Monster Hunter: Monster Report

Today was a pretty good day. Not as good as yesterday, but still pretty good. I only died once, and I got a few more pieces of the Lagiacrus armor.

1 Rathalos: CLEARED (0 deaths by me) (Fought with Rathian)
1 Rathian: CLEARED (0 deaths by me) (Fought with Rathalos)
1 Gigginox CLEARED (1 death by me)

I need to find a way to get tons of money. If anyone has any ideas, please comment.

Monster Hunter Report: Awesome Monster Report

Today things went great. I got in a group with some good guys and rocked to Large Monsters in to the ground! And I didn't cause any Quests to fail!

1 Uragaan: CLEAR  (2 deaths by me)
1 Rathalos: CLEAR (no deaths all-round)

Today was a wonderful day for Monster Hunter.

Monster Hunter: Monster Report

Today I did terrible. I only completed one quest, and that had small monsters in it. Anyway, here is the report.

16 Uroktor: CLEARED
1 Uragaan: FAIL (2 deaths by me)
1 Rathalos: FAIL (0 deaths by me)

All in all, it was a very bad day for Monster Hunting. Maybe tomorrow I will try to get the complete Lagiacrus set of armor for my offline quests.

What I Did Today

   Today was a bit of a lazy day. Homeschool was pretty easy and nothing new came up for Biology. There was a quiz, but it was an easy one on atomic structure.
   Joel stole Monster Hunter from me. I wanted to play it, but Joel got to it before me. I LOVE Monster Hunter. It is absolutely amazing. If you ever want to talk to me, buy Monster Hunter Tri and search for me on the Rookie servers (currently) from 3:00-5:00 PM.
   I am currently reading Robert Jordan's The Shadow Rising. It is sort of like Lord of the Rings in the fact that they are very long books about fantasy places with lots of intricate details.
   My brother just beat up a Qurupeco in Monster Hunter Tri with 3 other guys. He is excited right now. Still only a single digit hunter rank, but he's happy. I will get happy when I get to fight Rathalos I currently am Hunter Rank 18, which entitles me to better food at the Tavern and better Quests at the counter. I will post again after I have played Monster Hunter so that you know what I have killed and earned.

RESTART!

I am going to restart my blog a little. It is something to do and I have tons of free time, so, why not?

Cook Like a Chef Episode 5: Rice

Today I watched an episode on rice. The person did three risottos, two sticky rice recipes, and a sticky rice risotto.

The first three risottos used arboreal rice. It is one of the hardest rices around. The first two risottos used butter and onions, while the third used just butter. The first risotto had wine, chicken stock, and blanched watercress, baby spinach, carrots, celery, and onions. That made a very veggie risotto. It was topped with Parmesan. The second risotto used chicken stock, lemon and lime juice and zest, heavy whipped cream, and blanched asparagus spears. It was a citrus based risotto. The last risotto was my favorite. It used water boiled with cloves and star anise, bittersweet chocolate, whipping cream, a dash of brandy (also known as the water of life), and topped with hazelnuts. I am going to have to try that sometime.

The sticky rice is actually called sweet rice. It is used in sushi. It is different from other rices in the fact that it is steamed, not cooked in water. The first sticky rice recipe used an egg, butter, scallions, and cilantro. Then they formed the mixture into patties and browned both sides with oil. The second recipe used scallions, cilantro, aged soy sauce, sesame oil, and lime juice.

The sticky rice risotto was based on tropical flavors. The first ingredient was a chopped mango. Then the sticky rice was added to a simple syrup (a mixture of sugar and water) with toasted sesame seeds. Then coconut milk was added with sugar and salt. Then the mango was added to the risotto and it was all mixed together.

Cook Like a Chef Episode 3: Turkey

Today I watched Episode Three of Cook Like a Chef. They did turkey. It turns out that turkey is actually a very lean bird, and if you are going to roast it you need to be liberal with the butter. The first part was preparing the brine for the turkey. The brine contains maple syrup, star anise, cloves, rock salt, and cold water. Then the turkey is put in the refrigerated brine for four hours. The stuffing is then stuffed in the cavity of the turkey at room temperature. The giblets except for the liver go in cold water for the gravy. You simmer that. You put room temp. butter and bacon on the turkey and put it on a bed of carrots, celery, and onions to roast for 6-7 hours. Remove the bacon 40 minutes before removing the turkey. When carving, remove the stuffing first, then do the legs, then the wings, then the rest. Put the bones and carcass into cold water with carrots, celery, and onions for the gravy. Take the drippings from the roasting pan and add enough flour to get a paste. This is a rue. Add an herb bundle to the turkey stock. Add Riesling wine to the rue. Pour the giblet stock into the rue. Add the turkey stock, then strain. Your turkey meal is now finished.

Cook like a Chef: Ep 2 Sauce

Today Cook like a Chef did four sections on sauces.

The first section told how to turn cow bones, carrots, onion, celery, leeks, and water into a delicious and smooth Veal Stock.

The second section told how to make three different sauces for pork, beef, and another meat with Veal Stock. There was an orange sauce with shallots and butter, a port sauce with shallots and figs, and a wine sauce with shallots and grainy mustard.

The third section had two ways to make a fish sauce and one way to make and onion sauce. She deglazed the pan the fish was cooked in for one fish sauce and used very reduced fish stock and a lot of butter for the other fish sauce. The mushroom sauce used Veal Stock and cream with mushrooms for a mushroom sauce for beef.

The last section depicted three different sauces that did not use Veal Stock. There was a caramelized onion and apple sauce; a roasted pepper and wine sauce; and a diced tomato, onion, and tarragon sauce.

Cook like a Chef: Ep. 1 Wine

Today I am starting something different for my cooking class. I will be watching this cooking show called Cook like a Chef from Food Network Canada. Today They did four easy recipes concerning wine.

The first recipe was a wine fume (a reduction of wine, herbs, fish, and vegetables) on a Red Snapper.

The second recipe was sauteed salmon medallions. He cut salmon steaks into medallions and sauteed them with vegetables and red wine. They were served on veggies and covered with a sauce derived from the leftover saute.

The third recipe was deglazeing pans of pork and beef drippings and turning them into a savory sauce for the meats. He deglazed the pans with red and white wines, herbs, brandy, whole cream, and butter. He then reduced the sauce to concentrate the flavors and give the sauce a little form.

The last recipe was a fig glaze made with dried figs, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, Merlot, and honey. He removed the figs half-way through the reduction process to prevent the figs from becoming mush. He reduced the remaining liquid to a liquid of slime-like consistency. He then put the figs on crusty French bread covered in Ricotta cheese and Spanish ham. The resulting sandwich was covered in the glaze.

Here is the link to the show's page on Food Network Canada's website.
http://www.foodnetwork.ca/ontv/shows/cook-like-a-chef/show.html?titleid=78296

Roast Beef Quesadilla

Yesterday I made a Roast Beef Quesadilla. Here is the recipe.

Tortilla (whatever brand)
Cheese (cheddar or mixed)
Ground Roast Beef

This recipe is actually pretty vague. You just put however much cheese and meat you want on a tortilla, top with another tortilla, and cook in a flat pan, flipping the quesadilla when the side reaches the right color. Here are pictures.

The Beginning


Cheese


Cheese & Meat


Finished


This recipe was VERY easy to make. They tasted pretty good, but they would have tasted better with sour cream.

Lemon Chocolate Brownies

Today I made Lemon Chocolate Brownies. Here is the recipe.

4 eggs
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 tbsp Cocoa
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon extract

Here are pictures.

The Ingredients


Mixed


Ready to Bake


Baked


This recipe was very simple. It is a basic chocolate brownie recipe with a little added ingredient. The original recipe is my Grandma's. They tasted quite good.

Slow Cooker Beans and Wieners

Today I made Slow Cooker Beans and Wieners from a Betty Crocker Recipe. Here is the original recipe. I made no deviations from the original recipe aside from a little less hot dog.

Here are pictures.

The Beginning


Ready to Cook


Cooked


Dished


I didn't have any problems with this recipe. Slow cooker recipes are really easy. All you do is add to the pot and wait a few hours. It was delicious.

Italian Shredded Beef Hoagies

Last Thursday I made Italian Shredded Hoagies using a recipe from Betty Crocker. Click here for the original recipe. And here is our recipe

4 pounds bottom roast
1 large onion, sliced
1 can undrained diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
hoagie buns
mozzarella cheese

Here are pictures

The Ingredients


Ready to Cook


Shredded


Finished


This recipe was not very hard to make. The only problem I had was deciding how to shred the meat since it was a little tough and touching the raw meat. It was a very good meal.

Country Fried Steak with Baked Potatoes and Corn

Yesterday I made a meal for my family. Here is how I did it. First I picked out five potatoes of the approximate same size. This is so that all the potatoes cook in about the same time. Then I scrubbed and washed the potatoes. After I put them in a microwave safe container, I took out the Country Fried Steaks and warmed up the oven. After the oven was warm, I put all of the steaks into the oven on a stoneware and put the potatoes in the microwave. In thirteen minutes or so, dinner was almost done. After the potatoes and the steaks were done cooking, I put some frozen corn into the microwave for four minutes. When that was done all that was left was to serve and eat. Here are pictures.

Steaks pre oven


Potatoes pre microwave


Steaks after oven


Potatoes after microwave


The Finished Plate


This was very easy to make. It was a good meal.

Raisin Bread

Today I made Raisin Bread. Here are the ingredients.

11 ounces water
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
4 cups flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 1/4 tsp dry yeast
1 cup raisins

Here is a picture.


This bread was very easy to make since all I had to do was measure everything into a pan. My mom and I like it.

Shake and Bake Chicken

I made chicken today. I didn't really use a recipe for this. Here is what I used though.

Flour
Parmesan
Salt
Pepper
Cumin
Italian seasoning
Bread Crumbs

Here are some pictures.

The Dust


Cutting


Ready to Bake


Done


This was a relatively easy recipe to make. I ate some and thought that they were good, but a bit wet. Everyone else thought that they were fine.

Cream Corn Cake

Today I made Cream Corn Cake. Here is the recipe.

1 stick softened margarine
1 cup sour cream
3 oz softened cream cheese
1 beaten egg
1 can cream corn
1 can undrained corn
1 tsp onion flakes
1 pkg. Jiffy Corn Bread mix

Here are pictures.

The Ingredients


Done Cooking


Cut for Serving


They were pretty easy to make. They tasted pretty good.

Snickerdoodle Rice Krispie Treats

This is a recipe from another website. Click here to see the original website. Here is the recipe.

3 tbsp margarine
4 cups mini marshmallows
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Here are pictures.

The Beginning


Mixing


Pouring


Done


These were easy to make. They also tasted pretty good.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made chocolate chip cookies. Here is the recipe.

1 cup Regular Blue Bonnet Margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Here are pictures.

The Ingredients


The Liquids


The Dough


Done


I had no difficulties with this recipe. It was easy. They were good to eat.

Root Beer Float Cake

Today I made Root Beer Float Cake. Here is the recipe.

This recipe is a slight variation from this one.

Cake:
2 c. self-rising flour (I used 2 cups flour, 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt)
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted (Butter can be warm, but not hot, when incorporated into mix.) (margarine)
2 large eggs
1 c. reduced root beer (One 12-oz. can of root beer reduced to 8 oz. when heated in a pan on the stove.)
1/2 c. buttermilk (milk and lemon juice)
1 tsp. McCormick root beer concentrate

Glaze:
1 c. sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 Tbsp. McCormick root beer concentrate

Topping:
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
1 packet (about 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored powdered gelatin, such as Knox brand
1 c. reduced root beer (One 12-oz. can of root beer reduced to 8 oz. when heated in a pan on the stove.)

Here are pictures.

The Beginning


The Dry


The Wet


Done Baking


The Glaze


Glazed


Done


The only difficulty with this cake was the reduced root beer and the topping. It took me several tries with my mom's help to make the topping. The reduced root beer was tedious. Everyone liked the cake. If I had to do something differently, it would be to use pre-made topping and reduced root beer.

Roman Bread

Today I made Roman Bread. Here is the recipe as it is in "The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook".

1 1/2 cups water
4 cups flour
1tbsp+1tsp sugar
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp salt
1tbsp+1/2tsp bread machine yeast

The topping is as this.

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp dried and crushed rosemary

The topping is put on right before baking. Here are some pictures.

The Beginning


Ready to Dough


Ready to Roll


Done


The bread was easy to make and quite good. Everyone liked it. The only thing I could have done better was to use less pans.

Apple-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Today I am making Apple Cream Cheese Coffee Cake. Here are the ingredients.

6 oz. cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp grated lemon peel
2 tsp lemon juice
2 cups Bisquick (found at Wal*Mart)
2 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup stick butter
1/3 cup milk
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
homemade cooked and seasoned apples

These ingredients can be found at your local Wal*Mart, Piggly Wiggly, Target, or Aldis. The original recipe is from this address.
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/apple-cream-cheese-coffee-cake/f19e635c-3623-4f88-9152-8fcdb1bb6260

Here are some pictures.

Folding


Done Folding


Dusted


Done


This recipe was pretty easy. The hardest part was probably zesting the lemon. I probably should have had more cream cheese on hand.