B-rad and I hosted a small cookout for the fourth and per usual I made too much food. Here is a breakdown of all the yummy treats:

Margarita Cupcakes ready for baking. These were awesome!

I shredded this chicken and simmered it in Orange Bourbon BBQ Sauce (I forgot the coriander and added cock sauce).

This is for all those, who like me, hate mayo based salads. I can’t give you the recipe, it’s top secret.

Inspired by this recipe. I didn’t use cheese, honey, or butter because I wanted to keep it vegan. I also added cilantro and red (instead of green) onions that I rinsed with the black beans.

All the vegetables! There was also corn! I made an arugula pesto with garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, and cilantro to top the veggies after being grilled.

B-rad made this! Peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger makes a tasty dressing.

Yes, this is my plate. Don’t judge. I purposely didn’t snack because I knew this would happen.

Leah made amazing smore pops, they were delicious, but alas, not photographed.

Aaron tried to make a vegan strawberry rhubarb pie but sadly his baking skills were lacking.

He did redeem himself by making the frosting for my cupcakes (even though B-rad forgot the salt and tequila).

We hope everyone had a great America, fuck yeah! day.

cheers, b&c

Black Bean and

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Notes:

We are new to this cooking show game and this episode is just a tad all over the place.

Since I was just cooking without a plan (surprise, surprise!) the amounts were off.

Since I was drinking wine (no surprise) my judgement and thought-processes were off.

I started making this dish and then had to effectively triple the recipe due to more hungry mouths in the house. Which worked out perfectly well since I had made triple the amount of filling right from the get-go. To summarize: Enchiladas are super easy! Filling of your choice, a tomato-based sauce, and tortillas. Corn tortillas are key because they are superior. Also I would imagine that flour tortillas would get gummy and gross. Cook your filling, roll and sauce up your tortillas, and bake for a little while. Et viola, in your mouth.

cheers,

c.

here are the appropriate amounts to fill a 9×13 pan:

filling:

1 large sweet potato

1 small onion

1 can black beans

sauce:

1 small can plain tomato sauce

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 tsp. chili paste

2 tsp. cocoa powder

1 Tbsp. veggie bouillon concentrate

1 c. hot water

Beer Braised Hoisin Short Ribs with White Bean Puree, Lemon Roasted Asparagus, and Cremini Mushrooms

Our dear friends, Mr. and Mrs. Lyt-An, were in town recently and I had the honor of cooking this for the four of us (three really, one of us was sleepy). Here is the original recipe for the short ribs and bean puree. I’ve made this recipe a few times and my only word of advice is: resist the urge! Let this baby cook as long as you can possibly handle. I aim for an extra hour of cooking time on the stove. You really want the connective tissue to break down, the fat turn into melt-in-your-mouth yum, and the bone marrow to seep into the sauce. (All my vegetarian friend just threw up in their mouths a little bit.)

I dry sauteed the mushrooms, no salt, until browned, then added garlic, butter, soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar. This is my go-to method for mushrooms and I gotta say, they’re pretty damn delicious.

For the asparagus I used the zest and juice of a whole lemon sprinkled on top with some olive oil and kosher salt. 350° till done.

The four three of us made many yum noises while we shoved this in our faces. We were so excited to eat this after 4 hours of cooking time that we forgot to get plated pictures, instead here is some aftermath.

Notes:

Cooking: me          Pictures: Brad

I heart hoisin sauce. Also beer, ginger, garlic, and beef fat.

I usually make this with whatever beer I have handy, we always have something tasty in the house.

I didn’t follow the bean recipe exactly but with bean puree you can do pretty much whatever you want. I have served this with polenta and mashed potatoes as well. You know, a creamy starch to soak up all that lip-smackin’ sauce.

cheers,

c.