Ramen

A couple weeks ago, we went to Manhattan for the day. I shall post the main reason later. But once the sun set, it was off to dinner time at a little place in Union Square.

http://www.ippudony.com/

These guys. And let me just say, they're wonderful. Aside from great atmosphere and an eager staff with lots of fighting spirit, the food was WONDERFUL. I have never had genuine ramen before. Now instant just doesn't compare. My entree was Shiromaru Hakata Classic topped with Kakuni. Heaven in a bowl. An absolute symphony of flavors, all dancing merrily together. No amount of bitter or sour or salty or sweet overplayed the other.

The appetizers too! Hirata Pork Buns were wonderful! The meat was sweet and spicy, topped with lettuce and mayo, as these were more of a sandwich than a true bun. The "bun" was SO spongy and light and fluffy! A perfect vessel! They even offered a special that night: Philli Cheese Steak Egg Rolls. Exactly as it sounds. Came with a spicy lemon ketchup. Heaven.

Go there. Now.

Something short

I would just like to say quickly, that nothing makes me happier than consistency. I made the broccoli and mushroom casserole again, as stated in an earlier post. Today, I just used bagged broccoli and oriental flavored ramen. That's all. Still good. Just sayin'.

Two things I forgot about

One, I made a casserole the other day. Broccoli and Mushroom. Wife loved it. I really don't feel like posting the recipe. Luckily, it's one of Alton Brown's. Surprise surprise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWI1qKV8sS0

Yeah, it's there. Only difference is, when we went to a Super Wal-Mart, I accidentally got 8oz of mushrooms, not 12. So I added an onion. Came out wonderful.

Secondly, today, I baked cookies. I'm still lazy. Here it is.

http://crepesofwrath.net/2009/11/16/olive-oil-chocolate-chip-cookies/

The lady was right. They ARE super moist and chewy! This may guarantee a spot in my pantry for extra virgin olive oil. Typically, I cook my veggies in Country Crock.

G'night.

I need to get into better habits

Remember when I used to post here? Remember when there were recipes on a regular basis? Yeah, me neither. But with the year ever so slowly drawing to a close, I think I should fill this. More 2010s than 2009s. Maybe. So let's get things started with Chicken Fried Steak, which I'm making tonight. I had it once at an IHOP, and it was terrible. Bleh. Darling wife assured me that it's not always like that. So I try it myself. She found for me a few slabs of meat from A&P all perforated (because I don't know the actual word) and ready to go. All they need is love.

Personally, I plan on using two eggs and a cup of milk for the wet stuff. Maybe... another half cup if I don't think it's enough. Into flower, I'll be adding... well, I dunno what I'm adding yet. I always season by the seat of my pants.

I'll be going Wet + Dry + Wet + Dry. Yes, wet first. Yes, double dipping. I tried this once before and it came out great so shaddap.

They'll be cooking in Fay. Things should go according to plan.

Update:

Two eggs and one cup milk looked fine. I didn't measure my AP Flour but it was enough to fill a 9x9 casserole up about a third/quarter of the way. In it I dumped a tablespoon of salt/baking powder/garlic powder and a whole bunch of grinds of black pepper. The steaks got a gentle sprinkling of Adobo. Now we wait for Fay to heat up.

Closing statements: Delicious. I made yellow rice and red beans to top it off. In the beans, I added a can of sweet corn for no reason. To season, I tossed in the remainder of my BBQ rub.

New York Renaissance Faire

Deep fried Oreos. Need I say more?















My first onion blossom. Good, but a little under-seasoned. Also, I had no idea this was supposed to feed six.















This. Now this, sadly I didn't think to take a picture of before I dove into it. The booth called it a Barbecue Sunday. Three layered treat, this was. At the bottom were sweet and tangy baked beans. In the middle, creamy Cole slaw. At first, I was skeptical at this choice, but then I remembered I love Cole slaw anyway. The contact was wonderful. The top layer was pulled pork! There was bark and everything! So soft and tender and full of flavor! The three were heaven in a cup! Completely worth the six dollars. Oh, and it was topped off with a little cherry tomato. Awww, it's cute.

So everyone knows, nearly the entirety of what we spent that day ($95) was for food. Aside from, y'know, getting in to see the astounding attractions. We saw a bronze bell show. Beautiful and soothing. The sweet music, along with a cool breeze nearly put me to sleep in the grass. Dexter Tripp also blew himself up. We kept him from burning alive by throwing water balloons at him. There was Nun-related stand up comedy. Lots of things. But not food related. So I won't post about that anymore.

Oh, Hamlet, how camest thou in such a pickle?

It's been a while. Ages. I know. Life sucks. So do I. But guess what! Today, I finally have something to post about! Koolickles! I saw them on Good Eats. I read about them in AB's Feasting on Asphalt book, which happened to be in bargain at my store. I gauged reactions in my store. Finally, one week ago precisely, I tried them.

Two packets of cherry, unsweetened Kool-Aid, two and a third cups sugar and an 80 oz jar of Vlasic Kosher dills, quartered. That's the recipe, aside from letting them sit in your fridge for a week.

All I can really say is that these are heaven. Still crunchy. Still sour. The cherry blends so nicely, you still get little hints of garlic. This is heaven. A perfect summer snack. Try them now or else your life will be without meaning.

No recipe today

I need to overhaul this thing. For starters, I'm not fourteen and this isn't live journal. Black background? What the fuck. More importantly, I can come up with something way better than what this looks like now. Garbage I tell you. On behalf of my beautiful and loving wife, I should also blog more. Weekly segments, I thought would get me in the habit. I was thinking "Iron Man Monday" to celebrate my shiny new pan. Maybe. I dunno yet. Maybe "Roserade Recommends". Also I dunno yet. I'm thinking. But it's time for a change.