It was quick and easy to make, but next time it needs Vegetables and more Cilantro. Here’s the step-by-step pictures of the preparation. It’s fun to experiment.
I first sauteed the Onion, then added grated Ginger and minced Garlic, then the Shrimp and cooked all for another 3 minutes. I separately mixed Cornstarch and more grated Ginger into some Coconut Milk, then added the combination to the Shrimp saute along with a few Red Pepper Flakes.
I quickly brought all to a boil to thicken, then added what little Cilantro I had and served it over Basmati Rice. And here’s the final (below) — It’s WAY too white. All was just okay, NOT great. Its preparation was a bit impromptu, but with a few changes it has the potential to be better next time.
Since today’s topic on my political blog ‘Politics is Not a Sport’ relates to food, I posted a link here. The picture is just for aesthetics and relates to a future post about homemade Cupcakes.
This dish happened by mistake. And the title was inspired by a funny SNL skit that cracks me up every time. Here’s an excerpt of the song by Dana Carvey with some fun animation. Choppin’ Bro CO Lay — It’s funny stuff!
I was attempting to make my Aunt Barbara’s Spinach Souffle´. She’s been making it every Christmas for years. My sister and I always look forward to gobbling it down. And since I recently learned how simple the recipe is, I wanted to make it immediately.
But it appears I wasn’t paying enough attention at the grocery store, because I ended up with (3) blocks of frozen chopped Broccoli, instead of frozen chopped Spinach. Since I had the rest of the ingredients, I made the recipe with the Broccoli and added some Panko Breadcrumbs on top.
The Broc-Co-Lay Souffle´was okay tasting, but the recipe is a lot better with Spinach, and no Panko Breadcrumbs are needed. Also, it was a bit curdled looking when made with Broccoli, which isn’t attractive in a Souffle´, Gratin or similar. I won’t be making it with Broccoli again.
Aunt Barbara’s Spinach Souffle´ Recipe:
3 10oz. Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and drained [It’s made with Broccoli above and Spinach below – YEAH]
1 16oz. Sour Cream
1 Envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
Mix all ingredients together and bake in the oven at 350° for 35-40 minutes.
Recipe shown here with Broccoli and Panko Breadcrumbs.
And here, as it’s supposed to be made with Spinach. Yum. Thanks for the recipe Aunt B.
FYI: These are the Panko Breadcrumbs I’ve been using in recipes. They continue to stay fresh and crispy each time I open the container.
I have been one of your biggest cheerleaders for years, but some of your recent decisions have been disappointing. It started with the cutback of Tortillas. Having received 3 Tortillas with a Chicken Combo Meal since EPL’s opening in California, the downgrade to 2 Tortillas was quite obvious and lame. At first I thought it was a mistake, but then learned what’s up after a few visits. Not good.
Then one day, NO more Chipotle Dressing for the Salads. Why? It was tasty. I was eating Salads at EPL all the time. Dressing can mean everything to a Salad. That crazy decision was hard to get over.
And now NO more Chipotle Salsa — Another bad move. It was your best Salsa. I tried its new replacement Salsa (top left in above picture) and it’s okay. It has a good spice, but it’s a little too thin. The Chipotle Salsa went better with the Chicken and Tortillas. The thinner Salsa tends to make the Tortillas soggy. Bring back the Chipotle Salsa!
El Pollo Loco you have been my favorite fast food joint for many years, but you’re acting crazy. You’re changing things that worked well for many. Can you explain your corporate position here, or better yet, change these things back? I’ll like you more.
BTW, your Crunchy Taco is pretty good — I hope its time isn’t limited, but I somehow suspect it will be. But PLEASE don’t take away the Chicken. It’s excellent. I keep trying to recreate its flavor, but haven’t so far. All the copycat recipes I’ve tried miss the mark.
Related Links:
Tell EPL you want 3 Tortillas, plus the Chipotle Dressing and Chipotle Salsa back – http://www.elpolloloco.com/
Pictured respectively below are the Crunchy Taco, the Value Menu Nachos, and a Small Garden Salad with the Creamy Cilantro Dressing, the runner up to the Chipotle Dressing.
Morrison & Foerster, a well known international law firm just closed its Orange County office in Irvine — I once worked there as a Paralegal. Last week I returned to enjoy one last lunch there with former co-workers and friends. It appeared to be a reunion of twenty years of legal services.
The Lawyers, Paralegals, and Staff have scattered throughout various good firms in Orange County. We’ll still meet for lunch and Morrison & Foerster will be okay. I’m sure they didn’t expect a food angle to this story. 🙂
The grocery store Rotisserie Chickens used to be a better deal. This one was $6.99, tiny and too salty. The larger cooked Chickens were $10.99 today. I’m glad I have a Rotisserie for next time. Look for something else, if you can — Although, sadly most food prices are up. 🙁
I wanted to try to make a quick and easy candied nut, so I mixed Almonds, Sugar, Cinnamon and a little Water in a cup. I stirred all until the Sugar was dissolved, then baked the Almonds in a toaster oven for about 20 minutes.
Well, they weren’t that good. They did bond together like I hoped, but the Almonds were cooked too much inside. Unfortunately they basically tasted burnt. They looked okay, but the process didn’t create what I hoped. So don’t do this.
Fortunately I have no witness, nor pictures of the following cooking blunders which happened some time ago. It’s embarrassing to admit, but you can hopefully learn by my mistakes, if you don’t know already.
* After making a nice Hollandaise Sauce from scratch, NEVER put it in the microwave to warm it up. It basically turns into an egg.
* After making a nice Alfredo Sauce from scratch, NEVER bake it in the oven with pasta. It basically turns into oil. The sauce separates.
These things seem obvious to me now, but I didn’t know when I once tried them. It’s funny now.
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