Family Dinner with JP

Source: That Dog on the Internet Ever since launching the Twitch stream cooking show , my buddy Shampoodler AKA Shamp has been a stalwart follower and honest critic of the stream and, more importantly, the recipes. A few weeks back, Shamp suggested a recipe he likes to make at home, with a focus on doing something simple for the stream, but kicking it up just a few notches.  I have included the original recipe from Shamp below, in case you want to try his more ad lib approach. And to be honest, I know Shamp knows enough about cooking that he can wing a recipe like this pretty easily without even thinking. For me, I wanted measurements I can tweak and improve moving forward, and wanted to present something for viewers and followers of the blog to try at home. So I tweaked his recipe just a bit to incorporate some actual measurements and a roux. But on the whole, this is VERY similar to the Shamp original. I'm also including quick instructions for the simplest and BEST garlic bread. ...

Sometimes (all day every day) I think I'm much cooler than I actually am. So when I excitedly told Laura that I got heirloom beans, I genuinely expected a response along the lines of "Oooooh! What are those?!" or "Where on earth did you get those?!" Instead, I received a very mundane, unimpressed "From Rancho Gordo?" Because, as Laura pointed out, who else sells heirloom beans? Still, I was grateful when Laura lent me her Rancho Gordo Heirloom Beans cookbook. Beans - incredibly versatile, incredibly varied. For this adventure, I opted for some hearty soup to warm me up in the impending rainy snow of winter. This soup is really easy, though it requires the use of a stand or immersion blender. There are really three components at play that will be combined into the final served dish: the bean soup with chard; the croutons; and the poached egg. I've given a primer on poaching eggs before, but I will refresh your memory here. The...

Pickles! Who the hell doesn't love pickles? And the beauty of it - you can pickle ANYTHING! Cucumbers! Garlic! Onions! Cauliflower! Beets! Eggs!  I read up a bit on other types of pickling brine, and adapted the original recipe for use in making zesty dilly beans (pickled green beans, a little bit spicy). Please note : these are rookie pickles! I know a lot of you out these may be scandalized that these aren't sealed in a hot water bath and stored for 2 months. Don't be such a Pickle Purist, ya dingus! Or else teach me your more complex pickling ways ... But for the rest of this, these are unbelievably good pickles that we can make at home without any special equipment. This recipe is for Quick Pickles. Jar them, and they'll be ready to eat the next day. The pickles are best if eaten within 12 days. These are not long-term pickles! These make great treats for attending dinner parties, for late night drunk snacks, and for tabletop gaming sessions. Spoiler: I kn...

This is the synergy I was hoping for! I posted a tomato and anchovy and garlic butter spaghetti recipe. Eliza makes it for her family, and it's a hit! Eliza posts pics of the endeavor on the facedbooks. Friends of Eliza post a recipe they're reminded of, from the New York Times . I make that recipe. Things of note for this recipe: First off, this one was simple, and I made it for lunch. Not a huge time commitment. Secondly, I use chicken thighs. If you are boring/weird/like spending three times as much money on things/hate good flavor, you can certainly use chicken breasts. But don't. Third, this recipe uses anchovy, but I did not mention it in the title. People are afraid of anchovies. So make this dish, serve it to them, and don't even mention the anchovies until after they've already finished their seconds. And finally - this was the first dish I've made using my very own Fire Escape Herbs, who are doing very well and have not died yet at all. This ...

Christine is from Tampa, which is why she 1)knows a thing or two about Cuban food and 2)knows the Columbia Restaurant. One of those moments where, pestering her over Gchat, Christine sent an entirely inspired response to my "what should I make for dinner this week?" The answer was a Cuban Picadillo. And Christine was right. Picadillo, or "hash," is a traditional Spanish-influenced dish that usually includes ground beef. The Cuban variety typically involves raisins, olives, and capers, while other national varieties vary incredibly (some including hard-boiled eggs, potatoes, honey and lime, etc.) The dish was simple, but ultimately complex. Like a chili or stew, the leftovers were somehow even better than the original serving. I served mine over fluffy white rice. You might also include some fried plantains for scooping. Other suggestions include using this as taco filling or in croquettes. Its a seriously versatile dish. Of final note: If you don...