Hunter's Style

Today was a good day. I am not sure why becuase I didn't get any good grades back, no classes were cut short, and the guy that I am crushing on did not ask me out. It could be lunch with BM. Or maybe its that and a combination of the first offically documented dish from The Essentials of Mediterranean cooking. Not exactly my first shot, but what the heck, you gotta start somewhere. I am thinking, yes combo!

Tonight, it was Chicken Cacciatore with Polenta. I had never eaten polenta before this dish. It sorta like a cross between porridge and grits, and if you have never had either of those before...its really a fancy word for some cornmeal added to boiling water and cooked until smooth (topped with Italian cheese, of course!) They turned out ok, a little salty, but yummy just the same.

Now for the Chicken Cacciatore. The excerpt from the cook says:

Cacciatore, or 'hunter's style', origianlly referred to the traditional way of preparing venison with wine, wine vinegar, rosemay, and garlic.

I really made it with tomatoes, wine, onions, green bell peppers, and mushrooms. All sauted separately in a pan and served over the polenta. I must say that I was impressed, with the recipe yeah, but also with myself because I can NEVER follow a recipe. I did this time, with the exception of a substitution of Parmesan for Fontina Cheese in the Polenta.

YUM-O!

Best Thing I Ever Ate....Snacks

Today was a rather sucky day. Major computer problems (which I am extremely prone to), bad exam grades, you get it. But whenever I seem to have the worst days, one thing never fails. It is my go-to snack. Nutella and peanut butter and graham crackers!!!

Mmmm...in fact peanut butter and just about any other food seem are perfect...PB&J, PB and strawberries apples or bananas, PB and caramel. The list goes on. Peanut butter and chocolate are a match made in heaven. Add some graham crackers (secretly, I buy the off brand and they taste exactly the same) and uuuuhhh, SO GOOD!! The added bonus: it is good for you.

One of my past professors, Doc Wilkins, sent this link to me about Reeses, which I am not a huge fan of, mainly because they can be really greasy after the oils separate, but none-the-less, it gets my point across:

Doc Wilkins> from back in the day ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJLDF6qZUX0

Me> Is that how guys picked up girls back in the day ;)

Doc Wilkins> yeah and we'd take them out for a malted at the corner drugstore after the sock hop too

Fire Hazards

I never joke about fire hazards. That is very serious business. The old 1970's dryer that we used to have in our Dexter house died on us last semester because the belt wore out and it stopped, preventing a fire. Our kitchen, which has squirrels in the attic above it, trips a breaker at least once a week whenever the microwave and toaster are going at the same time. They are no laughing matter.

But seriously, my friend Kim's 21st birthday was today and she had never been to a Japanese Hibachi Grill before. It was my first time too, and I never really believed what people said about it singeing off eyebrows until I firsthand experienced it.

The restaurant, Haiku Sushi and Hibachi Grill, was not too bad. But it took some convincing me beforehand. I always like to look at menus before I go to a restaurant. Get a feel for prices, plus it always takes me a million years to find the perfect balance of flavor, price, and noo too unhealthy-ness. Imagine my surprise when I looked up the restaurant and I found that it had VERY (I mean like 2 days before) been closed down for serious health code violations. Imagine my surprise when I saw it recieved a 58/100 rating and was scheduled to reopen today! Yikes. I have learned in food microbiology that health code violations are nothing to kid around about either.

When we finally got to Haiku, we set up around the table and ordered. I got edamame, which I love, a cheap, healthy, and yummy option. The chef setup and performed all sorts of fancy tricks and throws with eggs and onions and knives and FIRE. The kind of playing with matches your food that your mom always tells you not to do...well he did it!

My edamame... so delicious! It was an interesting experience that I surely won't forget.

Dairy of a Professional Eater

I love to eat. I am sure that most people probably say this, but really they are lying. I love every part of food, from going to the grocery store to cooking it to savoring each crumb on my plate. Really, food is my favorite extra-curricular activity and if I am not studying, then I am probably eating or thinking about it.

For a college kid, I have a highly refined pallet (ie: Ramen Noodles are gross and if I had to choose between going out to get pizza and beer or eating a coq au vin at a French Bistro, it would be the bistro every time).

Recently, I have gotten into a lot of experiemental cooking, and believe me...most of the time it works out...but occasionally there are epic disasters. More about those later.

I am pretty adventurous when it come to trying new things, but by far my favorite cuisine is Mediterranean...French, Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, even North African. After trying a few recipes from a cookbook I recieved for Christmas with spectacular results, I have decided to chronicle my adventures. With only a hole in the wall oven and stove in a tiny college kitcken, I hope to somehow come out not only more skilled and creative, but also to remember the days when I had to make some gourmet meal with only a corn tortilla, Cheerios, an apple, and some peanut butter.

As they say on the Iron Chef "Allez Cuisine"!