Marriage Ref Contestant Was Right!

Have you ever watched the tv show called
Marriage Ref   www.nbc.com/the-marriage-ref
produced by Jerry Seinfeld? http://jerryseinfeld.com

If you haven't... it's hosted by hilarious Tom Papa
www.tompapa.com  where they take 3 different celebrities
each week and they discuss to see 3 different couples'
disputes to see who is more right!  

There was this one episode with this older couple and their
dispute was:  the husband was tired of his wife asking the server
literally how many minutes ago was the decaf coffee made?
They showed clips of the couple in many different restaurants and the
wife extensively asks the server when was it brewed.
She sternly tells the server she will know if he/she are lying about
when the coffee was brewed. She warns them that if it's a second longer
than 18 minutes it is old, not fresh and she will make them brew a fresh pot.

With sales or anything I guess- it's the way you ask or say something that
could make a huge difference!  Her husband's argument is... just drink
something else or order it and if it's a few seconds longer... it's not the end
of the world. Her argument ultimately is that if she's paying for the coffee-
she wants it fresh.  Basically super fresh!

After the celebrity panel discusses their opinions-
gearing towards the decision that the wife is too extreme...
they are able to research that brewed coffee is freshest
up to 20 minutes. Once it is over 20 minutes-
it starts to have that slightly burnt taste.
It doesn't mean you can't drink it or that it's spoiled...
it's just the freshest when it's within 20 minutes.
I never knew the mark for freshness in brewed coffee was 20 minutes.
Obviously the sooner you drink or eat food-
it is better but I never really knew there was a time.
So, the wife ended up winning the argument. 

What The Heck Is Splenda Anyway?

Ah, Splenda. The sugar alternative.
It's lower in calories... for the calorie counters.
It's an alternative if you can't have sugar.
If you break out like me from too much sugar...
Splenda is also the way to go.
Just like anything... always have things in moderation.
Splenda is the brand name for a sucralose based and obviously
artificial-sweetener that came from sugar.

Splenda is owned by a British company named Tate & Lyle.
Tate & Lyle were researchers at Queen Elizabeth College,
University of London. Splenda was discovered in 1976
and became approved in the U.S. in 1998. Since 1999,
Splenda has overtaken Equal  with their $1.5 billion
artificial sweetener market holding a 62% market share.
According to research, $212 million of Splenda was sold
in 2006 in the U.S. while Equal sold $48.7 million.

Splenda is made in a granular form or in tablet form.
There is good and bad to Splenda of course. If you can't have sugar...
obviously, it is a choice. The bad part is that it's a chemical.
It is made from many chemicals together "chemical soup" some call it.
chemicals including chlorine, fluorine, bromine, iodine and others.
When you know that it is made partly by chlorine... it is a turnoff -
but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Stacking Plates

When you are stacking plates in your cabinet...
it is a good idea to take some paper plates and place a paper plate
in between each plate to prevent any scratches, chipping or extra dust.
If the plate has a glaze or painting on it.. it will help preserve that as well.
It doesn't make sense to do this for your everyday plates...
but if you have slightly nicer plates that you don't use regularly-
it would be a great idea.
(You can also get 100 paper plates from the dollar store for.... yep,  a dollar)

Simple Mashed Potatoes

Just like the way some people have trouble boiling a hard boiled egg-
potatoes aren't the simplest either.

Here is a simple fool-proof way to make basic mashed potatoes.
You can simply start with any kind of potato-
Wash it, and peel it.

After peeling the skin, dice it into small pieces (the smaller the better)
Keep in mind that you are planning to mash these little cubes up once
they are fully cooked.

The next tip is to place the diced up potatoes into a pan large enough
that the potatoes will be completely submerged in water...
BUT make sure the water is cold water!  The reason for the cold water
is that in the time that it takes the cold water to get hot and boiling...
it gives the potatoes that extra time to get comfy in the hot tub.

This is when I add the salt into the water to give the potatoes
some flavor through the boiling  process.
If I'm not too tired, I'll even add a little chicken broth
to raise the flavor even more.

Once the water starts to boil rapidly... lower the heat from high
to medium and cover the pan slightly to help keep the heat in the hot tub.
Once it's been boiling for a few minutes- take a fork (not a knife-
because the knife will just slice it rather than show it's tenderness)
and see if the fork goes through the potato nicely. 
You'll know if it's tender or still needs a little more boiling.
(The more tender the potato is... the less lumps you will have
in your mashed potatoes!)

Once the potatoes have passed the smooth-fork-tender test...
You can drain the water from the pan.

Lastly, you want to get out your masher while adding a little butter
and a splash of milk or cream. Whether to use milk or cream can be
based off of what consistency you want your mashed potatoes
to be. If you don't want then as thick... I'd go with the milk. 
Butter milk is a great alternative also!
Add very little salt if needed (you shouldn't really have to add too
much because you salted the water)

Once you get the basic mashed potatoes down...
you can add your shredded cheese in there, or your garlic
or chives or whatever floats your boat!

The Girl And The Goat (CHI)

Girl & The Goat is a rustic restaurant with a busy, busy environment.
The restaurant is open for dinner from 4:30-11pm and 12 on weekends.
Good luck getting a table unless you have some skills.
(not to brag, but I was able to get a table)
The owner and chef of Girl & The Goat is Stephanie Izard...
winner of Top Chef.
The restaurant has been open for less than 2 years but is filled to
capacity  every single night. The food is pretty amazing.
The portions are on the smaller side but filled with so much
savory flavor- you feel lucky just enjoying the first bite.
Now when I say filled with flavor... you almost want to pick up
your plate and lick every last drop of sauce or seasoning.
Now, that's tasty. If you ever make it to the windy city of Chicago-
you must stop by at The Girl & The Goat even if you have to stand or
sit by the waiting area to get some food.

The menu is filled with vegetables, fish and meat that are locally grown
on farms along with the bread that is baked daily.

Now, when you look at the menu.... you think... hmmm I'm not sure if
I want anything from here... it's kind of weird... very different but
in a good way. You might think... there are ingredients I'm not sure
if I would ever eat or have ever heard of. 
But, you take a deep breath and tell yourself to be brave and you order
anything off the menu... but you should definitely order and try the
"Pig's Face"  yes, I said pig's face.

                                             

It is slightly pricey... but worth every bite & dollar.
The Pig's face is very tender and it basically melts in your mouth
especially with the egg mixed in along with the 2 dominant flavors of
cilantro and almond butter with tints of the tartness of tamarind.
I can't say enough about this dish!

Simple Sauce That You'll Crave !

I have a really simple recipe for a good sauce that is so tasty!
I really enjoy this sauce with steak but it can be good
with chicken, grilled or sauteed veggies.

You'll have to make this sauce by sight and taste.
Simply take some Miso paste(the paste you make Miso Soup with)
and some almond butter and scoop some into a bowl that is
large enough to take a spoon to mix the 2 together in.
I usually start with 1-2 tablespoons of the almond butter
and about 1/2 of the amount of Miso paste because the Miso paste
has salt in it and you don't want your sauce too salty. I also add
a few drops of soy sauce and some water so the sauce isn't a thick
paste but has the consistency of a thicker salad dressing.
Sometimes I add a little Splenda or agave nectar if it's a little on
the salty side. That's it though- Miso paste, almond butter,
a few drops of soy sauce, water and a sweetener.

LCF's Twist On A Quesadilla

Making food you like is always a plus. Cultivating it- is even better!
(when you make it your own by adding things you like)
Why add ingredients you don't have or like just because it's in a recipe.

With that thought... I decided to cultivate a quesadilla.
First, take some...

tomatoes, peppers and cilantro and dice it all up.  (You can also add a red onion) 

Then, take some watermelon and dice that up. 

You might think... watermelon in a salsa with veggies...?   Don't diss it unless you've tried it. 

Once it's diced up- it works well if you put it in a colander to let the liquid out.

Next, you want to cut your corn (I prefer cutting it from the cob because it tastes better) 

and chop some cilantro and saute it together with a little oil in the pan and some chicken stock.

 

 I add some steak seasoning or you can just add which ever seasoning you like! 

Take some burrito wrappers and place your tomato-watermelon salsa, 

cilantro corn and any type of cheese  you'd like and fill half of the burrito wrapper.

I decided to use Brie Cheese, shredded cheddar out of a Kraft bag, diced smoked Gouda 

and Beemsters Valaskas Cheddar for this quesadilla.

 

    

It can be a little tricky flipping it over, BUT- you can do it!

I will say it is pretty tasty! 

You can add some chicken or pork if you'd like as well.