Nerd Family Food

Meal Plan Monday

2009-11-08T18:44:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! It is time for a little planning for the week! I just got a $5 turkey from Vons so we are going to slip that in this week!

Monday: Beer Bread, Broccoli, Chicken Kiev

Tuesday: Roasted Turkey, Green Beans, Zucchini Corn Cakes

Wednesday: Pasta Carbonara Florentine

Thursday: Top Sirloin, Fried Zucchini and Eggplant, Broccoli

Friday: Beans and Rice

Chicken Tamale Pie

2009-11-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

I had cooked chicken and was craving some sort of comfort food so I was rummaging around my pantry and the internet for a yummy recipe. So I found a recipe over on the Bisquick site and then I started to modify. It came out pretty good!

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1/2 package of taco seasoning

10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and wrung out

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used 3 cheese blend)

1 cup Bisquick

1 cup corn meal

1 1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

Process:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the Bisquick, corn meal, taco seasonings and eggs together. Then add milk and mix until smooth. Put chicken in the bottom of a 9x13. Then top with spinach and cheese. Then top with mixture. You can top it with salsa and guacamole. It is supper easy and yummy!

How Alton Brown May Be Breaking My Heart

2009-11-05T21:59:00.000-08:00

Alton Brown was doing an interview with the LA Times about his new book, Good Eats: The Early Years. He mentioned that his wonderful show on Food Network, Good Eats, may not last past this year.

Say it ain't so!!!!

He goes onto to say that he won't kill it before its time but he doesn't want it to jump the shark. AB think that he isn't popular with the kids and man is he wrong! Not only do NerdDad and I both love the show (and just about every nerdy adult I know) but my kids love him!!! I hope he is just hedging because my heart might be broken if he were to leave. I already am edgy that there isn't more AB on Food Network as it is!

Tackle It Tuesday: Banana Bread

2009-11-02T21:55:00.000-08:00

I made 4 loaves of banana bread today as my Tackle It Tuesday!!!!! I used a recipe that I found over at Tammy's Recipe that has wheat flour in it. The bread is moist and freezes beautifully!

Meal Plan Monday

2009-11-01T17:07:00.000-08:00

You would think that someone who likes to eat as much as I do would have great ideas but that isn't the case this week. I am still feeling a bit icky so I am going with boring and easy;).

Monday: Breaded Tilapia, Zucchini Corn Cakes, Broccoli

Tuesday: NerdDad and I are both out: kids- chili mac

Wednesday: Chicken Kiev (in the Freezer), Beer Bread (in the Freezer), Broccoli

Thursday: Marinated Pork Loin Chops, Broccoli, Noodle Roni;)

Friday: Shredded Beef Enchiladas (in the Freezer)

Halloween Haul

2009-10-31T22:16:00.000-07:00

Check out this year's Halloween candy haul! This is from about an hour's worth of Trunk or Treating at church with all 4 kids. I think we might be eating on this for months! And yes I am a little type A about the candy organization. With little kids it helps to have it separated. Now I just need to figure out some great recipes so I can cook with it!

Top Chef Vegas!

2009-10-30T15:17:00.000-07:00

Here we meet again! They all seemed to make it through Restaurant Wars with out to much horror, so what awaits them this week?

Quickfire Challenge:
So everyone shows up in the kitchen to see Padma with Paul Bartolotta. He is a top Italian chef and is in Vegas. They are going to be giving tv dinners a gourmet twist. They are to be inspired by a show: Sopranos, Mash, Cheers, Sesame Street, Gilligan's Island, the Flintstones, and Seinfeld. Jennifer really seems to have been spirally the last few weeks and seems to be starting down that path again tonight. She really needs to pull herself out of it! Mike I has never seen Seinfeld! Jennifer and Robin were in the bottom. On the top was Kevin and Bryan were the top. Kevin won!

Elimination Challenge:
The chefs are going to cook in Tom's Craft Steak. They are going to be responsible for serving the 4 judges and 7 others. So they head into the kitchen and start checking out all the steaks. Then in walks Tom. He tells them that they have a guest that everyone will be cooking for, Natalie Portman. Natalie tells them that she is a vegetarian. So this means that everyone's steak plans are out the window. Natalie is also judging. This means mass chaos. Robin was overwhelmed by all the choices in the walk-in and chose to do a very complicated dish with lots of components. Mike I's mom is a vegetarian and Kevin is a vegetarian part of the year. I couldn't believe that Robin asked to have some of someone's boiling water. Like they have a pot of it because they didn't need it? Mike's leek weren't quite done because the water wouldn't boil easily. Time was up on Robin before she finish putting garbanzo beans on all the plates.

Robin: Stuffed Squash Blossom, Beet Carpaccio, Fresh Garbanzo Beans and Chermoula
Eli: Confit Eggplant, Lentils, Garlic Puree and Radish Salad
Michael: Asparagus Salad, Japanese Tomato Sashimi, and Banana Polenta
Jennifer: Charred Baby Eggplant, Braised Fennel, Tomato, and Verju Nage
Mike I: Whole Roasted Leeks with Onion JusBaby Carrot Puree and Fingerling Potatoes
Bryan: Artichoke Barigould, Confit of Shallot, Wild Asparagus and Fennel Puree
Kevin: Duo of Mushrooms, Smoked Kale, Candied Garlic and Turnip Puree

Serving:
Tom didn't get any garbanzo beans on Robin's dish and everyone agreed that it needed salt. One of the judges got a huge taste of lavender blossom off Eli's dish and equated it to sucking on soap. Other than that, Eli's dish seemed to do well. They all seemed to love Michael's dish. But Gail didn't like the chunks of banana in the polenta. Natalie said it made her smile and laugh and be confused. Jennifer sauced the plates at the table and was shaking. Gail's favorite part of Jennifer's dish was the verju nage but she felt it didn't seem substantial enough to be a main dish. Many agreed that it wasn't special enough. People thought it was pretty but not that good. Bryan ran out of time plating so there were things not included. Padma thought the shallots were a bit strong with the garlic blossoms. Kevin felt his dish wasn't pretty. The smoke on Kevin's kale was a little strong but it was a substantial, meaty meal.

Judging:
First up for the judges are Kevin, Michael, and Eli! Natalie said the Michael's dish made you ask who he dealer was and did he want any new clients. The winner was Kevin. Kevin really seems on a streak to possibly win the while thing. Michael was pissed that Kevin won. Then the judges wanted to see Robin, Jennifer and Mike I. Natalie asked Mike I if there was a reason that there wasn't protein. Mike said that the leeks were going to be sliced like scallops and would serve as the protein. That cause Gail to make sure that Mike knew that leeks aren't protein. They really gave him a hard time about the raw leeks. Robin went nuts with the talking and went everywhere. Tom pointed out that there was nothing to pull it together. Tom also complained that he didn't get any garbanzo beans. Padma said that she didn't see where Jennifer spent her 2 hours. Tom said that it was more of a garnish. Tom said that she had been heading down for a bit. Natalie and Tom said that Mike I's leeks were not the only problem with his dish. The judges also thought that Jennifer was defeatist. In the end Mike I was sent home. Mike thought that Robin should have been eliminated before him but such is life.

Super Easy Home Made Chicken Stock

2009-10-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

Ahh, the elusive home made chicken stock. But I don't want to collect bones in my freezer or watch the pot for hours upon hours. So is there an easier way? Definitely! Now it may not be quite as good as one made with chicken feet and simmered for days but then again, neither are the cans. I use dark meat on bones to make my stock and then I use the meat for chicken pot pies and other meals.

Ingredients:

3 lbs dark chicken meat, on the bone but skinless

2 ribs of celery chopped (optional, NerdDad doesn't like the taste of celery so I don't use it)

1 onion chopped

2 carrots chopped

2 heaping teaspoons minced garlic

A few stalks of herbage (pick 1 kind, I often use parsley)

Water to cover

2 teaspoons of oil

Process:

Heat stock pot on medium heat, place oil in the bottom. Dump in celery, onion, and carrots and sweat. When the carrots just start to get a little soft around the edges add the garlic. Continue to cook until you can smell the garlic. Then drop in the meat and cover with water. Bring it to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Continue on a simmer for 30 minutes. Then remove the chicken and do as you wish with it. Then strain all the liquid and discard the solids. Then you have cups and cups of beautiful stock. It freezes beautifully!

(Check out more wonderful things at WFMW!)

Meal Plan Monday

2009-10-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! It is time to start thinking about this week's food!!!

Monday: Roasted Top Sirloin, Zucchini Corn Cakes, Broccoli

Tuesday: Baked Parmesan Pesto Chicken, Broccoli, Pasta with Garlic and Butter

Wednesday: Chicken Kiev, Beer Bread, Broccoli

Thursday: Pasta Carbonara Florentine

Friday: Corned Beef Hash

Top Chef Vegas: Let the War Begin!!!

2009-10-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! It is time for one of my favorite Top Chef challenges: Restaurant Wars!!! I think how the teams are broken down are going to make all the difference. If we were to end up with 1 team that had both brothers, Jennifer and Mike I that could totally make it a blow out. But let us see how it all plays out!

Quickfire Challenge:

As the chefs head into the quickfire challenge we see guest judge, Rick Moonen. There is a knife pull for a Tag Team Cook Off. Jennifer gets first choice. Michael gets second choice. Jennifer takes Kevin, Mike I and Laurine. Michael takes Bryan, Eli and Robin. They have to make 1 dish in 40 minutes. Each chef will take a turn cooking for 10 minutes and then the next chef will take over. They can't talk and they are blindfolded until they cook. I have to say that I am surprised how smoothly everything seems to go in both teams. Jennifer explains the dish with the wrong type of fish. Both teams dishes were good but winning dish was the blue (Jennifer's) team.

Elimination Challenge:

They will be using Moonen's kitchen which is 2 floors and 2 kitchens. They will not be responsible of the decor. Who every is in charge of the front of house has to be responsible for 1 dish also. The blue team can decide to let their $10 grand prize, that was to be split, to let it ride and if they win they will each get $10 grand.

Laurine is going to be front of house for the blue team. The blue team has also decided to not do a dessert. The red team is planning on going modern American' restaurant and doing a dessert. The brothers start fighting over what Bryan can do for dessert. Eli will be doing front of the house. The red team's name is Revolt and the blue team is Mission. Mission chose the fine dining restaurant (vs the casual restaurant).

Mission Menu: Asparagus & 6 Minute Egg, Arctic Char Tartare, Bouillabaisse Consomme, Seared Trout, Pork 3 Ways, Lamb with Carrot Jam

Revolt Menu: Chicken & Calamari "Pasta", Smoked Arctic Char, Duo of Beef, Cod & Billi-bi Sauce, Pear Pithivier, Chocolate Ganache

Laurine seems very interactive with the wait staff and Eli seems to also be very hands on. Mission seems really behind but you never know if that is just how they feel or the reality.

Service and Judging:

The judges are seated first at Revolt's restaurant. The first knock is on the name. Revolt's first course chicken was well received but the char is thought to be 1 dimensional. The cod was melt in your mouth but the beef wasn't super impressive. They also wish it had been served hotter. Then Michael and Robin start fighting in the kitchen. Robin was cussing at him because Michael was trying to take to much plating control. Tobey really liked Robin's dessert. The ganache was good and silky. Rick liked Eli as front of house.

Then the judges hop over to Mission. The judges seem a little shocked that there aren't desserts on the menu. The char was lacking salt and the asparagus was a little boring. Then there was a lag on the second course. But it isn't clear if it is a front of house problem. Laurine also doesn't give any explanation of the dishes. The dishes are disappointed in consommé and the trout was not good. The sauce broke. I can't believe that they had her do 2 dishes in the same course. There is also issues on getting the lamb cooked to the right temperatures. The judges think the lamb is to rare.

Based on what we saw, the Revolt team has to win. I think Laurine or Jennifer is on the chopping block. Kevin thinks he is going home.

First up the judges want to see the members of the Revolt restaurant. They won. Tobey made it clear that he wasn't a fan of the name. The winner was Michael. He got $10 grand which he wants to split it with his team. Then the other team went in to the judges. As they are getting ready to go in Mike I says he wished he would have done front of house. The judges thought the asparagus was ok but the char was a bit inconsistent. Jennifer was steaming the mussels and clams to order which explains the wait and why they were under done. Tom told Jennifer the sauce on the trout was broken and she didn't seem to know that. The trout itself was also a huge mess. The lamb was under done. Laurine didn't seem to have any ownership of the lamb (should have sent it back) and she didn't explain any of the food. Laurine had told Tom that she would send back any lamb that wasn't right and then didn't. They liked Kevin's pork dish but he did send out that lamb dish. In the end the judges sent home Laurine. I think that was the right call. But Jennifer and Kevin seemed to both be ready to go. Jennifer was tearing up over the whole process.

So who will get cut next week? I hope Jennifer straightens up and flies right because I really think she has what it takes!

Top Chef Recap 10/14

2009-10-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

So it took me a bit to get around to watching Top Chef this week so let us jump right in! We are really starting to thin the herd. I agree with a few of the cheftestants that I am also shocked that Robin is still here. Will she make it another week?

Quickfire Challenge:

As we head into the kitchen we see Padma with some funky white boots! We also find our guest judge is Charlie Palmer. Both Bryan and Michael have previously worked with him. The Quickfire Challenge is on pairings. They have to pair a snack food (that they have all been eating in the house) with a dish. The onion snack seemed to be very popular. Jennifer was really hard on herself that her pork chop was a little to done. Chef Parker's least favorite were Robin, Ash, and Jennifer. The top were Eli, Bryan, and Kevin. The winner was Eli.

Elimination Challenge:

There is a knife pull! The knives have wild, cheeks, rib, tenderloin, butt, belly, center cut chops, shoulder, and leg with pigs on them. Jennifer got wild so she got to pick what she wanted. They had to pair pig and pinot noir. They had to eat make 150 tasting portions. They all go meet up with the wine guy! The all tasted 9 different ones. Then they had to choose a type. Then onto Whole Foods to shop.

Then back at the ranch;). Robin is driving quite a few people nuts. Eli and Robin get into a nice little yelling fight. Now back to the kitchen!

You see a definite competitiveness between the brothers, especially since they both worked for Parker. Ash decided to do a chilled pork loin so he doesn't have to worry about it being over done by service. Mike I is making a Lebanese dish that is individual portions so we will see if he can get it all out. The 2 pork belly dishes with Jennifer and Eli will make this interesting. Michael is messing with his brother Bryan and trying to knock him off. And then we get to service.

Michael: Root Beer braised Pork Cheek

Ash: Chilled Pork Tenderloin

Eli: Braised Pork Belly

Kevin: Pork Leg Pate

Mike I: Stuffed Pork Shoulder

Bryan: Braised Pork Spare Rib

Jennifer: Braised Pork Belly

Laurine: Pork Butt Rillettes

Robin: Brined Center Cut Pork Chop

Service:

Ash's pork was a bit over cooked and salty. They loved Michael's dish. Eli's pork was good along with his carrots that were also braised. Parker thought the dish was good but the pairing wasn't. Tom thought that Kevin's pate was smart. They thought the orange in Mike's yogurt was over powering. Bryan's was a bit hit. Jennifer's pork belly was well seasoned and well pair with the wine. Laurine's rillette was equated to cat food by one of the judges and no on really seemed to like it. Robin's dish seemed to have been robbed of the pork flavor and had to much coffee.

Judges Table:

Going into judging it looks like Robin and Laurine are on the bottom. First up to judges table is Michael, Bryan, Kevin and Jennifer. They really liked the lightness of Jennifer's pork belly. Tobey said that she had the first European pinot and it was the difference between a shaved arm pit and a hairy one. He said she had some of those hairy flavors in the sauce that brought out the earthy flavors. Tobey is an odd duck. They loved all of the flavor pairings. The winner was Kevin. Kevin got invited to be a guest chef at the 2010 pigs and pinot event. Then the judges wanted to see Ash, Laurine and Robin. Robin said she stood by her dish. Tobey said the meat was to thin and Tom said the sauce was weird and gummy. Ash was a little surprised to be there. Tom said that he didn't develop the flavors. Ash said how he changed his dish. Everyone said his first dish sounded great. Tobey said Laurine's tasted like a hash. Parker asked her how she did it and the first thing she said was chicken stock. Then Parker said that wasn't how you make a rillette, you poach it in fat. I have to say that I have been shocked that all three of these have lasted this long. But in the end it was Ash's turn to go home.

This week is Restaurant Wars!!!! This is going to be fun!!! See you all soon!

Meal Plan Monday

2009-10-18T18:34:00.000-07:00

So I am actually only needing to plan 3 meals this week. NerdDad and I are going to Stanford in order for me to have another procedure so the kids are going to stay with friends.

Monday: Chicken Kiev, Broccoli, Beer Bread

Tuesday: Out of town

Wednesday:Out of Town

Thursday: Chicken, Rice and Broccoli

Friday: Pasta Bake

Hell's Kitchen Finale!!!

2009-10-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not have noticed, I didn't do a recap last week but to sum it up... We saw both the rise and fall of Tenille. So who will win this week? They have all been so up and down, I have no idea who will win. I think if Dave can physically make it I think he has a great shot at winning!

So the 3 finalists have to make cuisine from around the world. Ariel has to do China, Dave India and Kevin got Mexico. They got 45 minutes to make their entree. Dave was totally befuddled as to Indian cooking. Ramsay brought in Vikas Khanna, Thomas Ortega, and Eddie Wong to help judge. They are all big chefs in their area of cuisine. Ariel completely lost it when trying to present her food. Ariel's food was not a big hit. Kevin forgot to put his sauce on the plate. That was the element that really made it Mexican because it was just a pork loin but with a mole sauce. I think the other Mexican element was tequila in the marinade. Ortega didn't go for his dish but the other 2 liked it. Dave chose pork for his protein and that wasn't good due to the Muslim population. But his food tasted good. Dave's Indian dish won!

Dave's reward was that each guest judge was going to cook their signature dish for Dave. Ramsay specifically said he should ask lots of questions. Dave's sister and fiance also joined him for lunch. He also got a complete set of cookware. The punishment was prepping the kitchen, prepping the dining room and stocking the bar. Kevin was a little bitter because he believed that if he would have served the sauce he would have won.

They all get into the kitchen to start service. Ramsay let them know that they are all going to get a turn to run the pass. The night seems to start off very well. Then Kevin takes over at the pass. Ramsay is up to his normal tricks to check quality control. So Scott changes the type of fish he takes up to Kevin. Then Ariel started having issues with her lamb and Kevin wasn't listening to her. So the kitchen hit a stall.

Then it was Dave's turn at the hot plate. Dave went a little nuts. Scott told him to watch as he was telling Scott to use a wooden spoon. He was yelling and kicking the garbage can. Food started moving out of the kitchen. Then Scott substituted spinach for the asparagus in the risotto and Dave didn't catch it. Then the second test came up with the tuna. It wasn't seared nor did it have the seeds on it. Then Dave seemed to bounce back.

Next up was Ariel. Her first test was when Heather substituted parsnip puree for the mashed potatoes and she failed. Then Scott substituted salmon for the sea bass but she caught it. Ariel was reading out orders and gave Kevin to much. So Kevin lost where he was and it made Ariel look really bad. So Ramsay was yelling at everyone. Ariel thinks that Kevin was dragging on purpose.

I think Dave actually may have done the best at the pass but I am not sure. It was a bit hit and miss. Ramsay asked them at the end of service to each think of 1 person who shouldn't be there any more. Kevin chose Ariel, Ariel chose Kevin, and Dave chose Ariel. Ramsay chose Dave and Kevin to advance to the final. Dave and Kevin will be designing menus for their own restaurant. Then Ramsay whisk them away in a limo. They go to the roof of a hotel where they see a ton of people who are cheering for them.

They have 45 minutes to make a dish and the crowd will be their judge. There are big screens up so the crowd can watch the cooking. So they go head to head with 5 judges to taste. Of course, since we have seen Hell's Kitchen before we know they are playing for first pick for kitchen staff. Of course it comes down to a 2-2 split and all depends on the last vote. But Dave's venison beat Kevin's lobster.

Right off the bat, Kevin will get Heather and Dave will get Scott. Dave's first selection for his crew was Ariel. Then Kevin chose Van. Dave chose Robert. Kevin chose Amanda. Dave's last choice was Suzanne, to which I am a bit shocked. So Sabrina was on Kevin's team. Then they go to change, prep and make sure everyone has the menu down. The problem is that Kevin's menu is beautiful but really complicated while Dave's is simple but really attainable.

Then we get started! First app order out of Kevin's kitchen has to be redone. Amanda had an issue with the scallop dish. Dave has apps flowing out of his kitchen while Kevin's kitchen weren't putting out anything. I think Kevin needed to call someone else over to the fish station at least to help them dig out. It would have taken 2 plates and I would have had someone at least help her if not switch with her. They were 40 minutes in without a plate leaving Kevin's kitchen. Then Kevin put Van on the scallops and moved Amanda to hot apps.

Then over at Dave's kitchen there were mushroom issues in his risotto. Robert felt that Dave set him up so he was messing with him, making him drop risotto. Then Amanda's risotto got sent back in Kevin's kitchen. So Kevin had Van help Amanda with her risottos. Van was saving Kevin's bacon. Over in Dave's side, Ariel had to redo some venison but it was manageable. An hour 15 in and both sides are sending out entrees. Kevin had issues calling out the right orders, he changed on a couple of times. It just happened to be the chef from the restaurant looking to hire one of these boys. Kevin was about to lose it on Amanda and then he seemed to calm down a lot. Dave was down to 4 tables and Kevin was down to 6. Kevin's crew was on the upswing while Dave seemed to be dipping a bit. But they seemed to end at the same time.

In the end they stepped up to their doors and the one that opens is the winner. I wasn't surprised at all that the winner is Dave! If he was this good with one arm, just imagine how great he will be when he has both;).

So that brings us to the end of this season of Hell's Kitchen. See ya'll next time 'round!

Wordless Wednesday: Pot Pie

2009-10-13T21:39:00.001-07:00

My second attempt at pot pies went a little better! I will post the recipe soon!

Meal Plan Monday

2009-10-11T18:28:00.000-07:00

This is my last full week before I go back to Stanford so things are a little nutty over here! So hopefully I will at least have peace in the food department;).

Monday: Pork Loin Pot Pies (with corn and asparagus)
Tuesday: Kids-Sandwiches, Mom&Dad-Fair Food!
Wednesday: Pasta, Chicken and Asparagus in a Butter Garlic Sauce (Asparagus @Vons 99 cents a lb)
Thursday: Beef Roast, Potatoes, Broccoli
Friday: Chicken Kiev, Broccoli, Crescent Rolls

Meal Plan Monday

2009-10-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

So here we meet to talk once more about food. How is your meal planning going? Any new great recipes? Here is my plan for the week...

Monday: Shredded Beef Enchiladas, Broccoli
Tuesday: Pizza for the Kids with the babysitter
Wednesday: Pork Loin, Beer Bread, Broccoli
Thursday: Pasta Carbonara Florentine
Friday: Leftovers for the kids

Hell's Kitchen Recap

2009-10-04T15:44:00.000-07:00

Last week half of our chefs did great and half did horribly. So how will everyone do this week?

As we open, Dave is hot because Tenille said something different then him in elimination. So he is gunning for her. Suzanne and Ariel are both realizing how close they came to being gone.

Then everyone goes into the kitchen for their first individual challenge. It is on presentation so Ramsay brings in the editorial staff of Bon Appetit, including Barbara Fairchild. They have to each make 1 dish. Then the staff will be ranking them by look. The top 2 will be tasted by Ramsay and Fairchild, the best tasting one will win but only of the top 2 looking ones. Suzanne made a calamari salad and Kevin thinks the salad is a bad choice. Dave totally couldn't answer any questions about his dish. Tenille made fish but it broke going from skillet to plate. So Tenille was in last plate with Suzanne in 4th place. Kevin got first place. Ariel got second with Dave in a close third. So only Kevin and Ariel's got tasted. Both dishes tasted well and they couldn't decide. So they both won!

The reward was to join Ramsay and Fairchild for a Bon Appetit shoot where both their dishes, and them, would be featured. Then, as always, comes the punishment. The losers had go clean a street in order to make LA more presentable. They got to put on jumpsuits and ride in a prison style bus. Then they got to clean the parking lots and carpets. While working in the parking lot, Dave seemed to aggravate his wrist. So after the punishment, Kevin is "encouraging" Dave to quit in order help his wrist.

In prep Kevin takes charge and is starting to annoy people a little. The menu for this service is including the 2 winning dishes. Dave is on cold apps, Tenille is on hot apps, and Suzanne is on fish. Right off the bat we are having problems getting fish. Ariel tasted Tenille's risotto and tells her it is over done and then Tenille said it was fine. Ramsay said it was over done. Then Suzanne's scallops aren't right. Come to find out the rice that Kevin prepped was over cooked. Ramsay was hot because Kevin didn't throw out the rice and just make some more. Suzanne found another tray of rice that was done right. Then Ariel gave Ramsay pink chicken and he just about lost it. Then Suzanne sends raw john dory. Then Ariel is sending ragged lamb. Ramsay took her out to the dining room and reamed her out. Part of Ramsay's biggest problem is that he was sending out partial tables and that drives him nuts.

They did actually manage to finish dinner service but it was a huge mess. Ramsay wanted the team to pick 2 people to go up. Suzanne said Ariel and Tenille should go up. Ariel said Kevin and Tenille over the risotto. And then we don't see any more of the deliberations. The 2 nominees were Ariel, due to meat inconsistencies, and Suzanne, due to bad fish and her thinking she had a good service. Ramsay said they both should go but Suzanne was the person to leave.

So we are down to the final 4, who will win? Will they get more consistent as a whole? I think they could all flame out but we will see.

Meal Plan Monday

2009-09-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

It is time to do a little meal planning! There is some awesome meat sales going on at Savemart so I will be doing some freezer cooking out of these meals too! I am even going to do lamb for the first time! A lot of these are new pseudo-recipes, I will post them if we like them.

Monday: Roast Leg of Lamb with Potatoes, Broccoli (I am going to use this cooking method for the meat but with my own flavors, will post if it is good) (genius me misread the ad. It is lamb shank. Now I need to research a recipe)

Tuesday: Crockpot Roast, Broccoli, Beer Bread

Wednesday: Homemade Chicken Pot Pies

Thursday: Sandwiches (before my Pampered Chef Party)

Friday: Shepherd's Pie

Top Chef Vegas!

2009-09-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

It has taken me days to get to Top Chef and I am so excited to see it so let us jump right in!

Quickfire Challenge:

So as the chef walk into the kitchen they are met by Padma and Michelle Bernstein. They need to make a duo that shows their personal battles (angel vs devil). The winner will get immunity. Ash was trying to make 2 custards but only one turned out. So the bottom was Ash, Bryan, Laurine while the top was Michael, Eli and Robin. The winner was Robin, much to everyone's chagrin. Everyone thought she should have gone last time and now she has immunity. She did a healthy vs bad and talked about when she had cancer. At least Eli thinks that is why she won.

Elimination Challenge:

So to describe the challenge Penn and Teller walked in. They did a little magic trick. Then they reconstructed the trick. For the elimination challenge they will be destructing a classic dish. They pulled knives to see what they were making.

Jennifer: Meat Lasagna

Michael V.: Cesar Salad

Ash: Shepard's Pie

Robin: New England Clam Chowder

Eli: Sweet and Sour Pork

Laurine: Fish and Chips

Kevin: Chicken Mole Negro

Bryan: Reuben

Mike I.: Eggs Florentine

Ashley: Pot Roast

Ron: Paella

Bryan is going to use tuna in his Reuben to change it. Mike I doesn't know how to make eggs florentine to begin with. Michael V was making his own bread to go with his Cesar salad and encapsulating dressing. I love tech in food! His brother says he is a show off. Jennifer really didn't have any idea as to a plan and that was during prep time. She is very classical and not used to deconstructing. Eli had brought a digital pressure cooker with him and the airline didn't handle it well do Eli tapes it and it exploded. The kitchen did have pressure cookers but he wanted to use his. Many of them think Ron isn't quite sure of what he was doing.

Service and Judging:

Tobey is back! First up is Mike I and Michael V. Mike I. used kale in his dish. The judges weren't happy with it. But they liked Michael V's salad but Tobey didn't think the dressing exploded like it could. Laurine and Bryan served together. Laurine was having problems with her chips and burned some. Michelle thought the fish was dry and no one liked the chips. Everyone liked Bryan's except Penn and Teller, who thought it was good just not Reubenesque. Ash was having problems with his parsnip puree being gummy so he didn't use it. He used pea puree to replae the potato texture. Jennifer was disappointed with her plate. The judges liked Jennifer's cheese chip because it was like the cheese crust on the lasagna. They all seemed to like it. But Ash didn't fair so well. Ash's lamb wasn't cooked right. Tobey really didn't like the pea puree instead of potato. Eli and Ron are next. Ron was having rice issues during prep. Eli did 2 types of broccoli in his sweet and sour pork dish. What is up with the broccoli? I have never had anything like that in either taste nor texture in sweet and sour pork. Everyone thought the rice was over cooked but not crispy on the bottom. Tom says he didn't deconstruct it and it was a sad plate of food. Tobey didn't like look of the sweet and sour pork but everyone seemed to like it. Kevin and Ashley were serving together. Kevin's plate was a hit as was Ashley! They really loved both. Robin served last. Robin made a fennel flan and it was not good.

First up to see the judges were Ashley, Michael, Kevin and Jennifer. Michelle said she wasn't a big fan of post roast but loved Ashley's. They really loved all of them. The winner was Kevin. This was a big vindication since he got reamed last week over a similar dish. Then the judges wanted to see Laurine, Ron and Ash. Ash got slammed by Tobey for not using a potato. Tom hit Ash on bad cooking of the lamb. Laurine knew that her fish might have been over cooked. Tom said it seemed tentative. Tobey wanted a better chip. Ron did the "I don't know how" thing. They didn't like the rice and the overcooked seafood. Padma didn't like the lack of deconstructing. I think that Michelle is thinking about walking over and smacking Tobey. Tobey was picking on them for saying Paella properly. In the end Ron was sent home. I think it was a long time in coming.

See you next week!

And the Fires Keep Burning!

2009-09-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

So we are really starting to narrow the field and hopefully it is going to get really good! I think this week will be really interesting with Suzanne on the guys team!

The guys straight up told Suzanne that they didn't want her on their team, don't like her attitude and don't like her.

So everyone heads to the kitchen and are met with Scott. They drop a tv screen with Gordon on it, he has gone to Whistler. The resturant they are playing for is know for local ingredients. Gordon had the local ingredients flown in and they have to make 3 dishes using the 15 ingredients and not repeating them. So they all get cooking. Sabrina and Suzanne are each being shut out on their teams. Ariel and Tenille thought they had lamb as an ingredient but it wasn't. Sabrina knew it and never told them since they were ignoring her. Gordon flew back in to taste the food and he brought Sasha Cohen and Johnny Mosley to judge. Tenille presented the "lamb" dish and admitted that she didn't know what it is but then said it was venison. They said that it was that they were just momentarily confused but knew it was venison. Van then blanked out as to what was in his dish. In the end the blue team won.

So the punishment for the red team's loss was to work on a farm and to clean the pig pen. The blue team was off to meet Mark Peel at his top restaurant. They had grilled cheese sandwiches made in front of them. Ariel has a pig phobia and Tenille kept wrenching.

Before dinner service they had to design their own menus. They had to do 3 apps, 3 entrees, and 3 desserts. Tenille wasn't coming up with fine dining suggestions but she had to have input. The blue team seemed to be really smooth on their menu. The red team seemed to be having lots of problems with theirs. Then they presented to Ramsay. Everyone on the blue team loved theirs but Sabrina wasn't happy with Tenille's app. Ramsay said it wasn't something he would order but they have to be careful with the balance. It isn't pointed out that none of the apps came from Sabrina. Of course this challenge means that the diners get to choose which menu to order off of.

So service started. Most of the orders started out of the blue menu. Tenille had never made chard and didn't know how, even though it was on her station. On the blue team, Van is making more scallops than needed. The red's ravioli came back because the meat in the center was frozen. Then Van had black bits on his scallops. Then more raviolis came back cold. The blue team took a commanding lead and then Dave hurt his arm with a nerve issue. But Dave went back out and was working it. Both sides are doing well part way into service. But then Sabrina seemed to be falling behind. While they were waiting on Tenille's broccolini she took a sweep break. Then Van started messing up the same plate repeatedly. Then Sabrina also messed up the same halibut. So then Ramsay called up both Sabrina and Van then he said to shut down the kitchens.

No one won. Each team had to come up with 1 name for elimination. Van wants to put up Suzanne. Tenille wanted to send up Sabrina and Sabrina wanted to send up Tenille. In the end Sabrina and Van. But Dave did say that the weakest chef over all was Suzanne. In the end Sabrina was sent home.

Then we head into the second hour!

So the next day everyone gets their black jacket! Then the chefs go into the kitchen and Gordon is cooking. He was making one of his signature dishes from his restaurant in London. It was time for "taste it and make it" in pairs. It was Van/Ariel, Tenille/Kevin, and Dave/Suzanne. They got a dish from his LA restaurant to recreate. Van dropped the fish on the floor in the last minute so they had to do a rush cook on a new piece. All 3 teams used a different ingredient on the sauce. The winning team was Dave and Suzanne. The reward was to go to Gordon's LA Restaurant and have Christina, a former winner, cook for them. The punishment is to prep for service and to decorate for a "couples" night.

For the special couples night they are doing a chop salad for 2 done tableside and a porter house for 2. So Kevin will be in the dining room. Those steaks looked huge! Suzanne is on hot apps which means it has to coordinate with Kevin and his making salad tableside. Out the gate Suzanne messed up because she didn't make enough tortellini for the order. Van started an entree fish before he started the apps. Then Van was sweating in the food. They end up trying to get out entrees and apps at the same time. Tenille was on meat station and she started taking control to get everyone coordinate. Van was having all kinds of issues from the fish not being cooked to it being cooked wrong. Gordon had it, he took Van in the back and gave him both a warning and a talking to. Then Ariel blackened lettuce. Then Gordon and Scott just walked out! Then we go to commercial. I wonder if it is a ploy to see if they will quit cooking or if they will persevere. So Tenille tried to step in to take control. Ariel was in the weeds and Dave stepped in to help Ariel out. They started getting food up. Kevin was helping plate but then he had to out for the Porter House so he left Suzanne to push it out. She was afraid it was a test and that she would get it wrong so she wouldn't plate. Van seemed to be a little overwhelmed. Then Gordon and Scott came back and he called them all up. Gordon then threw Van, Suzanne and Ariel out. Tenille, Kevin, and Dave finished up service.

Van was back in the dorm and was losing his very slippery grip on life. Then the other 3 totally handled it. Gordon told Tenille it was the best he had seen anyone cook meat. So the top 3 had to pick 2 people (out of those tossed) to put up for elimination. They decided to put up Suzanne because she wouldn't plate. Then Dave said to put up Ariel because that was who Gordon wanted to see. But Dave wants Ariel gone over Van because she is better. When Dave said Ariel, Gordon seemed a little shocked. So Gordon asked Tenille if she thought Ariel and Suzanne were the worst. She said no, that Van and Suzanne should be up there. Gordon called all 3 up. Gordon told Suzanne that she was out of her depth and was heading straight to the bottom. Van said that he was tired of being on the chopping block and was born to cook. Gordon sent Ariel back in line. He sent Van home.

As much as I don't like Suzanne, I really think Van was the right call. So will Suzanne be out next? We can only hope. We will have to see if someone looses it more.

Meal Plan Monday

2009-09-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

What to eat, what to eat.... Here is my plan!

Monday: Boboli Pizza

Tuesday: Marinated Pork Loin Chops, Zucchini Corn Cakes, Broccoli

Wednesday: Cheeseburger Pie, Broccoli

Thursday:Pasta Carbonara Florentine

Friday: Chili Mac and Cheese, Broccoli

Top Chef Vegas!

2009-09-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Here we meet for another week! I am excited to see how everyone does. Tim Love will be judging and between knowing what he does and seeing the teaser, I think we are in for a good episode!

Quickfire Challenge:

As the chefs walk into the kitchen there is Tim Love! The quickfire ingredient was cactus due to a audience poll (57%). They just has to make a dish with it. The winner gets $15,000. The bottom were Ash, Michael, and Ron. The top was Laurine, Mike I, and Mattin. The winner was Mike I.

Elimination Challenge:

Well, the cactus was a foreshadowing....The chefs have to prepare a high-end lunch outdoors for 2 dozen cowboys. They are going to stay the night at the ranch to familiar themselves with it. They will start cooking the next morning but they have to shop before they go. They get to sleep in little tents for the night with an outhouse. They have fire pits with cast iron pans with camp plates. They also have a couple prep tables.

I was shocked they all wore their chef jackets to cook in. I am wondering if any of the chef who are making ceviche are going to get dinged for not cooking. It seems that people might be waiting to long to get stuff on the grills.

Mike I: Pork Gyro with Apple and Fennel Tzatziki

Eli: Tuna Sandwich with Sun-Dried Tomato Mayo and Radish Salad

Laurine: Sauteed Artic Char with Tomatillo Salsa, Corn Salsa and Grilled Potato

Ash: Grilled Chicken Paillard with Corn Succotash

Mattin:Ceviche 3 Ways-Salmon with Apple, Spicy Tuna and Cod with Corn

Robin: Grilled Romaine Salad with Drunken Prawns and Spicy Chicken Sausage

Bryan: Roasted Pork Loin, Corn Polenta, Dandelion Greens and Glazed Rutabaga

Jennifer: Snapper with Duck Confit, Daikon, Carrot and Tomato Water Salad

Ashley: Seared Hailibut with Avocada Mousse, Bacon, Tomato and Braised Romaine

Michael: Dashi with Miso and Mirin Cured Black Cod and Watermelon

Ron: Coconut, Lime, Mango and Tuna Ceviche and Haitian Coconut Mojito

Kevin: Roasted Duck Breat with Mole and Tequila Marinated Watermelon

Service and Judging:

Chef Love said Mike I's was good but not interesting. They liked Laurine's. Padma thought Eli's needed more flavor and a rancher said the bread was hard. The cod ceviche was fishy and Tom spit out something off the plate and said it was raw. They thought Robin's dish was bad. The prawns tasted of clorine, Robin didn't taste her prawns until after she served them. Gail could tasted the bacon grease in Ash's succotash. Chef Love thought that Bryan's dish was well thoguht out and tasted good. Bryan's plate looked so yummy! Gail liked Jennifer's slaw. They thought that Ashley's dish was the best she had cooked to date. Ron's was the best of the ceviches but the cocktail stunk. Gail said that Michael's dish was delious and Love said it was unexpected. Kevin's duck was well cooked.

So Laurine, Michael, Ashley and Bryan were called back to judges table first. The winner was Bryan! Then Robin, Ron and Mattin were sent back. Robin says how she wanted to play off steak. How did that have anything to do with what she made. She got slammed on the prawns. Mattin said he was suprised to be there. Tom said how the cod was raw. Ron's ceviche and sauce were both sweet. Tom also talked about how bad Ron's drink was. Ron said he didn't drink but didn't want to let the coconut go to waste. They said without the drink he may not have been in the botton. The judges talked about how Robin knew it was bad and didn't do anything with it. But Mattin didn't know why he was there. In the end Mattin was sent home.

See you next week to see who will fly and who will flop.

Meal Plan Monday

2009-09-13T21:08:00.000-07:00

Here we meet for this week's food!

Monday: Beans and Rice
Tuesday: Marinated Pork Loin Chops, Zucchini Corn Cakes, Broccoli
Wednesday: Chicken Pasta Bake
Thursday: Pasta Carbonara Florentine
Friday: Fish, Fried Potatoes, Broccoli

Vegas Baby!

2009-09-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

So where will this week lead us? Will the top 3 remain the Voltaggio brothers and Jennifer? Let us jump in and find out!

Quickfire Challenge:

Daniel Boulud is waiting with Tom as our chefs show up. They are going to have to do the snail challenge. They have 45 minutes to make a dish with escargot as their protein. Someone will win immunity with a bonus and someone will be kicked out. Mattin may have a bit of an unfair advantage. A few of the dishes were "interesting". The top 3 were Mike, Kevin, and Jennifer. The winner was Kevin so he has immunity. The bottom 3 were Jesse, Ashley, and Robin. They are getting a 2nd chance. They get 20 minutes to make 1 amuse bouche out of whatever they find in the kitchen. The loser will go home. Robin made a soup for her amuse where as the other 2 do appear to be a bite. Tom and Boulud were not really happy with any of the 3. They were all good ideas but not executed right. The chef with the worst was Jesse. I have to say I am not all that surprised. She has been riding the bottom the whole time.

Elimination Challenge:
We are faced with a knife draw that Kevin is not participating in. Each knife has a classic French sauce on it or a traditional French protein. They will be working in pairs with 1 sauce and 1 protein. They will then serve to a table of French chefs, including the French chef of the century Joel Robuchon. Kevin will not be cooking but instead will eating with the French chefs. One of the teams is Jennifer with Michael V. I think that is the team to watch. Mike I wants to do a new take on Bearnaise and wants to do it deconstructed. Ron says he has done frog legs a lot before and has French training. Robin is worried about reheating her lobster without it getting overdone. Ashley is totally letting Mattin take the lead since he is French. I have a feeling that it may backfire. Hector was having issues getting the steak to temperature.

Michael V and Jennifer- Rabbit and Sauce Chasseur
Mike I and Bryan- Trout and Sauce Bearnaise
Ashley and Mattin- Sauce Veloute and Poussin (young chicken)
Eli and Laurine- Lobster and Sauce Americaine
Hector and Ash-Chateaubriand and Steak au Proivre
Robin and Ron - Sauce Meuniere and Frog Legs

Service and Judging:
Ron and Robin go first and it wasn't a big hit. They thought it was a tough dish but the legs weren't quite right. Then up goes Mike and Bryan. Their dish seemed to be a big hit. Then Eli and Laurine's dish was up. The lobster was tough. They say it is ok but not quite right. Then Mattin and Ashley are up. The chicken was bland and the sauce was to much bacon. Then Jennifer and Michael V served. It was once again a hit with perfectly cooked rabbit. Hector waited late to cut the beef and it was bloody. They knew there wasn't enough sauce on the plates. The judges didn't like how the meat was cooked, the lack of sauce and how the meat was cut.

First up to see the judges were Bryan, Mike, Michael and Jennifer. The winner was Bryan with his trout. His extra prize was to work at Robuchon's restaurant for a week. Next up was Ashley, Mattin, Hector and Ash. The chicken was seared and dried out. The veloute was closer to a gravy. The judges didn't like all the bacon and thought there should have been an asparagus veloute. Ashley had suggested it but Mattin had shot it down. They wanted more au poivre sauce and they didn't like how the meat was cut. Bouchon pointed out that the meat should have only been cooked a half hour so there should have been plenty of time.

In the end Hector got sent home. It had been pointed out that the beef was the easiest dish and he didn't do it well.

Hell's Kitchen Recap

2009-09-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

As we head into this week's episode I think Dave is going to remain on top but I think that Suzanne will be the next red person to leave.

Ramsay starts talking about his French training. Our challenge is that each team has to produce 4 crepes. 1 each for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Then he demo'ed 1 crepe. I had never seen a crepe that big being made. They made them on a big flat surface with a little spatula. They all had a hard time making the physical crepes. JP helped Ramsay judge this challenge. The guy's breakfast crepe was pretty but to spongy. The girls wasn't a pretty but was overall better. Tenille's crepe didn't look very good and it was very spicy. Andy's looked very plain, similar to the girl's breakfast crepe. The boys won lunch. The blue's dinner crepe was huge and Ramsay said it tasted good. When asked what was in the crepe, Suzanne went on a huge diatribe on crepes, them being street food, etc. Both teams won a point on dinner. Dave's dessert plate looked horrible and Ramsay didn't even try it. The girls' dessert crepe was delightful and they won.

So for service that night they are adding some French dishes like escargot, frog's legs and crepes. The guys have to prep both kitchens. The girls are going to a surprise. They are going to learn mime. The girls also go to the best French restaurant in town.

While both teams were finishing up prep, Andy sliced the tips of 3 fingers off on the mandolin. So Any got taken away to get fixed but they don't think he would be back that night.

Then service begins. Andy comes back right in the beginning of service but unfortunately he doesn't seem to know the menu. Dave is starting his team off with good risottos but Sabrina's were bland. Ramsay brought over Dave's for Sabrina could compare. Then Sabrina made a good one and Ramsay was yelling at her about being consistent. Then Andy made ugly crepes. Kevin stepped in and helps Andy with the crepes. The girls were flying, working together and keeping time with each other. Then Suzanne screwed up and threw everyone off. Dave was working on meat and so he let Andy make his own risotto. When Andy couldn't make his risotto, Dave did it both and seemed to be doing it well. Now Suzanne was slicing lamb a minute and a half before it was to go up. So then Suzanne had to start the table over. Andy then started making salads wrong. Suzanne finally had lamb to take up but they were cooked wrong. Sabrina keeps adjusting the recipes to her way and not Ramsay's, he was hot as she messed up the frog legs. Ramsay tossed Andy out of the kitchen. So the guys were left with 3 in the kitchen. Then back in the red kitchen, Suzanne over cooked an entire pan of lamb. He then tossed Sabrina and Suzanne out for being inconsistent. Then Tenille and Ariel were left alone in the kitchen to finish with just Heather's help (sous chef).

Since neither team was complete Ramsay didn't have a winner. The blue and red team had to come to a consensus as to which 2 chefs to put up. Ramsay emphasizes that they need to work together and be sensible. I think next week will be the merge week. Andy doesn't want to go up. Suzanne said she messed up a pan trying to get it all right. The decision was Andy and Suzanne. Suzanne can't figure out why she is up. She says she puts up good food and wins challenges. Then the discussion comes up of what they have to do to guarantee Suzanne getting tossed. It was said that if Andy went up he would go home. So they were debating putting Suzanne and Sabrina up.

In the end they put up Suzanne and Andy. Suzanne says she should stay because she can cook every station. So Ramsay asks Tenille. Tenille says they are better without her even if that means they are short. Andy said he was bad because it was his cutting hand that got hurt. So Ramsay sent Andy home. Then he sent Suzanne to the blue team. Man, did they not look happy.

This is going to be fun! Se you next week!