Well, in a nap I took this afternoon I had a dream that I made some kick ass Italian food. I felt compelled to recreate my dream and cooked up some really good Chicken Parmesan, Spinach and cheese Tortellini, and finally a very good Pinot Grigio straight from Italy. I was going to add a Cesar Salad and some awesome Bruschetta, but this project didn't start until 10:30pm and I figured I had made enough food, which turned out true because I am full. Here are the pics: Here's the stove top. I had just taken the chicken out of the skillet to cool and drain a bit. Here's the shot of sauce and tortellini boiling. Here's the chicken Parmesan cooling a little and draining some Extra Virgin Olive Oil off before I put it in a pan and baked for a little to melt the cheese. BTW, this is REAL Mozzarella. It was like $10 for a little ball of it. But you have to pay for quality. It tasted stupendous. Here's a shot of my 28 bottle Wine Fridge. Need to stock that bish back up. Yes, that is my sweet reflection. Here's the dinner 90% plated. Chicken is fresh out of the oven with melty cheese and tortellini is freshly drained. Pic of it with the bottle wine. I wanted a red but forgot I drank my last bottle of Pinot Noir a week ago. Again, this wine is as Italian as you can get. There's isn't a single English word on it. I had a buddy who's overseas for the war ship me 15 bottles; Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Reisling, and a Sparkling White. Its good stuff. Completed!!!!! And a close up for high detail
haha sure. I'm not quite sure what I was smoking before my nap, but whatever it was I need some more.
haha nope. Been chatting it up on AIM, playing full tilt poker, and trolling here on MNSubaru. Pretty soon Arrested Development will be thrown in the DVD player.
it'll be a secret ingredient just like on Iron Chef, but we should do Ghetto Mnsubaru Chef. Pick ingredients like bologna, Kraft Cheese slices, ranch dressing, etc.
dude, dont even kid... that would be called dinner time. i would say we should do something like iron chef, we have to bring our own stuff tho? that could present a problem
dude that looks really, really good especially because i love anything itialian. seriously yum :yumyum:
Herb and garlic roasted chicken basted with a sherry butter.. Caramel apple pie with a cinnamon sugar crust for desert. seriously no naps needed I just use what I got and make magic happen so bring on the challenge!
psh, i made a Guinness BBQ glazed steak on a friggin' George Forman Grill...pics once i find my camera. twas amazing
was that your dinner tonight? we went to tacobhell, dang... whats wrong with this picture? i think i can smell that pie just from looking at it... mmmmmm
Wait til I bust out my homemade kickass steak tacos. I'm sure I'd win with the majority of the demograph here on Mnsubaru. They start out with a Filet from von hansens meat shop, with a handful of spices, some fresh minced garlic, and a few sauces simmered for.a while and topped with fresh shredded sharp cheddar cheese, romaine lettuce, and some cool sour cream. Comes with fresh fried tortilla chips and a peach salsa on the side and a patron margarita to wash it down. I'd put that up against anything. And I'm all self taught, no culinary school here. I'd say 9/10 of the guys in this group would prefer that over baked chicken crap.
everyone's different...but I'm sure most members here will luv the steak tacos, fresh burgers, dogs, Ribs, and anything with MEAT and drinks. But some older folks might just prefer prunes...lol I'll make anything taste decent...It all depends what they like, not what I like.. I usually chat with the client/customer a bit before I do any catering gig.
truth, baked chicken is too old school, gotta go with something new and different... culinary school is for chumps, experimentation in the kitchen ftw
that I will challenge NO MSG either...booyah kinda got me thinking...marinate the steaks with beer than slap that som'biotch on the grill...hmmmm
dude, i have tried it with a few different beers, herbs, and spices... gotta say, it all comes down to the combo and how you use the marinate to your advantage... i made a Guinness one for it, let it sit over night, then made a glaze from it to boot... it was simply awesome, i WISH i had a skillet or real grill to use...works awesome.
nah, if something blows its an explosion of deliciousness. lol, i got nothing against culinary school, but i just think the best things are from experimenting with your own little twists and ideas, i honestly think my Guinness steak was one of my favorite things i have ever eaten, it could be improved apon tho
instead of a steak...I'd try it on a prime rib and slow roast that for 4-6 hrs. @ 200 in the oven...might do pretty well with a pesto rub and beer marinate 2 days prior
Culinary school is the same as any other school/college...helps give you options and opens up your creative minds/thinking There was alot of things I learned and was a great experience...but would I recommend it to anyone?...*nope* to dam expensive...Just go work for a 4-5 star restaurant or any restaurant of your choice...There are many different ways to grow "thick skin"...if u know what I mean..Cooking for 1 or 2 is easy...try 200 a night...
pesto rub would depend on the beer, something like Guinness just wouldnt fly to well IMO, if you used something like a Becks or something i suppose it could work pretty decently, maybe even something a bit more whole bodied, not quite Guinness like tho just contridicting flavors. also, i kind of realized that the fat isnt as bad when it obsorbs a ton of good beer. lol my next venture with this is going to be in my mini crock pot, i am thinking of a marinate/glaze and let it simmer with the meet in the crock pot, then take them out when they are nice and super tender to toss them on the grill for that final little hazah! to get them done more on the outside, sear dem beeshes almost with the grill
and i agree completely Ray, i just never would be able to deal with the structure of Culinary School... i want to just head into the kitchen and say, "hmm, what the hell can i make with what i got, this could be interesting..."
Honestly...cheap beer is best for marinates...I didn't mention guinness, just beer as marinate. As for pesto, again many ways to skin a cat...I don't make mine traditional
lol...I HAVE NO STRUCTURE! I get into arguements with the chefs @ school and instructors all the time...especially the ITALIANS! hahaha...I get a beat down from them.. To them it is tradition over taste...If tradition sucks, I'm gonna tweak it..."TASTE OVER tradition" is my view...
cheap beer IMO can ruin it tho too, i can tell when i have made different flanks and cuts that the beer was noticibly crapier, no different than a good wine vs. some 1 dollar bottle that no one wants. ingrediants count, i suppose it comes down to taste and what you are looking to get out of it. another fun one is making a Jag glaze for chicken, those are pretty tasty as well
IMO if I'm marinating or cooking with beer or wine...I wouldn't waste good $$$ on them... If I'm making it for a few good friends spending a little more on good ingredients is best, but for the mass...different story...Most restaurants will use table wine for cooking ($20 a box full) I wouldn't consume it...but just cook with it. You may have to show me some of you skillz...
yeah, well everything i make is for ME and normally someone i care about. lol, possibly...i need to get back to the store and start buying new things to toy with. we should make a dedicated thread just for our creations
True there. My mom makes a pretty kickass beer bread. She doesn't drink any alcohol and doesn't want the bread to taste beery. I argued with her about it and said it needs a little hint of a good beer. So when she made it last time she called the one person she'd know would have a lot of beer in the house, me, and asked to borrow a bottle. When she saw what I had she immediately wanted the cheap, tasteless American crap my roommate had; PBR, Mich Golden Light, etc. to use since it'd have less beer flavor. I quickly vetoed her and said she can only use my Sam Adams Winter Ale or she wasn't getting any beer. Sure enough, when it was made she kept saying how much better and flavorful it was than the regular light crap she used to use.
exactly, a prime example...and i guess if you go a route like mine where you are using the body of the beer in a few different ways you would tell more of what you are using where it would become more apparent when you cut corners or go cheap.
That's how I learned. And I watch more food channel than anything. My Steak Tacos (use chicken and ground beef too:yumyum are completely my own. I started cooking stuff when I was around 14 and was home alone in the summers as my parents went to work. I didn't want to eat microwave crap so I started whipping my own stuff up. The taco recipe just started one day and I've tweaked and messed with different ingredients countless times over almost a decade. I really need to get it written down. I do it all based on habit and taste, no measuring spoons here. If I want more heat that day, throw in some more Cayenne Pepper; in the mood for some more cilantro, boom throw more in; need to smell bad all day, throw in some more garlic and onions; bay leaf brings some fun to the table as well.
