Southwest Mac’n’Cheese & Roasted Chicken Thighs

Okay, when I set out to cook this I didn’t think it would be that complicated. And it’s not, there’s just a lot of steps. The good news is you can make the chicken ahead of time, and the tex mex seasoning can just be something in your cabinet. And once you’ve mastered the cream sauce, you’ll never forget it. That said, it is pretty time intensive. I’d like to tell you that the leftovers are worth it, but THERE AREN’T ANY. So at least there’s that. 

Dude, Bring Guacamole and Chips

A little extra effort goes a long way, dudes. If you want to impress at your next potluck or bring your best game to taco night, nothing beats fresh guacamole. A little planning, a little work, and you’ll have a dish that’s delicious, satisfying (all that protein!), vegan (they will love you for it), and gluten free depending on the chips, tortillas, or taco shells. 

Our first food review!

Friend of Fart Castle, the delightful Brett Warnock, was nice enough to attend the making of the biscuits and gravy, a few weeks back. He has also been kind enough to write a review of my cooking. If you’d like to read it, it’s located here:

BRUNCH AT FART CASTLE by BRETT WARNOCK

Thank you, Brett, for all your kind words. You’re welcome back for meals at the Fart Castle, anytime!

Sincerely,

Gunter & Bean (and Emil)

Biscuits with Gravy, two ways

Over the last few weekends, we’ve managed to find several occasions to make brunch at Fart Castle. I’ve been taking these opportunities to really hone my biscuit and gravy craft. I’ve been experimenting with both meat and veg varieties, and have to say I’m really happy with both. Therefore, you get both today!

It was a lot of fun doing this shoot. Many thanks to all the folks who came over to sample the food. And a special thanks to Brett Warnock, who I am informed will be writing a review! And of course, J. Scott Winegarner, faithful photographer and food taster.

Turkey, Sweet Potato & Kale Enchiladas

This may be one of the most involved recipes I’ve posted yet, but it’s well worth the effort. Inspired by something my friend Tristan made once (her’s were Turkey Pumpkin!) and Thanksgiving leftovers, it’s become a year round Fart Castle favorite. It’s often made my request. It also usually makes a bunch of leftovers, which freeze really well.

Alternately, sometimes I dismantle a roaster chicken from the grocery store for this, but since y’all don’t wanna see that, I used turkey cutlets for this. That said, if you use a roaster chicken, you can skip that whole meat cooking step.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

I’m gonna go ahead and call this one of my specialties. This is one of my favorite soups, and I’ve messed around with it a lot to get the flavor right. Lessons I have learned:

1. You can’t have too much paprika.
2. You CAN absolutely have too much dill and lemon juice.
3. Fresh dill is better than dried dill.
4. Beef broth is superior to other broths, at least for this soup.

I can’t recommend this one enough. Josh even said I outdid myself, and Emil thought it was the best batch to date!

I hope you enjoy it. If you try it, please leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.

Bean’s Pita Sammies

 

Pita Sammies are a staple here at the Fart Castle. They make an excellent lunch or dinner, and give us a reason to eat more Carrot Salad. It also gives me an excuse to slip pickles into food. I love pickles! 

Carrot Salad

Today I wanted to share with everyone my carrot salad, because it’s become quite a staple at the Fart Castle. We started making it when Emil and I went on a weeklong “raw” fast, eschewing meat, dairy, salt, dried seasonings, alcohol and cooking. It wasn’t the most fun week, but it gave us an opportunity to think much differently about the way we eat foods and what we consume. This carrot salad quickly became a favorite, and has stayed a consistent ingredient in our fridge long past the fast. This is because it’s not only good on its own, but we toss it into other meals all the time. It’s great on a bed of greens, would work in the Tilapia Tacos, and is one of the main ingredients in my Mediterranean Hummus Sammies (recipe coming next week!). Also it’s really simple to make, and because it’s vegan and free of most food allergens, it’s a great dish for a potluck.

Tilapia Tacos with Pineapple Salsa and then some

Tilapia Tacos with Pineapple Salsa, Guacamole, Broccoli Slaw and Spicy Cream Sauce
served with Mixed Greens and Spicy Cilantro Dressing

After getting a few comments on my Instagram regarding the meals I’ve been making lately, I’ve decided to post some recipes up on here.  I recently saw some food photography that my friend Josh did, and convinced him to take photos of me cooking in exchange for a chance to feast on the final product. We started strong with Tilapia Tacos, featuring Emil’s guacamole, pineapple salsa, broccoli slaw, and a spicy cream sauce.