Culinary Experiements

It's been so long since I've done this, but I wanted to share my explorations in strange culinary adventures. I made a cauliflower pizza crust that I had read about in a number of blogs.  K was kind enough to be there try it...I wouldn't call it a smashing success but it was fun. I also made an arugula pesto to go on top of one too with my leftover arugula.

After "ricing" the cauliflower and mixing in all of the ingredients, you pot it in the oven for a bit.

Then you can add your toppings. I went with garlic and cheese on one.

Pizza sauce and cheese on another.

And a spicy arugula pesto on the last one. (Yes, I made 3).

 

I had some extra arugula so I put it in the magic bullet with some olive oil, Parmesan cheese and garlic.  It was spicy, but good. I'd probably add some spinach or basil or something to make it less strong next time.

They were by no means delicious, but they were still edible. The garlic definitely saved it if you ask me. But the verdict, don't try these again.

The next strange culinary experiment was a quinoa burger patty.

I cooked them on the stovetop. They started to fall apart, not quite the texture of burgers you want.

But they were round, so at least they had the shape of burgers...

I didn't have any buns, so a whole wheat tortilla had to serve as the vehicle. They weren't bad, but lacked some flavor. Maybe I should have added cheese? Cheese makes EVERYTHING better. Right?

Hopefully soon I'll have some more strange things I've tried!

A look ahead...or back

Whoa, it's been over a month since my last post. Does that mean I've given up being domestic? No way, not that easily.

I've got quite a few things to share. But first, I'll tell you about my new to do list system.

So, I love all things to do lists. I don't know if it's because I love the satisfaction of being able to cross things off and feel accomplished or if I get overwhelmed with too many things unless I spell it out or if I just really enjoy making to do lists. Either way, I LOVE them.

But there gets to be a point when you spend so much time making to do lists that you don't actually get anything done. Which is rather counterproductive. So I've simplified my life by creating 2 types of lists. The long to do list and the short list. The long list is a bunch of things I want to/need to do. Whether it is an arts and crafts project from pinterest or a blog or hemming pants or planning meals or grocery shopping or cooking or running or laundry or emptying the dishwasher (yep, that made the list...) I just put them all on one long list. I'm not interested in checking things off that list just yet, it is just to help me remember things that I want to do.

But every morning (sometimes the night before, sometimes not until my metro ride to work) I create a daily to do list. 3 things. That's it. Just 3 things I want to complete (usually after work, sometimes at lunch) that day. I start with things that need to get done or that are already in my calendar (Running, dinner with friends, Bible Study) and then add smaller projects (baking cookies for work, one craft project, hemming pants).

So far (This system has been in place for about 4 days) it's worked great. Don't believe me? Here's a list of what I did this week.

Monday

1. Dinner with Taylor (I brought leftover Curried Chicken and Brown Rice)
2. Bible Study
3. Pick Laura up from the Airport

Tuesday

1. Run 2-4 miles (Part of the new training program I just started for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. I went 3.5)
2. Intern Bible Study
3. Empty dishwasher (I usually don't have to add things like this, but it had been 3 days!)
4. Add songs to iPhone and iPod nano (so I can finally use it on my runs)
5. I  also tried a BUNCH of new hairstyles and found some I really like...

Wednesday

1. Run 3-5 miles - Intervals (I went 4.5 and nearly DIED)
2. Grocery Shopping (which then led to a complete overhall and reorganization of everything in my cupboard when I discovered MULTIPLES of different things, like 3 bottles of BBQ sauce...who needs 3 bottles?!? Not me. And never again with  my new system I'll explain in a later post.)
3. Make Nutella No Bake Cookies (oh my goodness, if you haven't tried these, then you NEED TO)
4. Cut up fruit and veggies for snacks (Strawberries, Pineapple, Celery)

Thursday

1. Run 2-4 miles (3.5 and it was easier than day 1. But I'm glad tomorrow is a rest day)
2. Cook dinner (Pan Girlled Ginger-Honey Pork Tenderloin and Roasted Green Beans with Parmesan - which makes my subscription to Cooking Light SO worth it)
3.  Bake Chai Tea Gingerbread Bars (Ok, so this wasn't on my list, but I ended up doing it anyways)
4. Hem Pants (well, I got one of 2 pairs hemmed)
5. Cut up Jicama (I LOVE IT)
6. Paint nails (this wasn't on my daily list, but I was in such a productive move I decided to do it anyways)

Friday

1. Dinner with Friends
2. Arcadia (my favorite play!)
3. Update Blogs

So, as evidenced by this past week, I have CLEARLY been productive (including sewing, cooking, baking, and planning). And I have felt more energized at work. It might just be better planning meals and snacks, working out, and sleeping. But I also think its not having the stress of thinking about everything I have to do, because there are only 3 things. And that is TOTALLY manageable.

So for now I leave you with a few images of what you have to look forward to in the posts ahead...

Roommate Dinner: Spicy Sausage and White Bean Stew

I think I liked this meal. It resulted in dinner for me and L as well as lunch Wednesday and Thursday for me.

I used a Chicken Sausage instead of regular sausage to make it a little healthier. It was still 10 points though.

I love making things in the crock pot, it really does make life so much easier.

I sauteed the olive oil, garlic, onions and sausage on Monday night then threw it in the crock pot along with the chicken stock, white wine, rinsed white means, and dried thyme and put it in the fridge overnight. So when I got up in the morning, all I had to do was put the pot back in the crock (is that what they are even called?) and turned it on low.

When I got home and we were ready to eat, I tossed in some spinach and stirred it just long enough for the leaves to wilt.

While it didn't look that appetizing, it sure tasted good. I might try this one again, but maybe try a different kind of sausage.

Seriously, it tastes MUCH better than it looks.

RECIPE (from learnvest.com):
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup leftover white wine
Two 15-ounce cans white beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups tightly packed spinach leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Thanksgiving as a real grown up.

So I went home for Thanksgiving and did indeed bring a pie on the plane with me. That's right, I made an apple pie from SCRATCH and then used a round cake carrier to bring it on the plane with me back to Minnesota. Everyone was surprised and also a little impressed (I think). The pie turned out great. Comments: I could have added more cinnamon or cooked it longer. I think I'll add more apples next time, because they cooked down a lot more than i anticipated. But overall it was a great first attempt at making a pie by myself. And look at how beautiful it turned out!
 

I think it looks a little better uncooked. Look at those edges!

 Golden Brown. Perfection.

 I also was able to bake the Sweet Potato Casserole and made some Roasted Parmesan Green Beans that were a HUGE hit. I like this whole learning to cook and growing up thing.

I also cooked dinner for my mom and Gramma one night. I made my famous Lemon Apricot Chicken with Apple/Pear and Mint Salad. They loved it. Gramma even went back for seconds! That's when you know you've finally made it big. 
 

Apple, Pear, Mint Salad

Apricot Lemon Chicken

Making momma proud.

What can't you do with Bisquick?

So I'm not really sure why, but I'm on a Bisquick mailing list type thing. They sound out weekly recipes for all the things you can make with Bisquick (I honestly have only ever used it to make Coffee Cake) and I look at them but never actually try any.

So when they sent out one that talked about Candied Ginger Pumpkin Pancakes, I was intrigued. I have recently become obsessed with all things that contain pumpkin (as long as they don't have too strong of a pumpkin taste or smell) and who doesn't love breakfast for dinner (says the girl who grew up on pancakes and cereal). So I was going to make these for Roommate night, but decided against it. But I still had all the ingredients, so when I happened to have more time to cook on Wednesday with K, I decided it would be fun to try.

Overall, they were kind of fun. They lacked a sweetness to them though. I ended up adding more candied ginger than the recipe called for because I really liked the ginger taste. I also left out pecans because I didn't have any (I also am of the opinion that adding nuts to anything automatically ruins it, same with raisins). Now, I love the taste of bland things; I eat Total and Wheaties and Pancakes without syrup, but these pancakes were bland-even for my super-taster taste-buds. When I added the light butter and maple syrup, they tasted great. I think the maple and the ginger and the pancake went well together.

I think if I make them again, I would try adding some maple flavoring or maybe even some syrup to the batter? It would definitely make it less healthy, but would add more flavor. I suppose I could add more of the pumpkin pie spice too.

Either way, these pancakes paired with fresh strawberries made for a delicious dinner with K (who was still in a post-surgery stupor, but was a champ and ate the bland pancakes anyways.) I had planned on pairing it with a Woodchuck Hard Cider, but drinking alcohol with on Codine is generally a bad idea, and I wanted K to live, so we just had tea.

All around a delightful dinner. Not to mention the Mac & Cheese book I got from N and the Kickboxing DVDs K got me for my birthday. That's right. I'm soon going to be one tough kickboxing, mac and cheese making domestic dive.

Healthy Comfort Food - Roommate night

What is the one thing I know I can cook for my roomie and it will never fail? Grilled Cheese and Soup. We are both definitely Midwest girls through and through. We love all things warm and comforting, not to mention full of carbs and cheese. While I never ate Tomato Soup growing up (we always did Chicken Noodle Soup with Grilled cheese in my house) I have learned to love it almost as much as L does.

So after a weekend stuck in bed and still not feeling in top form (did I mention it was raining?) I tossed around a few ideas of fairly simple things to make. I finally settled on the no-fail Tomato Soup and Grilled cheese. Now, there are probably HUNDREDS of recipes for tomato soup out there, most of them are delicious I'm sure. But since we don't have a blender or any way of turning tomatoes into soup, I wasn't sure how this would go. (Last year I tried making it and while it was delicious, putting individual portions of soup into the Magic Bullet to try to get the right consistency did not work so well). By the time 5oclock rolled around and I was leaving work, I still hadn't decided what I was going to do.

Thankfully, Harris Teeter made things nice and easy for me. Soup was BUY ONE GET ONE FREE. That's right. Fresh (no preservatives) Tomato Basil soup, 2 for $5 (each cup has 2 portions, so one for dinner, one for lunch this week!). With the soup all ready to go, all that was left was the trimmings. Now I'm a big fan of dipping my celery in tomato soup (Like a Bloody Mary but sans all the empty calories) and L could eat celery like its her job. So that was a must. And I was tired of Roasted Asparagus, so when Skinnytaste posted a recipe for Roasted Parmesan Green Beans, I knew I had to try it. All that plus a Grilled Cheese = the perfect winter meal.

I decided to do something a little crazy with my grilled cheese this time. I had found some recipes that talked about making Grilled cheese croutons, but that required day old bread, something I could have had if I had planned this meal more than 2 hours in advance... I wanted to do something that would help prevent the bread from getting too soggy when I dipped it in the soup. And I found the jackpot of solutions when I found the Caramelized Cheese Covered Grilled Cheese Sandwich. My mom always used to cook burnt cheese for me when she would make a grilled cheese or scrambled eggs, so I thought, why wouldn't it work to just add it to the outside of the bread? It would add some crunch and some texture and hopefully help prevent the bread from getting too soggy.

Honestly, it was DELICIOUS. Now, it wasn't pretty. But it was SO GOOD. I don't know if I'll ever eat a regular grilled cheese again after eating the Holy Grail of grilled cheeses. But all around I'd say it was a pretty good meal. I might make it again this weekend!

Sadly, I didn't take any photos (like I said, not pretty). But I'll do my best to make it look good the next time I cook it so I can share. Because believe me, this will be a recipe that get's made again.

Project for November

So I think I've decided what my newest project will be: Menu Planning.

It makes sense right? If I only ever really cook for myself, the best way to do it is to plan it out so I can eat leftovers or use the same ingredients in different ways. Otherwise I end up spending $20 or $30 on a meal for one person. And that's just sad. Plus, I figured it's a good way to prepare for the future.

But. It's really kind of hard. I feel like I have a repertoire of maybe 6 meals? 2 of those being frozen pizza (=4-6 meals!) and Kraft Mac and Cheese (3 meals!). Sad. I know. I have the cooking abilities of a 12 year old babysitter...

Let's face it. Grocery stores are HUGE and kind of overwhelming if you don't know exactly what you need. You might be fooled into buying something because it's on sale but you have no idea what to eat with it or when you are going to eat it.

So, one blog suggested a "theme" for each day of the week that becomes the pattern for all of my weeks, so here it is.

Sunday

• Breakfast - Cereal
• Lunch - College lunch or go out with friends
• Dinner - MAC

Monday

• Breakfast - Bagel Thin
• Lunch - Tuna
• Dinner - Pasta

Tuesday

•  Breakfast - Yogurt
• Leftover Pasta
• Roommate night

Wednesday

• Breakfast - Bagel Thin
• Lunch - Tuna
• Crock Pot Meal

Thursday

• Breakfast - Yogurt
• Lunch - Crock Pot Leftovers
• Mexican

Friday

• Breakfast - Bagel Thin
• Lunch - Mexican Leftovers
• Dinner - Chicken/Out

Saturday

• Breakfast - Cereal
• Lunch/Dinner - Cooking Light Recipe

Now when do I go grocery shopping? Well, if all else fails, Sunday in between services. But the last time I went they didn't have a great selection of fruits and veggies, so I should maybe try Wednesday after Bible study...we'll see. Or Monday after Small group? That should be my running rest day anyways.

I'm also trying to put together a list of foods/snacks I should always buy.  So far I have:

1. Yogurt
2. Cereal
3. String Cheese
4. Carrots
5. Apples
6. Grapefruit
7. Celery
8. Bagel Thins

Roommate Dinner: Pork Loin Chops with Cinnamon Apples

Last night I cooked the Pork Loin Chops with Cinnamon Apples and sides of roasted asparagus and mashed potatoes with a Cabernet Sauvignon. It was quite the elegant and classy meal. The pork was a little dry, but I liked the contrast of the sage on the pork with the sweet cinnamon apples. It could have been a little bit more saucy though. Maybe if I had added some apple cider to the apples or some apple sauce or preserves? I'm not sure. I'll probably try it again sometime. It might even work with chicken, I think chicken gets less dry than pork when you pan fry it. Or I wonder how this dish would taste if I made it in a crock pot? Lots of things I could try I guess.

Mashed potatoes were bland. And overcooked. And the wrong kind of potato. So all around, this dish did not work.

The asparagus was great though. I marinated it in olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper for about an hour before I cooked it. I usually like to do it overnight, but I wasn't prepared enough in advance. Still, it turned out and was cooked perfectly.

At least it looked good. :)



Make again? I'd say yes. Although scrap the mashed potatoes.

The best part? Leftovers.

Dinner Preparation

So I've found the recipe I'm making for next Roommate night dinner, and I am SO excited!

Pork Loin Chops with Cinnamon Apples.

Still trying to figure out what I'm going to make to go with it. I'll check sales this weekend, I'm thinking a good salad or asparagus or possible mashed potatoes? And I have to figure out which kind of wine is best of course.

Roommate Dinners

Since L and I first moved into our apartment in May of 2010, we have had weekly roommate dinners. Each week, one of us cooks and we catch up on life. It has definitely been one of the highlights of my life post-college. When it first started, we were diligent about taking pictures of each meal, capturing proof that we could indeed cook and therefore were real grown-ups. I think we had intended to do something with them, but instead, I have about 50 pictures of random meals on my phone, and I honestly couldn't tell you what half of them were. I recently started keeping a spreadsheet of what we make, where we found the recipe, and whether or not it's a keeper (because some of the meals I've made should definitely NOT be repeated.)

For now, I will let you view some of our most beautiful creations (you might notice a theme: a LOT of chicken and pasta...)

An All-time Fav: Homemade Tomato Soup (thank you Magic Bullet) with Grilled Cheese

We honestly have had a large variety of foods. From summer salads to comfort foods like Mac and Cheese and Pot Roast, to Chicken and Pork and Beef with sides of Soups and Salads. I don't know what we would do without our Crockpot, it definitely comes in handy during the winter months.

Baby Meal!

I've definitely gotten better at cooking in the past year, but I still really only cook for myself and L and occasionally other friends. I'm still not really confident in my cooking availability.

So when I had the opportunity to make a baby meal for Carla (in my small group), I was excited, but incredibly nervous. I decided to make Chicken Curry Hotdish (Casseroles are super easy to prepare and just heat, plus I LOVED it growing up) and an Apple Pie.

Chicken Curry Hotdish is pretty simple:

I bought a disposable pan and lid and wrote the cooking directions on top (Bake uncovered at 350 for about 50 minutes - since the pan was slightly smaller). I included some French bread from Harris Teeter and a homemade Apple Pie (that I made myself with the help of my lovely roomie).

I then made an extra hotdish so I could eat it for dinners and lunch myself. It lasted 5 or 6 meals and reheated great.

I don't have the apple pie recipe, but I think it was pretty basic. Homemade crust and everything, we even made the edges look fancy. We had a little extra dough and filling so we made some cupcake sized apple pies for ourselves. Those tasted great so I can only hope the pie was as good.

The scariest thing about cooking for someone else and just dropping it off is that you can't check to see how it really tastes. Carla told me they enjoyed it and that the crust of the pie was so flaky. But since I wasn't there, I don't really know how it went.

Anyways, I feel a little bit more grown up. I'll have to add a few more dishes to my repertoire before I decide to make another baby meal, but the first one is down!