I’m going to try something new here, and see how it goes. I’ve always enjoyed cooking. I find it fun to put a bunch of things together and actually make something that people like. I’m not at all going to claim to be a gourmet chef, but more often than not those that I cook for seem to be pleased with the things I cook. As my wife will tell you I am my biggest critic when it comes to everything, especially when it comes to cooking. Typically I just find recipes and follow them but sometimes I like to go outside of the lines and do my own little take on something I’ve made in the past. Today I’m just going to show and tell what I’ve done in the kitchen this weekend.
On Friday I was able to arrive at home before Mrs. DanGarion so I started deciding what to cook. My one major requirement was that being Friday it was required that we could have no meat, so the frozen tilapia that I got from Costco a couple days ago would be perfect. Along with the fish I decided on rice and cauliflower for side dishes. Yes I realize that everything is going to be a white to yellow color, I’m not an artist so I’ll leave the presentation up to those that are, I just like to cook things I like regardless of what they look like on the plate. We usually make a saffron rice that comes in a premixed bag, but I decided to be daring an try to make it myself with the items I already have in my pantry.
I found a Saffron Rice recipe on All Recipes that matched up with what I had on hand (minus yellow food coloring and dried parsley flakes). I have to admit that I think the rice could have laid off the 1/4 lbs (8 tablespoons) of butter. I did improvise and used a little basil and Italian seasoning in place of the parsley.
As for the cauliflower this is a vegetable that I really enjoy cooked just about anyway I can get it, but it’s something that my wife tends to not want, so I looked for a recipe that would make her like it. I actually located a recipe that would have made anyone that doesn’t like cauliflower like it, a traditional English Cheddar Cauliflower Cheese (Gratin) that I found at RecipeZaar.
Who doesn’t like cheese? And I had just the cheese to use for this some Kerrygold Irish Cheddar that I got months ago from Costco, but I only had 4 ounces so I also used 4 ounces of extra sharp cheddar I had on hand. I guess if I used Irish Cheddar, this is now called Irish Cheddar Cauliflower Cheese!
For the tilapia I defrosted it in some water in the sink (it was in plastic) while I was getting the side dishes ready. I put some spray oil on my cooking sheet, along with some on top of the fish and then seasoned the fish with some Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute which awesome stuff especially because of it being salt free. I also put a quick shake of Bacon Salt on mine to see what it would taste like on fish, Bacon Salt does not contain bacon so I’m still keeping my bacon free life.
Yes I know the meal looks very boring, especially with it all the same color, but everything tasted great and when you come down to it that is all that matters.
The only let down was the beer I was going to drink with my meal. I’m a huge fan of a local brewery called The Bruery, I’ve mentioned them on here in the past when they have had special events and such. But I have a deep dark secret to tell you… I don’t like their beer… Actually I love their beer, I bought a bottle of just about everything they have had the last couple years and I always tell myself I’m going to like it, but once I pour the glass and take a sip my mouth cringes at the strong bitter notes of their Belgium style beers. It’s so melodramatic to love something that you don’t like. But I’ll keep trying their beers and I’m hopefully eventually they will make one that blows me over. So I ended up having to pour the beer down the drain and I went for my favorite beer, a Kona Brewing Company Pipeline Porter.
I’ve yet to have a single brew from Kona Brewing Company that I didn’t like. I’m hoping to visit Kona one day just to check out their brewery and try some of their beers that don’t make it here to the mainland.
So that’s it, that’s what I made for dinner on Friday, as you can see it’s not always a night out on the town here at the DanGarion and Mrs. DanGarion residence. Share with us some things you have made recently. Give some suggestions for some things to cook, we have a freezer full of chicken (boneless breasts as well as thighs) and a couple pork shoulders (or they might be brisket). Upcoming ‘Cooking With Dan’ features will include my turkey and chicken stock cooking experience (they are both on the stove now) along with cooking a corned beef in pressure cooker. But until then I will leave you with these two pictures of what I’m cooking for dinner tonight.
