Korean Egg Toast (Gaeran Tost-u)

My lunch today was Korean egg toast.

This Korean breakfast sandwich, sold by street vendors in cities, is commonly called tost-u (toast) or gaeran tost-u (egg toast). It's not that different from an American egg sandwich, but the addition of cabbage and a sweet dusting of brown sugar are tasty Korean additions. It is Korean fusion cooking at the street level. Here is my process for making it.

Challah

We made challah in our Kosher baking class today.

Baking Class

We took a Kosher baking class today.

Veggie Lunch

I thawed out one of the veggie bean burgers I'd made a few days ago and had it on toasted rye bread with dijon mustard. As a side, I made a brown rice onigiri with a watermelon rind pickle inside. The salad is shaved carrot with zante currants and honey.

How I Know I'm Not Addicted to Internet Recipes

I've been cooking since I was a kid. I started making Mexican TV dinners, which was a big deal growing up in New Hampshire. My friend Dana taught me how to make fried rice -- with salami chunks. He used the rendered fat from the salami to cook his onions. I also was the house barbecue guy, making burgers, steaks, and chops for my parents and me.

Then, I started watching TV cooking shows, Graham Kerr and Julia Child, and copying what they did. I've accumulated a rather large number of cookbooks of every variety, too.

Now, I watch Internet cooking shows."VideoJug" has good lessons and sometimes the Food Network recipes are fun to make. Lately, I've been following a great cooking show on the Web called "Hilah Cooking" because the recipes are (generally) healthy and fun, and the show's host -- Hilah Johnson -- is very natural, knowledgeable, and entertaining.

That's not the case with all Internet chefs, however. Check out this one. She makes a stir-fry recipe with Minute Rice (yuck) and spends practically the first three minutes of her show explaining how it takes only five minutes to prepare it. Geez!

Veggie Bean Burgers

I made these vegetarian bean burgers in my cast iron frypan, using this recipe from "Hilah Cooking." If you are interested, here are photos of my cooking process.

Hilah said to use sunflower seeds. I didn't have any, so I used pine nuts we had in the fridge. For seasoning, I used ras el-hanout.

Finished Product

I ate one burger tonight. The burger was delicious and had the crunch of a pan-fried hamburger. The BBQ sause is from Rudy's in Texas. The watermelon rind pickles are by Southern Gardens, Yemasee, SC, from a store we stopped at on a drive home from visiting my folks. The potato bun is from Giant Food. The leftover burgers are in our freezer for another day.

On the bun with Rudy's Sause &
watermelon rind pickles on the side

Kimchi Ramen

With Poached Egg & Tomatoes

Beef & Lentil Stew

Tonight's dinner

from the Weight Watchers website

Sweet Potato Fries (Finished Product)

They turned out great! I got this recipe from the Hilah Cooking website. Thanks for lunch, Hilah!

Sweet Potato Fries (Getting Started)

This morning, I was on Facebook, checking out my friends and my news feed posted a link to Hilah Cooking's latest -- this recipe for Sweet Potato Fries. Wow, I already had the stuff hanging around the house. Let's see how it turns out!

Supper

I picked up za'atar bread at the Lebanese carryout. The fat-free plain yogurt had a little salt & a minced garlic clove mixed in, and smoked paprika sprinkled on top. I also sprinkled a little olive oil on everything.

Ras el Hanout Couscous

What to do when I'm alone for the evening and don't want to go out? Check the cupboard. I mixed some canned beef broth with a little ras el hanout and olive oil, threw in a few frozen mixed veggies and brought it to a boil. Stirred in some couscous and set it aside, covered. Then I fried an egg over easy in a few drops of olive oil. When the couscous was ready, I dropped the egg on top -- and voila! Not shown in the photo was bottle of pumpkin ale I had with it and the few drops of sriracha I sprinkled on top of the egg for a little heat.

Happy Valentine's Day to my Wonderful Wife!

Lunch From the Cupboard

Sort of a unique relish tray kind of lunch today. Rye toast with margarine. Quail's eggs pickled with jalapeno & carrots & onion -- from Texas. Watermelon rind pickles -- from South Carolina. The pickled stuff is from our travels. The drink is Trader Joe's pear cinnamon cider.

Gell Well Wishes to Elizabeth Taylor

Oven-Roasted Salmon Fillet

Cooked in a cast iron pan, smoked paprika on it. Tri-color couscous with peas on the side.

Here Comes the Sun

For everyone still suffering through this blasted winter of 2010-2011, this one's for you.

How Healthy Is This?

Fat-free organic yogurt over honeybell tangelo, blueberries, and strawberries. A drizzle of New Hampshire maple syrup on top.

Eastern Kentucky Chili Buns

I just watched Hilah Johnson demonstrate her Dad's Texas chili recipe on "Hilah Cooking" and it's inspired me to share my chili recipe here.

Back around 1988 or 1989, Esquire Magazine published a short article about Kentucky Chili Buns. They're essentially chili dogs without the dog. The chili is packed into the hotdog bun. It was served out of big pots in pool halls in Eastern Kentucky. The "rumor" that Esquirementioned in the recipe is that, on occasion, some pool chalk would make it into the chili pot.

I copied the recipe as best I could and it's been bumping around my computers ever since. We've served this at office parties and tailgates; as is or used as topping on burgers and hot dogs. See if you like it.

ESQUIRE CHILI

Ingredients:

1 quart cheap beer
7 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
3 teaspoons salt
2 cloves minced garlic
3 good-size onions, chopped fine
1 medium-size white onion, chopped fine
Hot dog buns
Bright-yellow mustard (optional)
10 tablespoons chili powder (or chili powder recipe below)
Tabasco sauce (optional)

A few hours before you cook, open the beer and let it go flat. Put meat in large, unheated kettle. Mix beef and pork together, breaking the meat apart lightly as you do. Don't compress meat with your fingers. Sprinkle meat with 3 teaspoons salt, 2 cloves minced garlic, and 3 good-size onions chopped fine. Pour flat beer over mixture. Put in your hands and mix lightly, but thoroughly, not compacting meat. Stir mixture over high heat until it boils. Turn heat to medium-low and let the contents cook slowly for 1-1/2 hours, uncovered. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Sprinkle chili powder over the top. Turn heat down very low and let the powder seep in. Heat buns. Chop medium white onion in fine pieces. Turn heat up fairly high on chili and cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, keeping mix from sticking and mixing powder in thoroughly. Chili should be juicy, but not soupy.

Sprinkle some chopped onion down the center of each bun, enough so there will be a piece in every bite. Bright-yellow mustard is optional, to be painted sparingly on interiors of buns. Pack chili in tightly, not like a sloppy joe: pack and smooth it with the back of a spoon. Build up and out to the ends of the bun from there, packing until the bun is tightly and compactly filled and can be held easily.

Eat in heartburn-producing quantities with mellow, straight-forward, sturdy brand of beer (not dark or lite).

Chili powder:

Pop in a blender 5 tablespoons hot, crushed Mexican or New Mexican (not Italian) chili peppers, 3 tablespoons cumin, 1 tablespoon dried leaf coriander, and 3 cloves garlic. Whir briefly until garlic is pulverized and everything is mixed.

Chicken in Japanese Sauce

Chicken in Williams-Sonoma Japanese Simmering Sauce over white basmati rice. Grilled romaine lettuce basted with lime vinaigrette.

Salad For Super Bowl Party

Here's the salad we're taking to our friends' Super Bowl party. Red & green leaf lettuces, romaine, Italian parsley, cucumber, grape tomatoes, chopped red onion, tossed with a homemade lime vinaigrette. I grated some parm on the top to make it look a little more interesting.

Lime Vinaigrette

I'm making a mixed lettuces salad for the Super Bowl party we're going to today. Here's the lime vinaigrette I made for it.

Making Sloppy Joes

Back on January 11th, I made Sloppy Joes. Here's a video.

Mr. Bento - 4 Feb 2011

Running late for a job tonight, so I dusted off Mr. Bento for my dinner. Brown rice & carrots cooked in chicken broth, topped with a baked za'atar egg. Side dish of tomatoes; dessert of honeybell segments.

Happy Groundhog Day!

Tintin Eating Dinner

Hoshi Watching Tintin Eat Dinner

Tintin Eating Dinner
Originally uploaded by Great Stone Face.

My Honeybell -- Undressed

Goat Cheese & Herbes de Provence Omelet in a Tortilla

A light supper with green tea and grape tomatoes