I've had my "crew" on
Baklava Watch over the last few days.
Well today, Jo's package arrived, and my oh, my! Not only did it contain her wonderful Baklava, but smoked bacon, paprika sausages, and pepperoni that never made it past the "unpacking" stage! The Baklava was excellent, there were two types, and both were yummy. Thanks Jo, you made my 4th weekend! Can't wait to try the sausages - they look fab!
I also decided to take The Big Kahuna Burner for a "test" drive. I first took a half pound of beans sprouts and did a quick stir fry with only salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Man this thing can rip!!!
I turned it on at full blast and the stir fry was done in about 15 seconds. The Bean sprouts were fully cooked yet crunchy, and very tasty. The second dish was Chicken with Thai Basil. I had my "mise", and everything else ready. But it became obvious I wasn't ready for this. Everything happened so quickly, that the chicken became somewhat over-cooked! The chicken was still tender, really super tender, but some pieces were a bit scorched! I need to control temperature a little better next time. The dish was done in less than 5 minutes! This is the "real deal"....
Chicken with Thai Basil
2/3 Lb Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts cut into strips
3 Tb Oil
3 Cloves Garlic Minced
4 kaffir lime leaves cut into strips (remove center stalk)
2/3 Cup Straw Mushroom
1/2 Cup Bamboo Shoots Sliced
3 Dried Chili's
20 Leaves Thai Basil
1/2 Cup Oyster Sauce
Heat wok, add oil and sear chili's, add garlic and kaffir lime leaves. Add chicken and stir fry for 2 minutes (or less on wok stove). Add bamboo shoots and straw mushrooms and stir fry until chicken is cooked. Add oyster sauce and mix well. Remove from heat and add Thai Basil.
Kirk, I love your "canine observation specialists". They are just to cute! You know, I'm a bit air headed sometimes... I should have sent some stuff for them! DUH! Dittmer has always had a wonderful assortment of smoked bones, ears, and other canine treats. ::sigh:: Well, now I know for sure I'll have to get another box to you eventually huh? You won't be to upset to taste some more baklava will you? ::wink wink::
I see you got some stuff to Reid also! I can't believe the Farrell's menu is exactly the same as it used to be. Absolutely amazing.
Posted by: Jo | Sunday, 03 July 2005 at 01:40 AM
Jo - You've already been much too generous. My "boyz" just enjoyed waiting for the "stuff" to arrive - and Sammy (the black one) has a bit of a sweet tooth and enjoyed a bite of your Baklava...(and I sneaked them some pepperoni - sshhhh)
Posted by: Kirk | Sunday, 03 July 2005 at 08:33 AM
::laughing:: I just KNEW they had a wee little nibble of the pepperoni! I was wondering but I didn't want to say anything. I know about sweet tooth dogs though. Mike had a German Shepherd, old dog, when we got married. Not allowed in the house for ANY circumstance. But if I would cook a pot of beans (which ALWAYS had a Dittmer's ham hock), that animal would come and stand IN the kitchen and wait for me to give him the bones and the "leavings". That was the only time he was disobeidient and I wouldn't let Mike punish him for it.
On another topic altogether, are you having problems with TypePad since the update?
Posted by: Jo | Sunday, 03 July 2005 at 01:39 PM
Jo - I haven't had any problems with Typepad - though I read the notice that they will be working on things through the weekend - you might want to open a ticket with them.
Posted by: Kirk | Sunday, 03 July 2005 at 02:20 PM
Well, right now the most annoying thing is that when I go to post a comment here or with Reid, I have to input my info everytime. I ASK it to remember me, but it don't... Grrr... ::laughing:: If that's the worst problem I have all day, well, it's been a good day! ::wink::
Posted by: Jo | Sunday, 03 July 2005 at 06:26 PM
mmm, your first experiment! looks good!!! i can almost smell it over here in the northeast:D
Posted by: stef | Sunday, 03 July 2005 at 06:55 PM
Hi Kirk,
That Big Kahuna burner sounds amazing. I'd have a problem using something like that though, especially since I'm in a condo.
Have you heard about the turkey fryers? Deep fried turkeys were all the rage here last year!
Posted by: Reid | Sunday, 03 July 2005 at 07:09 PM
Hi Jo - Ah yes, the technical challenges!! I'm still in my infancy here, too, so am learning somthin' new everyday.
Stef - The burner is quite fast and hot - you really must have your acto together - that's why no pictures - things happened so fast. You know when you watch those wok chaefs and the flame goes into the wok - well that happened to me - I knew it was going to go out, but really made for a bit of excitement.
Hey Reid - If you think about it, this is really a souped-up turkey fryer, but I've got to say they've got it down! I first had a deep fried turkey in Columbus, GA at a Xmas party back in 1997 - must say it was very moist and flavorful - the guy who did it showed me this oversized injection thing and how he did it, I guess over the years it migrated West.
Posted by: Kirk | Sunday, 03 July 2005 at 07:41 PM
Another "back east" turkey tradition I am dying to try is a New Orleans creation called a "Turduckin". For details, check out this website!
http://www.cajuntaste.com/Tur-Duc-Hen.html
I've gotta go to bed & get the fireworks out of my eyeballs! HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!
Posted by: Jo | Monday, 04 July 2005 at 11:30 PM