Nanner time!

 What to do with a giant $2.00 banana bag? Nanner chips! Nothing but bananas, sliced and dehydrated.

There's always time for cake

 A break from bakery remodeling to make a birthday cake for a friend. I'll be doing another for someone different later this week. Busy days!

 Devil's Food with Capt. Morgan's Black chocolate buttercream. Outstanding!
 

Sunday Afternoon Relaxation Risotto

So how many people do you know think that making risotto is a good way to relax on a Sunday afternoon?

 Mushroom Brown Rice Risotto. 

 

 

 



 I had some homemade chicken broth, and several partial bags of rice that needed to be used up, so it seemed like a good recipe for it. Throw in some onions and baby Portabellas, stir constantly for 45 minutes, while adding broth a ladle at a time and you've got risotto. Top with some fresh grated Parmesan, and feed to the hungry household. It was a hit with everyone, definitely a keeper.

A terrible confession....

 I have a confession. I have a problem. A liking, a fondness, even maybe an addiction, of sorts. Is it drugs, you ask? No, I'm too old, did all my drugs in my youth like you are supposed to. Alcohol? Nah, I seldom drink, maybe 3-4 times a year. Sex? Well, maybe, but no, not that either.

So what is it, you are asking yourself? What is this horrible secret I have carried for years and years? What is this thing, this monkey on my back, that I am finally willing to face, and put out there for all to see?

 

The faint at heart, look away now............

.....the horror, the horror.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mashed potatoes. Specifically, INSTANT mashed potatoes. Any kind, most any flavor. Expensive, cheap, doesn't matter, as long as it is instant potatoes.


 So what's the big deal? Well, I'm a chef, and I am also a supporter of non-GMO crops and Slow Food. And I have this horrible addiction to a plastic-like food substance.

I love them. I love them so much, that if I have a box, I will eat them every day, sometimes every meal, until they are gone. Breakfast, lunch and supper. Instant mashed potatoes. The Devil. Evil, evil stuff. How I love it. The ease of slapping some potato powder, milk, water and a little butter into a big Pyrex measuring cup, and nuking for 2 minutes. The wallpaper paste texture. The patently artificial taste. I love it all.

 My favorite meal is a mound of instant potatoes, some sort of veg, like peas or corn, layered with shredded BBQ meat of some sort. Maybe a little cheese if I feel like it that day/meal. Quick, easy and oh-so good!

 So you are sitting there thinking, 'So make some mashed potatoes, what's the big deal?' The hassle. The peeling, the chopping, the cooking. All of it. When I'm in the middle of a busy day at the bakery, this fast food abomination takes little time to fix, not too much longer to eat, and I can be on with my day. Yes, I know they are bad for me. But I still love them, and I will most likely continue eating them until I can't eat them any longer. Pray for me.

 

Radish Chips!

 We are trying to incorporate more veggies and fruits into our diet again. We got really meat/starch heavy for awhile, so I have been buying more vegetables. One of the things I bought is radishes. I used to grow them, they are super easy, and you can harvest a crop every 3 months year-round here. So I'd like to grow them again, but I needed something to do with them besides slicing them up and putting them on a salad. Roasting them turned out really good, very mild and turnip-y. I found this recipe and thought I would give it a try. Here's the results:

 
 The smaller chips in the front are radish, the larger ones are red potatoes. Slicing was a breeze with my mandolin slicer, I dredged them in olive oil, and sprinkled the chips with sea salt and pepper. The potatoes came out perfect, crispy and salty, with a bite of fresh ground black pepper. The radishes were good, a bit more spicy due to the radishes themselves, but they shrunk really bad, and since they have to be turned halfway through the baking, they are way more labor intensive than I have the patience for on a regular basis.

 All in all, the experiment was a success, I would give radish chips a C+, and the potato chips an A-, as they were easier to handle.

Happy Labor Day!

Day 3 of our Food Porn marathon!

 What do you do with the nut pulp after you make nut milk? Dehydrator cookies, of course!
 

 Lemon and Carrot Dehydrator cookies. These aren't your grandma's cookies! These little gems are flour free, raw and vegan, and are chock full of protein. They are great for low blood sugar, or just no time to grab a meal. They will last a week or more in the fridge, and if you want to be really decadent, you can put glaze on them.

 

     

 

Raw cookies and chocolate almond/cashew milk, a great way to start the morning!

And even more pork...

 And to wrap up today's mid-holiday weekend viewing: Pork Enchiladas!

 

Lovely Fresh Sausage!

 For the first time in many weeks, the HEB had packs of pork ends and pieces for $1.49/pound. One batch was browned up and destined to become enchiladas. The other batch became this:

 

 With the addition of some herbs and spices, the humble ground pork became this:

 

 

Italian sausage, and this:

 

 

breakfast sausage. No filler, not too much salt, made fresh and ready for the freezer. How's that for a productive Sunday morning?



 



 

 

 

 

Saturday Leftover Lunch

Leftover pan fried pork chop BBQ sandwich. 

 Served open face on garlic Texas toast with Gorgonzola, a side of steamed broccoli, and Wickles.

Do you know the Muffin (Wo)man?

 Today was banana muffin day at the bakery, here's a sample, White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Banana Muffins. Enjoy!

Afternoon Delight!

Recycled roast stuffed chicken.

 Veggie stuffing shaped into patties and pan fried in olive oil, with shredded bbq chicken over the top. Not bad for leftovers.

Sunday brunch

A little Sunday brunch porn to start out your Sunday!

Biscuit cups with scrambled free range eggs, organic uncured pepper bacon, and cream gravy. Enjoy!

Brekkie Sandwich!

Pepper bacon, cibatta bread, free range egg and grilled tomatoes. Yum!

Nanner Time!

Carmelized bananas over B&J's Creme Brulee ice cream, with dark chocolate sauce and chocolate chips. Teenage heaven!

I have been picking up 1-2 paper bags full of bananas for $2 each for the last several weeks. The freezer is full of bananas for smoothies and banana soft serve. Bananarama!

Cake! (balls)

 Per request, cake! Well, cake balls, as the recipe I used came our a bit dry in mini cupcake form, so some leftover buttercream, some melted dark chocolate, and some sprinkles, and there you have it.

 Cake balls are the poor person's truffle. Easy to make with a box mix cake and a can of store bought frosting, these little morsels have been popping up all over the place for the last couple of years.
 If you've never had a cake ball, they are definitely different. The taste and texture are not quite cake, not quite candy. The mini-people seem to like them.  

Yes, yes, I know!

Yes, it has been a long time! Running a bakery/personal chef business when you are the only 'employee' takes up a huge amount of time. Here's the FB page, Sugar³. I've finally got a bit of breathing room, so on to what you REALLY want, FOOD PORN!

 Since my bday is on a Tuesday this year, I decided to do a bit of celebration this weekend. This was Saturday's breakfast, French toast with homemade carmelized bananas (From my huge $2 bag of nanners!), uncured pepper bacon, and a tiny cheese omlette. The good thing about being a chef, the fact I cook really well. The bad thing, no one else cooks for you! Ah well, a small price to pay. Today is cake, pics to follow soon.