Hello friends :) As I'm sure you've noticed by now, I really love talking about food (and eating it, of course). I wanted to maintain this blog 1) to encourage people to consider STEM as a realistic career and 2) to let people look into the life of a scientist, so I might as well promote cooking for yourself while I'm at it.
I've already had a few posts like this:
When I say "fries" I'm including pan-fried foods, and one of the easiest and tastiest things is a fried egg. Carla Lalli Music from Bon Appetit taught me one of the best ways in this video. She cooks down a bunch of greens and their stems (yay no waste!), then fries an egg in some olive oil until it's got some crispy texture in the whites and a perfect yolk. The video suggests using a stainless steel pan for better browning, but I've been perfectly happy with my nonstick results. I also spoon the oil over my yolk, because I'm not super into the runny egg thing. You literally only need 3 ingredients for a simple, lovely dinner, and it's completely riff-able. We add some acid (lemon or vinegar) to our greens, sometimes fried bacon or ham crumbles as well. Basically all savory condiment options are awesome accompaniments, and a bit of crusty bread or toast never hurt anyone.
| Stir fries are also a common occurrence in our house. They're a great way of using up produce before it goes bad, and makes for some pretty great leftovers with rice or noodles. We literally just cut veggies into similar sizes, fry them up in some sesame + canola oil, and season with a combination of whatever we have on hand (soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, hoisin, etc.). |
But if you're looking for a recipe, we recommend Andy Baraghani's shrimp and basil stir fry. I know, it's a pretty insane amount of fresh basil, but it is so worth it. 10/10 YUM. We almost always only use 2 peppers instead of 3 in the marinade because I'm a pansy, and ours still has some kick to it.
Pro-tip if you eat shrimp: buy them uncooked and frozen, then thaw as needed. Then you're already one step closer to the most awesome po boys EVER. Seriously, I enjoyed this recipe so much that we ate po boys twice in one week. Add some of the seasoning mix into the rémoulade sauce for a real treat, and always go for Bubbie's kosher dill pickles if they are available in your grocery stores. Hands down our pickles of choice, Bubbie's are simple, classic, and crunchy, truly perfect dill pickles.
While we're thinking about pickles, you've got to try this five-ingredient pickle-brined chicken sandwich. Forget Chick-fil-A and Popeye's, you can make your own delicious fried chicken sandwich if you've got some pickle brine on hand. Just plan ahead a little bit and make some buttermilk when you're gonna get frying. Or buy some buttermilk and bake a batch of biscuits over the weekend. You can even have homemade condiments that taste >= the fast food chain's! Or kick things up a notch and baste your beautiful fried chicken with spices to make Nashville hot chicken. When you cook for you, your food will taste delicious :) |
Don't want to worry about brining the meat, but still want something super satisfying and, dare I say it, light on the belly? Pork katsu is the answer. Take the pork cutlets out of the fridge to come up to room temp, and thinly slice some cabbage and leave it to soak in cold water while you prepare the rest of the meal. Get your rice cooking, then if you have a Dan-equivalent (partner, roommate, friend, whatever) have them prep the meat while you make the condiments. Mix up some spicy mustard and double this recipe for tonkatsu sauce (nix the sugar. I don't know why people always add sugar to sauces and things, it's almost always not necessary!).
| Feel like frying something completely vegan? Go for falafel and all the fixings. I hesitate sharing this recipe with y'all because this has become one of our regular potluck contributions and I want it to stay that way haha. Our veggie friends love it just as much as those who eat meat. I actually triple the falafel ball recipe, the cabbage salad and tahini sauce quantities make plenty (trust me). |
Last but not least, odds are if you are cooking for yourself then you are capable of making decisions for yourself too. Dan and I will tell you that it is perfectly acceptable to choose to make a big ol' batch of fries and top them with whatever your heart desires for dinner. Should you do this every night? Probably not. Actually I urge you not to, for the sake of your arteries and overall health. But once in a while, a big plate of animal-style fries or poutine just really hits the spot. In fact, that's what's on our menu for tonight :D Cheers!