Tips and tricks

So...its been a bit.  I figured I would do a blog this time about little tips and tricks that I have learned.

1.  Know your grill-  Every grill tends to have hot and cold spots.  Know where those are so your food get done at the same time.  I use the hot spots to sear the meat and the colder spots to cook the meat.

2. Soak your corn-  I always soak my corn on the cob in water before I cook it so it remains nice and juicy.

3. Never press down on your meat-  If you do this it releases all the juices.  Juices = flavor.

4.  Always let your meat rest-  Resist the urge to cut your meat right after it gets done cooking.  Let it sit 5-20 min depending on the size of the meat.  It lets the juices redistribute to keep your meat juicy and flavorful.

5. Taste , Taste, Taste-  Always taste your food.  If you don't taste it do you expect your Guinea pigs to taste it? *cough* I mean guests.

6.  Italian Dressing makes a great marinade-  It is a great tenderizer and flavorizer for chicken, beef, pork.....

7.  Always...Always salt your water when you cook pasta-  Nuff said.

8. Don't be afraid to try new things-  Don't let new things scare you.  If you didn't try new things, you would still be cooking by drive thru.

9. Always trust your first instinct-  If you don't you may end up over seasoning or over cooking your food.

10. HAVE FUN-  This is the main thing.  Food should be fun, cooking should be fun.  Get your family, your lover, your friends involved.  Food is not something that should keep you in the kitchen it is something that should bring other people into the kitchen.  If you're dating, make a date to cook together.  If you're married, cook with your spouse.  If you're a parent, share with your kids the joy of cooking.  Let your kids know that food comes from real farms, real animals.....  Take your kids to a u-pick farm and show them where their veggies come from, take them to a farm where they have chicken coupe's.  The more we know about where our food comes from, the more we will respect our ingredients and know what they need in the kitchen.


Now go and have fun with who ever you choose in the kitchen.

Share with us what your favorite tips and tricks are.

Cuban Goodness

Being that I am born and raised in South Florida we have so many influences on our food.  One of my favorite is Cuban food.  Unfortunately this cuban place that me and my wife love is an hour away so we needed to find another way to get our cuban fix.  So we decided to try it for ourselves with a little call to a cuban friend for help with the Platanos.

Pork Chunk's

2 pork chops
1 onion chopped
1 cup Bitter Orange ( Naranja Agria)
3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 cloves garlic
Salt, Pepper, Oregano, and Cumin

Cut the pork into small chunks 1 1/2" to 2" or so.  Mix onion, bitter orange, 1/2 cup Olive Oil, garlic, and salt, pepper, Oregano and cumin to taste (about a 1/2 a tsp each depending on your taste).  Put the pork into the marinade and refrigerate for 4-5 hours.  If you prepare it in the morning let it marinade until your ready to cook it that night.

Remove meat from the marinade and place in a pot with 1 1/2 cups of water and the remaining 1/4 cup of Olive oil.  Drain the marinade so you are just left with the Garlic and Onion.  Boil the pork until all the water is gone then add back in the Onion and Garlic from the marinade.  Brown the pork in the oil that is left in the pan until it is brown and has a light crust on it.


Black beans

2 can's of Low Sodium Black beans (I was feeling lazy :P )
15 bay leaves
1/2 onion chopped
4 cups of water
2 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and pepper

Drain the beans and wash really well in a colander/strainer. Set aside.  In a pot sweat the onions in the Olive Oil on medium heat until they are translucent.  Then add the beans.  Cook for 3 minutes or so and then add the water and the bay leaves.  Add maybe a 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper, you can always add more later.  Cover and let cook for 30 min or so.  After 30 min check and see how the water level is, add water if necessary.  Keep checking every 30 min for the next 3 hours or so.  When the beans seem to begin to fall apart let most of the water cook out of the pot.  Remove the bay leaves.


Plantains (Platanos)

4 Ripe Plantains peeled and sliced on the bias into 1 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup Canola oil


Heat up the oil on medium high heat.  Then when the oil is hot turn the heat down to medium and add the plantains.  Fry for about 90 seconds on each side until dark golden brown.  Set on a plate with a towel to absorb the extra oil.

Cuban Garlic Bread

Cuban Bread or whatever bread you have lying around
butter
parsley chopped
garlic chopped

In a small pan heated to medium add a little of the butter, parsley, and garlic.  When the butter is melted add a slice of bread and cook for 45 seconds on each side.  Garnish with a little paprika.  Repeat until done.

Yellow Rice (Arroz Amarillo)

I just used a package of yellow rice from the grocery store cooked with the package instructions.


Now after you have finished cooking and plated your meal put on the Buena Vista Social Club album and fix your self a Cuba Libre (rum and coke) and enjoy.

Salty with a little sweet

Well......here we go this is blog #1.  I figured I would just share a bit about my self and my thoughts on food.

We all have thoughts about what kinds of food we like, we don't like, foods we like to cook, and foods we would prefer to have someone else make.  Ever since we started to eat solid food our taste buds have been changing and evolving.  For example when I was a child I hated peas, so much so that my mother had to feed me peas with green jello in front of them on the spoon. I quickly learned though that I could just let the jello melt in my mouth and spit out the peas.  What can I say I love jello.  :P   Now though I enjoy eating peas: split pea soup, steamed peas, sauteed peas...the list could go on and on.

I also think that food brings people together, be it a family sitting down for dinner, a parent sharing the joys of cooking with their kid(s), or just writing about it and sharing recipes for people to read and comment about.  We all need food and why shouldn't we enjoy it at the same time.

A little about me now.  I am a 29 year old guy who just loves to be in the kitchen.  It is my stress reliever, creative outlet, and hobby.  A funny fact about me too is that when I am in a new area one of the things I like to do is visit the local grocery store.  I try to find the best ingredients that I can in my area and let the ingredients shine like they should.  My wife and I visit local farmers markets, produce stands, and farms among places.  This is going to be my place to share the recipies I  come up with, my thoughts about food, and my general ramblings.

Oh and about the name.  I am not a huge baker but my wife is so she will share some of her thoughts on baking and sweet things every now and again.

I hope you enjoy.