Subtle Differences

Hello my little darlings! As you may remember from an earlier post, JP has been overseas for the last few weeks. As a result, I have been forced to expand my 'cooking for one' methods.

Can I tell you a secret?

Its just a small one..

I'm not very good at cooking for one. I make too much food.

So, the end result is I have been trying to drag my friends over for dinners, so that I can still enjoy cooking, but not have to eat by myself. Tonight was one such night. I begged and begged, but finally my friend Poof agreed to come for dinner.

That's Poof, in the black, on one of our many nights out in Sydney. He personally took it upon himself to show us around after we first got here. It was very nice of him, given the fact that he had no idea who these random Americans were that just came up and started talking to him at a bar one night...

So anyways, you may remember the Quiche that I made in this post. I have explained how I love to mix up the ingredients and try to make different flavors. Well, for dinner with Poof, I decided to go Mexican style.

This was great in theory; sauté some mushrooms, add chopped spinach, and dice up some pickled jalapeños and black olives. Change out the mozzarella for pepper jack, and we were in business!

So let me tell you another secret.

I don't read labels. Apparently.

So, it would seem, it turns out, that there is a sweet and a savory selection for frozen pie crusts. Can you guess which one doesn't work with 'Mexican Quiche' all that well?

Yeah.

The sweet one.

Oops. Sorry Poof. I will do better next time, I swear.

xoxo
Craig

Something smells a bit fishy...

Hello my darlings! So, this weekend, I did something totally crazy. Granted, that crazy thing was number one on my "Things to do while I live in Australia" list. But still. It was crazy. And it was epic. And I want to do it again.

So, to start the trip, I dragged my dear friend C all the way out to Port Lincoln in South Australia. It's tiny, in case you were wondering, and pretty far away from Sydney. But, it also happens to be one of the best places to do such crazy antics like what I talked C into doing with me.

So, here's a hint.

Need another one?

Getting warmer...

Well, actually, getting very much colder... That water was like ice!

AHHH! Yes, that is correct my darlings! We went diving with Great White Sharks!! And let me tell you, this was easily one of the coolest things I have ever ever ever done in my life!

These things are HUGE, like on a whole other level! But, they are also amazing creatures. And, shockingly graceful. And, they are some hungry buggers, let me tell you. At least we had that in common, right?

And of course, a very special thank you to C, for being game enough to join me on my whirlwind Shark Diving Adventurama. Total gem, this one. 

xoxo

Craig

Table for One

So, over the years I have become fairly adept at making wonderful meals for two. Believe it or not, the more people you have to cook for, the easier the meals are to make. Measurements and all that jazz. Making dinner for two, while not particularly difficult, does require a bit more finesse, so as not to end up with heaps of leftover random bits of meal. 

Now cooking for one. Usually, this is such a pain in the butt that most of us don't even bother. I mean, it's just so much simpler to run out and grab something with friends, right? 

Right. 

Well, right now, JP is overseas for work. Boo, hiss. Come back now, JP. I am not a fan of this plan.

So, to entertain myself, and to also not get on the nerves of my friends begging for them to go to endless dinners until JP's return, I have decided to take on cooking. For one. 

And here is my favorite creation so far! Now, keep in mind that this is easily expandable for more people. That is the joy of cooking for one. Just expand if cooking for more.

Ok, so here we go. Simple, super fast, and minimal ingredients. Asian inspired salmon and greens. You need some ground ginger, and some ground garlic. Soy sauce, and some pepper. A plastic bag, and of course the greens and the salmon. I chose to go with bok choy, keeping with my Asian theme.

And this is where it gets simple: 1/2 cup of soy sauce.

Grab the plastic bag, put the salmon in it, pour over the soy sauce and add some fresh ground black pepper.

Then add this much ground ginger.

And this much garlic powder.

Shake it all up in the bag

And place it skin side up and let it sit for at least 5 or 10 minutes to marinate.

So, while the fish is marinating, grab yourself some bok choy.

Lop off the bottoms.

Then add this much olive oil to a pan.

Meanwhile, grab a baking pan and line it with tin foil. This makes for easy clean up, and that makes for a happy For One. Make sure to spray some non-stick on it... no one like stuck salmon.

Plop in the salmon skin side down, and put it into a 180º C oven. Or 375º for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about.

While the salmon is baking away, pile the bok choy into that pan I was talking about up there... you know, the one with the olive oil in it. Yeah, that one! Put it over medium heat. Best part: you are almost done!

As the bok choy starts to wilt, add in just a splash (or two, if you feel like it) of soy sauce. No other flavors needed!

Now the cool part. About the time the bok choy is starting to look wilted and tasty, take it off the heat, and cover with some tin foil. Trust me this makes sense. It allows the bok choy to steam a bit, and not sauté  but also allows the soy sauce to thicken enough to stick to it. Great plan, I know!

Only allow the fish to cook for about 10 minutes. Otherwise it gets a bit tough and not so tasty in my opinion.

Look how awesome that looks. It is such a great, healthy, and quick meal. It took less than 20 minutes start to finish.

And even less time to devour it. And, just trust me on this one, your plate will look just like this when you finish this meal.

Enjoy, my pets!

xoxo
Craig

Hunting for a good post

Hello my darling little darlings! I know I have been like super absent as of late, but I have a totally great reason for it. You see, JP and I went on a little vacay with some very dear friends of ours. It was really worth it, if I must tell you. I know, I make you sad when I don't post, but really, we had to spoil ourselves just a bit. 

We woke up to amazing views every morning.

Went to adorable little vineyards.

Played with three legged dogs. Whom I shall remember as Stella, cause I don't remember her real name.

Saw beautiful sights.

Enjoyed stunning sunsets out on the verandah

Ate kangaroo. And yes, it is really that tasty. Well, at least I think so!

We played in some vineyards.

Contemplated life. Or something like it.

Explored the great wilderness that is the Hunter Valley.

Smiled and laughed.

Visited some more wineries.

All thanks to these two; my darling friend Princess and her equally awesome husband BossMan.

Oh, and we may have left the Valley with a few bottles of wine for our very own "My First Cellar'.

xoxo
Craig