Coming Soon: No-Bake Mac and Cheese with Crispy Potato Chip Gratin
Trick or Treat? Thanks for the Apple
I can't help but think this post is the Halloween equivalent of ringing a doorbell trick-or-treating, and instead of a delicious candy treat, some truly evil soul hands you a piece of fruit. An apple? I spent three hours becoming Iron Man, and you give me an apple!?This dead cheese fingers video is the only real Halloween-themed recipe I've done before, so I thought I'd rerun it today, after a fun, but tiring trip to Los Angeles, which has left me video-less. This was inspired by a version I saw on the blog, Our Best Bites, and you can read the full, original post here.
Today, I'm very excited to start production on several very-requested food wishes including …drum roll …New York Cheesecake! Also, working on a revolutionary new mac and cheese recipe. So, enjoy, and stay tuned!
Hello from Fugly Los Angeles!
Michele and I are in the City of Angels for the birthday celebration of our dear friend Jude Weng (seen here during her days as a tiger trainer), the Executive Producer and Co-Founder of Brand New Entertainment.If that name sound familiar, it's because BNE was the company I signed a deal with a few years ago to develop a series of unscripted food-related television shows. There have been no major deals yet, but those efforts are still being shopped around, so you never know.
The theme of the party is the "Fugly Prom." You all know what proms are, but just in case you don't know, "fugly" is a combination of the words "f*cking" and "ugly." The pictures should be something, so stay tuned for those! We'll be back in San Francisco, Sunday night.
Chocolate, Egg, and Cream? Fuggeddaboutit!
This chocolate egg cream video was inspired by our recent trip to New York City, where my wife Michele and I enjoyed them on several occasions. As I watched the expression on her face while she sipped this unique treat, I knew I had to film a quick how-to as soon as we returned.Contrary to the name of this New York City soda fountain classic, chocolate egg creams do not contain any eggs or cream. What is does contain is Fox's "U-bet" chocolate "flavor" syrup.
This uniquely American ingredient hails from Brooklyn, New York, and despite the picture of the woman on the label (why is she looking at me like that?), I love the flavor of this syrup. If you can't find it, I'm sure a certain brand from Pennsylvania will do just fine.
Along with the chocolate come the simple additions of milk and seltzer water. The magic of this drink is how the minimalist design produces such a rich, yet refreshing chocolate beverage. In fact, one of the reasons the beverage was so popular in its time, it was considered a cure for indigestion!
There are all sorts of arguments about the origins of this drink (when it comes to sports and food, New Yorkers do seem to enjoy a good debate), but most chocolate soda fountain drink historians think this was invented somewhere in Brooklyn, in the 1920's.The technique is very simple, and as I suggest in the video, you'll want to adjust the trio of ingredients to the ratio that you find most satisfying. Some prefer this very light and frosty with extra milk, others go for the darker, flatter and richer.
Enjoy!
Ingredients per glass:
1-2 oz chocolate syrup
1-2 oz cold milk
8-10 oz very cold seltzer water
Lard-Fried Brussels Sprouts are Good For You
This short video was produced by my buddy, Stephanie Gallagher, and I'm posting it for three very simple reasons.First: to help me convince people that lard isn’t poison. Second: to show that surprisingly little fat actually stays with the food you fry. Third: to remind you to eat Brussels sprouts, which, as far as green vegetables go, rock! (if cooked certain ways...like fried in lard).
Stephanie is About.com's Guide to Cooking for Kids, and her site is filled with wonderful recipes for children of all ages (including lots of great Halloween ideas). I hope you check her out. Enjoy!
Kung Wow Chicken – Because Who Doesn't Love Fake Chinese Food?
Well, I'm back in lovely San Francisco after our whirlwind trip to New York City, and even though I have a serious case of jetlag, I wanted to post this highly simplified and quite Americanized version of Kung Pao chicken. Of course, I only mention the jetlag to explain any increase in the frequency of typos (I know you'll have my back as usual).If I ranked my top email requests, "an easy chicken stir-fry" is certainly in the top five. Of course, as I mention in the video, I don't even own a wok, so this isn't technically a "stir-fry," but it's close enough for the internet, so save your cards and letters.
This fairly simple dish is loosely based on the spicy, Chinese take-out classic, Kung Pao chicken. The origins of the name, "Kung Pao" are difficult to trace, especially when you are too tired and lazy to do any research, but I assume the recipe's history is fascinating.
I've pretty much stripped this down to the bare essentials, and as I mention in the video, it's a recipe that you'll really want to play around with. All the ingredients you see listed below are literally, "to taste."
Speaking of ingredient amounts, the quantities below are what I think the average viewer would find most enjoyable, so don't be alarmed if what you actually see me tossing in is a little more or less. I don't generally measure when cooking something like this, and I think the more often you make it, you'll find yourself becoming just as carefree.If you like your Kung Pao-esque chicken dishes to be extra saucy, thick, and sticky (more like the traditional Chinese-American take-out style), you can double the sauce ingredients, and almost triple the cornstarch/water mixture. It's really up to you – I just prefer a little lighter version. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 Servings Kung Wow (Kung Pao) Chicken
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts. cut into 1-inch cubes
For the marinade:
1 tablespoon white wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
white parts from 3-4 green onions, chopped
For the sauce mixture:
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons white wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon Asian chili paste (sambal), or more to taste
2 teaspoons ketchup
4 cloves minced garlic
Other ingredients:
2 tablespoons peanut vegetable oil for frying
2 cups cubed zucchini
1 cup cubed red bell pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoon water
1/4 cup green onion tops, chopped
handful roasted, salted peanut halves
4 cups cooked white rice
A Small Post Before Coming Home from the Big Apple
Wow, what a short, but amazing trip this has been! We are packing for our trip back to San Francisco, and as I try to cram an unnatural amount of swag into my too-small suitcase, I can't even process all that's gone on the last few days. All I know, is I can't wait to back back to work.Last night we attended the birthday party of a new friend of ours, Sarah Simmons, pictured here next to my old running buddy, Jennifer Heigl, from Daily Blender (right). I've been friends with Sarah on Twitter for a while now, and we finally got to meet. Say what you will about Twitter, and its possible responsibility for the downfall of our society, but anything that allows like-minded people to connect to one another can't be all bad. Sarah, who publishes the blog, sarahmcsimmons.com, is a formidable foodie, and you'll be reading more about her on this blog in the future.
Thanks for your patience, and stay tuned for a brand new video recipe tomorrow!
Photo (c) Jennifer Heigl
