What I Cooked This Week: May 4 - May 10

A running list of what I am cooking. Use it for ideas, inspiration, or just to entertain your boredom. I’ll keep it simple. Each entry will include:

• What I cooked (don't worry, there's always a photo)
• What I experimented with
• What I liked and disliked
• Other thoughts (I'll try to spare you here - I'm a cutthroat critic of my own cooking)

May 4, 2025

Poulet au Vinaigre (Samin Nosrat's recipe...slightly modified)

AKA vinegar chicken. One of the best meals I’ve had in a while—bright, rich, oniony (and oniony... and oniony). Pure comfort food. The photo’s nothing special, but you'd understand if you tasted it.

What I experimented with:

• Not much. I used deboned chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken. Any benefit from keeping the bones on felt pretty trivial—this version still delivered.

• ✅ Bright and rich - a perfect contrast
• ❌ Not a particularly quick meal. I don't mind a long cook, but maybe you do.

Takeaway:

A classic French comfort dish: creamy, bright, rich, and deeply warming. It doesn’t look fancy—but this is what good food feels like.

Rating: 9.5/10

May 5, 2025

Cornmeal crusted fried flounder

I recognize the failure of character it is to not cook Mexican food on Cinco de Mayo. But here we are: flounder again (see last week). This time, I went all-in with a full dredge before frying. It fell short—probably because I had absolutely incredible fried fish yesterday at Balboa Surf Club. Fried fish two days in a row… must be a spring thing

What I experimented with:

• Cornmeal crusted flounder. Not exactly groundbreaking to a seasoned fish fryer—but I am not him.

• ✅ Crunchy
• ❌ Something was off. Maybe the fish, maybe the dredge. I didn’t gameplan—just vaguely tried to imitate Mashama Bailey’s method except I used powdered buttermilk in milk and a pretty sad bag of yellow cornmeal. Also, maybe the shallot-avocado oil I fried in was the culprit. Either way, I’ll be trying something different next time.

Takeaway:

Fried fish is great - this cornmeal crusted flounder was mid.

Rating: 6.7/10

May 6, 2025

Pepperoni pizza

If you're not in the loop, go to Ongoing Experiment: Pizza.

What I experimented with:

• Homemade pizza. Plain and simple. I have historically been bad at homemade pizza. Not for long. Like Forrest Gump and shrimping.

• ✅ Airy and flavorful crust.
• ❌ Stretching and shaping needs some work. Practice.
• ❌ Cheese quality can be improved.
• ❌ Thinner pepperonis so Amber doesn't make me sleep outside.

Takeaway:

This isn’t over, homemade pizza. At least tonight's tasted like pizza.

Rating: 8.5/10

May 7, 2025

Hungarin chicken stew with dumplings

Had to make a trip home while on work. The comfort of a homecooked meal from my parents will always takeaway a 10/10. No critiques.

Takeaway:

A homecooked meal that you didn't touch, especially made by your parents, onyl deserves a 10.

Rating: 10/10

May 9, 2025

Grilled teriyaki flank steak bowls

It's Friday and we are staying home, but this week has been a hell of a week so we kept it simple. Flank steak over charcoal on the kamado, some real teriyaki, rice, and broccoli. Smokey and sweet...can't be beat.

What I experimented with:

• I experimented with not over committing myself on a Friday night and spending 2 hours cooking a subpar meal.
• Just a note - teriyaki sauce is made with a 2:2:2:1 ratio of shoyu, mirin, sake, and sugar. Add a cornstarch slurry to thicken after you let it cook off some. Kill the heat and add garlic and chilis if you'd like.

• ✅ Smokey and sweet beef. Great combo. The teriyaki compliments the smoke and wood fired taste. Not a groundbreaking discovery here!

Takeaway:

A simple yet sturdy meal. Beef, fire, and fire. A caveman's paradise. And teriyaki sauce...can't outgrow it.

Rating: 8.5/10