License to Chili: A James Bond Literary Cooking Adventure

So, here’s the scoop. On this most special Cooking Adventure in tribute of the James Bond series by Ian Fleming… Nothing, I mean, nothing went right from the start. Due to the time change, I forgot all about losing an hour of daylight in the afternoon on the day I was cooking and unfortunately couldn’t finish filming it. Working the next few days in a row ensured that I wouldn’t have time to finish and make it look seamless. On top of all of that, I ran out of batteries in the camera while filming so I had to film a new intro today as well as some last minute scenes.

The flavorful turkey chili promised in the video ended up being very delicious with the exception of the beans. I opted for dried beans instead of canned this time. I ALWAYS get canned. Turns out that there’s a whole process to cooking the beans first before adding them to the chili…or one is supposed to do the entire thing in a crockpot and have it cook for hours upon hours. Because time was rather short, the beans ended up being a bit chewy and I’m not at all proud of that.

Last but certainly not least, I lost the thumb drive with all of the footage on it and spent several hours acting like a crime scene investigator in my own house while I searched for it. Turns out it was in my purse the entire time. Herp a derp.

Because I’m running behind on time once again, and I still have about a billion pages to write on my NaNoWriMo (Book 4 of the Monstrum Chronicles), I will be including a link to the original recipe for this chili. Definitely check it out and if you plan on making it yourself, I’d advise CANS of beans. So much easier for those of us who like easy in the kitchen.

Boom. Check out this chili recipe!

Enjoy and make sure you watch til the end. There’s an extra fun blooper there for you.

~KSilva

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Thigh Robot Literary Cooking Adventure

The three laws of robot cooking are as follows:
One: Do not spill water on self.
Two: Follow all instructions exactly.
Three: Do not cook more than two things at once unless it conflicts with law number 2.

I broke rule #3 back in May when I decided to do my Jurassic Park Cooking Adventure on the same day as my I, Robot Cooking Adventure.

It was later in the evening, the lighting wasn’t as good, my hair was crazy, and for some reason, I developed a lisp whenever trying to say anything with an ‘s’. However, the recipe for this Lemon Butter Chicken was pretty spectacular. It’s a little more involved than I had expected but in the end, it was a sight for sore eyes, especially after a full day of slaving over a hot stove.

I had meant to have a newly filmed Cooking Adventure up this week but unfortunately my schedule didn’t allow much time to film this past weekend. Fear not; I will have a few new ones up my sleeve for the coming weeks.

Interested in the recipe for this yummy winner chicken dinner? Shift and shuffle down the page to check it out. It’s made of stuff every robot (or human pretending to dance “the robot”) desires. The original and beautiful recipe is from Damn Delicious and yes, yes it was.

Fair-Shell And Adieu To You Fair Spanish Ladies!

LITERARY COOKING ADVENTURE: Jaws Part Deux

As it is Shark Week and one of my favorite films/novels is Jaws by Peter Benchley, I thought it would be fun to not only do a video Cooking Adventure, but also a traditional written account of another dish. Therefore, last night after a long day of work, I put my nose to the grindstone and decided to make a recipe that I’ve had my eye on for some time: Mussels in Garlic White Wine Sauce. Yes… It is as good as it sounds. It should be known that since I have a fear of killing crustaceans/living creatures in the pursuit of cooking, I decided to use frozen mussels. They were still in their shells, in air-tight plastic wrap and were just as good as live ones. I also didn’t have to do any de-bearding or washing which is a plus when you work until late and don’t want to do all of that. I suppose it’s cheating but…I don’t really care.

Ella Eggplanted Literary Cooking Adventure

I had to obey my inner voice this week. It told me that I had a craving for eggplant (probably the first time that’s ever happened) and that I should find a scrumptious recipe to tackle for this week’s Literary Cooking Adventure. As such, I found a terrific one for some Eggplant Parmesan Boats, which were relatively easy to make and tasted SO GOOD!

Alas, the gift of obeying does not come without its share of frustration, as protagonist Ella found out in Gail Carson Levine’s “Ella Enchanted”. Renegade eggplant escapees, a dastardly onion that refused to be cut, and a pretty bad breakdown while trying to film the intro to the video are only a few of the things that went wrong.

Want to make this spectacular dish for yourself? BEHOLD! Scroll down to find the ingredients and directions!

Pearwell My Lovely Literary Cooking Adventure

It was hot in the city that night; hotter than any day I could remember. I was just closing up the office. It had been a hell of a day and all I could think about was settling into bed and finally catching some sleep. Just then, there was an unexpected knock at my door. I called for them to come in. And there, standing in my door, was the most handsome pizza I’d ever seen in my entire life.

Really though. I think I’ve found my new favorite pizza. Pear Bacon pizza sounds kind of strange, yes, I’ll admit. But, it is mouth-watering, sweet and savory and perfect in every possible way. This sauce-less, artisan pizza was probably one of my favorite literary Cooking Adventures to date. I’ve made it three times now!

Owing to the fact that this was the first time I’d made it, there were a few hitches along the way. In a tribute to Raymond Chandler’s “Farewell My Lovely”, I sauntered into the kitchen and took up my knife and rolling pin, ready to investigate this decadent pie.

Check out the full instructions below on how to craft this Pear Bacon Pizza for yourselves! You can find the original recipe that inspired this one over at Recipe Runner!

The Cauliflower of Cthulhu: Literary Cooking Adventure

After an arduous journey across treacherous terrain, I found myself at my destination: the mountains of madness…and cauliflower.

This week on Literary Cooking Adventures, we’re celebrating H.P. Lovecraft. Watch as I take on what should have been a simple recipe for a cauliflower casserole, negotiating challenging obstacles and insanity in the forms of unbreakable plastic wrap, never-ending water drainage, and the most dangerous of all: the monstrous kitty Cthulhu!

I snagged the original recipe from the Food Network website. Although mine looked nothing like the photo they put up, it still tasted great and I’d definitely make it again.

Want to make this delicious recipe for yourself? Check out the ingredients and directions below!

Fin City: A Dame to Grill For LITERARY Cooking Adventure

In the dark and winter-ruled city, I had grown mad from the snow, and the darkness and the cold. I needed to feel refreshed, needed some hint of spring to remind me that the world needn’t be constantly swept in shadows…

Ahem. Well…that is…I decided to leap into action and make some lovely grilled fish tacos on a dreary March day a few weeks ago and they were SUPERB! In a tribute to Frank Miller’s Sin City graphic novels, I donned some makeup, slicked my hair back, and got to work in the kitchen. I dealt with a rather unforgiving lime that was not in the mood to be juiced, some frozen fish trapped in a bag that wouldn’t open, and of course, battled the all powerful grill pan as it viciously spat oil at me.

All in a days work though. The fish tacos were wonderful.

Frankenswine: Literary Cooking Adventure

IT’S ALIVE!

While stumbling across the internet as I often do in search of new and wonderful recipes, I happened upon one for some delicious sweet potato, bacon turkey burgers. I mean…how have I been existing without such a marvelous concoction as this in my diet? There’s bacon IN the burger! I had to give it a try.

Squash-Stashing and Ham-Hoarding

COOKING ADVENTURE #93: Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

This has quite possibly got to be the miracle of all Cooking Adventures I’ve ever done. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much go wrong with a recipe and yet…turn out to be edible in the end. Literally everything I touched during this managed to go terribly. And what’s more…I was dictating most of what happened to a friend whilst doing it. It was my first “Cooking Adventure Live” attempt…and it proves that any outside distraction can have disastrous consequences. Well, maybe not “disastrous”. After all, they were edible in the end, ha ha. And they lasted me practically a week! I shall now dictate to you absolutely everything that happened during the Great Enchilada Meltdown. Be Prepared.

The Dry Fruit Trifecta

COOKING ADVENTURE #92: Blackened Salmon with Mango Avacado Salsa

Let’s be clear: this winter didn’t want to end. It was/is clinging to Maine like a bug clings to the outside of a speeding car, air rushing against it. That’s how much we wanted winter to go. It’s like it was trying against all odds to stay and make us miserable. Now that I’ve made my point, I’ll also make the point that because of this weather, my diet has consisted primarily of delicious comfort food…lots of pizza, pasta, and of course, chocolate. And that has made several pair of my pants feel just a tad too tight for comfort. So, I decided that I was going to try and get back on a healthy track and start preparing some food that was better for me overall. On the list of foods that are fabulous for you: salmon, avacado, and mango. And wouldn’t you know it, I came across a recipe that utilizes all three. I was delighted. And admittedly, a little nervous. I hadn’t cooked fish in a long time. I hadn’t eaten salmon in practically five years. I wasn’t sure I was going to like this even if it turned out brilliantly. I like being surprised in a good way. Love it in fact.