Wild Mushroom and Sweet Potato Gratin

What a GREAT side dish! This is also my introduction to Fontina cheese. Edited from yet another Cooking Light recipe!

What you'll need:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil 
• 4 cups (1/4-inch-thick) sliced cremini mushrooms (about 8 ounces)
• 3 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) sliced chanterelle mushrooms (about 8 ounces)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided
• 4 cups peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 

Skittle Vodka

No; I am not an alcoholic... I am a liquor connoisseur - trust me. This recipe takes time, effort, and the ability to have a good time - with of course the vodka. I made this with a friend of mine who absolutely loves candy and to party (I mean hey, who doesn't??)

Now Here's what you need to TASTE THE RAINBOW!

• First off a handle of Vodka
• Large bag of Skittles ( I bought a 54oz bag)
• 5 large empty water bottles
• Roughly 30 coffee filters
• 5 Glass bottles
• A Funnel
• 5 plastic baggies
• a measuring cup
• and patience.

Lets start off by completely separating the Skittles into corresponding colors in separate bags.Next measure out and fill the empty plastic bottles with roughly 12 oz of vodka. Once you have filled all of them - if you can  - count 120 of one color of Skittles (If you can't count that high, you should not be making this ಠ_ಠ...) That's roughly 6 friends who have all toes and fingers if you get confused..

Once you counted super high of each color, put those into corresponding plastic bottles.

Once you have them all filled with the rainbow, close the cap tightly and shake vigorously! Then allow all of them to sit for several hours until they look as awesome as this:

 

Now after this step you need to just settle down and wait. All of the Skittles to dissolve into the vodka over night. This allows you to do what everyone thinks is normal in the morning... Play with vodka. In the morning we discovered that there was a gross looking white foam. 

Well here's where you need the patience of a saint.  Take around 5 coffee filters, a funnel, and an empty cup large enough to fit to vodka and begin to strain by: Placing 5 filters into the funnel and pouring the vodka through. To say this is slow would be an understatement.

I suggest doing multiples of the same color in separate cups at the same time, to save time (if you have enough funnels). Also, the purple and orange will need more filters, or will need to be re-filtered because we discovered the foam could get through. Orange also took all night so I STRONGLY suggest to do that in 2 cups at the same time.

Once you have them all filtered and poured into the neat glass bottles, place in the freezer over night. Invite friends over for a party and taste the rainbow!! Celebrate this awesome recipe with a party, which will required you to make more at the end of!

Freakin' Bacon Fried Rice!

You might be thinking...

 But I'm thinking...

This isn't really a 'man food' per se. Mostly because that's not my section and I'm incapable of writing like that nor do I care / want to try. However; the time has come for me to make something absolutely amazing.. Whats better than food itself? BACON. Whats better than white rice? Fried Rice. What happens when you put them together? Something that should be deemed illegal in seven states - Bacon Fried Rice. You say Disgusting? NAY! I say grow a pair! You say unhealthy? I say we all die sooner or later. You say fattening??? NAY!!! I say hit the gym Nancy!
Now listen up get into the freakin' kitchen and grab this crap:

• 2 cups of rice
• 3 THICK cuts of bacon
• A Carrot
• 4 Green Onions
• 1 sm Onion minced
• 1/4 tsp Ginger
• 2 Cloves minced Garlic
• 1 egg
• Soy Sauce
• Sugar

  Anything else you think would be awesome in this concoction.

Get the that rice on the stove and let it cook!

First things first, grab fire and place metal thing over fire. I prefer something meat won't stick to. Next grab them slabs of pig's gift and cut them into chunks of bite sized godliness. Sear those suckers up and let them cook. Once they're to your perfection; take out the bacon. BUT WAIT; use that liquid gold grease to pan sear those healthy things I call vegetables. Once those vegetables are seared and soft, crack an egg and began scrambling that up! Once the egg is FULLY cooked (don't need to die here). Throw in the freshly cooked rice and mix around to get that great bacon grease fully coating everything. Next throw in that soy sauce and continue to add to you see fit! Mix that all around until fully coated. Next? Whats healthier than bacon?? SUGAR! Add that stuff, mix around and serve that to those who think they can handle this.

Now when you're finished with this and about to eat it.. Just enjoy and say: 

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

cooking, beef, bacon, eating, recipe, blog meat, chicken, rice, soy sauce, stir fry, man food meal food eating awesome

Sweet Potato Mash

This Sweet Potato Mash recipe is amazing and will bring you right to the holiday mind set. It's great enough to make year round, but a great additional to the Thanksgiving and Christmas table.

What You'll Need:

• 4 Medium Sized Sweet Potatoes
• 3 tblsp butter
• 1/4 c skim milk
• dash cinnamon
• dash nutmeg
• dash clove
• salt
• pepper

Make it:

Start a large pot of boiling water with a dash of salt. Skin the potatoes and chop into cubes. When the water starts boiling add the potatoes and boil until the potatoes are soft. 

Once the potatoes are soft, drain the water and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well by using a hand mixer to make them silky soft. Taste, and then include additional salt and pepper to taste.

Shrimp Po' Boy

• We're taking it down south today to give you a GREAT Shrimp Po' Boy recipe. This is super simple, and relatively inexpensive considering most of the ingredients will already be in your pantry. There is practically no prep time and cooking is a breeeeezzzeeee!!! I made minor adjustments to a Cooking Light recipe. (I love my Cooking Light cookbook)

What you'll need:

• 5 tablespoons dry Whole Wheat breadcrumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined 
• 1/4 cup ketchup 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/3 teaspoon hot sauce 
• 2 Whole Wheat  long rolls
• 2 cups lettuce
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

Make It:

Start by cleaning and removing the tails of your shrimp. Next, in a small bowl, add the minced garlic and breadcrumbs and mix these together well. Dredge the shrimp in the breadcrumb mix and cover well. In a medium sized pan, heat some oil on a medium-high heat and begin to sautee the shrimp. Cook the shrimp for approximately 5 minutes on each side or until shrimp browns on both sides.

While the shrimp is cooking, add the wet ingredients in a small bowl along with the seasonings. That includes everything in the list above except for the shrimp, breadcrumbs, garlic, bread, onion, and lettuce! Feel free to adjust this "dressing" according to your likes as this is going to be spread on your bread. Kick it up with extra seasoning and lemon, or tone it down with extra ketchup. However you prefer. I like mine with a little kick! Refrigerate this while we continue to cook the shrimp and let the flavors marry.

While the shrimp is finishing up in the pan, split the bread long ways and lightly toast. While the bread is toasting, shred some lettuce and onion to garnish and add some crunch to your sandwich. Once the bread is toasted, add the lettuce, onion, "spicy ketchup" by spreading it on the bread, and then finally add your shrimp.

Photo shown with a Sweet Mashed Potato side. Recipe to come shortly!

Red Sangria

Red Sangria

• 1.5L Cabernet. I prefer to pay less than $15 for it. I've maintained my college mindset, I can't help it.
• 8oz Blood Red Orange Juice
• 1oz Peach Vodka
• 1oz Blackberry Brandy
• 1oz Rum
• 3oz Club Soda
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1 Granny Smith Apple
• 1 Nectarine
• 6 Strawberries

In a large pitcher, add all of the fruit after it's been cubed. Stir in all ingredients and let chill for about a day before serving. *This cocktail is best served with the company of my lovely friend Joelle.


I've been slacking on adding cocktails even though my content knowledge is outrageous. What is more outrageous is that fact that I feel the need to make each cocktail to have a photo. This is not going to happen, I just can't drink like I'm in college any more. So, here are the recipes. Make them pretty for me : )

MAN FOOD: Crab Meat Stuffed Trout

     Beef Jerky, yes. Pizza, sure. Crab meat stuffed trout, is this really a MAN FOOD?
I don't know, is trekking 90+ miles to an animals home to rip it from existence simply to nourish myself manly? How about if I shove two more animals inside of it, simply to enhance its flavor from good to amazing? Yes its MAN FOOD, Don't doubt me again. But if you still need convincing read this article, not in your own voice but in the voice of Sam Elliot.

Here's What your going to need:

• 1 Trout. freshly retrieved from its habitat using cunning ticks.
• 1/2 cup Crab meat.
• 1 stalk of Celery.
• 1 Clove of Garlic.
• 1/8 cup Onion.
• 3 strips Bacon.
• ~2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise.
• ~2 Tbsp. Butter (Melted)
• Bread Crumbs.
• 1 Egg. Which I forgot to take a picture of.

     Let us commence. First, cook your bacon. Firster, wake up at five in the morning and jump in an American pick-up truck with your father and drive to your favorite fishing spot. Use your smart human brain to fool the dumb fish, with their not human brain, into thinking a shiny piece of metal is its prey. Then wrestle the little bastard into your net, and repeat, until the state of Pennsylvania says your done for the day(or drain a lake, which ever you find more suitable). Clean your fish and drive home, you choose the order. Now cook your bacon, you saw that in the last MAN FOOD: Pizza.

     Dice your celery, dice your onion, dice your garlic. Into a bowl combine those now diced accoutrements along with all the other none trout ingredients. I did not list how much bread crumbs to use, and the butter and mayonnaise are "abouts", there's a good reason for this... I didn't measure them. Here again you have to use your human brain to achieve a certain level of consistency for your stuffing.

     Crush up your bacon and add it to your concoction. Then place the stuffing into the fish's now empty body, like Dr. Frankenstein meets Emeril. Its not all going to fit but do your best. Wrap the creation up in aluminum foil and place into your 350˚ oven. About half way through cooking unwrap your masterpiece so the excess moisture is let out and the stuffing can develop a satisfying crunch. Depending on fish size and stuffing amount this will take 45-60 minutes maybe longer, fish is done when its no longer translucent and flaky.

That second wrapped item is the left over stuffing.

Pro-tip: High class lemons go a long way.

     Trout. I declare you MAN FOOD.


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