COOKING WITH DAD

GEAR FOR YOUR KITCHEN

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 07:59:00 +0000

This is a great clip form Alton Brown's visit on Letterman. The smoker shown in this clip is what I used to make my smoked salmon

HARDEE'S 920 CALORIE BURRITO

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 07:16:00 +0000

The people who brought you the 1,100 calorie salad (yes salad) are at it again, this time it's breakfast.

Hardee's rolled out their new breakfast burrito that contains 920 calories and 60 grams of fat. Bill Haley, marketing chief for is completely unapologetic about the burrito. Why should he be, his group thought it up. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based advocate for nutrition and health, has called the Hardee's line of Thickburgers "food porn."The group's senior nutritionist, Jayne Hurley, said Monday the burrito was "another lousy invention by a fast-food company."

At some point people (meaning most Americans)are going to have to wake up. Fast food companies are not your friend. They do not produce healthy meals, don't lie to yourself, that Big Gulp of Diet Coke is NOT a healthy choice. I had a friend once that was on a weight loss kick. She was on a "protein" diet, that consisted of 2 meals a day at KFC. More recently, I have a co worker whose boyfriend had complete renal failiure. He's 30 years old, now he has to live with a dialysis machine if he wants to live. The food industry is poisoning us and our kids. Whether it's Hardee's or every company that insists on using high fructose corn syrup (or any one of it's new names), it's all bad for you.

But you can make changes, you can choose to loose weight and eat healthy. If you want an easy diet plan and system for weight loss that works, I can't recommend this program enough.

BAKED SALMON

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 23:46:00 +0000

This is a really healthy recipe. It's fast and it's easy. This is also the one I tend to make when I'm not grilling. This can also be made on the grill. And when I do I use a cedar plank.

Oven-baked Salmon
Recipe courtesy Kathleen Daelemans

12 ounce salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
Coarse-grained salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. for 10-15 mins. This varies on your oven.

Season salmon with salt and pepper. Place salmon, skin side down, on a non-stick baking sheet or in a non-stick pan with an oven-proof handle. Bake until salmon is cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes. Again this varies on your oven.

On a grill
On a cedar plank (if you don't have a plank, you can do this with foil)
move coals to one side of grill
place foil on "cooler" side
place salmon on the foil
cover salmon with some foil, or a disposable aluminum tray.
Bake in there until done

For all you lable readers out there (like me) here's the data.

Nutrition Information
Nutritional Analysis per serving Calories 156
Fat 9.2 g Saturated Fat 1.8 g
Carbohydrates 0 g Fiber 0
Protein 17 g

This baked salmon recipe is a VERY healthy dish, no matter how you slice it. Salmon is a great fish with loads of omega 3's. Americans simply do not eat enough fish. In fact most people eat all the wrong foods and have no idea why they are over weight. If you want an easy diet plan and system for weight loss and healthy eating, I can't recommend this program enough.

Happy eating

SMOKED SALMON RECIPE

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 23:10:00 +0000

Salmon is a great fish. Especially for those of us who are heart and healthy conscious.
After grilling for some time, you may want to try your hand at smoked salmon. Smoking salmon is not that hard, it just take a bit of time. And you get to smoke it the way you like it.

Smoked Salmon Recipe
courtesy Alton Brown
Recipe Summary
Prep Time: 24 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
It may seem long, but it's so worth it
Yield: 20 to 30 portions, depending o

1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
2 large salmon fillets or sides, pin bones removed

The cure:
1. In a bowl, mix together salt, sugar, brown sugar and peppercorns.
Normally I would not like using sugars of any kind in healthy cooking. But the reality is that you just can't get the smoking done without it. Thare are alternatives, but all come out tasting...funky. Funk and fish do not go well together. Stick to the brown sugar.

The prep:
2. Spread extra-wide aluminum foil a little longer than the length of the fish and top with an equally long layer of plastic wrap.

3. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the plastic.
4. Lay 1 side of the fish skin down onto the rub.
5. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the flesh of the salmon.
6. Place second side of salmon, flesh down onto the first side.
7. Use the remaining rub to cover the skin on the top piece.
8. Fold plastic over to cover then close edges of foil together and crimp tightly around the fish.

The curing:
9. Place wrapped fish onto a plank or sheet pan and top with another plank or pan.
Weigh with a heavy phone book or a brick or two and refrigerate for 12 hours.
A note about bricks, I use them quit a bit. Be sure to wrap your bricks in aluminum foil.
You can re-use the bricks in other recipes ( more to come on that later). Just toss the foil after it's used.

10. Flip the fish over and refrigerate another 12 hours. Some juice will leak out during the process so make sure there's a place for the runoff to gather.

11. Unwrap fish and rinse off the cure with cold water. Pat salmon with paper towels then place in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) until the surface of the fish is dry and matte-like, 1 to 3 hours depending on humidity. A clean fan may be used to speed the process. here in LA it takes about 1 hour.

The smoking
12. Smoke fish over smoldering hardwood chips or sawdust, keeping the temperature inside the smoker between 150 degrees F and 160 degrees F until the thickest part of the fish registers 150 degrees. You can Serve immediately or cool to room temperature, wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

This Smoked Salmon recipe is a healthy dish, no matter how you slice it. Salmon is a great fish with loads of omega 3's. Americans simply do not eat enough fish. In fact most people eat all the wrong foods and have no idea why they are over weight. If you want an easy diet plan and system for weight loss and healthy eating, I can't recommend this program enough.

Happy eating

WHY I COOK AND LOVE IT

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:23:00 +0000

Hi and welcome to my lil' place on the internet. I started cooking a little over 2 years ago. My wife had just had our Son. Up to then she was the primary cook in the kitchen. Sure, I would help out but I never took an active lead.

Then after our son's birth, she really needed some help. So it was up to dad to feed the family. Now, don't get the idea I was ANY good at it. Looking back now I can see lots of improvement. But quite honestly, all you need to know are some are just some basics and in know time your family will look forward to any meal you make.

One day I was working from home and of course I had the TV on in the background. There was nothing I wanted to watch or have on while I worked ( or lack of work).
Then I came across the food network. And my life altered. Now almost all the items on my DVR are cooking shows. Some of them quite honestly do not appeal to me. But the recipes are great. I'm a big fan of Alton Brown and Good Eats. This blog was directly inspired by him. This is my own adventure into good eats.

In this blog I'm primarily going to cover; cooking tips , techniques, some food history, the science of food (I'm a nerd), and of course recipes. As well as some helpful tips and information just to make your home life a bit easier and more fun.

So stick around. Lot's of stuff is coming up!

GRILLED SALMON RECIPES

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:12:00 +0000

Ok, so I'm a dad, and I LOVE grilling. I also watch what I eat very religiously.
With the rate of obesity in the US you should be concerned. Proper diet and nutrition are the key to a long life.

Here's one of my grilled salmon recipes. It's easy to make and healthy for you also.

GRILLED SALMON RECIPE: Grilled Salmon Steaks
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Serves 4 ( or 8 with half portions)

4 salmon steaks 1-inch thick ( Get these FRESH)
1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
1 teaspoon whole coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seed
1 teaspoon dry green peppercorns
Sea salt or kosher salt
Canola or olive oil to coat steaks. I use olive oil almost exclusively. I'll post more on oils and their use in another post

1. prep your grill with charcoal or turning gas grill to medium-high.

2. Examine steaks for pin bones by rubbing fingers over surface of meat. If found, remove with bone tweezers or pliers reserved for culinary uses only.

3. Using a sharp paring or boning knife, carefully trim bones from the cavity side of the steak. Trim the stomach flaps so that 1 side is missing about 2 inches of skin and the other, 1 inch of meat.

4. Roll the skinless section up into the hollow of the cavity, then wrap the other around the outside to form a round resembling a nice round filet mignon.

5. Tie in place with 2 passes of butcher's twine. (Do not tie it too tight or fish will pop out during cooking.)

Prep the seasoning
6. next combine cumin, coriander, fennel and peppercorns on a double thick piece of aluminum foil and toast over grill, shaking gently until seeds become fragrant.

7. Crush seeds in mortar and pestle or pour into spare pepper grinder if you have one. You'd be surprised how handy they are.

8. Coat steaks LIGHTLY with oil, season with salt, then liberally grind toasted seeds on both sides of steaks.

9. Quickly wipe hot grill grate with a rag or towel dipped in a little Canola oil, then grill fish to medium rare, about 3 minutes per side. This will depend alot on your grill, but 3- 4 minutes usually works for me. The Fish should be well colored on the outside and barely translucent at the center.

Serve steaks alongside simple salad dressed with a light vinaigrette.

Salmon is a great fish with loads of omega 3's. Americans simply do not eat enough fish. In fact most people eat all the wrong foods and have no idea why they are over weight. If you want an easy diet plan and system for weight loss and healthy eating, I can't recommend this program enough.

Happy eating