At the end of 2008, I along with many other bloggers, posted a few resolutions for the 2009 year. Most of mine had to do with this website or food in general. I think that I’m doing really well on them for the most part. I’m on pace to hit 300 posts this year, I have a new camera that I’m wielding with decent proficiency, and I’m shopping for produce at local markets and researching CSAs to join this spring.
The one resolution I openly struggle with is the resolution to eat only organic meat or grass-fed beef. Sometimes I have the will power to not eat the item in question if I can’t confirm that it is from a source I trust, but sometimes I fail miserably. I could make a lot of excuses for why this is hard, but ultimately it’s my fault. I wanted to spend a post exploring this resolution: Why I made it, why I’m failing, and what I hope to do about it.
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You may not know this, but I’m trying to get jacked. I mean, like, ripped. To achieve this, I’ve been going to the gym a few times a week and looking at myself in the mirror. It isn’t really working that well.
That goal happened to coincide with a email from a reader asking if I had ever made protein bars, which I hadn’t, so I thought this would be a good time to give it a shot. This is what I ended up with:
Popeye should have eaten these.
The problem with a lot of protein bars that you buy in the store is they are A) expensive and B) not actually that healthy for you. I tried to solve both of those problems. I took a recipe from Alton Brown and modified it a bit. These are the ingredients I used.
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Every weekend, I review a cookbook in an attempt to lend some guidance in a field that has become overrun. These days everyone is writing cookbooks and it is incredibly upsetting to buy a dud and have it sit on your shelf for years – staring at you, mocking your poor judgment.
Tyler was on a cookbook rampage in 2008 releasing the subject of this post, “Stirring the Pot” and also another book which I reviewed a few months ago, “Dinner at my Place.”
I’ve really been a huge fan of Tyler’s in the last 6 months or so. I find his show to be interesting and very watchable and his cookbooks to be accessible with some really solid recipes. Plus, he is the kind of guy that I could see having a beer with. In fact, I would even offer to pay.
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It’s my birthday next week and I usually don’t do a lot on my B-day. This year I’m talking a little weekend trip down to Atlantic City – the town of gambling and Rascal scooters!
I’m actually in AC right now! I managed to pull myself away from the craps table just long enough to post this. See how much I care about you?!
Now for some links:
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I had a good friend from high school (@ryanstewart) over for dinner last week and I wanted to make something from the America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook. It was also a work night so I didn’t have a lot of time to toil over a hot oven.
I had honestly never heard of this dish, chicken saltimbocca, before I read about it in the cookbook, but it looked perfect for my meal:
This worked better than I could have imagined.
The idea behind the dish is that you have a nice chicken cutlet that is lightly floured. On top of that cutlet you have a slice of good prosciutto that has been seared onto the cutlet so they become one. The prosciutto forms a crispy layer of awesome on top of the chicken and the whole thing is flavored with some fresh sage.
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I’ve never at all had a problem eating vegetables. In fact, I usually crave them. That said, I do have a few friends (Hi Scott) that absolutely will not touch vegetables. Especially green ones that rhyme with Choccoli.
For those people that do not under any circumstances eat vegetables, let me introduce you to something:
Eat your vegetables!
I don’t understand how anyone could not like this dish. It is cheesy and delicious! If a broccoli-hater were forced to eat this blind-folded, I imagine they might say: “Oh wow. That tastes like pure cheesy Heaven!” And then they would open their eyes and see all that green and probably pretend they don’t like it, but secretly sneak some into their backpack.
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Last weekend I posted a four course meal that I made for Betsy and I for Valentine’s Day. Well, actually I made it the week before, but I made it. Here is the entire meal:
First Course – Artichoke Fritters
Second Course – Pear and Pecan Salad
Third Course – Mussels and Frites
Fourth Course – Chocolate Lava Cakes
After I posted this I got a few emails and comments from people asking how I organized this meal because it was kind of a lot for one guy to do. One reason why I think people get frustrated with cooking is that it seems like a lot of work. I think a lot of the stress can be taken off though with proper planning.
In this post I’ll give a few tips in case you ever find yourself planning a meal. These tips will help streamline any dinner you have to cook be it four courses or one.
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