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Fluffy, Hot, Dark Chocolate

By Mike Armstrong    

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

 

I used to be fine with an instant hot chocolate although a couple of brands were a bit sweet for my taste. Then I started reading the ingredients that were in some of these mixes and it became apparent, if I wanted to drink hot chocolate, I better make it from scratch.

If first you don’t succeed, try something else

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

 

Not all the things I try to cook come out the way as planned. One such dish was my recent attempt to cook butternut squash. I found this killer recipe (at least it looked great) and I was game to try it although I had never cooked butternut squash in my life.

Hot apple-apricot-cranberry cider

By Mike Armstrong    

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

 

I am always messing around to try different things in the cocktail world and this drink is another example of me experimenting.

The weather getting really cold made me start looking for different things to liven up the apple cider I had in my pantry.

Drunken Chicken

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

 

I got my first slow cooker as a wedding gift and we used it sometimes, but since I was the major cook of our household–I should have known I would run a restaurant one day- it wasn’t all that often. 

Looking back, it was probably because I had seen a slow cooker used when I was growing up, mostly for roasts and meatloaf, two meals I am not that wild about. 

Spinach as a beverage

By Mike Armstrong    

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

 

Smoothies are a ritual with many in the morning. I am no exception. My main two ingredients which are always in the different smoothies I make have bananas and spinach in them.

Chicken fried steak

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

 

I have always enjoyed fried food, although I am aware, it is something to eat with moderation at best. 

A fried food I steered clear of for many years was chicken fried steak.

Carrot juice, a healthy resolution worth trying

By Mike Armstrong    

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

 

The New Year is here and many people have decided it is time to turn over a new leaf in bettering their diet. The past few weeks of allowing cookies, cakes and other Holiday treats are hopefully out of the house and it is time to look at consuming some foods and drinks that are healthy.

An easy one to put on the list is raw carrot juice. 

Elixirs of Youth the old-fashioned way

By Mike Armstrong    

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

8/05/2023

 

At the Carbon County Fair, I met a woman who had some interesting insights about drinking enzymes to keep healthy and younger feeling.

Elk, the gateway meat

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

10/14/2023

 

Elk was the gateway meat for me to realize, I enjoy big game that live in Wyoming. When I moved to Asia, I learned to eat a lot of food I previously would not have, but there was no big game being served on any menu I ever saw. 

Baked Peanut Butter Chicken

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

 

I have loved fried chicken since I can remember. I think it is in a Southerner’s DNA especially if you come from small towns. The Armstrongs can trace 200 years of living in Virginia and in particular Fauquier County. When we went to family reunions, fried chicken and potato salad could be counted on to be served. 

Tom and Jerrys

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

 

A Christmas drink for the holidays

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

 

Crème de Menthe Green is, as the name suggests, a French mint liqueur. It is usually made with Corsican mint, which is steeped in grain alcohol for several weeks before it is filtered and sweetened to create the final product. There is a white Crème de Menthe too. 

Ratatouille

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

 

I am not sure if I saw the Disney movie before I ever had Ratatouille. Either way, this dish is fairly recent to my culinary repertoire. To be honest, I only learned to cook it because it was a very popular dish in my Laramie restaurant, Lost and Found.

A nice touch for punches

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

 

The holidays are here and Christmas parties are on the horizon. Traditionally, this time of year has many punches being served. It goes back to the colonial times although I am not sure how often they put in ice or anything cold like sherbet.

Depending on the punch, ice is needed, but ice cubes melt fast and can affect the taste of a punch. 

Great noodles

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

 

Cranberry Cocktails

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

 

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