Hail Ceasar!

Purpose: Yummy salad goodness, punctuated by the best Ceasar salad dressing ever!

Hypothesis: Fresh is best!

Materials: A couple Romaine hearts, olive oil, salt, pepper, chicken breasts, butter, lemon juice, eggs, Worchestershire sauce, romano cheese

Methods: I followed the directions minus the croutons - we never have stale bread around the house. I added some diced chicken breast that was cooked in butter since the husband requires protein at dinnertime.

Results: Yummy salad goodness, as always.

Conclusion: I can never go back to store bought Ceasar salad dressing.

Scrambled

Purpose: Breakfast for dinner is quick, and well, it was towards the end of the week and I didn't really want to cook.

Hypothesis: Scrambled eggs are a welcome dinner for both husband and child.

Materials: Eggs, milk, butter, salt, pepper

Methods: I do my eggs this way ever since first seeing this episode (The Egg-Files I), so I almost forgot that this might be part of the cookbook. The secret is low heat followed by a small dose of medium heat to finish.

Results: Husband and daughter satisfied, I ate reheated Chili nobody else could handle.

Conclusion: Scrambled eggs so good you can serve them any time of day.

Crustacean Nation

Purpose: Quick meal to feed family and cheer up husband, whose rear passenger window shattered today

Hypothesis: The bag of shrimp that's been in the freezer for forever waiting for me to make another batch of chupe de mariscos could turn instead into a tasty meal and get me started on my resolution.

Materials: about a pound of shrimp, sugar, salt, diced tomatoes, horseradish, olive oil, Old Bay seasoning, black pepper

Method: Place shrimp in a quick brine of sugar and salt. Make cocktail sauce according to recipe, except don't include the chili sauce, since we don't have any in stock. Freeze fingers while getting the ice off the shrimp that have been brining. Toss shrimp in oil and seasoning, broil for a couple minutes. Heat up some frozen corn as a side.

Results: Tasty, tasty shrimp that even the 16 month old loves, though I think she ate more cocktail sauce than shrimp. This isn't the first time for this recipe for us, and it's always yummy, but comes with an excess of cocktail sauce. Will have to pick up more shrimp.

Conclusion: Brining the shrimp makes a world of difference. Homemade cocktail sauce is extremely tasty and cheaper than the alternative.

Resolution

Purpose: To fulfill the New Year's resolution I pulled out of a hat - to cook every recipe in Alton Brown's Good Eats The Early Years cookbook

Hypothesis: This blog will provide an entertaining motivation to keep my New Year's resolution and will track my progression in completing this feat.

Materials: A copy of Alton Brown's Good Eats "The Early Years" cookbook, a hungry husband, and a blog

Method: In no particular order, complete every recipe in the book. It's simple really and I've even done some of it before.

Results: Well, I haven't really accomplished anything yet, but I am writing a shopping list to get this madness started as we speak.

Conclusion: It's a parody, it's an homage, it's my husband's way of eating more "Good Eats" (He wrote the resolution I pulled out of the hat).