danistrulytheman

I'm STILL a self confessing, self professing know-it-all, or so I think!

Category Archives: food


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homemade bbq sauce

… sorta!! I did cheat a little by giving myself a bit of a boost, saving time AND achieving what I set out to accomplish – win win. My goal was to create an Asian, Hawaiian, Caribbean inspired sauce … something sweet and packing heat!! My two essential ingredients; pineapple and scotch bonnet peppers!! To start, I wanted a good, solid base, and I chose SWEET BABY RAY’S bbq sauce (award winning, lol) … I use it often when I bbq, I love its neutrality … not smoky, not too sweet … a perfect pleasant balance. Before I go any further, a reminder of my method (& madness) of cooking, building recipes. I don’t use exact measurements, I typically use the amount I feel right, AND I’ll vary ingredients depending on my pantry and my mood. Call me the whimsical chef, lol!! Go ahead Food Network … steal that one too, lol!! With a bottle of Ray’s in my saucier, I incorporated brown sugar, cinnamon, soy sauce, orange juice … along with the stars of this show, the pineapple and scotch bonnet …oh, a word about scotch bonnets. These tiny peppers are hot beyond hot – you take a bite and bonnie bites back … a 300,000 Scoville unit chomp!! I rough chopped (seeds and all) and whizzed it in my spice grinder (tip: added a bit of brown sugar making puréeing easier, facilitating homogenization). I grilled (indirect method) plump chicken breasts (skin on, bone in) slathering them with my sauce right before taking them off the Weber, letting them get all glisteningly glazed and caramelized. It was spot on, the citrus tang & sweet combined with the fire of the pepper married beautifully, neither one was overpowering, rather complimenting each another … it was sublime. A few pics, enjoy y’all!! 😉

The Sauce is the Boss!, lol …

Baby packs a wallop …

Puréed …

All the ingredients in the pot before slowly simmering …

An hour later – looks great eh? I know, lol!! …

Mopped with ma sauce … a few minutes more …

A close-up (LOVE LOVE that char) of my efforts …


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kale ‘n corn

Red kale to boot. Must admit my ignorance, wasn’t aware its existence … but must admit my excitement too spying it while foraying in my Fortinos!! And I don’t know where you’re from, or the prices you pay for corn – but where I’m from … a buck ninety nine per ten is a pretty good deal, and seeing all those shuckers having at ‘er draws you in to do the same, so I snagged ‘n bagged my ten too!! Shit, this blog should be titled food, and tons of it, lol … ’cause there WAS a whole-mother-lot … but will refrain, will remain focused!! Peaches & Cream corn really rocks, be sure not to overcook it though, you want that bit of crunch … chomping, twirling yer cob. Purchased this paprika months ago promising a goulash attempt …sadly never did, well, not yet (and in my defense, my promise had NO time constraints, lol). Folks … THIS paprika is the real-motherHungarian-deal … admittedly sourcing it was a mission … literally jumped through internet hoops trying to, but I did. Digressing again – forgive me. I remember once having corn on the cob with smoked paprika, twas boy wonder’s outta the blue light bulb inspiration (kid’s got a shitload of smarts, so proud) … and it was good, VERY good, just a bit too smoky as the name implies. Knowing this was in my cupboard said, “let’s tweak that ingenuity” … ok, another digression … y’all shoulda seen me (or not, lol) trying to yank/separate the lid from the tin … pretty sure you can guess what happened next … my ivory tiles quickly turned crimson, victims of my torquing!! Tiffany K scurried (ok, NOT scurried … ummm?, scampered, lol) to get the Dyson (OK OK so we don’t actually OWN a Dyson, just like saying Dyson instead of vacuum, sounds so much more elitist, and I’m probably … ok, not probably … DEFINITELY jealous of those who do,lol) switching power to ON, sucking away as she pleased. Yep, mess disappeared. Here’s some pics, just the deuce – kale and corn (plus paprika), enjoy y’all!!

Beautiful head:

… tossed ‘n washed:

… butter dolloped/chili flaked … plated:

My aforementioned troublesome Hungarian:

Corned once:

… and twice:


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grilled kale

… just a few pics, fresh Ontario grown kale (on sale of course, lol)!! Something completely new (who knew?!) … looks AWESOME, can’t wait to try it … but RIGHT NOW have more Weber wood grilling to do before I can dig in  … we’re real time blogging here folks, lol!! Sweet onions, slivered garlic … copious sea salt/freshly ground pepper then sprinkled with chili flakes … sorry, gotta go y’all … roasted creminis, NY strips, and grilled garlic focaccia awaits …

The closeup … YEP, looks YUM:

The obligatory overhead view:

The beauty shot:


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… have a hankerin’ y’all!!

danistrulytheman's avatardanistrulytheman

Otherwise my ass is grass with y’all … my exceptionally critical, and excitingly expectant, hanging on every word followers/blog readers!! Ok ok, so maybe I’m embellishing/stretching it a bit … but sheesh … give a brother a break, lol!!

… and here they are: my leftover meatball pics …

Day 1:semi-sub-sammies (fresh, soft buns are key) with hot peppers, melted provolone and the 2cheese combo from the day before …

Day 2: meatballs sliced and baked with melted mozza … now served open faced civilized style (with steak knife & fork) … YUMMO!! (my fave outta all 4 variations) …

Day 3 (… 4 too): do I know how to vary my menu … AND stretch a dollar (&blogpost) to boot or what? Tossed with spaghettini and served with a buttery garlic roll …

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Going Greek … again!!

It’s my go to dish … def one of my faves, and every now and then I get a must have craving that MUST be satisfied … nothing beats it, nothing!! Just a few pics/words this time, promise to go more in depth another time … plus, I have explored Greek cuisine many times before … so no complainin’ y’all, lol!! Made portabello mushroom caps (hollowed out, ribs removed/scraped – this IS key) filled with feta and caramelized onions … and when I say feta, unlike others who say feta arbitrarily, the feta I’m talking ’bout is my coveted Dodoni from Greece … the best of the best (and at $32/kg), pricier than the rest!!

‘caps grilled, then finished with a squirt of lemon + fresh oregano from my garden …

LOVE this: feta warmed throughout and slightly melted – YMFO …

Remember my not wanting to delve too deeply? My handcut humongous souvlaki will be blogged about another day and another time, just not now … honest injun!!

Plated: and served with grilled pita, tzatziki and olives (both obscured, peeking out) …


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grillin’ veggies

ALWAYS meant to blog ’bout this, especially peppers, red or green typically, but in this instance their harder (and more beautiful) to find cousin … yellow peppers!! The key is to blacken them, and when you think you’ve blackened them enough … you haven’t (don’t be shy, don’t be scared). Done correctly, the taste is so succulently sweet. Oh, and I know the proper term is roasted peppers, clarifying in case I get any crap from any of ya, lol!!

Coated with olive oil, tossed ‘n turned, doin’ their thing on the Weber …

Brown paper bagged and allowed to steam for 5-10 minutes …

Steaming aids peeling the charred skin, the edge of my Henckel does the trick …

Found these (who knew?) … disposable grooved foil pans – brilliant idea …

Long neck Creminis and sliced Vidalia … almost done folks, almost, lol …

AND plated … pepper quarters/halves (seeds and ribs removed) alongside the ‘shroom/onion combo and with a fast splash of fresh flat leaf from my garden as a finishing touch … is so incredible … it’s my perfect summertime (perfect timing too since TODAY IS officially summer, lol) antipasti platter … scoop ‘n serve y’all … enjoy …


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bespoke potato chips

Specifically and intentionally titled my post what I did ’cause they’re from England (and if you have to ask … well PLEASE don’t, lol). I bought these the other day while shopping at Whole Foods Market!! They weren’t on my shopping list and I seldom succumb to impulsive purchases, musta been the big beautiful display they had strategically positioned in the store, and that quirky packaging  … ok, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it, lol. Never thought much of them, that I even bought them … was only later lounging watching HD boobtube that I was craving a snack and I remembered having these, why not give them a go I figured? WOW, unbelievably good. Was immediately impressed with the flavour, taste … the texture and crunch, started reading the back of the bag learning more … and became even more impressed… hand cooked … product of England … variety of potato: Lady Claire … even where they were grown: Herefordshire, I didn’t even have a clue what I paid, and mid-munching went to check my receipt that I conveniently left on the counter for referance purposes if needed (ingenious … brilliant, lol), checked the price – $2.50 … well, they ain’t cheap, but they’re VERY VERY good!! And today being a man about town, popped in for four bags more … yessir yessir!!

My original purchase …

And moments later, lol … oink oink …

And today’s haul y’all … even went with a Sweet Chili & Red Pepper …

Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar (the Whole bag, YIKES, lol!!) …

… oh, and today was paying attention, that two fifty is a two week sale price (ongoing), regular price – four bucks … yep, made off like a spud bandit, lol!! 😉


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my skirt

… steaks!! Skirt steak y’all!! It’s the quintessential cut of meat for many Tex-Mex style types of food. I’m talking eating with your hands food … tightly wrapped in a fajita while you fight a losing battle trying to eat it without it bursting, or any juices dripping down your chin … good luck!! These bad boys (surprisingly, finding these ain’t as easy as you’d think, but as always is the case … perseverance pays off) came courtesy (not implying they were free … I paid, lol) my local Whole Foods Market. And the beauty is once you grill the steaks, there aren’t any rules … make the fajitas as you wish, use anything/whatever tickles your palate. Today, went with my grilled poblano and sweet onion relish, shredded Queso panela, a bit of lettuce, and a dollop (or 2) of sour cream (fat-free) smeared on the shell. Wrap ‘n tuck the sucker and have at ‘er … served with my black bean, peaches & cream corn, tomato, jalapeño salad … well, life ain’t too bad!! 😉

tortillas, fajitas … tomato, tomahto … AND straight from Mexico, how authentic is that? …

even more authenticity …

my fave: poblano & onion relish …

beans ‘n corn salad …

flames and smoke … my little bit of hardwood charcoal heaven …

took the pic, grabbed my plate and bbq tongs  … we’re done folks …

2 steaks – 1 mouth …joshing Tiffany K … JUST joshing, lol …

and finally … voilà … 


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grilled chicken club

Leftover grilled chicken à la pulled pork, thinly sliced ham, cheese, onions, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce – the most underrated lettuce in my opinion, often overlooked for its simplicity … love the contrasting cool crispness it imparts, and mayo. Oh, and on toasted white bread, I know eh, lol?! Also, wanted to try it with 2 completely different cheeses so I made one with Muenster, the other with Cambozola … both were VERY good, though I think I’d give the nod to the Muenster sammie … but if I used bacon in place of the ham, I’d go blue since I love that combo!! A couple of pics, enjoy …


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grilled asparagus!!

Was doing my thang shopping up a storm at my Fortinos and knew asparagus was on sale for $1.79/lb (as a side note, am amused it’s one of the few “bunched” veggies priced by weight, not by bunch … even though IT IS bunched, lol?! ‘Sup with that?), so I did a walk-by and was surprised and excited to find one outta the lot that was thinly stalked (thinner is better btw, avoid thick ass ones like the elephantitis plague), and I’m talking pencil thin here, so I snagged ‘n bagged them along with my other groceries. On that topic, Tiffany K was riding my ass (hard, lol) wanting me to buy this new PC product … comes in six flavours and every time I looked, the ONLY was not to be found was the one she wanted … evidently everybody else had a hankering for it as well … but as you can see (but not taste – too bad, is VERY good) success at last. Enjoy the pics y’all!!

PC Sofrito:

A couple of New York Strips and strung piquante sausages … startin’ gettin’ their char on!! Asparagus patiently awaits:

My grilled Vidalia onion, poblano pepper relish … jar THAT PC, lol:

… and not to boast, but DAMN motherfuckers … shit’s the bomb … great with burgers, sausages, eggs … OMG love LOVE it in omelettes and frittatas!!

Plated … finally! A feast fit for Tiffany K & danistrulytheman:

And the best part (as always, lol) … leftovers!! A bit of a change-up (or is that curveball, lol?) A quick steak and sausage stir-fry, along with my onion/poblano mix (marries together so beautifully, can’t begin to tell ya how good it is), steamed the asparagus, poached two eggs lightly (I’m talking running yokes folks) and freshly grated (coarsely) parm-regg as a finishing touch … AND a dollop of Sofrito, AND sliced hothouse tomatoes to boot, LOL!!: