Welcome to the first of many Something Random Sundays!

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What is Something Random Sunday?!

Well... Its not everyday that Sunday comes along, so why not celebrate it?! Put your feet up and relax~ Find Steemians discussing something random here every Sunday. Feel free to join in the fun!

If you have suggestions for future Something Random Sundays, please feel free to comment.

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A @mosic response to:

Prepper Cook-Off Challenge created by @canadianrenegade

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The Scenario

In the near future, a massive EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse) from the sun has knocked out the electrical grid and the world has devolved into chaos. Being a Steemian, you and your group are more prepared than most but after many months hunkering down you are nearly out of food and are forced to scavenge the nearby buildings for supplies.
You are facing a dire scene with almost every building already ransacked and picked clean of food. You persist in your search and are eventually rewarded. Going through the cupboards of one kitchen you find 2 items that fell behind a lazy Suzan and were missed by previous scavengers. Not much, but you also have 1 item and some spices left at your secret lair. You must now combine these items into a meal that won't cause you and your fellow survivors to gag or die of heartburn.

Please refer to original post for full competition details https://steemit.com/preppercookoff/@canadianrenegade/prepper-cook-off-challenge#@rolltwodice/7cwj00035qp7ay7ram1sekifdnbqemxc-post

Stipulations:

Cooking oils, sugar, salt and spices are permitted but they must be used in a reasonable amount. You can't use so much that they become a main item.
• Herbs are fine as long as they are dried. No fresh ingredients. They have to be storable.
• Stock cube is fine.
• Wine, hard liquor and vinegar is fine but keep the combined liquid condiments to a shot glass worth. The idea is that they don't contribute much to the meal other then some flavor. Once again they need to be shelf stable.
• If it isn't obvious water can be used in any quantity.

Dice 1

1. Can of beans in tomato sauce
2. Can of diced tomatoes
3. Dry rice (1 cup)
4. Dry macaroni noodles (1 cup)
5. Can of fruit cocktail
6. Dried apricots (1 cup)

Dice 2

1. Can of mushrooms
2. Can of kernel corn
3. 1 cup flour (or gluten free alternative)
4. Can of evaporated milk (or Coconut milk)
5. Rolled oats
6. Peanuts (1 cup)

@rolltwodice provided my results:

You blow on two 6-sided dice, and throw:

First die lands...
You rolled a 3.

Second die lands...
You rolled a 6.

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@mosic accepting the challenge:

HAHA I knew it... I thought I was going to get the macaroni noodles and peanuts! Close enough...
Third item will be canned tuna.

Well be rice back to teach you peanuts how to cook! Tuna in once we get the grid back up! These EMPs are rough!

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And we are back with another episode of Eating More Power, your lighthearted escape in this time of hardship. Bringing you quick recipes as your stocks dwindle. Enjoy what could be your last meal!?

fade to black and open up on a group of 3 returning franticly from exploring the nearby houses.

Huck: We made it back guys! Lets get that fire stoked and cook us some tasty eats~

Tom: Darn, The house we went into only had a small bag of rice… I didn’t see anything else before we got chased out by those dogs! What did ya find!?

Matt: Don’t worry! I found some peanuts and some more spices! With the tuna in oil, herbs and spices we already have hidden back at home, we should be able to make one of them 5 star meals we used to see on that worthless box now sitting eerily quiet in the corner of the room! Oh how I miss watching.. what was that show called? With that chef Gordon Ramsay…

Huck: Kitchen Nightmares?

Matt: Yeah! That was it… you would watch and these people with WORKING refrigerators and they can not keep them clean.

Tom: Oh.. what I would give to have some ice right now… or just stand there with the refrigerator door open. This sun takes our power from us and now over 100 degrees this past week…

Huck: Stop being a baby… I am sure they will get the grid back up in no time!

Tom: Its been months and we are the only people for miles… last we heard, the lake was drying up!

Matt: wwwwwwwwwooooooowhwhwhwhwoooooo Lets get our flippers on and jump in before its too late!

Tom: Can we go tomorrow? I haven’t eaten in days and you promised some kinda 5 star meal. I cant wait any longer…

Huck: *chuckles and mumbles.. Such a baby… always complaining…

Matt: Ok. Ok. Lets get cookin! Huck, go ahead and get that water boiling for the rice. Put in a small pinch of salt. ONLY A PINCH! We need to use our spices and herbs sparingly… we don’t know when the grid will be back up and we didn’t think to plant any seeds before the EMP. Tom, if you can manage without giving Huck any issues, grind up the peanuts as best you can and let me know when they are ready.

Tom: READY!

Matt: You want to eat today?

Tom: mimics Matt You want to eat today? And then quickly goes back to grinding peanuts…

Huck: Punches Tom Hey I am hungry too, so unless you can cook as well as he can… please stop!

Matt: I’ll be right back, I have to grab a few spices from our stash.

Huck: pacing back and forth past Tom as if to say hurry up and grind!

Matt: Alright, how are we lookin? I am still trying to figure out how to get this tuna can open…

Huck: Water was boiling so I added the rice and I found a way to open the can! Check it out! Just find a metal spoon! It would be best to use one that you do not plan on using for eating. The process of opening a can with a metal spoon can damage the spoon and leave you with sharp edges to cut yourself on.

This can also be done with a knife or other tool that will act in a similar manner.

Here is a link to video on how to open a can with a spoon:

Matt: We don’t have electricity remember…

Huck: True… I guess I’ll just have to show you! Also, I think Tom is almost done with his nut crushing.

Tom: Pushes his way through Huck, bringing a bowl of crushed peanuts with him All set Matt! Lets Eat!

Matt: Almost there! Just have to add a few items into the crushed peanuts as they slowly cook. Once the rice is complete, I will mix a few spices in and then I will plate it! That’s right! We are going 5+1 Star!

Tom: I bet they never thought to use plates at any of those fancy restaurants!

Huck: playfully knocks tom in the back of the head

Matt: Ok guys, lets write this one down for next time incase its really good!

Steps to Glory:

Step One:
Prepare water for rice- Bring to slow boil. Typically, rice is cooked at a 1:2 ratio to water. If you have 1 cup of rice, you should have 2 cups of water. Once it has had a chance to roll around, bring your heat down and simmer for about 15 minutes.

I am adding a little bit extra water (slightly more than 1/4 cup) as I want a sticky rice. Should you prefer your rice more firm, only put 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice, but please note that without more ingredients like eggs- getting a patty form to hold will be difficult and I would suggest skipping the patty portion of the recipe.

Step Two:
Prepare your tuna.

If you are starting with tuna in water, It would be best to drain and set tuna aside to remove as much water as possible. Drizzle your tuna with oil to allow it to marinade while performing other parts of the recipe. If you are starting with tuna in oil, you can remove it from can when it is called for at a later point in the recipe.

Step Three:
Grind Peanuts as fine as possible. The final sauce will be a runny creamy peanut butter texture, so if you prefer a chunky peanut butter, save some coarsely chopped nuts to add in later.

You may prefer to keep some chunks within your sauce. Grind most of the peanuts fully to form cream later on, and grind the remaining to desired texture. I will be using some chunky nuts to add to texture of overall dish, but please don’t be a follower! I mean yes.. please do follow me @mosic but make this dish how you would like it. :D

Step Four:
Your water should be at a slow boil at this point. Add rice and cover.

Step Five:
Put a saucepan on low for the peanut sauce. We are not trying to burn but semi-roast the mixture. Add a small amount of oil, just to cover the pan. Work the peanut powder slowly as it heats.

Step Six:
Add spices/herbs to sauce.

• 1 to 3 Tablespoons of brown sugar To taste or availability
• Sriracha or Cayenne To taste or availability
• 1/4 Teaspoon of ground Ginger To taste or availability
• 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder To taste or availability
• 1/3 Shot of Red Wine Vinegar To Availability
• Pinch of salt To taste or availability

Step Seven:
Once all ingredients are in, you can measure remaining oil needs, and add from there. Continue adding a few drops at a time until a cream texture is reached. This is something that will occur quickly with heat.

Do not add too much oil early on, you can always add more, but its hard to take oil out. This is especially important here because you have been cooking the nuts and spices into the oil and your flavor is now suspended. Removing oil will remove flavor

Step 8:
Check rice- Once to desired cook ratio, drain excess water.

Step 9:
In mixing bowl add in desired seasonings.

I will be adding a light amount of salt/black pepper and dried parsley for color. At this point you may be thinking… but why am I not wanting to add in more spices? For me, there will be more than enough flavor coming from the sauce let alone the three different main ingredients having distinct flavor profiles. You can always add spice after should you desire it, but taste the sauce first… then go from there.

Step Ten:
By hand, press the rice into desired shape.

I made mine into small hockey puck sized discs.

Step Eleven:
Once your sauce is complete- remove it from the pan, leaving a slight amount (about 1 teaspoon for flavor) along with an additional splash of oil. Stir well as you bring it up to medium heat.

You may choose to use more sauce at this point, it is completely up to you. This step is simply to sear the tuna meat and give it some additional flavor. Keeping the sauce level low here will maintain separate flavor profiles as well as allow some of the spice to be marinated into the tuna.

Step Twelve:
Take your tuna and lightly place it within pan.

I add “lightly” because for most cases, your can will not have a large chunk of tuna and will break up easily. We want to keep the chunk form as we fry it in the seasoned oil mixture.

Step Thirteen:
Sear tuna to desired ratio.

I sear for color only as the tuna is already prepared to consume coming out of the can.

Step Fourteen:
Plating!?! Set your rice patties as you wish, topping them with chunks of tuna. Then, Drizzle your peanut sauce across them in a swaying motion to give each set a certain level of unique desire and equal coverage.

Step Fifteen:
Presentation?!? Throw that plate down in front of your hungry EMP Survivors and watch as they get to chowin’ down. It is at this moment you should be preparing your cage. Tom and Huck are distracted by the surprisingly good meal they are eating.

Step Sixteen:
Capture! Drop your cage down onto your unsuspecting EMP Survivors and now you have turned rice into fresh meat for weeks!

Huck: WHOA WHOA WHOA MATT!?! You need us! We found the food you are eating right now?!

Tom: Ya gotta admit… this is pretty good though.. Even if we are now trapped here!

Matt: pulls cage back up Oh yeah… sorry guys… I lost myself there for a second. We need to get farming tomorrow or this isn’t going to work. We could have all sorts of fresh foods with this EMP issue. If only we did a little bit of forward thinking and started a garden before it all happened.

Huck: I saw some dead corn and tomato plants a few houses down! I bet you anything that there are seeds on the ground or in the house… We just haven’t been looking for seeds! Tomorrow we can get started… please let us out!

Matt: I don’t know… Ok ok … Tomorrow then. If we work together, we can rebuild from this mess. Or maybe one day even go back in time and stop this from ever happening!

Tom: stops eating and then maybe we can get back to watching Kitchen Nightmares instead of being in one!

Huck: BA DUM TSS!!!

In retrospect-

I found this to be a very filling meal! I think that everyone should try it with the chunky peanuts as it created a sort of candy topping to a spicy dish. Again, you do not have to use as much or any spice, but it does add a lot to the flavor profile of the dish.

This could be made with any meat as well as vegetables or tofu. It really is a well-rounded go to in a pinch.

For someone that is not a huge fan of fish. The rice and peanut topping really do a great job at complimenting the seafood flavor. Give it a try... you might like it too! :D

Thank you @canadianrenegade for hosting this contest. I am eager to see what people have come up with. From what I have seen already, its going to be a tough race! Lots of talented people here on Steemit!