Best Damn Chicken Dish I've Ever Had

A couple weeks ago I bought the most recent copy of the Food Network Magazine (which I buy on a regular basis) to get some new food ideas. Let me just say that this time it really paid off. As I was flipping through the pages I can across a section entitled The Coconut Handbook. This handbook explained how to tap the coconut for water, crack it open, and harvest the flesh. It also included a few recipes showing you what you could use the different parts of the coconut for. One such recipe was Coconut Rice which really sparked my interest, I mean something other than boring ole white rice that's just as simple to make, how could you go wrong.

Coconut Rice
2 cups coconut water/milk
1 cup rice
1 tbs butter
salt & pepper to taste

This is made exactly the same way as regular white rice.

So a day or two after I found this recipe I went out to Meijer to go grocery shopping and made sure I picked up a coconut to try my hand at making the rice. That night I made the rice and thought it was extremely good but all I had to go with it was boring ole chicken (grilled) and that just wouldn't do. So I spent the next couple days surfing the web for something to go with the rice. Most of what I found were recipes from Thai or Indian dishes and that wasn't really what I was looking for so I kept surfing. Eventually I  stumbled across the blog Heidikins.com which had a recipe called Aloha Chicken with Coconut Rice (here is the link to the recipe http://heidikins.com/2008/08/23/whippin-it-again-aloha-chicken-with-coconut-rice/). Like the coconut rice this dish really caught my attention, so once again it was back to Meijer to pick up the few missing ingredients that I needed to try this recipe. The only change that I made was I used a fresh pineapple instead of canned and I used a fresh coconut instead of canned. Once I got home from work that day I washed up some dishes then immediately began marking this dish. It was extremely simple to do and the only trouble I had was cutting up the fresh pineapple because it was the first time I had ever worked with one. About an hour later (mine didn't take as long as the recipe said because I only made 1 piece of chicken) I popped in a movie and sat down to enjoy my dinner. The anticipation of trying this was killing me so I quickly took my first bite and realized that I had just found my new favorite meal (sorry steak). Needless to say I finished the rest of it way to fast and was left wanting more. I strongly recommend that you try this recipe yourself and if you are trying to save time when making this you can buy the canned coconut milk and canned pineapple instead of using fresh and it should taste just as good. I made this a second time a few days latter and used canned coconut milk instead of fresh and the rice tasted just as delicious (I haven't used canned pineapple at all though).

If you do try this I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and as always, May the force be with you.
Dylan

Delicious Lettuce Cups

(Before I get started I want to apologize for the low image quality, I just snapped a quick pic with my Iphone before I ate) 

Okay, this is the first recipe that I'm adding on here for everyone to see and try out. This recipe was featured in the May issue of Food Magazine. The lettuce wraps are technically called Spicy Turkey Lettuce Cups, but I didn't think they were that spicy. I've made these lettuce wraps a couple times so far and after I made and tried them them the first time my Aunt Dee and I altered the recipe a little bit because we thought it was lacking something. So I will list the original recipe and them afterwords ill let you know what we changed so you have both ways it you would like to alter it yourself.

Spicy Turkey Lettuce Cups
Ingredients

4 oz Thin Rice Noodles
2 Tbs Roasted Peanut Oil or Vegetable oil
Juice of 3 Limes, plus wedges for serving
4 tsp Teriyaki Sauce
1 small Red or Green Jalapeno pepper
1 2-inch piece of Ginger
Finely grated zest of 1 Lime
1 medium Yellow Pepper thinly sliced
1 medium Red Pepper thinly sliced
1 medium Red Onion thinly sliced
1 Pound Ground Turkey
1/4 cup Roasted Unsalted Cashews, roughly chopped
1/2 cup roughly chopped Fresh Cilantro and/or Mint
2 Romaine Lettuce Hearts seperated

Directions

1. Cook the noodles as the label directs, then drain and toss with 1 Tbs of the oil.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the lime juice and 2 tsp of the teriyaki sauce in a small bowl.
3. Combine the ginger, jalapeno, and lime zest in a processor and pulse until finely chopped (or use a knife to finely chop if you don't have a processor)
4. Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once its heated add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft(~5 min).
5. Add the ginger mixture and cook, stirring, until toasted (~1 min).
6. Add the red and yellow peppers and cook, stirring for about 3 more minutes.
7. Add the turkey and remaining 2 tsp of teriyaki sauce, and then cook until the turkey is cooked through (~5 min).
8. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice mixture, cashews, and herbs.
9. Pile the rice noodles and turkey mixture and enjoy.

Now For The Changes
-You may want to add another jalapeno if you actually want this to be spicy.
-In step 7 I added an additional 1-2 tsp of teriyaki sauce.
-At step 8 instead of removing it from the heat I turned the heat to a simmer because it looks way to runny at this point. I also mix in the noodles at this point instead of placing the noodles in the lettuce then adding the turkey mixture. I found when you do it as the recipe states the noodles taste bland and seem out of place. If you mix the noodles in with the turkey mixture they absorb some of the flavors and it brings the dish together.

Side Notes
-It is a lot easier to cook this dish if you prepare everything before you actually start cooking (i.e. slice everything and make the lime mixture...)/
-If you don't feel like dealing with the lettuce (like I have on occasion) you can just add more noodles and it makes a pasta dish of sorts.
-I can't remember exactly what they are called but you can also sprinkle some of those crunchy noodles that you can find in the international food aisle in your locale supermarket.
-Another thing that I'm going to try when I make this again this weekend i am going to try and add some water chestnuts and see how that turns out.

May the force be with you
Dylan

Bottle Lamp Tutorial

This is a fun little project to do that doesn't take a lot of time and adds a little character and uniqueness to you room, home, or apartment. Now for my lamp that I made as the example I am still trying to find a lamp shade to match it so it doesn't really look complete but you should get the idea. (Also that is my second comic book table that this lamp is sitting on)


1. What You Will Need
    1-Bottle (it can be glass or aluminum)
    1-Bottle Lamp Kit
    1-1/2 in Diamond Tip Drill Press
    1-Drill Press or Power Drill
    1-Light bulb
    1-Lamp shade to match/fit your bottle
     Some Modeling clay

2. Drill The Bottle
    Following the same directions in steps 1-5 in my Wine Bottle Lamps Tutorial, drill a hole in your chosen bottle (if you are using an aluminum bottle you could probably just punch a hole in the bottle with a screw driver or something similar)

   

3. Lets Get Started
    You will want to thread the cord from your lamp kit through the hole you drilled in the bottle and out through the bottle.

4. Plugging The Bottle
    I don't know if all kits are the same or not but the kit I had came with 3 short rubber cylinders/plugs. You want to choose the plug that fits snugly inside the mouth of your chosen bottle (The monster bottle I used had such a wide opening that i had to wrap tape around the plug until it fit in the bottle). Also i forgot to take a picture of this step but my kit came with this threaded insert which i had to push through the plug. Once you find the right plug put the threaded insert in the plug and then slide it over your cord and push it into the opening of the bottle.

5. Secure The Cord
    Following the instructions provided with the kit put on the next couple of pieces and then tie a simple knot in the cord to prevent it from being pulled out of the bottle.

6. Almost There

    Again following the instructions provided with the kit you will want to attach each strand of the cord to the proper terminal and tighten them up.

7. That's All There Is To It

    Once you have the cords attached to the proper terminals you just have to snap the outside casing back on and your ready to add a light bulb and a lamp shade.

All that's left to say is have fun and good luck with your lamps.

May the force be with you

Dylan

P.S. I will add a finished picture to this post as soon as i find a lamp shade to match my bottle.

Return of the Blogger (A.K.A Comic Book Table Tutorial)

Hello again everyone, it has been quite some time since I have posted anything on my blog (a couple months at least) and I'm not going to make any excuses for my sudden lack of blog post because when it comes right down to it I was probably just being lazy. Now I know not many people know of my blog and even less were probably following it but I want to thank those of you who were. Also I'm really going to try to keep posting things on a regular basis mostly because this is something I enjoy doing and I really like sharing all of the projects that I do with everyone who follows my blog. While I was ignoring my blog over the last couple months I really started to enjoy cooking a lot more and have been trying out a lot of new recipes that I intend to share on here, as well as, sharing new ones with everyone when I find them. Another thing that I have been working on is my guitar playing. I've been working hard to get my chops up and have also been trying to write my own songs which I might decide to post on here when I  get them finished and can figure out how to record videos of myself playing guitar that don't have horrible sound quality and as soon as I figure that out I would really like to put up some videos of the covers that I've been working on as well. One more thing I'd like to say before I start this tutorial (and this actually relates to the tutorial) is that The Avengers is probably one of the best movies that I have ever seen and if you have not seen it and you are a fan of Marvel, comics, or awesome movies you really need to go see this movie.

Okay without further ado, I give you the
 
Comic Book Table Tutorial
Disclaimer: This is not something I came up with all credit for this project go to MrDic at instructables.com (http://www.instructables.com/id/DC-Comic-Coffee-Table/).

I am just taking his idea and expanding it into an actual tutorial and explaining things a little bit more.

1. Gather Your Materials

    1-Table (I used a Lack Side Table from Ikea that cost about $8)

    1-Can of RUST-Oleum clear gloss spray paint

    1-Can of Polyurethane (I used Minwax Clear Gloss Polyurethane) 

    1-220 grit piece of sandpaper or a sanding block
    1 or 2-Glue Sticks
    1-Credit Card
    Couple of comic books (the number of pages you use will vary based on the size of your table)

2. Dismantle The Comic Books
     To do this I just opened the comic to the center page and using a flat head screwdriver or pair of pliers I  unfolded the staples that hold the pages together and removed them. After that I very carefully tore the pages down the center crease, but you could use a paper cutter if you wanted. Also it's entirely up to you as to whether you want to stick with one character on your tables (as I did in both of the ones I've made so far) or do a couple different characters on your table.

3. Measure Twice...
    You will need to measure your table top and measure your comic pages and then crunch some numbers to figure out how many pages will fit on your table. After you get all that figured out mark out your area using masking tape.

4. Time To Glue
    Lay your comic pages out on the table and figure out how you want them arranged. Once you have them where you want them I recommend that you take a picture of the arrangement so you don't forget where they go. After you take the picture remove the comic pages from the table and grab your glue stick. Starting with a corner you will want to rub glue onto enough of the table to fit one comic page. When you get the glue down carefully place your page on the table and smooth it out with the edge of a credit card and then repeat this process with the rest of your pages.

5. Defend The Comics
    After all of your pages are glued down you will want to grab the clear gloss spary and following the instructions on the can spray a couple coats over the top of your table.

6. It's All Starting To Come Together
     Once the gloss spray paint has dried you ready to lacquer the crap out of your table. Again follow the instructions on the can of polyurethane and put a couple coats over the table. I would recommend that you use at least three coats of polyurethane. After each coat dries, which takes about three hours, you need to vary lightly sand the table using the 220 grit sandpaper (though I don' think you need to sand after the final coat dries).


If anyone decides to do this I would really like to see how yours turns out so feel free to leave a response with your comic table in it.

May the force be with you.
Dylan

Harry Potter Wand Tutorial

I apologize for not getting this posted yesterday  but I ended up helping a friend move for the better part of the day and didn't get a chance to put this up, but without further ado...


This is another really simple tutorial (I'm hoping to have more elaborate ones on here in the next couple weeks). This one is actually so simple that there are only 3 steps and, depending on how much effort you put into shaping your wand, should only take 60 - 90 minutes.

1. Gather your materials.
           -1 Chop Stick
           -Sculpting clay (Do not use the air dry crayola brand)
           - Acrylic paint
           - Paint Brush

2. Soften your clay and then work it onto the chop stick making whatever design your Harry Potter loving soul desires. You can model yours after a characters in the movie (Dumbledore/the Elder Wand for mine) or you can get creative and come up with an all new design. After you have your wand the way you want it, bake it following the directions provided with the clay you purchased.

3. Take your wand out of the oven and allow it to cool down. Once it has cooled paint it and your ready to have your very own duel.


May the force be with....errrr bloody hell!
Dylan

Great Idea

Hey everyone, sorry its been quite a while since I've posted anything. The last week or two have been extremely hectic for me and I haven't had much time to post anything. I should have another tutorial up for you guys tomorrow but until then I came across what is arguably the best invention ever...Seat Savers. With these you will never have to worry about someone stealing your seat again (unless of course they catch on to your evil scheme).

May the force be with you.

Dylan

Quote of the Week

Harry Potter Vs. Twilight. This is so true.

May the force be with you.
Dylan