Comfy Drumstick confit

Pronounced as: CON- fee (if you really want to sound French say it like you have a head cold!)

This old french way of cooking preserved meat for weeks before they had refrigeration. You will only find it on the menu of impressive ($$$$) French restaurants. slave thought why not try this?

It takes TIME, but hardly any work!

No special techniques!

You don't have to know how to cook!

Although this DOES take a couple of overnights, plan ahead. Give it time, the results are fantastic and impressive as hell!

This can be made with any type of meat. I used chicken legs because it is a more impressive finger food than wings and they are cheaper! If you find a sale on chicken drumsticks, like 3 or 4 lbs – buy them and confit!

Ingredients:

3 - 4 lbs of chicken drumsticks

2 Tbs of kosher salt

1 Tbs of minced fresh garlic Since the cloves are different sizes just start mincing until you get about a tablespoon full.

1 Tbs sweet paprika or

2 teaspoons Herbes De Provence

(really, all you need in this step is the salt – any extra MUST be kept to a minimum.)

2 qt of peanut oil

Directions:

First dry out the drummies!

Ah here's the rub. This should be enough for 8 chicken legs, slave stretched it to 14!

Mix the seasonings into a shallow bowl.

(you are going to wash this off latter, so don't worry about using all that salt or covering every square millimeter)

Mix this well and get ready to get your hands dirty, have paper towels ready! Any time you handle raw chicken EVERYTHING you touch can get contaminated, so watch what you touch.

Lay out a sheet of wax paper on the counter. Put out the bowl with the rub. Rinse off the chicken and pat each dry with more paper towels. Line up the dry pieces on the wax paper. As you rub each piece with the mix put them in a resealable plastic bag. When one is full have another bag handy. Then this goes into the refrigerator overnight. Wash up everything well including any handles you might have touched.

This is the first of two overnights for this cooking. This is the one time slave does not recommend bagging in buttermilk first. The salt will draw out the moisture in the skin and help make the chicken very tender.

So far not very difficult is it?

Check your pans to make sure they will fit! On the bottom oven rack will be a rimed baking sheet with a rack, Then the main oven rack with the Dutch oven on it.

When ready to cook the next day, preheat the oven to 200 ºF

See how slave set up the baking rack! It will keep any spills from going all over the oven and will come in handy tomorrow to finish this dish!

Rinse the seasoning off each piece and dry with paper towels. Dry them again as you put them in a nice oven-safe Dutch Oven. Make sure it is deep enough that you can cover the chicken pieces completely with a half an inch of oil and not have it splatter over the sides. Any water left on the chicken will become steam when it is covered in hot oil. That makes a nasty explosion splattering very hot oil everywhere.

Cover the legs in the melted fat or oil. Just make sure there is at least a half inch of oil on top of the meat. Get the importance?

Start the meat cooking over a medium heat on the stove top. When the oil starts to gently bubble, CAREFULLY put this bubbling pot into the oven, uncovered. Getting this pot into and out of the oven is the hardest part of the whole process.

 

Cook for 10 — 12 hours (the second overnight) 

 

Still not exactly rocket surgery, huh?

Now that the chicken legs have been cooked (poached) you will want to crisp up the skin.

Remove both the dutch oven and the baking sheet.

Turn up the oven to 350!

Carefully lift the chicken from fat and place in a single layer on that baking rack. Using a “spider” or tongs to help hold the very tender, delicate chicken together.

Then slide this back in oven long enough to crisp skin. About 10 to 15 minutes.

When it looks nice and crunchy, remove from the oven and let sit for at least 10 minutes to rest! This also lets any grease drain off.

Transfer chicken to a platter to enjoy! HEAVEN!

=====================================

Now what of that oil the chicken poached in all night? SAVE IT! Strain it into a seal-able jar for the refrigerator. Use it to roast vegetables like potatoes or green beans or asparagus. It is great to brush on roasting chicken or turkey!

Just be sure to throw out any sledge at the bottom of the pot.

What you have done is to recreate a very famous French dish: “Duck Confit”. It took no special training, no special techniques, just 3 or 4 ingredients and TWO nights of letting it cook itself!

Now if you had used real Duck Fat (about $60 mail order and or 3 or 4 Frozen Ducks at nearly $30 a piece), It would taste much better! But here is a much more reasonable costing dish. Under $27. By the way if you had spent all that money, the process would be exactly the same - nothing different!

Slave knows it is not about taking the “Glory”. The bottom line of this is that you have done a tremendous thing for your Master and His guests!

Now you can fix this as part of a dinner with mashed potatoes or roast vegetables or just serve with a couple of dishes of dip for a big game party. For that matter, a very intimate dinner for two by candlelight and offering to feed him between glasses of nice champagne might be more appropriate to show how much your Master means to you.

This “fancy – smancy” dish takes time and a lot of love! Give this gift to the special one in your life. The giving of your time and your effort is by far the greatest gift you have.

My Master Indy deserves so very much more than this slave can give, it makes me grateful I can give even these small gifts.

 

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

Chicken with Mushrooms in a Light Balsamic Cream Sauce

This is a simple but elegant dish that any beginner can cook. No, it is not a gravy, this is a wonderful Balsamic Cream sauce, Thank You Very Much! It not only creates such a mouth-watering aroma that brightens the kitchen, it also seems to reach into that juicy chicken and pull out a flavor and says: “Here, This is the reason you eat Chicken!” It does not mask the food in any way the way some heavy gravies do. You will feel so proud of being able to create such a dish from scratch!

 INGREDIENTS

• ½ lbs egg noodles (that's half the package), cooked according to package directions. When water reaches a boil, add a tablespoon of salt, then stir in the noodles. The salt not only adds a flavor, it gives the noodles a texture that you want. Once the water returns to a boil set your timer. When done, drain and add 2 Tbs of oil and stir it through. This will keep the noodles from sticking together into a large lump!

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breast half’s
• Salt, black pepper, a dash of Herbes De Provence
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, stems removed, cleaned, and sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (finished about 2 teaspoons full)
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (About ½ cup full)
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1½ cups chicken stock - You can use a broth, but stock has better taste.
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (do not substitute any other vinegar)
• 1/3 Cup fat free half and half
• Fresh, chopped parsley for garnish if you wish.

Remember the night before: take the chicken out of the package, put it in a resealable plastic bag. Pour in 1 cup of lot fat buttermilk and let sit in refrigerator overnight.

For this dish I used a 5 oz container of non-fat plain Greek style yogurt spooned into a 1 cup measure then filled it up with skim milk. Works fantastically!

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towel. Season with salt, black pepper, and a dash of the Herbes de Provence.

2. When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches a temp of about 165 degrees.

3. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan, cover and set aside.
   
   
   
    
   Add 2 tablespoons butter into the pan and reduce the heat to medium low.
4. Add in onions and mushrooms. Stir these occasionally until the onions are translucent and mushrooms are tender about 4 minutes. This step brings out the wonderful onion flavors and draws the liquid from the mushrooms. Add in garlic and cook for about 2 minutes more. Garlic will burn so time this part.

5. Sprinkle the vegetables with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Stir that until it is mixed in and allow it to cook for only about a minute.
6. Slowly whisk in chicken stock, then the balsamic vinegar. Whisk well so that it is incorporated. Add in half and half, and urn up the heat to medium. Simmer the sauce until it starts to thicken.
   (Here is the way to tell when it is right. Dip in a wooden spoon. The mixture should coat it slightly, then quickly draw a finger across, it will leave a slight stripe or ribbon The French call this
   “un ruban”! This is the correct thickness for all of your sauces.)
7. Reduce the heat way down to low and add the chicken to the pan, spoon the sauce over the pieces and cover the pan. Let simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes longer.

For fixing the asparagus:

Wash all produce including the mushrooms, in a water bath that has about ½ cup of vinegar in it. Let it sit for about 5 minutes and swish it around, then it is good to go. 

Asparagus has a woody stem that is unpleasant to eat. However it knows by itself where it should snap! Simply hold the tip in one hand and the base in the other, then bend. The stalk will snap apart in just the right place. How easy could it be?

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Now add about 1 ½ TBS of oil to the stalks and spin them around with your hand until each is covered with just a touch of oil. Line that out in the pan in a single layer and sprinkle with kosher salt. If you like a very light sprinkle of garlic powder can be used, but remember less is more!

This tray bakes for 22 to 25 minutes. You will never want asparagus cooked in any other way again.

To serve, arrange the cooked noodles on a platter. Space the pieces of chicken over the top and spoon on the mushrooms and balsamic cream sauce.

“Danske drøm af fjerkræ glæde”

slave is so very lucky to be serving my Master Indy. It is a fulfillment of a dream. Serving is a gift: Be the gift!

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

Passive Pasta Bake

Slave thought something different for tonight! A Pasta with ground beef and tomato sauce but not Italian! Instead how about the flavors of a Sloppy Joe? While we're at it lest make this a bake now and have another to bake next week?

Ingredients

2 slices bacon, chopped

1 onion, diced

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup sliced mushrooms optional

1 can of sloppy joe mix

1 lbs ground beef.

1 box mac and cheese

½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 oz)

¼ cup sliced green onions (4 medium)

Directions

Make this super easy:

Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8 inch square baking dish.

Use pasta from a box of generic mac & cheese dinner. Cook it 3 minutes less than called for on box. When done, drain well and stir in no more than 1½ tbs of oil just to keep it from clumping. (If you are cooking this the night before – also add 1 tbs of lemon juice, then bag and refrigerate)

If you have saved back any cooked ground beef from other recipes get that as well as some of the chopped onion from the freezer.

Fry up a couple of strips of bacon and remove to paper towel. Dump frozen onion into the grease, being careful not to splash because it will sputter. You want about ½ cup of onion.

Once that is turning translucent, add the beef and let warm up. Tiny bits will start to pop when this is ready.

If you don't have any meat or onions saved back, it really does not take much more than 8 minutes to brown the ground beef from fresh. Or to have chopped up about ½ cup of onion.

Add the can of drained diced tomatoes, slave uses the fire roasted kind without any garlic or other flavoring. You see for this dish slave does not want the typical Italian flavor. It is fine if you wish, slave is just going for something different here. Stir in 1 cup of the can of “sloppy joe” mix. For that matter if you choose, you could use your favorite BBQ sauce for this.

(anytime slave makes a dish with a tomato type sauce, I add the drained diced tomatoes because it adds such a touch of homemade goodness.)

Stir that in, cover and reduce heat! Let simmer for a full 20 minutes on very low heat to cook in the flavors. If you like you can also add sliced mushrooms for a heavenly flavor!

While that cooks, it is a great time to clean up the pans already used, and in general tidy up and sweep. Why wait until after you have eaten? Besides it is fun to sing along as you clean and cook, almost like you were one of those Disney creatures working in the kitchen. Serving someone: if it is a Master of not, is a noble and great calling for anyone. You are very lucky to get the chance. Enjoy it, fantasies can swirl around you and nobody has to know! Just You enjoying yourself! The more you enjoy your time here, the better you will be at it! Also the food will taste better!

Once the timer has gone off at 20 minutes, stir the mixture into the cooked macaroni.

Split the recipe in half. Put half into the baking dish and the other half into bowl to cool before bagging for freezer.

Don't put hot food into the freezer!

Sprinkle half of the cheese on to the dish with bacon pieces and bits of green onion.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Once frozen the other half can be kept in freezer for up to 2 weeks.

When ready for second meal: thaw in refrigerator overnight, add to a sprayed dish, top with cheese, bacon and bits of green onion. Bake covered with foil for 45 minutes at 375°F

Remove the foil and bake 15 minutes longer or until the cheese is bubbly.

Hope you enjoy this Passive Pasta Bake!

slave finds wonder and fulfillment every day in serving my Master Indy

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

Mikl's Magic Salads

 

 

Mikl's Magic Waldorf Salad

This classic salad was first served in 1893 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel of New York City. Its simplicity made it a big favorite: just chopped apples, celery, grapes, and walnuts in mayonnaise. Some time after “Eagle Brand” sweetened condensed milk was marketed, they offered a recipe for “Magic Mayonnaise”. Both of these have been tweaked over the years and slave thought it would make a fun salad for you.

Mikl's Magic mayonnaise

1 can sweetened condensed milk Non-fat
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup vegetable oil (canola oil works fine also olive oil)
2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 egg yolks: slave uses pasteurized eggs since this is not cooked.

Salad Ingredients

• ½ cup chopped, slightly toasted walnuts
• ½ cup celery, diced
• ½ cup of dried cranberries
• 3 sweet apples, cored and chopped Like Gala
• Mikl's Magic Mayonnaise (Use no more than half of above recipe)
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

In small mixer bowl, combine all ingredients for the mayonnaise. Whisk until mixture thickens. (cover and refrigerate to blend flavors.)
Store leftovers in a clean sealed jar.

In a non stick skillet on medium high heat toast the walnuts. No need to any oil. Stir occasionally. This step will make your dish stand out above any store bought salad! This only takes about 5 minutes and you can tell when its done because of the wonderful aroma that comes up! Just don't burn your nuts ;-)

In a large bowl, mix the apples, celery, walnuts, and cranberries. Then add about a half of the recipe for Mikl's Magic mayonnaise. This is best chilled overnight. Serve on a leaf of lettuce. 

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Confetti Fruit salad

This is a take on the classic Five Cup Salad, just a bit healthier.

Ingredients:

1 can tropical blend fruit salad in juice – well drained.

1 cup toasted walnuts

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1 cup pastel mini marshmallows

1 5 oz carton of non fat plain Greek style yogurt.

Directions:

Mix in a large bowl until well combined and chill overnight.

Hope You enjoy these simple fresh takes on the Olde American Classics!

Independence and This slave

The post today is highly personal. I guess at times all writing has to be. Let me share this part of my life with you.

My Master Indy, in His directives for this blog stated:

“I am glad you are not fearful of Independence – as it can change your life. Imagine if you were independent in your living arrangement as an example?

“For your posts on 7/4 I would like you to have 4 things listed that you wished you could be independent from.”

“Masters are like slave's GPS. “He sets the direction, you get there yourself under His guidance.”

Independence in my own apartment.

This must not sound like much. However slave has been trying to arrange that for over a year now. The thought of living without the constant “put-downs” and snide comments from a family that does not like you starts to feel like a fantasy.

I remind myself that living alone does not mean living by myself. It would allow me to serve not only my Master, but also my friends and neighbors. People I like and like me. Not people I'm chained to by blood I never agreed to. Having pot lucks and full sit down dinner parties like I hosted so many years ago. It brings back memories of my first moving out of the parents home so very long ago.

Independence from the end of month poverty! So often people who make a higher salary, simply have more money to be broke with! I guess slave is saying he wants independence from the lack of order in my spending, and in my planning. When I find money in my account at the start of the month, it is like seeing your penis reattached and watching it grow a “Boner”!

Independence from my poor health! Could this also be taken care of by better planning and a reduction in weight? That wouldn't hurt. It might not stop the aging process and chronic problems. It would certainly help to slow the deterioration that occurs with age. If I could move better, it would allow more movement. Movement burns up weight. Less weight might mean less pinching of the spinal nerves, which in turns causes arms and legs to stop working and slave finds himself on the floor feeling like an idiot.

Independence from the anger! At times, I feel mad at myself for the poor choices I have made in my life. The situation I find myself in is nobody's fault but mine. Mistakes and poor judgment calls have left me in a position where others can take advantage of me and often I prove too weak to fight back. I do not like anger! Getting mad at someone is like taking a poison and expecting them to get sick. Bottom line, they could care less and it harms you!

Funny thing, as slave writes these and considers them, not one appears impossible to achieve. Gee, do you think it is possible that My Master already knows this? That He could think if I spell it out this way, I could see how I can gain these areas of Independence?

Could this be the motive behind His wanting these posts on Independence this month?

You see, at first – when I got these instructions – my heart sank. Ancient fears of abandonment and desertion rushed out of the past. They threatened to blind and choke me. However, as slave believes that the greatest strength comes from trust, I relied on that complete trust that My Master has earned. I rely on His judgment, His sense of direction.

I do not believe in telling lies. I always attempt to be truthful in all things. I have to other option with My Master. When I write about having trust in Him, I mean it. Slave is not perfect, and often makes mistakes. Slave does fall a lot. I have learned from experience, it is not the fall that kills you. It is the “not getting back up” that seals your doom.

Slave hopes this series on independence has helped some of you. I hope you have done this walk with me. Perhaps we have arrived at the same decisions, perhaps not. However it was the walk, the process, the experience, that was more important than the destination.

Both My Master and this slave wish you the happiest of holidays. Celebrate Independence where ever you find it!

Slave finds his only Independence is found IN my GPS – Master Indy!

socialslave.

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

Tennessee Walkers Caramelized Chicken

Tennessee Walkers Caramelized Chicken 

Ingredients:

2½ lbs chicken legs or leg quarters 2 tablespoons olive oil (to help it stop sticking to the pan)
½ cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup brown sugar

½ cup Jack Daniels
2 -3 garlic cloves, minced End up with about 1 tbs of minced garlic.

If you don't have fresh garlic use: 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 or 3 ears of fresh corn on the cob

4 to six slices of bacon

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Serve with a green vegetable with no sauce. And of course, macaroni salad, baked lentils, chips, pretzels, beer, and sodas. And cold watermelon to watch the fireworks with!

Directions:

1. Whisk together the sauce: place chicken in bags, add sauce to marinate for at least 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

3. Place chicken skin side down in a 9x13 inch baking dish lined with foil and sprayed.

4. Mix 2 tbs of cornstarch into the marinade and pour over the chicken.

5. Bake in preheated oven for one hour, first starting with the chicken skin side down, so it soaks up the sauce, then turn it over at the half hour mark, while basting every 15 minutes.

Use caution when turning the chicken over, that sauce will be hot and messy.

At the end of one hour, turn up the oven temp to 400 for another 15 minutes or 20 minutes just until sauce is caramelized.

Note: while chicken is cooking, peel the husks off of the corn, wrap each ear with a piece or two of bacon. Then wrap up each ear in foil well. You don't want bacon grease to drip into your oven, keep it on the cob – you will love it, Just limit yourself to one ear, no one likes to eat with a pig!

Now when you crank up the oven to 400 degrees for the last bit of cooking on the chicken, put the well wrapped ears in a pan next to the chicken.

You won't find a Fourth of July cook out any better!

The aroma will bring them from miles around :-)

Dilemma of the Independent Slave

Friday we celebrate Independence Day. The day our country was born. The day these thirteen colonies decided “we can do this ourselves!” England was not going to let us. They put up a fight. Those men, mostly farmers, took on the most organized military power in the world. All for the right to be independent.

Comparisons are often to be avoided. Every person, slave or Master faces their particular challenges with different abilities. One can not compare how hard it is for them any more than compare how they view color, you don't know how they see it. At most, the thought that others have faced their difficulties can provide us with the question: “why can't I?”

For many slaves, the thought of becoming independent strikes fear. Yet we know that we MUST be independent to even be a slave. Being a slave has become the most important driving force for our lives. Once we have felt what slavery to a Master brings, we would literally walk through fire to maintain that.

Again, independence does NOT mean a separation nor an abandonment. It does not have to equal being alone, or being deserted. What independence should encompass is developing our own ability to maintain ourselves.

Slave loves old cars! My mom told me that my first word was “car”! So slave uses the thought: “I can't offer to drive someone to the doctors if I haven't taken care of my car.” By extrapolation: “How can I serve, if I have not taken care of myself.” Does this mean that slave's have to become self centered? Not if you want to be a slave!

Instead, we must adjust our viewpoints. Our culture has drummed into us to see things based on “what's in it for me”. As slaves, we have discovered on our own, what we must see is how to “serve another” (what's in it for them?) Thus our slave's dilemma!

Might I suggest a change in the angle of our view.

Perhaps if we see our tasks from the point of: “Which of my own good abilities, do I use to handle this the best way?” That might not appear to be a big difference, but it is. It is a difference that spells success.

Each night Master has slave ask himself: “Did I do the best I could to reflect what I have learned?” What I have learned becomes one of my abilities. The more abilities I have, the better I can serve. The better I reflect that training, the better I can reflect on my Master. As I learn, as I grow, it all becomes a statement of how good my Master is!

It is a praise for my Master, to show the world how much I have been transformed into.

How is this being independent? It shows strength and pride in my subservience. It gives value to my gift. How can I truly honor this Man with a gift or tribute that I do not feel is the Best?

Now how does a slave get to that different angle, that different viewpoint? How does a slave become an independent slave? Well, it does NOT HAVE to mean walking out the door. (although there might come a time when that is the best and only path to take). To build your self assurance, to build your abilities is just like building a muscle in the gym. Take your time! Stretch yourselves. Start small. Repetition, Repetition, Repetition! Stretch again. Don't give up.

Think to yourself, how long has it taken me to get this weak? Getting strong will not be an overnight process. Give yourself time and praise. Stretch yourself by thinking of small steps you can take. Ask Master, if you have one. If not, ask another Master. This is a core thing that Masters enjoy! Work on how you approach a problem. Start small. Then stretch yourself again when you have accomplished it, by thinking about what you have done, how you viewed things, how you thought about things. You change your world when you change the way you think.

Then at night, ask yourself, did I improve? Did I reflect what I have learned? If so, celebrate a little, not too much because tomorrow you are going to have to do more. If not, don't beat yourself up, just be more determined than ever tomorrow you will! Wipe off any dust of failure you might feel clinging on you and rest. Each day is new, will you be? Each day can be great, can you make it great? That should be a resounding YES!

“Yes” always gets you further than “No” any day! As for our slaves dilemma: Can we be strong and still be subservient? How can we be any other way?

Both Master Indy and slave wish you a safe and strong Independence Day!

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon