Jenn Dolari @dolari@driveinsaturday.org

This is the best carne guisada I've ever made. And it better stay that way cause I'm going to be eating a lot of it.

This synchronicity is how life feels these days....

[Thoughts Before Bed]

Enjoying a cup of tea at the cafe.

This may look like a shot from Second Life, but the difference is, I'm the person drinking the tea. In Resonite, I'm in that skull, looking at the tea and holding it in first person. Not looking at a screen trying to take the best picture in third person like I would be in Second Life.

Second Life: Pushing an action figure of me around.
Resonite: I am the action figure.

It's been wonderful to be something closer to the me I wanted to be, than the me I was given.

The Week's Fancy Pants Meal: Chicken Marengo

Was going through my list of YouTube Cooking Channels looking for recipes, and came across this one for Chicken Marengo from Tasting History. I had to adapt it a bit for my diet, but didn't think too much of it. I might have been wrong.

Instead of using two drumsticks and two bone-in thighs, I used boneless thigh, mainly for nutritional measuring reasons (I don't eat the bones, so I have to weigh tthe chicken without the bones and that gets messy).

Following his instructions, things went a little wierd. Maybe because I was using boneless chicken (or Max's stove is a little weak), the chicken overcooked a bit. Not burned, but certainly harder on the outside than I'd like.

On top of that, my sauce was FAR darker than expected, and with everything I threw into it...it was fairly flavorless. And straining that sauce was a pain.

Maybe it's me using a different cut of chicken, but I'm not a fan of this. Sad, really, cause this is likely also my last Fancy Pants meal for a while. I'm likely losing my apartment at the end of the year (I've got a place to stay after that, so don't you worry about Ol' Jenn), and I need to start burning up all my frozen food without buying new ingredients.

If I make something good, though, I'll let you know.

# Chicken Marengo

Tasting History with Max Miller
5.0 servings

1.0 pound chicken thigh
3.5 oz olive oil
0.5 tsp salt
0.25 tsp pepper
2.0 whole shallots (peeled)
1.0 clove garlic
1.0 whole bay leaf
1.0 sprig thyme
55.0 grams fresh parsley
0.3333333333333333 cup flour
2.0 cups beef broth
8.0 oz button mushrooms (sliced)

1 - Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat.
2 - Add the chicken, making sure that the pieces don’t overlap, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3 - Add the shallots, garlic, bay leaf, parsley, and thyme, then set the lid on the pan and let it fry for 10 minutes.
4 - After 10 minutes, turn the chicken over, then cover again and cook for another 10 minutes.
5 - Turn the chicken one last time, cover, and cook for 5 more minutes.
6 - When the chicken is cooked, remove it to a plate and cover it so it stays warm.
7 - Remove the shallots and larger pieces of herbs. Keep them nearby because we’ll be adding them back in just a second.
8 - Stir the flour into the hot oil to make a roux.
9 - Continue to cook and stir for a couple of minutes, then add the herbs and shallots back in.
10 - Cook for another couple of minutes or until the roux is golden brown.
11 - Add the beef broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits that stay stuck to the bottom of the pan.
12 - Bring it to a simmer, then stir constantly for 10 minutes.
13 - Strain the sauce through a conical strainer (or a plain mesh strainer if that’s what you have). If the sauce splits, add a couple tablespoons of water, set it over low heat, and stir until you have a nice smooth sauce again.
14 - If you’re using the mushrooms, sauté them in a bit of oil until they’re cooked.
15 - Arrange the chicken in a dish, pour the sauce over it, garnish with the mushrooms, and serve it forth.

Makes 5 servings at ~400 calories per serving.

Calories 427
Total Fat 32g
Total Carbohydrates 10g
Protein 19g

#cooking #thisweeksmeals

This Week's Carbs: Garlic Butter Rice

So, I'm taking a very long break from the breads, but I still do want my first meal of the day to be my biggest carb load (I can burn it off all day). There was a meme running around with several rice recipes and so I decided to try them out (after first making sure it wouldn't, you know, poison me for the lulz).

I like rice, I like butter, and I like garlic. I can have as much of two of these ingredients as I want, and since it was quick, and I had some time, I did the food prep for this. It's really good, if you like a chicken with garlic flavored rice. I could see this being a side-dish for something Indian or Mediterranean.

# Garlic Butter Rice

Recipe Journal
6.0 servings

8.0 cloves garlic (chopped)
3.0 tbsp olive oil
2.5 tsp garlic (minced)
4.0 tbsp unsalted butter (divided)
1.5 cups white rice
2.5 cups chicken broth
1.0 tbsp scallions (finely sliced)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)

1 - Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2 - Add the chopped garlic and sauté, moving constantly, until golden and crisp.
3 - Transfer to paper towels to drain.
4 - Pour out excess oil then return the saucepan to the stove.
5 - Add half the butter.
6 - Once melted, add the minced garlic.
7 - Cook for 1 ½ minutes or until the garlic starts to turn light golden and the butter is well infused with garlic flavour.
8 - Add the rice and stir to coat it in garlic butter.
9 - Add the broth and place a lid on saucepan.
10 - Set your stove to high, and allow the broth to come to a boil.
11 - Set your stove to medium, and wait five minutes. Do not uncover.
12 - Set your stove to low, and wait five minutes. Do not uncover.
13 - Remove the saucepan from the head, and wait five minutes. Do not uncover.
14 - Fluff with a fork, then transfer it into serving bowl.
13 - Stir through the remaining butter and scallions.
14 - Sprinkle with crispy garlic, salt, and pepper. Serve.

Makes 6 servings at ~37.5g carbs per serving.

Calories 306
Total Fat 14g
Total Carbohydrate 39g
Protein 4g

#cooking #thisweeksmealsThis Week's Carbs: Garlic Butter Rice

So, I'm taking a very long break from the breads, but I still do want my first meal of the day to be my biggest carb load (I can burn it off all day). There was a meme running around with several rice recipes and so I decided to try them out (after first making sure it wouldn't, you know, poison me for the lulz).

I like rice, I like butter, and I like garlic. I can have as much of two of these ingredients as I want, and since it was quick, and I had some time, I did the food prep for this. It's really good, if you like a chicken with garlic flavored rice. I could see this being a side-dish for something Indian or Mediterranean.

# Garlic Butter Rice

Recipe Journal
6.0 servings

8.0 cloves garlic (chopped)
3.0 tbsp olive oil
2.5 tsp garlic (minced)
4.0 tbsp unsalted butter (divided)
1.5 cups white rice
2.5 cups chicken broth
1.0 tbsp scallions (finely sliced)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)

1 - Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2 - Add the chopped garlic and sauté, moving constantly, until golden and crisp.
3 - Transfer to paper towels to drain.
4 - Pour out excess oil then return the saucepan to the stove.
5 - Add half the butter.
6 - Once melted, add the minced garlic.
7 - Cook for 1 ½ minutes or until the garlic starts to turn light golden and the butter is well infused with garlic flavour.
8 - Add the rice and stir to coat it in garlic butter.
9 - Add the broth and place a lid on saucepan.
10 - Set your stove to high, and allow the broth to come to a boil.
11 - Set your stove to medium, and wait five minutes. Do not uncover.
12 - Set your stove to low, and wait five minutes. Do not uncover.
13 - Remove the saucepan from the head, and wait five minutes. Do not uncover.
14 - Fluff with a fork, then transfer it into serving bowl.
13 - Stir through the remaining butter and scallions.
14 - Sprinkle with crispy garlic, salt, and pepper. Serve.

Makes 6 servings at ~37.5g carbs per serving.

Calories 306
Total Fat 14g
Total Carbohydrate 39g
Protein 4g

#cooking #thisweeksmeals

That a big peach....

I might have a small problem.

Why yes, I love the Gerudo. 'Cause the Gerudo apparently love me.

#echoesofwisdom

Why yes, I love the Gerudo. 'Cause the Gerudo apparently love me.

#echoesofwisdom

Today's Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom achievements.

Just finished the first dungeon. Liking the game so far. I love the echo mechanic as it makes puzzle solving really mind bending.

Not just because you've got to figure out where to put stuff, but often, you have to use stuff in the way it's NOT meant to be used.

I mean, I've used the bed as everything BUT a bed. And the meat as everything BUT meat. But no more spoilers, hope all the Zelda folks out there are enjoying it....

Legend of Zelda, Echoes of Wisdom is out! I can eat MREs for a few days to cover this....

With all my servers moved to the living rooms PC, I now can run my Plex Server while running Bigscreen in VR. So I tested out an 4K HDR movie in it.

Holy cow. Watching 4K with HDR on a screen that is genuinely movie sized is AMAZING. These pics do not do it justice.

Genesis, SNES and Game Boy SF2....

So, I may be losing my apartment at the end of the year. So I got a free one in VR. Kinda nice, but it's got more beds than bedrooms (ONE ON THE ROOF).

This Week's Fancy Pants Meal: Simon Belmont's Porkchops

I have Cucco's Kitchen's cookbook, but it focuses on Legend of Zelda recipes. So I pilfered one he made from Castlevania.

His recipe calls for a two 2-inch bone-in pork chops. I used pork loin because I needed something to last a week. Using pork loin led to a somewhat dry slab of pork, so I'm assuming the bone-in pork chop would be jucier. I'd simmer it less next time.

The sauce is super excelent. Very savoury with a touch of sweetness, and a lot of onion flavor. I used it all cause I'm freezing the meals and when I warm them up, I want the pork chop to soak in it. I might simmer it longer without the pork to reduce it a bit.

Good stuff, no wonder Simon gets hearts for eating this.

# Belmont Pork Chops

Cucco's Kitchen
9.0 servings

4.0 pounds pork chops
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
2.0 tbsp olive oil
5.0 cloves garlic (peeled) (minced)
8.0 sprigs thyme leaves
1.0 cup onions (diced)
1.0 cup beef broth
1.0 cup red wine
1.0 tbsp soy sauce
1.0 tbsp herb de provence
1.0 tbsp Worcester sauce
2.0 tbsp unsalted butter
1.0 tbsp dijon mustard
4.0 tbsp brown sugar

1 - Season the pork chop with some salt, pepper and herb de Provence.
2 - Put a pan over medium-high heat
3 - Once it’s hot, add in the butter and 1 tbsp of oil oil, move the pan around till the the butter and oil and mixed
4 - Add the pork chops in the pan and add the thyme. We are going to sear them on both sides until they're nice and golden, about 2 minutes per side. Don’t concerned with cooking the chops through at this point, we just want a nice sear.
5 - Once both sides are seared and have a nice golden color remove them from the pan and set them aside to rest.
6 - Grab a paper towel and wipe away some of the extra grease.
7 - Add in the other tbsp of oil.
8 - Reduce the heat to medium and add the chopped onion. Cook them till they are translucent.
9 - Once they start to become translucent add in the minced garlic to the pan and cook, stirring it until the garlic is fragrant.
10 - Add in the beef broth, soy sauce, Worcester sauce, brown sugar mustard and red wine. Cook and stir for about a minute until the sauce is combined.
11 - Next add the browned pork chops back into the pan and nestle them inside the sauce.
12 - Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil.
13 - Once the sauce boils reduce too low, simmer and cover for 35-45 min till the pork is fork tender. Turn the pork over once half way through the cooking time.
14 - Once time passes and the chops are ready, remove from heat. Plate the chop facing up, pour some of that delicious sauce on top and bam, the Castlevania pork chop is done!

Makes 9 servings at ~400 calories per serving

Calories 415
Total Fat 18g
Total Carbohydrate 7g
Protein 44g

Normally yields 2 servings.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

This Week's Not-So-Fancy-Pants Meal: Hamburger, Deconstructed.

I wanted hamburgers, I made hamburgers. No bread for diabetic and "the half loaf I have left is too small for the burger" reasons.

Ah, all the meals have been cooked for today, and now it's time to sit back and relax with some quality educationally enriching entertainment.

So my EmuVR doesn't just do games. It'll allow you to watch videos. If you tell it to open a video, it'll spawn out a 90s era VCR and a VHS tape. Put it in the VCR, and you're watching TV in late 80s!