Spinach and artichoke dip

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup romano cheese
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 pkg of frozen spinach thawed and drained
1 can of artichoke hearts drained, rinsed and diced
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease your casserole dish. In a medium size bowl mix to gether the cream cheese, mayo, parmesan, romano, basil, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Gently fold in the spinach and artichokes. Put your mixture into your casserole dish and top with the mozzarella. Bkae for 25 minute. Enjoy!:)

Hot and sour soup. Good for what ails you! :)

1 beaten egg
2 tbs rice vinegar
2 tbs soy sauce
1 slice of fresh ginger
1 tbs sugar
2 tbs cooking oil
1 pich of salt
1 pinch of pepper
2tbs corn starch mixed with 2 tbs water
4 cups chicken broth
bamboo shoots
dehydrated wood ear mushrooms reconstituted in hot water for 30 min
1/2 package of tofu sliced to 1/4 inch strips
2 fresh chile peppers
2 tbs hot sauce


Set your pot to medium high heat. When the pan is hot add the oil and the ginger slice. Saute the ginger to gloden brown then remove from the oil and reduce heat. Add the chile pepper and hot sauce and immediately add the chicken broth. The hot sauce will splatter so be careful. Bring the broth to a boil then add bamboo, mushrooms, tofu, sugar, soy sauce and vinegar. Stir in the corn starch mixture. Add the salt and pepper. Turn off the heat.

Slowly drizzle the beaten egg in a small stream around the pan. Not most important, let the egg set up for a minute or two. Then gently stir. Serve and enjoy.

Last Trip 2010 Part II

Now that the oysters have been inhaled and the main courses ordered, here come my gumbo for me and the wife to share. What first catches my eye is that the gumbo juice is black. A surprize from what I am used too. I live in Louisiana for a time as a chile and was stationed at Fort Polk, LA for 13 months. Thought I knew about Louisiana cookin. Learn something new everyday, but I digress, back to the show.
I am always willing to try new foods, so in I dive spoon first. The wonderful aroma hits me in the nostrils first, even before my eyes can adjust to the movement of the spoon. I smelled something woody and earthy. A wafting of beef tickled my olfactory. The first bite was heaven with rice and oysters. It was wonderful.
Now being the Scrooge McGrinch that I am, I immediately when into hoarding mode. I didn't want to share but was a good husband. Rob loved it as well. Immediately we both started analyzing and reverse engineering this dish. First thoughts were immediately beef broth. We continued to devour and I shared to the end.
Ever since lunch ended my mind was turning the gears of dicovery. Once home I still focused on that wonderful gumbo.
Finally a break thru, a roux. That had to be it. A roux cooked long and dark. That provides and earthy woody flavor. After the roux is made then add beef stock. A Ha!. I jolted to the office and fired up the old google search and destroy engine. I was rewarded with the following knowledge.

There are two general types of gumbo in Louisiana, Creole and Cajun. Creole tends to be more tomato based whereas Cajun is roux based with no tomatoes. Now it all made perfect sense. I will now roux the day in a good way. I have been craving red beans and rice but that might have to wait as gumbo butts in line ahead. I love food.

Last Gastro Adventure of 2010

Thursday December 30, 2010, the family headed South to St. Louis to attend a Trans Siberian Orchestra show at the Scott Trade Center. Parking at North Hanley, we boarded the Metrolink, our destination, Union Square. The original intent was lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe then wander Union Station until time to head to the show. We had tickets for the early show which began at 3:00 pm.
Upon arriving at Union Station and seeing Landry's Seafood, I made a bee line and the family scurried behind. Over the last few years, the boys have gotten a lot more cordial with shell fish. They both love shrimp, crab and lobster. Rob and I are converts from way back.

Immediately after establishing communication with our food bringer, I bucked staright out of the gate hoping for an 8 second ride with some raw oysters. I had been craving them for a while and thay are not very available in fly over country. It wasn't long after the drinks arrived that the pearls of the ocean appeared. Six lovely oysters on the half shell on a platter full of crushed ice is a beautiful thing. Everything looked as pleasing as punch until I spied a small container of horseradish. Yes sports fans I said horseradish. Not to be diswayed, I bore onward, a raw oyster, fresh lemon juice, cayenne hot sauce and yes, horseradish. Im in heaven, I'm in heaven. Yea I know, The Green Mile. So I have some of my favorite things, I was happy, my wife on the other hand just had to have lime juice after our culinary cavorts in Mexico.

I sing praises to horseradish and now I have a flavor for my raw oysters. Man, I love food. I am in food porn euphoria right now. Once the dream bubble above my head pops, I tell you about the mondo gumbo.

Grilled Portobello Shrimp Scampi

4 large portobello mushroom caps
Kosher salt fresh ground black pepper
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp tail left on
olive oil
2 tbs fresh minced garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 c white wine
2 tbs cold real unsalted butter
2 tbs fresh minced parsley
1 fresh chile pepper

Start by cleaning the mushroom caps. Wipe the top with a damp cloth, remove the stem and the gills. Preheat a stove top grill. Drizzle the musroom caps with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until each side has grill marks. Set aside. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot add enough oil to coat the pan. Add the shrimp and quickly saute until they are just starting to turn pink. Remove the shrimp and set them aside. Add the mince garlic and briefly saute, do not burn the garlic. Add the lemon juice and white wine. Reduce the sauce to 2/3. Add the shrimp back to the pan and add in the butter.

Scoop a portion of the shrimp into each mushroom cap. Garnish with parsley and thin slices of the chile pepper. Serve and enjoy.

John's Peppers

Ingredients

2 bell peppers any will work but I find that red and yellow make for a better presentation
1 fresh chile pepper, choose based on your heat preference
grape or cherry tomatoes, 5 or 6 per pepper half sliced in half
2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
1 tbs capers. Don't be afraid of capers, a little goes a long way
1/4 cup fresh basil
2 tbs red wine vinegar
olive oil
5 or 6 green or black olives per pepper half
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup pancetta or bacon diced
mozarella

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut each pepper in half thru the stem so you have a handle. Clean each pepper half of seeds and membranes. In a seperate bowl mix the tomatoes, chiles slices, garlic, capers, salt, pepper, vinegar, olive oil and olives. Mix well. I get both hands in there and squish but not too fine, keep it kind of rustic. Salt and pepper each bell pepper, fill each half with the salad you just made. Pour the salad juice over the pepper halves. Divide the pancetta eaqually among the peppers. Place the pepper halves in a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake covered for 15 minutes. Bake uncovered for another 15 minutes. Top with shredded mozarella, thinly sliced chiles, salt accordingly and drizzle with olive oil.

Enjoy

Hashbrown Casserole

1 package of frozen hashbrowns
8 oz. sour cream
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 stick of real unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely diced onion
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 casserole dish and add the hash browns to the dish. Season with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a microwave. In a large bowl add all of the ingredients except the hashbrowns and cheddar cheese. Mix well and pour over the hashbrowns, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serve and Enjoy.