Fish n Chips

     Is there anything better than some fresh cod, battered and fried? I would have to say "No, not tonight!"  So after a 7 to 4 Facebook vote, I made fish n chips. But instead of your typical "beer" batter for the fish, I changed it up and used some Sonoran Scotsman Honey Mead, a mixture of 4 spices/seasonings & Snoqualmie Falls Lodge pancake mix. Along side I made some fresh chips w/sea salt. 
     The honeymead is brewed by a friend of mine and his brother. They do not sell it so it would be difficult to get, but I am sure you can substitute any kind of mead or beer you like. I used pancake mix for a very slight sweet flavor that it has over regular flour and other fish fry mixes. I personally love this kind of pancake mix but I am not sure you can get it outside of the Northwest besides online.  The pancake mix is a trick I learned from another one my uncles (thanks) at a big family camping trip we took in 2005. He used pancake mix to fry up some fish in the left over bacon grease. It was great, so I used that instead of other mixes or flour. I did not however use bacon grease. The rest of the ingredients are in the recipe page. 
     Everyone except for my 4 year old liked the dinner. I was a little worried because besides myself only my father likes fish in my house. My wife and 9 year old both really enjoyed this, along with our close friend Bobo and her daughter. 

HELP!!!

     I need help deciding on my next meal. To vote go to the Facebook page, click here to vote. Here are the two choices.

     1. Honey Mean Batter Fish n Chips (name suggestions welcome): Just like beer batter cod, but instead of beer I will be using a Honey Mead.

    2. Shepherds Keish: Let me explain this one. Due to different tastes this meal will be individualized for each member of the family. It will be a breakfast keish but as in shepherds pie I will be using potatoes as a crust. Not mashed potatoes but Hash Browns as a crust for the bottom and maybe the sides of the keish. Fillings will include but are not limited to broccoli, sausage, peppers, bacon, cheese (different kinds). etc....

Please go to Facebook and vote for which one you would like to see made. Recipe's for this of course will be included. I will include votes through Sunday morning (5/22/11) 10am Arizona time.

Thanks,

Christian

Sharing the Love

     Ok so there is this podcast that I listen to & have mentioned on here before, it is called the DnA Foodcast. It is two guys who cook food from a recipe submission by listeners. My daughter and I decided to submit one, with a short how to video that we put together. The podcast decided to make our recipe.
     FYI, I have not listened to it yet, so I am unsure of what they might have changed in the recipe. They usually do something different with them. This podcast is very enjoyable so check it out. If you like it subscribe to it. I know there are a few recipe's on there I am going to try. The Noodle Auflauf looks amazing.

 Just CLICK ME! to listen.

Thanks

Christian

Work Food

     Hiya everyone. At work one day a couple friends where interested in the meatball cupcakes. So naturally I brought some in. That same day one of those friends brought the rest of us some Lasagna. It was really really good.  I asked her for the recipe so I can try to make it. I have not done this yet, but I have to share it with everyone. This recipe is "da bomb!"  Thanks a lot Shayla.

Lasagna

 
 Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork sausage
• 1 jar of Prego traditional flavor spaghetti sauce
• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce with parsley (I used the Fry's Marketplace brand)
• Kraft triple cheddar shredded cheese
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Ricotta cheese
• lasagna noodles

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Mix both ground beef and ground pork sausage together (season with salt or favor seasoning - I used Lawry's), brown in a large skillet.
• While browning meat, boil lasagna noodles (a few at a time - I did 2-3 at a time to prevent sticking). Make sure that you boil them until right before they're tender. \
• Drain meat from all excess oil once fully cooked, then mix in both jars of spaghetti sauces.
• Spray a large, deep dish pan with cooking spray.  
• Place ingredients in the following pattern until pan is completely filled:
• Meat mixture - sprinkle Parmesan cheese -  3 lasagna noodles - ricotta cheese - Cheddar Cheese - Mozzarella Cheese.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes. 

Eat My Name!

     This time we had something just for the kids, with Alphabet Nuggets. I had a very hard time making the nuggets. Naturally I came up with a better way to, after I did all the hard work. You see I ground up the chicken so I can shape it properly. I used cookie cutters as molds and then stuck them in the freezer to harden up so I could bread & fry them. Well it was very difficult to keep some of the letter's shape. I was unable to make the "B" that way so I froze some of the chicken first then used the cookie cutter to cut out the "B." This was the trick. In doing that I determined that the next time I do this I will put the ground chicken out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper freeze it then cut out the shapes.
     I will post the recipe for the brine and breading I used. Everyone really liked it flavor wise, and the kids loved being able to, as my youngest Darrah said, "eat my name!" 

Grillin' Season

Hey guys,

Here in sunny Phoenix, AZ we have had some really great weather and if it wasn't for work I would be outside more, cooking! While on break a article caught my eye in the Wall St. Journal that was sitting on the table. Makes me want to buy a new girll....it is a good thing I love mine so much still. Check it out here Click ME!