Single Guy’s Kitchen

Heavy Tweed Jacket posted about tea as well and thought I would share:

What do you like to have to drink in the A of M?  Is it a traditional beverage, prepared in a Time-Honored-Traditional-Manner? As has been stated in an earlier post, HTJ likes a hot cup of tea – preferably Darjeeling brewed from loose tea.  Such is definitely the Traditional way to drink this historic beverage, and we know that Tradsters are students of history

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He goes into a lot more detail on the specifics of tea and I think it’s definitely worth the read.  It ties the enjoyment of tea back into American tradition and those who observe it.

Most recipes for a roast or other meat dishes will instruct you to cook at a certain temperature for a certain period of time. This works more or less but what about those times your meat comes out dry or over cooked even though you followed the instructions exactly. Every cook and kitchen is unique and these recipes are either written to one specific setup or to a very broad range of setups. This can lead to overcooking and thus, dry meat.

My favorite food network personality, Alton Brown, almost always specifies a temperature rather than a time on his show when cooking meat. Why is that? Well, temperature is the only way to really know how much a meat has been cooked and for some meats there is a specific temperature or range of temperatures to aim for. Beef has a range based on the desired level of “doneness” while things like pork and chicken have a “safe” temperature. A quick Google search will get you whatever temperature for whatever meat you like. This one popped up first for me.

Obviously you need a meat thermometer in order to read the temperature of the meat you are cooking. There are generally two types, the instant read probe and the remote probe. These are pretty self explanatory. With the instant read type, you simply stick the probe in and the temperature is displayed back to you fairly quickly. The downside is these are typically small and you have to have to close to the meat and thus the heat source. The remote probes are meant to be used in an oven cooking scenario. With these the probe is inserted prior to cooking and left in during the cooking process. The temperature is read at a remote source outside the oven and is usually set to alarm at a certain temperature. Some modern ovens even have a probe feature like this built in.

So which one do you pick? I think a properly stocked kitchen really needs both. Sure the remote probe can sorta work as an instant read in a pinch, but it’s not the same. A good instant read thermometer is great to have when grilling and the remote probe is invaluable when working with the oven, slow cooker, etc. I think this is also a case where you want to spend a little bit for a good thermometer. You want an instant read probe to be as instant as possible and you want the remote probe to have an alarm feature and be durable. Remember, it will be spending a lot of time in a hot oven, so look for a braided metal sheath over the wiring.

There’s a trick to inserting the probe as well. You want the probe close to the center of the meat to make sure the center is done but you don’t want to contact any bones as that will throw off the reading. Inserting the probe at an angle usually helps. This just takes a little practice really.

Cook your meat with precision and eliminate the guesswork.  When you monitor the temperature you will never produce a dry, over cooked roast again.

Why does coffee get all the glory? Almost every city or town, big or small has a coffee shop of some sort. Why are there so few tea houses or tea shops in comparison? Ask for a cup of tea in a coffee shop and you are treated like a second class citizen, if you’re lucky.

Coffee made its way to Europe through the Italy from the Italian’s trade with Northern Africa and the Middle East. Tea has its origins further East and was most widely adopted by the British. Tea was more or less the national drink of the British by the mid 18th century. By this same token, tea was quite popular in British colonies, including America.

Coffee initially was not received well by the colonists when it was brought to America, most still preferred tea. It was not until the Revolutionary War when tea became difficult to import and later in the War of 1812 in which the British cut off all tea exports to the U.S. that coffee was able to take its place in American culture. After the civil war, coffee was solidified as the winner and tea consumption has since been relegated to primarily iced tea.

I love iced tea (see Sweet Tea) and so do a lot of other Americans. So why not give hot tea a chance too? Sure it does not have quite the caffeine hit that coffee does but so what? Tea comes in seemingly endless varieties and is better for the body as a whole than coffee. I know it’s certainly easier on the stomach. I enjoy a good cup of a coffee every now and then, but tea is definitely my go to early morning, after supper, anytime hot beverage.

If you’re a coffee person, try tea instead for a week. I think you’ll enjoy it. I like Twinings in classic varieties such as Earl Grey or English Breakfast.

I recently enjoyed a wonderful trip to Charleston, SC and wanted to share my experience at 82 Queen. The girlfriend and I decided to have supper there on the Friday evening we were in town and things could not have been more pleasant. I cannot recommend 82 Queen enough if you are ever in Charleston.

82 Queen is located at 82 Queen St just north of Broad St. between King and Meeting in the heart of downtown Charleston. If you are staying in the historic district then it is an easy walk from most all of the hotels and you can enjoy the excellent shopping along King St. I don’t know what the parking situation is if you had to drive in but there are numerous parking garages in the downtown area.

We had reservations for 8:00 but arrived at about 7:20 to have a drink at the bar before supper. The bar was nice and very classic with dark wood and solid, heavy glassware. The gin and tonic was standard but in a healthy sized glass, something you don’t normally see. It was a nice atmosphere and a great way to start the evening.

The arrangement of 82 Queen is rather unique. A large part of the seating is actually in an outdoor patio that is contained within the building but there are several distinct rooms available for dining as well. This creates a different experience based on seating and allows the restaurant to serve large groups in a relatively private environment. The entrance itself is a little alley rather than a typical front door adding to the historic and time tested feel of the restaurant.

We sat on the patio since the weather had made for such a beautiful evening. Our little table was largely secluded as were most of the tables (the picture on the left does not do it justice). It created an intimate environment with a strong sense of privacy. Despite being able to see other patrons, their conversations were inaudible. We felt like the only ones there besides the wait staff but it was a very comfortable feeling rather than the awkward empty sensation when you enter a deserted restaurant.

We did actually get around to eating and what a meal it was. I feel a little embarrassed actually. I so enjoyed what was on my plate that I can scarcely remember what my date even ordered! We started with a shared crab cake. They claim to make their crab cakes with 95% crab meat and I believe it. There was no breading on the outside either which made for a lighter, more delicate crab cake. The crab cakes I had in the Chesapeake area in Maryland/Virginia were heavily breaded and fried. Maryland may be known for its crab cakes but I enjoy the lighter, more crab focused cakes such as these.

After the crab cake, I had a cup of She-Crab soup. She-Crab soup is a Charleston specialty and something my family enjoys to no end. My Dad would probably even count himself as a connoisseur. He’s even been known to discuss the pro’s and con’s a bowl of She-Crab with the chef, adding his own recommendations for how to improve it. Dad would have felt right at home here. The soup was served with a side of sherry so the sweetness could be adjusted to the suit the individual. Mine did not need any additional sherry (I did try a few bites with an extra dash or two for fun though). The She-Crab was very rich and creamy as expected but with more bite and a little more texture than the typical super smooth soup. I probably could have eaten a whole bowl rather than a cup.

My main course was a special, a fried pork chop with collard greens and mashed potatoes. I added a side of grits since I couldn’t leave Charleston without enjoying at least a little of the heavy but delicious low country grits. The crab cake and the she-crab were impossible to top but I throughly enjoyed my supper. The pork chop was perfectly fried, a crisp coating on the outside and plenty juicy on the inside. The collards were excellent without a hint of bitterness and the potatoes had a unique flavor that matched the sauce on the pork chop well. The grits were the real star of the sides though. I could definitely taste the fact that they were made with cream. One cannot eat a very large portions of grits like this (they are so filling!) but they are well worth any discomfort felt later from eating too many. If you don’t believe grits can be decadent then you need to visit Charleston.

Of course we had dessert too. It did not matter how full I was, I had to try the peach praline cobbler with cinnamon ice cream. And yes, it was even better than it sounds. I was disappointed that I didn’t buy a praline while walking on Market St early that day but this more than satisfied me. I was a little surprised by the choice of cinnamon rather than a traditional vanilla but the extra spice tied everything together and really made it a complete dish rather just cobbler and ice cream. My date enjoyed the chocolate ganache cheesecake. I only remember that because I ended up eating half of it as is usually the case when we order dessert.

On a wine note, we enjoyed a bottle of chianti with the entire meal. It might not have been best pairing for the low country fare but it had a nice flavor and we enjoyed it with the meal as well as on its own. This is another reason I recommend walking to the restaurant. A drink before the meal plus a full bottle of wine between the two of us left neither of us able to legally operate a motor vehicle.

The service was great too. Our waiter, Chris, was attentive without being obtrusive, as a waiter should be. He attended to our needs, made light conversation where appropriate, and made sure we enjoyed every aspect of the experience.

Our meal was not cheap. It could vary greatly based on the wine selection (or lack thereof) but we were celebrating several things so I had already planned to splurge a little. I would happily do it again to repeat such a perfect experience. I do believe if I lived in Charleston my wallet would give out long before my appetite.

(Images from http://www.82queen.com)

I’m in the process of cleaning out my refrigerator and freezer to prepare for a move. This means less grocery shopping and more unique food combinations. I did find one good thing while cleaning out, a 5lb boston butt that I had purchased in March. I couldn’t imagine a better opportunity to the try the so-called Bachelor’s Roast.

There are a few variations on the bachelor’s roast, but most variations I saw called for a roast (pork or beef), a slow cooker, coca-cola, and ketchup. The preparation is simple and it creates a pot full of meat that can be used any number of ways, from sandwiches to soups to just by itself. Probably not the tastiest thing in the world, but definitely versatile and simple to prepare. Most bachelors would be happy with that. Besides, with the right BBQ sauce, any meat can taste good.

My ingredients were a 20 oz bottle of Coca-Cola, about 2/3 a bottle of Vidalia onion BBQ sauce, and the last of a ketchup bottle. There’s no rhyme or reason to this. Most of the recipes call for a bottle of coke and a bottle of ketchup. Some call for the coke and a bottle of BBQ sauce. Since I’m trying to use things up, I figured I would try a little of each. Don’t buy anything special for this roast.  Just use what you have.  Place your roast in your slow cooker, pour your BBQ sauce/ketchup over it, and then add your coke.

I set the slow cooker on low and let this go for about 8hrs. It will be incredibly tender by the time you are finished. After 8hrs I went to pull mine out by the bone and the bone slipped right out, perfectly clean. I had to remove mine from the slow cooker in chunks! Mine was that tender.  Once you get all the meat out of the pot, set it on a large cutting board and set this aside to cool.

I tried to get all the fat and other undesirables out of the remaining juices too. The fat adds flavor but its really not healthy and when you refrigerate all of this later it will just solidify as one block if there is too much fat left in it. At this point I wasn’t that happy with the flavor of the juice either. It was fine for cooking but not very finished. I poured out most of the remaining juice, leaving about half a cup or less in the bottom of the crock pot.

I decided to create my own sauced based on spices and a cocktail of the various BBQ sauces left in my fridge. I had some hot, some sweet, some mustard based, and everything in between. I just eyeballed this completely with no real reason behind any of it. I also added black and red pepper and a little honey too. I mixed all this together in the slow cooker (which I left on low) and left this to attend to the meat.

Once your meat is cooled enough to handle, get to shredding it. This should be pretty easy. I just did it with a pair of tongs and a fork. It didn’t take more than a minute or two. With the meat pulled and shredded to your liking, add it back to the slow cooker with the sauce.

I put the lid back on and let it cook in the new sauce for maybe half an hour more on low. I used this time to fix some vegetables and whatever other side dishes I wanted to go with it. The only downside to this is the sauce takes the forefront. By doing this I lost the ability to customize the meat. It has a sauce and that’s that. That’s not necessarily a bad thing and it worked out well in my case.

I thought it turned out very well. There are a lot of variations you can do with this. You could just eat or store it right after shredding. This would give you the ability to chose your own sauce based on how you were eating the meat. I think a sauce is necessary though as this came out a little dry on its own. I wonder if marinating the roast ahead of time or putting it in a brine would have helped.

In the end, for really no effort, I have almost 5lbs of versatile meat that I can put in sandwiches, eat with beans, vegetables, or anything really. It helped me clean some old sauces out of my fridge and it gives me a good staple to eat on while I continue the cleaning out process and get ready to move. The bachelor roast is good way to take a cheap roast and spread it out into several meals, something any bachelor should appreciate. Enjoy!

Strawberry season has just begun in the CSRA (Central Savannah River Area) and there are plenty of “you pick” strawberry farms out there. Sure you can get strawberries from the grocery store or the local roadside stand, but there is something about picking your own. It’s a little cheaper since you are providing a piece of the labor and every strawberry is hand selected by you. I picked two buckets worth this weekend for $18.

So you’ve got your strawberries.  Now what to do them? Strawberries won’t keep for very long so they need to be used quickly. I wouldn’t leave strawberries in the fridge for more than a week personally. (Store your strawberries unwashed and uncut in a colander in the refrigerator.) Other than a steady diet of just plain strawberries or strawberries with sugar, what can you do? Strawberry Shortcake is the answer.

There are numerous ways to make strawberry shortcake from buying the pre-made cake “cups” to baking your own short cake. I used store-bought pound cake from Earthfare in my version. Strawberry shortcake can be as simple as serving a slice of cake with whipped cream and strawberries but mine was a little more involved. I layered the strawberries and whipped cream with the pound cake to create a new slice-able “cake”.

Ingredients

• 2 pound cake loaves – one regular, one chocolate
• Fresh, washed, and cut strawberries (about half a pound? I really don’t know)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• whipped cream or cool whip

Depending on how sweet your strawberries are you may want to add some sugar to them. I’d recommend doing this regardless of how sweet they are, at least add a little bit of sugar. You want to draw some of the liquid out of them and create moist, sweet strawberries that will soak into your cake. So the first step is to put your washed and cut strawberries into a seal-able container, coat with sugar, mix, seal, and place into the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours. This gives the strawberries time to mix with the sugar.

When the two hours are up, you can start constructing the cakes (this recipe makes two). You want to slice each cake in half lengthwise so you have two large rectangular “slices” of pound cake, two chocolate and two vanilla. This really is like making a sandwich. Spread your whipped cream on the bottom layer and arrange your strawberries then spread some more on the inside of your top layer and place it on top of the bottom layer and the strawberries. Then put more whipped cream and strawberries on top of the “loaf”. The proportions are totally up to you, use as much or as little as whipped cream and strawberries as you want. Just bear in mind that pound cake is dense and can dominate the other flavors.

Once you’ve got the cake assembled, wrap it in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat. I did this to let the cake set and form into something solid and easy to slice.  I made it ahead of time so they had a couple hours to chill.  To make the wrapping easier I did all my assembly on top of plastic wrap.

I wrapped one with an outer layer of aluminum foil and stuck it in the freezer to enjoy at a later date. I’m not sure how it will turn out but I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t keep for at least a couple months. I did do a couple extra layers of plastic wrap for good measure.

Enjoy!

This is really one of my “go to meals.” It’s quick, cheap, and very easy to make. It’s made from things I typically keep around the house. It can be adapted for vegetarians and non-vegetarians if need be too. I probably fix beans and rice at least once every two weeks. It keeps very well and is great as left overs the next day. For all these reasons, I consider it one of the ultimate bachelor meals.

Ingredients

• 2 cans black beans
• 1/2 half sweet onion (vidalia if its in season) – diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper – diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic – diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Various spices (seasoned salt, paprika, red pepper, black pepper)
• cooked brown rice (I use the boil in the bag variety)

The recipe works like this: (1) soften your garlic/vegetables in oil (2) add your black beans (3) simmer/reduce/thicken (4) serve over rice. Pretty simple, right? Like most things, you can vary this greatly based on the vegetables you use. Celery is great in this as are jalapeños. For the lazier bachelor, a bag of frozen mixed veggies would probably be fine.

Heat your oil in a 10″ non-stick skillet. I don’t use much oil here, I estimated about a tablespoon but really just enough to coat the pan and the vegetables. Next add your garlic and set your heat to medium low. I let this go for two to three minutes or just until the garlic starts to get some color. Next add the onions and do the same thing, give it one or two minutes. Finally add the peppers and once again give it a minute or two. Make sure you mix things together well in the pan on a regular basis while doing this. Really all you are doing here is softening the vegetables and removing that overly raw flavor and texture.

Once your veggies are looking good, add your two cans of black beans and mix. You’ll want to drain your beans, but just do it roughly as you want to reserve some of the seasoned packing juice (probably a couple tablespoons). If your beans are the no salt variety or not packed in a seasoned liquid then you may want to increase the amount of oil you use. The goal is wet mixture that the rice can absorb.

With the beans and the canning juice in the pan, go ahead and add your spices and stir things up. I go heavy on the spices here. Remember you’ll be mixing this with plain rice so the spice you add to the beans has to flavor the rice too. With everything mixed together, turn your heat back up to medium and let the slightly soupy mixture start to bubble. Once you see the first few bubbles pop on the surface, cut your heat back to simmer and let the mixture thicken and reduce. Stir it occasionally while you do this. I let mine cook like this for about 15 minutes or so, just enough time to fix my rice!

So there you have it, just serve your beans over the brown rice. This is relatively healthy, vegetarian (if that matters), high in fiber/protein, and probably most important, cheap. I enjoy mine with chips and salsa. My girlfriend likes to add salsa to her’s and then eat it with chips. I prefer to keep things separate.

Like I said earlier, this makes great leftovers. The portions I specified in this recipe is good for at least three, probably four meals for me. I just add the beans to the remaining rice and keep it in the fridge. You can heat it up in a pan or in the microwave. It can taste even better as leftovers too. Sitting the refrigerator gives the flavors more time to blend together.

For a meaty version, I like to add chorizo, andouille, or some other type of spicy sausage. Ground beef, turkey, pork, etc also work very well. Chicken livers would be an interested addition too, dirty rice and beans!

A dish like this can be a main course or a side. You can customize it anyway you like. It’s cheap and easy so have fun with it, try different variations.

The weather is warming up and the sun is out, what better way to enjoy it than by eating outside! Go out on your porch or deck and enjoy the spring time breeze. No outside seating where you live?  Head to a park or just open a window and let some fresh air in. Jason contributed the guacamole recipe below that would be perfect to take outside. He calls it “Lazy Man’s Guacamole”. I’d recommend it with a good Mexican-style beer, like a Dos Equis.

Ingredients

-1 avocado
-half a lime
-half a spoon full of salsa
- 2-3 very thin slices of a jalapeno
- a little salt

Scoop the meat (or whatever it’s called) out of the avocado and place in a bowl. Squeeze the juice from half a lime into the bowl. Cut slices of jalapeño and then chop into very fine pieces and put in bowl. Add salsa and some salt (sea salt from a grinder tastes best). Then mash it all up and you have guacamole for 1-2 people.

Enjoy with tortilla chips or with a quesadilla.

Sports and food are undeniably connected.  People sing about peanuts and cracker jacks during the 7th inning stretch and suck down Mint Juleps at the Kentucky Derby.  Tailgating is as much a part of the college football experience as going to the actual game!  I’d say the only thing that makes watching sports more enjoyable is eating good food while watching sports.

Golf is no exception and the biggest golf tournament of them all, The Masters, takes place in none other than my home of Augusta, Ga.  For one week every April the streets are packed, traffic is awful, and restaurants are overcrowded.  Everything in Augusta changes for the Masters.  Local restaurants are known to bring out a special menu full of high priced, specialty items just for the high rolling Masters’ crowd.  Good food doesn’t have to be expensive or shipped across the world to make a name for itself at The Augusta National though.  The simple, Southern pimento cheese sandwich is the most famous thing to eat at the Masters.

Pimento cheese is a sandwich spread made from mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, and pimentos (a pimento is a small chili pepper and is probably best known as the stereotypical red stuffing in an olive) mashed together into a spreadable combination.  Growing up in the South it’s a staple of school lunches and Saturday afternoons.  It’s a very simple sandwich but don’t let that fool you.  The taste is unique and incredibly delicious.  My mom likes them toasted but I prefer them on nice, soft sandwich bread.  When it comes to the Masters they serve them on just plain white bread and sell them for cheap.

On good, soft bread the sandwich comes across as very smooth, light, and creamy.  Besides the Masters and school lunches in the southeast, they are also the quintessential Southern finger sandwiches for everything from an engagement party to afternoon tea.  The close association with the Southern Belle has even led some to refer to the sandwiches as “soft and tender, just like a Southern lady”.

I’m guilty of buying the ready made stuff at the store usually but there are many recipes out there and most seem very simple.  The Augusta National recipe is a secret but here’s a gourmet interpretation.  Paula Deen has her own version too.  The pre-made kind is good though.  You can find it in the deli section near the meats.  If you live in the South, it’s typically produced somewhat local too.  The brand I buy in Augusta is from nearby Camden, SC.

This weekend while you’re enjoying the Masters spectacle consider having a pimento cheese sandwich.  It’s tasty, easy to make, and truly a Masters tradition.

Everyone thinks of the microwave as the bachelor’s best friend but is it just prolonging the myth of the lazy, kitchen-challenged bachelor? Take your typical frozen pizza, there are usually two ways to cook it, the microwave or the oven. The microwave is always faster but the instructions usually include a statement like “For Best Results Use Conventional Oven”. It’s true too. The oven does produce a much better tasting product, so why do we continue to use the microwave? It’s faster.

I’ve been without a microwave since I moved in June of 2007 and it has created some challenges but I think it has helped improve my cooking and meal planning strategies. Unlike the typical bachelor I tend to steer clear of frozen dinners, pizzas, and that type of meal. Frozen meals are typically lacking in the health department and without a microwave they require more effort than they’re worth. The result is I’m forced to prepare meals more or less from scratch on a regular basis.

Microwaves are not totally useless and that’s not what I’m trying to say. They are great for reheating left overs or thawing out frozen items in a hurry. I use the microwave at work to reheat my lunches on a regular basis. Too much microwave dependence can lead to a lazy bachelor and that’s not the goal of this site. Besides, more often than not the microwave will produce dry, chewy, and generally unappetizing dishes. Good luck trying to form a crisp crust on anything in microwave either.

Here are some tips to free yourself from microwave dependence:

• Plan, Plan, Plan! People get stuck when there’s no plan for supper and there’s no time for anything but a quick meal nuked in the microwave. Plan your meals so you can work the cooking around your schedule.
• Don’t buy frozen dinners! Sure they are convienent and sometimes unavoidable but it’s best not to make a habit of them. Save them for the days when you’re working late and just want something to quell your hunger pains, regardless of taste or nutritional value.
• Use raw, fresh ingredients. This is a good for cooking in general but also helps lessen microwave use. Fresh meats don’t require thawing and fresh veggies just don’t lend themselves to microwave use. They are much better steamed or roasted.

There are a lot of other things you can do to avoid using the microwave but planning is really the key. Try to plan meals for the week so when you grocery shop you are buying items for specific meals and not just stocking the pantry with things you might use. Yes, the oven does require more time but the results are well worth it. Forget frozen pizzas and make your own using ready made crusts and fresh ingredients. It takes less time than heating a frozen pizza in the oven. Don’t like the idea of using your full size oven for small meals? Look into getting a counter top toaster oven. They work just like your conventional oven. Is your time that limited? Consider purchasing a slow cooker and have supper ready the moment you get home from work or school.

Remember the goal is not to eliminate the microwave entirely. I still plan to purchase one for myself some day. The goal is to be able to prepare more satisfying meals. A microwave is a useful kitchen appliance but give it a break once in awhile and remember what a real meal tastes like.