Date Night

So tonight is date night, Aug 11, and I felt like making something especially tasty and different. I chose to make lamb chops with crunchy green beans and mashed potatoes. I started off by gathering all of the items I was going to be using.

First I needed sugar (2 tablespoons), vinegar (8 fluid oz), dry red wine (8 fluid oz), and some meat. I chose a basic white vinegar so not to interfere with the Malbec I bought. I chose lamb chops mostly because I enjoy them, and its not often that we eat it.  The wine I chose has hints of dark cherry, blackberry and oak.  I paired the wine with some of my new favorite herbs, rosemary and thyme. For extra measure I added some bay leaves. I rough chopped some white pearl onions (2) and added them to the mix. Of course I had to have the Holy Trinity of spices, but decided on a little extra flair and dusted the chops with smoked paprika. I mixed it all together, added olive oil (2 fluid oz) and let it marinade for about 45 minutes. I flipped them once at the 20 min marker so that they would be evenly marinated.

I had originally wanted to braise the meat, but I ended up changing my mind at the last minute... mostly the kitchen was already hot and I didn't want to make it any hotter. I still created the sweat base of carrots, celery, and one final pearl onion for pre-cooking.  I sweated the base until the onions were a golden brown, and the celery was soft. I then added the marinade and the meat to the mixture. I brought it all to a boil, then simmered covered until it reached the desired done state. For me this was somewhere in between medium-rare and medium. It took about 15 minutes on a medium-low heat.

After that I reduced the sauce and made it thicker by adding sugar and cornstarch. The sugar helped  take away some of the zing that the vinegar left. Overall it was one of the best lamb dishes I have ever had.

Over Ambitious

I have to say that my initial idea to post weekly items that I cooked and games that I reviewed was a bit over ambitious on my part. In order to rectify the situation I have decided I will post food items at least twice a month. I will also be reviewing games twice a month on weeks opposite of a food post. With that being I will start March off this week with a food item. I will be posting thoughts of mine at any given time .

Slow Cooker Pork Roast

This recipe is easy to make and delicious. All you need is a 5lb Pork Roast - or Beef if you don't eat Pork - chives, thyme, rosemary, 10 small red potatoes, carrots, the Holy Trinity of Spices, and some form of onion (I used a scallion). Spice everything to taste. The tools that you will need are a Crock Pot, Cutting Board, and Paring Knife.

I started off with a 2lb bag of little carrots, and by the time I finally got around to making dinner, and not feasting on carrots and ranch dip, I had about a pound left. I put half of this in the bottom of my Crock Pot. I then drizzled some chile and garlic infused olive oil over them.  Simply because I love garlic, I added a tablespoon of minced to the bottom as well.  I then took to slicing all my potatoes and my scallion. I cut the potatoes in half and tossed them in the pot. I minced the scallion and threw it in as well. I gave it all a good stir so that the flavors would begin to party!

I carefully unwrapped the roast and set it on my cutting board. I washed my hands. I grabbed the other spices out of my fridge and pantry. I whipped up a small bowl of salt and pepper and then began giving the roast a massage with it; we want him to be comfortable after all. Once done I put him in the pot on top of all the goodness that was already there. I washed up again. I grabbed some chives, I think it was about 3, cut them up and threw them in the mix. I added 2 - 3 rosemary and thyme twigs to both sides and set some scallion, thyme, and rosemary on the top.

I closed the lid and turned the timer on 10-hours.

Now if you are anything like me, you know that you can't get up in enough time to prep a nice dinner and get to work on time, I just prep it the night before and put it in my fridge for instant access the next morning.

After the magic happened, and I came home from work, I could smell the mixture of herbs, and meat coming from my kitchen when I walked in the door.  I washed off my cutting board with soap and water. I was eager to see how it tasted. It was far too hot for me to handle, and cut off the strings holding it all together. So I let it sit for about 20 minutes while I fished out the yummyness on the bottom.  I also made sure to pull out any of the annoying, inedible twigs that were left over from the herbs. Once cooled I cut off the strings to the roasted and sliced myself a hearty portion. I also made sure to serve myself a hearty portion of veggies.

That first bite was heaven.  The roast was nice and tender, juicy, and full of flavor.  The veggies were much the same, with the potatoes being my favorite (but I am a meat an potatoes kinda girl).

Drink: I paired this with a simple apple cider. It helped bring out the freshness of the meat.  If you are looking to go more alcoholic with it, definitely go with the hard ciders and in something like apple or pear.  The crispness accentuates the flavor of the meat.  Avoid anything apricot as it could be too over powering.

Essentials of the Kitchen

Having a good stock of both equipment, spices, and food is essential in any kitchen.  There are a few things that I hold in special high regard. They make my kitchen complete, I use them frequently, and without them I am lost. Some may come to as a shock to you, others make perfect sense, either way the following is a list of the essentials of my kitchen (and I think every kitchen is incomplete without them.)

1. Crock Pot/Slow Cooker - great for, well, anything
2. Holy Trinity of Spices - Salt, Garlic, and Pepper (and I will refer to this mix as the Holy Trinity in my recipes)
3. Olive Oil - Infused with spices you like is better, plain never hurt
4. Pasta Pot - any pot you cook pasta in counts
5. Saute Pan - for things like garlic, onion, mushrooms, and the ever yummy bacon
6. Metal Tongs - great for BBQ Season
7. Plastic Tipped Tongs - great so you don't scratch your Teflon pans
8. Large Skillet - with two handles (one on each side)
9. Steamer - great for anything from eggs to fish, but required for tamales
10. Slotted Spoon - enough said there
11. Non slotted spoon - for soups
12. Strainer - for how are you going to make you pasta without it
13. Cookie sheet - not just for cookies, you need two of these
14. Casserole Dish - for more than just casserole
15. Paring Knife - great for trimming the fat off meat
16. Medium Size Carving Knife - to carve your cooked meat
17. Cheese Grater - the three tier kind with zesting, slicing and shredding
18. Cutting Board - for cutting things up of course
And last but not least, Wine/Beer - this will sometimes go in the food.

Please note that this is not an all inclusive list. If there are things your kitchen simply can't do without, please include them. Just like if there are things you think would sound good in my recipes, make them your own.

My first recipe will be posted tomorrow, along with drink, and a game review. 

Good Foods : A Gamer's Tale

Okay here's the deal: I am a gamer girl.  I know we are hard to find, somewhat of a mystery, and are often stereotyped as eating nothing more than chips and Mountain Dew.  Even given the fact that I do indulge in chips, specifically Lays Chile Lime, and Mountain Dew, doesn't mean that I don't also crave the finer foods in life.  So I have taken to experimenting both in and out of the kitchen.  I have come across a few great dishes, made by both me and some really great chef's in some little known restaurants, and some not so little known ones, and some really not so great ones, mostly made by me. A great example of a not so great dish that I made involved pork, balsamic vinegar, and mustard. Let me tell you this, wholeheartedly: NEVER mix balsamic vinegar and mustard.

Now as I delve into the world of food, I will also be looking for good drinks, alcoholic and non, and good deserts. Plus lets not forget my roots, I am a gamer after all, I will be including a review of a game, whether it be old, new, or somewhere in between. And I am not going to limit myself to just video games either. I will try any system and type I can.

So I hope you stay tuned for good games and good foods.