Notch

Do you remember Emeril Lagasse?  I saw him doing an infomercial for the Air Fryer last night.  He's an amazing Chef, has many restaurants, and is probably the biggest influence on my culinary attitude.  Well he had a thing, "Kick it up a Notch".  Exponentiate the Spice...

OK, yeah I can do that, but the people that eat my food can't always handle the level of Heat that I like.  So, this has spawned an idea to push the spice over to the side.  I call it Notch.  It's a little condiment cup of Hell Fire that you use to Kick it up a Notch.  I'll start with some Habaneros...

You want the "Notch" to be potent.  You want a little to go a long way.  There is no better way to do this than Capsicum Chinense, aka Habanero, or Bhut Jolokia, or Naga Jolokia...  Really Forkin' Hot Chiles...

I also want to add some flavor to this mix, not just heat.  So, I'll combine Garlic, White Onion, Water, Bragg Vinegar, and Sea Salt in a Sauce Pan, and simmer this mixture down for around half an hour.  Make sure that your exhaust fan works before doing this because this mixture is very odoriferous, and can actually hurt you.

 Once this mixture is cooked put it in the blender, and turn it into a smooth liquid.  This took some time on the high setting.  I have made a lot of sauces that turned out like a paste, and that is not what you want here.  You want a thick liquid that can be portioned one drop at a time.  Yeah, it is that hot.  Notch is meant to kick up the Heat Level of the Food.  One drop here, a couple bites later, another drop there.  Then, BAM!  Culinary Nirvana...

Fishy Noodles 2

You know that Ramen Noodle square package?  The brick of skinny noodles that you boil for five minutes with the dehydrated vegetable package?  Every college student know this miserable package of might be food.  I know my digestive system doesn't like it.  With a little skill you can make wonderful Noodle Bowl that far surpasses the miserable block of noodles.  First use actual vegetables...

Whole vegetables are the cheapest food you can get.  If they are processed in any way they only get more expensive.  It might seem cheaper if you are only buying one portion, but that is only perspective.  I'm going to start this with some butter, diced Onion, and sliced Mushrooms.

 Gotta has the Spice, so adding diced Jalapeno, and sliced Serrano Chiles.  Don't forget salt...

Then we need to add "the" savory, lots of Garlic.

It's Fishy Noodles...  In this case it's a 7 oz. can of Salmon, cheap, maybe like a buck...

I had the Wide Egg Noodles cooking on another burner, drain, and dump those in...

The "fishy" water from the can of Salmon is the "gravy", and we'll mix all this together...

They I'll add a bunch of chopped Cilantro, mix, and dump it into a bowl...

Sure it's a little more expensive than Ramen, but a million times better...

Fishy Noodle Bowl...

Texacali Salad

The date I first made the Texacali Salad was 06/17/2007.  Wow, seems like a long time ago.  Well, now it's in a package, and some people are going to try it tomorrow.  This is a TexMex "Salad" which is a mix of foods that composed of Rice, Beans, Salsa, and Barbeque.  The idea is Lunch in a bucket.  It's also designed to be ready to eat cold, or hot.  In this case the flavors I have used are Cuban Black Beans with Oregano, Pico de Gallo with Cilantro, Brown Rice with a Chicken flavoring, and Live Oak Smoked Pork Chops.  Uh uh uh, Nomlishous...

Well I started with the Pico de Gallo.  Fresh Tomatoes, Tam Jalapenos, Red Onions, Cilantro, and Sea Salt.  Easy right?  Well the Salad part is a Vinaigrette which sort of adds a "salad flavor" rather than a Bean based sauce.  The Vinaigrette is Red Chile infused Olive Oil, and Bragg Vinegar.  This gives the Pico de Gallo a Mexican flavor because of the Red Chile.

Then to give it more of a Salad essence I am adding sliced Black Olives.  This also adds the "Cali" aspect to the "salad"  I was sort of trying to find a balance between Tex Mex, and Cali Mex.

Next I wanted to add some more vegetation for the "this is a salad" aspect, so I roasted some Corn, and separated from the cob, added that to the mix.  Finally I have Black Beans, and Brown Rice to reinforce the Southern, and Mexican vibe to this concoction.  This is really Americana Fusion cooking.

 So, the batch I made tonight, which is really cooking from several days, which culminated in 11, 12 oz. portions, which some lucky people will get to eat tomorrow.  I've got more source food, so I can make more.  This is a little side venture I have been pursuing lately.  The New Barbarian Kitchen cooks for a select group of people, and so far I have had very favorable reviews.  I think the Texacali Salad is going to be a Hit Too!  LOL!  Totally Nomlishous...

Friday Night Stars

There was a fortuitous break in the clouds Friday Night, and we were able to get a little stargazing in.  Samurai brought his new 90mm AstroView Refractor over.  So it was kinda, oh, look, new toy.. night too...  We were able to see Orion, Sirius, and Mars for a couple hours.  Just about perfect for that New Telescope experimental viewing session.  Here's a shot...

Chili Noodle Soup

I love me my Noodles, especially when I'm feeling puny (sick).  Well this time I have a really different idea that will be very familiar, yet in execution is very different.  A popular food that is sort of a staple in the South is Chili Mac, sort of a casserole.  Well some people change that up, and make Chili Mac Soup.  These are normally made with one of those boxed foods from the Grocery store.  I'm not one to use the prepacked foodstuffz.  So, I'm changing this to Chili Noodle Soup where I make some of my homemade Chili, then turn it into Soup.

Start with the Chili.  Brown some ground Beef.  Throw in some diced Onion, and Jalapeno, and let it simmer a while.  Add some spices like Cumin, Paprika, Chile Powder, Garlic powder, Red Chile Flakes, and Sea Salt.  Add some canned Tomatoes, and Tomato sauce.  Then let that simmer down into actual Texas Red, mmmm...

Then take all of that and dump it into a stockpot.  Add a quart of Chicken stock, and bring it up to a boil.  You can use any Pasta you want really.  I've been using a fancy imported Egg Noodle lately, which were admittedly a little long for the Soup Spoon, but that is part of the fun.  After the Chili Noodle Soup comes to a boil add some Noodles.  A little, a lot, whatevar you like.  Reduce the heat to a simmer, and let the Noodles cook to tenderness that you like.  I like mine cooked a litter softer.  Harley was really whiney during this meal...

Super Wolf Blood Moon 2019

This is the Super Wolf Blood Moon 2019.  It is Super because the Moon is at its Perigee, the closest point in its orbit around earth.  It is a Wolf Moon because in Indian Lore the Wolves are having a hard time finding something to eat during the Winter, and will sometimes go after children.  It's a Blood Moon because it is a total Lunar Eclipse.  Altogether it is clear outside, and I can actually see the sky, which is really cool.  It is a very starry night, rare for a Full Moon.  Usually the Full Moon blots out all the stars because of its intensity.  Beautiful...

Black Eyed Pea Chili

Happy New Years!  There is that tradition about Black Eyed Peas on New Year Day brings Good Luck.  Well, plain 'ole Black Eyed Peas just ain't very good.  I'm sick, it's cold outside, I haven't got anything better to do then experiment with food in my kitchen.  Yeah, of course I got a pound of dry Black Eyed Peas at the Grocery Store last week, that is an impulsive New Year staple.  The challenge is to make them into something I actually want to eat, being sick, and all I don't really feel like eating.

Well, lets see here.  I have a can of stewed Tomatoes.  There is also a half pound of roasted New Mexico Chiles.  We can kick that up a notch with some Red Onion, and Garlic.  Now gotta have some Chili stuff like Paprika, Red Chile Flakes, and Cumin.  Throw in some Sea Salt, and Cracked Black Pepper.  I used some Chicken Bullion with the Water when I hydrated the Black Eyed Peas.  After experimenting with this for a day, New Years Eve, I think I have achieved Black Eyed Pea Chili perfection.  Then after setting for a while to let the flavors meld, I had the Black Eyed Pea Chili epiphany, Waaah...  Nomlishous nomnoms...