Again with the telecommuting

Mitt just emailed me some stuff. He is upset at me because I won't let him work from home. He says that when I posted his job on Craigslist it said telecommuting is okay. I told him that I don't pay him, I never hired him, and he just hangs around and forces me to make coffee twice as often.

From Mitt:

Telecommuting or telework is a work arrangement in which employees enjoy flexibility in working location and hours. In other words, the daily commute to a central place of work is replaced by telecommunication links. Many work from home, while others, occasionally also referred to as nomad workers or web commuters utilize mobile telecommunications technology to work from coffee shops or other locations. Telework is a broader term, referring to substituting telecommunications for any form of work-related travel, thereby eliminating the distance restrictions of telecommuting.^{[1] (telecommuting on wikipedia)}

Spicy Peanut Tempeh & Japanese Sweet Potatoes

Mitt likes Spicy Peanut Tempeh & Japanese Sweet Potatoes topped with Mung Bean SproutsLast night I took my first wholly satisfactory foray into Asian cooking. I hade made some curried things before, which is to say I had used curry in things or even pivoted a recipe around curry. Many of those came out great. I have also done inauthentic, good-enough American cook versions of standards like Pad Thai (came out well) and General Tso's (came out terrible, but it slides by because it's not in any way authentic and it was still super spicy so there).

(*No pics on this one, but don't worry there will be soon as I'm sure I will be making it again regularly since it is not too costly or time-intensive and makes you a better person*)

There was basically no recipe for this that I used; an authentic or otherwise doctrinaire formulation would be nice, but I didn't find any scholarly resources that really laid it out. Most were just standard home fare. So, I mostly just cruised others to see if there might be any ingredients I would have been leaving out, but this is mostly just another of many variants.

I focused on using ingredients that would allow on-the-fly adjustments the most readily; you can sub things like coconut milk for soy milk if you want to get creamy and sweet from there, or add fish sauce if you want to really push the salty-savory (and eat fishes). However, when you lock in with those they carry a bit more weight and make adjustments more difficult.

Base Ingredients:

• 1 block tempeh (are you on a deliberately eleved L-Carnitine Diet?)
• 1 japanese sweet potato (creamy, starchy potato to toothsome tempeh contrast, and lots of nutrients)
• 1 cup fresh-ground peanut butter (yum)
• 8 basil leaves (yip)
• 1 pkg of Udon Noodles (nom)
• Peanut sauce: ground cayenne, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, mirin, tamari, soy milk, white vinegar, and Bragg's aminos

Instructions:

• To begin with, preheat oven to 350'f, start your pot for steaming, finely dice a medium, white onion. Sautee on low in sesame oil until very tender in a cast iron skillet. Meanwhile finely chop up 4 cloves garlic and an equal volume of ginger, add to pan (ginger could be added later as well). Add a little bit of salt for stirring all of these together. Sautee for a few minutes until soft and fragrant.
• While the skillet is going, turn around and chop your tempeh and japanese sweet potato into equally sized cubes. Toss potatoes in a roasting oil, salt, and paprika; pop in the oven until they get soft, tossing occasionally (about 30-40 minutes). Toss tempeh in steamer once it is good to go (leave about 10-12 minutes).

Essential: Use fresh ground peanut butter.

I am not talking about Jif, I am not talking Woodstock Farms Organic hippie butter. Go to your local Co-Op or Whole Foods and use the machine that grinds it out in front of you. If you have never taken advantage of this ingredient, now is the time.

• Add 3/4 (+/- 1/4) cup of fresh ground peanut butter to the skillet. Pour in some mirin and some tamari to assist in mixing. thoroughly break up the peanut butter (fresh ground is dense) while working it into the onions and liquid. This will form the base of your sauce. Top it with a bit of water and bring to a low simmer to make sure you have broken up the peanut butter and the aromatics work their way through.
• From here we will just be working through balancing the sauce to your taste buds. You will need ground cayenne, crushed red pepper, 8ish basil leaves, salt, pepper, mirin, tamari, soy milk, white vinegar, and Bragg's aminos.

Now what you will be pursuing is a creamy, sweet, spicy, savory sauce. Don't be hasty, or short yourself on tastes.

To get to creamy, you will be alternating between adding mirin and soy milk. The soy milk will add sweetness, and the sweetness from the peanuts won't go away; so you should bear in mind you will be working additively with the others, and reductively with sweet. Spiciness is up to your threshhold; add as much or as little cayenne and crushed red pepper as to get to the burn. For bonus points, add ancho powder for a roastier, toastier flavor. To get to savory you will be adding tamari or Bragg's. If you realize that you are getting all of these pretty good but they need more punch add some of the white vinegar. The brightness from the acidity should push the sauce past the thickness of the peanut and bring out the other flavors.

• Once you have it where you need it, make sure it is sufficiently salted (more vinegar as necessary as well). I waited to salt until now because I was unsure how salty the tamari and Bragg's and peanut butter would make the sauce. This applies doubly if you are using Soy Sauce instead of Tamari. Anyway, add salt and pepper to taste. Thinly slice those basil leaves into strips and then little strips and add them.
• Toss the tempeh into the sauce and cover the skillet. Let sit for 20 minutes.
• Make udon noodles using the water from steaming, being sure to salt it.
• Pull potatoes and add to sauce and tempeh mixture.
• Plate noodles (bonus points for frying first for crispy noodles), then add with tempeh and potato and sauce.
• Top with mung bean sprouts and a shake of crushed red pepper.
• Serve

This is the kind of recipe you can easily pour yourself into. It is straightforward, with few components; yet each one is a vital and elegant component. This easily became one of my favorite sauces last night. It's equilibrium is so plainly and patently straightforward as to have its own palatable viscera.

Finely dicing onions, chopping garlic and slicing frozen ginger may all seem mundane. When you are investing your every fiber of being into the knife and the board and the ingredients, however, you can transform the objects of our daily bread into a profound statement. Take the time to see every ingredient, to taste the difference each one makes; see the changes form a conversation.

Being that static particle for much of the day, the kitchen is a fantastic sanctuary to find and engage a daily regimen of ecstasis.

Good Mornay! Grilled Macaroni & Cheese Sandwich

Click me for recipe (in bulk for nice freezer pack lunches!)Now this idea I am poaching a bit from my friend Cameron. Last night in talking about this comp, he brought up macaroni and cheese. I got into how it might work. Today, I think I may have figured out how to do a Macaroni & Cheese Grilled Cheese.

I get some fresh made little shells or other small, dense pastas. Make a nice big batch of mornay macaroni & cheese like you see to the right. Eat one.

Save the other (separate in two, mix flour or bread crumbs into half) and freeze it overnight. Pull it out, slice a one inch slice, press it to a half inch. [Brush with egg; sprinkle corn meal, paprika?] Heat iron skillet to high. Brown every surface of the entire slice. Cut in half horizontally. Lay slices open face in skillet, add cheeseon top; steam melt cheese with lid. Assemble, serve.

Tastes:

• Macaroni/Shell Pasta
• Colby-Jack and some Mild Cheddar for M&C
• Poblano and cayenne peppers; garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika
• Bread crumbs
• Egg, butter, corn meal
• Cheap Brie (for flow) and shredded (Minerva) Chipotle Cheese blend for middle (maybe started in double boiler instead of steam melted?)

ALT: Use velveeta shells & cheese with a melted velveeta core. OMG. So awful and amazing

re-using because it fits, suckaThis is the most experimental of the bunch I think, since it relies on solidifying a liquid/solid mix, then heating it in the grilling process. I am hoping to use the egg to create a kind of shell around the outside.

Gyarg, when will I be able to do the experimenting; this thing is Sunday!? And how will I get the Chipotle cheese in time; maybe the commie market has some?

Update on 11:53AM by mfg

this recipe has my mitt the devourer seal of hell yeah

and I would totally eat the shit out of it if mfg figures out how to make it 

its all about the skillz

mitt the devourer back at it with some bad (azz) bmp

Last Meal of January: Chicken Enchiladas

I know what you were thinking. "Duh." Right? Anway, we have a surplus of tortilla shells and we have frozen chicken that is taking space and we were talking about a pantry challenge to clean out the pantrywithout grocery shopping.

forever yeah!

we ended up grocery shopping anyway but I needed supplies for a salad i was making for a co-workers birthday today. so oh well no pantry challenge this week; maybe next. Texico Bitches!

we'll start off making the frozen chicken into the enchilada stuffing. basically, season it with cajohn's orange chipotle seasoning, brown it in a saute pan, cool, shred (maybe with a dose or two of cajohn's bhut jolokia bbq sauce, some lemon/lime juice?). then mix with one chopped onion, jalapeno, cilantro, parsley, and some diced tomato.

anyway, nothing too crazy hot. the enchilada sauce will be a roux based tomato sauce. start whisking oil and flour and roasting coriander, paprika, and chili powder in it. then add garlic, onion, oregano and tomato base. hopefully those two will finish about the same time.

splash the bottom of an 13x9 casserole pan with sauce. roll shredded chicken mixture into tortillas and (***) and drop in casserole dish. top with remaining sauce, cover with some shredded cheese. let it simmer for 12-20 around 350-375F. dollop with sour cream and some green onions. serve on shredded iceberg. boom.

• (***intermediary step between rolling and putting in pan is to pan fry/brown the enchiladas; I may opt against it to cut down on added oil... not sure yet)

Update on 2:25PM by mfg

will probably be cooking along to My Night with the Prostitute from Marseilles by Beirut.

you know i typically do not indicate who i am listening to while cooking. i have seen some blogs and books where, no matter what theyre doing from cooking to playing WoW they feel inclined to write about it and tell you the music. i dont know if it really gives me more context, more flavor of the person, if i feel inclined to respect them more; or if it is actually more information than necessary to a detriment. 

that said, if you come here for recipes, then my wonk talking is probably pollution of the same breed. but know this. my favorite for cooking, especially chili or any long term standing investment dish, is sam cooke. he really gets you through the tedium and monotony.

mfg is looking for a secornd jerb.

[...in this economy...]; Hi! this is mittthedevourer here, Mr Responsibility and stuff...

mfg needs more of a buffer with paying for this blog and my salary. he needs a second job that cannot conflict with his current m-f, 8-5. FYI:

he thinks he's all this and that and a stack of pancakes

with whipped cream and strawberries and bacon

 ...and is looking for 10-20 hours per week (mostly nights and weekend-days). has laptop, won't really travel. (telecommuters do save your company money!) he is looking for an administrative, part-time position or one as a part-time executive assistant. here's the current job's specs and some of mfg's qualifications. he'd be mortified, or will be when he sees i'm posting this:

Experience

+ September 2008 to Present

Office Assistant 3 for the [X, Y]* Regions: [(1000+ employee) Employer-statewide]*, Columbus, OH

(*identifying info stricken)

In addition to prompt and accurate work, this position has continually tested the limits of productivity and given cause to improve adopted methods for performing job duties with ever-increasing efficiency. Regular and quick correspondence with clients and subcontractors (typically on behalf of the [Region Chief]), in addition to our two regions staff is a must.

+ Currently I manage the bidding process of [third-party] services subcontracted for the [employer-regional] of the [employer-statewide]. This involves the regular mailing of correspondence to [third-party firms] and our clients on behalf of the [Region Chief], completion of standardized paperwork on deadline. I draft, revise, and issue both the Requests for Proposals and final contracting materials as well as any modifications to these contracts. This process involves both developing a proper maintenance system for bid proposal materials from the [third-party] firms, as well as collating confidential feedback from clients. Also, it is requisite that I keep our clients on deadlines in order to ensure timely awarding of contracts, and I do.

+ Management and upkeep of payroll and project tracking database records for [2] regions' projects as well as contract client data maintenance.  Performed invoicing verification functions for billing rates and amounts, as well as updated budgets and costs for regions' projects.

+ Assisted in an executive/administrative assistance capacity with the temporary management of state-wide contracting approvals for all nine regions (including the two I currently generate materials for). This involved materials which needed supervisory approval by the Deputy Chief [X], then curating and distributing these records; in addition to corresponding with [third-party] firms across multiple regions regarding the status of various projects, retrieval of contracting records for nine regions, and the execution of Public Records Requests by [third-party]firms.

+ [Analysis] Report and correspondence document creation, style guideline application, proofing, and editing; final proofing and bookmarking in Acrobat

he's currently trolling Craigslist looking for part-time telecommuting jobs to see if he can swing a nights/weekend plan. if you've got a lead or if this sounds like the kind of person you want, drop him a line at mfgink[at]gmail[dot]com

posting courtesy of your friendly Mitt the Devourer