While preparing my mise en place for my chicken tenders today, I realized that I didn’t make enough bread crumbs earlier in the week for these chicken tenders. That was annoying, but then I also realized that I didn’t have enough grated parmesan cheese, anyway, even if I really did have enough bread crumbs to triple the recipe. So instead, I breaded and baked as many chicken tenders as I could with my breadcrumb/herb/parmesan mixture, then created a workaround for my remaining chicken tenders: I coated the rest with egg, then tossed them around a mixture of seasoned flour, spices, and some shredded mozzarella that I had leftover in the freezer. Would these bake up the same as my chicken tenders with a proper breaded coating? No. But given that they were coated in shredded melty cheese and would be baked at the high temperature of 450 F, I figured they’d still turn out tasty.

Well, it looks like they all turned out well – the proper batch of chicken tenders and my hacked version. Chris even though the hacked version came out better and crispier. So maybe my kitchen skills haven’t totally fizzled during my sick time!

As soon as I purchased the lion’s mane and maitake mushrooms on Sunday, I was already excited about making them when we got home. I knew that given both would have delicate flavors and meaty textures that I’d want to lightly pan sear them with a little olive oil, a bit of butter, and season simply with sea salt and pepper. I remember I had also purchased a container of ricotta last week, so they’d go really well together on some crusty bread slices and a drizzle of olive oil. So that’s how I made them this morning. Unfortunately, to get the nice brown sear on both sides, I did create some smoke on my carbon steel pans, which did not sit well with Pookster’s eyes or our air purifier, even with the stove fan on high blast, but I had no choice. But at least it wouldn’t last too long. With one bite of both the maitake and the lion’s mane, and I knew that this purchase was absolutely worth it: the lion’s mane had this interesting, meaty, almost scallop like texture with a light flavor. The maitakes were a bit crunchy and had a deep, earthy flavor. I was obsessed with both and wish I had four times the amount. But if I did, I’d have spent $80, which I wasn’t really going to do with mushrooms… at least, not this time. These mushrooms looked, felt, and tasted extremely luxurious. I just love, love fungus — of the edible variety.

I am pretty certain that everyone loves fried food, whether they want to admit it out loud or not. I’m also certain that everyone loves fried chicken, even vegans who are in denial. Who could really resist the crunch, the juiciness, and the delicious scent of chicken fat? However, what most people do not like is a lot of oil used for frying… in their own kitchen. It’s a LOT of oil that is required for deep frying, and potentially a lot of waste if you do not reuse the oil. There is also a fine line between re-using that oil enough times to get a good ROI vs. using it one time too many and getting a stale, greasy “fry.” But the crispy skin juxtaposed with the juicy meat quite the temptation. So many home cooks have tried to replicate “frying” with techniques used in the oven for similar results.

I’d had Amanda Hesser’s “oven fried” chicken bookmarked for years now. I always said that at some point, I’d prioritize buying bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs just to make this recipe, but I got so sucked into my usual routine of just buying boneless, skinless thighs that I’d always forget. Once I got Butcherbox, though, I decided I would slightly go out of my comfort zone and finally make this happen. And I did today! I used this recipe, brined, coated in a light flour/parmesan/smoked paprika coating, and oven “fried” with just two tablespoons of butter, for about one hour. And the result was incredible: the skin was super crackly and crunchy. And the meat was juicy and tender.

I’m looking forward to using this recipe again and again in the future, with slight tweaks here and there for seasoning, like garlic or onion powder. This was a hit!

After many years of using random “nonstick” pans, Scanpans, “ceramic” coated pans, and stainless steel, I’ve finally decided to give up on ceramic/Scanpan type pans and try carbon steel. Carbon steel is supposed to be a kitchen workhorse in that it’s basically got the power of cast iron without the crazy weight. It retains heat well, just like cast iron, and it’s also great for searing meat and browning. It can go from the stove to the oven and handle up to 600 F. However, the catch is that while they are generally cheaper than the average pan, they do require the same level of maintenance as a cast iron pan. That means… it needs to be seasoned again and again until it’s actually made “nonstick” with all the layers of oil/seasoning, and it needs to be re-seasoned often. The good thing is that because it is so much lighter than cast iron, it’s easier to maneuver and use every day. Unfortunately, in this house, Chris would never be caught seasoning any pan in any way because not only would he have no clue what to do, he has zero interest, so all that work is going to be on me to get us started, as well as to keep us going with these pans to ensure they really do last us a lifetime.

I was told that carbon steel is the material of choice for pans in a restaurant kitchen, and especially for delicate things like making banh cuon or banh xeo. So I’m excited to season my 8-inch and 10-inch pans and get this party started, and finally say goodbye to my crappy Scanpan, which was already replaced by the manufacturer once and is losing its “nonstick” quality. So much for being safer or better made. The quality of Scanpan has really declined over the years, which makes me sad when I think about how much money I paid for those two pans, one of which I already long discarded.

I rarely buy steak to prepare at home because the idea of it never really entices me. The one time I got really excited about buying them was last year when Kaia started solids, and I really wanted her to gnaw on a big juicy hunk of steak herself. Of course, she really enjoyed it and got good iron out of it, and it also, as an added bonus, made for a good photo and video opportunity. We also were gifted a sous vide precision cooker for our wedding, but alas, I’ve only ever used it twice, both times to make steak, and I feel like I’ve found methods using both the oven and a cast iron pan that yield fairly similar, if not just similarly satisfying, results.

This time, I got sirloin steaks on sale at Whole Foods and marinated them Thai-style. I cooked them at a low temperature in the oven for about 25 minutes, then pulled them out and pan-seared them on my cast iron pan for about 90 seconds on each side. Then, I topped the steaks with a Thai tamarind sauce mixed with roasted and pounded ground sticky rice. It was definitely quite satisfying, and I think it’s also telling that Kaia saw the steaks right out of the oven and tried to grab one before they were finished searing. My baby’s appetite is slowly but surely coming back after this little sick spell, and it’s being helped along with homemade Thai style steak.