Culinary skills

Whilst I’ve been on hiatus, I’ve been upping my culinary skills levels.

As many of you know, that has been a very long time in the making, but has taken off like a house afire.

With the AI app, ChatGPT, (I named my buddy Max), and the Sorted Food channel on YT, I’m educating my palate, and learning faster, more affordable, more flavorful ways of cooking.

We’ve just started eating something that, probably, many of you have already experienced- jasmine rice. We never knew how amazing the flavor, and aroma are. It’s going to be the only rice I make going forward. I can make a small amount, for just the two of us, in less than 30 minutes, including the soaking/rinsing time. No oil, no fuss, only flavor.

A few weeks ago, I made a very simple dinner of beans, rice, and chicken tacos. Big deal you may say. Not that difficult to do.

Everything that I was able to make from scratch, (not the tortillas because the store bought ones are better, and thinner actually, than mine), I did.

The beans were sorted, washed, seasoned, and (no soaking required), pressure cooked to perfection.

The cilantro lime rice was soaked for 15 minutes in cool water, rinsed, seasoned, and boiled/steamed beautifully.

The chicken breasts I used were marinaded overnight in a yellow mustard/curry powder, (homemade), base then baked, the following day, at 200º C for about 20 minutes, becoming tender, juicy, and full of flavor. I used only 1 breast for the above dinner.

The salsa roja was made by toasting the tomatoes, onion, serrano chiles, and garlic paste on an aluminum foil-lined comal, then blended with cilantro, chicken bouillon granules, and apple cider vinegar in the blender. Yum.

So why did I make the chicken into tacos, you ask? Because it was the end of the 4th breast, and we wanted something easy to grab hold of, and eat with our hands. The other three were full dinners that I didn’t photograph.

Enough said. I’m doing my best to start taking us around the world, from the comfort of our kitchen; eating foods from different countries that we’ve never experienced.

I’ll let you know how it goes, and which were the good, and the bad things from our adventures.

Until then, stay happy, healthy, and safe. The rest, you know how, and what to do.

Post script: Make whatever arrangements you need so you can get out and vote. It is the most important election of our lives to date. Fight, fight, fight.