Versatile Garlic Stir Fry Sauce

Last night, I wanted to make dinner for my girlfriend and myself. Unfortunately, we didn't really have much food left in the house. I made a very simple stir-fry type dish with chicken, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, onions, and noodles. For the sauce, I wanted something that packed a punch without being too hot for my girlfriend's delicate taste buds.  The obvious solution? Garlic! The sauce ended up being pretty Thai inspired.

On What Is To Come

Sorry about the lack of activity. Thanksgiving consisted of a bunch of delicious (but not particularly innovative) food, and the leftovers lasted for a very long time. The highlight of the meal came from sweet potato biscuits that my girlfriend made (see the recipe she used). What with this massive influx of food, I really just haven't had much to post on.

At this point, I've worked my way through the leftovers. However, in the next ten days or so I'm going to be very busy studying for my end of semester exams. I'll try to bang out a couple of posts on quick and easy things, perhaps accompanied by a smattering of science here and there. After all, I've been learning about the digestive system this block. What kind of monster would I be to not take advantage of that?

Come December 17th, I'm on break for a short while. I'll be going back to my native New Jersey, where I can rely on my parents' home cooking instead of my own. At that point, though, I'll at least have some free time on my hands. Expect updates.

Improvised Stovetop Lattes

Okay, this latte is kinda ghetto. The phrase "ghetto latte" might seem like a contradiction - after all, a latte is a classy blend of espresso and steamed milk. It's the type of thing you buy from a pretentious hipster, flavored with gingerbread or peppermint mocha. This latte becomes ghetto because, to be frank, I cheat. I own neither an espresso machine nor any legitimate means of making steamed milk.

But on Saturday, I found myself jonesing for a latte. I improvised! The result tastes shockingly like something you'd buy at Starbucks and doesn't require investing in any expensive equipment. Perhaps more importantly, you can get your hands on it without being judged by any hipsters whatsoever! The only important thing to have is some means of filtration. If you have a french press, that would be ideal. If not, you could use a fine mesh strainer or (like I used) a regular drip coffee machine filter.

Well, I didn't mention peppermint mocha for no good reason.

Macaroni and Cheese with Spam

Ingredients:

   - Macaroni and Cheese
   - Spam

Instructions:

1. Cook macaroni and cheese.
2. Add Spam.
3. Avoid looking at yourself in the mirror.

Final Verdict:

Taste: 4.5/5

Ease: 5/5

Health: 0/5

Last-Minute Stir Fry

Last night, my brewing buddy Abel came over for dinner. This is all well and good, but I hadn't planned on it. The chicken I was marinading wouldn't be enough for two people. To stretch out the meat and make a fulfilling meal, I decided to toss the meat with some vegetable and seasoning and make stir fry. This was extremely last-minute; I just about exhausted my supply of fresh vegetables and I did every bit of planning as I went along. It came out pretty great, so I thought I'd share.

I told myself I wouldn't say this, but... it was... Stir-Friday (Archer, anyone?).

Pork: Now, Medium-Rare

While listening to the radio the other day, I heard a commercial from the pork industry. I don't think I've heard much advertisement from them since I was a little kid, back when "The Other White Meat" commercials were still often playing.

This new commercial really surprised me, though. It was informing me that the FDA had changed its guidelines for safely cooking pork. It used to be that pork was supposed to be heated to 160 °F. This new commercial claimed that whole pieces of pork could be served "juicy and medium-rare", after being cooked to 145 °F with a three minute rest period before eating. So what gives?

Image: savit keawtavee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Milk-Brased Spiced Pork Chops

A few posts ago, I spoke about a blog I had been introduced to called The Recipe Development Engineer. The author of the blog, Ludwig, wrote a great piece about braising meat. Long story short, braising makes pretty much any piece of meat moist and delicious (read the full article here). Last night, I came up with a braising recipe of my own. There's an Italian way of preparing a pork roast wherein it is slowly braised in milk; I played with it a bit in order to give it some zing.

Please, don't try eating the bay leaf.

On Freezer Burn

A friend recently asked me about freezer burn. It certainly isn't a standard burn from heat or acid, so what causes it? Why is it that food left in a freezer - and theoretically locked in some sort of suspended animation - nevertheless goes bad? How can it best be prevented? He also asked about how freezer burn can "tenderize" meat, which is something I've never heard of but decided to look into.

Not exactly ideal.

Autumn Vegetable Stew: Round Two

So, I remade the Autumn Vegetable Stew that I posted a recipe for recently. It came out great again. I mentioned during the first post that there were a few discrepancies between the instructions I gave and the instructions I followed. This image is of a stew using the exact recipe I posted. It's creamier than when I first made it, and every bit as delicious.

It would make a phenomenal first course if you were having company (and you could easily prepare it a few days ahead of time), but it's hearty enough that a good-size bowl makes a lovely and healthy meal.

The cheese on top might be the best part.

It Is Complete: Pioneer Pale Ale

The first batch of home brewed beer is complete! It has been dubbed "Pioneer Pale Ale." Realistically, it may not deserve that name - it's not quite like any other pale ale I've ever had. First off, it would be a bit of a stretch to declare it pale:

Pictured: five weeks of waiting.