Hello Readers,
I am taking a hiatus from my blog to re-evaluate the content. I will send subscribers an email notice when I publish my next post. (I don’t know when that will be.)
I have really enjoyed all the comments I received and hope you continue to ask questions and talk about food by emailing me directly at RamblingsOnFood@GMail.com
Lazychef
Comments are always greatly appreciated!
If you would like to receive a FREE daily email with a link to that day’s post, send an email to: Lazychef@RamblingsOnFood.com with your email address and the words “FREE Daily Email” in the subject line. (Your email address will never be published, shared or used for any other purpose!)
Newbies: In my house, every night of the week has a different theme for dinner. This dinner is not on the Officially Sanctioned Sunday Night Rotation. I will explain why we ate it last night below. Since it is on the Saturday Night Rotation, please see On the Officially Sanctioned Saturday Night Rotation, at the bottom of this post, to learn about Saturday’s theme.
On Dinner, Super Bowl Sunday, February 12, 2012: I have been planning on making my “Faux” smoked Baby Back Ribs on Super Bowl Sunday since I last made them way back on September 20, 2011. Millions of American households serve finger foods on Super Bowl Sunday and I thought my “finger licking good” ribs would be the perfect “superstar” for the occasion. Mrs. Lazychef and I decided we would have Nachos with blended frozen Margaritas for our pregame finger food snack and ribs, oven roasted zucchini with ranch dressing, crispy onion rings and watermelon for our half time finger food dinner.
On the onion rings: The onion rings were a last minute choice of mine because of an ad I saw in this month’s Bon Appétit. They are a baked appetizer product by Alexia All Natural Products. I am not usually motivated to buy food products, especially frozen ones from advertisements, but this one was compelling. I was particularly interested in the all natural statement on the package and even more impressed when I was told it was in the special all natural freezer section on the opposite side of our Smith’s market from where all the other frozen foods are located. They were fantastic! I don’t know how they do it but they were super crispy. Here is a link for anyone interested in more information: Alexia Onion Rings
On my oven fried zucchini recipe: This is the first time I have made this since starting this blog in September 2010. Even though they are oven roasted and pretty healthy for what they are, I just can’t ever seem to fit them into a meal. Since they are a finger food I decided last night would be a perfect time to make them. They are really good and I make homemade ranch dressing to dip them in.
Ingredients:
2 to 4 Zucchini 1 or 2 eggs 1/2 cup flour 1/3 cup Italian or Seasoned Bread Crumbs Non Stick Butter Flavor Spray 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Romano Cheese Ranch Dressing for DippingDirections:
On my frozen margarita recipe: I did not post my recipe last year and I got an email requesting it. I actually prefer my margaritas on the rocks, but on a day when I am going to be drinking them for a few hours, the frozen ones are better for long-time leisurely sipping.
Ingredients:
8 ounces of your favorite Tequila (I like Sauza Hornitos Tequila Reposado. See On the Sauza Hornitos Tequila Reposado, below) 2 ounces frozen lime aid concentrate 12 ounces Master of Mixes Margarita Mix 2 ounces Triple Sec or any orange flavored liqueur Fill blender with ice (The purest you can find) Kosher salt (Morton’s is a very good one.) Limes, each cut into eight wedges (Cut one in half, cut both halves in half and cut the four quarters in half – Voila, eight wedges!)On the Sauza Hornitos Tequila Reposado: The interesting thing about the label is that although it is made by Sauza, the word “HORNITOS” is the largest word on the label. I don’t know what Hornitos means in Spanish, but if it means what it sounds like in English, I would say it does what it says. (Take the first four letters only and add a Y.) Azul Gold Tequila Reposado 100% De Agave is also a very good Tequila and costs much less than Hornitos, but “works” the same. (The last time I went to buy this at our local discount liquor chain I was informed they were out and that it is a seasonal item, just like the McRib. They actually said that!)
On my baby back ribs: Mrs. Lazychef loves my ribs and so do I. My method produces “Faux” smoked ribs in a true Lazychef style. When I make them for just Mrs. Lazychef and myself, I cut one entire “meaty” rack of baby back ribs in half (See On pork ribs, below) and simply cook them in my oval shaped slow cooker for about 2 hours. I finish them under the broiler after slathering them with my barbecue sauce. If I am serving four to five people, I make two racks, and I cook them in the oven. I have cooked them using both methods, many times, and both methods produce the same tender and juicy Faux Smoked ribs.
On my baby back rib recipes – two methods: These are super easy to make. If you make them in a slow cooker, you will need one that is large and oval shaped to accommodate the length and girth of a half rack of ribs. My slow cooker is 7 quarts and large enough to hold the largest rack of baby back ribs cut in half. If you choose to make two racks in your oven, you will need a very large turkey size roasting pan with a low flat rack. You can buy a roasting pan at Bed, Bath and Beyond and then find a rack, sold individually, to fit it.
Ingredients:
1 Rack (Slow Cooker method) or 2 Racks (Oven method) Baby Back Ribs, cut in half 1 or 2 cans or bottles of beer, room temperature 1 – 4 fluid ounce bottle Liquid Smoke, (See On Liquid Smoke, below) 1-2 tablespoons, per rack, of your favorite rub for pork ribs (Sorry, mine is a secret. There are many recipes on the internet.)Preparation:
One to two days before – Prepare a baking sheet by covering it in aluminum foil. Sprinkle ribs generously with liquid smoke and season all over with a rub. Place ribs on foil covered baking sheet, cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours and up to two days.
Cooking:
Slow Cooker (Crock Pot) method: (Total Cooking time is 2 hours, 10 minutes)
Oven method: (Total Cooking time is 2 hours, 45 minutes)
On my BBQ Sauce for Pork recipe: After many years of trying store bought sauces, I finally caved in came up with my own recipe. I like a sweet and sour vinegar based sauce for my pork ribs. My sauce keeps evolving and now contains twelve ingredients. Asian Chili Paste is a recent addition.
Ingredients: (Makes enough for two large racks of pork ribs.) Note: I use a food scale so my measurements are in ounces. I just put the pan, I will be cooking the sauce in, on my food scale and add all the ingredients directly into it. No cleanup – Lazychef hates unnecessary cleanup!
7 ozs Ketchup 2-1/2 ounces Honey 3 ounces Apple Cider Vinegar 1/2 ounce Dijon Mustard 1-1/2 ounce Brown Sugar 3 ozs Bullseye Original BBQ Sauce (Or your favorite brand) 1/2 oz Worcestershire Sauce 5/8 oz Sambal Olek (This is an Asian hot Garlic Chili Paste. I like the flavor it adds, but I use very little because I don’t like very much heat in my BBQ sauce. You can use Tabasco, Cayenne powder or any other ingredient you want to add some heat, if you want some heat. 1 tsp Garlic Powder 1 tsp Onion Powder 1 oz Liquid Smoke (See On Liquid Smoke, below) Salt to tasteCombine all ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered until sauce thickens and flavors blend, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. (Can be made 1 week ahead and refrigerated.)
On Liquid Smoke – Liquid smoke is a substance produced from smoke passed through water. Liquid smoke is used for both food preservation and flavoring. During production carcinogens can be removed from the smoke, which can make “smoking” with smoke condensates significantly safer than traditional smoking.
On pork ribs – Ribs are really easy to make. You first must decide if you want to use Baby Back, Spare or St Louis style ribs. I’m not going to go into the differences because I have never gotten what I believe to be reliable information. Some people say Spare ribs are meatier and some people say baby back ribs are meatier. I prefer baby back ribs. They have always been meatier when I have eaten them and they usually cost 20% more than spare ribs in restaurants that offer both. Gee, I wonder why? Look at the picture of my ribs and ask yourself if you have ever seen meatier ribs than those!
On restaurant pork ribs – I have eaten true barbecue pork ribs (Smoked with wood low and slow) in the top rated barbecue restaurants in Los Angeles and Sacramento County and I experienced eater’s remorse every time. They were always, dry and not meaty enough for my taste and – I have tried all three cuts. So, I won’t eat them out again unless I am away from home in a part of the United States known for its BBQ.
On the Officially Sanctioned Saturday Night Rotation: Saturday night dinners are my favorites that require time consuming preparation and/or attention during the cooking stage. Outdoor grilled foods are also included in this list, but only when the weather is warm. Of course, pasta is not on this list because Sunday night’s dinner theme is pasta. Here is the officially sanctioned Saturday night rotation in the order last eaten.
On Nightly Dinner Themes and Rotations: The notion of nightly dinner themes and rotations may seem a bit bizarre to you, but I absolutely positively hate, detest and loath (I can’t think up a strong enough word) deciding what to make for dinner. My nightly themes and meal rotations make “What should I make for dinner?” very simple and stress free for me. Of course, when necessary or if I just fell like it, my system is very flexible.
On the list below: The dish ate most recently is on the top. Up until January 2, 2012 I would usually eat the dish on the bottom of the list next, but my New Year’s resolution for 2012 is to eat my most favorite dishes more frequently. My most favorite foods to eat on Saturday night are listed below with (+++) in front of them.
Important: If you are looking for a recipe, you should use the recipe in the post for the last time I made the dish. I am constantly working on improving my recipes and the last one will have my latest revisions.
* Cool Weather Only
(+++)*Roasted Moulard Duck Breast: See On Dinner March 26, 2011 (With Roasted Potatoes, I made it after buying a new Lazychef mobile and overnight guests coming -Phew!) and November 11, 2011 (With Wild Rice.)
(+++) Fried Chicken: On Dinner, January 22, 2011
(+++) Tandoori Chicken Tikka Masala: See On Dinner, January 15, 2012
(+++) *Prime Rib: See on Dinner, January 22, 2022 (A near disaster), December 3, 2011 and January 7, 2012 (My cousin Steve’s suggestion)
(+++) *Roasted Turkey: See On Dinner, December 25, 2010 (Whole Turkey), On Dinner, February 19, 2011 (I cook for two Queens!), April 10, 2011 (Turkey Breast and thighs) and December 25, 2011 (Whole Turkey for Christmas dinner.)
*New England Boiled Dinner: See On Dinner, November 27, 2011
(+++) *Beef Wellington: See On Dinner February 14, 2011 (I made it for Valentine’s Day) and On Dinner, November 5, 2011 (The last time I made it.)
*Rack of Lamb and Fruity Chicken: See On Dinner February 26, 2011 and On Dinner April 24, 2011(Rack of Lamb and Ham)
**Warm weather only
(+++) **BBQ Baby Back Ribs (Faux Smoked): See On Dinner, May, 14, 2011 (with Macaroni Salad and Smoky Artichokes), July 9, 2011 (with Cole Slaw and Corn on the Cob), August 28, 2011 (with Faux Seven Layer Salad and Bruschetta) September 20, 2011 (Mrs. Lazychef’s sister brings a guest and I serve it with my killer twice baked potatoes) and Super Bowl Sunday, February 5, 2012 (Finger Foods)
(+++) **Grilled Steak: See On Dinner September 10, 2011 (Cauliflower and Broccoli with Spinach-Parmesan Béchamel side) and On Dinner, October 29, 2011 (Baked Potato and Sautéed Mushrooms)
(+++) **Grilled Spicy Chipotle Chicken: See On Dinner, September 3, 2011 (How I Lazychefitize Margaritas is revealed) and October 28, 2011
** Carne Asada Imperial: See On Dinner, June 25, 2011 (with Ranchera Sauce), On Dinner, August 20, 2011 (without Ranchera Sauce) and On Dinner, October 15, 2011 (I used a very rare and unusual cut of beef!)
(+++) **Grilled Veal Chop: See today’s post, On Dinner September 24, 2011
(+++) **Grilled BBQ Chicken: See On Dinner, June 19, 2011 (with Cole Slaw and Beans), July 27, 2011 (I make it for Mrs. Lazychef’s sister with Baked Potato and Heart Attack Corn) and September 16, 2011 (Faux Seven Layer Salad)
Note: If you have come to my blog seeking an answer to a food question and did not find it here, please ask me your question in a comment. All comments added to any post, including the oldest posts, are instantly brought to my attention. I usually reply within an hour and no longer than twelve. Please help yourself to any of my recipes. If you make a dish, please don’t be shy, come back and comment on the recipe. Even if you didn’t like it, I would like your comments – Lazychef.
Play with your food! LazychefComments are always greatly appreciated!
If you would like to receive a FREE daily email with a link to that day’s post, send an email to: Lazychef@RamblingsOnFood.com with your email address and the words “FREE Daily Email” in the subject line. (Your email address will never be published, shared or used for any other purpose!)
Newbies: In my house, every night of the week has a different theme for dinner. Last night’s dinner was an experimental dinner and not on any Officially Sanctioned Nightly Rotation. Nonetheless, I have posted the “Officially Sanctioned Saturday Night Rotation”, at the bottom of this post for your edification.
On Dinner, Saturday, February 4 2012: Long time readers know that I am reluctant, at this stage in my life, to try new dishes. In fact, my 2012 New Year’s resolution is: “to eat my favorite meals more often.” (Newbies: See On my New Year’s resolution, below) So why in the world would I make a new dish on a Saturday night? First of all, Mrs. Lazychef asked me to make this for her and second, I know I am going to be grazing all day today, Super Bowl Sunday, like millions of other Americans, and I did not want to eat a big “favorite meal” last night.
On new dishes and an ingredient we don’t want to find in a recipe: Mrs. Lazychef is constantly looking at pictures of recipes and asking me to make them for her. Every time I tell her: “You cannot tell if you will like a dish by looking at a picture.” So, I look over the recipe ingredients and tell her why I don’t think she would like it. In fact, we have a little joke about this exercise. She always says: “This looks delicious!” I always respond with: “Now why would they use a picture of delicious looking food? Why don’t they ever use pictures of unappetizing food?” And then I drop the bomb! Mrs. Lazychef: “Those pictures are doctored up!” “How do you know there isn’t a turd on the bottom?” (Photographers sometimes use non edible objects to give a dish height it could not achieve on its own.) So, whenever she finds a recipe and I read the ingredients, she will ask me: “Did you find the turd?” (Meaning something about the dish she would not like.) Well, I could not find a turd in this recipe! What I did find were a number of delicious ingredients and spices that I thought would make an interesting new flavor profile for us. The description of the dish is: “Spiced chicken, butternut squash and tomatoes that have been slow-cooked for hours accompanies crumbly couscous. Black olives are tossed in prior to serving for pithy bursts of flavor.” We have never had Moroccan food and it is a cuisine I have wanted to try. We both loved the flavors of this dish, but I had a couple of problems with the recipe.
On this Slow Cooker Moroccan with Couscous recipe and the problems I had with it: (This recipe was in the “Dash” magazine insert that comes inside the Las Vegas Review Journal once each month. Your local newspaper may also include it. You can find the recipe online by clicking here.)
While I could not find the turd in this recipe there were a couple of concerns I had about it. The first was with cooking butternut squash for hours in a slow cooker. I knew there was no way it was not going to break down if cooked for several hours and it did. If you look at the picture on the left of my finished dish (The obviously staged one on the right is theirs!) you will notice that there are no visible pieces of butternut squash. As I predicted, it melted into the dish as did the all of the other ingredients! The flavor was still there and it was good, but I would have preferred for the squash (and the other ingredients) to have remained intact. The second concern I had was with cooking chicken in a slow cooker, especially when it is on the bone. (By the way, one reason this dish appealed to me was the use of bone-in chicken thighs. I do not cook with rubber chicken – boneless, skinless, dry, tasteless chicken! Friends don’t let friends eat rubber chicken!) I experienced a disastrous result the last time I cooked chicken breasts on the bone in a slow cooker. The chicken was seriously overcooked and separated from the rib bones causing my sauce to be full of tiny bones! Since thighs do not have small bones I was not concerned about the bone problem, but I was concerned about the chicken being over cooked. The recipe calls for cooking the dish on high for four hours or low for nine. I checked mine after three hours on high and the chicken was already slightly overcooked, so I change my slow cooker to warm.
While we loved the flavors in this dish and I would not make it again in a slow cooker. But I will be looking for a similar dish cooked in the oven or perhaps just convert this one.
Here is the recipe as it appears online and in the magazine:
INGREDIENTS:
1 (12-oz) bag frozen butternut squash cubes
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup raisins
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne
3 lb bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
1 (10-oz) box couscous
½ cup pitted black olives, halved
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large slow cooker, combine squash, tomatoes, onion, garlic, chickpeas, broth, and raisins. In a small bowl, stir together coriander, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne. Rub spice mixture into chicken.
2. Arrange chicken in a single layer atop vegetables in slow cooker. Cover and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
3. Prepare couscous according to package directions. Fluff with a fork. Stir olives into slow cooker. Serve chicken and vegetables with couscous.
On the Officially Sanctioned Saturday Night Rotation: Saturday night dinners are my favorites that require time consuming preparation and/or attention during the cooking stage. Outdoor grilled foods are also included in this list, but only when the weather is warm. Of course, pasta is not on this list because Sunday night’s dinner theme is pasta. Here is the officially sanctioned Saturday night rotation in the order last eaten.
On Nightly Dinner Themes and Rotations: The notion of nightly dinner themes and rotations may seem a bit bizarre to you, but I absolutely positively hate, detest and loath (I can’t think up a strong enough word) deciding what to make for dinner. My nightly themes and meal rotations make “What should I make for dinner?” very simple and stress free for me. Of course, when necessary or if I just fell like it, my system is very flexible.
On the list below: The dish ate most recently is on the top. Up until January 2, 2012 I would usually eat the dish on the bottom of the list next, but my New Year’s resolution for 2012 is to eat my most favorite dishes more frequently. My most favorite foods to eat on Saturday night are listed below with (+++) in front of them.
Important: If you are looking for a recipe, you should use the recipe in the post for the last time I made the dish. I am constantly working on improving my recipes and the last one will have my latest revisions.
* Cool Weather Only
(+++)*Roasted Moulard Duck Breast: See On Dinner March 26, 2011 (With Roasted Potatoes, I made it after buying a new Lazychef mobile and overnight guests coming -Phew!) and November 11, 2011 (With Wild Rice.)
(+++) Fried Chicken: On Dinner, January 22, 2011
(+++) Tandoori Chicken Tikka Masala: See On Dinner, January 15, 2012
(+++) *Prime Rib: See on Dinner, January 22, 2022 (A near disaster), December 3, 2011 and January 7, 2012 (My cousin Steve’s suggestion)
(+++) *Roasted Turkey: See On Dinner, December 25, 2010 (Whole Turkey), On Dinner, February 19, 2011 (I cook for two Queens!), April 10, 2011 (Turkey Breast and thighs) and December 25, 2011 (Whole Turkey for Christmas dinner.)
*New England Boiled Dinner: See On Dinner, November 27, 2011
(+++) *Beef Wellington: See On Dinner February 14, 2011 (I made it for Valentine’s Day) and On Dinner, November 5, 2011 (The last time I made it.)
*Rack of Lamb and Fruity Chicken: See On Dinner February 26, 2011 and On Dinner April 24, 2011(Rack of Lamb and Ham)
**Warm weather only
(+++) **Grilled Steak: See On Dinner September 10, 2011 (Cauliflower and Broccoli with Spinach-Parmesan Béchamel side) and On Dinner, October 29, 2011 (Baked Potato and Sautéed Mushrooms)
(+++) **Grilled Spicy Chipotle Chicken: See On Dinner, September 3, 2011 (How I Lazychefitize Margaritas is revealed) and October 28, 2011
** Carne Asada Imperial: See On Dinner, June 25, 2011 (with Ranchera Sauce), On Dinner, August 20, 2011 (without Ranchera Sauce) and On Dinner, October 15, 2011 (I used a very rare and unusual cut of beef!)
(+++) **Grilled Veal Chop: See today’s post, On Dinner September 24, 2011
(+++) **BBQ Baby Back Ribs (Faux Smoked): See On Dinner, May, 14, 2011 (with Macaroni Salad and Smoky Artichokes), July 9, 2011 (with Cole Slaw and Corn on the Cob), August 28, 2011 (with Faux Seven Layer Salad and Bruschetta) and September 20, 2011 (Mrs. Lazychef’s sister brings a guest and I serve it with my killer twice baked potatoes)
(+++) **Grilled BBQ Chicken: See On Dinner, June 19, 2011 (with Cole Slaw and Beans), July 27, 2011 (I make it for Mrs. Lazychef’s sister with Baked Potato and Heart Attack Corn) and September 16, 2011 (Faux Seven Layer Salad)
Note: If you have come to my blog seeking an answer to a food question and did not find it here, please ask me your question in a comment. All comments added to any post, including the oldest posts, are instantly brought to my attention. I usually reply within an hour and no longer than twelve. Please help yourself to any of my recipes. If you make a dish, please don’t be shy, come back and comment on the recipe. Even if you didn’t like it, I would like your comments – Lazychef.
Play with your food! LazychefComments are always greatly appreciated!
If you would like to receive a free daily email with a link to that day’s post, send an email to: Lazychef@RamblingsOnFood.com with your email address and the words “Free Daily Email” in the subject line. (Your email address will never be published, shared or used for any other purpose!)
Newbies: Every night of the week has a different theme for dinner in my house. Friday night’s theme is “like pornography“. See, On Friday Night’s Dinner Theme, below for an explanation.
On Dinner, Friday, February 3, 2012: The last time we ate at Que Mas, on Friday, January 6, 2012, the “First Lady” (The wife of our HOA President and neighbor) submitted the following comment to my post: “I remembered you talked about this restaurant when we were over in December, but have not had a chance to try it. Next time you guys go (I’m sure that won’t be soon, darn) please give us a holler. We would really like to go there and it would be fun seeing the Lazychef “out for dinner”.”
I replied to the First Lady: “With my New Year’s resolution “Eating my favorite foods more often” it will be sooner than you think. It will be a Friday, of course, because eating there is on the Officially Sanctioned Friday Night Rotation!” After checking our schedules, we agreed to go last night. So, Mrs. Lazychef and I picked up the President and The First Lady last night and drove them to Que Mas in the Lazychef Mobile. They said they liked the food. Apparently they did as I noticed the President cleaned his plate and the First Lady did a good job on hers too!
On a bonus: We saved $9.95 last night because just two days before I received a coupon in the mail, in a Valpak mailer, for a free two item combo, which the first lady ordered, with the purchase of another entree, which we all ordered, and two drinks, which three of us ordered!
On Qué Mas! Mexican Cafe: Las Vegas is considered one of the top five cities for dinning out in the United States. This is no surprise considering our plethora of “award winning chefs” with restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip. However, when it comes to neighborhood restaurants, there is a serious dearth of quality, locally owned, restaurants run by owners who work every day in their restaurants to make quality, fresh and innovative dishes. Mrs. Lazychef and I don’t miss an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on The Food Network, and at the end of every show lament: “Why can’t there be a restaurant like that near us”? Last November we finally found one such Mexican restaurant located a mere four miles from our home in North Las Vegas. Qué Mas! Mexican Cafe is that type of restaurant. Everything is made from scratch, including the tortillas, the menu is innovative and the dishes are complex and creative. I think when you read the descriptions and see the pictures of what we ate you will agree. (One caveat: Don’t expect your food to be brought to your table quickly. Fresh food made from scratch takes a while to prepare.)
On what Mrs. Lazychef and I ate last night: We both ordered what we ate the first time we went to Que Mas last November. Mrs. Lazychef had the Sizzling Enchiladas (Pictured above) – Two large corn tortillas filled with your choice of steak or chicken (She had the chicken) sautéed with roasted Pasilla pepper strips and sweet onions. Smothered with chipotle cream sauce, topped with lettuce, Cotija cheese and pico de gallo. Presented sizzling on a cast iron skillet. This was accompanied by rice, beans, sour cream and more pico de gallo. (The latter were served on a separate plate.)
I had the Steak Enchiladas Yucatan (pictured at the top) – Two corn tortillas with steak and sautéed roasted Poblano chili strips with sweet onions, smothered in a roasted tomato and bell pepper Yucatan Sauce. It was accompanied by red onions, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, white rice and black beans. Once again it was too die for!
On eating dinner in a restaurant: Long time, regular, readers know that Mrs. Lazychef and I rarely go out to eat because, more often than not, we end up with a case of Eater’s and/or Buyer’s Remorse (Newbies: See On Eater’s and/or Buyer’s Remorse, below). When we do eat out Mexican food and Asian food are the two cuisines we eat most often. I make several Mexican dishes and have many Asian dishes in my recipe prison (Newbies: See On my Recipe Prison, below), but only the most ambitious and prolific home cook can come close to matching the diversity of dishes these ethnic restaurants are able to prepare.
On Eater’s and/or Buyer’s Remorse: Many years ago V8 100% Vegetable Juice ran commercials that showed people eating something and then slapping themselves on the head as the exclaimed: “I could have had a V8!” Well when we go out to eat, at our expense, and eat something that is not very good, we always say: “We could have eaten at home and had a better meal!” – That’s Eater’s and Buyer’s remorse. Unfortunately, it has happened far more times than not! If we have not had to pay for the meal, such as a banquet or a friend paid, it is just Eater’s remorse. But, for goodness sake, don’t tell your friend! Unless of course you want to eliminate him as a friend, but gee, how bad can he be, he just bought you a meal! Give him a break, really! Oh, there I go again, digressing.
On my Recipe Prison: I have more than eighty main dish meals that are on my Officially Sanctioned Designated Nightly Rotations and I have made all of them and posted them on this blog. (There have been many others; including dining out posts.) Life is too short to eat anything but my favorite dishes. The older I get, the more important this becomes; at this time in my life, I have eaten far more meals than I have meals remaining to eat. So there are many recipes locked away in my recipe prison. Most of them I consider to be as perfect as they can be – for my tastes. They include Coq Au Vin, Osso Buco, Beef Bourguignon, Beef Stew and The Meatloaf Brothers (There are two different recipes, but they are related!) The inmate’s crimes are many, but their most egregious crime is that they are not good enough to deny me the opportunity to eat one of my more favored dishes. However, for various reasons, every once in a while, it could be years, Mrs. Lazychef and I will visit one of them.
Here is a list of inmates in the order last eaten: (*These are tasty enough to be eaten under certain situations!)
(Note: There are many other inmates not listed because I have not made them since starting this blog September 2010.)
*Chicken Cordon Bleu – (This a fabulous, very tasty dish, I often prepare for quests, but we prefer fried chicken!) April 1, 2011 (For our overnight house guests) and December 16, 2011 (for the President and the First Lady)
Veal Marsala – December 9, 2011 (Inspired by what a reader ate for lunch)
*Penne Pasta with Chicken, Asparagus and Grated Parmigiana Reggiano - This is very tasty, but not the type of dish I want on my Sunday Night Pasta Rotation.) See On Dinner, November 13, 2010 (This is a recipe given to me by a reader) and On Dinner November 18, 2011 (I try making it for two of my granddaughters.)
Coq au Vin – October 22, 2010
*Liver, Bacon and Grilled Onions – October 21, 2011
*Osso Buco – November 14, 2010 and October 16, 2011
*Meatloaf – October 10, 2011
Swedish Meatballs and Swedish Red Cabbage – September 23, 2011 (Executed the next day)
Manicotti ala Lasagna – November 21, 2010, April 9, 2011 and September 18, 2011 (Apparently I keep trying to convince myself this worthy, but it’s not!)
Grilled Halibut – August 29, 2011 (Replaced with Baked Halibut recipe)
Chicken Picatta – August 27, 2011 (A request by my daughter for her birthday dinner.)
Kentucky Bourbon Country-Style Pork Ribs - October 28, 2010 (I ate this when Mrs. Lazychef was out of town) and August 10, 2011 (Mrs. Lazychef and I decide to give it another chance.)
Pork Chops – April 8, 2011 and July 30, 2011 (These were Balsamic Marinated Panko-Crusted. Any pork chop recipe is in recipe prison until the pork farmers put the fat back in pork!)
*Spaghetti Alle Vongole (Spaghetti with clams) – July 18, 2011
Beer Braised Bratwurst – June 14, 2011
*Tri-Tip, Grilled Marinated – May 30, 2011
Ragù alla Bolognese – May 29, 2011
Hot and Sour Beef – February 25, 2011 (A tasty dish, but we prefer to eat Chinese food family style meaning more than one entree at the same time.)
Portuguese Tuna Fries – February 23, 2011
Dreaded Corn Casserole – January 18, 2011(The name says it all!)
Capellini Pomodoro with Veal Sorrentino – October 17, 2010 (Executed the next day!)
Beef Stew – October 4, 2010
Chicken/Cheese Enchiladas Verde – September 13, 2010
On Friday Night’s Dinner Theme: Friday’s dinner theme is … well, sort of like pornography. In 1964, Justice Potter Stewart of the United States Supreme Court wrote pornography was hard to define, but “I know it when I see it …” So it goes for Friday night’s dinner theme. It is hard to define, but I know what belongs on the Friday night menu when I see it. Below is the Friday Night Officially Sanctioned Rotation.
On Nightly Dinner Themes and Rotations: The notion of nightly dinner themes and rotations may seem a bit bizarre to you, but I absolutely positively hate, detest and loath (I can’t think up a strong enough word) deciding what to make for dinner. My nightly themes and meal rotations make “What should I make for dinner?” very simple and stress free for me. Of course, when necessary or if I just fell like it, my system is very flexible.
On the list below: The dish ate most recently is on the top. Up until January 2, 2012 I would usually eat the dish on the bottom of the list next, but my New Year’s resolution for 2012 is to eat my most favorite dishes more frequently. My most favorite foods to eat on Friday night are listed below with (+++) in front of them.
** Warm weather only -May 1 to October 31 or any other time if the weather is unseasonably warm. (By the way, cheeseburgers are eaten on Tuesday when the weather is cool and not Friday because I get take out burgers from Carl’s Jr. on my “Tuesday Night Chef’s Night Off or Kick-Back night”. It’s all really very simple!)
* Cool weather only – November 1 to April 30 or any other time if the weather becomes unseasonably cool.
(+++) Qué Mas! Mexican Cafe: November 11, 2011 (First time) January 6, 2012 (We try something new) and February 3, 2012 (with the President and First Lady)
Hot Dog – Three Way or “Ménage à Trois Haute Dog”: See On Dinner, January 27, 2012
(+++) China A Go Go: See On Dinner, January 20, 2012 (The President supports my position!)
(+++) *Savory Chicken Pot Pie: See On Dinner, December 2, 2011 (First time I ever made a chicken pot pie) and On Dinner, January 13, 2012 (I have GOT to Lazychefitize this dish!)
Something new: See On Dinner, September 23, 2011(Swedish Meatballs – A miss and summarily executed), December 2, 2011 (Chicken Pot Pie – A hit!) and December 30, 2011 (Veal Madeira)
Recipe Prison Visits: See On Dinner, February 25, 2011 (Hot and Sour Stir Fry Beef) and April 8, 2011 (Grilled Pork Chops) and December 9, 2011 (Veal Marsala) and December 16, 2011 (Chicken Cordon Bleu)
(+++) **Homemade Cheeseburgers (See On Dinner, August 5, 2011 (Aliante Smith’s Meat Department), On Dinner September 5, 2011 (Burgers on a Monday and are the jumbo chickens on strike?) November 1, 2011 (Why I made this Friday Night dish on a Tuesday.) and November, 19, 2011 (with hot dogs for Jenna and Jewel)
Dinner out at a restaurant (That we will NOT be returning to): See On Dinner April 15, 2011 (Lindo Michoacán), August 19, 2011 (Winchell’s Pub and Grill), September 2, 2011 (Market Grille Cafe – Fast Fresh Mediterranean)
Pad Thai: See On Dinner, November 4, 2011(The last time I made it)
**Tacos Poblanos: See On Dinner, July 29, 2011 (Why I made a Friday dish on a Tuesday) and On Dinner, October 25, 2011 (Why I made a Friday dish on a Tuesday, Again!)
Welcome to my blog! If you have come to my blog seeking an answer to a food question and did not find it here, please ask me your question in a comment. All comments added to any post, including the oldest posts, are instantly brought to my attention. I usually reply within an hour and no longer than twelve. Please help yourself to any of my recipes. If you make a dish, please don’t be shy, come back and comment on the recipe. Even if you didn’t like it, I would like your comments – Lazychef.
Play with your food! LazychefComments are always greatly appreciated!
If you would like to receive a free daily email with a link to that day’s post, send an email to: Lazychef@RamblingsOnFood.com with your email address and the words “Free Daily Email” in the subject line. (Your email address will never be published, shared or used for any other purpose!)
Newbies: Every night of the week has a different theme for dinner in my house. Thursday night’s theme is simply “Breakfast for Dinner”. See On Thursday night dinners, below, to read more about Thursday night dinners.
On Dinner, Thursday, February 2, 2012: I hope my Lazychef method of making Eggs Benedict inspires some readers, who like Eggs Benedict, to create their own variation. (See On the “Eggs Benedict variations” I found searching the internet, below. Don’t miss the “Lazychef Benedict“!) My Lazychef method for making Hollandaise Sauce is so easy and delicious any can do it!
On the inspiration for this dish: The first time I made Eggs Portuguese was on February 3, 2011. I was planning on making Eggs Benedict, but the Canadian bacon is a weak ingredient, in my opinion. Not only is the price of it outrageous, about $1 per ounce, but it is very bland tasting (to me); it doesn’t taste like bacon and it doesn’t really taste like ham. It’s just boring! (My apologies to my Canadian friends.) So I decided to use Portuguese Linguiça Sausage and it was fabulous. Mrs. Lazychef loves fresh sliced tomatoes so I put several slices on hers. I like them too, but not as much as she does so I only put one slice on each English muffin for mine.
On the “Eggs Benedict variations” I found searching the internet:
When I read the description of the Country Eggs Benedict I almost got the DT’s – Delirium Tremens! (Newbies, I am a gravy addict! See yesterday’s post On Dinner, January 18, 2012, to read about my gravy addiction!)
On my Eggs Portuguese (Benedict) Recipe – Lazychefitized: If I am going to make Eggs Benedict, I am going to have to Lazychefitize it! The directions for Hollandaise sauce are: Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume.
On Lazychef’s directions for Hollandaise Sauce: Melt butter in pan, dump Knorr’s Hollandaise Sauce Mix in pan with melted butter, whisk until blended, whisk in milk and heat until bubbly. Honestly, this is a really delicious and perfectly acceptable Hollandaise sauce for breakfast for dinner on a Thursday night. This Hollandaise sauce is so good; it is as good as any I have eaten in restaurants. In fact, I have recently learned that many restaurants use Knorr’s Hollandaise Sauce mix. I found a 1-1/2 lb canister at the Costco Business Center here in Las Vegas. (Almost every major town has one. These Costco “Business Centers” specialize in restaurant and hospitality products.) There are three recipes on the canister. The smallest makes 1-2/3 quarts and the largest 2-1/2 Gallons of Hollandaise sauce! Clearly this package was manufactured for the food service industry. (I was able to easily recalculate it to make 1-1/4 cups.) The canister cost $10.31, including sales tax. I will get 24 meals from this canister, so my cost per meal is $0.43. The packages that make 1-1/4 cups in the grocery store cost more than $1.50!
Eggs Benedict is now one of those dishes I never order out in a restaurant because I know I will always have eater’s and buyer’s remorse.
On how I make perfect poached eggs: I use a special egg poaching pan that has four parts, pictured here. There is the bottom pan that holds water, a tray with six holes in it to hold the egg cups, six egg cups and a clear glass lid. The tray holds the cups above the boiling water so that the eggs are actually steamed. I prepare four individual cups with non-stick spray and then put an egg in each. I put 1″ of water in the bottom of the pan, put the tray that holds the egg cups on top and cover with the glass lid. I bring the water to a boil, remove the lid and “very carefully” place the egg cups into the tray. I put the lid on a cook for 3 minutes. Viola – perfect poached eggs!
On Portuguese Sausage – Linguiça and Chouriço: Linguiça, found in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, San Francisco Bay Area, Hawaii, Seattle and New Jersey, is generally known as a Portuguese sausage. In the heavily Portuguese-ethnic areas of Southeastern Massachusetts (Where I was born), there is much debate over the merits of the two; chouriço (pronounced “shu-DEES”) is considered the spicier, more accepted alternative to the subtler flavor of Linguiça (pronounced Lin-gwee-sa) We use Linguiça for sandwiches and chouriço for soup and flavoring other meat dishes. (See On where to buy authentic Portuguese sausage, below) Portuguese chouriço, Spanish Chorizo and Mexican Chorizo are three different sausages. (See On Portuguese and Hispanics, below for more.) If you want more information on this subject you can find it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorizo.
On where to buy authentic Portuguese sausage: As far as I am concerned Gaspar’s Sausage Company this is the only place to buy Portuguese Linguiça and chouriço. (I tried the Silva brand out of desperation on September 15, 2011 and was sorely disappointed!) They have been in business over 75 years and are the largest manufacturer of Portuguese sausage in the United States. Many grocery stores carry other brands of Linguiça, but they are not nearly as authentic and delicious as Gaspar’s. They are located in Massachusetts so I place an order every November that carries me through until the next November. If you order from them, be sure to call (800) 542-2038 to place a phone or mail order. They have an independent company handling their internet orders and that company charges a lot for shipping -Gaspar’s does not! Here is the website for Gaspar’s: http://www.gasparssausage.com/mailorders1.html
On Portuguese and Hispanics: You may find it interesting that although Portuguese and Spaniards share the same ancestry, similar DNA and a very similar language, Portuguese are not considered Hispanic. That’s because only people whose ancestors speak Spanish are considered Hispanic. When the United States first started collecting ethnicity statistics in the late 1960′s, next to the box to check Hispanic, it used to say: “Portuguese are not Hispanic”. So sometimes when completing those forms I check “Other” to recognize my Portuguese heritage and sometimes I check “White” because of my French heritage. Now you know one reason why anyone would check other. One more interesting fact on this subject, Brazilians are not Hispanic, because they speak Portuguese, even though all the other millions of people in numerous countries living south of the United States are considered Hispanic.
When Mrs. Lazychef and I visited Portugal a guide told us that Portuguese is basically mispronounced and misspelled Spanish. My mother’s maiden last name is a good example of that. Nunes is pronounced Newnz in Portuguese. It is a one syllable word and the second n is a soft n. There is a similar Spanish surname – Nunez. It is pronounced New-Nez. It is a two syllable word and the second n is pronounced as hard as the first n.
On Thursday night dinners: Thursday nights are one of Mrs. Lazychef’s favorite’s nights. (The other night is Monday night.) Her most favorite foods are breakfast foods; so we eat breakfast foods for dinner on Thursday night. Below is the current Officially Sanctioned Thursday Night Dinner Rotation.
On Nightly Dinner Themes and Rotations: The notion of nightly dinner themes and rotations may seem a bit bizarre to you, but I absolutely positively hate, detest and loath (I can’t think up a strong enough word) deciding what to make for dinner. My nightly themes and meal rotations make “What should I make for dinner?” very simple and stress free for me. Of course, when necessary, my system can be very flexible.
On the list below: The dish ate most recently is on the top. Up until January 2, 2012 I would usually eat the dish on the bottom of the list next, but my New Year’s resolution for 2012 is to eat my most favorite dishes more frequently. My most favorite Thursday night dishes have (+++) in front of them.
(+++) Eggs Portuguese (See On Dinner, February 3, 2011 (Super Bowl Food Preview) October 27, 2011 (I thank two of my cousins.) and February 3, 2011 (I hope readers are inspired.)
(+++)Pancakes: See On Dinner, September 15, 2011 (Chocolate chip and bananas and Bad Linquica), December 8, 2011 (Chocolate chip and banana and The best Linquica) and January 26, 2012 (Plain pancakes and only with bacon)
(+++) Italian Omelet: See On Dinner January 19, 2012
(+++) Fried Eggs, with Hash Browns and Linguiça: See On Dinner January 12, 2012 (and some leftover ham)
French Toast, Scrambled Eggs and Bacon or Linguiça: See On Dinner, February 24, 2011 (with Linguiça and I used a different kind of bread), November 10, 2011 (with bacon and I experiment making oven baked Country Sausage) and January 5, 2012 (Made it with Hawaiian Sweet Bread)
EggMcNunes – Egg, Linguiça and Cheese Sandwich: See On Dinner, November 4, 2010 (Orange Julius recipe) and July 21, 2011 (The last post)
Vina Dosh or Vinha d’Alhos: See On Dinner, December 15, 2010 (I made eleven pounds) and December 22, 2011
(+++) Mexican Omelet: See On Dinner, December 15, 2011 (First time I made it for this blog)
Fried Eggs, with Hash Browns and Bacon: See On Dinner August 4, 2011 (Not even Obama can keep me from eating breakfast for dinner on Thursday night!), October 13, 2011 (Grateful for an easy dinner and my Orange Julius knock-off recipe) and December 1, 2011 (I pulled off a hat-trick)
Huevos Rancheros: See On Dinner, November 3, 2011 (I make my own Mexican Chorizo)
Egg McLazychef – Egg, Bacon and Cheese Sandwich: See On Dinner, March 17, 2011 (Didn’t make Corned beef and Cabbage) and October 6, 2011 (The last post)
(+++) Portuguese Omelet -Formerly called a Linguiça Omelet: See On Dinner, April 28, 2011 (Portuguese over power the French and I succumb to the omelet) August 19, 2011 (I explain the name Change) and November 17, 2011 (The last time I made it.)
Eggs Benedict: On Dinner, September 8, 2011
Denver Omelet: See On Dinner, June 16, 2011 (The last post)
On Breakfast and lunch for dinner: I like a big breakfast as much as Mrs. Lazychef, but the days are long gone since we can eat a big breakfast in the morning and still have a proper dinner that night. Can you imagine what would happen if we ate a big breakfast in the morning, followed by lunch and a proper main dish meal for dinner; we would end up as contestants on The Biggest Loser, that’s what would happen! So, we eat breakfast for dinner on Thursdays and higher-calorie more typical lunch meals; such has big sandwiches or take-out burgers on Tuesdays for dinner. (Newbies, Tuesday’s are Chef’s Night Off or Kick Back Night.)
Note: If you have come to my blog seeking an answer to a food question and did not find it here, please ask me your question in a comment. All comments added to any post, including the oldest posts, are instantly brought to my attention. I usually reply within an hour and no longer than twelve. Please help yourself to any of my recipes. If you make a dish, please don’t be shy, come back and comment on the recipe. Even if you didn’t like it, I would like your comments – Lazychef.
Play with your food! LazychefComments are always greatly appreciated!
If you would like to receive a FREE daily email with a link to that day’s post, send an email to: Lazychef@RamblingsOnFood.com with your email address and the words “FREE Daily Email” in the subject line. (Your email address will never be published, shared or used for any other purpose!)
Newbies: Every night of the week has a different theme for dinner in my house. See On Wednesday night dinners, below, to learn about Wednesday night’s dinner theme.
On Dinner, Wednesday, February 1, 2012: This is my most favorite meal and the head guard in my recipe prison. (See On my Recipe Prison Guards, below) If I knew I had one last meal on Earth, this would be it. I grew up on this and have eaten it all my life. Every time I made this, prior to 2012, I have said that I cannot believe it has been so long since I made it. I decided to do something about that and my New Year’s resolution for 2012 is to eat my most favorite meals more often. (See On My New Year’s resolution and the impact it will have on this blog, below)
On the name of this dish: There are several posts prior to November 30, 2011 in which I called this “Millionaire’s Chicken Fried Steak”. Like chicken fried steak it “is” steak dipped in a beaten egg and dredged in flour, but the additional step which involves coating it, quite heavily, with finely ground Ritz Crackers (See On Ritz Crackers, below) makes this taste quite a bit different than what most people think of when they think of chicken fried steak. When I lived at home my mom called this “breaded steak” and since she is a Portuguese-American I think the appropriate name for this dish is “Portuguese Breaded Steak”. But, my mom used the traditional cube steak used for chicken fried steak, an inexpensive and rather tough cut of meat. Since I use Filet Mignon or Beef Tenderloin, I feel Millionaire’s belongs in the name of this dish to distinguish it from common breaded steak.
On one more thing about using Portuguese in the name: A vital part of this dish, that makes it Portuguese Millionaire’s Chicken Fried steak, is that it is served with Rice and Greens cooked together. You can make it with mashed potatoes if you prefer, but please don’t call it Portuguese Millionaires’ Chicken Fried Steak or I will have to get the Portuguese Millionaire’s Chicken Fried Steak police after you!
On Ritz Crackers: Meat coated with Ritz Crackers and the copious use and consumption of Ritz Crackers is an East Coast thing. Decades after we moved from Massachusetts, when I was only two, my mother and father would break ten or twelve of them up every morning in their coffee and eat it with a spoon! My dad would eat Ritz Crackers with peanut butter on them for a snack almost every night after dinner. (We were not poor, but we did not have a lot of money to spend on food. When I grew up dinner was sometimes just a piece of white bread submerged in a bowl of Campbell’s pea soup or cream corn. Now you know why I’m obsessed with what I eat for dinner!)
On My New Year’s resolution and the impact it will have on this blog: If you watched any news programs during the last two weeks of the year, you have no doubt seen the obligatory end of the year segment on “Those who have left us”; wherein pictures of well known people who died in the current year are flashed across our screens. The older I get the closer attention I pay to “Those who have left us” who were about my age (62) and especially those who were younger than me – when they “left us”. While watching several of those segments, I said to myself: “I hope the last meal they ate was worthy of being the last meal they ate!”
And to make this even more poignant to me, my daughter gave me a beautiful “coffee table” book for Christmas titled “The Next Course – My Last Supper”. Fifty great chefs are asked: “What would be your last meal on Earth”! There are a few other questions asked of each one about the setting, drinks, music and dining companions. I was particularly struck by the final question: “Who would prepare the meal”. I have not finished the book, but about 80% answered: “Me”! One of my favorite answers to the question: “What would be the setting for the meal?” came from Tom Coliccchio, the head judge on Bravo’s reality cooking show “Top Chef”. His answer was: “It definitely would not be in a restaurant. That’s the last f@#king (the actual F-word was spelled out in the book!) place I want to have my last meal.” I am far from a great chef, but at least I think like one. I want my last meal to be one I prepare and I don’t want it to be in a F@#king restaurant. (Newbies: See On Eater’s and/or Buyer’s Remorse, below)
So what does all this have to do with my New Year’s resolution? My New Year’s resolution is to eat my most favorite meals much more frequently in the future. This means, for example, I will be eating and posting Prime Rib, Fried Chicken, Roasted Turkey, Grilled Steak, my Marinara Sauce, and of course, what would be my Last Supper – Portuguese Breaded Steak, just to mention a few, far more frequently than I have since starting this blog. (Other “Officially Sanctioned” dishes will be eaten less frequently.) Unfortunately, that is probably going to be somewhat boring for my readers. I will be letting you know in my daily email updates if a post is a rerun or if there is something new or of interest in that day’s post.
On my Portuguese Millionaire’s Breaded Steak or “Dish Formerly Known As Millionaires Chicken Fried Steak” recipe: My mother made this using traditional inexpensive tenderized round or cube steak. I kick my version up by using Beef Tenderloin also known as Filet Mignon. If the fillets are too thick I stand them on their side and cut them to half the original thickness. (The ideal thickness is 1″ to 1/2″ inches.) I dust the filet with flour; dip it in a seasoned beaten egg and coat it heavily with finely crushed Ritz Cracker crumbs, just like my mother did. I fry it for 6 minutes on each side in a non stick electric frying pan at 335 degrees until it is golden, slightly crispy and medium rare.
On the Rice and Collard Greens: My Portuguese-American mother originally cooked the rice with kale. She grew up on rice and kale, so it must be a Portuguese dish, but I can’t find any proof of that. I know it sounds like a Southern dish but I can assure you that no one in the huge Portuguese community in South East, Massachusetts was cooking anything Southern in the 1920s and 30′s. Also, the Portuguese use Kale in a soup called Caldo Verde (Green Soup), which is most commonly called Kale Soup (See On Dinner, April 18, 2011) Back in the day only seasonal vegetables were available in grocery stores. When fresh or frozen kale was not available she would use frozen collard greens. At some point Frozen Collard Greens became the standard greens used for this dish in our house. I tried making it with fresh kale and fresh collard greens but the texture did not work for me. For those of you shrieking in horror over my preference for frozen greens over fresh, please read On Frozen Vegetables, below.
On how I make rice and Collard Greens: I simply cook 3/4 cup converted or parboiled rice and 12 ounces frozen collard greens for 20 minutes in 2 cups of lightly salted water.
On the brown gravy: Long time readers know that I have an addiction to Campbell’s Beef Gravy. I literally drown the rice and breaded fried steak with it. I find it extremely amusing that the label on a 10 ounce can says it contains five servings! That works out to 2 Tablespoons per serving. Please! Until my dealer (Wal-Mart) started carrying the larger 14 ounce can, I would have the stretch a puny 10 ounce can throughout my meal and find myself wanting more. (Mrs. Lazychef eats her rice and collard greens with a little butter and her chicken fried steak dry! But, I still love her. Newbies can read more On my Campbell’s Beef Gravy addiction below.)
On Frozen Vegetables: Frozen vegetables are picked at the peak of freshness and then flash-frozen preserving nature’s nutritional value at a higher percentage than fresh. Frozen vegetables quickly lock in quality and nutrients while fresh vegetables steadily lose nutrients after they’re harvested. Dr. Barbara Klein, a professor of food and nutrition at the University of Illinois, found that after three days in a freezer, frozen green beans contain twice as much vitamin C as fresh green beans that spent the same amount of time in a display case. Many vegetables grown around the world travel thousands of miles to reach your grocery store and lose their nutrients in that time. (This is why we now have vegetables available year round when they are locally out of season.) If fresh vegetables sit in your refrigerator after you purchase them, the nutrient levels degrade even more.
On my Campbell’s Beef Gravy addiction – Hello, my name is Lazychef and I am a Campbell’s Beef Gravy addict. I could just open the can and drink it with a straw. Like Jack in the Box tacos, I know I can stop if I want to, but I just don’t want to! I don’t eat it all that often, but when I do, I just can’t stop. It sometimes ends up badly with me waking up in a gutter somewhere with gravy stains all over my shirt. If you need a fix, I can tell where to get the real deal at the best price. Don’t go legit! Drive around until you see a store with the words WAL*MART Supercenter over the door. Go inside and tell them Lazychef sent you. Be sure to tell them you want the good stuff, not the dirt or rag brand. They will charge you about half of what the major supermarkets charge, saving you almost $1.00 per can!
On my Recipe Prison Guards: A prison guard is a dish I like so much that it keeps other very good, but less worthy, recipes locked up in my recipe prison. Most inmates in my recipe prison are not good enough to deny me the opportunity to eat one of my favorite dishes. If I could eat one of my prison guard recipes everyday and not end up on The Biggest Loser, I would! When I hear someone has died suddenly and unexpectedly, I wonder if the last meal they ate was worthy of being the last meal they ate. Mine had better be or I am going to be very upset. Life is too short to deny oneself the pleasure of eating a favorite dish! Of course sometimes I have no choice and at a time when others might be saying grace I silently pray: Dear God, please don’t let this be my last meal. Onetime Mrs. Lazychef and I went out for breakfast before getting on an airplane. I had the worst waffle I have ever eaten in my life and I told Mrs. Lazychef if this plane goes down, I am going to be so angry. On the way back home, just before getting on the plane for our return flight, we had one of the best clam chowders we have ever eaten and I said to Mrs. Lazychef: “OK, I’m ready! Let’s get on this plane!)
On Wednesday night dinners: Once upon a time in the mid 1990′s, when Mrs. Lazychef was working at a very difficult job, I came up with the idea that Wednesday night’s theme should be “Date Night”. (This was more than ten years before I ever heard the term date night used for married couples. I should have registered it as a trademark!) Our children no longer lived at home and what better way to celebrate “Hump Day”. (Come on readers, keep it clean, everyone knows that Wednesday, the middle of the traditional work week, is called hump day! Google it, if you doubt me.) Ok, now that we are passed that – I needed to come up with ideas to prepare a proper meal and still leave time for “dating” before dinner time. (I hate to date on a full stomach, don’t you? Oh boy, let’s try to stay focused on the food readers. I knew explaining this was a bad idea!) And that is why there are so many slow cooker meals on Wednesday night. (Several others have been added since Mrs. Lazychef retired in June of 2010.)
On Nightly Dinner Themes and Rotations: The notion of nightly dinner themes and rotations may seem a bit bizarre to you, but I absolutely positively hate, detest and loath (I can’t think up a strong enough word) deciding what to make for dinner. My nightly themes and meal rotations make “What should I make for dinner?” very simple and stress free for me. Of course, when necessary, my system is very flexible.
On the list below: The dish ate most recently is on the top. Up until January 2, 2012 I would usually eat the dish on the bottom of the list next, but my New Year’s resolution for 2012 is to eat my most favorite dishes more frequently. My most favorite Wednesday night dishes have (+++) in front of them.
(+++) Portuguese Millionaire’s Breaded Steak or “Dish Formerly Known As Millionaires Chicken Fried Steak”: See On Dinner, November 30, 2011 (Name change) and January 4, 2011 (The final complete name is decreed.) and February 1, 2012 (The last time I made it.)
Company Pot Roast: See On Dinner, September 28, 2011 (To sear, or not to sear) December 7, 2011 (I rave about a similar dish I ate out and tell you where you can get it!) and January 25, 2012 (Nothing new)
(+++) Beef Pot Roast with Beef Gravy, Mushrooms and Onions: See On Dinner, November 16, 2011(A tribute to my commentators) and January 18, 2012 (The last time I made it.)
Pork Shoulder Butt Roast: See On Dinner, November 9, 2011 (Stuffing and corn) and January 12, 2012 (Mashed Potatoes and peas)
(+++) Portuguese Pot Roast: See On Dinner, October 27, 2011
(+++ only the Sauerbraten) Sauerbraten and Fruity Chicken: See On Dinner, October 19, 2011 (I fulfill a promise I made to my daughter!) and December 14, 2011 (Mrs. Lazychef was really happy with just this for dinner!)
Honey Mustard Chicken: See On Dinner, November 2, 2011 (Huge Breasts!)
Welcome to my blog! If you have come to my blog seeking an answer to a food question and did not find it here, please ask me your question in a comment. All comments added to any post, including the oldest posts, are instantly brought to my attention. I usually reply within an hour and no longer than twelve. Please help yourself to any of my recipes. If you make a dish, please don’t be shy, come back and comment on the recipe. Even if you didn’t like it, I would like your comments – Lazychef.
Play with your food! LazychefComments are always greatly appreciated!
If you would like to receive a FREE daily email with a link to that day’s post, send an email to: Lazychef@RamblingsOnFood.com with your email address and the words “FREE Daily Email” in the subject line. (Your email address will never be published, shared or used for any other purpose!)
Newbies: The Executive Chef gets at least one night off in every restaurant and, in my case; Tuesday is my Chef’s Night Off or Kick-Back Night. Simple meals made with leftovers or Fast Food Take-Out is often eaten. (See On the Officially Sanctioned Tuesday Night Dinner Rotation, below.)
On Dinner, Tuesday, January 31, 2012: Here Ye, Here Ye, by royal decree this dinner from this day forward will be known as: “The Lord of the Subs: The return of the Meatballs”!
I make two Ultimate Submarine Sandwiches (The other one is my Ultimate Cheesesteak/French Dip Sandwich) so I am decreeing myself “The Lord of the Subs”. (The double entendre is pretty cool too!) And since I make this with leftover meatballs from when I make Spaghetti and meatballs, this sandwich is “The Return of the Meatballs”. (You should start your own blog. You can make up words and bestow royal titles on yourself. You can also steal ideas from movies. This is my second reference, in as many days, to “The Lord of the Rings”. Yesterday I used “My precious, my precious”!)
On this sandwich: Every time I make this I can’t believe it was once incarcerated in my recipe prison. (Newbies: See On my recipe prison, below.) I hated this so much I put the words: “NEVER EVER MAKE THIS AGAIN!” in bold red type under the recipe title. I had two issues with this sandwich and they were both with the roll. There was too much of it and it was too soft. Meatballs, made with bread crumbs, stuffed into a soft roll just did not make my taste buds happy. I don’t know where the idea came from, but I found a way to make this a dinner I now look forward to eating. (I have written “No arrogance allowed in this blog” many times, but this sandwich is the Ultimate Meatball Sandwich.) The key, for me, is how I prepare the roll. (See steps, 3, 4 and 5 in the directions.) Another thing I have changed is that I do not freeze the meatballs I made the previous Sunday night for Spaghetti and Meatballs. When frozen and thawed the meatballs seemed to lose their firm texture and become mushy. A mushy meatball stuffed into a soft dense hunk of bread is just not appealing to me.
On my Ultimate Meatballs Sandwich recipe:
Ingredients (Makes two servings)
Two Large Submarine Rolls
12 ounces or more leftover Meatballs
1 cup or more Marinara Sauce
Olive oil flavored Non Stick Spray,
2-4 ounces Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Grated Imported Parmesan and Romano Cheese
Cooking Directions:
Eating Directions:
On my Recipe Prison: I have more than eighty main dish meals that are on my Officially Sanctioned Designated Nightly Rotations and I have made all of them and posted them on this blog. (There have been many others; including dining out posts.) Life is too short to eat anything but my favorite dishes. The older I get, the more important this becomes; at this time in my life, I have eaten far more meals than I have meals remaining to eat. So there are many recipes locked away in my recipe prison. Most of them I consider to be as perfect as they can be – for my tastes. They include Coq Au Vin, Osso Buco, Beef Bourguignon, Beef Stew and The Meatloaf Brothers (There are two different recipes, but they are related!) The inmate’s crimes are many, but their most egregious crime is that they are not good enough to deny me the opportunity to eat one of my more favored dishes. However, for various reasons, every once in a while, it could be years, Mrs. Lazychef and I will visit one of them.
Here is a list of inmates in the order last eaten: (*These are tasty enough to be eaten under certain situations!)
*Chicken Cordon Bleu – (This a fabulous, very tasty dish, I often prepare for quests, but we prefer fried chicken!) April 1, 2011 (For our overnight house guests) and December 16, 2011 (for the President and the First Lady)
Veal Marsala – December 9, 2011 (Inspired by what a reader ate for lunch)
*Penne Pasta with Chicken, Asparagus and Grated Parmigiana Reggiano - This is very tasty, but not the type of dish I want on my Sunday Night Pasta Rotation.) See On Dinner, November 13, 2010 (This is a recipe given to me by a reader) and On Dinner November 18, 2011 (I try making it for two of my granddaughters.)
Coq au Vin – October 22, 2010
*Liver, Bacon and Grilled Onions – October 21, 2011
*Osso Buco – November 14, 2010 and October 16, 2011
*Meatloaf – October 10, 2011
Swedish Meatballs and Swedish Red Cabbage – September 23, 2011 (Executed the next day)
Manicotti ala Lasagna – November 21, 2010, April 9, 2011 and September 18, 2011 (Apparently I keep trying to convince myself this worthy, but it’s not!)
Grilled Halibut – August 29, 2011 (Replaced with Baked Halibut recipe)
Chicken Picatta – August 27, 2011 (A request by my daughter for her birthday dinner.)
Kentucky Bourbon Country-Style Pork Ribs - October 28, 2010 (I ate this when Mrs. Lazychef was out of town) and August 10, 2011 (Mrs. Lazychef and I decide to give it another chance.)
Pork Chops – April 8, 2011 and July 30, 2011 (These were Balsamic Marinated Panko-Crusted. Any pork chop recipe is in recipe prison until the pork farmers put the fat back in pork!)
*Spaghetti Alle Vongole (Spaghetti with clams) – July 18, 2011
Beer Braised Bratwurst – June 14, 2011
*Tri-Tip, Grilled Marinated – May 30, 2011
Ragù alla Bolognese – May 29, 2011
Hot and Sour Beef – February 25, 2011 (A tasty dish, but we prefer to eat Chinese food family style meaning more than one entree at the same time.)
Portuguese Tuna Fries – February 23, 2011
Dreaded Corn Casserole – January 18, 2011(The name says it all!)
Capellini Pomodoro with Veal Sorrentino – October 17, 2010 (Executed the next day!)
Beef Stew – October 4, 2010
Chicken/Cheese Enchiladas Verde – September 13, 2010
On the Officially Sanctioned Tuesday Night Dinner Rotation: Tuesday night is Chef’s Kick-Back Night or Night-Off. Leftover meats are often used in sandwiches and tacos, Fast Food Take Out can be eaten, and something new can be tried. If it is good enough, it makes the team. I let my “meatball sandwich recipe” out on parole from my recipe prison, rehabilitated it to The Ultimate Meatball sandwich and put it back on the team 12/22/10. Roberto’s Taco shop was added 2/16/11. Jersey Mike’s was kicked off – See my 11/10/2010 post. IN ‘N’ OUT BURGER was kicked off – see my 12/8/10 post (Yes, I know IN ‘N’ OUT Burger is consistently rated the best fast food burger chain, but we prefer Carl’s Jr.) and tuna sandwich was kicked off, see On Dinner, July 26, 2011, when I deemed it not worthy to be eaten for dinner. It’s all very simple – really!
On Nightly Dinner Themes and Rotations: The notion of nightly dinner themes and rotations may seem a bit bizarre to you, but I absolutely positively hate, detest and loath (I can’t think up a strong enough word) deciding what to make for dinner. My nightly themes and meal rotations make “What should I make for dinner?” very simple and stress free for me. Of course, when necessary or if I just fell like it, my system is very flexible.
On the list below: The dish ate most recently is on the top. Up until January 2, 2012 I would usually eat the dish on the bottom of the list next, but my New Year’s resolution for 2012 is to eat my most favorite dishes more frequently. My most favorite Tuesday night dishes have (+++) in front of them.
** Warm weather only (May 1 to October 31 or any other time if the weather is unseasonably warm.)
*Cool Weather only (November 1 to April 30 or any other time if the weather is unseasonably cool.)
(+++) Meatball Sandwiches: See On Dinner September 13, 2011 (With Cole Slaw), December 13, 2011 (The Lord of the Subs: The Return of the King)
Pizza: See on Dinner, June 3, 2011 (Pizza moves to from Friday to Tuesday nights), August 9, 2011 (I plead insanity) October 4, 2011 (Hungry Howie’s becomes our Go-To Take out Pizza), November 15, 2011 (Papa Murphy’s Take and Bake Pizza) and January 24, 2012 (A new specialty limited time only pizza from Papa Murphy’s)
(+++) Jack in the Box Tacos and Taco Bell Burrito Supreme “Take Out Feast”: See On Dinner September 6, 2011(Grandpa Abuse!) and January 17, 2012 (Visual aids are included for the first time)
(+++) *Ultimate Homemade Cheesesteak/French Dip from leftover prime rib: See On Dinner, January 10, 2012 (Only when the weather is cool and I have leftover prime rib)
Rueben and Ham and Cheese Sandwich: See On Dinner, October 21, 2011 (The Agony and the Ecstasy!) and January 3, 2012 (I add the Ham sandwich)
(+++) *Leftover Turkey, Dressing, Gravy and Freshly Made Corn: See On Dinner, Christmas 2011 (Only when the weather is cool and I have leftover roasted turkey.)
(+++) *Carl’s Jr.: (Only when it is too dark and cold to grill my own on Friday nights.) See On Dinner January 18, 2011 and On Dinner December 20, 2011 (Not the star of the post even though it had been 11 months since we last ate a fast food, or any, hamburger that wasn’t homemade!)
(+++) Roberto’s Taco Shop: See On Dinner, November 29, 2011
Subway -Take out: See On Dinner, November 9, 2010 (Jersey Mikes’ got kicked off the rotation) and November 22, 2011
Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich: See On Dinner, July 25, 2011(This is one of the more entertaining posts.) and On Dinner, October 18, 2011
**Carnitos Tacos from leftover pork roast: See On Dinner, September 27, 2011
(+++) **Chili Size: See On Dinner August 23, 2011
**BBQ pulled pork sandwich from leftover pork roast: See On Dinner, May 7, 2011
Note: If you have come to my blog seeking an answer to a food question and did not find it here, please ask me your question in a comment. All comments added to any post, including the oldest posts, are instantly brought to my attention. I usually reply within an hour and no longer than twelve. Please help yourself to any of my recipes. If you make a dish, please don’t be shy, come back and comment on the recipe. Even if you didn’t like it, I would like your comments – Lazychef.
Play with your food! LazychefComments are always greatly appreciated!
If you would like to receive a FREE daily email with a link to that day’s post, send an email to: Lazychef@RamblingsOnFood.com with your email address and the words “FREE Daily Email” in the subject line. (Your email address will never be published, shared or used for any other purpose!)
Newbies: In my house, every night of the week has a different theme for dinner. Please read On Monday Night Dinners, below, to learn about Monday night’s dinner theme.
On Dinner, Monday, January 30, 2012: I had to part with my culinary blanky – boohoo! (This whole ordeal has been so traumatic. First I had to part with my blanky then I got a boo boo. I have been unable to bring myself to write about giving up my blanky until today!)
My blanky was my most favorite (non electric) cooking pan. It was a 3 quart, 9″ Chef’s Saucier with high sloped sides that curved up from the bottom. This made it perfect for making sauces and dishes like risottos. Unfortunately, I wore it out -the non stick coating was 50% gone! I have been trying to replace it for over a year and have not found one exactly like it. I finally caved in last Saturday and replaced it with a 3 quart, 10″ Chef’s pan. (I have already used it twice. Saturday I used it to make the sauce for the duck and last night I used it to make the sauce for the shrimp curry.) Because this pan is wider it is not quite as deep which means that I will be making more of a mess on Mrs. Lazychef’s stove as sauces simmer and pop over the edge of the pot. (This is why I had been holding out so long. Sorry about that Mrs. Lazychef!) That said, this pan is superior to the one I had because it has much better heat distribution and the nonstick coating is metal utensil safe. I also like the glass lid. No need to lift the lid to see if the heat source needs to be adjusted.
The pan I purchased is the Food Network’s 3-qt. Hard-Anodized Chef’s pan. It is $109.95 on The Food Network website, but I bought it on sale at Kohl’s for $59.99. (Click here to see it on Kohl’s website.) Sunday morning I was looking at the Kohl’s website for other pieces in the set and discovered they had an 11 piece matching set, which does not include this pan (of course), on sale for $199.99 and free shipping. The regular price for this set is $329.99. Naturally I ordered it and can’t wait for it to arrive! (Here is the link for the set on Kohl’s website.)
(Please don’t tell Mrs. Lazychef I have hidden the old one (“My Precious, my precious”) somewhere in the kitchen. I’m just not ready to part with it. I will someday, really – I promise!)
On Shrimp Curry: Mrs. Lazychef grew up on this dish. Her mother would make it by simply adding curry powder, canned shrimp and milk to Campbell’s frozen Cream of Shrimp Soup. After we both became fans of true Indian food, and I started cooking it, I decided this needed to be kicked up several notches. Using Campbell’s Cream of Shrimp Soup seemed like a good base for this dish so I decided to keep it. However, the frozen soup product disappeared from grocery store shelves several years ago. The can condensed product is very good, but quite expensive. It is almost $5 per can in most grocery stores, but I buy it at Wal-Mart (When they have it in stock!) for less than $2.50 per can. I buy up to 6 cans depending on how many are in stock. Readers, Lazychef believes in having plenty of back up n his pantry. If there is an open item in my kitchen, there is at least one unopened item on the “special” back-up shelf in the pantry. If an item is taken from the back-up shelf and I am not told about it, so I can buy a replacement, and I reach for something that is not there when I am cooking; well – I’ll just say children should not be present! (By the way, the back-up system holds true for toiletries such as bar soap, shampoo, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, TP and etc. Since this is a food blog and not a toiletry blog, I’ll stop here. Hmm, I wonder if there would be any interest in reading a toiletry blog.)
On my Shrimp Curry recipe:
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon Butter
1/2 Large Onion, diced
3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger (Love the taste of ground. Hate the taste of fresh!)
1/2 Tablespoon Cumin
1/2 Tablespoon Coriander (I buy a premixed Cumin/Coriander blend at an Indian market and use 1 tablespoon instead of 1/2 tablespoon of each.)
1-1/2 Tablespoons Curry Powder (See On Curry Powder, below)
1 tsp Turmeric
1 -1/2 cans Campbell’s Cream of Shrimp Soup (10-3/4 ounce can) (You can freeze the half you don’t use for next time.)
1 soup can Whole Milk
24 (31-40 per pound size) peeled and deveined shrimp, approximately 12 ounces (I buy the frozen peeled and deveined shrimp from Costco.)
6-1/2 ounces frozen peas (Sometime I use frozen chopped cauliflower or even both)
Sugar to taste (The spices can be a little bitter.)
Minced Fresh Cilantro for garnish (Optional)
Directions
On Curry Powder: The blends commonly found in US grocery stores and Indian markets are all pretty similar. Garam Masala is a very close blend of spices, but the blends I have found in the US contain a lot of clove. I am not a fan of clove so when I use Garam Masala in my Indian dishes, I use it sparingly. Here is a link where you can learn more about curry powder: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry_powder)
Special note on Curry Powder: I recently read an article that said India’s Alzheimer’s disease rates are among the lowest in the world! The low rate is attributed to Curcumin which is found in Curry powder. Apparently this is not new information has I just found UCLA study from 2004 that came to the same conclusion. Now, in addition to the delicious taste, you have another reason to try it.
On Basmati Rice: Paraphrased from Wikipedia - Basmati is a variety of long grain rice grown in India and Pakistan. It is very fragrant and has a delicate, nuanced flavor. Its name means “the fragrant one” in Sanskrit.
On How I make Basmati Rice: I just put 1 cup rice and 1-1/2 cups water in my electric rice cooker and push start, approximately one hour later it is done and It is absolutely delicious!
On Monday night dinners: Monday nights and Thursday nights are Mrs. Lazychef’s favorite’s nights. She likes main dish salads and grilled fish when the weather is warm on Monday nights. When the weather is cool she likes fried fish, “Dreaded” casseroles or hearty main dish soups for dinner.
On Nightly Dinner Themes and Rotations: The notion of nightly dinner themes and rotations may seem a bit bizarre to you, but I absolutely positively hate, detest and loath (I can’t think up a strong enough word) deciding what to make for dinner. My nightly themes and meal rotations make “What should I make for dinner?” very simple and stress free for me. Of course, when necessary, my system is very flexible.
On the list below: The dish ate most recently is on the top. Up until January 2, 2012 I would usually eat the dish on the bottom of the list next, but my New Year’s resolution for 2012 is to eat my most favorite dishes more frequently. My most favorite Monday night dishes have (+++) in front of them.
Important: If you are looking for a recipe, you should use the recipe in the post for the last time I made the dish. I am constantly working on improving my recipes and the last one will have my latest revisions.
Here is Mrs. Lazychef’s Monday Night Officially Sanctioned cool weather rotation. These are usually eaten November 1 to April 30, if the weather becomes unseasonably cool or?
(+++) Shrimp Curry: See On Dinner, July 11, 2011 (I used a loophole in the cool weather food rule!) and On Dinner, January 30, 212
Cabbage Soup: See On Dinner February 28, 2011 (Snow again in Vegas!) November 14, 2011 (My Uncle Leonard) and January 23, 2102 (This could easily be made vegan)
(The Only Slightly Dreaded) Tuna Noodle Casserole: See On dinner, November 28, 2011 (I add grated Parmesan Cheese) and January 16, 2012 (I top it with French Fried Onions)
(+++) Crispy Pan Fried Fish and Scallops: See On Dinner November 7, 2011 (I kick it up two ways)
(+++)Caldo Verde – Portuguese Green Soup: See On Dinner, April, 18, 2011 (I made this for my daughter) and January 2, 2012 (The last time I made it.)
Classic Posole: See On Dinner, December 26, 2011 (The first time I ever made this.)
Lazychef’s Chili: See On dinner, December 19, 2011 (I tweaked it!)
Minestrone Soup: See On Dinner, December 5, 2011
Here is Mrs. Lazychef’s Monday Night Officially Sanctioned warm weather rotation. These are usually eaten May 1 to October 30, if the weather becomes unseasonably warm or?
Taco Salad: See On Dinner, March 15, 2011 (Lazychef is busted by Mrs. Lazychef and something is afoot, Watson!) and this post October 17, 2011 (The last time I made it.)
(+++) Baked Halibut with Tomato, Basil and Garlic: See On Dinner, September 12, 2011 (The first time I made this dish.) and today’s post On Dinner, October 3, 2011 (The last time I EVER use frozen fish!)
Cobb Salad: See today’s post On Dinner, September 26, 2011 (I take a tip from my grandson)
(+++) Seafood Louis Salad: See On Dinner, June 20, 2011 (Shrimp only) and On Dinner, September 19, 2011 (Lobster and Crab)
Grilled Fresh Fish: See On Dinner September 27, 2010 (New TV), April 25, 2011 (Opah – trip to Summerlin), June 6, 2011 (No Salmon!), August 1, 2011 (Red Beans and Rice), August 15, 2011 (Big mistake) and August 29, 2011 (Mother of Invention)
(+++) Southwest Chicken Caesar Salad and Southwest Steak Caesar Salad: See On Dinner, August 22, 2011
Chinese Chicken Salad: See On Dinner, August 8, 2011
Note: If you have come to my blog seeking an answer to a food question and did not find it here, please ask me your question in a comment. All comments added to any post, including the oldest posts, are instantly brought to my attention. I usually reply within an hour and no longer than twelve. Please help yourself to any of my recipes. If you make a dish, please don’t be shy, come back and comment on the recipe. Even if you didn’t like it, I would like your comments – Lazychef.
Play with your food! LazychefComments are always greatly appreciated!
If you would like to receive a FREE daily email with a link to that day’s post, send an email to: Lazychef@RamblingsOnFood.com with your email address and the words “FREE Daily Email” in the subject line. (Your email address will never be published, shared or used for any other purpose!)
Newbies: In my house, every night of the week has a different theme for dinner. Please read On Sunday night dinners, below, to learn about Sunday night’s dinner theme.
On Dinner, Sunday, January 29, 2012: I have a “Boo Boo” also known as an “Owie” (It’s a cut from the edge of a piece of aluminum foil! Those edges are sharp!) on the tip of my left middle finger which makes typing difficult this morning. So when I pulled up and read the post for the last time I made this meal, considering my handicap, I decided that I just had to post a rerun of that post – “The Lord of the Meatballs: The Return of the Queen”! It is one of my personal favorites.
This is a rerun from On Dinner, Saturday, December 10, 2012: Last night’s dinner was: “The Lord of the Meatballs: The Return of the Queen”. Long time readers may recall that I cooked for two Queens last February 19. One Queen was Mrs. Lazychef the Queen of my Kingdom. (Of course, that makes me the King! Shh, don’t tell Mrs. Lazychef! It’ll be our secret! But the king is constantly mindful that if the Queen is happy there is peace in the Kingdom!) The second Queen was an old friend of Mrs. Lazychef’s she has known since the seventh grade. I have known Vicky, but not very well, since she and Mrs. Lazychef were freshman in High School and I was a senior. Vicky truly is a Queen as she was voted homecoming Queen of our High School in 1970. Although, we have known her for a long time, last time was the first time she has come to our house for dinner and last night was the second. When she was here in Las Vegas last February she came with her daughter and granddaughter to attend a cheer competition. Vicky came alone that night for dinner but did bring us a fabulous bottle of wine sent by her husband. I already had a whole bone in turkey breast thawed for dinner when I learned of her upcoming trip to Las Vegas. Fortunately, I learned, that night, that turkey and dressing are two of Vicky’s most favorite foods.
Vicky brought her husband Paul with her on this trip to Las Vegas to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. (Yippee – more fabulous free wine! Thanks Paul!) This time I had plenty of advance notice which gave me an opportunity to ask them what they wanted me to make them for dinner. Vicky offered a few suggestions, one of which was Spaghetti and Meatballs. I decided that anyone that brings me wine deserves to be allowed into the inner circle of those that have dined on the Holy Grail – My Spaghetti and Meatballs! (Those of you without sin should be hearing a chorus of Angels softly singing one of my favorite love songs:
On top of spaghetti,
All covered with cheese,
I lost my poor meatball,
When somebody sneezed.
It rolled off the table,
And on to the floor,
And then my poor meatball,
Rolled out of the door.
It rolled in the garden,
And under a bush,
And then my poor meatball,
Was nothing but mush.
The mush was as tasty
As tasty could be,
And then the next summer,
It grew into a tree.
The tree was all covered,
All covered with moss,
And on it grew meatballs,
And tomato sauce.
So if you eat spaghetti,
All covered with cheese,
Hold on to your meatball,
Whenever you sneeze.
Those of you that cannot hear or know the song “really need” to click here to hear it on YouTube: “On Top Of Spaghetti”. (I know! I did it to you again! You’re not going to get this song out of your head for the rest of the day! Sorry about that – or am I?)
On my Marinara sauce: It is so good, that a very dear friend, my wife and I have known for over 44 years, has flown on a great many occasions, all the way from England just to eat it. Ok, she usually mixes her trip in with a visit to her father in San Diego, but we do live hundreds of miles from her father! I have made my Spaghetti and Meatballs for Diane for decades and always make it or, only very recently, Veal Parmigiana for her when she comes to visit. (I use the same marinara sauce and pasta for both dishes.) See On Dinner, September 12, 2010 to read about the first time I made “Faux” Veal Parmigiana for her and her comment about it.) When I posted this dinner back on January 31, 2011, Diane submitted the comment: “Worth a flight…..when is it next on the menu????? Well, she could not make it on a Sunday, so naturally I moved it to the night of her arrival, which was Tuesday, March 29, 2011. That, readers, is how good my Spaghetti and Meatballs is! My marinara sauce is robust; full flavored and the most delicious in the world. (I have repeatedly written: “No arrogance allowed in this blog”, but I will make an exception for this dinner.) And no, my recipe will never be posted. It is a family secret only shared with blood relatives under penalty of death if it is shared with a non blood relative! But, I will share some tips on how to Lazychefitize homemade marinara sauce and meatballs.
On my Caesar Salad recipe: I buy a head of Romaine and tear it up into bite size pieces. I put it in a large bowl and toss it with, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and Ken’s Creamy Caesar salad dressing. (Thanks to my wife’s niece who asked me about the absence of croutons on my last Caesar salad, I am now adding croutons. Yes, Linda, they are worth it!) I have made homemade authentic Caesar Salad dressing, but we really prefer Ken’s.
On Lazychefitizing marinara sauce: Spaghetti and Meatballs is a great classic comfort food and almost everyone has their favorite recipe. My marinara sauce recipe requires long simmering so all the flavors can meld. (One of my former co-workers, after tasting it, called it: Industrial Strength Marinara Sauce!) I made this for many years on the stove top, but that required stirring the pot every 10-15 minutes so the tomatoes on the bottom of the pot would not burn. What a pain! Then one day it hit me, why not cook it in a slow cooker? I cook it for five hours on high heat and it needs no tending of any kind. Of course, I still have to lift the lid periodically to taste it -Oh, the joys of cooking!
On Lazychefitizing meatballs: I cook my six and half ounce meatballs on a foil covered (Newbies – Lazychef hates unnecessary cleanup!) baking sheet in the oven. I preheat my oven to 550 degrees. That’s as high as it goes. I cook the meatballs for 6 minutes, turn them over and cook 5 more minutes, just until the outside is browned. I don’t want them cooked all the way through. I add them to my sauce about an hour and half before it is done. They give off juices as they continue to cook in the sauce. When I’m done cooking the meatballs, the foil goes in the trash and the baking sheet gets another layer of foil and is ready and waiting for the garlic bread.
On the pasta: I like Barilla “Thin” Spaghetti. I grew up on Spaghetti but I now prefer thinner pasta. Ronzoni makes Vermicelli that is pretty good too. Any long thin pasta with a 6 minute cooking time will be the right thickness (for me).
On Sunday Night Dinners: Sunday night’s dinner theme is Pasta. My nightly dinner themes or “Officially Sanctioned” meal rotations are not written in stone. I made the Cajun Jambalaya Pasta, a Cheesecake Factory copy, for the first time on February 3, 2011, a Friday night, and deemed it so delicious I added it to the Officially Sanctioned Sunday Night Dinner Rotation.
On Nightly Dinner Themes and Rotations: The notion of nightly dinner themes and rotations may seem a bit bizarre to you, but I absolutely positively hate, detest and loath (I can’t think up a strong enough word) deciding what to make for dinner. My nightly themes and meal rotations make “What should I make for dinner?” very simple and stress free for me. Of course, when necessary, my system is very flexible.
On the list below: The dish ate most recently is on the top. Up until January 2, 2012 I would usually eat the dish on the bottom of the list next, but my New Year’s resolution for 2012 is to eat my most favorite dishes more frequently. My most favorite pasta dishes have (+++) in front of them.
Important: If you are looking for a recipe, you should use the recipe in the post for the last time I made the dish. I am constantly working on improving my recipes and the last one will have my latest revisions.
(+++) Spaghetti and Meatballs: See On Dinner, March 28, 2011 (By request of a house guest), September 11, 2011 (I watched nine football games!) and November 6, 2011 (My cousin Steve and the moon landing) and January 29, 2012 ( A rerun of “The Lord of the Meatballs: The Return of the Queen!”)
Cajun Jambalaya Pasta – Cheesecake Factory Knock-Off: See today’s post, On Dinner, October 12, 2011(I made it by request of a dinner guest) December 4, 2011 (First picture using Linguine) and January 22, 2012 (“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry!”)
(+++) Thin Spaghetti with Super Quick and Tangy Tomato-Meat Sauce: See On Dinner, January 11, 2011 (First meal home after trip to San Diego where we got food poisoning), April 3, 2011 (First meal after house guests leave), May 13, 2011 (Home from San Diego) and July 5, 2011 (with Grandkids and I disclose the secret ingredient for the first time!), October 24, 2011 (Mrs. Lazychef’s first meal after returning home), November 26, 2011 (First meal after coming back from Thanksgiving in Los Angeles) and January 14, 20120 (We visit our son on the strip)
(+++) Veal Parmigiana: See On Dinner August 7, 2011 (Veal Loin Chop Parmesan) On Dinner, October 9, 2011 (True Veal Parmigiana for a house guest) November 20, 2011 (My mantra) and January 12, 2012 (Mrs. Lazychef wants to try something new!)
Stuffed Peppers: See On Dinner, today’s post, January 1, 2012 (My 2012New Year’s resolution)
Pescatore with Shrimp and Scallops: See On Dinner, June 17, 2011 (Pasta on a Friday and I’m cooking on Father’s Day) and December 18, 2011 (Time to improve this dish)
Linguine Alfredo with Shrimp, Spinach and Grape Tomatoes: See On Dinner, April 17, 2011 (Made it for my visiting daughter) and November 13, 2011 (The last time I made it)
Note: If you have come to my blog seeking an answer to a food question and did not find it here, please ask me your question in a comment. All comments added to any post, including the oldest posts, are instantly brought to my attention. I usually reply within an hour and no longer than twelve. Please help yourself to any of my recipes. If you make a dish, please don’t be shy, come back and comment on the recipe. Even if you didn’t like it, I would like your comments.
Play with your food! LazychefComments are always greatly appreciated!
If you would like to receive a FREE daily email with a link to that day’s post, send an email to: Lazychef@RamblingsOnFood.com with your email address and the words “FREE Daily Email” in the subject line. (Your email address will never be published, shared or used for any other purpose!)
Newbies: In my house, every night of the week has a different theme for dinner. (See On the Officially Sanctioned Saturday Night Rotation, at the bottom of this post, to learn about Saturday’s theme.)
On Dinner, Saturday, January 28, 2012: Last night, after taking her first few bites, Mrs. Lazychef said: “I love this dinner and we have not had anything this gourmet in quite a while”. (I’ll make it up to her by making another gourmet dinner for her on Valentine’s Day!) She was right of course; it has been almost three months since I last made this dinner. (And over three months since I made the gourmet dinner I will be making on Valentine’s Day.) The reason I have not made last night’s dinner in over three months is that I only had one package of duck left in the freezer from last year and I was hoping to stretch it out until the next cool weather dinner season. But we can’t go nine months until we eat this again so I will be placing an order with Sonoma Foie Gras Farm next week. (See On how I buy the duck breasts and where I get them, below)
On how I buy the duck breasts and where I get them: I searched the internet for information on duck breasts and discovered that there are farms that produce special ducks with very large meaty breasts. The best one I have found is Sonoma Foie Gras Farm. Each package they sell contains two breasts and weighs approximately 2.0 pounds. That’s one pound per breast! These are thick meaty duck breasts! The breasts come two to a package and one and a half of these huge breasts are perfect for us. I order three packages which will give me six breasts. I keep four of them whole and cut two of them in half. I vacuum seal four packages, each containing one and a half breasts.
I order three packages at a time because they must be shipped overnight and the freight is very expensive. (Three packages of duck cost $60.00 and the shipping cost is $47.00 or $26.75 per dinner. If I ordered only one package the duck would cost $20 and the shipping would be $38.75 or $58.75 per dinner and there would be too much duck for us!) Here is link to the farms website: http://www.artisanfoiegras.com/
On this dish: Mrs. Lazychef and I both love this dinner and I love making it. It makes me feel like a great chef, even though it is very simple. This is the kind of meal you would find in a very upscale French restaurant. In fact, my recipe was inspired by a Julie Child recipe. Julia’s recipe was Duck Two Ways. She boned the duck, removing the breasts which she roasted. She would then scrape off all the remaining meat from the legs, wings, thighs and carcass which went into a food processor with cream and herbs. She processed the meat and shaped the chopped meat into duck patties. She also took all the bones and trimmings and made a rich duck sauce. I made this several times and – OMG was it a lot of work! Mrs. Lazychef and I decided we really didn’t care that much for the duck patties, but we loved the roasted duck breasts which made it easy to Lazychefitizing this meal.
On my Roasted Moulard Duck Breast with Orange-Cherry Infused Cranberry Reduction (or Orange-Cherry Reduction): I score the thick duck skin in a diagonal pattern and remove the silver skin from the underside. I marinate the duck for 4-8 hours in olive oil mixed with herbs. Here is my marinade mixture:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon Herbs de Provence
1 teaspoon dried Thyme
1 teaspoon rubbed Sage
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
I roast the duck on a small flat rack set in a foil lined (Lazychef hates unnecessary cleanup) baking sheet in the middle of my oven at 450 degrees “convection roast” for approximately 20-30 minutes until an internal temperature of 126 degrees is reached on my digital meat thermometer. I remove it, cover it with foil and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly across the grain.
On Convection Roasting and how you can simulate how it works if you don’t have one: Convection roasting uses the upper heating element, the one commonly used for broiling, to cycle on and off making the skin very crisp. If I did not have a convection oven I would have fry the breast, skin side down, on medium high heat to crisp up the skin. (This would make Mrs. Lazychef very unhappy as the splatter would be everywhere! Have you noticed how little frying I do? This is why!) Convection roasting has two huge advantages. The fat under the skin melts down on the meat basting it the entire cooking time, but most importantly, for Lazychef, there isn’t an extra pan to clean and the associated spatter than will ensue in the frying process! You can also simulate convection roasting by turning on your broiler the last 5-10 minutes, but keep an eye on it. It can burn easily!
On the Orange-Cherry Reduction or Orange-Cherry Infused Cranberry Reduction: This is my own recipe. Duck a l‘Orange is a classic French dish. It seemed only natural to develop a sauce that is true to the classic dish. Here is how I make it:
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons Shallots, minced
1 cup Orange Juice (If you are a great chef, you will fresh squeeze your own. Lazychef will not!)
8 ounces (1 cup) Chicken or Duck stock (I use 1 cup water and a 1-1/2 teaspoons “Better than Bouillon Chicken Base” See On Better Than Bouillon, below.)
1 teaspoon rubbed Sage
4 ounces (1/4 cup) Triple Sec
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste (Salt it after it reduces or it may be too salty.)
2-1/2 to 3 ounces Pitted Dried Cherries or 3 ounces Cherry-Infused Dried Cranberries (I use half the package and the package sizes vary slightly.)
Directions
Melt 2 Tablespoons butter in 3 quart Chef’s pan. Add shallots and sauté over medium-high heat until the shallots begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes.
Add the orange juice, stock, sage, Triple Sec and Worcestershire Sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until slightly thickened and the flavors are concentrated and intensified, about 20 – 30 minutes.
Add the Cherries or Cherry Infused Cranberries during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking. (You just want to warm them.)
On Better Than Bouillon: Meat bases have been a staple product in restaurants and food service kitchens for years. Better than Bouillon is a very concentrated paste made from various meats, seafoods and vegetables. It has been judged as the best tasting soup base by the Professional Chefs of the American Tasting Institute (ATI). It gives sauces a richer, more robust and more natural flavor than ordinary bouillon cubes or granules. I prefer it over canned broths because since it is a paste, I can make my sauces and gravies as strongly flavored as I like. The directions say to use 1 teaspoon per cup of liquid, but I usually use at least 1-1/2 teaspoon per cup of liquid. They make Au jus Base, Beef Base, Chicken Base, Chili Base, Clam Base, Fish Base, Ham Base, Lobster Base, Mushroom Base, Turkey Base and Vegetable Base. I always have a jar of the chicken, beef and clam bases on hand. I have seen the ham base on rare occasions and the Turkey Base in some stores around the holidays. I have not seen the others in stores, but I am sure you can order them online. Keep in mind, like all bouillon, it is somewhat salty. Therefore, do not add any salt to your sauce or gravy until you have tasted it at the very end! This is especially critical when making a sauce that will be reduced after Better Than Bouillon has been added. (They do make a reduced sodium version, but I do not like it. It does not taste like the same product with simply less salt.)
On How I buy Better than Bouillon: Most grocery stores carry it in the soup section. I have also seen it in the gourmet section of upscale grocery stores. I buy the 16 ounce size at “Smart and Final” for the same price the grocery stores charge for the 8 ounce size. (A checker in Smart and Final once told me that “a lot” of chefs come in there just to buy it.) I read that Trader Joes has the 8 ounce size for $2.99 which is a really good price, but I have never bought it there.
On the Long Grain and Wild Rice – Herb Roasted Chicken Flavor: We love Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice – Herb Roasted Chicken flavored. (I am Lazychef! Did you think I made this from scratch? This is a simple delicious product. Hey, at least I don’t use the fast cook recipe!)
On the French Cut Green Beans: Just frozen French Cut Green Beans cooked in the microwave with a little water and drained. I add a generous amount of butter (Because my cholesterol tests say I can!) and salt and pepper to taste.
On the Officially Sanctioned Saturday Night Rotation: Saturday night dinners are my favorites that require time consuming preparation and/or attention during the cooking stage. Outdoor grilled foods are also included in this list, but only when the weather is warm. Of course, pasta is not on this list because Sunday night’s dinner theme is pasta. Here is the officially sanctioned Saturday night rotation in the order last eaten.
On Nightly Dinner Themes and Rotations: The notion of nightly dinner themes and rotations may seem a bit bizarre to you, but I absolutely positively hate, detest and loath (I can’t think up a strong enough word) deciding what to make for dinner. My nightly themes and meal rotations make “What should I make for dinner?” very simple and stress free for me. Of course, when necessary or if I just fell like it, my system is very flexible.
On the list below: The dish ate most recently is on the top. Up until January 2, 2012 I would usually eat the dish on the bottom of the list next, but my New Year’s resolution for 2012 is to eat my most favorite dishes more frequently. My most favorite foods to eat on Saturday night are listed below with (+++) in front of them.
Important: If you are looking for a recipe, you should use the recipe in the post for the last time I made the dish. I am constantly working on improving my recipes and the last one will have my latest revisions.
* Cool Weather Only
(+++)*Roasted Moulard Duck Breast: See On Dinner March 26, 2011 (With Roasted Potatoes, I made it after buying a new Lazychef mobile and overnight guests coming -Phew!) and November 11, 2011 (With Wild Rice.)
(+++) Fried Chicken: On Dinner, January 22, 2011
(+++) Tandoori Chicken Tikka Masala: See On Dinner, January 15, 2012
(+++) *Prime Rib: See on Dinner, January 22, 2022 (A near disaster), December 3, 2011 and January 7, 2012 (My cousin Steve’s suggestion)
(+++) *Roasted Turkey: See On Dinner, December 25, 2010 (Whole Turkey), On Dinner, February 19, 2011 (I cook for two Queens!), April 10, 2011 (Turkey Breast and thighs) and December 25, 2011 (Whole Turkey for Christmas dinner.)
*New England Boiled Dinner: See On Dinner, November 27, 2011
(+++) *Beef Wellington: See On Dinner February 14, 2011 (I made it for Valentine’s Day) and On Dinner, November 5, 2011 (The last time I made it.)
*Rack of Lamb and Fruity Chicken: See On Dinner February 26, 2011 and On Dinner April 24, 2011(Rack of Lamb and Ham)
**Warm weather only
(+++) **Grilled Steak: See On Dinner September 10, 2011 (Cauliflower and Broccoli with Spinach-Parmesan Béchamel side) and On Dinner, October 29, 2011 (Baked Potato and Sautéed Mushrooms)
(+++) **Grilled Spicy Chipotle Chicken: See On Dinner, September 3, 2011 (How I Lazychefitize Margaritas is revealed) and October 28, 2011
** Carne Asada Imperial: See On Dinner, June 25, 2011 (with Ranchera Sauce), On Dinner, August 20, 2011 (without Ranchera Sauce) and On Dinner, October 15, 2011 (I used a very rare and unusual cut of beef!)
(+++) **Grilled Veal Chop: See today’s post, On Dinner September 24, 2011
(+++) **BBQ Baby Back Ribs (Faux Smoked): See On Dinner, May, 14, 2011 (with Macaroni Salad and Smoky Artichokes), July 9, 2011 (with Cole Slaw and Corn on the Cob), August 28, 2011 (with Faux Seven Layer Salad and Bruschetta) and September 20, 2011 (Mrs. Lazychef’s sister brings a guest and I serve it with my killer twice baked potatoes)
(+++) **Grilled BBQ Chicken: See On Dinner, June 19, 2011 (with Cole Slaw and Beans), July 27, 2011 (I make it for Mrs. Lazychef’s sister with Baked Potato and Heart Attack Corn) and September 16, 2011 (Faux Seven Layer Salad)
Note: If you have come to my blog seeking an answer to a food question and did not find it here, please ask me your question in a comment. All comments added to any post, including the oldest posts, are instantly brought to my attention. I usually reply within an hour and no longer than twelve. Please help yourself to any of my recipes. If you make a dish, please don’t be shy, come back and comment on the recipe. Even if you didn’t like it, I would like your comments – Lazychef.
Play with your food! Lazychef