Sunday, March 31, 2013

Crispy Creole Chicken

Okay, folks, we're gonna rock some chicken breasts today.  Here's what you'll need:

1/2 c bread crumbs(I use the Kroger plain variety)
1 clove of garlic, minced, or a spoonful of pre-minced garlic
1.5 tbsp creole seasoning(Zatarain's.  Period.)
4-6 chicken breasts
Italian dressing

Get a big Ziploc bag and marinate the chcken in the Italian dressing for about an hour.  When 50 minutes have passed, preheat the oven to 325* and start preparing the coating.

Mix the Creole seasoning, bread crumbs and garlic in a shallow bowl.  Coat the chicken with the mixture, arrange in a cooking-sprayed baking dish, and bake for 45-50 minutes.

We ate well tonight.

Monday, March 25, 2013

A new immigrant

One of our soldiers repays a feline friend for his kindness...

"I'd lost hope in myself. I'd lost faith. Then all of a sudden this cat came over, and it was like ‘hey, you are you,'" he said.

But that same act of kindness made it clear to Knott that if he wanted to do what was best for Koshka, then he had to get his beloved cat out of Afghanistan and to his family home in Oregon.

"He pulled me out of one of my darkest times, so I had to pull him out of one of his darkest places," he told the station.

And people wonder why I love cats...because this is what they can do for us, if we let them.  God bless you, Sgt. Knott, and little Koshka as well.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Guinness-Braised Beef Brisket

This is how we roll around Casa del Wraith on St. Paddy's Day.  It's crockpot cooking, so it's easy--just toss it all together, set it and forget it.

2 cups water
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 12oz. bottle of Guinness stout
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh or 1 tablespoon dried dill
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can low-salt beef broth
6 black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 (3-pound) cured corned beef brisket, trimmed*


Combine first 11 ingredients in a large electric slow cooker, stirring
until well blended; top with beef. Cover and cook on HIGH 8 hours or
until beef is tender. Remove beef; cut diagonally across grain into
1/4-inch slices. Discard broth mixture.


The great thing about this dish is that, if you find a good deal on brisket, it's dead cheap.  OK, you might have to buy a whole six of Guinness, but that means you'll just have to drink the other five yourself.  Boo hoo.  So eat hearty, be merry and wear something green today.


*  Briskets usually come with a spice packet.  Remember to make sure it doesn't go into the crockpot with the beef.  DAMHIK.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

New to the blogrolls

Cookrookery, featuring, at times, the culinary stylings of Christopher Baldwin, creator of the awesome webcomic SpaceTrawler.

I promise, I'm not abandoning CC&C...I work very long hours most of the week, and therefore have little time to do anything other than snarf down some fast food and a couple of beers, shower, pass out, wake up and do the whole thing over again.  But, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, Guinness-Braised Beef Brisket is coming up.  Stay tuned.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Cheesy Bacon Dog Casserole

Hey, we all gotta die sometime, and if it's by cholesterol poisoning, so be it.  You make this at your own risk.  Not responsible for heart conditions, colon blockage or expanding waistlines.

Wraith's Cheesy Bacon Dog Casserole From Hell

3 cups cooked macaroni
4 hot dogs, sliced 1/4"


4 strips of bacon, sliced in thirds


1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 cup shredded cheese


6-8 slices pepper jack cheese
4-6 oz. crushed Doritos



Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  While the oven is heating, cook, drain and crumble the bacon.



In a 9x13 baking dish, combine macaroni, bacon, hot dogs, shredded cheddar cheese and soup.  Top with pepper jack slices.





Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbling.  Sprinkle with crushed Doritos and bake for another five minutes.  Serve. 




Duck the objects your wife throws at you for blowing her diet.