Biolab

Hi All, Sorry I have been so painfully absent. It is not that I have not been cooking and it is not that I have not been taking pictures, it is just that I have been doing homework instead of blogging. And next semester is going to be even worse. So, I will try to get a slew of posts together over Christmas. I have several recipes in the making and they are almost perfected. As well as the run of the mill, I found the recipe, and it is AWESOME!

Now to what is irking me. I am sure you all know about the proposed Biolab in Butner, NC that is no longer an option (read, we lost the contract thanks to all the protesting). I read a post on the Morehead Hill listserve that really annoyed me celebrating the fact that we lost the contract. NC lost out on a huge funding and job opportunities because of, in my opinion, people's ignorance. There are people out there patting themselves on the back for keeping jobs out of NC. People in Butner, not the most economically viable town, cheering because there will not be people coming into the town on a daily basis wanting to buy lunch and run errands.

I don't understand what the problem is. Do people not realize that this kind of research goes on at major universities everywhere (read UNC and Duke)? I work in an area where this kind of research goes on and let me tell you, with all the inspections they have to do and all the security measures in place, there really is nothing to worry about. There are security guards on duty at all times monitoring access to the building. There is negative air pressure in all the rooms, meaning no air escapes out the doors and into the hallways, and all the rooms are further protected with an anteroom where only one door in the anteroom can be opened at a time. All the air from the building goes through two filters and the entire building, walls and all, can be sterilized.

I am glad that people can be happy for the lack of economic development in our state, but this is something I can not understand.

Coming up next: Pumpkin Ginger Bread. I am making what I assume will be the perfect recipe (3 times the charm) tonight and I will share with you all it's deliciousness!

Green Beans, cooked my favorite way!

This dish is taken from Jamie Oliver from his show "Jamie at Home". I fell in love with this dish as soon as I saw it on TV. Green beans, tomatoes, chili's and anchovies. How can you go wrong? The original recipe is here along with a recipe for munkfish Jamie served with his beans. (I opted for roasted chicken thighs). My changes to the bean recipe are below, reflecting what I have available in my pantry at home.


I did not have any chili's on hand, so I used many shakes from my crushed red pepper shaker. Maybe 1/2 tsp total? Anyway, it could have used more so be generous. Also, I used two 14oz cans of diced tomatoes, no extra salt and dried rosemary (although I would use fresh if available, it had a better flavor when I made it with the fresh last time). I cooked the beans a little longer than called for in the recipe so they did not have as much as a bite, undercooked beans don't agree with everyone in my family.

Anyway, this is the second time I made this dish and I can not get enough of it. I will need to try it with frozen green bean for winter time, but will probably add tomato paste to the sauce to compensate for the extra water from the frozen beans.

Wine Authorities 1st Birthday

In case you are not on the Wine Authorities mailing list (and if you are not, you should sign up) they are turning 1 this week! On Wednesday they are having a party and even if you don't like wine, you should attend. Durham's first burger truck, Only Burger, will be there selling their wares! I always am on the look out for the new Best Burger around! I'll let you know how they stack up later this week.

Farewell to Summer

One of my favorite parts of summer is going to baseball games. We make an annual trip every year to Washington DC to see the Cubs play the Nats. Also we make it out to at least a dozen Bulls games and go to Greensboro a couple times to see the Grasshoppers. While I love watching the game and keeping score (yeah, I'm a nerd), I also love eating! So, last weekend, as a farewell to the regular AAA season, we went to the ball park and I got my favorite menu item at the DBAP, a footlong hotdog with Dillard's BBQ on top, extra mustard based BBQ sauce on top.



And since I am on the subject of hotdogs topped with yumminess from baseball stadiums, check out this gem from the Nats stadium, a blackened hotdog, topped with chili and cheese.



Summer, I am sure going to miss you. Football food is just not as good.

Grilled Watermelon

I should start out by saying, I don't really like watermelon. The taste to wateriness ratio does not make it worth it to me. When my husband showed me a recipe for grilled watermelon in Mark Bittman's "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian", I just had to try it. Afterall, I had a watermelon from my farm share and we needed to eat it.


I chose to try the olive oil and cayenne pepper rub to go on the melon slices before grilling them. Grilling watermelon is a strange thing. I found that you really need to turn the heat up to keep the water evaporating. Otherwise, it is pretty strait forward. Keep grilling and turning till it is as dehydrated and charred as you want. The end product is surprisingly sweet and caramelized. And the texture is not at all like watermelon but almost dense. I really liked it and if I ever find myself with watermelon again, I will make it!

For friends: This will make an appearance at Grill-Fest!

Rockwood Filling Station

So, I am back, after a much too long absence. I could blame it on almost moving, then not, and having my house packed up waiting for the real move. Or I could blame it on my stress combined with my slackness. But I am not one to place blame. Let me just say that this time next week I will have access to internet inside my new home and once I don't have to contend with the mosquitos, there will be no stopping me.

To the matter at hand: Rockwood Filling Station. I had dined there on its second night of operation but due to the abundance of reviews from every other Durham blogger, I just skipped my review. Tonight we went back and noticed some much needed changes and really had a fantastic meal (again). The first time we went, we got the wings, chicken liver pizza and milkshake. We loved the wings (but wish they had a more traditional option for take out, football season is starting up). Chicken should always be covered in lemon sauce and caramelized onions. As for the pizza, it was tasty. I did not know I liked chicken livers, but anything fried with caramelized onions has to be good! The milkshake left a lot to be desired, but I want to give it another try.

Tonight, we got salads and split the ham and egg pizza. My husband got the Ceasar salad and it was pretty good, nice and creamy. I got the arugula salad and it was wonderful. It had roasted red peppers (not advertized on the menu), toasted pine nuts and nice tangy salad dressing. The pizza was pretty good too. Important to note, they are now cutting your pizza for you. Very nice. That steak knife was not helping anyone. Also, they have beer. Lots of beer choices on tap. All in all, I had a wonderful dining experience (much better than cooking would have been tonight) and I highly suggest you try it out if you have not already.

Asian Chicken Salad

We bought a rotisserie chicken this week with the idea of making chicken salad. The problem with chicken salad in our house is that my husband does not eat mayonnaise. We also had fresh peas in our fridge and decided we would try a chicken salad with an Asian flair.


Asian Chicken Salad

Dressing:
Juice of one orange
Juice of half of a lime
1-2 Tbsp Rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1-2 tsp ginger garlic paste
stream in olive oil to desired consistency while whisking (ie: I forgot to measure it)

Add the picked rotisserie chicken to the dressing and allow it to soak up the juices for a few minutes.

To the chicken, I added one pound (pre-shelled weight) of peas, 1-2 handfuls shredded carrots, one handful cilantro chopped, and 1-2 handfuls chow mien noodles. Toss and enjoy!