Since suddenly being thrust into the roll of full-time father of three, there are things that I seem to have trouble getting accomplished as readily as I did before. having three boys in the house tends to make me forgetful.  I forget to finish laundry, walk away from dishes, forget where I put my keys and sometimes I even forget to eat.

I know that not eating isn’t healthy.  I would never let my kids go without a meal, but in the dead heat of the day, I’m finding that remembering to eat before dinner has become a challenge.  To try and get myself to eat a more balanced and more creative diet, I’ve begun telling myself that lunch is the perfect time for foods that the kids probably won’t eat.

Doing so has made remembering lunch more fun.  I know there won’t be an argument over what’s served and that I can eat the things I love with abandon.  Just feed the littlest, put him down for a nap, then go crazy trying out new flavors.  I’s an almost guilty pleasure that I’m happy to say has been effective.  I haven’t forgotten lunch in a few days.

This is a simple dish, but packed with flavor.  I opted to skip noodles or rice this time, more for the sake of getting it on a plate than for any other reason.  It held up on its own, but without some form of starch, I’d call this a great side rather than an entree or full lunch.  In any event, give it a shot, I think you’ll like it!

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Every now and then I crave something that I’ve eaten a long time ago, but haven’t seen or heard of in a while. It doesn’t matter what it happens to be.  It can be something my mother used to make, my father’s chili, a food that reminds me of somewhere I’ve visited or just something attached to a memory of some time in my life.  Whatever it is that causes me to want that particular dish, once the idea is planted, it stay with me until I give in.  If ignored long enough it overwhenles me completely. This dish began with an inspiration like that.

My first real cooking job was as a line-cook (Or chef de partie) at a chain restaurant called Lyon’s, a California chain sort of like an up-scale Denny’s. It was the very early 90’s.  pasta was served with a blob of somewhat-Italian sauce on top, salad’s were huge and healthy meant you added chicken (cooked with butter.) In the winter, the side vegetables were always broccoli and caulflower.  In the summer we cooked zucchini and Yellow squash.  There were no other vegetable options.

While a side of squash might sound very healthy, the cooking method we used back then gave a lot of flavor, but definitely didn’t do anything to improve the health of our diners.  Several handfuls of squash were tossed into a saute pan with a serving ladle full of butter and tossed until soft, seasoned with salt and pepper, then served hot. Not what we’d call healthy in today’s world.

Unfortunately, it was this dish that taught me to love squash. It was cooked on my station.  I made a ton of this stuff every day, but I hadn’t thought of it in years.  Then the other night I was talking with my wife about old jobs we’d had and the memory of simple squash simmering in butter hit me like a brick.  I could smell it, I could taste it.  I had to have it, and nothing was going to get it out of my head until I made it.

Even though the memory of the original has a special place in my heart, I just can’t bring myself to use an entire stick of butter to cook two squash. I know better.  My cholesterol levels know better.  My family means more to me than that.  So I had to find a way to get the same flavor without all the fat.  I also had to keep it simple, because this side was never meant to be complex.

In the process, I needed a full meal to go with it, lest I sit and simply eat the entire pan of butter soaked veggies on my own, then be relegated to a diet of water and broccoli for the next month so that I can get my checkup without having the good doctor go insane.

In the end I decided on a combination of butter and olive oil and a bit of fresh red bell pepper to up the flavor that would be pulled out by the lack of fat.  The combination is wonderful and I highly recommend it the next time you’re looking for a simple side dish for a meal.

For the rest of the meal I added simply cooked turkey cutlets and an orzo and spinach salad that were both simply divine, if not paired perfectly. (serve the orzo on the side or in it’s own dish and you’ll be happier.  The squash and the Turkey are perfect together.)

Now that this trip down memory lane has reached an end, I feel invigorated and renewed.  Many of the things that I used to cook there are fresh in my memory and ready to be modernized, which is just the kick in the rear that my inner-chef has been lacking over the past few weeks.

Please give this dish a try and let all of us know what you think.  It’s dear to me in a strange way and I’d love to hearyour thoughts.

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I love Stir Fry.  I love it because it’s fast.  I love it because it’s simple, and I love it because it’s the easiest way I know of to use up anything you happen to have in your fridge or pantry.  You can stir fry just about anything and it’s gonna be good.  Add the right flavorings and whatever it is, it’s gonna be great.  This dish was absolutely fabulous.

Lunch needed to be quick yesterday.  All I knew was that it was going to involve two pork shoulder blade steaks I had in the fridge.  These guys were just begging to be used up before they went bad. I’m ot sure what inspired me to use this particular combination of marinade ingredients, but I’m very glad that I did.  The ork was tender, with a zing of ginger and more than enough flavor to induce a perfectly fed food coma after eating it.

The recipe easily makes enough for 4 to 6 people, especially if you pare it with a few extra sides, like pot stickers or dim sum.  Add in a bit of garlic chicken and you’d have a complete take out feast.

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Vegetarians avert your eyes.  Have your children leave the room, you don’t want them to see this.  For you it won’t be pretty.  However, for those of us who are dedicated omnivores (or in Dr. Biggles case, card carrying carnivores), it’s a dream on a bun, and I had to share it with the world at large.

Please excuse the fact that this really isn’t a recipe.  It’s more of a field assembly guide for the ultimate in meat based sandwiches. There will be no fluff, no cheese, no greens or sprouts.  Only bell peppers (or jalapeños, if you’re so inclined) are worthy of this carnivorous delight.

This sandwich was three days in the making. Was it worth it?  I think so.  Hopefully you will as well, but the only way you’ll ever know is if you try it for yourself.

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I’d like to take a moment to introduce our very first guest author Ben Herrera. Ben is the author of “What’s cooking?” a blog focusing on wonderful Mexican recipes. Please give him a huge round of applause! ~ Jerry

I have to admit that I got nervous when Jerry asked me to write a guest post for this blog. I wanted to write a post that would blow his readers away. I literally sat in front of a blank page for hours trying to come up with my greatest post ever. After all, this is not just any blog, we are talking about the Cooking by the Seat of my Pants blog.

However, I am not really good at complicated things and after several attempts and a bad headache I decided to keep it simple, just like the side dish I chose for this post. I love to cook. I learned about food and cooking at my parents’ restaurant in Mexico City where I literally grew up. I would spent a couple of hours after school every day helping with anything I could, from washing dishes to prep work and waiting tables.

I learned a good deal about food and restaurant management in those years, but when I am in the kitchen making dinner for my family I like to keep things simple. Simple doesn’t have to mean boring and flavorless. Using just a few ingredients, as long as they are fresh and of good quality, I have been able to come up with delicious dishes. A lot of single ingredients contain a lot of flavor, aroma or just that special kick that can make a dish memorable.

One of those ingredients is the humble, yet delicious, Poblano pepper. Poblano is a mild pepper and one of the most popular chiles grown in Mexico and the American southwest. Their flavor is so rich that they are perfect for chiles rellenos and just about any dish they are used in, like this creamy Poblano rice:

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Mine is one of the many American households where Ham is a staple at several holidays. I have slightly different methods for preparing this noble cut of meat, depending on the holiday in question.

For Easter, braising is my preferred method. No cloves will be found in my Easter ham, not that I’m against them, I’m not. I just prefer the first ham of the year to be something a bit simpler, with the essence of apples and the robust backdrop of a good red wine, rather than the more traditional pineapple and clove-studded affair.

It’s rich, flavorful and oh so decadent, especially when compared to the lighter foods that seem to come to the fore after the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season.

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This comes straight from my little sister. I’ll admit it’s been a while since I made this myself, but it was a staple in my home growing up and I intend to make it later in the month. It reminds me of my mother, and dinners we shared when I was a kid with a far less refined palette. to be honest, I don’t mind the “less refined” part. This is just great food and deserves to be simple.

What follows is the recipe as I received it in my email with only minor changes (spelling and grammar): Read more…

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