fancy soulful dinner

Welp I got fancy this week with some white wine and chicken and mushrooms. So fancy this dinner has serenade potential. The mashed potatoes and this playlist bring this back down to earth and make everything cozy and comfortable.

Chicken

1 lb sliced mushrooms

White Wine

Veg or Chicken Stock

Fresh Thyme

Garlic

Butter Flour

Over medium heat, brown chicken in a frying pan on all sides
Pop in oven at 350 to finish off
Now make a sauce and mushrooms! Add a good nob or two of butter and mushrooms
Sautee 5 min till mushrooms are getting soft
Add about 1 tbs flour, stir
Add ½ cup of white wine
Stir for a minute, add a clove of garlic, add a sprig or two of fresh thyme
Add ½ cup of stock and let simmer and reduce over medium heat
Remove garlic and thyme stick
Take out chicken from oven , garnish with sauce and fresh thyme
Serve with potatoes or whatever you shall fancy

A little playlist:

Otis Redding – I love You More Than Words Can Say

The Chantrelles – Ooh Wee

Al Green – Love And Happiness

The Dears – Never Destroy Us

The Moody Blues – Nights In White Satin

Leonard Cohen – I Left A Women Waiting

The Velvet Underground – Pale Blue Eyes

Blue – To The End

Crazytown – Butterfly ( Palate cleanser nock your sexy socks off)

John Lee Hooker – I Want to Talk About You

Caribou – Irene

Queens Of The Stone Age – Make It Wit Chu

meat and potatoes get saucy

celebration music station

This week I made some celebration appetizers to celebrate the fact I have bacon in my fridge. I paired these bacon detectables with a playlist I like to entertain with. Something for everyone – and a little boogie potential too.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus & Mushrooms

• Wrap your veggies in bacon. I did 3 skinny asparagus’ per bundle.
• Do this tightly so you don’t need to use a toothpick to hold everlasting together!
• Cook at about 400 for 10-15 minutes.
• Broil for about 5 to crisp up bacon to preferred doneness.
• Sprinkle with goats cheese

A Playlist to celebrate/entertain with:

Stevie Wonder – Uptight ( Everything’s Alright)

Patrick Wilson – Quittin Time

The Velvet underground – Some Kinda Love

Opossum – Blue Meanies

Beach Day – Stay

Shannon And The Clams – Into A dream

King Khan And The Shrines – Land of The Freak

Chumbawamba – Tubthumping ( palate cleanser)

The Talking Heads – Slippery People

Deehoof – Super Duper Rescue Heads!

Electric Six – Danger! High Voltage

T Rex. – Born To Boogie

Gorillaz – Feel Good Inc

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Dragon Queen

HeaRT bREAK pANNYCAKE PT 2

. 2

This is part 2 of last weeks heart break episode. Cause there are many heart break songs.

Recipe refresher:

1 cup of flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 tbs sugar

1 egg

2 tbs butter

1 cup of milk

• Mix all of the dry ingredients
• Add wet ingredients and stir just until moistened
• Drop batter onto a medium-low heated pan and flip when batter begins to bubble
• Cook a few minutes on this side. Enjoy

Playlist:

Grizzly Bear – Knife

John Prine – All The Best

Bob Dylan – Meet Me In The Morning

Janis Joplin – A Woman Left Lonely

Jimmy Hunt – Ronde

Blur -No Distance Left To Run

The Cure – The End of The World

Built To Spill – Some Things Last A Long Time

David Bowie – Sorrow

54-40 – Baby Ran ( Palate Cleanser)

 Alabama Shakes- Heart Breaker

The Walkmen – Blue as your Blood

The Walkmen – Woe Is Me

Heart Break Pancakes Pt. 1

Perhaps you have a broken heart. Take solace in the comfort of pancakes and a little self-compassion with this week’s recipe and play list. On this episode special guest Ryan James speaks to heart ache.

1 cup of flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 tbs sugar

1 egg

2 tbs butter

1 cup of milk

• Mix all of the dry ingredients
• Add wet ingredients and stir just until moistened
• Drop batter onto a medium-low heated pan and flip when batter begins to bubble
• Cook a few minutes on this side. Enjoy.

 

A heart break playlist:

LCD Soundsystem – Someone Great

Ox- Speedwagon

Land of Talk – Playita

Man Man – Head On (Hold on To Your Heart)

Leonard Cohen – Anyhow

Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah – Love Song No. 7

Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

Mazzy Star – Common Burn

Van Morrisson – Madame George

Supra Fresh Salad! New and Newish Music

This week I made a lovely salad that had a supra fresh play list to accompany it. This salad is very simple but gurthy and filling. Fresh basil is the key yo.

Makes 1 big salad:

Juice of half a large lemon

2 glugs of olive oil

1 clove of garlic, minced very thin or grated

1 avacado

Salt and peppa

About 7 leaves of fresh basil

1 head of romaine lettuce, or a bowl full of whatever dark lettuce you like

• Make the dressing in the bowl you will put your salad in
• Start with oil and lemon, and stir vigourisly with a fork until they are one liquid
• Add salt, peppa, garlic, and basil
• Add lettuce
• Toss
• Top with chunks of avocado

 

A Fresh playlist, with newish and super new music:

Chad Vangaalen – Where Are You?

Miss Qunicy and The Showdown – Wild Fucking West

Miss Quincy and The Showdown – Making Money

Sex With Strangers – Wasted Glory

St. Vincent – Rattlesnake

St. Vincent – Birth In Reverse

Pedro Parque – Nunca Mas

The People’s Temple – Handsome Nick

Big Sugar – Heart Refuse To Pound

Lydia Loveless – Wine Lips

The Shilohs – The Sisters Blue

Beck – Blue Moon

Timber Timbre – Curtains?!

of Montreal – Jigsaw Puzzle

The Oh Sees – Camera ( Queer Sound)

 

 

Slow, low and long songs: Slow Cooked Sweet and Sour Pork

 

Time to test your patience and pull out your slow cooker! This week were making slow cooked sweet and sour pork. Tender bits of porkiness, sweet pineapple, and crisp vegetables make this dish a beautiful treat after a long day. Accompanying this dish is a playlist filled with some long, slow, sweet ( with a touch of sour) songs. Enjoy!

4 Pork chops, cubed

1 onion

2 stalks of celery

2 carrots

1 bell pepper of your choice

½ can of pineapple chunks

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4  cup water

1/4 cup vinegar

1 tbs soya sauce

2 tbs cornstarch

• Dice up your veggies into big chunks
• Dice up your meat into big chunks
• Put into a slow cooker – if you have 8 hours, use the low setting, if 4, high, if somewhere in between, start with the cooker on high for an hour or two then lower it down for the last portion of cooking
• In a bowl, mix up your brown sugar, water, vinegar, and soya sauce, add to the crock pot, put the lid on and wait!
• With 1 hour left to cook, take half the liquid from a can of pineapple and put into a cup. Add the cornstarch, stir, and add that mixture to the crockpot. Add half the can of the pineapple (the whole can if you are so inclined to intense pineapples tastes)
• After an hour with th e freshly added cornstarch and pineapple, your creation shall be ready to devour. ENJOY!

 

A slow, low, sweet and sour mix:

Timber Timbre – Black Water

Al Green – How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

Plants And Animals – Lola Who?

LCD Soundsystem – Somebody’s Calling Me

Animal Collective – Street Flash

The Beatles – Hey Jude (Notable Nod)

The Chameleons – View From A Hill

Timber Timbre – Hot Dreams

Sunset Rubdown – Dragon’s Lair

 

 

 

 

Tastes and Sounds of Spring a Ling – Thai Lettuce Wraps

With one of our first weekends full of sunshine and that distinct northern spring smell of dog poo and garbage defrosting, I thought it seemed fitting to celebrate with a nice spring show. This lettuce wrap recipe mirrors the easy breezy bright tastes of the bright music. Make these with our without meat!

For the filling:

3 cloves of garlic minced

½ inch fresh ginger

½ onion finely diced

A shake of chili flakes (more if you like it spicey!)

8 or so mushrooms diced

¼ yellow pepper diced

¼ red pepper diced

1 cup bean sprouts

½ cup tofu or any meat you wish

2 tbs soy sauce

1 juice of lime

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tbs or so sugar

For garnish

Fresh cilantro

Peanut Sauce:

2 tbs peanut BUTTER

1 tbs oil

1 tsp sugar

Squeeze of lime

However much hot sauce you like ( I use tobasco)

Chopped green onion

• Heat oil in a large frying pan over mediumish heat
• Add garlic, ginger and chili flakes, heat until fragrant
• Add tofu, fry for 5 ish minutes
• Add all the veggies except for the bean sprouts, fry for 3 minutes or until beginning to be soft
• Add soy sauce, fish sauce, lime and sugar
• Fry for 3 more minutes
• Reduce heat, add bean sprouts and cook just until bean sprouts are wilted
• Serve in pieces of ice berg lettuce

 

A spring a ling happy playlist:

Jens Lekman – A Post Card to Nina

The Arcade Fire – Brazil

King Khan and The Shrines – Welfare Bread

The Ruffled Feathers – Canals of Suzhou

Rostam – Wood

Vetiver – More of This

Van Morrison – Astral Weeks

Beirut – The Bunker

American Royalty – Matchstick

Yan Tiersen – Les Deux Pianos

Waxahatchee- Coast to Coast

Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah – Blue Turning Into Grey

Yo Le Tango – Centre of Gravity

Mo Honey Mo Problems MOTOWN

This week I focused on a recipe using honey and the sweet sweet sounds of Motown. This is a fancy tasting bread- though easy to make. Great with some butter and honey on top with a cup of coffaa!!

Recipe adapted form  Fanny Farmer Cookbook, 1979

2 cups of flour

1 tsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1tsp cinnamon

½ tsp dry or fresh ginger

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 egg

½ cup honey

1 cup milk

• Put all ingredients into a bowl
• Mix for 20 minutes with an electric mixer
• Pour into greased bread pan
• Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes

 

A Motown Playlist:

The Temptations – Get Ready

Barrett Strong – Money ( That’s What I Want)

Smokey Robinson and The Miracles – Shop Around

Smokey Robinson and The Miracles – You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me

Smokey Robinson and The Miracles – The Tracks of My Tears

Gladys Knight and The Pips – Midnight Train To Georgia

Marvin Gaye – Heard It Through the Grapevine

The Supremes – Where Did Our Love Go

Cake – Short Skirt Long Jacket ( Palate Cleanser)

Stevie Wonder – Fingertips Pt 2

Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours

The Spinners – It’s A Shame

The Jackson 5 – I Want You Back

Martha and the Vandellas – Heat Wave

The Temptations – My Girl

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings – Without a Heart

The Flying Lizards – Money ( That’s What I Want)

Winner Winner Chicken Finger Diner Dinner

 

Chicken fingers and fries. Diner music. Chow down!

Listen here: http://www.mixcloud.com/suppertime/

For the chicken fingers:

Chicken cut into strips

Buttermilk

Panko breads crumbs

1 egg

For the Fries:

A couple potatoes ( Russet are good)

Oil

Rosemary

For the dipping sauce:

2 tbs mayo

1 tbs buttermilk

2 tsp chopped green onion

¼ tsp cumin

• First, let your cut up chicken strips soak in some buttermilk for an hour to up to 1 day
• When you’re about ready to cook your chicken, start your fries first. Cut the potato into 1cm wedges. Put a glug of oil on a cookie sheet then add your potatoes wedges. Mix up with hands, add salt and pepper and some fresh rosemary if you have
• Throw into oven at 400 degrees
• In the meantime, were going to dredge the chicken. One by one, shake off the excess buttermilk on each chicken strip. Salt and pepper it. Dip into beaten egg. Now dip into the panko crumbs, I usually use a plate for this endeavor.
• Now your chicken is ready, go to the oven and see if your fries are ready to flip. If so, flip them and on the same cookie sheet you can and add your chicken. Or if you like dishes put it on a new sheet, up to you.
• Now make your buttermilk sauce. Add all ingredients into a bowl and stir, adding salt and pepper. Adjust any seasoning for your taste, add anything you think would be cool.
• Fries should take a total of 15-20 minutes, so the chicken will have to catch up. Remove fries once they are golden brown, and let the chicken cook for another 10ish minutes. Chickens should take 20-25 minutes in total.

 

A Diner Playlist:

The Chordettes – Lollipop

The Diamonds – Little Darlin

Chuck Berry – Maybeline

Buddy Holly – Midnight Shift

The Mama’s and The Papa’s – Sing for Your Supper

The Paupers – If I told My Baby

The George Baker Selection – Little Green Bag

Suzanne Vega – Toms Diner ( palate cleanser 1)

Marcy Playground – Sex and Candy – ( Palate cleanser 2)

Ox – Ojibway Diner

Tom Waits – Eggs and Sausage

Modest Mouse – All Night Diner

Atlas Strategic – Chicken Shack

The Gaslight Anthem – Here’s Looking at You Kid

Comforting Chicken Pot Pie

Comforting Chicken Pot Pie

Though it is March, there is still plenty of snow and cold wind to go around. Take some comfort and warmth in eating chicken pot pie and listening to cozy songs. This recipe makes about 8 small pies, or 2 big ones. I use chicken with bone in order to use the bones to make the stock for the recipe, if you do not have any chicken bones use what you have!

4 chicken things, bone in and skin on

3 carrots, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

2 onions, diced

4 cloves of garlic

½ cup of peas (optional)

2/4 cups of cream, half and half, or milk

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp butter

Fresh sprig of rosemary

4 cups of chicken stalk

Puff pastry – 1 pkg

 

• First we cook the chicken. Turn oven on to 350. Heat up some oil in a pan along with a clove or 2 of peeled garlic over medium heat.
• Add the chicken skin side down. Let cook about 5 minutes. Flip over. Brown all sides nicely
• Throw chicken in oven for about 35 minutes or until juices run clear. With a bone inside it’ll take a little longer
• While the chicken is cooking, dice up all of your veggies
• Start sautéing all of you veggies minus the peas over medium heat, cook just until onions are beginning to clear and the veggies begin to soften. At this time add 2 cloves of minced garlic and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add some salt and pepper. Set aside
• Once chicken is done allow to rest for 10 minutes or so.
• Once cool enough to handle, peel all of the meat off and shred with your fingers
• THE SKIN! The skin should be golden brown, crunchy and delicious. Eat now or chop up into lovely little bits.
• Add the skin and the chicken to your pot of veggies.
• Add the bones to a pot and fill with about 4.5 cups of water
• Bring the bone water to a boil, once there reduce heat and put a lid on half way. Simmer for 1 to 2 hours. ( longer = better)
• Meanwhile, put your meat and veggies in the fridge,
• Once stock is done, melt the butter in a sauce pan over low-medium heat. Slowly incorporate flour, stirring so there is a lovely white paste. Add salt and pepper. Add the cream and stir everyone now and then until the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes
• Add the stock and a sprig of fresh rosemary if you have. Bring to a boil, keep stirring until sauce has thickened again. About as thick so that when you dip a spoon in, it comes out covered.
• Bring out your veggies and meat and add your peas. Remove rosemary and add the sauce. Stir nicely. Now is time to fill some pies!
• Fill your mini pie shells or big pie shells with filling. Add puff pastry over top. Crunch down sides. Slit 2 lines in top to allow steam. Bake now or freeze!!

A comforting play list:

Grimes – Symphonia IX ( my wait is u)
Beach Fossils – Window View

Beach House – Lazuli

Bob Dylan- Girl From The North Country

The Tragically Hip – Bobcaygeon

Bon Iver – Flume

Primitive Radio Gods – Standing Outside A Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand

Arcade Fire – This Must Be The Place (Naïve Melody)

The Walkmen – Bows and Arrows

Radiohead – Blow Out (Acoustic)

Kevin Drew- Gang Bang Suicide

The Talking Heads – This Must Be The Place ( Naïve Melody)