
Gastronomy (by a Wanna-Be Chef)
81 FOLLOWERS
I love food and everything about it. I read cookbooks like most people read magazines. I rarely serve my family the same thing twice. Restaurants are my idea of a really good time. So, I'm going to start writing it down.
Gastronomy (by a Wanna-Be Chef)
2M ago
Viv and I popped into Duke's today for a late lunch. This is definitely my No. 2 Thai place in town. Sorry, Duke's, but Mai Thai has held my loyalty for many years now, but I like you guys too!
Viv is a big fan of the Thai Tom Yum soup at Duke's, so that's her go-to when we come here. Their description is spicy sour base with mushrooms, red peppers, basil and cilantro. Viv likes hers with extra mushrooms. Also, she likes to order the large bowl, so there's more for supper tonight.
I chose a dish I haven't had in quite a while and have missed. Pad See Ee ..read more
Gastronomy (by a Wanna-Be Chef)
2M ago
I was reviewing my blog recently and noticed that over the last couple/few years, my posts and cooking habits have been very Asian-heavy. I'm not complaining. I love all Asian cuisines. Well, with the exception of some Asian countries like Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan...not a big mutton fan. So, in keeping with my Asian persuasion, I present our simple dinner tonight.
Carrot and Ginger Soup with Homemade Pork & Shrimp Egg Rolls. I'm patting myself on the back.
I'm pretty sure I've told you all about this soup before. It's insanely easy: carrots, onion, ginger, broth, garlic and s ..read more
Gastronomy (by a Wanna-Be Chef)
2M ago
Trying to clear out space in the fridge for the Thanksgiving casseroles that are to come. Tonight that included using up some shrimp I had thawed plus some practically restaurant-quality Ranch dressing I made the other day.
I decided to put together a "trash can" salad using everything I could from the refrigerator. Result was pretty satisfying. And super easy and quick, two of my favorites qualities on a weeknight.
I like to soak my shrimp in some milk with a little garlic powder, oregano, paprika, and pepper. Then, I mix up some flour and panko with the same herbs in a zi ..read more
Gastronomy (by a Wanna-Be Chef)
4M ago
Yes, we've been on a kick lately. It happens. Japanese- everything from the hibachi joints to sushi. Thai- making it ourselves and stocking up various curry pastes from our favorite Asian market. Chinese- digging dumplings, which we prefer our own homemade versions!
Viv is a dumpling devotee. But it's only been this week that she wanted me to show/teach her to make them from scratch. She's really been getting into cooking recently, which makes me so happy, of course. We found round Hong Kong style dumpling wrappers at our favorite market, Asian Mark ..read more
Gastronomy (by a Wanna-Be Chef)
5M ago
Everyone in the neighborhood has eagerly awaited the opening of Alley Street Eats. I read an article about these folks and their concept. Asian street food, of different styles. The decor is cool and modern. The menu is extensive without being overbearing and features the variety we so desperately need in our area.
Viv and I shared shrimp and zucchini tempura to start. Their tempura is light and crispy, just as it should be. Next, we had an order of the Sichuan wontons.
These are delicious. Pork wontons with soy, scallion, cilantro and garlic. I was expec ..read more
Gastronomy (by a Wanna-Be Chef)
6M ago
I LOVE THAI FOOD. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.
Panang Curry is one of my all-time favorites. Recently, I saw Jet Tila making Chicken Panang on his show. I found his recipe online, modified a bit, and made a fantastic dinner tonight. Panang is rich and deeply flavored with coconut, basil and fish sauce. One thing I changed about Jet's recipe is that I had to omit tamarind paste because our lame ass grocery stores act like this is an ingredient that I made up. Not having the time or energy to go across town for it, I omitted it. He calls for the ever-exotic ..read more
Gastronomy (by a Wanna-Be Chef)
7M ago
Viv and I have always loved making pizza at home. Sort of like our version(s) of fried rice, pizza is often a "clean out the fridge" type of concoction.
Often, I make dough in my bread machine, but this time, I bought the dough that you can buy in the Publix bakery. One thing I've found about their dough, though, is I let it sit out at room temp for hours. Otherwise, it's practically impossible to roll, stretch, pat out, etc. It just doesn't cooperate if it's too cold/cool.
Tonight, we wanted to use up some of the vegetables that we have on hand. We went with onio ..read more
Gastronomy (by a Wanna-Be Chef)
9M ago
We've been on a bit of an Asian kick lately. Yesterday, Viv came up with a by-the-seat-of-the-pants chicken stir-fry with mung bean noodles, which was very, very tasty. I was impressed with her use of the Shao Xing wine. It makes such a significant difference and gives everything that distinctive Chinese flavor.
We've been planning this dish and finally got it made today. General Tso's Chicken!
As you can see, we paired our chicken with jasmine rice and some edamame blanched in water and soy sauce. Viv found the dish rather spicy, which surprised me ..read more
Gastronomy (by a Wanna-Be Chef)
9M ago
Driving along today, I was having a familiar internal monologue, "What do I do with freakin' chicken today?" As most of you know, I can get into my "I hate chicken and am so bored to death with chicken" mindset very easily. As I ran through past recipes in my mind, I had a thought of something else. Thank God!
Teriyaki chicken rice bowls!
I mixed up a simple marinade of lemon, soy sauce, hot sauce, oil, garlic and ginger. I scored my chicken breasts and got them marinating for a few hours. Next step was preparing the teriyaki sauce. In a small saucepan, I ..read more
Gastronomy (by a Wanna-Be Chef)
9M ago
And proud of it. One of my all-time favorites is corn chowder. I have many variations that I like, so it can be a little different each time. The last batch was a pretty standard recipe, which is delicious and easy. There is some prep, but if you enjoy cooking with real ingredients, you have to prep them. We're all on the same page there, right?
This recipe came from another book in my extensive collection: Cook's Country 2009. I have modified it a little from time to time, but I use this recipe because of the fact it has been tested by their kitchens and ..read more