika and the sprigs of 2-3 rosemary leaves. Add olive oil and sea salt and mix it up. Refrigerate for no more than 5-6 hours. I call them "skillet-killed" because I crank the heat on my stove, which happens to have much higher BTU's than the average stove. I keep my cast-iron skillet on until it starts smoking, and then keep it going for at least 5 minutes. By now, your dead shrimp are shivering in fear for the unthinkable... a quick sear. The secret is to keep them cooking on one side and to start looking at flesh of the shrimp. If it's translucent it's not done, If it's white on the outside but the center is slightly grey, take it out. Once you take it out, it's still cooking. Like grilled/cooked meat, you have to let the shrimp's "juice" redistribute. Meaning, don't eat it right away you pig. If all is done right, you should have shrimp that has an unbelievable "crunch" to it. Eat the tail too, mmm.

Curried Cauliflower This is about the simplest side dish you can make. It's tasty and healthy. Break up a cauliflower into manageable florets. Too small they become crumbs, too big they won't cook through in the middle. In a foiled, baking sheet, add a lot of olive oil over the cauliflower and a generous amount of curry powder – depending on how curried you want it. Add sea salt, mix and throw in 400 degree oven for about 20 mins. Check for your desired doneness. Mix in some chopped parsley or even dried cranberries and toasted almond slivers.

Pedro Ximenez's Lentils I don't know who Pedro Ximenez is but I do know that he makes a killer sweet sherry vinegar that will set you back a whopping $25. But don't shrivel in cheapness just yet, this stuff is magnificent on salads, fish and probably knife wounds. If you had to invest in two things that would take your cooking to another level, it would be that $35 can of extra virgin olive oil and $25 P.X. sherry vinegar. Again, we ate some great lentils in Morocco and we're all about it right now. I boiled some green lentils and added some pickled red onions and parsley. From here it's about finding the right balance of sea salt and Pedro Ximenez. This was really good. I vote for Pedro.

Saffron, Dried Cranberry & Garbanzo Mint Cous Cous I love cous cous because (A) a stoned college kid could make this and (B) it's light and healthy. Cous cous are basically larger granules of semolina flour and can be cooked in less than 6 minutes. From there, it's up to you to get creative. I added some really nice $35 olive oil, mint, saffron, dried cranberry and garbanzo beans.

Turkish Oregano Quick Pickles I bought some Turkish oregano at the Spice Station and decided to make some quick pickles, aka "quickles". I think Josef Centeno of Lazy Ox Canteen does a great job of pickling, as do the Animal guys. You have to have vinegar to cut through your food and cucumbers, radishes and onions are the best pickling vessels. In a bowl of water, I added some white wine vinegar, sugar, a tiny bit of salt, crushed chili arbol and a few tablespoons of the Turkish oregano. I threw them in the fridge for a good 2 hours and they came out really well. This cut through the richness of the Moroccan stewed beef and lentils.

After we ate, the real damage started to happen as we whipped out more wine and desserts from Porto's. And then the absinthe came out. Then the whiskey. Then the rum. Then the impromptu backyard "dance" party and photo shoot. Please do not post those on Facebook, thank you. Good times.

************************************************************

For the second night, our friends TP and EY came over. After seven years of dating, they decided it was time. For their wedding coming up, they've been doing the Insanity Workout. Just how insane-in-the-membrane is it? TP told me that he burns about 870 calories in 30 minutes. Hey, did you know that's equivalent to one bread stick at Olive Garden?

So for this dinner, we decided to go light and stick with seafood. We couldn't do two nights in Morocco and went with an Asian theme. With great wine from Jill Bernheimer's Domaine LA, we began the dinner party journey.

Salmon Sashimi & Quail Egg Yam Noodles Salmon sashimi is about 40 calories per piece and high in Omega 3 fatty acids. But the best part of this dish is the usage of yam noodles made from the konjac plant known as shirataki. They are ZERO calories. Don't me ask how that is possible. They are somewhat bland but with a little bit of soy sauce, Japanese soup stock or ponzu, and you're good to go. I served the shirataki with salmon slices, raw quail egg, pickled cucumbers and a few pinches of powdered Sichuan red peppercorn. For the sauce, I simply bought a bottle of udon/soba soup stock and fixed it up with some water and mirin. If you're really into textures, I'd suggest adding salmon fish eggs (ikura), sea urchin (uni) and Japanese mountain yams (yamaimo). This is one of my favorite quick-fix dishes to eat.

Seared Scallop with Yuzu Edamame Puree and TINY Piece of Nueske Bacon

Scallops are about 200 calories per piece and simply one of the best types of seafood out there. It tastes good pan-seared, "cooked" Ceviche style or simply eaten raw. I can't live without scallops. Versus doing a potato or parsnip puree, I decided to use edamame beans which are super tasty. In a blender, I combined one pack of already-shelled edamame, a few dashes of soy sauce, salt and a tiny pinch of sugar. I added a little bit of water to help the blender out. This will take a few minutes to finish as you have to gradually add water to create the puree. If you are impatient and add too much water right away, you can turn this into a watery soup. Taste as you go along and make sure it has a velvety consistency. I like to heat the puree in a small frying pan over low heat to keep it hot. You have to make sure not to burn the puree so you may need a little water to replace whatever evaporates from the heat. Optional: a tiny slice of butter can be used to give the edamame puree a slight sheen. Before placing the seared scallop over the puree, add a few dashes of Yuzu juice. This adds a nice citrus taste that wakes up the scallop and puree. Yes I know, you see a piece of bacon there. Well I didn't say the WHOLE meal was healthy.

Pan-Roasted Black Cod with Bun Shimeji & King Mushroom Dashi

I've made this dish many times for J and my family, it's just a simple comforting dish and its very light. For my picky Chinese parents to ask for seconds, speaks volumes. For details on this dish, click on the previous link. The only thing different about this dish was not having Nathan McCall's usual black cod. So I ended up finding some pretty fresh whole black cod at the new Woori market in Little Tokyo (formerly Yao-han/Mitsuwa). They scaled and quickly filleted the black cod for me. At home, I got to play with my sashimi knife and clean up the fish more as there were still bones and blood lines. FUN FUN FUN. TP & EY ended up with a second round of this and ended up taking whatever I had left home.

Like Friday night, we kept going after the wine. Desserts. Whiskey. Rum. 90s music. It was a great night. To MK & LY, YS & NS and TP & EY, I'm glad we all got to spend 4-5 hours eating and drinking – you guys are great friends. And we look forward to seeing you for 30 seconds on your wedding day! Thanks for reading.

Source: http://eatdrinknbmerry.blogspot.com/2011/01/dinner-for-newly-engaged-black-cod-with.html

[100-percent-trans-fats]

Pizza Adventure 1- Chicago

I went to Chicago this weekend and I had a very specific request of my friends- Deep Dish pizza.

Pizza is one of my favorite foods, like no joke it's the reason I started cooking a couple years ago- sauce, and crust entirely homemade (it turned out WAAAAYYY too salty). Anyway, I've always had this obsession with pizza, specifically thick crust and heavily cheesed. Chicago is my town.

We had a great time in Chicago. But the high point was lunch today, right before we left for home I suggested- well demanded, really- we go to Gino's East. It was only a couple blocks away from us at our hotel.

We walked over to Gino's and came in. It wasn't super busy, we were lucky because it had opened only a few minutes ago. We were seated and our waiter came and asked us for our drinks- water, we were broke at this point... We had a moment to discuss our pizza order and chose a large deep dish- 8 slices, half cheese/half meat lovers. We were warned that the pies would take 45-60 minutes and also ordered a stick platter (4 mozzarella, 4 mozzarella-spinach, and 4 garlic bread sticks and a cup of ranch and two cups of marinara.) They came out fast, like really fast. And it was delicious! The mozza sticks were a little bland, but the marinara sauce was, oof, tasty. My best bet was that the marinara was made of a base of carrots, peppers, and onions and then cooked in tomatoes and pureed. A good mix.

So now the pizza. We got it, I'm not sure how long it took, but it was worth almost any wait! Our waiter set the pie down and scooped out a slice for each of the vacation party. I got a slice of meat. The whole thing was so good! The meat was really crispy, and well seasoned, and the the cheese was melty and had some incredible pull, and the sauce-mmm. I got lost in it.

So my favorite part of the pizza was the crust. I don't know how to describe it- it was a freaking contradiction! It was light, yet dense. It was flaky and airy. It was like a bready cracker! Overall, I loved the pizza! It was one of my favorites!

[manicmustard-blog-blog]

Keto = Bacon.  Bacon = :)

Once again yes I'm a lazy bastard and haven't written anything in a while, mainly because my life consists of work, working out and playing video games.  I live an exciting existence.  Much like a unicorn that bathes itself in hemp oil and then considers setting fire to itself just to feel the itchy goodness of the warming flames as they gently caress its pink genitals and set fire to the universe.  But of course that would be way too exciting so no.

Instead I tend to wait till something interests me sufficiently enough to write about it and to be honest, I've had enough of political bullshit recently so I really can't be arsed to discuss that.  Except of course to say that we're all going to hell, the Earth is fucking doomed and we might as well eat fucking cake.  Because on the one hand we have lefty lunatics that want to change history to make themselves feel comfortable in their safe space while simultaneously forcing several genders on every man woman and child ("No Lucy, you're not a girl, you're actually a fucking manbeast from the planet Zod, now go play with your imaginary penis") and on the other hand we have people who want to see gays and young people shot into the sun.  It seems few people have balance and more and more people go far on one side or the other and then defend "their side" like a fucking religion.  I'm more centre-right wing and can see obvious plus points from both (yes, I'm switzerland, sue me) but seriously, life is too short so fuck all of that.  Like I said, we're all doomed and quite frankly it's about time.  Now where's my fucking cake?

But seriously.  Today I'm going to do another article about the whole fitness/weight-loss bullshit (and....that's 90% of your readership closing the tab) because yes, it's what I do, yes I'm slightly obsessed and yes it seems to work.  So on with business.

Now, I've recently reached another plateau.  To be exact, I did about a month or so ago.  Nothing new, when you lose a LOT of weight, it won't happen just once.  It'll happen several times.  Now there's scientific reasons for this, ranging from metabolic adaptation, to hormone-changes and all kinds of other shite, but let's just call it the magical Fairy that frags diets in the arse and leave it at that.  So yeah, once again I was working out, dieting and the scales were sitting kinda still.  How fucking boring right?

So yet again.  I decided to change things up.  Now previously I've upped my workouts, dropped bad habits, added intermittant fasting and a few extra supplements and they've got me through a tough patch.  But this time I decided to try something that I've read about a LONGggggg time ago, which quite frankly sounded so good I've left it as my "magic bullet" for when I really hit a hard patch.  And recently, I hit that hard patch.  With my bum.  No.  Only joking.  Metaphor motherfucker.  Harf harf.

So what did I do?  I went Keto.  And by that I mean I tried something called the Keto diet.  Now, it sounds complicated and if you google it you'll get weighed down with a million fucking technical bits and bobs that explains in a very boring fashion how it works - but basically, in laymens terms it's a slightly ripped off version of the Atkins diet from the 80s/90s, which in turn was a ripoff of a diet done in the 50s/60s to cure epilipsy.  So anyway, does the cunting thing work?  Glad you asked!

In short, you eat less than 20g of carbs a day.  This starves your body of carbs, your body then does magic and adapts to consume fat and protein more effectively and instead of running mainly on glucose, your body then runs on ketones!  Like I said magic.  So, the obvious advantage to this is that you get to eat cheese, bacon, butter, sausages, steak, pork, mince etc etc.  As long as it's got a decent protein/fat content and virtually no carbs, you're good!  Of course, you have to keep in a calorie deficit to lose weight because as with any diet, it always comes down to calories in vs calories out.  Simple.

So the advantages?  Well, from my own personal experience, I feel less like I'm on a diet.  Don't get me wrong, I still have spells during the day when I'm hungry (especially when I do a mini fast till midday/afternoon) but the hunger is much less intense.  Also, the food being based on fat and protein takes longer to break down and generally leaves you satisfied for longer.  Oh and results!  First week I lost 11lbs, (no doubt mostly water weight) and this week I've lost 3lbs.  So in that area I'm quite happy.

Only downsides obviously are no bread, no milk, no rice, pasta and obviously no sweets/chocolates/shite whatsoever.  But on the flipside keto isn't necessarily a diet to live on forever, but it does seem to be an effective way of burning through your belly fat by making your body consume fat as a primary resource.  No doubt, I'll go back to a balanced diet at somepoint when I'm bored of it.  But honestly, having bacon, eggs and garlic mushrooms cooked in butter as my first meal of the day makes a hell of a change from the usual oats and soup that I have for breakfast/lunch.

So would I recommend keto?  Absolutely.  You'll piss like a racehorse from all the water you're drinking, your fridge will be full of chunks of animal-flesh (mmm, tasty!) and you'll buy butter by the ton.  But.  If you do it right, you'll lose weight and feel pretty decent.  Unless of course you eat the butter by the stick like somekind of fucked up dairy lollipop.  In which case, you're doing it wrong and I don't envy your toilet.

[the-l0st-reploid]

“Heyyyyyy. Pass it over here!”

Damian’s earfins perked up, and he turned his head to see Lance waving to him from the beanbag chair he was currently half-buried in. The Navigation unit weaved between the other ten or so beanbags and lowered the tray he’d been carrying, Lance and Fintan grabbing the bottles of ‘hellbrew’ off it. “...And...where again did you say you found all of these?”

“They were on sale. Maddie ‘n’ Benny insisted on it.” Fintan replied, taking a swig from his bottle as something exploded on screen. “RUN PRESIDENT SCHWARZENEGGER! RUN!”

Lance started cracking up as Damian seated himself behind them, watching the screen without focusing. It was a bizarre habit he’d only recently started having, but Ben had been right to suggest it when his brother complained about the movies the LSNs would watch from time to time.

“Mmm, trashy movies and hellbrew, nothing better huh?” Lance sighed as he leaned back, a weirdly human sense of delight sparking in him at the cushy crunching of the beanbag’s filling.

Damian hummed in reply, imitating Lance’s posture as he let the abnormal air of his normal life wash over him.

“Hmm...Now, the filling needs to be piped in-”

Ben was explaining to Helen, the two at the counter with the makings of dinner strewn across it. “-And smothered in sauce!” She said with glee, tapping the marinara covered spoon against the inside of the pot the red sauce was in.

“I hope you’ll be a little more neat making dinner than our son was with his snack, Dearest.” Joseph teased as he mopped off Kelvin’s mash-covered cheeks, rolling his eyes in a humored way as Kelvin tried to ‘buzzbuzz’ the napkin away.

His spouse grinned at him. “Kelbee loves making artwork for his Daddy, especially with food.”

“I appreciate his drawings on paper, not my shirt.” Joseph chuckled, kissing Kelvin’s cheek as their son laughed and snuggled into his father’s arms.

Helen was eagerly waiting for Ben to fill the pasta tubes awaiting in the dish, cannelloni that would be filled with a cheese and spinach mix and coated in sauce, more filled pasta, and finally cheese to be baked in the oven. “Garlic bread! Don’t forget the garlic bread Mama!” She helpfully reminded.

“Ah! Yes, of course~! Can’t have a pasta night without the best part.” Ben giggled at their daughter’s excitement.

Maddie poked her head in, holding several leashes. “I’ll be back in a bit. I think the Pokemon want to go outside for a bit.” Her beautiful Furfrou strode in to brace against her leg and whine at her for attention.

“Be careful, alright? It’s really hot still.” Ben forewarned. “Almost couldn’t garden today, it was so hot.”

Helen nodded in agreement. Only her precious Dawn and Fintan’s Talos hadn’t been affected by the heat, but the rest of the Pokemon including dear little Aiden were sluggish and bothered. The Audino could walk, certainly, but he preferred to let Damian carry him about when they were together. At the moment, the Pokemon sans Fifi were splashing in one of the kiddie pools meant for Kelvin and Helen, Talos the Beldum hovering out of reach of the water as Tesla the Shinx cooled off by sitting on a bag of ice cubes, seeing as he’d electrocute the water if he got in.

“I will be, don’t worry~!” Maddie chirped happily, her sundress swishing as she turned about. “I hope Aiden won’t starting crying again, though. He fusses so much when he’s too far from Damy.”

Ben sighed. “Did you forget how clingy Fifi was when you’ leave the room without? She’d howl until you came back and picked her up.”

“But she’s my baby.” Maddie scooped her puppy Pokemon up, Fifi licking her face happily and wagging her bow-covered tail as Maddie smothered her dark furred face with kisses.

Helen giggled as Ben turned back to dinner, grabbing the bowl that had the filling ready in a piping bag. “And dessert shall be that tasty gelato we made, and yes Saver you have to try it, I made a coffee section just for yo-ARRRRGH!” The bowl clanged on the floor as Ben clutched his head, static flying off his antenna.

“Dearest!” Joseph set Kelvin down in his seat, Helen as alarmed as her father and aunt as she hacked into Ben and found an outside source attempting to get in. She immediately tried to boot it out and cover the corner of the Network her mother had claim of - but found as soon as she turned to the second task, the signal was back!

Helen’s expression in the physical world was unnatural for a child’s face, teeth gritted like a dog ready to snarl. NO ONE hurt her Mama and got away with it. She hopped off the stool she’d been standing on and ran to her parents, Ben’s body limp in Joseph’s arms, and she withdrew a cord from her earcone and connected it to Ben’s, giving her a more direct and much stronger chance at defending him.

“What the he-” Lance’s cuss was cut short as he and Fintan dragged in an unconscious Damian. “They’re both under attack?!”

Maddie set Fifi down and helped to get Damian’s body into a chair, the Furfrou dancing about and whining loudly. “Helen, what’s wrong?!” Joseph asked as he watched his daughter flinch.

“They keep trying to get back in! I throw them out but they keep coming back!”

Ben and Damian were both twitching now, their headfins alight with static. “Oh, Benny, Damy!” Maddie had her hands over her mouth in horror. Helen normally was their best defense against anything trying to get at the Network.

“Sweetheart, pull away.”

Helen’s face contorted with horror as her optics moved to stare at her father’s grim expression. “But-! Mama-!”

“It won’t do either of them any good if you get hurt.” Joseph’s look softened as her own stare trembled. “And it would sadden your mother if you were hurt protecting him.”

Their daughter gazed at him for a moment before reluctantly withdrawing from Ben’s corner as well as Damian’s, noting that the signal latched on and began to stream data. Oh, if only she could just, just SLAP it away! Smack that awful signal away from her mother and uncle!

)-...Testing...Testing...Huh. This is a wider broadcast, why are- WHY THE HELL ARE THERE SO MANY UNITS?!-(

Joseph’s jaw dropped as a feminine voice suddenly broadcasted into the Network, Benedict and Damian coming back online simultaneously with convulsions. /-/Ma’am, whomever you are, language! There are little ones about!/-/

/-/Joey did you really just scold somebody who hacked into your wife about bad words./-/ Fintan’s physical face gave his brother a deadpan stare.

)-At least he’s got his priorities stra- THE HELL?! MY BENEMI’S MARRIED?!-(

Ben jumped. -/-Uhm...Yes?-/-

)-MY BABIES RAN OFF AND GOT MARRIED WITHOUT ME OH I DIDN’T GET TO GIVE MY CREATIONS AWAY PROPERLY-(

Damian’s jaw had dropped a bit. -/-...I’m...not married?-/-

)-I’LL MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A PROPER ONE SWEETIE-(

Joseph sighed. /-/Ma’am, you don’t need to type in all capitals we are reading you clearly./-/

)-Oh no, it’s speech-to-text.-(

On the Network, the data reformed into a visual of a screen, a woman’s face depicted on it.

“...M-MAMA?!” Helen gaped, looking from Ben and Damian’s shocked faces to the woman calmly shoving a huge lock of fluffy blue hair from her face, the rest cascading down from the back of her head from a ponytail.

The woman smirked, her doe brown eyes crinkling with glee. “And you even gave me grandchildren. Oh B-3, you were always my favorite~!”

“HOLD UP WHAT?!” Fintan yelled, flailing his arm.

The woman blinked, then threw back her head and laughed jovially. “Oh, where are my thoughts? Anodi Lemestra, nice to meet you all~!”

“And you are...Ben and Damian's creator?” Joseph asked cautiously; while she didn’t quite seem like a technician capable of creating a reploid...she certainly had some of Ben’s mannerisms.

Anodi pursed her lips. “Well, sort of?” She shrugged nonchalantly. “I designed their physical bodies, systems 'n' all!”

“...I can believe it.” Ben deadpanned.

Damian looked to Lance for some sort of grounding in his confusion. “Is this really happening or am I still unconscious?”

“And your reason for contacting us in this manner?” Joseph asked Anodi as Lance only shrugged with his hands in the air, clearly already tired by the situation.

Anodi covered part of her face with her hand, half hiding a sheepish grin. “Okay so believe me, a call over the phone would've been my ideal way, but well, can't exactly use a payphone when you're not sure if your creations are safe to be contacted.”

"...Safe?” Ben echoed with a raised eyebrow.

The human gave him a concerned frown. “Sweetie, the project was /shut down/. The fact that Marcus managed to convince me and a couple others to help smuggle you out and reprogram you as civilian units was a miracle.”

“Marcus???” Ben bleated.

Anodi facepalmed. “Christ how much did he friggen’ wipe?! He was only supposed to wipe the failed programming, not the memory files!”

As she agonized abut how ‘those guys were so useless!’ Joseph isolated his Corner while directing his brothers to do the same. /-/...We need more data./-/

 /-/What program was shut down? We need to do some research into it./-/ Lance raised immediately.

Fintan’s contribution was flat. /-/Eh, bring them both in./-/

/-/WHAT?!/-/ Both Joseph and Lance gaped at their brother like he was crazy.

Fintan put up his hands to calm them. /-/Hear me out!  If we keep them in a wireless blackhole, with no communications to the outside, we can isolate them and go over whatever information they have./-/

/-/...We have an isolate computer system that they can use as well.../-/ Joseph conceded.

Lance made a punching motion. /-/And we can handle the physical aspects of security with our drones./-/

Anodi had noticed Maddie and was grinning at her. “So they got smart and made a nurse model eh? About bloody time! You’re a pretty design too~ So who gets to boast about you, hm? What’re your areas of expertise?”

“Oh I wasn’t made like my brothers, I was made by magic!” Maddie responded chipperly, clearly won over by the praise.

Anodi gave her a bemused smile. “C’mon, for real, you can let me know. I was against that dumb order they gave, I always had a fondness for the Lifesaver series y’know. And you’re fam, if you’re the one my B3′s married to.”

“SAVER IS MY HUSBAND, MADDIE IS MY SISTER!” Ben yelped, pointing at Joseph.

The human chortled. “So lively~! Alright alright, well.” Anodi blinked. “...THAT MEANS I HAVE OTHER KIDS TO SPOIL TOO!” As she resumed gushing, Damian staggered a little, ‘sitting down’ with a weary look.

"Before this spirals completely out of control, proper introductions are in order.” Joseph said when he saw the Benemi’s energy level. Damian was definitely an introvert compared to his brother, something that gave Joseph a sympathetic connection to the other Navigator.

Ben called for their son. “Kelbee! C'mere~!” The youngest Caduceus popped into view, having been hid behind his sister’s Corner, and ‘ran’ over to them to latch onto his sister.

Anodi was holding her own face with a dropped jaw, eyes sparkling as Joseph picked up the children. “This is our son, Kelvin.  You've met our little girl, Helen.”

“The one who kept launching me out? She's a good hacker~” Anodi praised with a grin that reminded Helen exactly of Ben’s roguish smile, her eyes getting wide with the epiphany.

Ben rubbed the back of his head as Joseph placed Kelvin in his arm. “Well, uh, she kinda gets triggered when I get hacked.” The Navigation unit uttered uneasily as he avoided Anodi’s horrified gaze.

“...When you 'GET hacked'?! Are you saying you've been hacked before?!”

Ben ducked his head, face beet colored as he continued avoiding looking at anyone in embarrassment. “Uhm...acoupletimesyeah.” He bleated out as she facepalmed.

“Sweetie this is why you use protection.”

Ben proceeded to choke in horror. “MOTHER!” He yelled in a scandalized voice, Lance and Fintan sniggering.

“Ah-! Did you notice that Kelvin and Helen are both bioroids?” Joseph brought up, rescuing his wife in distress much to Ben’s relief.

Anodi grinned again. “I was just about to bring it up! Who designed them?”

"ER...” Joseph floundered for a moment. “Well, Helen's body was crafted myself with assistance from my brothers...”

Anodi’s eyes went wide with surprise. “You? You did that work?! How'd you get that level of skill?!” She asked, doing the same bouncing motion with her shoulders that Ben did when he was excited, and just wasn’t that so odd, to look at his wife’s human creator and see so much in common?

"I've been doing a /lot/ of research.” Joseph replied with a chuckle, put more at ease now.

She nodded with a serious frown, and her lips twisted at the left corner, Ben smiling a bit as he knew he’d made that face a lot. “I'll bring my files over. We MUST share.”

“Creator Lemestra, if I may ask-” Damian began to speak, halting as she chimed in ’Just 'Anodi' or 'Mum's fin, sweetling’, to which he gained a disturbed look that clearly depicted his feelings about that. “...Miss Anodi, where is this other creator you mentioned?”

The human woman shrugged. “Marcus? Eh, who knows?” She made a vague gesture with her hand.

"That's a /pretty important/ detail.” Lance stated flatly.

She sighed. “No, really. Who knows? I don't.” Anodi switched her posture to lean on her elbow. "After we managed to get the boys fixed up for civilian life, we all went our separate ways and lost contact in case the idiots in power looked into our neck of the woods too deeply." She waved her hand towards Ben and Damian, who was starting to recover with Maddie standing next to him and helping him with some positive pulses. “I returned to one of our testing sites to make sure the data was all gone when I found B3 and B2's signals online.”

“Hmm, well, if you found this data, then maybe he'll get curious as well.” Fintan brought up.

Anodi hummed in thought. “It's possible, but I was shocked to see their signals since B1's went offline a long time ago.” Ben suddenly gulped audibly, wearing an uneasy and upset look that made Damian frown and move to be by his brother’s side.

“...Dearest?” Joseph ventured as he placed his hand on Ben’s shoulder. He knew that look. That look meant bad things were going on in his wife’s head.

Ben’s look of unease only deepened as he lowered his gaze to his feet. “...I thought that Damian was offline too...but he wasn't after all.” He leaned into Joseph’s hand for comfort.

“Huh?” Anodi blinked.

Ben was quiet a moment, before his voice came out as softly as Damian tended to speak. “I was aware of B1 going offline.” Anodi blanched, wearing an expression that perfectly conveyed the utterance ‘ohshit’. “Damian's signal had faded off my radar, so I thought he was gone too.” The B3 unit added, Damian going to hug his brother to reassure Ben.

"Please come here with your information. We need to discuss this, and this should be discussed in person.” Joseph nodded to Anodi.

The human ruffled her hair with a sigh. “I'll be able to get there in a week or so. Gotta destroy this place after I've got all the data and I'm still rusty at making a decent bomb.”

“You're blowing it up?!” Ben gawked, no longer troubled by his mental worries since now he could be troubled by his apparently mental mother.

Anodi grinned. “Well I've set it up to delete everything after the download but it's better to be safe than sorry~!” She flashed a V-sign at them as if they were discussing a picnic.

“We also need to discuss some ground rules for our home.” Joseph deadpanned with an incredibly dry tone.

Anodi bit her lips and inflated her cheeks, pouting the same manner Ben did which was insanely odd for them to see. “Hey! I don't go blowing up EVERY supercomputer containing highly classified documents on illegal projects!”

“...The idea that she's our creator is starting to sink in and I want to reject it.” Damian finally spoke.

[spainwealth89-blog]

Dinner For the Newly Engaged

For those that have been through a wedding, not as a guest, but as a bride or groom, you probably remember how difficult it was to devote more than a handshake/hug and 30-second chit chat. You have anywhere from fifty to five hundred fifty people to say hello to and the clock is ticking. At our reception, we seriously had no longer than 15-20 seconds to greet our friends and family. And we felt horrible. We loved everything about our wedding. From having the private ceremony in Las Vegas to the chill, taco-catered reception in a quaint art gallery in Filipino Town. We wanted to be with our loved ones more than anything and it was simply impossible to hangout with our guests without disrespecting someone else. It's the one thing we regret the most but we decided that could at least make an attempt to hang out with our friends before their lives changed for the better as a married couple. We would simply invite them over for dinner and drill them with our wedding questions like they were in a smoky dungeon equipped with a swinging lamp.

In the last few months, three of our friends got engaged and standing on the other side of the fence, we couldn't help but be stoked for them. They are glowing like glow sticks at a warehouse rave. Since cooking for eight people can get a little crazy, we decided to split up the nights. And I apologize to MK & LY and YS & NS for not remembering to take photos. I was hustling and bustling as fast as I could. But I can assure you, you got the wilder, more inebriated D who wasn't afraid of taking bizarre photos. I've known MK and YS since college and it was comforting knowing they had found the one to move on with.

For them, I decided to go with a family style meal. Recently, Jeni and I have been eating weekly at Forage. Such a simple yet smart concept and Lucque's alumnus Jason Kim's cooking is homey and comforting. We also just got back from Fez, Morocco and were stocked up with some of the most amazing spices the world has to offer – for like nothing. I was dying to use these spices. If you haven't been to the Spice Station in Silver Lake or Santa Monica, it's a cook's paradise and you'll find yourself tossing out those spices that were there before you were even born. Here's what we had.

Moroccan Beef Stew with Daikon & Carrots I got this one spice mix that contained cumin, cinnamon, coriander and all spice. It is amazing and used pre-dominantly in tagine dishes. I learned that cumin is used in Morocco both for flavor enhancement and digestion, so we bought a lot. I slow boiled some chuck roast for 5-6 hours in chicken broth, tons of the Moroccan style spices, a few shots of Maggi sauce (hehe) and a little bit of red wine for color. I used daikon versus potatoes because I like the sweetness daikon gives to a stew/soup. It's the same vegetable used to create that beautiful sweetness in Vietnamese/Chiu Chow noodle broths ("hu tieu"). You have to take out the veggies after 1.5 hours because you don't want them to turn into unrecognizable pulp. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve over rice or cous cous. Everyone liked this but I was pretty annoyed by the beef, as it could've been more tender. I'd use short ribs next time.

Skillet-Killed Smoked Paprika & Rosemary Shrimp This is a guaranteed shrimp recipe that will make you even eat the shells of the shrimp if you were that hungry. In a mixing bowl, I throw in peeled, headless shrimp (or keep the shell on, but cut the shell over the vein so the marinade can seap through), 2-3 cloves of garlic chopped, generous amount of smoked paprika and the sprigs of 2-3 rosemary leaves. Add olive oil and sea salt and mix it up. Refrigerate for no more than 5-6 hours. I call them "skillet-killed" because I crank the heat on my stove, which happens to have much higher BTU's than the average stove. I keep my cast-iron skillet on until it starts smoking, and then keep it going for at least 5 minutes. By now, your dead shrimp are shivering in fear for the unthinkable... a quick sear. The secret is to keep them cooking on one side and to start looking at flesh of the shrimp. If it's translucent it's not done, If it's white on the outside but the center is slightly grey, take it out. Once you take it out, it's still cooking. Like grilled/cooked meat, you have to let the shrimp's "juice" redistribute. Meaning, don't eat it right away you pig. If all is done right, you should have shrimp that has an unbelievable "crunch" to it. Eat the tail too, mmm.

Curried Cauliflower This is about the simplest side dish you can make. It's tasty and healthy. Break up a cauliflower into manageable florets. Too small they become crumbs, too big they won't cook through in the middle. In a foiled, baking sheet, add a lot of olive oil over the cauliflower and a generous amount of curry powder – depending on how curried you want it. Add sea salt, mix and throw in 400 degree oven for about 20 mins. Check for your desired doneness. Mix in some chopped parsley or even dried cranberries and toasted almond slivers.

Pedro Ximenez's Lentils I don't know who Pedro Ximenez is but I do know that he makes a killer sweet sherry vinegar that will set you back a whopping $25. But don't shrivel in cheapness just yet, this stuff is magnificent on salads, fish and probably knife wounds. If you had to invest in two things that would take your cooking to another level, it would be that $35 can of extra virgin olive oil and $25 P.X. sherry vinegar. Again, we ate some great lentils in Morocco and we're all about it right now. I boiled some green lentils and added some pickled red onions and parsley. From here it's about finding the right balance of sea salt and Pedro Ximenez. This was really good. I vote for Pedro.

Saffron, Dried Cranberry & Garbanzo Mint Cous Cous I love cous cous because (A) a stoned college kid could make this and (B) it's light and healthy. Cous cous are basically larger granules of semolina flour and can be cooked in less than 6 minutes. From there, it's up to you to get creative. I added some really nice $35 olive oil, mint, saffron, dried cranberry and garbanzo beans.

Turkish Oregano Quick Pickles I bought some Turkish oregano at the Spice Station and decided to make some quick pickles, aka "quickles". I think Josef Centeno of Lazy Ox Canteen does a great job of pickling, as do the Animal guys. You have to have vinegar to cut through your food and cucumbers, radishes and onions are the best pickling vessels. In a bowl of water, I added some white wine vinegar, sugar, a tiny bit of salt, crushed chili arbol and a few tablespoons of the Turkish oregano. I threw them in the fridge for a good 2 hours and they came out really well. This cut through the richness of the Moroccan stewed beef and lentils.

After we ate, the real damage started to happen as we whipped out more wine and desserts from Porto's. And then the absinthe came out. Then the whiskey. Then the rum. Then the impromptu backyard "dance" party and photo shoot. Please do not post those on Facebook, thank you. Good times.

************************************************************

For the second night, our friends TP and EY came over. After seven years of dating, they decided it was time. For their wedding coming up, they've been doing the Insanity Workout. Just how insane-in-the-membrane is it? TP told me that he burns about 870 calories in 30 minutes. Hey, did you know that's equivalent to one bread stick at Olive Garden?

So for this dinner, we decided to go light and stick with seafood. We couldn't do two nights in Morocco and went with an Asian theme. With great wine from Jill Bernheimer's Domaine LA, we began the dinner party journey.

Salmon Sashimi & Quail Egg Yam Noodles Salmon sashimi is about 40 calories per piece and high in Omega 3 fatty acids. But the best part of this dish is the usage of yam noodles made from the konjac plant known as shirataki. They are ZERO calories. Don't me ask how that is possible. They are somewhat bland but with a little bit of soy sauce, Japanese soup stock or ponzu, and you're good to go. I served the shirataki with salmon slices, raw quail egg, pickled cucumbers and a few pinches of powdered Sichuan red peppercorn. For the sauce, I simply bought a bottle of udon/soba soup stock and fixed it up with some water and mirin. If you're really into textures, I'd suggest adding salmon fish eggs (ikura), sea urchin (uni) and Japanese mountain yams (yamaimo). This is one of my favorite quick-fix dishes to eat.

Seared Scallop with Yuzu Edamame Puree and TINY Piece of Nueske Bacon

Scallops are about 200 calories per piece and simply one of the best types of seafood out there. It tastes good pan-seared, "cooked" Ceviche style or simply eaten raw. I can't live without scallops. Versus doing a potato or parsnip puree, I decided to use edamame beans which are super tasty. In a blender, I combined one pack of already-shelled edamame, a few dashes of soy sauce, salt and a tiny pinch of sugar. I added a little bit of water to help the blender out. This will take a few minutes to finish as you have to gradually add water to create the puree. If you are impatient and add too much water right away, you can turn this into a watery soup. Taste as you go along and make sure it has a velvety consistency. I like to heat the puree in a small frying pan over low heat to keep it hot. You have to make sure not to burn the puree so you may need a little water to replace whatever evaporates from the heat. Optional: a tiny slice of butter can be used to give the edamame puree a slight sheen. Before placing the seared scallop over the puree, add a few dashes of Yuzu juice. This adds a nice citrus taste that wakes up the scallop and puree. Yes I know, you see a piece of bacon there. Well I didn't say the WHOLE meal was healthy.

Pan-Roasted Black Cod with Bun Shimeji & King Mushroom Dashi

I've made this dish many times for J and my family, it's just a simple comforting dish and its very light. For my picky Chinese parents to ask for seconds, speaks volumes. For details on this dish, click on the previous link. The only thing different about this dish was not having Nathan McCall's usual black cod. So I ended up finding some pretty fresh whole black cod at the new Woori market in Little Tokyo (formerly Yao-han/Mitsuwa). They scaled and quickly filleted the black cod for me. At home, I got to play with my sashimi knife and clean up the fish more as there were still bones and blood lines. FUN FUN FUN. TP & EY ended up with a second round of this and ended up taking whatever I had left home.

Like Friday night, we kept going after the wine. Desserts. Whiskey. Rum. 90s music. It was a great night. To MK & LY, YS & NS and TP & EY, I'm glad we all got to spend 4-5 hours eating and drinking – you guys are great friends. And we look forward to seeing you for 30 seconds on your wedding day! Thanks for reading.

Source: http://eatdrinknbmerry.blogspot.com/2011/01/dinner-for-newly-engaged-black-cod-with.html