Some home cooking, with recipes included!

A long weekend is just another excuse to spend some quality time in the kitchen. I had some time to myself Sunday and had Alison and Andrew coming over with their kids for dinner. If you're a frequent reader you'll remember that I broke in their new kitchen for them a while back.
So while they were out with my family hiking a trail in Potomac I got my mise' on.
I decided to start out with a carrot cake. It's time consuming, but it's worth it. The recipe is from a "Recipe a Day" calender that my former boss got me for Christmas.

Start out with some comfy clothes and a good cd. I was listening to The Rolling Stones Greatest Hits cd for this adventure.

Get some nice organic carrots. Don't forget to save a little zest for the garnish.

The Recipe. Give it a shot.While the sugar is blending with the oil I start taking care of the carrots. Then I mix in all of the dry ingredients (sifted together four times to let them oxygenate) and let them get to know each other.

The finished product. Icing cakes isn't my strongest skill and I usually let Cheryl do it, but this time I gave it the old college try.

Next up was the potato dish. I felt like trying something new.

I added some goat cheese, because it seemed like a good idea.
The finished product. Very oniony. The last recipe I'm going to share was some steamed cauliflower with a bastardized Mornay sauce. I was using an ingredient that was given to me by an old friend and business colleague, Mike Zendell, Black Truffle Flour.I love this stuff. Mike, if you're reading this, Christmas is coming again! I think you know what I want this year.

Anyhow, here's recipe.

2 Tbsp Butter

1 Tbsp Black Truffle Flour

1 Tbsp all purpose flour

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup half & half

1/4 cup small cube cheddar

dash of white pepper

Make a roux with the flour and butter, being careful to stir almost constantly. Don't let it burn. That takes about 5 minutes. Pour in the liquid, let that come to a slight boil and it will thicken up nicely. Add the cheddar a few cubes at a time, stirring until it's smooth. Then add the white pepper. Very tasty.

Last but not least, the main course. Barbecue Chicken Thighs. (Mike Palmer, this pic is for you!) I dry-rubbed these, seared them, then put them in a foil-lined and covered pan and left them on the grill for 45 minutes or so. I then took them out just before serving and crisped them up a little with direct heat from grill. The chicken was just about falling off the bone.

Should you have any questions, comments, or rude remarks about anything you've read here please feel free. I always like to hear from you.

Until next time....keep reading.