Last Minute Resolutions

As of now it's a little under 2 hours before 2012, and I thought I should do a last minute post (Ahh, the life of a procrastinator).  Now presenting, TFC's New Year's Resolutions for 2012:

1. Blog more consistently and more often
2. Respond faster to comments
3. Actually write quality material
4. Post more actual recipes versus fillers (such as this)
5. Become a bigger Facebook and Twitter whore user
   
   
   personally speaking
6. Stop procrastinating
7. Pull a decent GPA this quarter
8. Get more involved outside the isolated world of on-campus apartments
9. Actually continue photographing things other than food
10. Get a part-time job
      
    
    
    Until then, see you all next year!

EDIT:

I thought I should include favorite posts/highlights of the year as well...  (See, I'm already starting on the quality material goal!)

Favorite Recipe of 2011:

Chocolate Blackout Cake

-I need this cake now.

Flipping Ridiculous

Common sense would tell me to let this slide, and ignore this.  Common sense would tell me to be the bigger person.  However I admit I do have flaws- an extremely lame excuse for what I'm about to write.

Earlier today, I received this comment on my post for Eggs Benedict, which I have since deleted. 

I really do get excited when I find out I have a new comment, and 99% of them so far have come from genuinely kind readers, so this definitely threw me for a loop.  Well Anonymous, besides the fact that you are making several false assumptions about me, you don't even have the balls to even use a name?  Nevertheless, I will address your comment... I didn't know eggs benedict was apparently such a controversial topic.

1) So-called "recipe"?  Are you assuming that I stole this recipe or somehow made it up thinking people would bow down to my "originality"?  It's f*cking eggs benedict!$*&%^#@!  You take a toasted muffin and put ham, poached eggs, and hollandaise on top!  Unless they've been living in North Korea I'm certain 99% of the population knows what it is and what it entails.  In fact, besides the hollandaise I didn't even need to reference another recipe because the concept is so damn simple and well-known.  (By the way, I ALWAYS credit recipes that are not original)

2) Of course this dish has been posted thousands of times- as I said it's eggs benedict!  If you have this much time on your hands to leave me such a comment, go and complain about the number of other excessively made "recipes" like kale chips, macarons, and the perfect chocolate chip cookie.  In fact, I have posts for 2 of those 3 overdone things, so fire away!

But if you really do have such a problem with the amount of eggs benedict posts, I suggest you leave a comment for every other person who has posted a recipe for them such as these people- it's obvious you have enough spare time.

And don't forget these bloggers

Eggs Benedict

Mmm Butter

Part trois of the holiday brunch.

I hope all my readers had a lovely Christmas dinner that ended in a food coma.  If it didn't, then all I have to say is you fail at life (I mean that in a loving way).

I have to say, next time I'm having brunch, it's back to the Oeufs en Cocotte for me.  I mean, the eggs benedict wasn't bad per se, but it was pretty average.  Too many things to take care of at a time- it's difficult to have a perfectly toasted muffin, sizzling ham, and warm eggs ready for 35 all at the same moment.  It's not an impossible task, but a clusterf*cking S.O.B. nonetheless.

The day before I poached 35 eggs before storing them.  I researched everything online about eggs benedict and many sources said you could store poached eggs for a few days in water with no ill effect, but I found that the whites had become waterlogged for some of my eggs. 

I seared some leftover baked ham (Ina's recipe) until it was sizzling, delightfully crispy, and oh so much better than canadian bacon. 

yolk-ey

Peppermint Ice Blended Mocha

Part deux of the holiday brunch.

Does anyone else have a habit for grossly overestimating quantities of food for large parties?  I think I had about half a gallon of hot chocolate leftover, so for an extremely nutritious (and diabetic friendly) breakfast, I infused it with some candy canes and then blended it with ice cream, coffee powder and garnished it with an unhealthy dollop of whipped cream.

Oh, and Merry Christmas everyone.

I need better handwriting

Peppermint Ice Blended Mocha

SERVES 1

Some seriously good hot chocolate
Candy canes
instant coffee powder
vanilla ice cream
ice cubes
freshly whipped cream + cocoa powder to garnish

First off, dissolve some candy canes in hot chocolate- you can either let it dissolve overnight in the fridge or on the stove.  From my extremely scientific and accurate guesstimations, I'd go with 1 candy cane per every two servings.  Blend a cup or so with a teaspoon or two of instant coffee powder, some vanilla ice cream, and ice cubes.  Garnish with whipped cream and cocoa powder.

Seriously Good Hot Chocolate

I've never even been to New York

As much as I want to paint myself as a die-hard foodie who refuses to eat nothing but high end, homemade, non-processed food, the fact is I'm not.  I like fast food, boxed mac and cheese is my favorite, and as of now there is a 70 pack of instant hot cocoa sitting in my dorm room.  However, of course there are times when I feel like going the extra mile with some of my favorite powdered junk food, and hot cocoa during the winter is one of them.  Just make sure you don't forget the marshmallows.

And by the way- Dear Ina: I love you, but making hot chocolate with 1/2 half & half is flipping insane.  I don't want to have a defibrillator on hand every time I serve this.
                                                                                               Love, Andrew.

But either way, even without half and half this hot chocolate was seriously still rich and delicious- I could feel the warm chocolate beverage coating the inside of my arteries.

Seriously Good Hot Chocolate

adapted from Ina Garten

SERVES 4-5

4 1/2 cups of whole milk

4 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate

4 ounces of chopped milk chocolate

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 tablespoon of instant coffee powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon

Heat the milk and half-and-half in a saucepan on medium heat to just below the simmering point. Remove the pan from the heat and add both chocolates.  When the chocolates are melted, add the sugar, vanilla extract, coffee powder, salt, and cinnamon and whisk vigorously.  Reheat gently and serve immediately. 

Link Love

I'm compiling some posts for the new brunch series, but to keep my dear readers busy, here are some of my most favorite food blogs of all time, and a couple new ones that I have just discovered worthy of far more recognition than this little site can possibly give.  Happy time-wasting!

Use Real Butter

The College Culinarian

Unintentional Steam

The Pastry Affair

The Food in my Beard

You're Invited!

That's right everybody, I'm hosting another fat brunch! (For the previous brunch series, see Parts 1, 2, 3, 4.)

Poached eggs for 35 people?  Kill me now.

Pancakes with Bananas Foster

Back in the Groove

A nice little quickie (that sounded awkward) post to make up for my lack of new material during finals week.  

I think I've mentioned before, but there's a list of things that I totally suck ass at making, including

• steamed rice (and I'm asian too)
• cornbread
• red velvet cake 
• risotto
• pancakes

A very oddly specific list, but just things that I've never been able to conquer in the kitchen.  My attempts at pancakes usually end up as dry, tasteless, and dense pucks of bready dough, so I was quite happy to find out these were actually light and fluffy.  

just a little syrup

okay, maybe a lot of syrup

Pancakes w/ Bananas Foster

SERVES 4


pancake batter

via allrecipes

• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus extra

Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and let sit for 5 minutes to let "sour".  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.  Serve with bananas foster and a drizzle of pure maple syrup.

bananas foster 


3 tablespoons of butter
4-5 tablespoons of brown sugar
a pinch of salt
2 bananas, sliced
dash of cinnamon
a splash or two of rum
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

In a saute pan on medium high heat melt the butter and brown sugar together until bubbly.  Add the bananas and saute until the bananas soften.  Add the cinnamon and rum and cook for a couple minutes more.  Finish with the vanilla.  Serve warm.

Mustard, Garlic, & Herb Rib Eye Roast

Liberation

Part 2 of what I made for Thanksgiving this year.  (Part 1 here)


I finally completed my first ever week of college finals... and I have to say, I'm confident that I might I have tanked all of them!  This past week probably goes down as one of the most stressful and sleep-deprived times of my life, and I have to say I've never spent so much time in the library either.  After hour 12 of studying I lost all sense of time, and 6:00 pm felt like 2:00 in the morning- terrible to say the least.  I also think finals week is one of the main contributors to the Freshman 15, as in one session my study group went through a couple boxes of cheez-its, some pretzels, red vines, and candy, not to mention numerous trips to the coffee shop downstairs.  


Needless to say... all of you don't know how effing glad I am to be on winter break.

costs more than my college textbooks

But back on topic...




Call my family un-American, but we don't like turkey.  Every Thanksgiving it's been like that, and I don't think it will ever change at all.  Just give us a hunking, primal slab of red meat and we're all good to go. 

However, you as opposed to a $20 turkey, you don't have the chance to eff things up, considering how the a rib eye roast costs 6 times as much.  Thank god for the folks at the Food Lab for finding ways to make everything fail-proof. 

into the cooler

An overnight rest in the fridge is more for the salt to have time to penetrate the center of the meat.  Some dry aging effects (moisture loss, some enzyme action) are going to happen, but not enough to detect any noticeable improvement in flavor, I don't think.

 the world's most expensive dog scraps

The scraps that you trim off A) not only make an awesome midnight snack, but B) when seared are an easy way for make ahead gravy.  After searing, I sauteed shallots and mushrooms in the same pan, deglazed with some cognac, before making a roux.  The liquid of choice was beef broth and heavy cream for a quick mushroom gravy.  I also made Ina Garten's lovely bleu cheese sauce as well because bleu cheese + beef is a rockstar combo.

good crust: +1 pt

stage 1 complete

What's glorious about this method is how easy everything is!  You can cook the roast early in the day and just sear it off right before you're ready to eat, which gives you plenty of time for the sides to have some oven time.  

ready for phase 2 of cooking

Caramelized Onion Marmalade

Crunch Time

I should be studying for finals right now, so I have to confess that this literally will be one of the shortest recipe posts I will ever write.  Trust me though, it deserves a lot more considering my Thanksgiving plate mostly consisted of this marmalade.

5 lbs of onions... it's okay to cry

labor of love