eG Foodblog: JAZ - Park and Shop

[JAZ]

JAZ:

That chicken looks delish!  What about just using thighs?  I really don't like legs....

ETA: I forgot to tell you that I am loving this Blog - thanks for your efforts!

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Thanks!

Thighs would work just fine -- for some reason, the store where I bought the chicken didn't have just thighs from naturally raised chicken, which I try to buy. I actually prefer thighs too, but I learned a helpful trick from snowangel to make the legs easier to eat -- cut through the tendons that hold the meat to the ankles (do chickens have ankles?) before you cook it -- then you end up with a relatively tendon-free piece of meat.

[eJulia]

Ah, that accounts for the naked ankles on the finished product! (I guess we've decided they DO have ankles!)

Thanks for passing on the tip...

[JAZ]

JAZ, super blog!  I've been lurking...

Thanks for the tip on the braising the chicken to get the skin crispy.  I've just dealt with the chewy meat in the past with it skinless so now I have a new method!

I am loving your dishes!  Do you get them at SLT or do you have other sources for your dishes?  Where do you store them considering your kitchen is space challenged? 

Genny

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The round white dishes are Revol, from SLT. The wavy rectangular one from the other night, and the triangular one from last night's dinner are from Villeroy & Boch, which has some very cool, expensive stuff. I'd been eyeing the wavy dishes or a while, and then they went on sale just at the same time that the V&B store near where I work closed, and most stuff was discounted a little more, so I splurged.

I barely found room for the V&B dishes, so I think I can't buy any more. I have a pretty decent amount of cabinet space, and use the upper shelves above my "pantry" for dishes I don't use often. I also stack pretty much everything. (I'll try to take some pictures later.)

I do have my nicer glassware (which I don't use too often) on a shelf in my living room, so that frees up some space and lets me display some of my things.

[daniellewiley]

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We have the very same shelves - Hold Everything??

We've used them all over the house for various items, from cookbooks to kids' toys. Pretty versatile shelves...

[JAZ]

We have the very same shelves - Hold Everything??

We've used them all over the house for various items, from cookbooks to kids' toys. Pretty versatile shelves...

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I think I got mine at Cost Plus, but I'm sure they're the same -- and yes, they're very handy, especially since they fold up if you need to store them.

[I_call_the_duck]

I love your blog so far, JAZ. That looks like a great chicken dish. I do like the soft chicken skin when it's braised--has that little carmelized flavor yet silky smooth, but I will try your method. Heck, I just love chicken skin however it's done.

Those cocktails look good too!

[Smithy]

[i do have my nicer glassware (which I don't use too often) on a shelf in my living room, so that frees up some space and lets me display some of my things.

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I take it your cats are past the stage of "let's see if I can fit in here"? Mine know how to open cabinets, even. The glassware sits in a tall closed hutch, out of feline reach.

I just lost my favorite butter dish today because somebody decided to see how big the tablecloth is, and whether it could be pulled off the table. Husband came in just before the vase went to the floor, but it was too late for my beloved butter dish.

[chemprof]

[i do have my nicer glassware (which I don't use too often) on a shelf in my living room, so that frees up some space and lets me display some of my things.

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I take it your cats are past the stage of "let's see if I can fit in here"? Mine know how to open cabinets, even. The glassware sits in a tall closed hutch, out of feline reach.

I just lost my favorite butter dish today because somebody decided to see how big the tablecloth is, and whether it could be pulled off the table. Husband came in just before the vase went to the floor, but it was too late for my beloved butter dish.

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I was wondering about earthquakes ...I hadn't even thought about "catquakes"!

Great blog!

Anne

[fou de Bassan]

I love the cocktail shaker on the top shelf, beautiful! (at least I think that's what it is)

Thanks for taking the time to blog.

[artisan02]

We have the very same shelves - Hold Everything??

We've used them all over the house for various items, from cookbooks to kids' toys. Pretty versatile shelves...

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I think I got mine at Cost Plus, but I'm sure they're the same -- and yes, they're very handy, especially since they fold up if you need to store them.

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These are the very same shelves I tote around with me on my travels as a traveling nurse. I use mine for cookbooks though.

[snowangel]

Janet, thanks for reminding me to pull out A New Way to Cook. I've had a hard time wrapping myself around that book, so think it will be bedside reading, and as soon as I can find sherry vinegar (I can't seem to locate it anywhere, so it's on my list of things for my folks to bring back from Berkeley when they visit my sister later this month).

Question. What do you do with your leftovers? Recycle them as is or morph them into something else?

Make that two questions. Which are your most go-to cookbooks?

[CaliPoutine]

Janet, thanks for reminding me to pull out A New Way to Cook.  I've had a hard time wrapping myself around that book, so think it will be bedside reading, and as soon as I can find sherry vinegar (I can't seem to locate it anywhere, so it's on my list of things for my folks to bring back from Berkeley when they visit my sister later this month).

Question.  What do you do with your leftovers?  Recycle them as is or morph them into something else?

Make that two questions.  Which are your most go-to cookbooks?

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Cider vinegar works really well too. That's how I make it.

[JAZ]

Question.  What do you do with your leftovers?  Recycle them as is or morph them into something else?

Make that two questions.  Which are your most go-to cookbooks?

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It depends on the leftovers. If I roast or grill a chicken, I'll use the meat during the week for fajitas or sandwiches or salad. The same goes for steak -- if I want one, I get a big enough one for two, or sometimes three meals. If I make soup or stew, I freeze half so I don't get sick of it before I finish it. Braises -- like the chicken -- I usually just reheat, either for dinner or lunches. Maybe because I've always cooked for one or two people only, and yet I like making stews, soups and brasied dishes, I have never minded leftovers, although I'm not one of those people who can eat the same exact thing day in and day out for a week.

As for the cookbooks, I go in cycles, but use most of them for reference more than actually cooking from. I love the Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini book because I know I can find something to do with any vegetable I'm likely to come home with, and all the ideas seem to be good. Lately I've been using my pressure cooker more, so I use the two pressure cooking books I have, at least to give me an idea of liquid amounts and timing. Overall, I'm trying to use my cookbooks more and follow recipes more closely, so the chicken dish and tonight's dinner (which I'll get to soon) have been a good experience for me.

[Smithy]

Janet, thanks for reminding me to pull out A New Way to Cook.  I've had a hard time wrapping myself around that book, so think it will be bedside reading, and as soon as I can find sherry vinegar (I can't seem to locate it anywhere, so it's on my list of things for my folks to bring back from Berkeley when they visit my sister later this month).

Not to hijack the blog, but...Snowangel, I'm pretty sure I got my first sherry vinegar in Minneapolis - or at least, the greater metro area therein. Have you tried Byerly's? My second suggestion would by Surdyk's. Since those are the places I'm most likely to hit when I'm down there, they seem the most likely sources of my sherry vinegar.

Otherwise, PM me and I'll look around here. There are a few places in Duluth that might carry it now.

Funny about A New Way to Cook. I looked at it once and sent it back because I couldn't get my mind wrapped around it. Every time I hear Sally Schneider talk on The Splendid Table, I think that I really should check out that book again. She sounds so wonderful (aside from her unfortunate habit of saying that everything is either FABulous or divINE) and her recipes sound so good that I keep thinking I'm missing something. Still, I haven't taken another look. What do you think is the trouble with it?

Oh, er, *a-HEM*. JAZ, I hope I'm not stepping too hard on your thread here. Do you use that book much? What do you think are its strengths and weaknesses?

Gaah. Edited to remove a question already asked and answered.

Edited March 14, 2006 by Smithy (log)

[JAZ]

[i do have my nicer glassware (which I don't use too often) on a shelf in my living room, so that frees up some space and lets me display some of my things.

I take it your cats are past the stage of "let's see if I can fit in here"? Mine know how to open cabinets, even. The glassware sits in a tall closed hutch, out of feline reach.

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For some odd reason, they've never been interested in that shelf, for which I'm eternally grateful. Two of them love the cabinet where I store my Le Creuset and some other cookware, though. They've figured out how to open it, and go in it frequently. But there are worse things, I guess.

And Max loves the bar.

Mookie and Felix prefer the cat tree.

[JAZ]

Sorry I haven't posted much today. My plan was to make Russ Parsons's "Cowboy Cassoulet" as a test of my new Emile Henry stovetop casserole, and then post about it and then have the cassoulet for dinner.

I did make it, but by the time it finished cooking, it was way too late for dinner, much less posting about. So I'll do that tomorrow, I promise.

Instead, I had some leftover chicken, but I tried a different side -- grits with some fontina cheese melted in. It worked better with the vinegar sauce, as I'd thought it might.

I had grits for the first time last summer, when I was in Raleigh for the Pig Pickin, and I've only made them a few times. I'm wondering if there's any way to keep them from congealing when they start to cool. I prefer them softer, but I'm afraid if I add too much liquid, they'll be runny, which doesn't sound appealing either. Am I missing something? Any grits specialists out there?

To start with, another cocktail of my own design. I call this one the After School Special.

2 oz. gin

1 oz. Lillet Blond

1/4 oz. Meyer lemon juice

Dash Green Chartreuse

This is a drink that won't work with regular lemon juice -- it has to be Meyer. There's a Meyer lemon tree in my backyard (which I'll show you tomorrow) but it's not producing any lemons right now. I found a few Meyers in with the plain lemons at the corner store last week, though, so I scooped them up and am hoarding them.

While I was looking in the produce drawer of my fridge, I found half a cucumber that really needed to be used up, so I made a cucumber and shallot salad with a mustard dill dressing (trying to use the rest of the dill, too!)

Slicing cucumbers and other vegetables is really easy with this ceramic blade slicer.

The blade is double sided, so it slices on each pass of the vegetable. It's really great.

Here's the salad:

And the chicken and grits:

More tomorrow morning -- I promise.

Until then, here are the rest of my cookbooks, as Safran requested.

[eJulia]

Thanks for the kitty pics!

They looked like a "matched set" - all solid colors.... sure makes it easy to tell them apart and they're OH so chic!

[Safran]

Jaz, thanks for the cookbook pics! Your blog makes me want to mix a drink (or two) and COOK

[MelissaH]

[i do have my nicer glassware (which I don't use too often) on a shelf in my living room, so that frees up some space and lets me display some of my things.

I take it your cats are past the stage of "let's see if I can fit in here"? Mine know how to open cabinets, even. The glassware sits in a tall closed hutch, out of feline reach.

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For some odd reason, they've never been interested in that shelf, for which I'm eternally grateful. Two of them love the cabinet where I store my Le Creuset and some other cookware, though. They've figured out how to open it, and go in it frequently. But there are worse things, I guess.

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Smithy read my mind, and asked the question I was going to ask. Absolutely nothing is safe in our house, because our boys go through phases. This week for us, the cabinet under the cooktop (which holds many of our pots) is irresistible. Last week, it was the dining room tabletop, which is *much* worse than in the cabinet, almost as bad as the kitchen counter.

Do you ever have problems with your boys getting interested in what you're making in the kitchen? My husband claims that he could probably set our cat Lyon up on the counter right next to the cutting board, just so he could see what was happening, and he'd be very happy to just sit there and watch everything without getting into trouble. I dared my husband to try it. He didn't. At the time, he was prepping a tuna steak! (I should add that our boys are both very good about not getting in our way as we work in the kitchen. The single thing that our boys are most interested in is glasses of milk, especially chocolate milk.)

MelissaH

[Genny]

It looks like you have some antique glassware and shakers/pitchers there. Do any have a special story of aquisition? I think it was the very small ones on the bottom center that you said came from your mother, is that right? Those are adorable! They make martini glasses so big these days as a rule I'd love to find something petite.

[Dave the Cook]

I had grits for the first time last summer, when I was in Raleigh for the Pig Pickin, and I've only made them a few times. I'm wondering if there's any way to keep them from congealing when they start to cool. I prefer them softer, but I'm afraid if I add too much liquid, they'll be runny, which doesn't sound appealing either. Am I missing something? Any grits specialists out there?

Grits tighten as they cool, like pretty much any other starch, so you really do have to risk a run if you don't want to be eating wallboard compound towards the end of your dinner. Use the tricks you already know: make them a little loose to start with (knowing how loose comes with practice); serve on a warmed plate; use lots of fat and make sure it's fully warmed and incorporated before serving; eat fast. Finally, don't despair. If they get too cool and thick to eat, mash the remains into a cake (about 1/2-inch thick) and grill or fry in a flavorful fat for a later dinner. In fact, you can treat them like leftover mashed potatoes: add a beaten egg, a little onion and some flour, and make a savory pancake.

I should add that as a traditional breakfast item (which is how most of us first encounter them), grits are much looser than the polenta style that's typically used in a dinner setting, and they're served in a bowl.

Slicing cucumbers and other vegetables is really easy with this ceramic blade slicer.

The blade is double sided, so it slices on each pass of the vegetable. It's really great.

Very cool, Janet. Who makes that guy?

[Dave the Cook]

It looks like you have some antique glassware and shakers/pitchers there.  Do any have a special story of aquisition?  I think it was the very small ones on the bottom center that you said came from your mother, is that right?  Those are adorable!  They make martini glasses so big these days as a rule I'd love to find something petite.

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Thanks for reminding me, Genny:

Nice glass!

[JAZ]

[i do have my nicer glassware (which I don't use too often) on a shelf in my living room, so that frees up some space and lets me display some of my things.

I take it your cats are past the stage of "let's see if I can fit in here"? Mine know how to open cabinets, even. The glassware sits in a tall closed hutch, out of feline reach.

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For some odd reason, they've never been interested in that shelf, for which I'm eternally grateful. Two of them love the cabinet where I store my Le Creuset and some other cookware, though. They've figured out how to open it, and go in it frequently. But there are worse things, I guess.

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Do you ever have problems with your boys getting interested in what you're making in the kitchen? My husband claims that he could probably set our cat Lyon up on the counter right next to the cutting board, just so he could see what was happening, and he'd be very happy to just sit there and watch everything without getting into trouble. I dared my husband to try it. He didn't. At the time, he was prepping a tuna steak! (I should add that our boys are both very good about not getting in our way as we work in the kitchen. The single thing that our boys are most interested in is glasses of milk, especially chocolate milk.)

MelissaH

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Not really -- they're not much interested in "people food" with one exception. Max started hanging out while I would get the milk out for my coffee and beg for some, so I started giving him a little (a teaspoon or two -- not enough to make him sick) when I got my coffee ready. Pretty soon, he'd be there when the coffee was brewing, and then Damien (not pictured yet) caught on, and then Felix, so now I have a crowd around the fridge as soon as I start grinding coffee. They're really happy if I have half-and-half or cream because they get the good stuff when I do.

[JAZ]

I had grits for the first time last summer, when I was in Raleigh for the Pig Pickin, and I've only made them a few times. I'm wondering if there's any way to keep them from congealing when they start to cool. I prefer them softer, but I'm afraid if I add too much liquid, they'll be runny, which doesn't sound appealing either. Am I missing something? Any grits specialists out there?

Grits tighten as they cool, like pretty much any other starch, so you really do have to risk a run if you don't want to be eating wallboard compound towards the end of your dinner. Use the tricks you already know: make them a little loose to start with (knowing how loose comes with practice); serve on a warmed plate; use lots of fat and make sure it's fully warmed and incorporated before serving; eat fast. Finally, don't despair. If they get too cool and thick to eat, mash the remains into a cake (about 1/2-inch thick) and grill or fry in a flavorful fat for a later dinner. In fact, you can treat them like leftover mashed potatoes: add a beaten egg, a little onion and some flour, and make a savory pancake.

Thanks. I think the answer is "more butter" -- it might not solve the problem, but how bad could it be?

Slicing cucumbers and other vegetables is really easy with this ceramic blade slicer.

The blade is double sided, so it slices on each pass of the vegetable. It's really great.

Very cool, Janet. Who makes that guy?

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This is by Kyocera, the Japanese ceramic cutlery company. They also make an adjustable version, but this one is fixed. So it's great for very thin slices, but doesn't do thicker slices. But that's okay, because for thicker slices, I'm okay with my knife -- it's the really thin ones that are difficult. This is wonderful for making potato chips, and I use it all the time for cucumbers.

[slkinsey]

Hmm... I wonder what would happen if you deep fried those cucumber slices.