Guest Post From The Wife

Oooo, look at that delicious bowl of rice noodle pad thai, you say.  I want to eat that normal pad thai, you say.

Fool!

I don't have many kitchen gadgets, but one I heart very much is my spiralizer.  I was reluctant to even order it, as Fatty has what I refer to as "Lenny strength." He is the opposite of King Midas, destroying lots of things he touches.  But I took the plunge, and after the box arrived from Amazon and my husband swiftly push-kicked it from the sidewalk to me at the front door (of course), I unpacked it and realized it was more hearty than I imagined, so he is allowed to touch it.

I can turn potatoes, zucchinis, carrots, whatever I want (well, kinda) into noodles!  It helps the ol' waistline but it also just keeps it interesting in the kitchen with different textures and colors.  Thicker root vegetables spiralize best.  So when I laid my eyes on a daikon radish at the farmer's market Saturday morning, my mental gears started turning.  What resulted is below.

Daikon Pad Thai

1 daikon radish, peeled, ends chopped, spiralized on Blade B

1 carrot, peeled, ends chopped, cut into matchsticks

1 green onion, minced

In medium skillet, saute carrot for a couple of minutes, then add radish.  Saute until desired tenderness is reached, about 5-7 minutes.  Toss green onion in at very end just to soften.

Peanut sauce

1/2 tsp chili paste (sambal olek)

1/2 T rice vinegar

1/2 T ketchup

1 T peanut butter

1/2 T olive or sesame oil

1 tsp soy sauce

splash water

Whisk together until peanut butter blends with other ingredients.  Add to ingredients in skillet while still hot.  Toss to coat.  Garnish with peanuts and cilantro if desired.

Slow cooker Pineapple Chicken & Stuffing

This particular gem is for those nights when you don't want to do anything other than take the food out of the slow cooker and put it on a plate, it is just that simple. With the wife working all day, and sometimes I'm just not wanting to slave over the hot stove in the sweltering Oklahoma heat this is the perfect meal for getting out of the kitchen and into the cool seat in front of the TV.


4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 Box of your favorite stuffing

1 Can of cream of chicken soup

1 Can of Diced, or crushed pineapple

1 Slow cooker bag


Place the slow cooker bag in the slow cooker. Place in the 4 chicken breasts, raw. Salt and pepper before placing in the slow cooker. Cover chicken with pineapple, followed by the whole box of stuffing, and then cover stuffing with cream of chicken soup.

Depending on your slow cookers "low" setting it could take from 2 to 4 hours, also depending on how big the breast is. (Insert your joke). Our cooker went for 2.5 hours and the chicken remained nice and moist. If you love chicken and stuffing, this is great and all in one "pot." Enjoy.

One a scale of 1-5 fat rolls, this was a 4.

Quick and Easy Cheesy Broconeesi

This particular delight is not really picture worthy so it will go without one. We tried different lighting, location in the house and even outside and just couldn't get this dish to photograph well, so you will just have to use your imagination until you make it. But believe me it is well worth the quick prep. This meal is for your typical "weekday" meal, when you have slaved over that 8,9,10 hour day and just want to relax, but still want something tasty, and not from a box or reheated from frozen.
P.S. We had cooked up a whole smoked sausage, sorry about the redundancy of the sausage, but of course feel free to use any meat your heart desires.

1 Smoked Sausage (flavor of your choice) 7oz.

1 Package frozen broccoli

3/4 cup dry white rice (or brown of course, maybe even wild, if you're a crazy kinda person)

Velveeta Cheese, amount that you desire

2 Tbs Milk, or cream


First start boiling water for the rice and cook, follow directions on package for amount you have chosen to use for the evening meal. While boiling and cooking rice, throw a package of frozen broccoli in the microwave, following package directions. I know above I said something about frozen meals, but this is only one "cheat" ingredient so give me a break :) plus you're tired from work so you can always use the extra help.

Slice up sausage (I make into half moons because it looks cool), saute in pan (no oil, the meat will produce more than enough), go until it is beginning to stick slightly to the bottom of the pan and leaving that beautiful caramelized, brownish edges, pull out and set aside on paper towel to let drain.

In another sauce pan, start melting down the Velveeta cheese, again, any amount that you want to mix in with the dish. Make it as cheesy, or not cheesy as your deem appropriate. But you can never have too much cheese in my opinion! Mix in a couple splashes of milk or cream depending on what you have in the fridge for "creamy" purposes. I find a couple table spoons usually does the trick.

Once rice is cook, combine with broccoli and sausage in large bowl and cover with melted cheese. Stir and serve! Simple and cheesy, it doesn't get much better than that.


On the scale of 1-5 fat rolls, this is 4 fat rolls.

Smoked Sausage Creamy Macaroni Salad

If your a meat eater, and want to have a "salad" this is the perfect compromise. You can tell people that you are eating a salad, cause hey, it has a "dressing." Home made pictures, no photo shopping in this fat man's kitchen.



1.5 cups of Macaroni, dry

5 slices bacon, cooked, diced

1 avocado, diced (don't eat the seed that will hurt your teeth)

7oz. (half a package) smoked sausage, flavor or your choice


DRESSING

3/4 cup Mayo

1/4 cup lemon juice

zest of 1 lemon

1 Tbs sugar

1/4 cup olive oil


Timing is key with most recipes so keep that in mind when cooking. Cook pasta in boiling water until your preferred "bite" is reached. I find that cooking bacon in the skillet adds more crispiness and flavor and searing off the smoked sausage in the bacon fat is a flavor from heaven. So cook bacon in skillet until nice and crispy, remove and add diced up sausage pieces. Since already cooked, just sear and bring out the flavor. Set meats aside on paper towel for absorb grease while making dressing and and finishing pasta cooking.

For dressing combine mayo, lemon juice, zest and sugar, in food processor until the mixture is creamy and sugar has been dissolved. Once that is combined, stream in oil (with machine running) until the dressing has reached your level of "creaminess."

Combine pasta, meats, and avocado in large bowl, cover with dressing you have just made and stir to combine. Season to taste.  Then what you wanna do is divide into bowls and strap on the ol' feed bag. This is suppose to feed 4 people, but this fatty and his wife took it down in 2 servings.

On a scale of 1-5 fat rolls, this received 5 fat rolls.

Introduction to Fatty's life and times

I'm a fat guy who loves to cook. I love my wife and enjoy cooking for her, and I love food almost just as much. I make everything from burgers (which could win a competition), to salads. I see that everyone now days has a blog, so why not jump on the "social media" band wagon and get my great food ideas and culinary expertise out there. You never know, it might lead to a cooking show on TV. Although I've been told I have a face for radio. Join my wife and I on this culinary adventure in our kitchen and maybe it will give you some hints, or ideas of your own to take home to your family. I mean, I'm a fatty, how can you not trust a fat guy when it comes to cooking.