Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Halloween Recipes - Creepy Kool

Gory Halloween warning! Time to get squeamish with the Ghoulish Gourmet's creepy imagery of raw meat and viscera. I'm about to get medieval for Halloween and the following Dia del los Muertos or Day of the Dead.

This Sinister Cheap$kate's ghastly recipes are laid out like a bloody scene from a Stephen King and Edgar Allen Poe story. Once you've digested this macabre blog post, your taste buds may nevermore be the same.

And if you're a vegetarian, avert your gaze! Or peak through hand-covered eyes to read my queasy prose. I'm sure to be on Morrissey's #hit list if he ever sees this - he's pop music's most morose vegan. (And I'm a big fan of his songs with The Smiths.)

Some of my most spooky recipes may make your skin crawl, while others will have your taste buds baying at the moon with pleasure, mouthful after mouthful.

Witches Brew - a bubbling cauldron of Pozole.

So read on, and don't forget to click on any recipe name that will bring you kicking and screaming to my original blog post to see all the hair-raising details -- presented with gory gifs, bloodcurdling photos, grisly videos, and eerie text.

Right off the bat, I like my Chupacabra Carne Asada steak and hamburgers medium-rare. Oozing is fine by me - E. coli be damned!


Grilling meat supercharges the flavor and brings out the knuckle-dragging Neanderthal in this Paleo Chef.

The Terminator T-bone

Raw bloody carcasses of meat have been disturbingly depicted in fine art. Rembrandt van Rijn is primarily known as a Dutch painter of moody portraits during the 17th Century, and I am especially influenced by his "Carcass of Beef" (flayed ox) study - just check out the audacious composition with gory details.


And here's the British artist Francis Bacon's 20th Century version, below.


The Chiaroscuro Chef photographs flesh against dark backgrounds lately (shot on a blackened cookie sheet) - usually lit from a single direction, with deep shadows, very much inspired by Caravaggio. An artfully dark and forbidding example is my recipe for Pasta alla Genovese, where I slice and dice cheap beef shank, slaughterous enough to make a zombie weep.


Offal is not so awful to this Carrion Chef. After watching a classic horror flick on the big screen, I cruise LA's fog-shrouded boulevards and alleyways during the midnight hour looking for ways to quell my ravenous appetites...for tacos, that is! 


Buche (stomach,) lengua (tongue,) and tripas (intestines) are on the menu at sidewalk taquerias and taco trucks throughout Los Angeles. Watch the shuddersome viscera-splattered video below to see what stops me in my tracks.



On a sweeter note, while not meat, the gooey insides of a Halloween special edition Oreo cookie are like sweetened bone marrow. You don't smash it to get to the finger-licking orange frosting, a simple twist will do.


Get your hands dirty knawing on my Rosemary's Baby Back RibsYou'll need extra napkins to soak up the BBQ sauce smeared on your lips and dripping from your fingertips.



My Silence of the Lambs Curry is creepy-delicious. And my video cooking directions are as easy to follow as leading a lamb to the slaughter.



It can get messy cooking with meat. You have to have an iron stomach. Try breaking down a pork shoulder sometimes, like I do below for my ghastly Texas Chainsaw Carnitas video recipe.


It's probably the most artistically nauseating footage I've ever shot - but, boy does it taste heavenly when you cradle a stuffed tortilla, plump with citrus and cola-marinated, slow-cooked pork.



Ground chicken and turkey are mushy and wet, more so than ground beef or pork...ugh.


Check out my ground poultry The Blob Patty Melt video to see what I mean -- yuk!



After chicken, pork is the cheapest flesh. When hacked, mangled, and minced into sausage, it's delicious for breakfast or added to stir fry like my Garroted Green Beans and Gruesome Ground Pork recipe below.


This may sound perverse but it's actually fun to animate with ground meat, it's like playing with Play-Doh, just greasier. Check out my video below to see the messiness.



Are you still with me? Man, are you hardcore! I'm getting extra creeped out just assembling this blog post.


Ever gut a fish? Whoa, that is one freaky task! Slice the belly open, yank out the internal organs then chop off the head -- oh, I'm feeling faint just remembering the slimy viscera and the nauseating smell - barf !!

If you want to scare the bejesus out of your dining guest, then serve them a Jaws Whole Grilled Fish - head on!


This tin-framed, bloody-looking slaughter scene comprised of tomato-sauced fat fingers of sardines is one of my most visited food blog posts. And the morbid visitors are mostly from Europe (Transylvania?) - go figure. My pasta dish, Suspiria Sardines in Tomato Sauce with Olive Oil over Pasta, is a delicious mouthful worth sinking your incisors into.



Sushi is typically made with freshly butchered raw fish. It's so artfully presented that you miss the gore that goes into each delicate slice of aquatic flesh.

Here's one of my tastefully shot Sushi recipe videos, the simply presented, Mothra Tuna Sushi.



Shrimp would not seem spooky, right? But, buy head-on jumbo shrimp and try beheading, peeling, and removing the digestive tract/backbone sometimes...yuck! But, man are they delicious when my Mom serves them up in her Stephen King Shrimp & Rice recipe.


Halloween has a dark streak of humor and some of my recipes do, too. Take my wacky Orange Trump Chicken Nightmare on K Street....please. It's the color and shape of a pumpkin and looks like a McDonald's Chicken McNugget, just like our former Twit-in-Chief, but my entree is made with real chicken pieces, not a pink slime meat composite.


How about a recipe where a slice of Bride of Frankenstein Turkey Bacon swallows up a Brussels sprout like a disembodied human tongue...yikes!


I like to cook a whole chicken or leg quarters. There's nothing like the carnal pleasure of ripping apart a cooked poultry carcass and sucking every piece of succulent meat off the bones. My Tingler Chicken Tinga and Paranormal Poached Chicken are some saporous examples.


 Below is the Eviscerating Cuisinier's squishy butchering of a chicken breast and leg quarter. It's the cheapest flesh you can get and I have all kinds of poultry recipes, here.



So get out there and have an entertaining Halloween holiday. It's not all blood and guts! So, I'll leave you with an appallingly tasty ghost story.


Friday, October 21, 2022

Witches Brew Coffee

The Sinister Chef is cursed to be a cheap$kate. But you can benefit by checking out this food blog and my Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube accounts. The moldy Chef model was broken when I started making my food videos over a dozen years ago. 

So keep checking back for a cauldron full of tasty treats. Don't burn me at the stake for my budget ingredients because one day you or someone you know, who's hit hard times, may need my magical cooking tips for saving a few bucks. 

So allow me to put a spell on you in a tasty way, of course, to keep visiting here this month...and beyond!

                                Play it here, video runs 1 minute, 53 seconds.

To link or play on YouTube, click here.

Sunday, October 16, 2022

Croissant with Scrambled Eggs, Cheese & Ham Sandwich - Video Recipe

My latest Croissant Sandwich is loaded with ham, cheese, and eggs. If that is too much for you then slice the Croissant Sandwich in half to share. 

Because I use a store-bought pastry it's easy and quick to make a Croissant with Scrambled Eggs, Cheese & Ham Sandwich. It's a bit decadent to start the day this way...hey, you only live once!

And I get Croissants cheaply from my local Ralphs supermarket bargain bin. They may be a few days old, but because I like them warm they reheat to an almost fresh state, flakey on the outside and buttery soft on the inside. Since I get a great deal there is no reason to make my own Croissants from scratch...maybe one day I'll give it a shot. 

I like to buy a bag or two at a time as they freeze and defrost fine.

I still get eggs at my local Dollar Tree. I can get them anywhere from six eggs to a dozen per carton for a buck twenty-five (last year they cost a buck.) 

For cheese, I use good old American Cheese. You can use any type you like. I find American Cheese melts quickly and I actually like the flavor. Any soft cheese works best like Jack, Mozzarella, Colby, and Monterrey. Shredded cheese melts faster. I've yet to find a vegan cheese that is as flavorful as real cheese or cheese products and melts well. Cheap$kate cheeses frequently show up at my local 99c only Store.

Ham is still affordable especially when packages of sliced ham show up at my local 99c only Store. The packages hold thin-sliced ham, but that's okay for a breakfast sandwich that is already stuffed with cheese and scrambled eggs. I like it this way as a thick slice of ham overpowers the Croissant Sandwich.

Usually associated with the French, Croissants originated in mid-1800s Austria. The pastry is layered with butter so you get a puffy and airy interior with a hard flakey brown exterior.  

While not the same by any means, Flakey Biscuits in the can/cardboard roll give you a rough idea if you have never had a Croissant.

You can purchase Croissants filled with chocolate, feta cheese and spinach, along with many other sweets and savories. 

Croissants are now featured on breakfast menus, even in fast food joints like Jack in the Box's Supreme Croissant with scrambled eggs, cheese, ham, and bacon and they are pretty tasty, too.

I'll slice the Croissant lengthwise while they are at room temperature or when chilled. They may be too soft to slice when heated through

I reheat the Croissant on the stovetop in a pan for a minute on each side. A toaster or tabletop toaster oven works quite well, too. If I am heating up a few Croissants then I will heat them in a regular oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes or so - they don't need to brown anymore, just heat through - so check on them frequently just in case - warm to the touch is enough. Of course, they are delicious at room temperature. 

I reheat my store-bought Croissants on the stovetop in a pan for a minute on each side. A toaster oven works quite well, too. If I am heating up a few Croissants then I will heat them in the oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes or so - they don't need to brown anymore, just heat through - so check on them frequently just in case - warm to the touch is enough. Of course, they are delicious at room temperature.

I like my Croissants warm and plain, but lately, I've been making stuffed Breakfast Croissant Sandwiches. Check out my Scrambled Egg, Cheese & Ham Croissant Sandwich video below. There is nothing to it; just scrambled eggs anyway you like it, then add cheese and ham into a sliced-open Croissant. It's so quick and easy to do!

Croissant with Scrambled Eggs & Cheese Sandwich - Video      Play it here, video runs 3 minutes, 10 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

  • 1 Croissant
  • 1 or 2 Eggs -  It's up to you how many eggs for a Breakfast Croissant Sandwich.
  • 1 Slice of Cheese - I use American cheese, but it's okay to use any favorite cheese.
  • 1 Slice of Ham - I buy cheap sliced ham that is used for sandwiches.
  •  1 Teaspoon Vegetable Oil - for scrambling eggs.

*Since Croissants are so buttery I don't add any oil or butter to the heating grill. I've found they will not stick to a pan. 

Directions

Slice open a Croissant through the middle. You can slice all the way through or just enough to add the scrambled egg.

Scramble an egg or two any way you like. Lately, I just add a little oil to a non-stick frying pan and scramble eggs. You can mix eggs in a bowl first if you like.

I stir eggs the whole time until firm, but slightly moist. You can add a slice of cheese now or when you make the sandwich.

Place sliced Croissant on a heating grill or frying pan. Remove scrambled eggs and add them with cheese to the sliced-open Croissant. 

Add a slice of ham. I like to use thin-sliced ham that you make sandwiches with.

Close the Croissant and heat each side for about one minute, or until Croissant is warm to the touch. You are not browning the Croissant Sandwich, just heating it through.

You can also heat the Croissant (slice lengthwise first) in a toaster or tabletop toaster oven. You do need to watch it closely as it is easy to burn the Croissant. 

You can also preheat the Croissant. You can serve the Breakfast Sandwich without heating the Croissant if it is freshly baked or not too many days old.

Again, you can fill the Croissant with one or two scrambled eggs -- it's up to you depending on how hungry you are, and if the eggs are small or extra-large ones.

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Croissant with Scrambled Eggs & Cheese Sandwich - Video Recipe

A cheezy morning is always a great way to start the day. What I mean is a Croissant with scrambled eggs and a slice of melty American cheese. Now that's a breakfast sandwich you can sink my teeth into.

Because I use a store-bought pastry it's easy and quick to make a Croissant with Scrambled Eggs & Cheese Sandwich. It's a bit decadent to start the day this way...hey, you only live once!

And I get Croissants cheaply from my local Ralphs supermarket bargain bin. They may be a few days old, but because I like them warm they reheat to an almost fresh state, flakey on the outside and buttery soft on the inside. Since I get a great deal there is no reason to make my own Croissants from scratch...maybe one day I'll give it a shot. 

I like to buy a bag or two at a time as they freeze and defrost fine.

I still get eggs at my local Dollar Tree. I can get them anywhere from six eggs to a dozen per carton for a buck twenty-five (last year they cost a buck.) 

For cheese, I use good old American Cheese. You can use any type you like. I find American Cheese melts quickly and I actually like the flavor. Any soft cheese works best like Jack, Mozzarella, Colby, and Monterrey. Shredded cheese melts faster. I've yet to find a vegan cheese that is as flavorful as real cheese or cheese products and melts well. Cheap$kate cheeses frequently show up at my local 99c only Store.

Usually associated with the French, Croissants originated in mid-1800s Austria. The pastry is layered with butter so you get a puffy and airy interior with a hard flakey brown exterior. 

While not the same by any means, Flakey Biscuits in the can/cardboard roll give you a rough idea if you have never had a Croissant.

You can purchase Croissants filled with chocolate, feta cheese and spinach, along with many other sweets and savories. 

Croissants are now featured on breakfast menus, even in fast food joints like Jack in the Box's Supreme Croissant with scrambled eggs, cheese, ham, and bacon and they are pretty tasty, too. 

I'll slice the Croissant lengthwise while they are at room temperature or when chilled. They may be too soft to slice when heated through

I reheat the Croissant on the stovetop in a pan for a minute on each side. A toaster or tabletop toaster oven works quite well, too. If I am heating up a few Croissants then I will heat them in a regular oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes or so - they don't need to brown anymore, just heat through - so check on them frequently just in case - warm to the touch is enough. Of course, they are delicious at room temperature.

I like my Croissants warm and plain, but lately, I've been making stuffed Breakfast Croissant Sandwiches. Check out my Scrambled Egg & Cheese Croissant Sandwich video below. There is nothing to it; just scrambled eggs anyway you like it, add cheese then fill up a sliced-open Croissant.

Check back for my next Breakfast Croissant recipe video when I add a slice of ham on top of the scrambled eggs and cheese. Again, it's so quick and easy to do! 

Croissant with Scrambled Eggs & Cheese Sandwich - Video    Play it here, video runs 2 minutes, 17 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

  • 1 Croissant
  • 1 or 2 Eggs -  It's up to you how many eggs for a Breakfast Croissant Sandwich.
  • 1 Slice of Cheese - I use American cheese, but it's okay to use any favorite cheese.
  •  1 Teaspoon Vegetable Oil - for scrambling eggs.

*Since Croissants are so buttery I don't add any oil or butter to the heating grill. I've found they will not stick to a pan. 

Directions

Slice open a Croissant through the middle. You can slice all the way through or just enough to add the scrambled egg.

Scramble an egg or two any way you like. Lately, I just add a little oil to a non-stick frying pan and scramble eggs. You can mix eggs in a bowl first if you like. 

I stir eggs the whole time until firm, but slightly moist. You can add a slice of cheese now or when you make the sandwich.

Place sliced Croissant on a heating grill or frying pan. Remove scrambled eggs and add them with cheese to the sliced-open Croissant. 

Close the Croissant and heat each side for about one minute, or until Croissant is warm to the touch. You are not browning the Croissant Sandwich, just heating it through. 

You can also heat the Croissant (slice lengthwise first) in a toaster or tabletop toaster oven. You do need to watch it closely as it is easy to burn the Croissant.  

You can also preheat the Croissant. You can serve the Breakfast Sandwich without heating the Croissant if it is freshly baked or not too many days old.

Again, you can fill the Croissant with one or two scrambled eggs -- it's up to you depending on how hungry you are, and if the eggs are small or extra-large ones.