Usually seen at an Airshow

While waiting for my dear friend the other day in Waterbury Ct, I was trying to find something interesting to take a picture of and I did not see anything until I looked straight up and I saw this pair of contrails forming this likeness of the Flag of Scotland. Two contrails like this reminds me of airshows where planes do this on purpose. So what are the odds of it just occuring?

Fried Ice Cream

Ok here goes, for a really decadent desert if you don't mind doing some work try some fried ice cream. You can make it at home, it is easy but there is alot of prep work, you need to start this one the night before you plan on having this.

FRIED ICE CREAM
ice cream- what ever flavor you like- Most recently used Chocolate chip cookie dough and vanilla

2-3 Cups of Corn flakes

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg

Oil for deep frying

Chocolate topping

Flour tortillas

Honey

Whipped Cream

Sugar and cinnamon the amount will vary, use your best judgement. This is used for the bowl you make with the tortilla. Place in a shallow pan mix it together.

Put corn flakes in a good size bowl and use a muddler to crush them into small flakes, but not too fine. Mix your cinnamon into flakes. Beat egg.Scoop ice cream into balls, you can use you hands like you are making a snowball;. Quickly put ice cream ball into egg. Quickly roll coated ice cream balls into crumbs and place into freezer. Freeze overnight. Heat oil to 400 degrees in a deep fat fryer. Using a slotted spoon, place flour tortilla into oil and as it start to fry try to create a bowl with it, take out and drain oil and while still warm coat with cinnamon sugar, set aside repeat for number of guests. Then lower one ice cream ball at a time into the hot oil. Fry until coating begins to brown, 10-12 seconds. Place into tortilla shell, serve immediately, with chocolate topping and or honey and whipped cream.
Makes as many servings as you make ice cream balls.

Should look like the pic below when ready:

thanks YummyDiego for the picture:

Wine reviews

Here is the first one, Devils Marbles Shiraz, I paid 7.99 for this one Full-bodied, strong, just enough bite to make your mouth water, flavorful. A late autumn walk in the woods in a glass.

The next one is:

Yellow Tail Shiraz Reserve: It is so worth the 2 extra dollars! I think this one was $11.99 USD.

Here is the third one:

This one was an interesting pick, They were running a special buy 3 get them for $7.00 dollars each. So I did just that and was surprised with here reaction to it. Sometimes you luck out and get a decent bottle of wine at a good price and this was the case here. "It's lovely. Doesn't have the edge but it does have the bite. It's nice. I can taste the grapes. Tastes like Indian summer."

So as you can see it is possible to have great tasting wine for not that much money. Life is too short to drink crappy wine! Live a little! As my Grandfather and Winemaker would say" Elogios" which is Portuguese for Cheers!

remember the words of Pliny the Elder" In Vino Veritas"

a wonderful thought

My dearest friend sent me this quote today and i really loved it:


"The purest expression of love is to cook for someone." Jacques Pepin.



It is so true!

tonights menu/sort of take two

here is my take on Paula Deen's Quick Chicken Mole recipe. My changes will be in blue again.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons chipolte chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
1 bell pepper,green chopped

1 red bell pepper chopped

1 yellow bell pepper chopped
2 chipotle peppers, roughly chopped

1 anaheim pepper chopped
6 ounces of a dry white wine I used chardonay

6 ounces of water
2 tablespoons peanut butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 boneless chicken breasts sliced
mexican style rice, for serving

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add garlic and spices and continue to saute to toast and develop flavor. Add diced tomatoes, peppers, chipotles, wine and water, peanut butter, and chocolate. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Sear the chicken in a heavy bottomed hot saute pan over medium-high heat until cooked just lightly browned on both sides. Cover pan and then cover with sauce and simmer for 20-30 mintutes until done. Make sure chicken is cooked all the way. Serve with Mexican rice.

This was another thing that was devoured. This will satisfy the chocolate lovers as well as the Spicy food lovers in your house. The next time I make it I will have tortillas on hand for people to mop up the sauce with and I will make Fried Ice Cream. Which is not as hard as it seems to make. I will give you the recipe some time soon.

tonights menu/sort of

Here is a first one of a couple of recipes I have made in the last few months: The first one is a variation of Kevin Lacassin (NOLAFOODIE.COM) Recipe for Chicken pasta with White wine sauce.
My changes are made in Blue:
Ingredients
1 1 lbs. Boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 lb. Angel Hair Pasta( your favorite type of pasta can be substituted) 1 Yellow Peppers 1 Red Pepper 1 Green pepper 1 Package Mushrooms, Sun dried tomatoes ½ Large White Onion 5 Cloves Garlic (used one of those great garlic mashers) 1 carrott 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/2-3/4 Cup White Wine (I prefer Chardonay)Parmesan Cheese (freshly grated)Coarse Kosher Salt Fresh Ground Black Pepper Oregano Small amount of Fresh Basil

3 qt. (or larger) Sauté pan8 qt. Stock Pot or Pasta Pot
Prep (15 minutes)
Dice onion and remove stems from mushrooms and chop coarsely peppers and carrots. Mince garlic. Season chicken with salt, pepper and oregano, and slice into small cubes.In stockpot, bring water to a boil then add a pinch of salt and a little bit of olive oil.

Cook (15 minutes)
1. Add angel hair pasta to boiling water. Cook for about five minutes while doing the sauce. Remove from heat and let it sit in the salty water until sauce is finished.
2. For your chicken and sauce – coat the bottom of a sauté pan with olive oil and add white onion, peppers, mushrooms and allow them to sweat. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add garlic and sun dried tomatoes and cook for several minutes.
4. Toss in chicken and sauté until it is cooked. Continue to fold in ingredients while chicken is cooking.
5. Pour in 1/2- 3/4 cup (or so) of white wine, Add basil
6. Reduce heat to a simmer for about 5-10 minutes until sauce is reduced.
7. Remove pasta from water and toss into the sauté pan. Toss well until pasta is coated with sauce and serve.
8. Top with grated parmesan cheese.

This was such a big hit with my friends. The kids loved it too, it was so easy to make and there were no left overs!

Tuesdays post will be about Mole' Poblano Pollo