Planning for the bean...

In an effort to evaluate cost-saving measures, potentially avoid any BPA traces in canned foods and truly explore the nature of one our favorite foods I decided to try out homemade refried beans. I bought a huge bag of pinto beans from WholeFoods for ~$2.00. I soaked them in a bowl of water overnight, drained them, and then boiled them for 2 hours with some water, garlic, bay leaves and kosher salt. Once the beans were tender I drained them and kept the bean stock. In order to "re-fry" the beans I placed the beans in a pot and added some oil and heated them up while smashing them. I also added some bean stock back to the pot to smoothen them out. Concerning the preservation of bean stock -- I read recently about ways to multipurpose cooking elements like re-using cooking waters for various purposes -- including pasta water, water used for boiling veggies and the like -- and incorporating the water into recipes instead of plain water. The seasoned water is a natural thickener and flavor enhancer. So with no further ado I present my bean stock:


strained bean stock with hints of garlic and bay leaves in stock container from Penzey's

Betty was grossed out by the two unappealing jars of stock that were in the fridge but I was excited to use them in some future recipe.

The refried beans turned out pretty good. They were a little bland -- but i do have a bad habit of not adding too much salt to my food. What I noticed most was the texture of the beans. Definitely more substance and hence filling which was a good thing. So most our meals that week consisted of classic CK staples including...


bean burritos with trader joe's whole wheat wrappers, shredded ched, lazily chopped onions and the retun of the el yucateco paso doble


surprise remix. same burritos as before but with cilantro.


nachos. i know big surprise. diced jalapenos to boot.

So...Beans...and I used them for bean burritos and nachos which is a good portion of what we typically eat...but what about the yucky looking bean stock?

Well I decided to make jambalaya and utilized the remaining pinto beans and my bean stock along with the following:

• ground turkey from Trader Joes
  
• potatoes
• zuccini
• squash
• onions
• bay leaves
• chili con carne powder from Penzey's
• chipotle salsa from Trader Joes
• andouille sausage from Trader Joes
• corn
  

jambalaya. boom.

For plating I decided to cook up some grits that I purchased when Betty and I were down in Louisville earlier this year and added a fried egg on top for kicks.


CK's extreme jambalaya. boom.

The jambalaya was the jam. The grits absorbed and inherited the smoky flavor of the jambalaya and were surprisingly smooth and creamy. The sausage and veggies provided additional texture which made each bite very hearty. The tang of the egg yolk took each lucky bite to the moon. I've cooked jambalaya twice this year. That's twice more than I ever have before and am looking for ways to remix this dish.

So the bean has come full circle for CK. I am aware of the health concerns of purchasing canned foods as previously mentioned for BPA concerns and sodium concerns -- but I do have trouble resisting canned refried beans for the convenience factor since we eat them often. There are healthier brands that have less sodium and are organic but those also cost twice-to-three-times as much. This cooking experience has been fun and revealing. It definitely takes more time to make beans from scratch -- but you get more beans for your buck for sure and of course you get the bean stock as an added enhancer for other meals. In the end it's all about planning. Planning for the bean...and that is something this bear will just have to do...Plan for the bean. Be the Bean. Eat the bean.

bear-eakfast of champions vs. 2.0 and 3.0: remix my mornings

As you probably know by now Betty and I like to do up breakfast on the weekends. I've started a new breakfast series called the bear-eakfast of champions (BOC) for the excessively hearty and delicious concoctions that I whip up. It all started with version 1.0. With out further delay ladies, gentlemen and fellow bear-ethren BOC 2.0 and BOC 2.0:


BOC 2.0: two slices of toasted Brownberry Health Nut bread topped with 2 eggs over medium with a layer of shredded WholeFoods salsa jack in between, a tomato, red onion, jalapeno relish, 3 slices of crispy bacon and breakfast potatoes seasoned with cajun seasoning topped with previously mentioned salsa jack and onions



BOC 3.0: ck remix on huevos rancheros meets chilaquiles: seasoned black beans with corn topped with pan grilled zuccini, squash and red onions, topped with jalapeno jack cheese, 2 eggs over medium all then topped with a scoop of sour cream and said tomato relish from BOC 2.0, accompanied with fried tortillas for dipping and of course el yucateco pasa doble to boot.

Both meals were fantastically delicious -- and no I didn't eat them both in one day. The only question is what should the next breakfast of champions feature? Holla' at me with your favorite hearty breakfast recipes because you know I'm game. Word is bear-log.

big surprise...chicken nachos again...

In true boring fashion -- I decided to make some chicken nachos. Still remixed as far I'm concerned. In this case -- I used chicken breast seasoned with a buckeye grill seasoning that I purchased from Hills market. The nachos were covered with a layer of pinto beans and corn, habanero cheddar cheese, and topped with sliced jalapeno peppers and diced green onions. El Yucateco duplex in the back with Cholula. Don Pablo's hot salsa in the middle. Muy sabrosa you know it ain't no joke-a.

chicken nachos.

John Hughes and Cholesterol King present Breakfast Club Brunch

Betty and I finally decided to implement our Breakfast Club Brunch get together. The idea -- we make brunch and watch the movie Breakfast Club. Nothing too original but it's one of my favorite movies coupled with my favorite meal. On the menu for the day:



scrambled eggs, home fries, bacon topped with green onions, tomatoes, served with a croissant and a fruit salad; El Yucateco duplex in the back; Stauf's house blend in the mug



butter braid bread purchased from Betty's co-worker: a chocolate eclair-esque bread with a Boston cream

A meal that Claire, John, Brian, Andrew, Allison, Betty and I all found nutritious and delicious.

I can't believe that I'm sharin a kebab with the most beautiful bear in the room...

Grilling season is here and I figured it was time to try my sister's marinade for the 2nd time ever. Her marinade recipe is below -- but I tweaked it slightly.

3 1/4 salad oil/vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs vinegar
2 Tbs honey
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp ground ginger

- blend all the above and marinade with chicken, fish, or veggies

I marinated the chicken and veggies for 1 hour. I cooked the kebabs for about 15 minutes on the grill and then plated them. The kebabs were delicious. I served them up with El Yucateco's Caribean hot sauce and was set. I will definitely be making these in the future and will be pondering marinade remixes as well.


post-marination skewered up kebabs


almost grilled kebabs


plated outside.


plated outside extreme close-up

Jon Spencer's Taste Explosion presents...Now I Got Quesadillas...

Remixed -- but i ask again how you gonna mess with this. Whole wheat tortillas with shredded extra sharp cheddar, diced chicken and black beans with homemade guac and salsa to boot. John Spencer's Taste Explosion...word



preppin' in the kitchen with diced chicken, shredded cheddar, diced red onions & black beans


extreme close-up before grillage


quesadillas proper plated with salsa, guac, sour cream and the el yucateco trifecta.

Now I got tasty is more like it.

ladies and gentilemen...put your hands together for columbus's very own eat junkies!

There is a group of DJ's known as the Beatjunkies that take turns on the 1's and 2's aka turntables doing some pretty amazing DJ feats. Well Betty and I were the eat junkies in our kitchen the other night. Betty cutting up some jalapenos and garlic to remix into her amazing guac and your's truly following some new guidelines from Cook's magazine on marinade magic -- sauteing chicken on the stove with a lime marinade -- all to be mastered in to extremely delicious chicken nachos topped with a homemade corn cilantro salsa. I ask as always how you gonna mess with chicken nachos with homemade guacamole? You can't. I'm drooling just looking at the pictures...and of course El Yucateco trifecta got in the mix:



certified classic chicken nachos with guac and corn salsa


certified classic chicken nachos with guac and corn salsa close-up

Paul Bunyan couldn't down these lumbre jack burritos...

You know i might as well be the burrito king for as much as I post about them. This time around I was making use of leftovers and also using some ingredients given to me by a faculty member. I made blue corn soft tacos with peppers, onions & steak. The tacos had a layer of refried beans and chipotle cheddar underneath them. The accompanying salsa was a homemade concoction of lumbre, corn, tomatoes, red wine vinegar and lime juice. I am not sure what exactly lumbre is but if I had to guess -- I would say it was roasted green new mexican chili puree. It's heat was pretty potent that I really did not need the El Yucateco trifecta...but I like to sweat with my food. These burritos were very tasty with a heat that would've taken out the best lumber jack Mr. Bunyan included.


blue corn soft tacos with beef, green peppers, onions, refried beans, chipotle cheddar and lumbre salsa

for those wanting a closer look:

jolly huevos rancheros...

I love eggs. I love refried beans.
Put them together. Jolly I will be.

I fried up a blue corn tortilla until it was crispy and brown. Layered it with the leftover refried black beans. Used the remaining chicken from the previous day. Threw on some shredded chipotle cheddar cheese. Added some chili spiked tomatoes. Then covered it all with a fried egg over medium garnished with mother amounts of onions and cilantro and yeah you guessed it. El Yucateco trifecta.


plated huevos rancheros CK style


closer look at the huevos rancheros...

the goat cheese of breakfast morning...

Being sick for the week limited my cooking game and one of my biggest bear peeves is letting food go to waste. I squandered a yummy bag of fresh green beans this week and felt really bad. I was destined not to have the same thing happen to my precious goat cheese. This morning I was visited by the goat cheese of breakfast morning and I did something I normally don't do in Columbus as mentioned in previous posts -- I made an omelette. I did a 2 egg omelette with goat cheese, onions, and bacon. I plated them with a pepper tomato salad and rosemary seasoned potatoes. Hit them with my El Yucateco-trifecta and was in heaven. I love cooking breakfast! Betty missed out on this but I'm sure she's having good eats in Chicago.


B&W focus filter from picnik: goat cheese, onions, and bacon omelette, pepper tomato salad, rosemary seasoned potatoes; El Yucateco trifecta in the background; Seven Hills creme brulee blend in the mug.

put 3Ts remix on repeat...hello hello hello...echo echo echo...

With my nose and eyes watering for the past 48 hours this bear was running out of energon in true transformer's fashion. Betty saved the day by remixing our 3Ts in true DJ on repeat fashion.


3Ts. Tator tots, tomato basil soup, tomato melt

You know the drill. Ore-Ida tator tots. This time Betty flipped a Tomato melt with American cheese on oatnut bread. No sandwich maker this time which made for an easier post dinner dish washing. And of course our new found favorite tomato soup Sierra Rica Tomato & Basil purchased from the Dublin Whole Foods. Got the taste on lock. I should be sick more often...not.

cholesterolking gets a year older.

If you want to roll with Betty and Umberto look for us at Marcellas from 4:30-6PM and then Surly Girl Saloon from 6:00ish and beyond.

UFC presents the El Yucateco breakfast throwdown

Finally got back to basics with breakfast Sunday morning. 2 eggs over medium on toasted white bread. One slice of toast had jarlsberg cheese the other had black diamond cheddar. 2 strips of crispy bacon along with a homemade tomato relish with onions to have on the side. This morning i was on a mission though to sample and try all the El Yucatecos. I recently added to my arsenal of El Yucateco hot sauces the Salsa Kutbil-ik de aka XXXTRA Hot Picante Sauce and the Caribbean Salsa Picante de Chile Habanero purchased from Jungle Jims.



Breakfast was delicious. At the end of the battle I still declare winner and still champion the El Yucateco green hot sauce.

taco taco man...

After an exciting day at Ikea and Jungle Jims -- Betty and I returned to my sister's house for some tasty ground turkey tacos.

Betty made yummy guacamole to accompany the tacos with fresh tomatoes, guacamole, jalapenos, and limes from Jungle Jims.


ground turkey tacos, guac, mixed greens, sour cream, monterrey jack, don pablos hot salsa, and el yucateco

bean burritos boring? most certainly not!

The last 2 nights we've been eating bean burritos -- by choice of course. I love them. I could probably eat them every day. I confess it. Is that a bad thing? People may associate bean burritos with Taco Bell -- and ask why would i make bean burritos at home when I can buy them for $.89. The answer -- because I can make them better. You can use vegetarian beans, mix it up with different cheeses, add exorbitant amounts of onions which are especially crucial to me, and of course top it off with El Yucateco. Normally we have 2 burritos -- and I do one with El Yucateco red and the other with El Yucateco green. I had left over cilantro in the fridge from last week so took this opportunity to add some to my bean burritos. Delicious and f-r-e-s-h. When all is said and done at the end of the day -- bean burritos are what i crave!

bean burritos with cilantro, habanero cheddar, onions, el yucateco red and green, bowl of don pablos hot salsa, larger bowl snyder of hanover yellow corn tortilla chips

mucho nacho bowl about sumpin'...

A classic cholesterolking meal is the nacho bowl. You can customize it depending on what you got in the house. Tonight we had the following:



Hidden below the toppings is seasoned ground turkey topped with shredded monterey jack cheese, chopped onion, then topped with seasoned black beans. I used coriander, cumin, and bay leaves with the black beans. All of the previously mentioned is then topped with sour cream, salsa, jalapenos, and then striped with the red and green el yucateco hot sauces. How you gonna hate on this meal?

i've died and gone to adriaticos...

This is Adriaticos pizza -- my favorite pizza in Columbus, OH. This is Adriaticos pizza with half pep-shroom half ham-pineapple and an order of their breadsticks with all 3 sauces. Any questions?

why i say no to mcdonalds and bk breakfasts...

because i can make the best parts of their menus at home my way.



egg mcmuffin cholesterol king style with eggs over medium + american cheese ore-ida crispy crowns browned to perfection.

heinz ketchup + el yucateco red sauce + green sauce.

certifiably yum.

St. Toppy's Day at Tip Top...okay not quite...

so I was starting to finally feel better after a week and a half of this cruise vertigo bug and my vision for the perfect St. Patty's day was friends, Ohio Nachos from Tip Top Columbus and Irish Car bombs. The plan was perfect but there were some challenges including parking. I dropped Betty off at Tip Top and 25 minutes later I joined her and our friends. As it turned out Tip Top had no Irish beers on draft so I elected not to trouble the bartender with car bombs. This year would be a tame St. Patty's day. My disappointment last 3.6 seconds as we ordered some appetizers. Ohio Nachos hands down are my favorite appetizer in Columbus, OH. They are essentially kettle chips covered in a white cheese sauce with olives, tomatoes, jalapenos and green onions. I brought a bottle of green el yucateco (my favorite hot sauce) to commemorate st. patty's day and to add some extra heat. As much as I love this appetizer I think it would taste that much better if they would heat the kettle chips. Most of the time the chips are luke warm. Our friend hipped us to the salmon fritters the last time we met up with him and we ordered them again and they were divine. Don't sleep on the Ohio Nachos or Salmon Fritters at Tip Top. We met up with some other friends there and had some good conversation and catch-up. Then we were off for cabbage and kraut at another friends place.


Ohio Nachos South. Salmon Fritters North.


steaming boiling cabbage.


corned beef with previously mentioned cabbage

So St. Patty's Day was a treat. I was pleasantly surprised to be invited over for a traditional St. Patty's day dinner. I had never had this meal of corned beef and cabbage and man oh man was it good. The meal was straight-up unadulterated cabbage, potatos, carrots, celery, and corned beef with some vinegar on top. I thouroughly enjoyed the homemade meal with some Bell's 2-hearted. I know not an irish beer. This St. Patty's Day was different than many of yesteryear. It was tamer and toner but tastier all for the better!