Yes, it will blend.

Image by sally_monster via Flickr

I’m the proud new owner of a Blendtec blender. Perhaps you’re familiar with the brand through their amusing “Will it blend?” videos on YouTube. I came to be familiar with the brand through those videos, but prior to a recent trip to Costco with Jatinder, it represented nothing more than humorous videos. I thought it was nothing more than a glorified, powerful blender. Maybe that is the truth of the matter, but what the machine is capable of is impressive. Yes, it’s a blender, but calling it one is a misnomer of sorts. It does so much more than just blend. We’re talking about soup, ice cream, batter, juice, sauce, fondue and so forth.

Yes, it’s expensive, but considering its capabilities and the awesome warranty that it carries, it seemed worth a shot. We’re talking about seven years here. The most comparable product on the market are the Vitamix blenders, which are equally expensive. Also, Blendtec has teamed with Costco to demonstrate and sell their blenders. You end up getting it for much less than the usual retail cost. You can return it anytime, no questions asked, for a full refund. Given my recent dietary and health goals, it seemed like a worthwhile investment.

I’m still in the early experimental phase, and have made some unfortunate concoctions, but I’m getting there. I alternate between following recipes and creating my own treats/disasters. I had begun to eat healthier before getting the Blendtec, but now am able to do so to a greater degree. It’s time-saving and convenient, if nothing else. It makes it so quick and easy to make delicious smoothies and the like, while increasing my intake of healthy foods. There has been a marked increase in the amount fruits and vegetables in my diet lately, a significant portion of which has been through use of the Blendtec. I’m confident that the Blendtec will help me continue with my healthy eating goals.

Aluminum Chef?

I’ve been wanting to work on my cooking skills for a long time. The lack of sufficient storage space was a frustrating impediment to this goal. With the plentiful storage space the new refrigerator presents, this is no longer an issue. I have far more freedom than before to stock up on ingredients, and therefore I am now able to experiment in the kitchen regularly. On that note, knowing that I like cooked zucchini, my girlfriend Jatinder shared a simple recipe with me. I don’t have access to a grill, but I’m sure the stove or oven will suffice. However, I wanted to liven up the recipe. Using the giant zucchini she brought from her garden, I started work on the recipe tonight.

My version of the recipe includes zucchini, garlic, red potato, red and yellow onions, green beans and italian dressing. I went ahead and made lots of it, since I have containers for storing any extra that doesn’t get eaten. It’s been sufficiently mixed in a large baking pan, and is marinating in the refrigerator as I type this. It will likely be cooked in a couple of days, and I’m anxious to find out how delicious it’s going to be. Here are photos of it, and a couple of other recent kitchen adventures.

Marinade.

I’m still slowly experimenting in the kitchen. I recently bought some cod fillets for the purpose of marinating. This time, I wanted to see if I could be creative and combine a few ingredients I had on hand to make a tasty marinade. In the end, I used green taco sauce, powdered ginger, minced garlic and teriyaki sauce. Unfortunately, I just did it visually, and don’t have any actual measurements. It will depend on how much you need, anyway.  I’m sure that if you wanted to replicate it, you could easily figure it out. Anyhow, I’m happy to report that it worked great, so I’ll be trying it again someday with other types of meat. The last photo is just a random recent meal I had, a delicious salmon burger. Click for larger versions.

Kitchen adventures.

As mentioned previously, the improvement of my cooking skills is one of my many goals. I’ve been fairly pleased with my progress in this area lately. I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen, sticking with single dishes for the time being. I try to combine ingredients in a manner that seems likely to be delicious.

First came the ramen. I knew you could do just about anything your heart desired with ramen, so I thought I’d start there. I cooked up a bit of Southwestern style frozen vegetable mix first. Once I had that going, I added more water and the two packages of noodles. Then I sprinkled in some italian seasoning and a couple spoonfuls of minced garlic. To add some texture and protein, some canned cooked salmon I had sitting around was added to the mix. Once it was done cooking, I only used one of the seasoning packets to cut down on sodium and better taste the other flavors.

Next up was the marinated catfish. I rubbed down two catfish fillets with minced garlic, italian seasoning, and some powdered ginger. Then they went into the ziplock bag and in went the zesty italian dressing. The first fillet was cooked and eaten as it was, and was acceptable. The center of the fish still tasted rather plain though. For the second fillet, I followed a suggestion and cooked/reduced the remaining marinade a little and poured it on the cooked fillet. It was much tastier this time around, having what amounted to a custom dipping sauce.

At this point, I was ready to begin trying my hand at beef and chicken. I found one package of each that looked tasty in the clearance section at work. The beef was some kind of tenderloin something or other. I’m not entirely sure because the label was partially obscured. This was seasoned generously with minced garlic, 21 seasoning salute and powdered ginger, then marinated with teriyaki sauce. It was a large two pound slab, and my plan was to eat half at one meal and the other half later. However, it turned out so tender and delicious that I ate it all in one sitting.

The chicken I bought was a package of several boneless, skinless thighs. I didn’t want to marinate again, and took a simpler route this time. I just gave it some 21 seasoning salute and powdered ginger before throwing it on the stove. As it was finishing up, I threw some smoked gouda slices on top. I realize the photo is not exactly appealing, but it was indeed tasty.