crabbycook's Blog - a blog by crabbycook - FoodProof

Spiced Yogurt Muffins and Hangover Prevention

crabbycook — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:23:53 -0800

"Hello, CrabbyCook Hangover Hotline. Can I help you?" "What's that" "Ahhh, no sir, I'm sure that's a bad idea." "Well, I really can't say why your wife would suggest this as a hangover cure. Maybe it has something to do with the night before." "No sir, I'm positive. Drinking all the dregs from the dirty glasses and rolling naked on the glass table you broke last night will not cure your hangover." "Yes, yes, some aspirin and a long nap will probably do the trick. Glad w ...

Crabby Rules & Wine Ideas

crabbycook — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:04:52 -0800

Whenever people come over to the Crabby Palace for dinner they invariably offer to bring something. The adventurous happily step outside the box and go for something unique. The time strapped or easily intimidated, ludicrously fearing a rampaging CrabbyCook, will offer to bring wine. The really fearful and lazy bring predictable wine. OK, let's get the rules down. 1) My favorite meal in the world is the one I don't have to make. 2) If I've invited you over for dinner, ...

Turkey Tetrazzini - Crawlin' From the Wreckage

crabbycook — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 08:06:05 -0800

So, did you make it? Did you survive? It's a couple of days after Thanksgiving. While not a great time to assess all the damage to home, hearth and cooking reputation, it is time to relax and wind down a bit. I hope all of you ate something other than turkey yesterday. One of the most overrated experiences around is turkey leftovers the next day. They should be prepared today or maybe even Sunday. You want to have a little perspective on the meal before you plunge right back in. We surviv ...

Thanksgiving Day

crabbycook — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:27:22 -0800

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There's none of the panic about what to get 80-year-old Aunt Martha, none of the resentment for receiving an indifferent gift. There are no smarmy cards with soft focused cupids shooting arrows at lace edged hearts. Thanksgiving is basic, simple. Thanksgiving is about going home and breaking bread. It doesn't matter if that "home" is a neighbor's, a restaurant or a soup kitchen; it doesn't matter if the family is your own or one you're borrowing for the ...

Chance & Thanksgiving, Favor the Prepared Cook

crabbycook — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:46:20 -0800

"Luck favors the prepared mind." - Louis Pasteur. (He actually said, "Chance favors the prepared mind", but we can all stand a little editing.). OK game day is almost here. The only way to get through the big event is to have everything ready to go; I'm talking about even mirepoix. So let's get started. If you don't have turkey yet, get one today. If you pick it up tomorrow, makes sure it's nearly fully thawed. A 15-pound turkey feeds a lot of people depending on the number of ...

Cooking with Wine

crabbycook — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:01:17 -0800

Today I want to talk about cooking with wiine. Which under no circumstances should be confused with cooking while drinking wine or whining while cooking. Though in truth those three things are usually closely related. A little over a week ago I posted a recipe for mushroom ragu and my primary complaint about it was that the Marsala caused the dish to turn out too sweet. Wine Wizard Bob was the first one to chide me for using the wrong kind of Marsala. This of course led ...

Sauerkraut Soup and Other Adventures

crabbycook — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:04:41 -0800

OK folks, repeat after me: Keep It Simple, Stupid! Years ago, when my wife and I were first getting into interesting and involved cooking, we attempted a Sorrel Soup recipe. Why Sorrel Soup? I have no idea really; I guess it seemed exotic. This soup had a list of ingredients a mile long. 1/2 teaspoon of this. 1/8 of a teaspoon of that, a dash on something, a pinch of nothing. To make things worse, the instructions for making this soup were about as long as a chapter from "War ...

Brandade - Celery, Fennel & Potato Mash, Thanksgiving Prep #4

crabbycook — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:34:28 -0800

Here's another cross-post. Today I had planned on writing about another momentous political event from ten years ago. But as I was traveling the highways and byways of town today, I came upon an evil so pernicious, so hellish, that I had to change my plans. Today I am here to enlist your support in eradicating a blight on our society. Yes, fair citizens of Crab Nation, the moment has come to rise up as one and to shout, "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it this anymore". I a ...

A Quantity of Sauces

crabbycook — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:19:39 -0800

Here's another cross-post from my food site. A black silhouette in front of a white screen moving from left to right; the telltale outline of a chef's toque and apron. Suddenly a rolling pin appears on screen menacingly taking aim on our hero; in a flash of crab-like reflexes, a saute pan flies at the bad guy knocking him silly. Henry Mancini begins to play. The name's Cook, Crabby Cook. Martini's, shaken not stirred, caviar and the '90 Bollinger. Suave, debonair, envied by men, irresistib ...

Pork Loin Stuffed with Apples, Apricots & Dried Cherries

crabbycook — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 07:56:33 -0700

Here's a cross-post of my latest blog entry. As far as I'm concerned the most damning word that can appear on a ballot is incumbent. Politically speaking, Crabby considers himself a moderate but indifferent anarchist. If I were to have a slogan for my political approach it would be: "Vote the bums out before they can screw up any more". Of course, each side thinks their bum does a good job, and it's only the other bums who are messing things up. Sure. I can hear you all now, "But Crabby, T ...

Scallop Risotto & Breaking the Bank

crabbycook — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:35:49 -0700

Here's a recipe that we prepped for Crabby's birthday. For those of you who have been paying attention, and a few of you have, the recipes for October have been especially frugal. Times are tough and Crabby feels your pain, so I've tried to make some meals and side dishes that won't break what little is left of your bank. Good news: the market was way up yesterday. Bad news: I'm spending it all. Today we're going to open up the wallet a little bit. Crabby had a birthday a while back, and ...

Garlic Mashed Potatoes - Thanksgiving Prep #2

crabbycook — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:49:34 -0700

Here's a cross-post of my latest blog entry. A food I don't understand is Poi. My college roommate was born and raised in Hawaii, (no, his name doesn't start with Barack O), so he was always receiving CARE packages from home filled with bizarre and exotic foods. One of those foods was poi. Poi is crushed, cooked taro root that when "properly" prepared forms a thin gruel. It's typically purple in color and is basically liquefied starch. The taste is commonly described as something close to ...

Pot Roast Italiano (Marinata di Carne in Zuppetta) and The Obvious Solution

crabbycook — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 06:55:34 -0700

Here's another cross-post from www.crabbycook.com I have solved the credit crisis!!! Well, not exactly solved the it, but I have come up with the perfect solution to all our new found poverty. For a limited time only, CrabbyCook will provide you with the answers on how to get by with less. How Crabby, how? Tell us! Tell us please!!! The answer is so obvious, so simple that you're all going to slap your foreheads and say "My God, why didn't I think of that?" When you need to have your DVD ...

Gravy - Nectar of The Gods

crabbycook — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:09:11 -0700

Here's a cross-post of my latest blog entry from www.crabbycook.com. I was not always the culinary crab you now read before you. Like most male cooks, I first chose to master the techniques of immolating animal flesh over open flame. From the grill I moved onto mastering chili. There, I took to incinerating taste buds by following the time honored tradition of substituting heat for flavor, (to this day, I detest most spicy foods, not for their heat, but because too often excessive heat ...

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup or Getting Blood From a Turnip

crabbycook — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 07:22:22 -0700

Here's a cross-post of my latest blog entry. MARKETS CRASH AROUND THE WORLD! HOUSING PRICES COLLAPSE! MASSIVE LAYOFFS EXPECTED! DOGS LIVING PEACEFULLY WITH CATS! PARIS HILTON BACK! Every time I pick up the newspaper the headlines get worse. I get it!!! I'm poor! You're poor! We're all poor! Every last penny, pence, drachma and centavo has disappeared from the face of the Earth, sucked up by the evil financial genius, Lehman Defaulto. I already have a new job search plan. I'm going t ...

Fettuccine with Prosciutto, Tomatoes, Peas and Cream & Other Parenting Moments

crabbycook — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:28:02 -0700

Here's a cross-post of my latest blog entry. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Parenting moments sneak up on you at the oddest times. It's easy enough to prepare for most events: the first shots at the doctor, the first day of school, the first girlfriend, the first day of driving. You can see them coming a mile away. But then, every once in a while... We got a pleasant surprise last weekend when CrabCake1 came home for a few days. He's be ...

Beef Stroganoff; Toga! Toga! Toga!

crabbycook — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:31:08 -0700

Here's a cross-post of my latest blog entry. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wow, one cauliflower recipe and the financial world goes to Hell in a hand basket. Banks are failing, the market's crashing, and there are increasing reports of people withdrawing money from "the system". Kinda makes long for the good old days when we were all fat, dumb and happy. Ahhh August, you flew by so quickly. True; times are bleak. You've lost your job ...

Smashed Cauliflower with Corn, Mushrooms & Red Pepper and Other Life Mysteries

crabbycook — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 07:55:28 -0700

Here's a cross-post of my latest blog entry. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not every meal I prepare turns out well. There have been (are) plenty of courses (entire meals) that turn out as disasters. The perplexing meals are the ones I find God-awful, but that other people love. Invariably the discrepancy centers around vegetables. If you've been paying attention, then you know that Crabby is highly carnivorous. I understand and ext ...

Baby Lava Cakes; Time Just Keeps Oozing On

crabbycook — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 06:45:19 -0700

Here's a cross-post of my latest blog entry. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Time doesn't so much march on as it seems to just ooze by. Once we had kids, time wasn't measured by our birthdays, but by the landmarks of our children and their friends. The first day of school. Little League games. Birthday parties. The last day of school. All these events seemed to just sneak up on us and before you knew it, another year had pas ...

100 Things, My Response - 65 1/2

crabbycook — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:53:37 -0700

Here's my 100 list, along with a few (smart-ass comments). 1. Venison - Love it 2. Nettle tea 3. Huevos rancheros - Only when in the Southwest 4. Steak tartare - Eh 5. Crocodile - Tastes like chicken 6. Black pudding 7. Cheese fondue - Eh 8. Carp 9. Borscht - Love it 10. Baba ghanoush - Eh 11. Calamari - Great when done right 12. Pho - See #11 13. PB&J sandwich - One of the great underrated meals out there 14. Aloo gobi 15. Hot dog from a street cart ...