Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Super College Chef Goes Viral!! Apple Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops

Thanks to the director of our Videography Department, Allison McWilliams, Super College Chef is streaming through YouTube at an alarming rate! Click here to favorite this cinematic masterpiece to cherish forever.

I'd like to thank first and foremost, Mrs. McWilliams for her hospitality and use of her fabulous new kitchen, of course, Av. McWilliams for choosing the feast, and last but not least, Riley the dog for being cute, lifting my spirits, and accompanying me on my cigarette breaks. Oh, and Allison. I guess she helped. And it was her idea. And her camera. And she put everything together. The most fun about this project besides the eating, was probably picking out the music. In Allison's vernacular, we were trying to make it the appropriate "epicness". I hope you all enjoy Super College Chef's first ever video on making Apple Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops! Thank you, Allison McWilliamsburg!! Love, Liz P.S. Send in YOUR cooking videos in the READER GIVEAWAY for a chance to WIN a FREE copy of Brette Sember's The Parchment Paper Cookbook!! They don't gotta be fancy like this one, just delicious!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

The Parchment Paper Cookbook GIVEAWAY!!


Brette Sember Presents:

The Parchment Paper Cookbook

READER GIVEAWAY!!

Yes, it's the 2nd Annual Super College Chef Reader GIVEAWAY!! How exciting for you! Just as with the Trader Joe's College Cookbook Reader Giveaway, there will be a cooking related contest. As soon as I think of the remaining parameters of the contest, I'll post them at the end of this blog. I don't have all the details completely scrubbed out, but the gears are turning, people.

Author Brette Sember is hosting this time around. The Parchment Paper Cookbook boasts 180 healthy, mess-free recipes that require no pots or pans! This is just in time for the holidays. Who wants to be stuck washing dishes when you could be eating? These quick and delicious meals are great for last minute dinners, desserts, and appetizers.

Brette Sember has been published all over the web and in the actual physical world (where I some day hope to write). Miss Sembers wide scope of interests led to publications in The Huffington Post, The New York Law Journal, and American Baby among hundreds of others. Her expertise covers a lot of ground ranging from blogging, ghostwriting, copy editing, and is an indispensable book doctor!

Now you know the credentials and you know you're hungry for a free cookbook. Need I tempt you more? MORE? More you say!? Then feast your eyes on this tasty morsel from Miss Sember's The Parchment Paper Cookbook!

First, I'm going to have the Caramel Pear THEN the Root Beer Beef & Broccoli. I like dessert first. So I can have a second dessert after dinner. And to think, all this can be yours! But first, compete for my affection! As promised earlier in the post, I concocted a contest for this New Reader Giveaway. Oh, did you think it would be easy?
Well, it is! The new contest for the Brette Sember Read Giveaway is located HERE!! Follow this link to the official rules for the Super College Chef CHILI Cook-Off, or the SCCCCO!! If you'd like to take a gander at my chili recipe maybe to stir up a little inspiration of your own, or maybe if you're just hungry! Lily's Chili is some of the best I've had or made so check it out.

Please email your submissions to lizquerusio@yahoo.com. Good luck! I can't wait to be amazed!

Love,

Liz

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Ritz Cracker Crusted Chicken



I crave comfort food as the weather gets colder. The cold wind and gray skies that chill you to the bone and make you hunger for something warm in your belly. And although I'm nowhere near the crispy foliage and gloomy ambiance of Fall in New England, I require sustenance appropriate to the season. I mean, nothing says "Autumn" quite like the palm trees and blue skies of Savannah, GA.

No matter how I've tried it, dipped in egg, slathered in butter, and coated in bread crumbs, I just could get my chicken crispy. My Nanna always made the best everything, as I'm sure you know if you've taken a gander at most of my recipes. She uses Depression-era common sense with modern cooking conveniences that give her recipes the homey, old world quality that fills up any tummy with scrumptiousness.

Here's what you need to make extra crispy chicken skin with a delicious sweet and salty cracker crust:

  • 1 sleeve of Ritz Crackers
  • 6-8 chicken legs, with or without skin
  • 1/2 cup mayonaise
  • salt
  • pepper
Preheat your oven to 325-350.

In a sandwich bag, break up all the crackers into tiny crumbs. Season with salt and pepper.

Wash off the chicken legs and dry them on a couple of paper towels. Season them lightly with salt. Use a spatula or spoon to coat each chicken leg with mayonnaise.

There's two ways you can Ritz up the chicken legs. You can either shake them up in a Ziplock bag or grocery bag. Sometimes this gets all the other crumbs moist, though, and I don't like that.

The other option is to spread out your crumbs on a small plate with a rim to prevent spillage. Dump more bread crumbs over the legs. Keep rolling the chicken leg around over the crumbs until its fully coated. Press the crumbs in to make sure they stick.

Rip off a sheet of parchment paper to line a small baking pan. Place chicken legs evenly on the baking pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Serve with mashed potatoes and stuffing on the side. Well, I like mashed potatoes and stuffing on the side of everything, really.



Love,

Liz


Monday, September 26, 2011

NYPD Maced My Friends in the Face

Yeah, I don't usually cover this kind of political news commentary sort of thing, but I am now.

In the following videos, you will see a demonstrators during the 2nd week of Occupy Wall Street. This was a peaceful protest on Wall Street mostly about bank bailouts, mortgages, and our crumbling economy. There were also a number of people defaming the recent execution of Troy Davis who was convicted of murdering an off duty Savannah, GA police officer in 1991. Many witnesses in Mr. Davis's case testified that they were coerced by police to give false statements.

September 24th was a hot, hot day in NYC. Police were sectioning off protesters with orange netting in an attempt to keep them out of the street. We all know how we feel about being corralled, but already yelling hot, sweaty protesters REALLY hate it. So when it starts to get a little out of hand, certain officers took  matters WAY too far.

Keep in mind, this was not an anti-government protest. This wasn't a "Down with the Cops" event. This was a demonstration to protect the rights of everyone, including police, to social security, Medicare, a pension, and a home.

So don't just pay attention when you see a photographer get slammed into a cop car. Don't focus on just the one girl who was punched in the face and dragged by her scalp across the street. Take a special note, however, when a cop sprays mace across a crowd of already sectioned off, peaceful protesters AND fellow NYPD. Seriously, who is administering these police exams? Officer Barbrady?



In this last clip, you can really see the pepper spray cover the crowd, including my friends, the blondes up in front, AND the police. The police maced the police. Excellent work, Officer Doofy.

As I said, I try to keep  my opinions on political matters and anything serious in any kind of nature OUT of my blogs. But when you mace my friends, you mace me. You mace me.

Hahaha, anyway, my friends are doing OK. They seem a bit hesitant to sue. We'll see.

Love,

Liz

Saturday, September 24, 2011

My Nanna's Homemade Beef Stew

Me and My Nanna. If you know me, you know ONE thing for sure; I love my Nanna.

Honest to God, I spent every Friday night of my life at my Nanna's house until I left for college. You know that Shepherd's Pie recipe I have of hers? She would make that for me every almost Friday night. After dinner, I'd have it as a snack while I watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch. If there was any left over, I'd have it for breakfast.

My Nanna is the best cook in the world. Everything she makes reminds me of those Friday nights I spent at her house eating and drawing and painting and eating. Not eating paint, though. But, yeah, my Nanna is awesome. And I miss her A LOT.

So my favorite way of NOT missing her is to cook! And since Autumn is on it's way, I've been craving some comfort food, New England Style. PLUS, my Nanna makes the BEST Beef Stew so I called her up and made my demands clear. From the intel I gathered, your orders are as follow:

You will need:
  • 2 lbs. stew beef (cut into bite-sized chunks)
  • 3-4 carrots (sliced)
  • 4 beef bouillon cubes OR 4 cups beef broth
  • 3-4 yellow potatoes (bite-size)
  • 2 yellow onions (diced)
  • 1 14.5 oz. can cut green beans OR peas (I used green beans)
  • 2 TBSP cornstarch
  • 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
  • salt
  • pepper
  • parsley flakes
Get a  big old stew pot and slap it on the stove. Dump in the stew beef and Worcestershire sauce. While the beef is browning, use this time to dice up the onions. After the beef has browned a bit, add the onions then continue simmer on low.

If you have beef broth, skip this step. Dissolve each beef bouillon cube in it's own separate cup of hot water. That's 1 cup for every 1 cube. Once the beef has fully browned, add the beef broth or beef stock you created.

The carrots go in next because they need to cook a little longer than the potatoes. You can take this time to add some salt, pepper, and parsley flakes to your liking. Now add the potatoes, and green beans. Simmer until both carrots and potatoes are fork tender.

Mix the cornstarch with 1/3 cup of cold water until it's completely dissolved. Gradually stir it into the stew. This will thicken up the base and make it more gravy-like.

You're ready to reduce the heat and serve! I like mine with a bit of bread and butta'.

Love,

Liz

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Double & Double Cookies & Cream Cupcakes!!

That would be 2 DOUBLE Stuffed Oreos inside a Dark Chocolate cupcake. Double the Oreos. Double the Cream. Double the chocolate. Double the DELICIOUSNESS!!

This is perfect for when you want to make a fancier dessert for minimal effort and cost.

You will need:
  • 1 box of Double Stuffed Oreos
  • 1 box of Dark Chocolate Cake mix
  • eggs
  • vegetable oil
  • water
I left the amount for eggs, vegetable oil, and water blank because different cake mixes have different instructions. So preheat your oven and gather your 'gredients. Start by mixing up the cake mix and preheating your oven. Set up your cupcake pan with all the little sheets. Fill up the cupcake cups 1/3-1/2 of the way full, and brace yourself, it's about to get complicated.

Just foolin'. This is easy. Take one Oreo and gently twist off one cookie part. Get another Oreo and stick to the cream side of the other cookie. Simple enough concept, ya? You should end up with something representing the photo. Otherwise, you need to go back to basics. Way back.

After you place the double stacked Oreos in the cupcake batter, push them a little in to stabilize them. A couple of mine that I didn't push in came out a little crooked. It was still kind of cool, the Oreo cream actually oozed out the top a little, YUM. Now pour some more cupcake batter over the Oreos, just enough to cover the top.


You might not have enough Oreos for all the cupcakes, but you can use the other part of the Oreo, the part you twisted off, to top off the rest of the cupcakes. Or buy 2 bags of Oreos and have a lot of left over cookies. I would never throw out left over cake batter.

Anyway, you don't want to bake them for as long as the instructions on the box. Keep checking on those cupcakes. I used Betty Crocker cake mix. Instead of baking them for the suggested 42 minutes, it wound up taking about 30 minutes. A good way to check to see if they're done is to take a tooth pick and stick it into the sides of the cupcake. If the toothpick has no crumbs or batter on it when you take it out, then the cupcake are probably done.

Once they're done, let them cool in the pan for about five minutes then enjoy!

Love,

Liz

Friday, September 2, 2011

We Have a WINNER!!

The results are in and our distinguished panel of judges has chosen the winner of The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook READER GIVE-AWAY!! And the winner is . . .


Tere Garcia with her recipe for Mustard Chicken!!
 (mmm . . . those fried plantains don't look half bad either!)

In this recipe, Tere combines chicken thighs, diced potatoes, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and chicken broth among other things to create this simply FANTASTIC dish!

I chose this recipe because you can add and substitute ingredients easily while sticking to the basic dish outline. This is perfect for nights when you have some, most of the ingredients and gives you the option to realy explore with different flavor combinations.


Miss Tere wins a FREE copy of The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook by Andrea Lynn! To see more photos of Miss Tere's Mustard Chicken, please visit our Super College Chef Facebook Page. Don't forget to click "Like" at the top of the page to get even more down with Super College Chef with more recipes, tips, photos, forums, and cooking help!

 On the next post (aka after I go grocery shopping for the first time in weeks), I'll be trying out Miss Tere's Mustard Chicken recipe for myself. And trust me, our panel of judges cannot wait to try it!

Keep cleaning those plates, people.

Love,
Liz

Friday, August 5, 2011

Super Chef is now on Twitter!! And Facebook!!


I give up. I'll tweet to you, bastards. It's really not as fun though. It takes like a second to tweet! Not at all long and involved like the 5-10 minute long post that I'm purposefully drawing out now. Ahem.

But yeah, it'll take me a minute to get used to the "lingo" of Twitter and all the hash tags, but I'll learn! I'll learn for you, my adoring public. So follow Super College Chef on Twitter at @suprcollegechef.

Of course we can't be on Twitter and not on good old facebook! So click here to follow us on facebook! Someday I'll figure out how to add that damned button.

Love,

Liz

P.S. FOLLOW ME!!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Thai Red Curry Deviled Eggs TRADER JOE'S STYLE!


This is the first ever guest recipe. This recipe is by Andrea Lynn and can be found in her new publication, The Trader Joe's College Cookbook.




Most of these recipes require signature Trader Joe's items, many of which I couldn't find a replacement for. So I went for a classic that I've never even tried before! Thai Red Curry Deviled Eggs, mmm.





 You will need:
  • 1 (9.3-ounce) package Trader Joe's Cage Free Fresh Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs (6 eggs)
  • 2 TBSP mayonnaise
  • 2 TBSP Trader Joe's Thai Red Curry Sauce
  • 1 TSP lime juice
  • 1 scallion (chopped) plus extra for garnish
  • 1 TSP kosher salt
Unfortunately, the closest Trader Joe's near me is as far away as Athens, GA and my muffler can't handle that right now. So, I substituted the Trader Joe's Cage Free Fresh Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs for 6 large eggs that I hard-boiled myself and instead of Trader Joe's Thai Red Curry Sauce I used 1 TSP regular Thai red curry paste.

The first thing you need to do is boil the eggs. The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook has a convenient Tips& Techniques section at the back of the book.

But for y'all who don't have a copy yet; put your eggs in a pot with water, enough to cover the eggs. Bring the water to a boil then cover the pot with a lid and remove it from heat. Let the eggs sit in the pot for 12 minutes. Carefully drain the eggs and refill the pot with cool water. Now you can peel the eggs without cooking your hands.

Cut each unpeeled egg in half lengthwise. Daintily scoop out the yolk and place it in a small mixing bowl. Place all egg halves hallow side up. Once you've got all the yolks, add the mayonnaise, scallions, lime juice, salt, and red curry paste or Trader Joe's Thai Red Curry Sauce.

Spoon the yolk mixture into the hallows of the egg halves. Garnish with the extra chopped scallions.


These were yummier than I thought they'd be! The only problem is saving them for when my boyfriend gets here . . . this isn't going to work.

Well, this is MY entry for the I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook READER GIVE-AWAY!

Wish me luck.


Love,

Liz

ENTER NOW, READER GIVE-AWAY!! The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook could be yours!

Compliments of Andrea Lynn, author of The I love Trader Joe's College Cookbook, and her publicist, I have in my possession 2 copies of the cookbook. One of them, my dears, is for YOU!

"But, Liz . . ." You ask hesitantly, "How can I acquire such a thing?"

WELL! Send in your favorite ORIGINAL recipe. Whichever I find the most scrumptious and creative wins their very own copy of The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook! I'll even pay for shipping and handling.

Seriously though, ORIGINAL recipes. I know how to make chocolate chip cookies, it says on the bag of chocolate chips. And please don't send it something you found on the side of a cereal box.

Email all your entries to me at eaquerusio@yahoo.com with the subject heading "Entry" or something to do with the contest. Like "Contest" or "Reader Give-Away" or "Don't Delete This!". You have until August 14th. Please, make it delicious.

Love,

Liz

Monday, July 18, 2011

A Few Quick Tips For Extra Yumminess

Just sitting around, thought I'd share a couple of hard earned cooking secrets.

NUMBAH ONE!

Next time you're making cupcakes from a box, try adding chocolate syrup! Give each cupcake one good squirt on top of the batter before you pop them in the oven. The chocolate syrup makes them ridiculously moist and super chocolately! It works great with Devil's Food as per my recent experience tonight.

For any cake flavor, substituting sour cream in place of milk or water will give your desserts a moist, fluffy texture. I hear tell you could even use fruit yogurt!








NUMBAH TWO!

Shallots! Shallots are a scrumptious alternative to regular onions. Trust me, after you try a shallot you will never buy a red onion again. I use them in pretty much everything to anything. They're terrific in a salad, sandwich, a light tomato sauce, with beef, topped on a steak, with chicken, in pasta salad, potato salad, whatever you want. They're a lot more crisp and lighter than a red onion, but on the other hand a bit stronger. If you don't like onions, I don't know what to say, you're hopeless so I don't expect you to appreciate anything like this.

I actually like them in my salad sandwiches. Say what? Salad sandwich. I get a whole wheat pita half, romaine lettuce hearts, tomato, shallots, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and a dash of salt. So tasty.

NUMBAH THREE!

When boiling up some pasta, add a drop of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. The salt flavors the pasta, and the olive oil prevents it from sticking to the sides and bottoms of the pot.


NUMBAH FOUR!

Who spilled my cocaine!?
Which brings me to my next point. The previous tip usually gets me into the pickle of having wet salt. Wet salt sucks. It clumps up your shaker and ruins the rest of your salt. Easy way to prevent this, rice. Put a few grains of rice into your salt shaker. The rice will absorb any extra moister within the shaker saving your previous little time and temper.





That's all my tips for now. I'll call my Nanny and see if I can't squeeze out some of her Great Depression tips or my sister for some busy-mother-of-two tips.

Keep a look out for news on the up-coming READER GIVE -AWAY of Andrea Lynn's The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook and the book tour under the same name! Check out the link above to visit Andrea Lynn's website and peruse her fabulous recipes and articles.

Love,

Liz

Friday, July 8, 2011

READER GIVE AWAY!! The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook!! Also, Eclair RIng!!



Author and chef, Andrea Lynn surprised me with an email last week regarding her new publication, The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook. Miss Lynn has made a name for herself in food writing for such publications as Art Culinaire and appeared on NPR's Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me! and The Martha Stewart Show. Trader Joe's is a specialty grocery store responsible for putting "innovative, hard-to-find, great-tasting foods" in conveniently located shopping malls since 1958. Miss Lynn has graciously and helpfully collaborated all the delicious signature Trader Joe recipes and ingredients into a single tome.

Even more graciously, Miss Lynn has offered to host a reader give away. One SPECIAL reader will get a copy of The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook! MORE importantly, I'M going to get my OWN copy and get to test out of of Miss Lynn's favorite Trader Joe's homeplate! So excited. Soooo delicious.

With these recipes I shall conquer the blog-o-sphere with a guest post on Miss Lynn's virtual book tour for The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook! I'll be debuting my post on July 19th, so keep your little eyes peeled. Now to get the ingredients. However, the closest Trader Joe's is in Athens, GA. Can you say, road trip?


Wanna jump the gun on me and get a copy of your own? Andrea Lynn's The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook is available now at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com among many other book stores and other such places.

Switching up the pace a little bit, I thought I'd tantalize you with a whiff of things to come.


BEHOLD! The Eclair Ring! Coming this weekend to a tummy in me.

Love,

Liz

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

Put on your britches and get out your slow cooker, bitches. It's time for some BBQ. Dr. Pepper stizzyle.

Ridiculous. Anyways, Dr. Pepper More than Mesquite Marinade is a wonderful, highly recommended, but not necessary ingredient. I happen to find it at a local gift shop that happen to have a HUGE variety of BBQ and hot sauces. Very handy for Father's Day. However, it might not be as easy for someone in say . . . Botswana to find any Dr. Pepper Marinade in just any old store. I found a few online stores that carry it including right here at saucenspice.com.

Moving on, the slow cooker is a very important tool for any amateur chef. It's great for those days when you got a lot of errands to do and need a lot of food later on. It's great for roasts, chicken, rice, potatoes, soups, stews, chili, really anything. You can throw all your ingredients into it and let it cook for at least 3 hours, longer if you want it more delicious. Personally, I like to start a dish at about 4 AM (bed time) so it can simmer at least 12 hours. Plus, they're cheap. So there's really no reason for you not to have one.


For this recipe, you will need:
  • 3-5 lb. pork butt roast, size really depends on the size of your crock pot or slow cooker and amount of people you're serving
  • 14 oz. bottle Dr. Pepper More than Mesquite Marinade
  • 24 oz. bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
  • 1/2 cup spicy mustard
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 green bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 large white onion, sliced
  • 2 limes
  • 1 clove garlic, diced
  • salt
  • pepper
Wash off the pork roast and place it on a plate with a paper towel underneath to absorb the extra run off. Season the roast with salt and pepper. Transfer the roast into the slow cooker. Cover it with half the bottle of Dr. Pepper More than Mesquite Marinade, half the bottle of BBQ sauce, the green peppers and onions.



Pop the top on the slow cooker, crank it to Low Heat and leave it alone for hours upon hours. Like I said, I'll leave that sucker in there half a day, I don't even care. But if you're in a hurry, wait about 4 hours until checking how tender the roast is. It's incredibly important to leave the top on at all times and not to fuss with the temperature or anything else until the pivotal moment. Once the urge is upon you to definitively surmise that the roast is tender enough, the sauce should be gently bubbling and the vegetables should appear wilted and soggy.

Now, transfer the roast onto a pan or clean plate. At this point I usually throw away the juices and vegetables in the pot. I find that the onions and peppers completely absorb the taste of the sauces and offers no yum factor. But if you think you'd like them, be my guest.

Return the pork roast to the slow cooker. Grab 2 forks and sort of use them to rip apart the roast like a hermit crab digging into the sand. Strange analogy, I know, but it's the only thing I could think of that came close enough. If it doesn't start to rip up so easily, don't worry.

Dump the rest of the Dr. Pepper, BBQ sauce, spicy mustard, brown sugar, and diced garlic. Take the limes and roll them with the palms of your hands on your counter or any flat surface. This loosens up the juices in the limes. Cut them in half and squeeze upside down onto the roast, assuming that you've kept up with washing your hands during this episode.

Keep the slow cooker on low, let it simmer for a few more hours. After about 3 hours, start ripping it up again. Continue to rip apart the pork and let it cook for about an hour. You'll know when it's ready because you'll have eaten most of it just through "tastes", but as a general guide: the more you pull apart the pork, the more the sauces can seep into the meat and penetrate the porky flavors.



Serve it on a nice toasted bun with a slice of Colby Jack cheese and some pasta salad (my new favorite side!).

Next week, shallots and why you'll never bother with red onions again. Ever.

Love,

Liz


Wednesday, June 8, 2011

40 Formidable College Food Blogs

Hey, when you get a chance, check out my competition for next year's spot in this article by OnlineCollege.org and then punish yourself for not voting for me in the first place. I don't want to hit you, my babies. Mama loves you. Why do you hurt Mama? ::cough cough:: Where am I?


I'm looking forward to this weekend and so should you! My buddy Katharine gave me a bottle of Dr. Pepper Marinade and we's a gonna make some pulled pork, mm hm. I'm getting my Nanna's potato salad recipe, I'm gonna mix up some more pasta salad, and it shall garnish the finest Dr. Pepper BBQ Pulled Pork sandwich the world has ever known (truly a formidable recipe, if I do say so myself)!


Start getting excited, people.

Love,

Liz

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Light and Healthy Pasta Salad


I'll tell you about the pulled pork later, oh my GOD.

So I couldn't decide what to do as a side for this scrumptious swine. Fortunately, I had enough time to decide during the 12-hour period I slow-cooked the pork roast. The day started with me positive I was going to have potato salad, then I got lazy because it was a holiday. So I picked up a few fresh ingredients, spent around $5, and ventured to try my first pasta salad!

You will need:
  • red wine vinegar
  • olive oil
  • red wine vinegarette
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 12 oz. boxes of tri-color rigatoni
  • 3 green onions
First, boil the pasta, dur.


Dice up them cucumbers, green onions, the tomato, and shallot. Smush the garlic clove with your palm or the side of your chopping knife, then dice it into small bits.


Once the pasta is fully cooked, drain it and set it aside to cool for about 2 minutes. Run the pasta in the colander under a light stream of cool water. Let the pasta dry, then transfer it to a serving bowl. Mix in the cucumbers, green onions, tomato, shallot, and garlic. Season with fresh cracked sea salt and black pepper, then splash some red wine vinegar, olive oil, and red wine vinegarette on to suite your pallet. If you want, you could substitute the red wine vinegar for your favorite salad dressing or just add a little olive oil.


It's just as good as a light snack as it is a side dish for a hearty sandwich (par examplar: pulled pork sandwich), the likes of which (sandwich) I'll reveal in the coming weeks.


I apologize profusely to the slothful performance of this blog in previous weeks, but you see I've been in the Big Apple! YES, I'm due for a change of scenery and culture. The bonus is that my new roommate is a chef and a butcher. Get this, the fridge has 3 lambs heads in it! Dude, I want to try that.

Love,

Liz