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May. 22nd, 2008 03:21 pmSo I've watched Hell's Kitchen for the past three season, and this season I've gotten into Top Chef. What I've learned mostly is this: Gordon Ramsay is a hack. I'm sure he's a fine chef, but as far as his TV personality goes, he's not serious. Any of the chefs on Top Chef (or at least any of them that stuck around for more than a few episodes) would be an instant favorite on Hell's Kitchen. In the last two seasons of HK (not counting this one), you could pick the winner within a couple of episodes. There was exactly one choice. This season, there are no real choices to win it because none of them are really THAT good. Bobby and LouRoss are the only ones that I think make it to the mediocre level.
For those that have watched it for a while, how does this season of Top Chef compare to previous seasons?
For dinner last night I made a pretty simple pasta dish that turned out well. What I really liked, though, was the dessert of pears poached in red wine. It was very tasty, though overly sweet. And it was super simple.
Here's a quick recipe:
Heat two cups of red wine with about 1/2-3/4 of a cup of sugar (I followed the recipe and used one cup, but it was toooo sweet). Add a cinnamon stick, a few cloves, and a little lemon peel. You want to heat that until the sugar is dissolved. While that's a-brewin', peel a few pears, leaving the stems on. Put 'em in the wine syrup and simmer them for 45 minutes, spinning 'em every once in a while since they won't be completely submerged. Serve 'em with ice cream. Yum.
Tonight for dinner, I think we're going to have a skirt steak pinwheel with spinach, garlic and parmasan. Maybe some pine nuts in there, too, so it's kind of like a spinach pesto. I'm going to kind of wing it, but it should be tasty. Best of all, it's using up a lot of ingredients we already have, which makes Q happy.
The back is feeling better. Not great, but better.
Plans for the long weekend: Games, yardwork.
Maybe this doesn't apply to everyone, but I'm glad that I found a place that sells pants that I really like. In this case, it's Duluth Trading Company. They mostly market themselves towards construction workers, landscapers and the like, but they make some nice stuff. The nicest thing is that their products are made for movement, with gussets in the crotch so you don't really have to worry about blowing out the seams and such. And yet they still look nice. And they're reasonably priced. Nice.
Go Red Wings!
For those that have watched it for a while, how does this season of Top Chef compare to previous seasons?
For dinner last night I made a pretty simple pasta dish that turned out well. What I really liked, though, was the dessert of pears poached in red wine. It was very tasty, though overly sweet. And it was super simple.
Here's a quick recipe:
Heat two cups of red wine with about 1/2-3/4 of a cup of sugar (I followed the recipe and used one cup, but it was toooo sweet). Add a cinnamon stick, a few cloves, and a little lemon peel. You want to heat that until the sugar is dissolved. While that's a-brewin', peel a few pears, leaving the stems on. Put 'em in the wine syrup and simmer them for 45 minutes, spinning 'em every once in a while since they won't be completely submerged. Serve 'em with ice cream. Yum.
Tonight for dinner, I think we're going to have a skirt steak pinwheel with spinach, garlic and parmasan. Maybe some pine nuts in there, too, so it's kind of like a spinach pesto. I'm going to kind of wing it, but it should be tasty. Best of all, it's using up a lot of ingredients we already have, which makes Q happy.
The back is feeling better. Not great, but better.
Plans for the long weekend: Games, yardwork.
Maybe this doesn't apply to everyone, but I'm glad that I found a place that sells pants that I really like. In this case, it's Duluth Trading Company. They mostly market themselves towards construction workers, landscapers and the like, but they make some nice stuff. The nicest thing is that their products are made for movement, with gussets in the crotch so you don't really have to worry about blowing out the seams and such. And yet they still look nice. And they're reasonably priced. Nice.
Go Red Wings!
