whew.

i am still recovering from saturday. it was an extremely fierce battle and we both cooked our little hearts out. bottom line... it was fun day for all:

our panel of esteemed judges (L to R cousin aaron, brother jim, cousin scottina)

pre-battle (L to R prof. paradox, me, scottina)


post-battle


the aftermath

the menus:
steve's (from memory... i'm sure the prof. will put up something more detailed)

• deep fried spinach cheese sticks with ranch, marinara, and sweet vinegar dipping sauces

• spinach antipasto plate with salami, pepperoncini, and vinegrette

• feta and spinach stuffed burgers with hand-made onion rings and shiraz reduction

• spinach eggs benedict with a parmesan white sauce

• spinach and cheese topped polenta rounds topped with candied walnuts and maple syrup

me

• honeyed spinach sauteed in sesame oil with raisins, pine nuts, & black sesame seeds

• spinach maki rolls with pickled ginger and wasabi

• spinach feta kalamata pie with homemade tzatziki

• spinach risotto topped with roasted red pepper and shaved parmesan reggiano

• sag paneer with fork mashed purple potatoes

our takes on the secret ingredient were pretty different. this is dish is steve's feta and spinach stuffed burger topped with hand-made onion rings and a shiraz reduction.


my sag paneer with purple potatoes.

to be honest, it was really hard to get pictures taken of all the steps we took to get to end results. i will probably re-enact my menu throughout the next couple of weeks to show step by step recipes.

p.s. wii bowling is super-fun. i want a wii.

victory...

it is mine. detailed post to come...

the day has arrived

today is the day of the knittermonkey/prof. paradox spinach face off. i'm ready for battle. can the prof. say the same? i would guess so. i look forward to fun-time in the the kitchen, as i'm sure a day of hilarity will ensue. the event will indeed be well documented, so stay tuned for a super pict-o-rama of spinach!

let's get ready to rumble!

after a brief consult with my worthy opponent, it has been decided that we will begin at high noon-ish on saturday. it seems both menus are already in place. i have decided on 4 dishes that i have never attempted before. rest assured the day will be well documented, so stay tuned.

and as the chairman says:
ALLEZ CUISINE!

wow.

well. i've found out what the secret ingredient is. how, you ask? by reading my rival's blog folks. that's right.

spinach.

time to get to work.

i did it.

yep. here it is. i had a cap with a tassel, but it was itchy as hell. the day was pretty great, and the best speech of the day, hands down, was by my friend elon. she is the most eloquent public speaker i have ever heard and by the time she was done, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

here she is.

what a great day. i only wish i had more pictures, so if any of you that were there have some you can pass along i would really appreciate it.

so, cousin chef is this coming saturday and the ingredient is still unknown. that makes me a little nervous, but i am assured that we ARE going to find out what it is before saturday. this time around we will be in "stadium rockdale", which gives prof. paradox home court advantage. let me just say... he will need it.

the kitchen of DOOM

it's true...i am the embodiment of evil. i write to you from the kitchen of doom, which i have been absent from as of late (as prof. paradox has astutely pointed out). no, this is not due to an evil plot of any sort... it is only due to finals week at school and preparation for my last foray into year end exams before i go on to take my national board exams this summer.

this does not mean i haven't been cookin' up stuff.


behold: pizza!
this is no hot circle of garbage, my friends (well, mostly because it's not a circle). but indeed it was delicious. a crust made from a recipe from "the joy of cooking", a caramelized onion puree for the sauce, grilled zucchini, red pepper that i roasted myself, grilled mushrooms, and topped with a blend of 6 italian cheeses that are not pictured here because it would cover up the beauty.


the crust













the grilled veg













and the finish













i made two of them to take over to my friend monique's house for our battlestar galactica premier extravaganza on friday night. can i just mention again how much i love that show?