Happy Holidays and a This Week in SnackChat!

Happy Christmas! As the last This Week in SnackChat, I would like to say THANK YOU! It's in all caps so I totally mean it.  But really, I do mean it! There would be no This Week in SnackChat if it wasn't for SnapChat and the people that contribute.  I look forward to a new year and more SnackChats!

Bechamel to the Rescue.

This weekend was pretty bananas. On Friday, I planned a work pot luck and white elephant party. Usually what happens is if I let the monkeys on their own, we would end up with a table full of chips and salsa.  So everything was assigned. I assigned myself mac and cheese and a chicken pot pie. Also looming in the back of my mind was that I had to make a side for a family dinner that was a non-green vegetable.  The days leading up to it I did get a little stressed. 

We had work holiday parties on Friday and then a Kings game Saturday afternoon and then the family dinner that Saturday night.  It was a lot. But I managed to squeak out three solid dishes. No recipe with the exception of the pie crust.  Suck it life, I don't need extra time!  The winner this time was a roux. I made three different sauces three different dishes. 

Chicken Pot Pie

I had some practice with this one. This time around, I used a rosemary salt. I also didn't brine the chicken. I rubbed it down with salt and pepper and placed them on a bed of old thyme I had in my fridge.  It turned out pretty fucking good. The sauce I made was a veloute. I used was with the chicken broth I used to cook down the vegetables. I also used a splash of half and half and whole milk.

Mac and Cheese

The baguette I planned on using for the topping decided to grow mold so I needed a plan B.  I also needed to get the macaroni.  So did a 6am trip to Smart and Final that Friday morning. Instead of buying fresh bread  used mothafucking Cheetos. The sauce  was a bechamel that turned into a mornay, a whole milk and half and half mixture infused with garlic, onion, and thyme. 

Butternut and Acorn Squash Gratin

Non-green vegetable sides is pretty hard. It stressed me out trying to think of a non-green vegetable.  Beets came to mind but people seem to either love them or hate em. I looked up recipes for squashes and then gratins.  There wasn't one exact recipe that I absolutely loved so I had to improv. I used a mandolin to slice the squashes thin and uniform.  From there, I made milk and half an half bechamel infused with sage, shallot, garlic and thyme.  I layered that shit like a lasagna. I had left over cheddar and pecorino romano. Saved some for the top. Cooked that shit before we left for the game.  Then turnt up the over to 500 and brunted the top.  It was fucking perfect. 

Now I'm planning a xmas eve eve party form tomorrow. Guh, so much to do!  But no bechamel needed for this menu.

PS.  Eizelle Eats Out Europe Edition! 

I'm heading to Berlin and Prague! Let me know if you have any suggestions.  

This Week in SnackChat

After a little break,  This Week in SnackChat returns with vengeance. 

This week I start off with a little FOMO on your part. I went to Port in Long Beach and I got free ramen, beer and a mug. The best part the soy egg was perfect!  #coolpoint #FOMO 

Looks like a snack to me. 

Disneyland is stepping it's game up.  I am a fan of the classic but I welcome change. 

If you are ever in Fresh and Easy they will mark down their prepared food to $1 after 7pm.

I believe this is called Tom kha. 

you welcome! 

Do you Paleo Bro? 

Moustache.

#sadsalad 

Dats Racist. 

Talk to me when the hot dog is wrapped in bacon and then put in a burger. 

Classic

Drooling....

The Fuck! I don't know how I feel about this. 

MVPS is a legit burger spot. It is walking distance from my house and the fry portion is more than you will ever need.  Also the all you can eat pickled carrot bar. That is my jam.

This last SnackChat snuck in like a raccoon in the night. 

Eizelle Eats Out : The Outtakes

Just like drinking, I have these ideas for food posts.  Not a lot of them make it to actual posts and now I have this library of food photos.  I hoarded so many photos, I had to add a jump to the post.  A lot of them are of the Mr.

Mi Pizza Loca is the name of my zza restaurant. 

This is the perfect way to cook meat. Salt. Pepper. Butter. Rosemary. Garlic. Thyme. Cast iron. 

Eating Coolhaus ice cream bars in an ally is so LA. 

It was my little baby pheasant. 

Brussel Sprouts and Beer is what Whole Foods is all about. 

I make Spam Musubi.  Yes, that is my Christmas tree.

Eizelle Drinks Out: The Outtakes

I have these ideas for posts but they never really make it anywhere because I forget or...no or I just forget. Here are the pictures I've taken this year about drinking. 

This was for a post entitled, Does it Taste Good with Vodka? The answer will always be yes. 

Because we have drunk counterparts. 

Probably for This Week in SnackChat

It's really not beer! 

Okay these are beers from White Labs in San Diego.  It's science! 

Probably the best margarita ever.

Cheers for free Colorado Beers! 

It more like a burger mansion.  It was far from a palace. Sorry Bobby Flay.

Black sesame milk tea? YES!

Do you even juice bro? I do.

Birthday party ready. 

Making faces at the Ludlows Cocktail Crawl.

Cookbook Tuesday

  

This book came to me via my mother in-law.  A lot of my books come to me as gifts.  There are a select handful that I do purchase on my own.  This is not one of them.  This is, however, a fun book filled with recipes from iconic hotels and restaurants.   The Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes is divided by region and is fully illustrated.  Which, by now, you should know that I love illustrated cookbooks from the 1950.  

This map of the USA is everything! Look at the little pig! I want that tattooed on me. 

This is the only page in the book that I actually know. I stole a mug from Don the Beachcomber.  Make them think twice about charging $15 a drink. The Brown Derby doesn't exist anymore. I found this page because I was looking for a recipe of the Hot Brown.

How many Original Mexican Restaurants actually exist? Not too man actually, and this restaurant is still around.  I wish I could say this about other places in this book.

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