Brian @ Wongside

Charlene and I are going to the Great American Food and Music Festival tomorrow. One of my favorite Food Network stars, Bobby Flay, is hosting the event at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. I’m really excited about attending.

I’ve never been to a food festival, so this will be a new experience for me. I’ll be sure to take my camera and post pictures afterwards. Here’s the master schedule of events. Our schedule looks something more like this:

As popular as he is, I’m surprised they didn’t give more time for him to do book signings. Oh well, I’m hopeful we’ll get him to sign a book for us, but there’s certainly no guarantees with only 45 minutes, and perhaps hundreds or thousands of people clamouring for his signature.

Wish us luck!

I have long suspected that In-N-Out had ties to Christianity. I was just never sure exactly how. Recognizing that they’re not a public company I had been told they were owned by Christians, but never had really good evidence.

Here’s my proof: In-N-Out Burger: Professionalizing Fast Food, an article in BusinessWeek.

(I’ll be frank in saying that the video that accompanys the article on that webpage isn’t the best video I’ve ever seen.  Nick Leiber, the Small Business Editor who conducts the interview, has some serious blinking going on, and he stumbles through a number of the questions. It’s nothing personal, he’s just not very compelling on screen. Stacy Perman, the author of the article comes off as very matter-of-fact, but again, she lacks warmth and friendliness needed to be on camera.)

Video aside, the article unequivocally states that Rich Snyder, former In-N-Out Burger President (and son of founders Harry and Esther Snyder), is in fact a Christian:

There was another difference between father and son: Rich was a born-again Christian. In the 1980s he began printing biblical references on cups and burger wrappers, and then he went further, commissioning a Christmastime radio commercial that asked listeners to let Jesus into their lives, alongside In-N-Out’s jingle. Many stations refused to run the ads, and Californians showered the company with complaints. Rich essentially shrugged off the reaction. The Bible chapter-and-verse references remain to this day, and radio ads commingled with evangelism still crop up. (Emphasis mine.)

Unfortunately, Mr. Snyder died in 1993 in a plane crash. Hopefully, his legacy will live on in his niece (and granddaughter of  Harry and Esther Snyder), Lynsi Martinez (née Snyder). It sounds like there has been a bit of controversy and legal proceedings since the death of Mr. Snyder, so hopefully, that doesn’t overshadow his legacy and the influence he had on the culture.

Well, there you have it folks, yet another reason to love In-N-Out besides the top-notch quality. We’ve got yet another example of someone who was willing to stand for their faith in the face of adversity.

“Char, how did you cook those sausages the other day?”

“Oh, I threw them in a frying pan with a little water.  I sorta water-fried them.”

“Water fried them?  That must be a new cooking method I’ve never heard of.”

haha.

So went my conversation with Charlene this afternoon as I was contemplating how to cook some sausages. I’m pretty sure that “water frying” is not taught at the CIA or Le Cordon Bleu so my wife must have stumbled on a completely new method of cooking food.

I guess I’ll go try it…

A few days ago I wrote about trying to make my own taco seasoning. I’d have to say it was a success.  I still think it needs a bit of refinement, but here’s the basic ingredients list (in alphabetical order):

• Chili Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Salt
• White Pepper

I’ll keep working on it and see where it gets me. It was quite tasty, though, and quite similar to the McCormick’s taco seasoning if I do say so myself.

Standby, I’m going to try and make my own taco seasoning tonight.

All my life, I’ve used McCormick’s taco seasoning, so this will be a new adventure in my cooking life.  I’ll keep you posted on how things go.

Our freedom to cook crabs the way we see fit might be in jeopardy.  According to a new study, crabs might actually feel pain. Why does this matter to me? Well, in some sense, it doesn’t. I’m certainly not a card-carrying member of PETA (if there is such a thing), and I believe that Genesis 1:26 gives us the mandate to rule over all animals, but I have a feeling that places like Thanh Long in San Francisco, might face a strong inability to make their famous roasted crab.  And that saddens me.

In any case, I hope this doesn’t go too far. Or at least the authors are going to need to come up with a good suggestion on how I can get my fill of roasted crab.

My friend Andrew sent me this article on a voluntary product recall for some brown eggs:
http://www.hometownstation.com/local-news/egg-recall-clarita-2009-03-25-11-12.html

Generally speaking, brown eggs and white eggs have the same nutritional value, but in this case it sounds like you’ll get a little something extra if/when you buy the brown ones.  I guess it would behoove all of us to watch out for these. I’m going to check my fridge right now.

Charlene will be doing most of the cooking this week as I get back into the swing of things. Praise God for a wonderful wife!

Here’s what we’ll be eating this week:

Monday: Rice Ovalettes with Stir Fried Chicken and Vegetables
Tuesday: Curry Chicken
Wednesday: Fried Rice with Orange Chicken (getting back to our Panda Express roots )
Thursday: Poppyseed Chicken
Friday: Tacos

Mmm…can’t wait.  I get hungry just thinking about it.

I had every intention of making this post earlier this week, but didn’t get around to it until today. Charlene has work this week, but I was fortunate enough to get the time off.  In my attempt to be a loving house-husband , I told her I’d make breakfast, lunch and dinner for her every day.

So here’s our menu for the week:

Monday: Blackbean Chicken and Broccoli
Tuesday: Macadamia Crusted Mahi Mahi and Roasted Cauliflower
Wednesday: Cream of Broccoli Soup with Turkey and Provolone Panini
Thursday: Spaghetti (hey, every meal doesn’t have to sound gourmet around here )
Friday: Chicken Divan

It’s my goal to post all the recipes this week, but we’ll see whether or not that happens.

In the meantime, I’m really excited about dinner tonight.  Not just because I like cream of broccoli, but because I get to play with our new stick blender.

And we’re using our panini press again. Frankly, the best part about all this cooking is that I get to use all the kitchen gadgets we got for our wedding. Yesterday, I got to open our toaster. Sunday we got to use our griddle/panini maker. Tomorrow should be pretty low key since it’s just spaghetti, but I’m looking forward to using our Corning Ware on Friday when I make chicken divan.

Charlene totally married a lover of kitchen gadgets and cooking.  Can’t wait…

Gotta love the alliteration in the title up there.

Charlene makes this amazing Thai/Burmese-style curry chicken that I absolutely love.  We had it on our 23 month anniversary last week.  It’s one of my favorite dishes that she makes. In any case, here’s the recipe so you can go out and make your own delicious dishes.

Charlene’s Curry Chicken

2tsp minced ginger (or grate your own on a microplane grater)
1Tbsp minced garlic (or same as above)
3 medium potatoes
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs chopped into cubes
1 C chopped onion
1/4C canola oil
7oz (1/2 can) coconut milk
20 baby carrots (or just a few handfuls)
2tsp  curry powder
1tsp fish sauce
1/2t salt

1. Heat the oil in a pot on high.
2. Add the garlic and saute until it starts to brown.
3. Add the chicken and cook completely (about 10-15 minutes)
4. Stir in the coconut milk and add the potatoes, ensuring they are completely submerged.
5. Cook potatoes and chicken for 8 minutes stirring about 2-3 times.
6. Reduce the heat to medium high, and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Add the curry powder, fish sauce, and salt. Stir to combine.
8. Serve with white or brown rice.

Mmm…delicious. Makes me hungry just thinking about it.