Hello community of folks with senses of humour and scandaliciousness. I admit, I have a fondness for ericlewis0 who is my secret boyfriend. Sure, this diary is going to smack of NJ Christie insider compadre stuff -- but hell, he's not paying me, honestly. Admit to being a shill for ollie and daisy .
I've been reading Mr. Lewis's Animal Nuz since the get go. He is Our Cartoonist -- the first and the most popular. Read the comments in any of the Animal Nuz diaries and you can feel the love and respect for him and his talent. In addition, ericle scours the world rags and legitimate news media and provides a broad range of pretty much if not actual breaking news diaries on everything from Murdoch to Christie to Bibi to Menendez.
What I love about ericle, besides his being my boy toy, is that he participates in his own diaries. He tips folks who disagree with and frequently ridicule him. Pull up his page and you will see the myriad of diarests he recs. He's a long time community member who adds grace and intelligence and hilarity to the site.
Sooooo, I'd like to be a champion for ericlewis0 as a paid member of the DKos community. I don't care how it happens: the billionaire kos paying a salary or the community contribute to a salary. ericle contributes every week via Animal Nuz and then adds with current political events which are the foundation of the meaning of this site (I think).
Ok, one of my favorite food sites has been The Shiksa in the Kitchen. Hmmm, not sure if a divorce happened but now the site is by the blogger -- Tori Avey. She's an amazing cook and her recipes and step by step pictures and directions are a dream. Here's here
Braised Lemon Chicken With Dill and Turmeric
Visit Tori Avey's site for the perfect pictures and other recipes.
INGREDIENTS
6 chicken thighs, bone in skin on
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, sliced
1 qt low sodium chicken broth (you won't need the whole quart)
8 sprigs fresh dill + 1/2 tbsp chopped dill, divided
1/2 tsp turmeric
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt, or more to taste
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
YOU WILL ALSO NEED
Large skillet or saute pan with lid
Total Time: 45 Minutes
Servings: 6 chicken thighs
Kosher Key: Meat
Heat olive oil on high in saute pan until it just begins to smoke. As oil heats, season the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper
Sear the chicken thighs, skin side down, for a few minutes until they are golden brown. Reduce heat to medium. Remove thighs from pan and set aside.
Add sliced onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, soft and starting to turn golden. Drain any excess fat from the pan.
Return thighs to pan, skin side up. Pour in chicken broth until it reaches halfway up the sides of the thighs
Arrange the fresh dill sprigs over and around the thighs (reserve the chopped dill). Sprinkle on 1/2 tsp turmeric, a pinch of cayenne, and 1/4 tsp salt (if you’re salt sensitive, you may omit the salt here and simply add to taste at the end of cooking). Bring broth to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium.
Cover the pan, vented, and reduce heat to medium low. Let the thighs simmer for 40-45 minutes, basting with the cooking liquid every 10 minutes or so, until meat is exceptionally tender.
Remove thighs from pan. Remove the dill sprigs from the broth. Add 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice to the pan sauce, or more to taste, as well as additional salt and pepper to taste if desired. The sauce should be semi-thick at this point; feel free to thicken it further with a slurry of 1 tbsp water and 2 tsp cornstarch, adding slowly to the pan and stirring at a simmer until desired thickness is reached.
Serve thighs and sauce topped with remaining freshly chopped dill. Pairs well with any neutral-flavored starch like rice, quinoa or mashed potatoes.
New York Times Cookbook Creme Brulee
I swear -- you will never find a more perfect recipe.
INGREDIENTS
4 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
¼ teaspoon salt
8 egg yolks
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, approximately
PREPARATION
In a saucepan over low heat, combine cream, vanilla bean and salt and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove vanilla bean.
In large bowl, combine egg yolks and granulated sugar. Pour in hot cream and stir mixture gently to combine. Strain custard into a pitcher and skim off any bubbles.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Place 8 three-quarter-cup ramekins or ceramic custard cups in roasting pan. Pour custard into ramekins, filling almost to the rim.
Place roasting pan in oven and carefully pour warm water into pan until it reaches halfway up sides of ramekins.
Cover pan loosely with foil and bake 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove ramekins from water bath and cool. Cover each and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or as long as 2 days. I make mine in the morning because the 2 day suggestion is bullshite -- the creme gets hard.
When ready to serve, preheat broiler. Uncover ramekins and place them on baking sheet. Top each with a thin layer of brown sugar. Use knife to spread sugar evenly across the custards. Broil custards about 2 inches from flame for 30 seconds to 2 minutes until sugar is caramelized, watching constantly to make sure it does not burn. Or if you have a crack torch (little kitchen torch) use that by running the flame over the sugar until crispy. Serve immediately.
Paid for by the Irish/Jewish/Ollie/Daisy PAC.