Category: New

American Idol... Returns?

6/6/2017

American Idol host, Ryan Seacrest is also in talks to return for the 2018 season of American Idol. In comparison to Katy Perry, the mainstay from the previous seasons is only being offered $10 Million US Dollars for his services

American Idol has only been off the air since last year. The juggernaut saw it's commercial peak wane after Paula and Simon called it quits, and although the forebarer to The Voice, in the words of Nelly Furtado, “all good things must come to an end.” A-List stars Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, and Nicki Minaj couldn't save the show.

Scream Queens got canceled, but somehow American Idol got picked up by ABC- switching networks from Fox- for the 2018 season. You've got a solid 6+ months to get ready to decide if your going to binge this rework. With the reemergence of Will & Grace, Roseanne, Full House, and The Gilmore Girls, to name only a few it's questionable if this brand is heading for a comeback too soon.

So, far all we know is that Katy Perry is on the judging panel for a cool $25 million dollars. ABC is banking on Katy Perry having personality, but global superstars aren't going to give it to the people auditioning good like we want. We need a Simon Cowell. A Natalia Kills to say “as someone who respects creative integrity and intellectual property... I'm disgusted!” Jennifer Lopez was sweet. Same with Britney. We need a little edge and Katy Perry can only kiss a girl so many times for ratings.

Rocky Road

4/19/2016

Road trips are wonderful.

As long as you have the right company, the right music, and the right snacks. If the conversation runs out at least you have some trail mix to snack on. Maybe you roll down the windows and take in the sun, so you can get melanoma.

I recently took a road trip. To a grand city in the state of Illinois. I was visiting the grandfather and the great Aunt. All over Easter break. There were pastels and little children. Painted bird eggs and a sunscreened Uncle.

The road trip involved an intense multi-hour car ride. We spent the first hour listening to country radio, because we hate ourselves.

The mother and I talked about everything. Politics. Religion. How the gays are ruining America. It was a wonderful bonding time. The air conditioning gave out, which was wonderful. We didn't even have an iced mocha cappuccino to make up for it.

The truth is we drove over a 100 miles without seeing a Starbucks. It was hell.

However, we did make up for it in the snack department. We didn't make anything. Although, I had considered throwing together some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I didn't do it. I'm a lazy person had Friends episodes to rewatch.

My mother does not allow eating in her car. It's a used/new car to the family that my mother sprung on the family last year. It was wonderful I came home to see this tan luxury item in my driveway, blocking my parking spot. Not that I minded.

We had the goods in the car.

Doritos, some caramel flavored Werther's popcorn. Bottles of water to off set the calories. It was great. I always believe that if you don't have an orange colored food on a road trip that you haven't truly taken a road trip. You can take cheetos, carrots if your a vegan, or starbursts if you want to pick through them all.

As a family we usually stock up. We make our own trail mix. Homemade snacks. We've gotten lazy with time. There used to be M&M and raisin filled trail mix. I remember when we went camping on this mountain. It was horrible. There were tents. Bugs. I did not enjoy it.

This time we splurged and stopped to get lunch. We did a little shopping. Not that we could afford any of it, but that's okay because we're on vacation.

It was a rocky, but wonderful and beautiful road. It was like the icecream. That Rascall Flatt's song and it just goes to prove that if you buy and bring the right food any trip can be fun. Below are some recipes to get you in the trip of your lifetime feelings.

RECIPES:
Pecan Almond Praline
2 cups of Brown Sugar
¾ cup of Heavy Cream
1 tablespoon of Butter
½ teaspoon of Salt
1 cup of Pecans
1 cup of Almonds
3 quarts of popped Popcorn

Combine the pecans, almonds, and popcorn .Set aside.

Combine the heavy cream, brown sugar, butter, and salt, cooking until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then stir the mixture until it coats a spoon.

Pour the syrup over the popcorn, stirring to coat popcorn evenly. Allow the popcorn to cool then break it into small pieces.

Spice Cookies
2 ½ cups of Flour
2 teaspoons of Baking Soda
¼ teaspoon of Ginger
½ teaspoon of Allspice
½ teaspoon of Cinnamon
½ teaspoon of Cloves
¾ cup of Butter
1 Sugar
1 Egg
¼ cup of Molasses
¼ cup of Powdered Sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine, the flour, baking soda, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses, mixing well. Add the flour mixture, beating until it is well blended. Refrigerate the dough until it is firm enough to roll into balls.

Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, then roll them in powdered sugar, and place them on a greased baking sheet. Flatten the cookies slightly with a glass that has been dipped in sugar. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until they are light brown.

Remove from the baking sheet to a wire rack and dust them with powdered sugar.

(Drank) Eggnog

12/22/2015

Day 9 of the 12 Days of Bubbles is upon us!

Another Tasty Tuesday only one week after the last train wreck and without a party to plan or an old friend to reminisce on, I had to stumble upon a creative idea of my own. Which, is something that does not come easily to me. Cut and paste I can do, but to be original and creative without genius to base it off. It's difficult.

However, it was as I was stumbling through the grocery aisles of my suburban Costco that it came upon me. In it's plastic jugs I saw the flashing Christmas lights. Eggnog.

As a child, Eggnog was the quintessential Christmas drink. I drank so much of it I would have been an alcoholic if my family put whiskey in it. I have met quite a few people who do not appreciate eggnog, but there is nothing that lives up to it. Thick. Creamy. Seasonal.

It's more calories then liquid. In December you have two options. Eat with abandon and set yourself a New Year's Resolution you won't keep OR get so drunk off of spiked eggnog that you throw up.

Embrace your inner frat boy during the holiday season.

Upon doing some quick internet research I found that eggnog is a traditional drink in America and Canada, but that it originated in England. I don't know that were supposed to be surprised by that. Early aristocrats mixed it with brandy or sherry. Which, sounds far more posh then what we the dirty Americans do with it.

I also found out that there are recipes for eggnog without the egg. This does seem counter intuitive to me. As you will see from the recipes I've included, they all have eggs. Egg is literally half of eggnog. Without the egg it's just... nog.

Sure people have allergies. Sure there have been salmonella outbreaks in eggs, but the risk of potential food poisoning and death is just part of coming out to have a good time.

As the biggest fan there is of this drink. All the recipes included here have been made and procured by me. Be surprised and amazed. That is how much I love the eggnog. I will cut open a vanilla bean and heat a liquid mixture to a nice boil to froth myself up for the winter.

I also don't have to go out in public among the commoners if I can make it at home. There are perks to being industrious.

As of recent years, I have had to cutback on my intake. This blog is home of the “blonde, skinny, queen of the internet.” Sometimes, you've got to cut back to retain brand recognition.

If for some reason these drinks seem too complicated, store bought is fine.

RECIPES:
Chocolate Egg Nog
14 ounces of Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 Eggs
2 teaspoons of Vanilla Extract
1 cup of Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons of Chocolate Syrup
¼ teaspoon of Almond Extract

Using a blender, combine all ingredients. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Egg Nog
2 cups of Milk
2 cups of Heavy Cream
1 cup of Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean
10 Egg Yolks
1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
½ teaspoon of Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of Nutmeg

Heat in milk, heavy cream, ½ cup of the sugar, vanilla bean seeds, and vanilla extract until the mixture is hot.

Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks with remaining ½ cup of sugar until it is frothy. While whisking, slowly pour in the milk mixture ½ cup at a time, beating well after each addition.

Pour the mixture back into the pan and heat, while whisking until it has thickened slightly. Remove it from the heat and add the cinnamon and nutmeg.

Egg Nog Shake
1 cup of Vanilla Ice Cream
3/8 cup of Egg Nog
1 dash of Nutmeg

Using a blender combine all ingredients and mix until blended well.

Vegetables: The New Meat

11/17/2015

An appetizing plate of Bacon AND Vegetables

I read fascinating article recently that discussed an interesting concept. Among high end restaurants there's been a trend to serve plant based main courses over meat based. Are we going to have a cultural shift that praise vegetables over meat?

Probably not anytime soon. My father doesn't consider it a meal if there isn't meat and the older generation will take this harder. And, men trying to hold onto this concept of masculinity won't like it either. However, this isn't the only article that's been written on the subject. The Washington Post published an article “Vegetables: Are They The New Bacon?” in 2014.

For this to work we would need a cultural shift that allows people to understand that vegetables can be a fulfilling meal by themselves. Starting at the top tier of restaurants is a good place to start. These chef's can experiment on customers who are willing to be experimented on. At some point the easily mass produced counterparts these restaurants make up will trickle down to us.

This concept of switching to a vegetable based diet, does not mean that we're going to be vegetarians (the horror).The article in Vogue raised the question of if we over praise meat and under praise vegetables and that this will just be making the ground even.

Equal rights for vegetables. .

Tamar Adler writes in the article “Taking Root” that “the meat industry emits more greenhouse gases than all forms of transport.” Other statistics are included other then the environmental strain the meat industry puts on us. There are also dietary concerns for meat eaters.

I could eat a plant based diet or at least one that heavily restricts meat. The only time I really eat meat is when I'm with parents or I go out. If I'm cooking for myself I rarely make meat. Essentially, I'm a vegetarian at heart.

Tamar Adler

There definitely needs to be a cultural shift. We don't eat enough vegetables and step one in changing that paradigm is to convince people that vegetables are worth eating. Chef Jose Andres told Tamar Adler that “we are eating almost opposite the amounts of fruit and vegetables and meat we're supposed to.”

A recurring argument made is the complexity of vegetables. Not all of us may enjoy a good asparagus or cauliflower, but there has to be something you like. Whatever it may be. Carrots. Peas? The all great potato that we mash and deep fry just to call it a French Fry?

I've included some recipes that do not have a single meat in them. I don't know if they'll convince you to give up that quarter pounder with cheese, but I think it's interesting change of pace. This concept of making vegetables the focus.

I'm surprised someone hasn't said that vegetables are ruining America.

RECIPES:
Asparagus Pie
1 Pie Shell
½ pound of Gruyere
2 tablespoons of Butter
10 ounces of Asparagus
3 Eggs
1 cup of Heavy Cream
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the pie shell in a prepared pie plate. Spread the gruyere cheese on the crust and top with asparagus.

Mix together the eggs, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour it over the asparagus and bake it for 25-30 minutes or until the custard is set.

Baked Vegetables
3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
3 Onions
4 cloves of Garlic
3 cups of Tomatoes
3 Potatoes
3 Carrots
2 Bell Peppers
1 teaspoon of Salt
Pepper
1/8 teaspoon of Honey
½ cup of fresh Parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Saute the onions in the olive oil until they are softened, 5-10 minutes. Add the garlic, stirring for 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, parsley, salt, pepper, and honey, simmering for 15 minutes.

Pour it into a baking dish, cover, and bake for 1 hour.

Carmelized Onion & Red Pepper Penne
3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
3 Onions
¾ teaspoons of Brown Sugar
2 Chicken Breasts
6 cloves of Garlic
2 tablespoons of Thyme
2 Red Bell Peppers
1/8 teaspoon of Red Pepper Flakes
2 teaspoons of Flour
2 cups of Vegetable Broth
½ of Parmesan Cheese
12 ounces of Penne
½ cup of Basil

Brown the onion and brown sugar in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until the onion carmelizes, about 20-25 minutes. Stir in the red bell peppers, cooking until they are softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl.

Add a tablespoon of the olive oil to the skillet. Stir the garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken, cooking until it is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the vegetables.

Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Stir in the flour, mixing well. Whisk in the chicken broth, cooking until it has thickened.

Return the chicken and the vegetables to the skillet. Add the Parmesan cheese, and mix well. Add the penne and basil, stirring to mix.

Squashed It

11/3/2015

Inspiration struck this week from the family garden. The parents having returned from their extended stay away from me for three weeks returned. With this came my father going through the family garden.

My father. The brilliant man that he is. Created a garden. I'm not sure why. His busy season at work is when a garden requires the most work. He has tried diligently to maintain the lawn by himself this year. After my maintenance last year, he informed me that he would take care of it.

2015 came around and my father made the decision to allow the garden to run free. He was over it. He said he would plant nothing. He stood firmly in this decision. Upon traipsing down into the hell that is the over growth of grass and insects, he stumbled upon squash. Multiple kinds of squash. Massive squash.

It was upon seeing these vegetables from the underworld that I realized that I had to honor the gift of god's creation. I had to praise the mighty squash.

Yes. I realize that last week I did a Tasty Tuesday on the pumpkin. That is a squash. This week, I am broadening my horizon. I am celebrating all of the squashes. The butternut. The acorn. The zucchini. Nothing says fall quite like a squash.

The Butternut Squash

The Acorn Squash

The Zucchini

There are multiple of reasons for the squash. You can put them in food. And, as I've learned from Orange is the New Black, they make great dildos.

Some fun facts about the squash is that it is one of the oldest known crops. It's been cultivated by all of our ancestors. For 10,000 years the mighty squash has reigned over all other vegetables. Of course it has some competition with the corn, but that's beside the point.

According to some internet research I have done the word “squash” comes from the Native American Tribe Narragansett. They referred to the squash as “askutasquash”. Being as formidable as Europeans are with foreign words, we cut most of it out. Askutasquash translates to “eaten raw or uncooked”. I don't know about you, but I've never looked at a nice round squash and taken a spoon to it.

I've also never fucked a zucchini, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Just like that fan fiction that used sand as lubricant.

I believe squash are also good for building muscle mass. Think about it. People grow these competitively to see who's can weigh the most. Do some curl ups with your neighborhood squash and you'll be buffier then Michelle Gellar.

Speaking of world records. Joel Jarvis is the proud farmer of the 1,486 pound monstrosity. If chopped and dissected it could create 5,000 servings of soup. It weighs as much as a polar bear and finally answered the age old question, “what do people do in Kentucky?”

Below are some lovely recipes from the family cookbook on what to do if you ever find yourself face to face with a 1,486 pound squash.

RECIPES:
Squash Casserole
¼ cup of Butter
1 teaspoon of Garlic
2 pounds of Yellow Squash
2 cups of Onion
¼ cup of Water
1 tablespoon of Cumin
1 ½ teaspoon of Chili Powder
Salt
Pepper
2 Eggs
1 cup of Pepper Jack
¼ cup of Goat Cheese
1 cup of Tortilla Chips
1 tablespoon of Butter

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until it sizzles. Add squash and onion and toss to combine. Add water, cover, and steam until vegetables are soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove lid and continue cooking until all the liquid is evaporated.

Stir in cumin and 1 teaspoon of chili powder. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add eggs and cook, stirring gently, until eggs are cooked through.

Turn off heat and add pepper jack and goat cheese. Cover and let stand until cheese is melted. Stir to combine.

Spoon squash mixture into an overproof dish. Combine tortilla chip crumbs, remaining ½ teaspoon of chili powder, and melted butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle over squash. Set under broiler to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.

Squash Pickles
8 cups of Yellow Summer Squash
1 cups of Sweet Onion
1 tablespoon of Non Iodized Salt
1 cup of Green Bell Pepper
½ cup of Red Bell Pepper
2 cups of Cider Vinegar
3 ½ cups of Sugar
1 teaspoon of Celery Seed
1 teaspoon of Mustard Seed

Combine the squash and onion in a large stockpot. Sprinkle with salt. Let stand 1 hour.

Add green pepper, red pepper, vinegar, sugar, celery seed, and mustard seed to squash and onions. Bring to a boil.

Pack squash and brine into hot, sterilized jars, leaving ½ inch of head space. Remove air bubbles. Secure flat lids and rings. Process in a boiling water canner bath for 10 minutes or adjust time to your altitude.

National Date Nut Bread Day?

9/8/2015

Per usual I was struggling for a Tasty Tuesday idea. I considered tweeting out to the world. HELP! BLOGGER! IN! CRISIS!

I refrained. I tried to come up with something. I flipped through this month's Cosmopolitan hoping to find inspiration. I've yet to read Demi Lovato's interview and “Cool For The Summer” has me reevaluating her career. But, I digress.

I went to my usual sources for information and they were dried up like California the day after a heavy rain. If only my tears could replenish them.

Filed Under *Demi Fucking Killed This*

Buy "Cool For The Summer"

Finally, an idea came to me. It didn't so much come to me as I did something I usually reserve for Throwback Thursday. I googled food holidays for September 8th. Now assuming that the website The Nibble isn't lying to me today is National Date Nut Bread Day.

I looked at this result and while listening to Hilary Duff said “what the fuck is date nut bread?”. There is not a family recipe to found in our cookbooks. And, then I realized that I literally had no other option then to push forward with Date Nut Bread as my topic and hope I could create a page of running commentary.

My first step was to see if Date Nut Bread had a wikipedia page. It does not. That truly is a travesty to man kind. Next I googled “date nut bread history” and much to my surprise there were results. Shout out to all the food bloggers. You all are life savers and I don't mean the chewable mint kind.

The craziest thing I stumbled upon was the fact that there used to be canned date nut bread. Canned. Date. Nut. Bread. Let me just repeat that again for the people in the back. THEY CANNED DATE NUT BREAD. This is what's wrong with America.

According to one blogger there used to be a sandwich in New York that was made out of two slices of thick date nut bread. Isn't that exciting. I'm not upset that it's distinct. It reminds me of something a grandmother would make. Like giving you a gift card to JC Penny's.

The most scandalous thing I stumbled upon was that according to one blogger the national day of celebration for Date Nut Bread occurs on December 22nd. A far cry from September 8th. I just want you to know that this did not make me upset. I only started crying and I may have fallen off the edge of my bed. I promise you I'm not emotional.

What this search has confirmed in my soul is that I hate Tasty Tuesday's. With all my heart like a passionate Italian chef and yes the chef has to be Italian, because it's my inner dialogue.

Now I believe I have stumbled upon some solid date nut bread recipes. Not that I've made any of them. Somehow dense bread and date nuts doesn't appeal to me.

RECIPES:
Date Nut Bread And Cream Cheese Sandwiches
1 cup of Pitted Chopped Dried Dates
¾ cup of boiling Water
1 ½ cup of Flour
1 ½ teaspoons of Baking Powder
½ teaspoon of Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of Nutmeg
1 cup of chopped Walnuts
3 tablespoons of Butter
3/4 cup of Sugar
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon of Vanilla
8 ounces of Cream Cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x5-inch metal loaf pan, set aside.

Add the dates to medium-sized, heat-safe bowl. Pour boiling water over top, stir and let stand 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add the nuts and set aside.

In a separate large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until combined (mixture might look crumbly). Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth and combined.

Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the date mixture (including remaining water), 1/2 of each at a time, mixing until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 45-55 minutes, until bread is almost completely baked, but a few crumbs still stick to a toothpick inserted into the loaf. The bread will continue cooking after it is removed from the oven, so be careful not to overbake.

Let bread cool for 10-15 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool fully on a rack. Once cooled, slice bread and serve as closed or open-faced sandwiches spread with a tablespoon or two of cream cheese.

Source: Capital New York

Date Nut Bread
1 cup of chopped Dates
½ cup of Raisins
3 tablespoons of Butter
1 cup of boiling Coffee
½ teaspoons of Baking Soda
½ teaspoons of Salt
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon of Vanilla
¾ cup of Sugar
½ cup of Flour
½ cup of chopped Walnuts

Put dates, optional raisins and butter in a mixing bowl and cover with boiling water or coffee. Let stand for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. To the dates add soda, salt, eggs, vanilla and sugar. Beat well, then add flour, mix thoroughly, then fold in nuts. Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean.

Source: Bangor Daily News

The Food Issue

7/14/2015

There was a time I asked for my Vogue subscription to be renewed. My grandfather got me Architectural Digest. This year he let that slip and now Travel & Leisure in the mail.

I don't know who the target audience is for this. People with money. The kind of people who send their children abroad for the semester. The kind of people who get their children Mercedes Benz for their 16th birthday. Needless to say. Not me.

Usually I recycle it (I know how very earth conscious of me), but this months said that it was the “Food Issue”. Finally something I can use. The cover says Austin is “way beyond barbecue” that Singapore is the “best eating on earth” and that Greenland has “the new arctic cuisine”. Turn up.

The Gulfstream IV

The Cessna Citation X+

The Pilatus PC-12 NG

Now there is a lack of actual recipes for me to give you, but I'm sure google will be more then useful in this endeavor. This issue of this magazine centers primarily on good places to eat around the world. If you have a week and the money to fly all around the world, I have some great suggestions on where you should go for a culinary experience.

While, your at it why don't you fly private. I know. You can't afford private, but wait is “Private The New Business Class”? This is a legitimate article in this magazine. They even have a section entitled “know your private jet”. What kind of upper middle class bullshit is this. One of their suggestions is to get a membership to a private jet membership club that start at $1,750 a month.

It's a fascinating if completely unrealistic read.

Words you probably never expected to hear was “Italo-Slovenian Comfort Food”, but may I suggest if you are ever the Slovenian “Hisa Franko”. Apparently the owner's husband is a biodynamic wine connoisseur. If that doesn't make you want to take all your clothes off I don't know what will.

The Hisa Franko

The Broad Museum

The Atlanta Botanical Garden

There are now also restaurants in MUSEUMS. You have heard it first. Both the Broad Museum and the Whitney have respective places to gorge yourself while you enjoy fine art. My personal favorite is the stunning restaurant opening in the Atlanta Botanical Garden. What will be on the menu? It will be a surprise. As the article says the menu consists of “whatever is fresh from the edible garden”.

One that actually fascinated me was this section on Food Courts. The five brought up are centrally located in Coppenhagen, Atlanta, New York, Rotterdam, and New Orleans. Nothing warms my heart more then gourmet food courts.

The Copenhagen Street Food

The Ponce City Market in Atlanta

The Urbanspace Vanderbilt in New York

The Markthal in Rotterdam

The St. Roch Market in New Orleans

What can I say. Unless you have the budget to travel in your private jet all of this beautiful food imagery is too much. Now you know where to go. And, if you want more posh day dreams go out and find yourself the July Issue of Travel & Leisure.

RECIPES:
Artic Char with Mushrooms
4 Six Ounce Skinless Arctic Char Fillets
Salt
Pepper
4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8 ounces of sliced White Button Mushrooms
2 finely chopped Shallots
2 tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar
2 teaspoons of Whole-Grain Mustard
1 tablespoon of chopped Chives
1 tablespoon of chopped Parsley
2 bunches of Arugula

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the fish and sear until golden on the bottom and cooked halfway through, about 3 minutes. Flip onto a baking sheet and bake until cooked through, 3 to 5 more minutes.

Meanwhile, wipe out the skillet, return to medium-high heat and add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Add the mushrooms and cook, without stirring, until browned on one side, about 1 minute. Stir and cook until browned all over, about 3 more minutes. Add the shallots and cook until soft, stirring, about 2 minutes. Whisk in 2 tablespoons vinegar and the mustard and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the chives and parsley.

Drizzle the arugula with oil and vinegar in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and toss. Divide among plates and serve with the fish. Spoon the mushrooms and pan juices on top.

Arctic Char: The Fish

Chicken Parmesan
3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 teaspoon of chopped Rosemary Leaves
1 teaspoon of chopped Thyme Leaves
1 teaspoon of chopped Italian Parsley Leaves
Salt
Pepper
8 three ounce Chicken Cutlets
1 1/2 cups of the Simple Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup of Mozzarella
16 teaspoons of grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons of Unsalted Butter
Simple Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 stalk of Celery
1 Carrot
Salt
Pepper
Two 32-ounce cans of Crushed Tomatoes
4 Basil Leaves
2 Bay Leaves
4 tablespoons of Butter

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Stir the oil and herbs in a small bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Brush both sides of the cutlets with the herb oil. Heat a large heavy oven-proof skillet over high heat. Add the cutlets and cook just until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Spoon the marinara sauce over and around the cutlets. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the mozzarella over each cutlet, then sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the Parmesan over each. Sprinkle the butter pieces atop the cutlets. Bake until the cheese melts and the chicken is cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.

In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove the bay leaves and check for seasoning. If the sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.

Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with the remaining tomato sauce.

Marinated Grilled Shrimp
3 Cloves of Garlic
1/3 cup of Olive Oil
¼ cup of Tomato Sauce
2 tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar
2 tablespoons of Basil
½ teaspoon of Salt
¼ teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
2 pounds of Shrimp

In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, olive oil, tomato sauce, and red wine vinegar. Season with basil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add shrimp to the bowl, and stir until evenly coated. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once or twice.

Preheat grill for medium heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade.

Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp on preheated grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until opaque.

Pop The Fun

6/29/2015

Pringles are my obsession. If I was the kind of blogger who wrote poetry it's what I would write about. Pringles are going to be the death of me and my cholesterol count.

I love all kinds of Pringles. I do not hate on any kind of Pringle. I do not discriminate. I try them all. I eat them all. I put them into my body and they turn into unintentional weight gain that I do not support running in the 2016 Presidential Campaign.

I've been making attempts to eat reasonably healthy. My parents are the ones who have been undermining me. I told you about my mother and those delicious chocolate covered caramel pretzels, and my mouth just watered and it's a struggle. My father hit much closer to home and bought me multiple cans of Pringles. I do not have control over my body when Pringles are around. I ate an entire can in one day and gained a pound (that I proceeded to lose).

Quite recently, I broke my own eat healthy guidelines. They had new Pringle flavors out and your world famous blogger bought two cans.

One was Bacon flavored and the other was Wasabi and Soy.

Now, I don't actually have any recipes that use Pringles in them. I'll google some good ones for you. I'm sure someone crushes up Pringles and using it as breading. Other people put them in chocolate bars. I've had one and they are just as delicious as you imagine. There is no sarcasm in that statement.

Of course the real topic of discussion are these new flavors I stumbled upon. I have tried a lot of crazy Pringle flavors. Most of which I enjoy. The seasonal flavors are surprisingly good. I stand by the Peppermint White Chocolate and I even feel the Pumpkin Spice flavored Pringles, even though I'm not a pumpkin kind of boy.

If you are passing judgment that's fine. If I had not tried them, I would have also given it the side eye. It's flavors like these that have given me the confidence to try any flavor the Pringle brand puts out, because they do not disappoint. Even, if the flavor is weird as fuck.

Let's start with Bacon. Bacon is quintessential red blooded male flavor. I recently volunteered at an event and I served food and all the men reinforced their masculine by checking out the bacon and eating too much of it. Although. That bacon was the shit and I don't judge them at all.

Pringles did not go wrong. These were amazing. I paced myself. Ate them over the course of two days. Did not gain a pound. The only strange thing is that the can looks like the Original can, so it's hard to differentiate. I even ate the crumbs. I tilted that can and sucked it up. Did one of my coworkers judge me? Yes. Was it worth it? Also yes.

The Wasabi and Soy Sauce. Where do I even start. They were green. I was watching Hot In Cleveland. I ate one. It made me want to throw up. It was hot and disgusting. I threw the can away. Love yourself and don't buy this flavor. Trusts me. I am speaking the truth.

Does this change my love for Pringles. Absolutely not and now I have new ways to enjoy them and I am more then down for that.

RECIPES:
Pringle's Cookies
2 cups of Butter
1 cup of Sugar
2 teaspoons of Vanilla
4 cups of Flour
1 cup (2/3 can) of crushed Original Pringle's
1 cup of Chopped Nuts
Red and green sugar for coating cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add flour; mix well. Stir in crushed Pringle's and chopped nuts. Combine thoroughly. Form into 1 inch balls. Roll in either red, green or granulated sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. .

Pringle's Party Candy
1 pound of White Chocolate
1 small can of Salted Peanuts
2 cans of Pringles

Crush potato chips slightly and mix with the nuts. Melt the chocolate in saucepan. Stir chocolate and nut mixture together and spread onto cookie sheet. Let cool and break into pieces.

Pringle's Fried Chicken
3 Chicken Breats
1 Egg
1 cup of Milk
1 container of Pringles

Lay the chicken breasts flat on a cutting board. Slice through them with your knife parallel to the cutting board, making thin cutlets. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk the egg. Add the milk and whisk together.

Place the Pringles in a plastic zippy bag. Crush with a rolling pin until you have uniform crumbs. Pour into a shallow bowl.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Dip each piece of chicken in milk mixture, then in crumbs, completely covering in the Pringles. Place on the baking sheet.

Bake 20-30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink in the thickest portion.