King Valentine and Bacon Brownies

Posted on 14 February 2012 by Brian

My stint in Japan unfortunately spoiled me rotten for Valentine’s Day. Although expensive gifts of jewelry and the like were never on the menu (ha ha, I’m punning!), on this most commercialized holiday women are socially obligated to give the men in their lives chocolates. Being the dashing man I am, I obviously received a ton.

Now that I’m back in the States, I am once again giving chocolates on St Valentine’s Day. What better way for King Valentine to love the women with whom he works than with brownies? BACON BROWNIES. Thank you, Nigella Lawson (get the recipe here).

Adding chopped dark chocolate and crispy bacon in golden syrup.

A bit dark and dense, the bacon adds a delicious burst of saltiness to the brownies.

Dear Blog cough

Posted on 9 February 2012 by Brian

I AM NOT NEGLECTING YOU. I promise. I have just been temporarily rendered undead by a terrific cold, and I have not cooked anything worthwhile lately. I could upload a picture of onions that I sliced, but that seems gratuitous.

Burger Renaissance

Posted on 31 January 2012 by Brian

At some point during the last year, when I was cranking out recipes like a hooker in heat, I came to the realization that I was cooking far too many things that ended in ‘burger.’ I do not wish to become a burger blog, but last night I was inspired to try Chef Anne Burrell’s turkey burgers, because they (1) received pretty decent reviews, (2) are Asiany and I like Asian things, (3) are made by Anne Burrell (and nothing she makes is bad).

This burger was like a good woman, deliciously moist and full of flavor. Assuming you have a lot of the ingredients to hand, they’re very cheap to make and huge — I’m considering turning the four patties into 32 sliders and serving them at a cocktail party — and are sure to please everyone; I don’t even like water chestnuts all that much but found they added the most delicious crunch. One thing to be careful of is flipping them; make sure the burgers have browned very well on one side before attempting to move. They’re very loose (no egg or breadcrumbs in the batter). Get the recipe here!