Thursday, July 26, 2012

Dad's Egg Frisbees

My father is a genius. I say this because I believe it, and because he alone has given me faith that human determination and ingenuity can win against laziness and the not-yet-known. My father has never looked at a project, object, or goal, and thought "I can't," but always "I wonder how I can." And he doesn't rely on others to figure out how he can, either-- he just sets to dissasembling and angle-cutting, welding and soldering, sanding and painting, or whatever else he deems the activity require. He opens the hood, he listens, and he figures things out. He never sat down and studied how to fix a car, how to build a wall, raise a barn, or turn a propane tank into a smoker (true story), he just simply never believed he couldn't.

I talk to my dad about everything. I talk to my dad about frisbee, machinery, dogs, philosophy, marketing, art, thunderstorms, cutting glass bottles, changing serpentine belts, the smell of wood. I confide in my dad more than most people do their best friend. All of that being said, it is usually my mother with whom I talk about food. Mom and I talk about food a LOT, all of the time, and have a good time with it as well. When Dad and I talk about food, it is usually of the following list: brisket, guacamole, dark chocolate, guacamole, brisket, guacamole, brisket, or dark chocolate.

However, wanting a light meal and having a pound of ground bison that needed using (which is usually not something I feel is very 'light' feeling, rather filling and hearty), I was suddenly struck with the urge to call my father and ask if HE had any ideas.

He told me that the other day he thought up the following:



Dad's Egg Frisbees
Large sliced rings of onion or bell-pepper
Ground Meat, browned with Salt and Pepper
Egg, whisked

After browning meat, place rings of onion or bell pepper into an oiled skillet. Fill up with crumbled meats, pour egg in, and let set. Flip. Done.

These little delights were exactly what I wanted-- something fun, different, and light. They were tasty-- I mashed up a bit of tarragon, onion, and garlic with coconut oil and placed that in the bottom before putting the meat in. The egg mixture that leaked out was easy to lift out with chopsticks and didn't hinder the final product at all. I ate with a little dollop of dijon mustard, beside a shredded salad, and it was perfect!

Thanks dad-- I love you!

Monday, July 16, 2012

Flickr Upgrade

I have many updates, but they are all on hold until my my Flickr account can be upgraded! Just lettin' you guys know I'm still out there.

S

Friday, July 6, 2012

Blueberry Walnut Salad With Lemon Vanilla Vinaigrette

Blueberry Walnut Salad by CaptainShen
Blueberry Walnut Salad, a photo by CaptainShen on Flickr.
This salad struck me whilst strolling through the produce section at work, eyeing some blueberries. Well, not literally struck me-- though I wouldn't be too bothered by being pummelled with a box of delightful food (as long as it were intact, edible, and I was conscious enough to eat it). I splurged on my favorite soft goat cheese, Capricho Di Cabra, a few days prior, and I imagined the two together, married with the deep, earthen flavor of walnuts. From there came some kind of salad recipe.

Blueberry Walnut Salad
Walnuts
Avocados
Blueberries
Soft Goat Cheese / Mild Blue
Meaty, smoky lardons.
Chopped hardboiled egg
Spinach
Lemon-Vanilla Vinaigrette
Lemon Juice
White Balsamic Vinegar
Poppyseeds
Good Olive Oil
Vanilla Extract*
Sea Salt
A bit of mayonnaise
Water to taste

*I actually used the 'vanilla salt' that I picked up at the night markets in Cairns, QLD, AU.