As I continue to try new things in the kitchen, I find myself facing many new firsts. There are still a great many things I’ve never tried before, such as making a soufflé, poaching eggs, or gutting a fish. (The first two will probably come up soon, but I’m in no hurry to try the third.) So I still have a lot of exploring to do.

One thing I hadn’t tried yet was cooking a whole chicken. I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know if I’d have to scoop out giblets by hand, or if I would over or under cook it. So I waited till Cathy was available for questions, since I had seen her cook a whole turkey before, inside a brown paper bag no less. I figured she had to know what she was doing. I also found several promising recipes to pick from and reviewed those with her as well. As it would turn out, we had one of what I would call beginner chickens. The giblets were neatly tucked into a wax paper bag and the chicken included a… I don’t know the technical term so I’ll call it a popper. You know, those pre-inserted thermometers that pop when the bird is done. Very handy, but I’ll get to that in a moment.

After emptying the bird and rinsing it out, I left it to dry in the fridge, propped up on it’s tail for a few hours. I chose a lemon and herb roast recipe, because I have had pretty consistent success with roasting in the past, and the recipe’s seasoning mix included mustard powder, which I happened to have on hand. The mixture was sprinkled inside and out, and then the lemon juice and olive oil blend was drizzled over the whole thing. Popped it into the oven, and started my basting timer. The recipe said to let it cook for an hour and a half, but I wasn’t sure if I should trust that or the popper. A quick call to the sis-in-law confirmed the popper’s idiot-proofness, so after the hour and a half was up, I switched to ten minute basting intervals. Right around the two and a quarter hour mark, I finally got a pop and out it came. After 20 minutes rest and a masterful carving job by the wife and we ate like kings.

I don’t know what I’ll tackle next (maybe cornish hens?), but I eagerly anticipate each new adventure. After all, I may not be an expert at cooking a whole chicken, but that doesn’t mean I have to be one anymore. I just have to trust in my ability to comprehend instructions, and I should take courage in knowing that so many have paved the way in the kitchen before me. Thanks to them the whole experience of cooking truly can be a joy. Enjoy!

I had a particularly good shift at work last night. I made decent money despite the typical January slowdown, and I had fun with my tables. At one point I joked that I would open a restaurant called “Allen’s Hands” because I had them eating out of mine. I even won the contest for sales of the special surf and turf. Part of my prize was an order of the bone-in filet and horseradish crusted salmon, which I packed up to bring home.

This morning, I decided to take some of that meal and turn it into a delightful breakfast to get the day started properly. I diced up my side of asparagus and cut up the filet into bite-sized chunks. I added those to a batch of well-whisked eggs and made a tasty scramble. Still, the best was yet to come.

Over the years, I’ve eaten at many a restaurant offering classic ingredients and sauces that I’ve never attempted at home. One popular sauce that seemed almost magical was hollandaise. I always loved how it tasted, but I’d never made one. As I’ve been studying wine, I recently read how there are these restaurants in Alsace, France that open from April to June to only serve asparagus, often drizzled with hollandaise sauce. So, I decided I wanted to make a hollandaise sauce if I could to drizzle over the eggs.

Now, I’m quite certain hollandaise aficionados would be appalled at the thought of a version made in the microwave, but the recipe was quick and easy, and worked perfectly over the scramble, just as I’d hoped.

Sometimes, classics like a hollandaise sauce can take on an almost mythic quality until I’ve attempted to make it at home. Like any good magic trick, once you learn the secret, the trick is no less magical, but now I, too, can make the magic happen. For me, that’s what learning to cook is all about. Enjoy!

The Food Lab’s Complete Guide To Pan-Seared Steaks | Serious Eats.

Another great article on cooking steak. I haven’t really tried cooking steaks much in the past, because the likelihood I would ruin an expensive cut of meat meant my risk/reward ratio was poor. Armed with this new information, I have confidence I could provide such lovely victuals for special occasions in the future. Enjoy!

▶ Science: Cooking Frozen Steaks – YouTube.

After watching the video, I gleaned useful information about how I’m preparing meat to freeze as well. These same techniques may benefit my frozen pork and chicken, too. Enjoy!

Today, I was following a recipe and one of the ingredients was cajun seasoning. Guess who didn’t have any. So I thought maybe I could find out the key ingredients and approximate the flavor.

I found one better, a recipe for a simple version to make at home. For that I had all the ingredients. So I made some awesome burger patties for dinner
and my first ever homemade seasoning mix. Now I want to go find recipes that call for cajun seasoning just so I can use more of it.

The more I explore in the kitchen, the more resourceful I become. So here’s to many more chances to find solutions, and here’s to many more firsts in the kitchen and beyond. Enjoy!

Yesterday, I made the best chili mac I think I’ve ever had. Yes, the slow cooker chili was made from a recipe. That alone turned out great, but I expected as much. What I didn’t do was add the elbow macaroni noodles to the pot. Instead, I cooked the pasta separately. This allowed it to keep that perfect al dente bite. I then laid a helping of pasta in each bowl and spooned chili over the top.

The result was perfection, as the pasta had the texture and flavor that one only gets when pasta is cooked on it’s own. Blending that with the fresh chili and topping with shredded sharp cheddar was so delicious. Although, the awesomeness could also have been derived from my choice of salsa for the chili, a nice gourmet chipotle salsa. After all, the recipe wasn’t specific about which salsa to use, and I’ve been on a chipotle kick for a while now. Either way, I learned a valuable lesson about how I work with pasta. It kind of makes me feel silly for ever trusting my appetite to Hamburger Helper all those years. Enjoy!