Fried Rice and The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck

Hi,

Last night I made fried rice for dinner. It was so extremely easy. I used leftover rice (so I didn't even have to bother with the whole boiling process), chopped up a few things, and stirred it all around for a bit. Actually, that's pretty much my cooking strategy in general right there.

Fried Rice with Eggs

-2 Eggs

-Rice

-Celery

-Tomato

-Onion

-Soy Sauce (San-J Wheatless, Gluten Free)

-Salt and Pepper and Such

1. Scramble/fry the eggs in a large frying pan.

2. Pour on the leftover rice, and let it cook for a few minutes, stirring pretty constantly.

3. Toss on some diced tomatoes, chopped celery, and onions. If you're a little bit of a nerd like me, color arrange them for a few minutes to admire the pattern.

Then smush it all up together, and feel abstract.

4. Sprinkle on some soy sauce, salt, pepper, and whatever.

5. Finish cooking. Approx. 5 minutes.

I also made a trip to the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck (@biggayicecream on Twitter) today at 47th and 6th. What a nice man! I really appreciated his friendliness in midtown of cold New York. He was very lovely to chat with for a few minutes, knew all about gluten, and made me a gluten-free chocolate "bomb" (a heaping scoop of chocolate fudge with vanilla ice cream swirled on top) that was unbearably, habit-formingly delicious. Other tastily unique toppings included olive oil and sea salt, wasabi, bacon, dulce de leche. Highly recommended for a boost to your day and a smile on your face!

La Pasta e Lo Pomodoro

Ciao,

Ho preperato una pasta per la mia cena con una salsa di pomodori e la carne.

(I made pasta for my dinner with tomato and meat sauce.)

Just brushing up on my Italian skills. A bit hazy after l'estate (the summer) but it comes back with a little bit of thinking.

Ah si, si, the dinner. Once again, I pulled out the crock-pot to prepare some meat sauce for spaghetti. I went the easy way about it, though. I picked out a nice jar of Ragu that sounded particularly good, and used that as a base. I also used up the rest of the browned meat that I had made for chili. I cooked too much of it yesterday, so I had put half away with the ruminations of a future Italian dinner.

Spaghetti Sauce

-Ragu (I used "Sweet Italian Sausage and Cheese" flavor.)

-Browned meat and a chopped onion

1. Brown meat and onion in a frying pan.

2. Pour sauce and meat into the crock-pot. Cook low and slow for a few hours.

I served this with Tinkyada penne pasta. The general consensus of my suite mates was that it tasted a little different, but basically the same as regular pasta. I really hate gummy noodles, so if this is you too, make sure to stir constantly, boil a little past "done", and strain well with the colander.

Also, I baked some chocolate Pamela's brownies, the "fudgy" version recommended on the package.

I fed this meal to my non-gluten-free suite mates, and they all loved it. I was even compared to Martha Stewart (ha! at this point, I'm striving for a faux-Rachael Ray). In any case, it smelled amazing in here today. If you like to cook and don't want to spend money on air fresheners, fix up some stew or something. You'll also be surprised how many friends you make when you have great smells coming from your place.

Crock-Pot-Simmer-All-Day Chili

Hey,

Today sufficiently reached "monumental" on my sliding scale of culinary wonders, which is sized in relative approximation to my suite kitchen.

I made chili, in a crock pot, and old-fashioned rice. And you know what? It was actually extremely delicious. Again, it was made mostly by memory and experimentation.

I've always loved the look of chili. All of the colors together, beans mingling around, spicing up the kitchen with teasing smells as different flavors pop forwards in momentary boiling bubbles of self-excitement. I've never liked it to be too spicy, but I can appreciate a little zing.

Crock-Pot-Simmer-All-Day Chili

-Medium-large sized crock-pot

-1.5-2 pounds ground beef/turkey/pork (whatever you want)

-1/2 an onion, chopped (light a candle as you chop it. stops the terrible stinging.)

-1 or 2 cans of kidney bean

-1 or 2 cans of black beans

-1 or 2 cans of diced tomatoes

-Carroll Shelby's "Original Texas Brand Chili Kit"-this little box includes little packets of corn masa flour, cayenne pepper, salt, and chili spices (ground chili pepper, garlic, cumin, oregano, onion, paprika)

-Agave nectar

-Long-grain rice

1. Defrost and brown the meat in the microwave and a large frying pan, respectively. Add the chopped onion and thoroughly cook through.

2. Pour the beans, tomatoes, and meat into the crock-pot. I didn't drain any of the cans, and I added plenty of the fat that came from the meat. Fat adds flavor!

3. The chili kit is a very handy little thing to have. I added half the packet of masa flour (to thicken it up a bit), some of the chili spice, some salt, and none of the cayenne. You can use the packets to really make the chili your own, and to suit your palate.

4. Place the lid onto the crock-pot and cook it low and slow for at least 5-6 hours, stirring occasionally if you feel like it. I lightly sprinkled a little agave onto the chili just for fun.

5. 25-35 minutes before serving the chili, cook long-grain rice on the stove in a sauce pan.

6. Season the chili and rice to taste with sour cream, cheese, chips, pepper, chili powder, whatever your Texas heart desires.