Hobbies, Family, & Geekery from a Stay-at-Home Dad
This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Alexia Alright, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. It’s something I don’t go blabbering to just anyone, either. So I hope you walk away from this with your newly found cosmic wisdom …Read More….
So here’s a more recent recipe. Something that I had made a few times already and decided to take pics of because I thought to myself, “hey, self. This would make a good blog post whenever you decided to blog again.” And look! Here we …Read More….
Here we go! The first food post in forever! I know it’s not so much for you, but for me it’s a big deal! Like, block-out-the-sun type huge! Seriously, It’s really hard to measure my excitement, it’s so astronomical. Marvel in its totality!
Ok, good eclipse puns are hard. But you know what’s not hard? Relaxing on the beach. Probably not a good day to do that, but that’s where I’ll be today. Usually I’m sensitive to the sun but I think I’ll just block it out.
Ok, I’m seriously done now, I promise. Happy Eclipse Day! Is that a thing? Probably. People will make a holiday out of anything these days. Heck, you probably know someone who is planning or going to an Eclipse party. How would you even prepare for an such a celestial celebration?! I guess you just have to planet.
OK, NOW I’M DONE, ARE YOU HAPPY?! I’m here trying to shine and you’re just getting in my way!
Can’t stop, won’t stop.
Ok, for real for real, I could be here all day, so I’m really stopping now. Getting down to business, I was sitting here for a long time, trying to figure out what would be the absolute best recipe I could come back with. A stunning pie, taller than it is wide? A cookie so moist and chocolatey it makes you feel like you need to drink a glass of milk just by looking at it?! No no no, none of these will do. I can’t just come back after years of not giving you a recipe and hit you with something like that! No, there’s only one thing I could think of that would be able to withstand the pressure of such a task… Meatloaf!!
Bu..wha…wai….. Where are you going?!? This isn’t just any meatloaf! It’s my wife’s meatloaf!!
HEY! Come back here and finish reading this, dammit! You know what, come to think of it, I don’t think you’re ready for my wife’s meatloaf. And that’s just fine, more for me.
Oh! Now you want to try, huh? Now the curiosity sensors are starting to go off. We all want what we can’t have, it’s ok, I don’t blame you.
Now seriously, I know the way this goes with meatloaf. It’s had a bad rap for a few decades now. Being the butt of jokes and whatnot, never taken seriously as a dinner. The ol’ stigmata of it being the one meal your friend’s mom cooks that you don’t accept the invitation to dinner for. Or my favorite, the “it’s just a big hamburger with no bread and tomato sauce.” Look, I get it, it’s not a mouthwatering dessert or anything, but it’s pretty damn good on a Sunday night, especially since Winter is Coming… And I understand if you don’t like it. I’m not going to sit here and give you the whole “Oh, you don’t like meatloaf because you’ve never had MY meatloaf” spiel. I’ll just tell you this:
Meatloaf is freaking weird. Not a compelling argument, I’m aware. No, I’m not dogging it, just understand, I’m Puerto Rican. I grew up in a house where rice and beans was as common as peanut butter & jelly. I think out of my entire time I lived with my parents, my mom made meatloaf like twice. So needless to say, I never had the glory that is southern cooking until I met my wife. And she thinks I’m joking when I say I enjoy her meatloaf, so here’s the proof that I love it as much as I say I do.
For the record: I’ve had these pictures for a long time. They were taken years ago in NC, back when I was still in the “I need to update my blog” frame of mind. I wish I could take pictures like this here in our current kitchen 🙁
Speaking of updating the blog, let’s get on with the show!
Like that?! So many years doing this blog and I’m just now getting with the whole recipe box thing. I fought it for a while, but like all old people, after kicking and screaming, I gave in and now I love it.
What do you think about it? Think you’ll miss me and my rambling between the instructions?
As far as the meatloaf goes, it’s all pretty straightforward. Mixing all the ingredients together and baking it off.. let’s be honest, it’s not exactly rocket science. I don’t even think it’s Jr. High science. But the simplicity is what makes it great. Good flavors, and a warm, fuzzy feeling after you finish. It’s what comfort food is all about.
In the future, if the recipe I’m talking about is more complicated, I’ll go ahead and talk about it more down here. But for now, I think we’re done! Sunday is right around the corner, so get out there and get this going! Let me know what you think and until next time,
Adios.
Oh yeah! The eclipse! Did you get out there and see it?? I don’t know if I’ll venture out there. We don’t have any glasses here so I’m terrified of going blind, as one would be. Hopefully I could track it to be able to get out and see something with the kids to say we saw it. I remember being young and my pop taking me to the roof of our apartment building at night to see Halley’s Comet pass by… Reading that article, it probably wasn’t Halley’s. If it WAS, then I have some good memories from when I was 3 years old, because that was back in 1986 the last time we saw Halley’s. Maybe it was Hale-Bopp? I dunno. Anyway! Holy crap, that whole blind thing gives me the willies. Can’t go blind looking at a comet!
If you want to nerd out with me, go check out NASA’s podcast, Houston We Have a Podcast (best name ever, right?!)! It’s a great show. They’re on episode 7 right now and it’s all about the eclipse. So if you’re looking for something to listen to today with all the eclipse hype going on, go ahead and give it a listen! Just click the image below and it’ll take you to the episode’s page.
Alright, it’s been a while, so why not give you guys a recipe?! Fall is coming. And if you haven’t checked your calendar recently, it’s coming ridiculously fast. It’s almost September! So I’m going to try and get the jump on some fall flavors here …Read More….
Happy Game of Thrones week! For those who don’t know what Game of Thrones is… Who the heck are you?! I have been trying to make a food series from the show and I think I’m doing alright. This Honeyed Chicken is going to fit …Read More….
First off, allow me to apologize.
When I ventured into making this meal I had no idea where I was going with it. I didn’t know how I was going to plate it nor did I know how it was going to taste.
Because I was so clueless I didn’t bother taking any pictures of the process. It wasn’t until I was done that I realized I had made one crazy meal.
My original intention was to make a copycat of Panera’s Mac & Cheese. Something I’m sure needs no explanation. Even if you’ve never had it before you must have heard of its amazingly creamy cheesiness. Then that idea slowly turned into a sort of Mac & Cheese Pie with a bacon lattice. Because honestly, you can never have enough bacon lattices in your life. But that quickly went from great idea to too much bloody work. Having to make the pie dough, making and cooking the lattice, a wife at work, a 3 year old running rampant, a newborn who doesn’t like to nap long, I just… no. Just no.
So I started making the sauce, knowing what I was going to do with it, but at the same time, not really knowing what I was going to do with it. It wasn’t until the work was all done and I saw the pan filled with with cheesy goodness that I knew what the dish was born to be.
Chicken Cheese & Bacon Casserole adapted from Panera Bread
3/4 cup ~ Butter
1 cup ~ Flour
4 1/2 cups ~ 2% Milk
3/4 pound ~ Extra Sharp Vermont White Cheddar Cheese
1/4 pound ~ White American Cheese
1 cup ~ Parmesan Cheese, shredded
2 teaspoons ~ Dried Basil
1 1/2 teaspoons ~ Dried Oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ~ Fresh Cracked Pepper
at least 1 1/2 teaspoons ~ Salt
3 each ~ Chicken Breasts, cooked, diced
1 package ~ Bacon, cooked crispy, crumbled
1 bag ~ Broccoli Florets, steam in a bag kind
1 box (16oz) ~ Conchiglie (Medium Shell Pasta)Panko Bread Crumbs
Notes:
Ok, seriously, this is so simple you’ll want to smack your head for all the times you didn’t make it. Like I said in the notes, most of the components are make ahead and just dump them in when the sauce is ready. No fancy order or special way to mix it. Just throw everything in the pot and combine. It doesn’t get any easier.
I’ve been over this before, but if the word roux is new to you then here you go.
I say slowly because it is a magnificent sight that you should cherish. Also, be careful, you may need someone to help you lift it.
When it’s out, please refrain from shoving your face in it. That will prove to be the most difficult part of the whole dish.
Notice, I made this with my crunchy garlic bread that I oh, so love. A match made in heaven, indeed.
It’s Cinco de Mayo time in the food blogosphere so I figured why not throw my contribution in the hat too? I am Hispanic after all, and it would give me a good opportunity to show off my latin flare. …. Haha, Ok, that …Read More….
Happy Game of Thrones Day! What? Surprised? A food blog with no Easter recipe on Easter? The horror! I figured, every other food blog you probably check out will be doing something for Easter, so why add to the pile? Against the stream, I say! …Read More….
Happy Pi Day!
Hey, I still have a half hour before the day is officially over, give me a break! That’s what I get for not planning ahead.
Anyway, I’d love to post about a sweet pie instead of a savory one, like I did last year with Yoder’s Peanut Butter Cream Pie. But I’ve been meaning to post this for a long time now, and what better day than today!?
This isn’t a weekly meal for us. It usually gets made when I’m bored of the regular menu and I have all the ingredients laying around. You know that situation. It’s like the cooking equivalent to the planets and stars aligning. Don’t get me wrong, this would make an awesome weekly Sunday dinner, but I just never plan for it.
I never even used to make Shepherd’s Pie. The first time I ever made it was after I watched Nadia G make it on Bitchin’ Kitchen. Unfortunately, I never had all the ingredients at the same time for her version, but I have to thank her and her Shepherd’s Pie recipe for giving me the inspiration to make mine!
And if you’ve never seen Bitchin’ Kitchen on the Cooking Channel: Seriously?! It’s the best cooking show you can watch. You’ll wonder what you’ve been doing with your life!
Now, I don’t usually show my nerdy side as much as I should, but I’ve posted a Shepherd’s Pie recipe on a blog before.
A video game blog.
Scratching your head? Wondering what a Shepherd’s Pie has to do with gaming?
Well, the good folks over at EZ-Mode Unlocked let me post on their blog when I have something to talk about in the gaming world. And at the time, Mass Effect 3 – the third installment of one of my favorite franchises – was released the day before the post was published. In case you don’t know, Mass Effect puts you in control of Commander Shepard. So the post paid homage to the game by being a borderline fanfic about a news report covering Commander Shepard’s favorite food. I had a lot of fun writing it, and if you like Mass Effect*, I urge you to check it out so you can know all about Commander Shepard’s Pie.
Shepherd’s Pie1 pound ~ Ground Beef
1 ½ cups ~ Onion, diced
1 tablespoon ~ Garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon ~ Salt
1 teaspoon ~ Pepper
1 teaspoon ~ Chili Powder
1 teaspoon ~ Garlic Powder
1 cup ~ Sweet Peas
To Top ~ Shredded Cheese & Breadcrumbs
Notes:
Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie as it’s otherwise known as, has always been one of those thrown-together meals.
Ok… There’s been some debate over the name of this pie.
After talking in the comments with a fellow food blogger from Australia and hearing murmurs of a commenter on Google+ voicing the differences (yes, even while I’m on Lent and fasting on social networks, I hear things), it’s quite clear that I did not do as much research as I usually do.
Even while knowing the difference of a Shepherd’s Pie containing lamb and a Cottage Pie containing beef, I was still under the impression they were just interchangeable names for a meat pie with a potato topping. I was also under the impression that the different classifications were just older terminologies used years ago when recipes were only found in books.
As it turns out, the different names are still very much used. More so outside of the U.S., but in it as well. I’m not sure if it’s the favor of ground beef over lamb that typically happens here, but I’m sure geography has a lot to do with how loosely these pies are classified. I’m not blind to the fact that, as a whole, we’re rather reckless with respecting traditions, names and others views when it comes to food. So I’m certain this won’t be the last time something like it happens.
Doing more research now since I’m not rushing to get the post out, I found a few interesting things:
As I said, a Shepherd’s Pie consists of Lamb or Mutton – this comes from the theory that a Shepherd is only concerned with sheep and not cattle. While a Cottage Pie consists of Beef. These are facts that I knew but underestimated.
But, if you reeeeeeally want to get technical. This pie that I posted is neither Shepherd nor Cottage. It is, in fact, a Pâté chinois! – A French Canadian version of a Cottage Pie containing ground beef layered with creamed corn and topped with mashed potatoes.
So ha! No one called that one!
If you want to get even more technical, my version also has toasted breadcrumbs on top, so it can be classified as a Cumberland Pie, which is the same as a Cottage, but with a layer of breadcrumbs on top.
See! See where getting technical gets you! Down a rabbit hole.
What all of this leads back to is the fact that I didn’t do my research. I feel as if I’ve failed you, especially since I like to think of myself as someone who fills you with all sorts of useless information.
So for that, and my lazy classification, I apologize.
With all that said, I’m still calling it a Shepherd’s Pie. Hahaha. Why? Because like I said earlier, it’s Commander Shepard’s favorite. And when you’re traveling the vast reaches of space and saving the galaxy, no one cares about the technicalities of pie names 🙂
So don’t let the name stop you. If you’ve got something that you think may go good in there, don’t be scared. Carrots, Bacon, Lamb, Sausage, Beef, Red Wine, Cubed Steak, Fish (which is called a Fisherman’s Pie, but I’m not getting into that now), Beef Stock…. It’s hard to not come out a winner every time. So go crazy with the basics of this recipe.
Speaking of recipes, let’s get our 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816
406282089986280348253421170679… on:
Watch it…
And that’s it! Finally, Shepherd’s Pie is on here! And on Pi Day! That’s like, coming full circle!
…There’s a Pi joke in there somewhere, but I’m too lazy right now.
*If you like Mass Effect, then you like to game. And if you like to game, you need to get over to the EZ-Mode Unlocked forum and sign up! A lot of good folks over there. And they just celebrated their podcast’s 4 year anniversary! So congrats to them!
I’m partying at the Pi Day Pie Party at Crazy for Crust today. Come party with us!
