beer can chicken (episode 1)

I'l admit that I did not spend any time looking at the episode to make an episode-accurate beer can chicken. I followed this recipe for "beer chicken thighs." I used drumsticks and the entire bottle of beer. For better or for worse, my kitchen smelled like beer while it was cooking. The outcome was solidly okay. If I were to make it again, I'd double the amount of seasoning. While the chicken was juicy, it wasn't particularly flavorful. The taste of the beer came through well.

clam and tomato risotto (episode 2)

Shizuku notes that she only used ingredients from the convenience store, which influenced my choice of ingredients. I also made use of an onion quarter from my fridge that looked like it was going to go bad. End result was interesting---the clams themselves weren't prominent, but the clam juice added a nice depth of flavor. I was surprised by how the parmesan and clams went together.

Ingredients: 1 can clams (mine were minced), 1/2 jar pasta sauce, quarter onion (minced), oil, rice (1 cup uncooked). Top with parmesan and basil (to taste).

Seasonings: 1/2tsp each parsley, garlic powder, and salt.

Process:

1. Heat up oil. At medium heat, add onion and seasonings. Cook onion until translucent.
2. Add can of clams (including juice) and pasta sauce. Bring to a boil.
3. Add rice. Stir until incorporated. Turn off heat.
4. Add 2tbsp parmesan and a few torn basil leaves. Stir until incorporated.
5. Serve. Top with whole basil leaves and parmesan.

ham and cheese with homemade salsa (episode 2)

ref

sausage & mushrooms sauteed w/ garlic (episode 2)

This was solidly "okay." Very savory dish; end result would depend heavily on mushrooms. The dish in the show looked like it used straw mushrooms. I prefer baby bella and portabello, so I went ahead and used those. Would've been better on top of rice.

Ingredients: 1lb chicken sausages, 1lb baby bella mushrooms, 1 medium-small portabello mushroom, 5oz onions, 1tbsp garlic, 2tbsp soy sauce, 1tsp cornstarch, salt. Sesame oil would be good here. reference.

Process:

1. Remove stems from mushrooms and slice thinly. Slice sausages to preferred size. Slice onions into similar size to sausages.
2. Heat oil. When hot, add garlic.
3. Once garlic starts to brown, add sausages. Stir occasionally.--> should've waited to add garlic until mushrooms are slightly cooked. Garlic burnt while onions were cooking.
4. Once sausages start to brown, add onion. Stir occasionally.
5. Once onion is translucent, add mushrooms. Stir occasionally.
6. When mushrooms are at half their original height, add salt (by preference), soy sauce and cornstarch. If I had sesame oil on hand, I'd add it here.
7. Continue cooking until mushrooms are fully cooked---about 1/4 original height. Taste as you go; looking for soft but not rubbery.
8. Optional: add (fresh) lime juice.

cheesy potato pancakes (episode 2)

I started with this recipe and omitted the sugar. End result was tasty. I mixed ham into a few.

Ingredients: 1 4oz bag of dried mashed potatoes, parmesan, 6tbsp rice flour, sliced string cheese (leftover from ham & cheese w/ salsa).

Process:

1. Cook mashed potatoes according to instructions on bag. Add in additional seasonings---I added 2tbsp of parmesan from last episode's recipes.
2. Season to taste---I added a few pinches of salt and 1tsp of cumin seeds. Add rice flour.
3. Heat oil and cook until dark on both sides.