This week seems like it was mostly about mush. I need to work on making my food more aesthetically pleasing.
Night #17: Monday, April 12. Mini-polenta pizzas and caprese salad. Well, I didn't so much make the caprese salad as just sent the tomatoes, cheese and basil with my mother and let her cut it all up at home. Ha...by the time she got there, I was so exhausted from trying to figure out the polenta business that I just sort of threw everything at her and said "bon freaking appetit!" The polenta did not at all turn out like I had hoped...it was originally supposed to be one big polenta pizza. I cooked it just as I've cooked it before, but it did NOT stiffen, so I made an emergency run back up to the store to see what I could find. All I found was premade polenta in a tube, which I thought I could just roll out into a crust and make a big pizza. Um, no. This polenta was meant to be cut one way, and that was sliced. So, I ended up making slices, and putting pesto, tomatoes, and onions or peppers on them, and then baking them in the oven for a bit. They weren't the best thing ever...but it was dinner. I think I'm going to do a bit more research on polenta, and make sure I'm using the right stuff. Also...vegetable stock is maybe not the best base for polenta. It adds a little too much flavoring, especially when you're putting other things on the polenta.
Night #18: Tuesday, April 13. Spanish potatoes and peas with pearl onions in a cream sauce. This turned out much better. The potatoes were in this sort of spicy tomato sauce with green peppers and onions...I got the wrong kind of tomatoes, I was supposed to get strained but I picked up chopped instead...so it might have turned out a little differently had I gotten the correct thing. The potatoes also took FOREVER to cook...I might have chopped them too large. Anyway, it was good, if perhaps a little more done than I usually prefer. Also, peas with pearl onions. This was fun, and a little unusual...the sauce was whipped cream (not sweetened), which gave it an interesting flavor. Jacob and I really liked it, and I think the family did too.
Night #19: Wednesday, April 14. Seared scallops, with white beans and spinach. The scallops in this meal were so awesome...I just took sea scallops, sprinkled them liberally with salt and pepper, and seared them in butter for a few minutes on each side. They were so good! The beans and spinach were all cooked in one pot, with onions and garlic...I doubled the recipe for everything, but I still didn't have enough. That's a recurring thing with me lately...especially when it comes to pot-meals, I can double the recipe and still not have enough. I guess I need to start tripling some recipes...good grief.
Night #20: Thursday, April 15. Pasta with green beans and onions, roasted eggplant with plum tomatoes and feta cheese. The pasta is an old favorite of mine...it's just pasta (previously cooked) mixed with french style green beans, onions (previously sauteed in a little butter), and cream of celery soup, with some fried onions sprinkled on top. It's kind of like a green bean casserole, but with pasta and no mushrooms. That turned out pretty good...I might have cooked it for a bit longer, but my proportions were alright. The eggplant stuff ended up kind of mushy...I understand that that's how eggplant is supposed to look, but it was sort of blah. Also very bitter...I think salt beforehand might have helped with that. I'll have to do some research before I try it again.
Overall, good week. Next week, I think I'll try some simpler things...like vegetables without anything mixed in. I'll have to look for recipes.
G'night! : )
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Week #5: April 5-8, 2010.
I'm a bit late in writing about last week because my prospectus was due this weekend. Whew, whew, and whew again. : )
Night #13: Monday, April 5. 2 varieties of Bean soup, broccoli with cheese sauce. I made a couple of different versions of the bean soup...one meated, one non-meated. I had beans that I needed to use, and potatoes that I needed to use. Basically, I just soaked kidney beans, great northern beans, pinto beans and black-eyed peas overnight, and then simmered them in veggie stock for a couple of hours with onions and garlic. In one of the pots, I put chunks of potato...in the other, I put ham. Both turned out pretty good, although the potatoes I used were from my grandmother's house and tasted a little green. Weird. I also steamed some broccoli florets, and made a cheese sauce with milk, butter, lots of shredded cheddar cheese, and some garlic salt. The family loved this a little too much...my mother ended up eating the cheese sauce straight out of the container. : )
Night #14: Tuesday, April 6. Lentils and rice with onions, steamed carrots with allspice and cinnamon. The lentils and rice were good, but I'm not a fan of the seasoning. The onions were simmered in oil and butter, and spiced with cinnamon, paprika, cumin and coriander. I think it's just the cumin that I don't like...it's got a dull taste to it that does not go well with lentils, which also have a dull taste. Lentils need more of a spicy seasoning to wake them up, and cumin does not work for that. The carrots were a popular repeat...I had to repeat a couple of things this week due to being pressed for time. Subsequent weeks will not involve quite so much repetition.
Night #15: Wednesday, April 7. Shrimp fra diavolo, with garlic bread. This was AWESOME. I once again used the Cook This, Not That cookbook, and was not at all disappointed. I even doubled the recipe, and had barely enough left for lunch the next day. I used the Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes, as suggested by the book, and I don't think I will ever use another kind of tomatoes for anything ever. Also, with the recipe doubled, I used 2 whole cups of white wine in the sauce. WIN. The garlic bread was the same I did the week before, and it was just as awesome as before. But yes, this shrimp recipe is going down in my list of favorites.
Night #16: Thursday, April 8. Tofu, squash and rice, and broccoli with cheese sauce. Bleh...more repetition. But hey, they liked it. The tofu, squash and rice is a recipe from my friend Amanda. Brown rice, cooked in veggie stock...yellow squash, cut in half and broiled with some olive oil and Cavender's Greek seasoning...extra firm tofu, sliced very thin and sauteed in a pan with olive oil and Cavender's...and then everything cut up and mixed together. It's a great recipe...the tofu is cut so thin that it's almost like chips, and it tastes like chicken if done correctly. I used a whole two blocks of tofu, at my mother's request, and I think I'll do that again in the future...it leaves plenty for eating as I go along. : )
So, that's last week. This week will be slightly more original, with some new experiments. Every Wednesday features a new kind of seafood...this week is scallops. Fun, fun.
Ok, later! : )
Night #13: Monday, April 5. 2 varieties of Bean soup, broccoli with cheese sauce. I made a couple of different versions of the bean soup...one meated, one non-meated. I had beans that I needed to use, and potatoes that I needed to use. Basically, I just soaked kidney beans, great northern beans, pinto beans and black-eyed peas overnight, and then simmered them in veggie stock for a couple of hours with onions and garlic. In one of the pots, I put chunks of potato...in the other, I put ham. Both turned out pretty good, although the potatoes I used were from my grandmother's house and tasted a little green. Weird. I also steamed some broccoli florets, and made a cheese sauce with milk, butter, lots of shredded cheddar cheese, and some garlic salt. The family loved this a little too much...my mother ended up eating the cheese sauce straight out of the container. : )
Night #14: Tuesday, April 6. Lentils and rice with onions, steamed carrots with allspice and cinnamon. The lentils and rice were good, but I'm not a fan of the seasoning. The onions were simmered in oil and butter, and spiced with cinnamon, paprika, cumin and coriander. I think it's just the cumin that I don't like...it's got a dull taste to it that does not go well with lentils, which also have a dull taste. Lentils need more of a spicy seasoning to wake them up, and cumin does not work for that. The carrots were a popular repeat...I had to repeat a couple of things this week due to being pressed for time. Subsequent weeks will not involve quite so much repetition.
Night #15: Wednesday, April 7. Shrimp fra diavolo, with garlic bread. This was AWESOME. I once again used the Cook This, Not That cookbook, and was not at all disappointed. I even doubled the recipe, and had barely enough left for lunch the next day. I used the Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes, as suggested by the book, and I don't think I will ever use another kind of tomatoes for anything ever. Also, with the recipe doubled, I used 2 whole cups of white wine in the sauce. WIN. The garlic bread was the same I did the week before, and it was just as awesome as before. But yes, this shrimp recipe is going down in my list of favorites.
Night #16: Thursday, April 8. Tofu, squash and rice, and broccoli with cheese sauce. Bleh...more repetition. But hey, they liked it. The tofu, squash and rice is a recipe from my friend Amanda. Brown rice, cooked in veggie stock...yellow squash, cut in half and broiled with some olive oil and Cavender's Greek seasoning...extra firm tofu, sliced very thin and sauteed in a pan with olive oil and Cavender's...and then everything cut up and mixed together. It's a great recipe...the tofu is cut so thin that it's almost like chips, and it tastes like chicken if done correctly. I used a whole two blocks of tofu, at my mother's request, and I think I'll do that again in the future...it leaves plenty for eating as I go along. : )
So, that's last week. This week will be slightly more original, with some new experiments. Every Wednesday features a new kind of seafood...this week is scallops. Fun, fun.
Ok, later! : )
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Week #4: March 30-April 1, 2010
This week was much, much better.
I'm still tired tonight, but I feel like every night this week was a success. I even got to watch my goofy vampire show tonight, because I was on time with everything! Win.
Night #10: Tuesday, March 30. Minestrone, garlic bread and a salad. The minestrone turned out AWESOME...but it definitely required a little effort. The beans had to soak for at least 8 hours, then drained...then cooked for 15 minutes, and drained again...add vegetable stock, red wine, tomatoes, and parsley, and cook for 2 hours...add potatoes, turnips, carrots, celery and tomato paste, and cook for 15 minutes...then add green beans, zucchini, and macaroni and cook for another 15 minutes. Whew! It tasted SO good, though...totally worth the effort. The garlic bread also turned out perfectly...I bought a Tuscan roasted garlic loaf from Publix, cut thick slices almost all the way through it, and slathered each side with a mixture of Smart Balance, minced garlic, and garlic salt. Mmm. Garlic makes everything better. Also...salad. Bleh.
Night #11: Wednesday, March 31. Black-eyed peas, turnip greens, and cornmeal breaded catfish. Ha...you know you're cooking Southern food when the smoke alarm goes off! Fun times. But yeah...the catfish was a lot thicker than the rainbow trout recommended by the recipe, so I shouldn't have tried cooking it at medium-high heat. The breading was really done on that first piece, but the inside was still raw. It ended up being ok...I rebreaded part of it, and cooked it for longer, and then I ate that piece. : ) I made turnip greens instead of collards because I had leftover turnips from the minestrone, and I just cut those up and cooked them with the greens. The black-eyed peas I made according to package directions, but with vegetable stock instead of water, and with onions and garlic added. Turned out pretty good...beans were a little soupy, but whatever. Nomnom.
Night #12: Thursday, April 1. Polenta-stuffed peppers, refried beans. I was wondering how this would go, and it worked! The only thing that really took a long time was soaking the pinto beans for 24 hours (!) beforehand. Once they had been soaked and drained, I cooked them with some onions and green and jalapeno peppers for a few hours, and then mashed them a little to get that good "refried" texture. They taste just the same as regular refried beans, but they're better for you! Rad-tastic. The peppers were absolutely divine...I made the polenta in a pot, and added a can of corn, chopped olives, and some cheese. I had roasted some pepper halves, and when the polenta was done I filled them with the mixture. I did half of them without meat, and then added some cooked ground beef to the rest of the mixture and filled the rest with that. A little cheese on top, and perfection. Whoever came up with that recipe is an absolute genius...I now know what I'm making for parties from now on.
So, that's this week. I'm really happy with how everything turned out...I was a tad discouraged last Thursday, because I felt like I spent a whole lot of effort to come up with a mediocre product. This week, I feel just the opposite...I put in just a little effort, and got something amazing in return. My step-father has apparently devoured everything I made this week...at least he's a fan. : ) I'm recreating the frittata for my grandmother this weekend...we'll see how that goes.
Later! : )
I'm still tired tonight, but I feel like every night this week was a success. I even got to watch my goofy vampire show tonight, because I was on time with everything! Win.
Night #10: Tuesday, March 30. Minestrone, garlic bread and a salad. The minestrone turned out AWESOME...but it definitely required a little effort. The beans had to soak for at least 8 hours, then drained...then cooked for 15 minutes, and drained again...add vegetable stock, red wine, tomatoes, and parsley, and cook for 2 hours...add potatoes, turnips, carrots, celery and tomato paste, and cook for 15 minutes...then add green beans, zucchini, and macaroni and cook for another 15 minutes. Whew! It tasted SO good, though...totally worth the effort. The garlic bread also turned out perfectly...I bought a Tuscan roasted garlic loaf from Publix, cut thick slices almost all the way through it, and slathered each side with a mixture of Smart Balance, minced garlic, and garlic salt. Mmm. Garlic makes everything better. Also...salad. Bleh.
Night #11: Wednesday, March 31. Black-eyed peas, turnip greens, and cornmeal breaded catfish. Ha...you know you're cooking Southern food when the smoke alarm goes off! Fun times. But yeah...the catfish was a lot thicker than the rainbow trout recommended by the recipe, so I shouldn't have tried cooking it at medium-high heat. The breading was really done on that first piece, but the inside was still raw. It ended up being ok...I rebreaded part of it, and cooked it for longer, and then I ate that piece. : ) I made turnip greens instead of collards because I had leftover turnips from the minestrone, and I just cut those up and cooked them with the greens. The black-eyed peas I made according to package directions, but with vegetable stock instead of water, and with onions and garlic added. Turned out pretty good...beans were a little soupy, but whatever. Nomnom.
Night #12: Thursday, April 1. Polenta-stuffed peppers, refried beans. I was wondering how this would go, and it worked! The only thing that really took a long time was soaking the pinto beans for 24 hours (!) beforehand. Once they had been soaked and drained, I cooked them with some onions and green and jalapeno peppers for a few hours, and then mashed them a little to get that good "refried" texture. They taste just the same as regular refried beans, but they're better for you! Rad-tastic. The peppers were absolutely divine...I made the polenta in a pot, and added a can of corn, chopped olives, and some cheese. I had roasted some pepper halves, and when the polenta was done I filled them with the mixture. I did half of them without meat, and then added some cooked ground beef to the rest of the mixture and filled the rest with that. A little cheese on top, and perfection. Whoever came up with that recipe is an absolute genius...I now know what I'm making for parties from now on.
So, that's this week. I'm really happy with how everything turned out...I was a tad discouraged last Thursday, because I felt like I spent a whole lot of effort to come up with a mediocre product. This week, I feel just the opposite...I put in just a little effort, and got something amazing in return. My step-father has apparently devoured everything I made this week...at least he's a fan. : ) I'm recreating the frittata for my grandmother this weekend...we'll see how that goes.
Later! : )
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