Mr. Selfie Sundays
The Selfies cook in their home a lot but because his wife is a monster who must eat before 7 or risk turning into a gremlin, Monday through Friday, I typically cook. It is incredibly utilitarian in that it is both aggressively healthy and very quick and often, edible but not mind-blowing. But if I am a cook, then Mr. Selfie* is a chef. Since we typically eat out either Friday or Saturday that leaves Sunday, glorious Sunday for Mr. Selfie to prepare a beautiful meal. By popular request**, here is Mr. Selfie’s insight on Sunday chef-ery.
What are we having for dinner tonight?
Today we’re going to try some Brazillian cheese puffs to go with some Argentinian shrimp and a little bit of slaw to go with that
How do you decide what we’re going to have for dinner?
So, I usually ask my wife and she tells me what to make. *laughs * But sometimes, I just go on a whim and see where the mood takes me. Sometimes I base it on the weather.
How did you end up making Sunday dinners?
Well, I like to cook and things have gotten a little busy. So, to help with that, just trying to pick a day of the week and turn it into a tradition.
Where did you learn how to cook?
I suppose I mostly learned by cooking with my mom and before that, with my grandma. I always enjoyed when she’d get in the kitchen to prepare stuff for a family get-together - to see where I could sit along and see where I could help out.
What do you like to cook best?
I don’t tend to have a particular preference. It’s particularly fun doing a dinner party and cooking for a bunch of people. I definitely don’t like making fancy meals for just me.
When you’re trying to learn to make something new, what kind of resources do you use? How do you figure it out?
I just try to follow the cookbook or I wing it. It’s always nice to mix some of the stuff you want to try with things you already like. [Editor’s note: Mr. Selfie is prolific at “winging it” and 99.9% of the time, it comes out awesome].
What cookbook are we working from today?
Today’s cookbook is “America’s Test Kitchen: How It Can Be Gluten-Free” This one seems pretty good. It has lots of extra tips. Hopefully, it comes out as good as it looks. This is something we already like and have quite frequently but haven’t tried to make yet.
What are some of your favorite cookbooks?
Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis - [Context: Mr. Selfie has a bit of a crush on Giada] Selfie: “How dare you.”
Voila: The Effortless French Cookbook
The Flavor Matrix has more interesting ideas when you want to try something different.
Recipe
Recipes for Pao De Queijo can be found many places - this recipe is pretty close. We used to go a Brazilian place on campus called Sao Paolo’s that had this great cheesy bread. Then, Mr. Selfie’s mom found Brazibites (sold at HEB, Costco, Whole Foods, etc.). Y’all. Those stupid little bites make. life. better. Mr. Selfie changed the recipe to be all Mexican cheese instead of half cheddar. They obviously turned out perfectly. * Literal Chef’s Kiss *
Any cooking questions for Mr. Selfie?! Leave them in the comments!