Edible

The whole thing started off innocent enough. Lauren, my lovely wife, in an effort to improve her running times and become more fit read a book call Brain Training For Runners. The book covers the mental aspects of training your body. Every few days Lauren would tell me about her discoveries in the book and how she implemented them into her work outs. I admit most were fascinating, but not enough for me to actually try. I believe somewhere in that book it mentioned that certain kind of foods increase the body's and brain's ability to function as an athlete.

This lead Lauren down a path of reading books about nutrition for athletes. Every so often she would tell me about certain foods she was trying. I started noticing a few different types of food containers in the pantry or fridge. Again fascinating discoveries about food that I never implemented into my routines.

Somewhere in the food book Lauren read about the book called the China Study and the documentary film Forks Over Knives which she of course got both from the library. Lauren discovered all kinds of great information in both sources. The overall message was one can reduce chronic illness and diseases and enhance their overall health by adopting a whole foods plant based diet and reducing the intake of processed foods. As Lauren started adopting these changes into our household I noticed Lauren was preparing our family meals a bit different. We were eating more salads, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. I, again, was noticing different types of food packages and containers in our pantry. Labels that read quinoa, tofu and soy were replacing certain staples of Lauren's cooking repertoire.

Lauren and I discussed our diets. Unlike the other discoveries I felt changing our diet was something in which I could participate. We both agreed that we were not eliminating all meat or processed foods but that we would be more conscientious of food labels. We would try to buy products that listed "true" ingredients with no artificial additives or fillers. All of the changes we were making were gradual.

The other night, after everyone was in bed, I had a hankering for snack. Earlier I spotted a few packages of hot dogs crammed in the freezer and I knew that one or two dogs would satisfy my craving. I noticed that the packaging was different than the usual hot dogs we buy and I thought that Lauren must have bought a "healthier" hot dog (if there is such a thing). I took a closer look at the label and did a double take.

This is what I saw.

I thought Lauren was taking the healthy eating true ingredients thing a bit too far.

I had three anus dogs that night. They were yummy.

Chicken and Shrimp Mojo

I am like 1/8th Cuban. Not that I was brought up with Cuban influences but my mom never let me forget her Cuban heritage. Lauren and I spent our honeymoon in Key West which is 90 miles North of Cuba and it was in Key West where I first tried Cuban food. I found that I really liked the citrus spicy Caribbean Cuban cuisine. During our first year of marriage I looked for various Cuban dishes to cook and I have a few that I have developed into a semi regular rotation in our house.

Knorr , the food company known for their side dishes and gravies, is having a recipe contest through Blogher, to promote their new Homestyle concentrated Chicken Stock.

In the past I have professed my admiration on this blog for chefs like Alton Brown and Guy Fieri. I am sure I have mentioned the shows Chopped, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and a few other Food Network programs as some of my favorites. I decided to enter the contest. If I win I may get a chance to work for Knorr as a consultant. It may be as close as I can get to having a food network type of gig. When I first met Lauren her favorite dinner was crab legs. After the last few times I made this dish Lauren has now proclaimed it as her favorite.

This is the recipe for my Cuban influenced Chicken and Shrimp Mojo with a Warm Avocado Mango Salsa.
Ingredients-for the Mojo Marinade
2tsp cumin powder
2 Heaping tsp of minced garlic
1 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp salt
2tbsp olive oil
1/2 container of Knorr Homestyle (concentrated) Chicken Stock
1/4 cup of water
1½ tbsp orange juice
1½ tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 large boneless chicken breasts
1 lb of Shrimp (raw, peeled)

For the Warm Salsa:
1/2 (the other half) container of Knorr Homestyle (concentrated) Chicken Stock
1 cup orange juice
1 tsp grated lime peel
2 tsp honey
4 tsp thick sweet soy sauce
5-6 tbsp of chilled, unsalted butter
2 firm but ripe mango, peeled, diced
1 1/2 ripe avocado, peeled, diced
freshly chopped herbs to taste (coriander, parsley, etc.)

To make the marinade: In a heavy medium-size skillet over a medium-high heat, toast the cumin powder until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the two tsps. of (Heaping Teaspoons as the picture above shows) garlic, olive oil, water, 1/2 container of Knorr Homestyle Concentrated Stock, chili powder and salt into pan and whisk together to make a thick marinade/paste, about 3-5 minutes,  (If you like spicier meals add more Chili pepper or some Cayenne)

                                             
Whisk in Orange juice and Lime juice and remove from heat. See the consistency of the Mojo above, that is kind of how you want it to look.  Let cool for 5-10minutes.

Pour marinade over chicken and shrimp, turning to coat. Refrigerate from 1 to 3 hours.

About 15 minutes before you are ready to cook the shrimp and chicken you will need to make the salsa.

SALSA --whisk together the remaining Knorr Concentrated Chicken Stock, orange juice, lime peel, honey and soy sauce in saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce (approximately 5-8 minutes). Remove from the heat and quickly whisk in the pats of butter one at a time.

During that 5 to 8 minutes mentioned in the above paragraph is usually when I peel and chop/dice my Mango and Avocado.

Mango can be a pain in the butt to peel and chop but it is so worth it. Mango is also something the kids will definitely eat.

The first time I ever ate Avocado was on my honeymoon.

Combine the mango and avocado in medium bowl.

The recipe says you can drizzle sauce later onto the Chicken and Shrimp. I like to just pour it on to the Mango and Avocado and mix it all together.

Cook Chicken on a medium heat grill 7 to 8 minutes each side. Remember presentation side (smooth) down first on grill. Place shrimp (marinade and all) onto a piece of foil, when you flip the chicken, place Shrimp on grill for 7-8 minutes. It is at this point of the recipe that I want to make-out with my grill but I am afraid I would burn my mouth.  Move the shrimp around to get even heat. Remove chicken and Shrimp, cover and let rest for 5 minutes.

Sometimes we slice the Chicken breasts and sometimes we serve it just whole. Slicing it up makes enough for 4 people when you combine it with Shrimp.

We serve Chicken and Shrimp Mojo with rice and black beans and fresh herbs on top. Also to give the Shrimp a little bit of extra zing sometimes I squeeze some lime juice on it just before serving.
Here is a the complete  recipe to copy and paste and try at home. Prep time any where from 13 to 18 minutes, plus 1-3 hours to marinade.  Cook time: 14-16 minutes. 

What foods make you want to Make-Out with your grill?



Ingredients-Mojo
2tsp cumin powder
2 Heaping tsp of minced garlic
1 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp salt
2tbsp olive oil
1/2 container of Knorr Homestyle (concentrated) Chicken Stock
1/4 cup of water
1½ tbsp orange juice
1½ tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 large boneless chicken breasts
1 lb. of Shrimp (26-30 count.)

For the Warm Salsa:
1/2  (the other half) container of Knorr Homestyle (concentrated) Chicken Stock
1 cup orange juice
1 tsp grated lime peel
2 tsp honey
4 tsp thick sweet soy sauce
5-6 tbsp of chilled, unsalted butter
2 firm but ripe mango, peeled, diced
1 1/2 ripe avocado, peeled, diced
freshly chopped herbs to taste (coriander, parsley, etc.)

To make the marinade: In a heavy medium-size skillet over a medium-high heat, toast the cumin powder until fragrant about 2 minutes. Add the two tsps of garlic, olive oil, water, Knorr Stock, chili and salt into pan and whisk together to make a thick marinade/paste. Whisk in Orange juice and Lime juice and remove from heat. Let cool for 10minutes.

Add Chicken and Shrimp to marinade, turning to coat. Refrigerate from 1 to 3 hours.

Cook Chicken on a medium heat grill 7 to 8 minutes each side. Remember presentation side (smooth) down first on grill. Place shrimp (marinade and all) onto a piece of foil, when you flip the chicken, place Shrimp on grill for 7-8 minutes. Move the shrimp around to get even heat. Remove chicken and Shrimp, cover and let rest for 5 minutes.

SALSA --whisk together the 1/2 container Knorr Concentrated Chicken Stock, orange juice, lime peel, honey and soy sauce in saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce (approximately 5-8 minutes). Remove from the heat and quickly whisk in the pats of butter one at a time.

Combine the mango and avocado in medium bowl. Scatter the mango and avocado around the chicken and Shrimp drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs.

Serve with black beans and rice

Mary Mary

Back in the early Spring my wife decided that we were going to have some of the best vegetable gardens in the neighborhood. She planned her lay outs of all available space, comparing sun levels, watering needs and work required and matched them up to the types of veggies and herbs she was going to plant.

Along the front walkway she built wire supports for Snap Peas and Tomato plants.

The Snap Peas are coming in nicely although the yield is light due to Jackson. He keeps eating them right off the vine.

Lauren built a raised bed with protective fencing in the back yard for radishes, onions, carrots, lettuce, peppers and a few other plants.

Off of our front porch and down the side of the house, Lauren built a small stone containment wall as well as a stone path which she lined with an herb garden.

She made signs for each plant so we would know what was what. Part of her gardening process was starting some plants in pots and then transferring them to the ground. At one point Lauren told me that there were a few herbs, like Spearmint, still in unlabled pots that she was not sure where to plant in the garden.

The other day Lauren was running errands and I decided to make a special dinner using some of the fresh herbs. I made my "Best Chicken Ever" recipe with a warm mango peach salsa topping. From the garden I clipped Parsley, a small sprig of Dill and some Cilantro to mix into the salsa and give it the extra layers of flavor.

It was a beautiful bright sunny afternoon and I decided I would also surprise Lauren with a pitcher of Frozen Mojito drinks to go along with our dinner. I pictured us drinking the refreshing concation on the back porch while I grilled the chicken. I clipped a good portion of fresh Spearmint from one of the pots and threw it into the blender with the Rum and other ingredients.

Lauren was happy to see the meal, the frozen drinks and even happier that her hard work in the garden was paying off in the form of fresh ingredients. She took a sip of the Mojito and made a face.

"What's in this?" She asked.

"Mint." I said. "I took it from one of the pots."

"Oh. I already planted the mint. What pot did you take this from."

I told her.

"Oh. That is not mint. That is Basil."

I made a whole pitcher of  Basil-coladas.

Needless to say it was a lot of wasted Rum.

Dream Job

One of my dream jobs, and I have many, would be to have a gig like Guy Fieri on the show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. If you are not familiar with the show, Guy Fieri, drives across the country stopping in various eateries sampling the food and signature delicacies from each stop. I don't think I would want to be on camera but I was thinking my dream job would be to be the point man. I would be the guy to go to the various locations, try the food, then report back to the producers what joints Guy should visit. Yeah, that would be a dream job and half.

When we were vacationing at the South Jersey shore, I had the opportunity to try a bunch of different places. Two of places that stick out, as far as recommendations go, were Maui's Dog House in Wildwood, NJ and The Beach Box in Ocean City, NJ.

I have been to Maui's Dog House twice now and I think I may make my it one of my life's goals to try every one of the dogs on their menu. This past visit I had the J-Bell and the Horsey in Chicago. Maui Dog has a decent selection of sides including their signature dish Salty Balls, which is brine cooked small potatoes served with drawn butter. Each dish is served in a plastic dog bowl and the whole dining experience is fun for the whole family.

The Beach Box is a walk-up take-out joint located at 33rd and Asbury in Ocean City, NJ. In the interest of full disclosure, The Beach Box is operated by my double cousin Monica and her friend Erin. I say double cousin because Monica's mom is my mom's sister and Monica's dad is my dad's brother. Pretty cool huh? This is the first year that Monica is running The Beach Box. They are open from 7 am to 3pm focusing on breakfast and lunches that can be boxed and taken to the beach, which is only a block down the road. The lunch menu is standard sandwich fair like BLTs, Tuna Salad, Cheese steaks and such. I had the Tuna Salad sandwich which was very good and served on one the best rolls I have ever had. Lauren and the kids enjoyed their lunches (Chicken Fingers and Fries) which we ate in the limited seating they have out front.

Since The Beach Box is new they have not yet developed any signature items although they have a few in the works. One of the breakfast items they have is a Bacon and Chive Cream Cheese spread which is incredible. The Beach Box is also known for their Chocolate Chip Cookies. These cookies are out of this world with the perfect blend of chocolate chips and cookie. The cookies are huge and have been called "man hole covers" with a diameter of 5 to 6 inches across.

What struck me most about The Beach Box is the fact that Monica, although working (cooking, serving, etc) took the time to talk to every person that came by. Although she is new to that area she seemed to know everybody there and everybody seemed to know her. Monica is one of the nicest people and with a person like her running a place like The Beach Box I think the food is almost secondary and that the signature item is the friendly staff.

I was talking to Monica about creating a signature breakfast sandwich and I recommended that she make a scrapple sandwich of some sort. Scrapple as described in Wikipedia is a mush of pork scraps and trimmings and is regional food of the Mid Atlantic States. Lauren immediately turned her nose up at my idea because Scrapple is made from "everything but the oink" of a pig. Which to me would be the perfect meat to use for what could become the Poop and Boogies Sandwich.

If you have a Facebook page go and become a fan of The Beach Box.

If you are in Ocean City NJ this summer stop by The Beach Box at 33rd and Asbury and tell them I sent you. And tell them you want a Poop and Boogies sandwich.

If anyone knows Guy Fieri tell him he needs to hire me as a point man.

Marketing Super Hero and Sausage

There has been some debate in various blogging circles about the approach marketers and advertisers take in working with bloggers. Many bloggers, some more than others, write/complain/mock on a regular basis about how they can't stand when and how marketers will write them asking them to pitch certain products.

Continue to rest of post click here.

The Other Man.

I love cooking. I don't necessarily love to cook but I love cooking really tasty dishes. I love the challenge of preparing a meal with the perfect combination of flavors.

I have written here in the past of how I love the Pioneer Woman and how I bought her cook book (let me just tell you I tried her recipe for her Barbecue Jalapeno Poppers and they are incredible. I have made them four times already). I may have written how I have a Bobby Flay cook book. I may have written here in the past that I enjoy being in the kitchen. I also enjoy cooking shows such as Chopped, Food Network Challenge and Iron Chef.

My problem with all cook books and cooking shows is that none of them, not one single one that I have watched or read, ever, and I mean EVER, take into account that while I am cooking or trying a new recipe, my three year old is going to yell from the other room that I need to come and see his poop right now, because he went poop in the potty. When I run into the other room to see it, spatula in hand, I take 30 seconds to admire his achievement that I end up burning the salmon steaks because I had them on the frying pan too long.

The reason I burn it, is because I was interrupted and I also I don't understand the WHYS of cooking. Most cook books teach you how to cook or what to cook. None really teach why you do certain things when.

The only chef/TV cook/cook book author I have ever seen explain the whys is Alton Brown from the Food Network TV show Good Eats. His show is awesome and explains the whys. Lauren, for Christmas, bought me two of his books. Both books are great because they explain the whys of cooking. They explain that certain foods need to be cooked at certain temperatures because of the chemical breakdown of such foods. Alton Brown is a food scientist. His show is entertaining and it is one of the few shows Lauren and I enjoy watching together. But his books, they teach why certain things should be done certain ways while cooking. Understanding the why really helps in preparing a meal, especially if you know you are going to be interrupted by children.

I never liked Science Class but if my 9th grade science lab teacher, Mr. Mossburg, was to Hypothesize why dry rub ribs take longer to cook then say marinated ribs, and that the Purpose was to establish the correct cooking times and the Materials list included cayenne, garlic cloves and braising liquid, with the Constant being the same oven, I may have actually gotten a B in his Class. I may have also weighed 300 lbs in high school but I would be a smart 300lbs.

Lauren found out that Alton Brown was doing a food demonstration in our area and she bought tickets for us as a Valentine's Day gift. Leading up to the show Lauren became somewhat obsessed with Alton Brown. She read everything online that she could. During conversations she would throw little tidbits of Alton's life at me. She sent me links to information about his books and shows. She denied it but I joked with her that she had developed a little crush on Alton Brown. I may have been a little jealous on all the attention he was getting. Alton Brown, for a week, became the other man.

We went to the show last Friday night. Alton Brown was awesome. He was on stage for two hours. Out of the two hours, I am going to say only 25 minutes was dedicated to the actual food demonstration. The rest of the time was like watching a stand up comic performer.
He was funny. He was incredibly funny, hysterical actually.


He took a lot of questions from the audience and he was quick and sharp and very witty. He was charming and sarcastic without being too cocky. He did this all while teaching about the science of food. It was a great, great show.

I think I developed a little crush on Alton myself.


The winners of the Saxbys Gift Cards are Mrs. P, Susie, and Katie. Please email me your addresses so I can mail you the gift card.