I first noticed this weird soda flavor at my day job, when one of my coworkers was drinking it. It looked so weird, I had to use it in a video, so I asked him where he got the soda. He got it from this Panera bread copycat right across the street from my workplace that many of my coworkers go for lunch. So I went to the Panera bread copycat after work and I got 2 bottles of Mountain Dew Pitch Black soda(along with 2 bottles of Mountain Dew Baja Blast but that's for another video). The first thing I thought of using this was in a stew. 

I was really surprised the black color turned into beige as you can see above. The soda was obviously artificial but it just boggles my mind how it turned color when exposed to a flame. 

The taste was really good- I got a faint flavor of grape(which is the actual flavor of the Pitch Black soda) and a lot of heartiness coming from all the starches in the stew. 

Normally, I ask my dad if he wants to try whatever I'm making but I told him not to eat this stew because I didn't realize until I looked at the bottle that Mountain Dew actually has caffeine in it! Caffeine keeps my dad up at night to the point where he can't have any chocolate after 3 pm, but surprisingly chocolate doesn't keep me up at night. 

This is the perfect recipe for any college student that is cramming late at night but wants an actual dinner too! 

You will need: 

For the cooking equipment: 

A large saucepot with a lid
A small bowl

For the stew: 

2 cups of black soda(I used Mountain Dew Pitch Black soda)
2 cups of bison or beef broth
10 oz. of potatoes(I used sour cream and onion potatoes)
10 oz. of cauliflower(I used ranch cauliflower)
15 oz. of drained butter beans
Pinch of onion powder
Pinch of allspice
Pinch of marjoram
Pinch of black pepper
Pinch of salt

For the thickener: 

1/4 cup of water
1 tbsp. of lemon juice
2 tbsp. of all-purpose flour
1 tsp. of granulated sugar

1. Put all stew ingredients into the large saucepot. Mix all the ingredients up so the spices aren't floating on the surface. 
2. Bring the stew to a boil on the stove. As the stew is boiling, cover the saucepot with the lid. 
3. Once the stew is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the stew simmer for 45 minutes. 
4. While the stew is simmering, mix the thickener ingredients in a small bowl. 
5. When the stew is done simmering, turn the stove off and pour the thickener into the stew. Bring the stew to a boil again. Cover the saucepot with the lid as the stew is boiling. 
6. Once the stew is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the stew simmer for an additional 3 minutes. 
7. Shut the stove off, take the lid off of the saucepot, and let the stew cool off at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. 
8. Serve with wonton strips or garlic bread. Bon appetit! 

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I introduce to you the "EggplantLoaf"! No, this isn't one of SpongeBob SquarePants's distant relatives, but this is a way to make a meatloaf without meat or tofu! All you need are 2 eggplants. 

This recipe was requested by my dad for his birthday(which was October 19 but I was on the mend from my liver resection). He didn't want a tofu loaf or a meat-based meatloaf, but an "eggplant parmesan loaf". 

So I scoured the Internet for eggplant loaf recipes and I found this link, http://www.whatocook.com/how-to-make-an-eggplant-loaf/

​This link called for using a food processor to make the loaf, but then I relied upon my vast meatloaf-making experience to the time when I made a squid loaf, since the pieces of eggplant that weren't riddled with seeds looked like squid tentacles. 

My dad said this dish was right up there with the last thing he requested for me to make, the Honey Graham Sauerbraten, and coming from him, that's a big compliment, since he is a meatloaf traditionalist. 

When I am in the middle of making a recipe sometimes, I come up with a crazy idea, like removing the limbs of a black chicken, sticking a meatloaf in the chicken's abdomen, and calling it a paleo taco! 

I noticed the eggplants had a considerable amount of liquid so when I was done removing the seeds from the eggplant, I wrung them out on the baking tray they were baked in and I put all the liquids on the tray, plus the seeds into a strainer. Then I strained out the liquid into a cup, and I ended up with very little liquid to justify ever making a sorbet or ice cream out of eggplant juice. But I chugged the juice and the juice wasn't very sweet but it tasted like eggplant! 

You will need: 

For the cooking equipment: 

A large bowl
A lasagna pan
Nonstick cooking spray 
Aluminum foil

For the EggplantLoaf: 

2 baked and cooled off eggplants
2/3 tbsp. of onion powder
2 beaten and whisked eggs
1/2 cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of marinara sauce
Pinch of garlic powder
Pinch of oregano
Pinch of black pepper
Pinch of salt
1 cup of breadcrumbs

How to prepare the eggplant: 

1. Follow the directions in the video I made over a year ago, "How to Bake an Eggplant". 
2. Cut the eggplants in half and let them cool off after baking them for 10 minutes. 
3. Remove the parts of the eggplant that aren't seeds by peeling off 1 piece of eggplant at a time and rubbing the seeds off of each piece. 
4. Squeeze the moisture out of each piece. Drinking the liquid that is wrung out is optional! 
5. Put each wrung-out eggplant piece into a large bowl. 

How to make the EggplantLoaf: 

1. Add the last 10 EggplantLoaf ingredients into the large bowl with the eggplant pieces. 
2. Mix all the ingredients up until all of the ingredients are distributed evenly amongst the mixture, which should be firm. 
3. Spray a lasagna pan with nonstick cooking spray.
4. Form 2 loaves. 
5. Cover the lasagna pan with aluminum foil to prevent the eggplant from drying out in the oven. 
6. Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 55-60 minutes. 
7. Bon appetit! 

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VIDEO FILMED BEFORE MY LIVER RESECTION!

I filmed this video a month ago, so all I have to say is, whenever I see a weird flavor of beer in the supermarket, I want to cook with it in as many ways possible, especially in a [insert flavor] meatloaf, where I need a liquid to make the meatloaf not dry, because it's even better when the said liquid I use is the same flavor as the rest of the meatloaf. It's even better when there's a cereal the exact same flavor as the rest of the meatloaf too! Twice as nice!

You will need: 

For the cooking equipment: 

A large bowl
A lasagna pan
Nonstick cooking spray

For the meatloaf: 

2/3 tbsp. of onion powder
2 beaten and whisked eggs
1/2 cup of s'mores flavored beer
1/2 cup of chocolate chunks
1/2 cup of marshmallows
1/2 cup of S"morz cereal
1 cup of crushed graham crackers
1 pound of chopped, drained, crumbled up extra firm tofu

1. Put all ingredients into a large bowl.
2. Mix all the ingredients up until you get a firm, cohesive mixture. 
3. Spray a lasagna pan with nonstick cooking spray. 
4. Form 2 loaves in the lasagna pan.
5. Bake the meatloaves in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 40-45 minutes. 
6. Bon appetti! 

​

Here are the last 3 videos explaining the current status of my health. I don't know when I'll start recording new recipe videos but I do have 6 old ones filmed before my surgery that I'm working on publishing first. 

​

I wanted to one up my previous ice cream recipes, so I made a swirl for this ice cream too! 

This recipe is a way for me to use the French toast sticks and French Toast Crunch cereal that I had. Instead of using sugar to sweeten the ice cream, I used pure maple syrup, which is perfectly fitting for this recipe! 

​

These Doritos have got to be the spiciest thing I've ever eaten! They were so spicy, I only ate a measly 4 chips before throwing the rest out! But hey, it was worth a try! 

You might be wondering where I managed to find kimchi seasoning- I found it at a small, Filipino Asian grocery a few months back and when I saw this article: http://www.fandm.spoonuniversity.com/2015/02/18/make-homemade-cool-ranch-doritos-15-minutes/, I knew I had to make my own Doritos and I just happened to have kimchi seasoning. 

I looked at the ingredients of the seasoning mix and the only pepper I saw on it was "chili pepper", which can mean many things, since there are many types of chili peppers. But I imagine this is what ghost peppers(those super spicy peppers) taste like- not that I ever tried ghost peppers nor that I ever will but still, these chips were extremely spicy. 

This recipe only uses 3 ingredients! My dad was the smart one in this video- he only ate the tip of one chip yet he still felt all the spice from that chip. 

HELPFUL LINK: Kimchi seasoning: https://www.amazon.com/NOH-Korean-Kim-Chee-Seasoning/dp/B00013VAVE/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1475439152&sr=8-2&

You will need: 

For the cooking equipment: 

A large bowl
A pizza cutter
A large baking sheet or cookie tray
Nonstick cooking spray
Ziploc bag

For the chips: 

4 large corn tortillas
4 tbsp. of olive oil
Kimchi seasoning(see HELPFUL LINK)

1. Cut each corn tortilla into eighths- these will be the chips. Put all the chips into a large bowl. 
2. Pour olive oil into the large bowl and coat the chips in the oil. 
3. Spray a large baking sheet or cookie tray with nonstick cooking spray.
4. Put all of the chips onto the baking sheet or cookie tray in one layer with some space in between each chip. 
5. Bake the chips in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes. 
6. Take the chips out of the oven and let them rest at room temperature for an additional 10 minutes. 
7. Put the chips into a Ziploc bag and pour the kimchi seasoning into the bag. Close the bag and shake the chips and seasoning up so that the chips are coated in kimchi seasoning(they should be orange in color, just like store-bought Doritos). 
8. Serve with a glass of milk. Bon appetit! 

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