Posted in Meat

Tasty gold

109 spectacular duck

Since I got my halogen oven I wanted to bake a DUCK. Yes, big, fat duck I remember my Mom was making it occasionally stuffed with apples and served with red cabbage salad. Actually my first memory about baked duck comes from early childhood – I think I was what 6? My Dad took me to the extended family farm and I tasted duck there.

So, when one of the popular food chains had a good offer for fresh duck I battled with Cookies about making it for a nice Sunday dinner. He was kicking and screaming (as usual I may add) but he had to give up, when I showed him my two best attributes… So to make sure that I would bake it absolutely perfect, I first called Mom 😉 then I browsed the internet to know what I’m doing. Don’t get me wrong, I know how to bake, but with it I didn’t want to take chance I screw up something. 0_o

This recipe is the result of what I like and what works good with duck. In the end of the process you will have a gorgeous, aromatic duck with plenty of duck grease in the bottom of the pan or halogen oven bowl. Don’t toss it, pour it into a bowl and keep it covered in the fridge to use for frying pork chops… there is nothing better than pork chops fried in duck grease. For some reason it gives the meat an extra kick.

A Winner Dinner

107 winner dinner

I’ve had so many things to do lately that I really didn’t even have time to explore my favorite world of food. But since I have my time off I could slow down and think what I want to make today. My inspiration comes from Cookies this time, because he mentioned lately he would like traditional baked potatoes, but I know I made it once with salmon, soooooo I started thinking. What goes good with pots? BACON! What goes good with pots and bacon? CHEESE!! Add a couple other yummy ingredients and you have a winner dinner.

Actually its very easy, just the pots were hard and hollowing with a teaspoon was a little annoying 0_o I believe I need another tool for that…  (or someone else, maybe named COOKIES???!!!)

Satay Variation

100 thai inspired chix

Yesterday, as we were debating over who is cooking so much, Cookies said, he wishes we had a good asian restaurant in the neighbourhood, cos he feels for egg rolls and sweet & sour chix… Unfortunately we don’t have even one. There are 5 or 6 places offering asian cuisine but none of them is actually edible. I think we got spoiled by Green Dragon  ;P awesome food. Our debate reminded me that I haven't post anything oriental for very long time. So I started browsing my archives and I found a picture of my variation on Beef Satay.

As usual the recipe was easy, but when I started cooking I found out that I didn’t have skewers 0_o, so couldn't make it the exact way. My first thought was: dang no dinner today 0_o he will be moaning again, OK I have to do something to SHUT HIM UP! Though after hitting my head on the ledge for about 5 minutes I decided I will “variate” the recipe so it will fit what I have, why that took 5 minutes you ask, well I was knocked silly from hitting my damn head on the ledge, DUH. 0_o When I cooked and, I tried it I was again in great distress, cos when I tried it… it was at least a bit weird 0_o. though telling you, I thought it will be another spectacular disaster… but in the end… read Cookies comment :D.

 

100th post – Mexican pork with fresh salsa

100 mexican spiced tenderloin with fresh salsa

As the year 2013 ended Cookies was looking at all the stats on Magda Cooks and figured out that this is my 100th post – I honestly didn't know I hit that much, but as it is, lets now go for 200!

 

As I mentioned many times before in the Burrow we eat a lot of vegetables and there is no meal without some. It may be cooked carrots or just simple salad or even just both. Though lately I have an incredible problem with eating certain veggies which makes me unhappy. And also it is hard to understand as well, cos older I’m I like more and more kinds of foods. I think the only one will be forever excluded is canned peas… Damn I hate it 0_o. I even can eat cooked spinach in little tortellini but definitely no peas. So honestly there is not too many veggies I've ate in last few weeks and it doesn’t help with the variety of new meals I can make.

But, as always I found something 😀 and it’s so simple yet so spectacular in flavour that I decided I will be experimenting with this idea a lot.

I still can’t imagine that I didn't think about it earlier, especially since Cookies is preparing a lot of meals straight from mexican cuisine. Probably because he is considered Master of Tortilla and Taco and we usually don't step into each others zones of expertise. I was looking for new way to prepare pork tenderloin and that it didn't include grilling 0_o. Soon though I wont be able to grill a thing 0_o cos Cookies will be moaning like: WHAAAT? Grilled …. AGAIN??? PHHHLEEEAAASSSSEEEE! So as I was searching I found this one promising idea for a  very easy 0_o mexican spice marinade for pork and along side I found a recipe for simple fresh salsa.

When I asked Cookies why he never made salsa before, he said… “I simply didn't think about it”, well, thats kind of hard to believe because he OVER THINKS everything. Anyway…during the last couple weeks I utilized this idea twice, each time with a different piece of pork: tenderloin and neck, both according to you know WHO, found them to be awesome. The rub is easy and requires only 10-15 minutes rest before cooking. Both meats I prepared different way. I baked the tenderloin and grilled neck chops.

Sometimes I need old school and homey

102 pulpetki in dill sauce

Well, we are two different people, who got raised in two different traditions (and cultures) and we like different things. In the beginning I had to make a double effort to feed Cookies the way he got used to (thankfully his Mom liked a lot of polish dishes like bigos (hunter’s stew), pierogi, haluszki, which actually he makes much better than I do etc). For example, when I wanted my favourite sour pickle soup, I was cooking bouillon and dividing into 2 pots and in one making pickle soup for myself and in the other tomato soup for Cookies. Thankfully as the time passed he started eating more and more, of course it works both ways, though I will NEVER EVER NEVER EVER eat cooked peas and corn with ketchup!!!

Thanks to Cookies I started liking mexican food, even lately learned how to eat fajitas without tossing stuffing everywhere 0_o. (Cookies comment: And you have no clue how close to a miracle that, in itself REALLY is!)

So, with this long beginning just wanted to say, that sometimes I feel for something old school, which my Mom cooked when I was a kid. The other day it was little meatballs in dill sauce gravy.