Author Archives: vagabondallen

Search Criteria

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Sometimes, I have some ingredient left over from a previous meal, or I’m looking for new inspiration in the kitchen, and I want to use a specific ingredient. That’s when I turn to my favorite cooking app. The app for Allrecipes.com comes with some great features, but the main one I use is the search feature. Now, I’m sure plenty of cooking apps have that option, but I’ve been using this app for a couple years now, and I’ve built a nice little collection of “favorites” to try.

Monday night, I had about a pound of boneless pork loin. We also had an abundance of peanut butter. So I searched in the app and found a recipe for pork in peanut sauce. I had most of the ingredients, but the recipe called for fresh, minced ginger. I hadn’t worked with ginger before so I bought a small piece that I hoped would cover the two teaspoons I needed. Dinner turned out great, but I had probably three teaspoons of the ginger left over and no idea what to do with it.

Last night, I had ground turkey, potatoes, and the ginger. Most of the results for all three required whole turkey, so I decided to just search on turkey and ginger. When two different recipes came up for turkey burgers, I decided burgers and fries were the order of the day. I made a few modifications, so we had turkey burgers seasoned with garlic and ginger, topped with horseradish cheddar, balsamic ketchup, coarse ground mustard, and mixed greens. On the side, there were tangy baked potato wedges. I made one mistake when I read the recipe and accidentally added the oil to the burger mixture instead of the pan. So I used our grilling pan with the raised ridges and everything turned out fine.

I was missing a few ingredients here and there, but Cathy and I didn’t really notice. I did have fun reminding her about the fact that all I do lately is cook from scratch, so she should be more appreciative. While I was just entertaining myself with teasing her, I was also fascinated with the notion, that I have come to a point where I rarely rely on ready-made, packaged food anymore when I’m cooking. That’s actually kind of exciting. More work, to be sure, but liberating as well. Enjoy!

Burdened to blog.

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I’ve traditionally been reticent to start blogging because I feel a certain obligation to my subscribers and the public in general, even if there are only currently fourteen people reading my blog with any frequency. Journaling of any kind has never been a habit I’ve successfully achieved with regularity. I think there are several factors that contribute to this.

1. I dislike repetition. I remember as a kid telling with my parents I could eat pizza every meal. They told me they would go to the store and buy a month’s supply of store-brand cheese pizzas to test my resolve. I tried to explain that I didn’t mean one kind of pizza in particular, but the whole wide variety of pizza in general. They didn’t get it. The point is, I crave diversity.

2. I get distracted. Not ADD/ADHD distracted, but I tend to have a number of irons in the fire, and often, the “now” of current events supersedes the “then” of the recently passed. If I don’t blog about something while it’s fresh, the passion to blog about it wanes significantly.

3. I wonder if it matters. As much as I want to say I write for myself, I still suffer the weakness of craving attention like others. I know I’m intelligent enough to express myself with significance, but I’m not arrogant enough to think my expressions are automatically fit for public consumption and should be required reading.

4. I fear irrelevance. If I don’t keep the blog fresh, will I become obsolete? Will I and others lose interest? Will it be just another in a long string of unfinished projects, and is it already doomed to be such by virtue of it being a neverending process?

This all became particularly poignant to me in the last week or so, when over ten days passed between posts. As long as I haven’t decided what this blog will be, I keep entertaining thoughts on what it could be. However, until it can be something else, I need to just let it be what it is and relax. Enjoy!

Failure IS an option.

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Last night, I paid a visit to my best friends, JB and Lindsey Bougher. Lindsey is one of the subscribers to my blog. We had missed an opportunity to get together around my birthday, so she set out to cook a fun dinner to celebrate.

Her goal was to make three dishes. Prep time proved to be so long on one of them that she opted for just two. The asian-inspired salad was chock full of great veggies like baby corn and bok choy and topped with a delicious homemade dressing. The homemade potstickers were the real winner, though. I must have eaten fourteen of them; I lost count! The dipping sauce seemed slightly thicker than the traditional sauce found in restaurants, but the flavor was spot on across the dish. They might have been the best potstickers I’ve ever had.

As the first batch was cooking, Lindsey became a bit distraught at their appearance. They didn’t seem to have the correct traditional shape and she feared they would be unappetizing. She said something to the effect that she never learns the lesson of not trying new things when entertaining friends. I insisted that was the best time to try new things, because unlike spouses, friends will give kinder yet honest critiques of the food. Of course, the first batch tasted incredible, so her fears were unrealized.

Presentation is almost as important an ingredient in successful dishes as flavor and aroma. At least, that’s what the cooking shows would have us believe. I think that makes us afraid to try making for ourselves some dishes because we don’t think we can achieve the same level of success across the board as the famous chefs and cooks do. Sure, it’s fun to “nail it” and have a recipe turn out just the way you expect. I also think it’s fun to eat a disaster and laugh about the experience later. So, take risks, change ingredients, use the wrong pan or the wrong utensil. Sometimes, catastrophic failures are just stunning successes in disguise. Enjoy!

Raising the “bar”

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Tonight, I visited Duffy’s On Diversey in Chicago to watch Cathy compete in an annual singing competition. There was a new menu to go with a remodel in progress. Apps were half price on Mondays, so I tried two for a nicely priced meal.

The Pork on Pork Fries needed more flavor, as they were a bit underwhelming. The Jambalaya Fritters, on the other hand, were scrumptious and generously portioned, done in a hush puppy-style, topped with scallions and laid on bed of tangy sauce. They were delightful! Cathy’s house salad was pretty impressive, too.

Which got me to thinking. Is it just me or have more and more establishments been upping their culinary games in recent years? For example, Crosstown Pub in Naperville serves up some stellar, spicy deviled eggs. (Anyone who knows me knows I’m a sucker for deviled eggs.) Popular watering holes seem to be offering ever expanding appetizer menus with ingredients lists that read like trendy downtown eateries. Even one of my oldest, favorite, underwhelming establishments for over 20 years has recently rolled out a new menu that’s been getting decent reviews from the locals.

I’m convinced that much of this game changing can be accredited to the popularity of reality shows about food and cooking. From the Food Network’s many competitions to shows like “Kitchen Nightmares”, it seems like everyone is expecting better fare, and the fare-providers are rising to the occasion. Personally, I’m all for it. It’s nice to see more than wings, nachos, and deep-fried (insert proteins here) to go with my newest beverage discovery. I just found out Stella Artois makes a cider! So good! Enjoy!

‘Za!

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I don’t eat pizza as much as I used to. Mainly because it’s mostly made with a crust, and usually those crusts are made with wheat, and since I eat out more with my gluten-intolerant wife than anyone else, I don’t eat pizza as much as I used to.

When I did eat pizza with frequency, I loved it, especially stuffed and deep dish.  My favorites among the local chains were, in order, Lou Malnati’s, Gino’s East and Giordano’s. Except when I was in the mood for a spinach deep dish, then Giordano’s managed the best version, except maybe for Edwardo’s.

Once Cathy and I started dating, I made a concerted effort to find pizza places with gluten-free crusts. Our visits are still infrequent, but the first we discovered was at the Chicago Dough Company in New Lenox. When it impacted them personally, the operating family committed to offering a wide range of options. That made for some great date nights until I moved from the area.

Lou’s and Giordano’s now offer gf crusts. We haven’t tried the latter, but we went to the former today, where we were able to enjoy a rare pizza lunch. Their crust is acceptable, as gf goes, but Lou’s still tops it superbly, so it satisfies the craving.

Of the national chains, Domino’s is the only one with a gf crust we’ve tried so far. With all their efforts to improve their recipes, it was a pleasant surprise. The thin crust was light and crackery, not as dense as has been typical in the past with gf crusts.

No one’s managed a gf deep dish or hand tossed style yet. I can’t wait for that to happen. Until then, a nice thin crust hits most of the spots. Enjoy!

Courses? Of course!

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Last night, I decided to take the homemade meal a step further. I decided to course it.

The appetizer was chips and homemade guacamole. Cathy and I caught up a bit, and started into our bottle of red wine for the night, a Malbec/Petite Verdot blend from Cooper’s Hawk. This gave her time to unwind and settle down.

Then I served the warmed arugula salad. This was my big gamble. Taking inspiration from the idea of a warm spinach salad, I made a hot dressing to toss in the arugula. The liquid part was a balsamic reduction with honey and coarse ground dijon mustard. It could have used just a bit more honey, but I didn’t use measurements, so I’ll have to experiment in the future. I threw in sauteed onions, garlic and diced mortadella and sprinkled in some fresh cilantro. In spite of the need for just a smidge more sweet, it was delicious!

Entree course was a baked chicken breast with bacon, smothered in bbq sauce. That was straight from a simple recipe, so I saved it for last, confident the meal would end on a high note.

I’m getting better at winging it all the time. I’m also getting better at portioning for two, which means there were no leftovers last night. Now that I’ve proven to myself and Cathy that I can craft a multi-piece meal and not just single-skillet concoctions, it’s getting to be pretty exciting to have the opportunity to cook at home. Enjoy!

Double Golden

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Today, Cathy and I hosted a few couples at our place to celebrate my Double Golden Birthday.

What’s that, you say? Well, I was born on the 21st, so my golden birthday would have been 21. My double golden is this year, my 42nd.

But that’s not a thing, you say? I know. I invented it. Except I didn’t. However, this, and this were the few entries I found in a quick search, after I landed on the idea on my own. It’s a very similar sentiment for what I was going for. For many, the golden birthday is magical and wonderful. For others, either it wasn’t all they’d hoped for, or they were too young or too immature to appreciate or enjoy it fully. I submit to you that the double golden birthday provides, for many, the opportunity to enjoy a special birthday as much or more than their golden, and it can also provide a bonus milestone birthday, when one gets impatient waiting for 30, 40, 50, and so on.

So, Cathy went with a golden theme, making gluten free yellow cupcakes with lemon icing, polenta, and three kinds of deviled eggs (one of my favorite hors d’oeuvres of all time), and serving cheese and crackers, with everything on yellow plates and in yellow dishes where possible. It was a sweet and lovely gesture that will not be forgotten. The yellow cupcakes were the biggest hit of the night, even moreso than the chocolate and peanut butter ones I’d requested.

So I submit to you my latest near-creation, the Double Golden Birthday. It’s totally going to be a thing. Enjoy!

Challenge accepted!

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After a recent single skillet dinner I whipped up for the two of us, my wife asked if I could whip up a more traditional meal of entree and sides. Only happy to oblige, I put together a lovely meal as shown.

I started with pork cutlets, pounded out and rubbed with Galena Street spice mix from Penzy. After those were cooked, I topped them with a balsamic reduction. Sides were savory seasoned green beans with a drizzle of the reduction and cilantro lime rice. I consulted a recipe for the reduction ingredients, but the rest was off the top of my head.

The only mistake I made was failing to keep the pork warm while I made the sauce. Another lesson for next time. That’s what I love about cooking. There’s always going to be a need for food, so there’s always going to be a need for a next time. Enjoy!

This Father’s Day…

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As this is the first Father’s Day since I started my blog, I’d like to reminisce on my dad’s impact on my relationship with food.

My dad didn’t cook much. Not because he couldn’t manage his way around the kitchen, but more because it was never his passion. He and mom largely followed traditional family roles, and his passion was his family and taking care of them. He helped eagerly whenever asked. He was quick with a kitchen knife, and during the two years my family went vegetarian, he became indispensable to my mom with his talent for chopping veggies.

To this day, I’m a sucker for a well-chopped salad. There’s nothing more frustrating than paying for half a cucumber, tomato wedges and big leaves of lettuce dropped on a plate and passed off as salad. If the ingredients are in the salad, they should be in every bite, otherwise, I’m paying someone to let me do all the work. But I digress.

I’m not sure when it happened, but my dad became obsessed with hot stuff. My mom used to make him a special homemade salsa with twice the peppers she used in the family jar. He once told me he drank a bottle of tabasco sauce on a dare. I barely managed a shot. These days, it’s quite challenging to serve up something too hot for him. I almost succeeded with my messed up posole.

My dad was never a drinker. Well, not that I can remember. There may have been a little something in the house in the early years, but I can’t remember ever seeing anything in the house by the time I was ten. There have been hints over the years at a rough patch in his teen years, and he served in Vietnam, so I can’t imagine there wasn’t at least a drink or two on leaves. Yet it seems he’s recently begun exploring wine again. Of course, I had to be respectful when he dropped a couple ice cubes in his merlot when I took him to Cooper’s Hawk for his birthday. As passionate as I’ve become about wine, I’ll take whatever shared experiences I can get.

This year, my dad is at home caring for my mom so my brother and his family can travel. So Cathy and I are bringing down the dinner special from work for him to enjoy, while we spend time with him. After all he’s given me over the years, it’s the least I can do to show my appreciation to the man who gave my life such flavor. Happy Father’s Day, Dad! I raise my glass to you, now and always. Enjoy!

Mahalo, indeed.

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I stopped in at Tom & Eddie’s today. I checked them out about 1.5 years ago, but a few things have changed. I didn’t notice any slider combos anymore. So I went with the Mahalo Burger, paired with sweet potato fries and Boylan Creamy Red Birch Beer. The very tasty burger was made with  ground pork, topped with grilled pineapple, a slice of ham, and asian bbq sauce. The fries were well seasoned, but not overdone, and it was nice to have a cane sugar option, since I’m getting away from HFCS. They actually have a half dozen Boylan choices on tap.

Every time I eat a ground pork burger, it takes me back to the first time I had one. It was the late eighties, and I was hanging out with a buddy, Brent, from youth group. He grabbed a portable grill and all the fixings, along with some ground pork, and we headed out to a local model airfield. We grilled burgers while we watched the enthusiasts fly their planes. My memory of the burgers may be fuzzy, but I can still see them pale and sizzling on the grill. I have no idea what we had on them, but I remember them fondly. Enjoy!