First, get yourself some FRESH, Organic, Free-Range Chicken. … Expensive yes, but great food simply starts with great ingredients. Now if money’s really tight go ahead and buy your manufactured chicken (eye roll). Next, just trim off the fat and prep your fry pan. .. I like to go with a heavy bottom copper clad stainless, works well for me.

Place a small amount of cooking oil in the center of the pan and spread/wipe/coat the pan with this using a paper towel. What you want here is a thin coating of oil. The paper towel will help you coat and soak up the excess. You don’t want your chicken sopping in oil. Crank up the stove to a high heat, turn on the stove fan/vent and add your chicken breast. … Keep and eye on things and keep it safe. … Now’s the time when I do what I do best, nothing. Hold yourself back and resist your temptation to check or move the chicken until the side is done. 

With my particular stove and pan I have learned that seven minutes of undisturbed frying will give me the perfect sear. And this is repeatable. One of the things I do is to buy chicken breast of approximately the same weight every time. This helps in providing a repeatable cooking cycle. .. So while the chicken is cooking with NO help from me I can work on my side dishes or whatever. But it’s aways a good idea to set a timer so you don’t loose track of time and forget about it. .. So bottom line, you’ll have to cook this a few times to determine how long it takes to cook each side. Just use a 1/2 pound breast and cook the first side for seven minutes as a start and refine your times from there.  But remember one of the keys to doing this right is to not disturb the chicken. Just let it cook and don’t be checking it. If left undisturbed a nice sear will occur. If you flip too early it will be “not-good”. So again, it may take you a few times cooking this to really get it down.

OK, once my seven minutes is over I flip the chicken breast with a spatula and set the timer for 5 1/2 minutes. …. After this times out I remove the pan from the heat and place the chicken breast on a cutting board. Now what I generally do is to slice it and then place each slice back in the pan (which being heavy bottomed is still hot) slice side down. Put the pan back on to a medium heat. I give this a minute or two to cook and flip the pieces and give it a minute or two more. The reason for doing this is that often the center of the chicken is not fully cooked. This completes the cooking.

Take your thickest piece out and cut to check that it’s cooked. Then out of the pan and serve. Try to get to the point where you can time things to be ready together. From pan to plate is the best. … Anyway what you now have an a terrific low calorie, protein dense, clean (not all oily) and great tasting chicken. Of course you can in the process of cooking spice things up as you like (careful of the spice smoking…had someone put cayenne on the chicken while cooking once and it started smoking really bad, eyes watering like being pepper sprayed or something..) or you can store the chicken in the frig so that you’re good to go for a grilled chicken salad when the time is right.

Anyway hope you enjoy, eat well, be healthy, have fun!

 Most people think of recipes mostly with regards to complicated dishes, especially baking. I guess because baking has no forgiveness or very little of it.. Mess up and you’ll pay. But you can take this same recipe concept down to the basic level and have much less stress in your day to day cooking. 

  For instance, if I’m cooking a hamburg say.. I know from experience that the cast iron skillet should be set on 8 1/2 (yes I have to suffer with an electric range..maybe someday) and that side one will be done in three minutes. Flip and side two will be done in three minutes. Finished burger. Perfect and juicy every time. No fussing, patting it on it’s behind with the spatula etc. Just put it on, do whatever else in the kitchen (I never recommend leaving an operating stove) and take action when the timer calls. And the fact that it’s repeatable is because I make the patties about the same thickness, use the same pan and the same burner and from some trial and error have arrived at the optimal settings.

 You can do this for just about anything you make. My Father is a stickler about measuring the same way every time for his cooking. And his dishes taste awesome ..every time. He says his Mother use to be either a great or nasty cook depending on the day because she liked to socialize and wouldn’t always pay attention to measuring properly. .. So develop your own recipes, cook consistently and chillll.

 Hope you liked this post. Maybe you are thinking of sharing it with your own brother.. or sister..  or Mother. Good luck!

 Well I just had a large cereal bowl of veggies and I’m telling the truth that it was absolutely delicious. Seriously. .. Anyway here’s what I did and you should seriously consider trying this at least once. They just taste so much better than the ugly stepchild of a side dish with a little butter rubbed on top that you usually experience.

 Here’s the deal. Start out with this combo and modify as your taste buds dictate.

Recipe:

• Take out a large saucepan with cover
• Peel & Cut into Pieces the following veggies
• 1/2 Organic Turnip
• 3 Organic Carrots
• 4 Medium Organic Potatoes
• 3 Medium Onions
• Some Cabbage (after you slice from the head and chop a bit separate into the individual leaves before adding to the sauce pan
• Add water, cover and bring to a boil
• After a boil has been achieved cook for about 14 minutes. You want the veggies cooked but not mushy. Use the carrots and turnips as your gauge. They are the hardest to cook and should be at the bottom of the pan directly in the boiling water. If you use a really big sauce pan they will take longer to cook
• Transfer the Veggies into a large metal mixing bowl. Remove the Veggies but leave as much of the water behind as possible. I like using a Slotted Metal Spoon for this.
• Take out a large cereal bowl and almost full with the veggies
• Add Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil to the top
• Carefully toss so all the Veggies have Oil
• Sprinkle on some Sea Salt
• Toss
• Sprinkle with some more Sea Salt if you want.
• Toss again & Enjoy.

 Now I just came in from the Supermarket (Haddock on Sale). Put the bags aside took out a sauce pan, a large cereal bowl and my slotted metal spoon. Pulled a large mixing bowl with previously cooked veggies out of the frig. Filled the bowl to measure what I needed. Tossed these Veggies into the sauce pan. Added a little water, covered and turned the heat on high. Then the food was put away, boots taken off and slippers put on. By then the veggies were heated up. So I put them in the bowl, tossed in some Olive Oil & Sea Salt and here I sit writing, happy as a clam.

 Maybe you remember Mikey from the old Life Cereals.. “Try it, you’ll like it”. Hey, try it, you’ll like it. Trust me on this one.

 If you like this post why not share with a friend? But even if you don’t like the post I hope you give this a try. It’s cold up here in New England (it will be a balmy 20F tonight). But some Veggies and a heavy quilt will keep me happy. Anyway, some related posts are as follows. Have a good week.

Related Posts:

• Are Your Veggies Firm?
• Organic Potato Primer
• Home Cooked Veggies As A Convenience Food

 This morning I made a pot of vegi’s that I would eat right away and also reheat and feed on later in the day. Cooked them just to my liking and they were not mushed by the additional reheat to follow (just had the second half a few minutes ago and they were terrific). Well, in addition to watching the cooking time I fed in the harder to cook vegi’s first so they’d be in direct contact with the water and let the more yielding  wait for last and sit on the top where they would steam and have that lid right above to help bring down the temp a degree or two.

 So first in were the turnips, carrots and the last in were the onions and the potatoes (couldn’t fit the cabbage, too much of the other stuff). And after the cooking was finished I got the guys right out of there using a slotted metal spoon so they could be drained of the boiling water before being place in the stainless bowl. That way, no additional cooking took place as they were sitting and cooling.

  And I know, .. from this blog entry you might think I just invented a cure for cancer or something. .. But I guess the point is you could take two identical pots of vegi’s and just from cooking a mere 10 minutes longer on one you’d get a decidedly different and mushier outcome. .. The details, that were the magic of cooking a fantastic dish vs an alright one resides.

 Well if you like this share the joy. Tell a friend about us and send them this post. But be careful they may be the sensitive type who’ll think you’re trying to give them a hint or something about their overcooking. .. Thanks & be well.

 Took some fresh fish (wild and not farmed or course) out of the frig. Took out my stainless steel steamer. Added water and set on high heat. While this was heating up took a little organic canola oil and coated the surface of the steamer insert (if you don’t do this the fish will want to stick to the stainless). .. Set this in place, covered. Cleaned up the place a bit while the water was coming to a full boil. Once there, turned down the heat so that it would still have a good boil and generate enough steam to cook the fish. Set my portable timer to 25 minutes.

 Now I’m writing this and in 11 minutes my fish will be ready. Take it out, little sea salt, drizzle of organic olive oil on top and I’ll be a happy camper.

Related Links:

• Kitchen Timer
• Buying Fish

 Anyway here’s some thoughts on brewing a very good cup of coffee:

• No instant, pre-ground or those little “convenience packets” allowed.
• Find the type of coffee you like best. Do some experimenting to determine your favorites. For example, some like an Arabica, others the fuller flavored French Roast.
• Your coffee should be freshly roasted and not sitting in a bag on the store shelf for weeks, months or even years.
• Buy your coffee in small amounts like you buy your food. Just like fish, only buy what you’ll consume during the week. And only purchase whole bean.
• Buy a small grinder so you can grind just what you need right before you need it.
• Experiment with the grind. Just ignore what the grinder says each grind is for and taste test to your favorite. The finer the grind, the more intense the flavor. However, you can go over the top for your taste buds and get to the point where the coffee begins to taste bitter. Or conversely, you undergrind and your cup of coffee tastes weak. For example, my preference is the espresso grind which is like a powder. It gives my regular cup of drip-coffee a strong taste and I don’t pick up any bitterness.. To each his own.
• Experiment with the amount of coffee you use. Start with 1 Tablespoon of whole beans in the grinder and work up from there. Most people fall in the 1-2 Tablespoons category.
• Use Spring Water not tap.
• Only make the coffee that will be consumed right away. My standard coffee maker is this little Mr. Coffee if you can believe it. I put the water to about 2.5 cups which yields one real coffee mug’s worth. I find that the paper filter produces a better cup of coffee when compared to the filter-less French Press. And other people think so too as I constantly get complements on my coffee. You know it’s not necessary to spend a fortune on a fancy single serve machine.

 So right now brewing a cup of coffee is like 1-2-3. Take out the whole beans from a small container in the freezer, measure out 2 Tablespoons of whole beans into the grinder, hit the grinder button (it’s an auto timed thing), .. while this is grinding I put away the coffee, get the spring water out of the frig and fill the maker, plop a paper filter in the machine, open the coffee grinder and pour the grinds into the paper filter (use this flat lab spatula thing to make sure I get everything), smooth out the top and make sure the grinds fill all the indentations of the paper filter, close the top and hit the “on” button. Sounds like a lot but it really gets knocked right out pretty fast. Then warm up your mug right before the brew is finished and enjoy. If you compare this to stopping at Starbucks every morning just calculate the money & time you’ll save. It’s amazing. And you’ll get a cup of coffee customized just for your preference and fresh as can be. Taste after all is what it’s all about.

Shopping List:

• Spring Water (enough to cover the eggs in your saucepan & fill a cooling bath)
• Organic Eggs

Recipe:

• Place Spring Water in the Frig 8 hours before to cool down. If you don’t have 8 hours just add some ice. This is for the cooling bath. 
• Place the eggs in a saucepan.
• Add Spring Water until the eggs are covered by 1/2 inch.
• Cover & turn the heat on high to bring to a boil.
• As soon as a boil is achieved keep covered & remove from the heat. Set the pan on a unheated burner on the back of the stove. Remember handles facing back so no young kids grab, spill & scald.
• Let sit for 12 minutes
• Pour Cold Spring Water in a medium mixing bowl (enough to submerge the eggs)
• Safely remove the eggs from the scalding water and transfer to the cold water bath in the mixing bowl. You must be safe, the scalding water and/or the hot eggs could severely burn you. If you can’t do this safely do not do it. I use a large metallic spoon with draining holes.
• Let the eggs sit in the cooling bath for 5 minutes.
• Remove eggs from the cooling bath onto a plate.
• For each egg, hit against the counter to break the shell and then roll the egg against the counter using the palm of your hand until all the shell is broken.
• Peel the shell from the egg.
• Add sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste and serve immediately or store for later use in a safe fashion. 

 As with any recipe dealing with eggs you must handle and store these guys safely. Please follow the FDA Guidelines for Safety with Eggs.

Related Links:

• Playing It Safe With Eggs

 Well first the critical distinction is home chef…If you’re a professional knocking out hundreds of meals you’re at an entirely different level than the home chef. One is about production, getting food plated and to the diners with maximum speed and quality..as for the home chef..well, we don’t dawdle but also don’t mind keeping things at a pace where cooking is an enjoyable thing.

 So in the video below Alton Brown gives some solid advice…and if your knives are a mess and very dull you should consider getting them professionally sharpened as dull knives really are dangerous. However, in the real world my knives have a good edge and they keep a good edge by just hitting them with a small sharpening stone quickly after each use…no leather strop or anything taking a lot of time or effort. Just some basic and quick maintenance. Are my knives perfectly sharp and ready for a Manhattan Restaurant Kitchen?…absolutely not. Do they do the job for a guy preparing a dinner for two?..very well thank you. You see, there’s no need to chop a carrot with blurring speed as you’d probably cut your finger off anyway. And when you’re serving two and not two hundred the extra minute of chopping doesn’t make a difference. So maybe using a sharpening stone to keep your knives sharp with little effort makes sense for you as well…

 However, in case you want to learn how to take this to the next level, here’s Alton Brown…

 Now in addition to taste, olive oil has been documented as having the ability to lower the “bad” LDL Cholesterol. So your olive oil saute is actually the best tasting medicine you’ll ever encounter.

 That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!