My Other Project

I think we need to talk, Joe Cooks Dinner and Stuff.

I've started another blog. I'm terribly sorry. Its not you, its me (well, and your readership). I just don't think everyone here cares about Wake Forest basketball as much as I do. So I don't think its appropriate for me to go on about offensive efficiency and +/- numbers here.

I promise I still want to be friends. I'll still cook (and stuff) and post here. Really, I promise. I mean, look I've still been posting here even though I've been going behind your back for over a month now. [Cue slap in the face]

Why did I wait to tell you? I wasn't sure it'd stick. I'm still not sure I'll keep it up. But I had to come clean.

I really hope you'll be able to forgive me.

Chocolate (lava) Cake

I decided to try and make chocolate lava cake for Mandy's birthday. I'm not entirely sure why I chose this, but Mandy likes chocolate so I'm sure that had something to do with it.

It was fairly easy to make, and I'll certainly try it again with one or two adjustments. I would be to only make two cakes (the recipe called to split the batter between 4 small ramekins). Between the baking time and the amount of batter in the ramekins (not enough), it was basically baked through. It came out more like a flourless chocolate cake than a chocolate lava cake. Luckily Mandy's was still fairly molten or however you want to describe it.


(These are 5 oz ramekins but look pretty large here for some reason)



2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
5 tbsps butter
3 tbsps sugar
3.5 oz dark chocolate (basically one bar)
3 tbsps flour
4 tsps cocoa powder (teaspoons here)
pinch of salt
1/8 tsp vanilla

Butter the ramekins.

Whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar together until they are a light/lemony color.

Break the chocolate bar, melt with butter. Don't cook the butter to the point where it breaks down, just melt it all. Either do it real low in the microwave or in a double boiler setup.

Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture. Whisk until combined

Add cocoa powder and flour (sifted in). Add the pinch of salt and vanilla. Mix well.

Split the mixture between ramekins (it called for 4, but I would do 2). Tap down to get rid of air bubbles.

Wrap & chill for 30 minutes.

Pour hot water into the baking dish (should come halfway up the ramekins). Rest the ramekins in the dish. Bake at 425 for 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes.

Kitchen Disaster

Whenever I make bacon, I drain off the fat into a bowl and place it somewhere in the kitchen to allow it to solidify.

What follows is a recipe for a kitchen disaster:

One bowl of bacon fat
Open window
Curtains
40 mph wind gusts

Place bowl near open window & curtains. Let sit overnight with heavy wind gusts.

See the picture below for optimal outcome.

Green Curry Chicken

Mandy suggested I make this for dinner for myself and I complied. I think she just really wanted me to get rid of the can of coconut milk that had been in our cupboard for months.


List of Ingredients:
About a pound of chicken (I used chicken thighs)
Green Curry Paste (about a tablespoon, I should've used more)
Two cloves garlic
Can of unsweetened coconut milk
Some chicken stock (I have no idea how much I put in, probably about 1/2 cup)
Handful of green beans
One red pepper


I heated the some olive oil with the two cloves of garlic and curry paste. I then sauteed the chicken until it was cooked almost entirely through. Then went in the remamining ingredients, which I brought to a boil, then simmered for about 20-25 minutes. While the curry was simmering I made my rice.

Pretty straight forward. It doesn't have a "complex" taste like you might encounter at a Thai restaurant, but its good enough for my dinner.

Random Deliciousness

I present to you, chicken fried in bacon fat.

They were eventually placed onto some nachos along with bacon, red peppers and cheese.

Delicious.