Another Open Letter to Shrimp:

Dear Shrimp,

You are wonderful, fantastic, divine, and a plethora of other adjectives that have yet to be invented. I'm sorry for my deep dislike for you all these years and hope you can forgive me. I see us having a beautiful relationship in the future.

P.S. I love you.

We've already been over my prior severe aversion to shrimp, but I'll elaborate a bit more. My mother used to order Shrimp Scampi at restaurants and make it at home back in the shrimp-less "dark ages." I always thought it smelled so good, but never thought to maybe try it because I was convinced I did NOT like shrimp.

Talk about a complete 180. I made Scampi on Couscous tonight, and I absolutely loved it!! Honestly, why didn't anyone force this down my throat years before?! This was so flavorful and awesome, I will begin to explain the process.

I started by heating a teaspoon of olive oil. I reduced the amount of oil for this recipe just to keep the WW points down and used the olive oil spray if necessary. Once the oil was heated, I added a clove of garlic, half a chopped onion, and half a chopped carrot (I pulled another Rachael Ray and saved the "nubber" of the carrot for snacking while cooking). You let this cook about five minutes until the onion has softened. To this, you add some canned tomatoes with their juices. The original recipe that makes four servings and calls for 16 ounces of chopped tomatoes, but for my single serving I used only about two to four ounces. With the tomatoes, I added two ounces of clam juice, a tablespoon of some cooking wine, and salt and pepper. This is brought to a boil and allowed to simmer for about ten minutes. The liquids should be reduced by then and the tomatoes should fall apart.

I let this cool, then put it in my handy dandy chopper to puree it. I added some water every so often as Giada said to do in order to get a broth-like consistency. Next came the tricky math part. In the original recipe, you now take two cups of the tomato mixture with one cup of water and bring it to a boil. I had to break this down to one serving and figured out I needed 1/2 cup of the tomato mixture and 1/4 cup of water. I brought this up to the kitchen to cook the couscous.

According to the recipe, you're supposed to bring all of this to a boil and then add the couscous (I only added 1/4 cup of couscous...the food so nice they named it twice). You then cover it and set it aside so the couscous can absorb all the liquid. I hadn't thought to bring my cookbook upstairs with me and did my best to try to memorize what needed to be done up there. Bad idea. I sort of left out the covering step and the couscous kind of attacked me. It started spitting at me like crazy over the heat, and it hurt! I turned off the burner and removed it from the heat so it would calm down. I tried to slowly bring it back to the heat, but knew it was too soon when it went right back to spitting. Eventually, I tamed the couscous and was able to keep it over the heat long enough to absorb all the liquid.

Next came the shrimp. Because my mother went grocery shopping with me this time, I bought the right kind of shrimp for the recipe. I actually bought RAW shrimp this time, but I had to peel it this time through (no pre-cooked, pre-peeled salad shrimp). First of all, when I opened the bag of shrimp, it had not completely defrosted yet and my hands were frozen as I attempted to peel the shrimp. I was on the phone with my dad at this point and he heard me freak out as I tried to peel them. Once I got rid of most of the ice, I saw that the shrimp still had legs! LEGS!! So help me God they had legs. My roommate found this humorous as did my father and she offered to help me out. I decided to be an adult, and just do it.

After running the shrimp under some hot water to get rid of the ice, I finished peeling them, legs and all, and moved on. Thank God they were the "EZ Peel" variety. If I had to pull off each leg by itself, I may have died a little. Once they were all peeled, I cooked the shrimp in another teaspoon of olive oil and another clove of garlic. I cooked them until they were a white/pink color and had my roommate check them out (she's quite the seafood aficionado) to make sure they were cooked all the way. To my surprise, they were!

I turned off the electric frying pan and once it had cooled, I added the juice of half a lemon, some fresh parsley, and some crushed red pepper.

I put the couscous on a plate and added the shrimp on top of them. I then heated the remaining tomato mixture and added that on top. I'm pretty sure if I were on Iron Chef, I would lose points on presentation on this one, but it really didn't matter once I start eating it. The sauce was very tomato-y and spicy and the lemon worked with the salt of the clam juice. The couscous held the sauce really well and the shrimp were absolutely amazing. I think it's safe to say that I am officially a shrimp fan.

I should mention that I looked this recipe up on FoodNetwork.com to get a ballpark figure as to how long it would take to make it. The recipe said about 30 minutes. This is very wrong when you have to work in two kitchens (one being a floor above the other), and when you're shrimp are frozen and full of legs. I'm not entirely sure how long it took me to make this, but it was longer than 30 minutes. It only took me about five minutes tops to eat it.

So that was recipe number two from the "Everyday Entrees" chapter and the "Everyday Grills and Sautes" section. Friday I will be moving on to the "Everyday Contorni" chapter again making another stuffed vegetable: Eggplant Rollatini!! Check back then for something that is sure to be delicious :)

P.S. Check out the beautiful rainbow outside our window!

Aglio, Olio, e Pepperoncino

That would be the name of this dish in Italian! Luckily, Giada included that in her little side note on the recipe. I didn't figure it out for myself. I AM very excited to take Italian next semester though. Then when I talk about these recipes I can really sound like Giada on her show :) Pictured above is my dinner. Whenever I watch the Food Network, the chefs always say things like "Look at how pretty this dish is" or "Look at those colors" and now, I think I can relate. Seriously, how good looking is that meal?

For those not fluent in Italian (myself included), the dish is called Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Red Pepper Flakes. I have my own personal anecdote that goes with this dish. This past summer, my father and I went out to dinner at a local Italian restaurant. The food was great and the portions were huge as usual. My dad decided to order pasta with aglio and olio. It's usually a pretty safe bet for a satisfying meal. When they brought the food out, the first thing I noticed about my dad's plate were the mass amounts of chopped garlic covering his pasta. I kid you not, there were MOUNDS of chopped garlic. One can expect a good amount of garlic in such a dish, but this was ridiculous. My dad took only a few bites since the garlic was so overpowering and that was enough for my mother to pick up on the scent when she got home that night.

That being said, I was a little hesitant about making Giada's version. Luckily, I'm on break right now for school so if garlic was seeping out of my pores, I wouldn't be forced to interact with anyone or sit closely in a packed lecture hall.

I started by making the spaghetti up in the kitchen and bringing it back to my room. It cooked fine without any problems. I've finally gotten the whole cooking-basic-pasta thing down. Next I fired up the old reliable electric frying pan. The first thing you do is heat the olive oil. The recipe makes four servings with 1/2 cup of olive oil, so for my one serving, I used two tablespoons (I would've tried to cut back on the oil in this one, but it's really the essence of the dish). You then add the garlic (peeled, but NOT chopped) to the oil. The original recipe calls for five cloves, but for a single serving I opted for just one.

You saute the garlic for about a minute until it's golden brown. If you over cook it, it will be bitter and I was sure not to do so. Once it has been sauteed enough, you remove the garlic from the oil, then add the red pepper flakes. I didn't really measure these out because 1) I like spice and 2) I don't really think you can add too much! You saute the red pepper flakes for about a minute as well. Next, you add some salt and some reserved pasta water. The original recipe says to add two tablespoons, but since I was on top of my game today, I did the math and figured out that I only needed to add one teaspoon. I have also seen this done a number of times on Food Network when they make pasta dishes, and I never really understood why. I now know that adding some of this water adds a bit of starch to a sauce and gives it more substance. This step is actually Giada's "secret" to this dish.

And now, a lesson in following directions. It says to CAREFULLY stir the reserved pasta water into the oil mixture. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal if I just poured it all in at once, so I did. I swear someone set off firecrackers in our room when I did this. The mixture crackled like crazy and started spitting and hit my arm as I stirred it all around. Had I CAREFULLY added it, I probably wouldn't have jumped out of my boots once I had done so, or singed my arm. You live and you learn.

After the water has been added, you toss the drained pasta in the sauce for a minute to coat all of it (for this reason, you should NOT rinse the pasta with water. I usually don't anyway, but if you do, the natural starches will be washed away and the sauce won't stick to the pasta). Once you transfer this all to a plate, you add chopped parsley, basil, and mint as a finishing touch. This is an instance in which nothing but fresh herbs will do.

As I mentioned before, I was a little hesitant to try this dish because of my past restaurant experience. However, because the full, peeled clove of garlic is sauteed in the oil in this version, it adds the perfect amount of garlic flavor. It acts more like a backdrop to the dish rather than overpowering the entire thing. I had never had fresh mint in a savory dish before and it worked really well with the crushed red pepper. It adds a nice "clean" taste to it and balances out the spice a bit. There was just the right amount of oil as well.

So Giada's recipe has forever changed my view of this traditional meal. And I think it may restore my father's faith in it as well. If my parents are lucky, maybe I'll make this for them when I'm home on break :) I will be cooking AGAIN tomorrow night since, as I said, I'm on break! Come back and check out how my Scampi on Couscous pans out!

Olive Juice

This.....was fantastic. Not only was it quick, but it was extremely easy, and extremely flavorful. Tonight I made Giada's Tomato Sauce with Olives--the second recipe from the "Everyday Sauces" chapter in the "Everyday Tomato Sauces" section. The recipe requires four cups of her Marinara sauce which I highly recommend making the night before.

As I said in my post from last night, I made the Marinara sauce again much more successfully this time. I didn't forget any ingredients and managed to sustain only one minor injury. On top of all this, I didn't have to leave my room to make it (take a bow electric frying pan) and was able to watch BOTH So You Think You Can Dance and Glee. After making the sauce, I stored it in the fridge over night (I only had to make a half batch this time so I made it fit in one container).

The sauce, as expected, was even better the next day (I snuck a taste around lunchtime) so I was really excited to add a new dimension to it. For this sauce, you start by sauteing one and 1/4 cup of olives in 1/4 cup of olive oil. Me being the food cop that I am swapped out actual olive oil for EVOO spray, and only used six ounces of olives...because that's all that came in the can i had bought. I should also mention that you need to halve the olives before sauteing them. To this, you add one and 1/2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper (gotta love that spice!) and cook it for three minutes. After that, you reduce the heat, and add the marinara sauce.

As I let this heat, I ventured upstairs to cook some spaghetti to go with the sauce. I thought I was on the right track seeing as I even brought a lid for the pot with me this time. I let the water come to a boil, measured out the proper amount of pasta, and added it to the water (which I also remembered to salt!). I never break spaghetti before adding it to the pot and rarely have issues with it, until today. The spaghetti kept trying to escape the pot and I continuously tried to push it back in. It DID cooperate eventually, but some of it had hit the burner and created a kind of gross burning smell in the kitchen. I'm sure the kid that was doing his homework in there (yes, doing homework in the kitchen) was probably wondering how I managed to burn pasta, but it all worked out.

When I got back to my room, the sauce was heated all the way through and I drained my pasta. I had about a cup of pasta with a cup of sauce, and a little Pecorino Romano on top. This sauce...was money. It was much more rich in tomato flavor this time around, but still very fresh. The olives balanced out the richness with a bit of saltiness and the crushed red pepper gave it just enough spice. As I was eating it and re-reading the recipe, I realized I hadn't added the 1/2 of thinly sliced fresh basil, but then remembered I was feeling creative last night and had already added it then. The basil isn't very prominent in the sauce, but it keeps it light.

Again, dinner: successful. Tomorrow night is my first time attempting some semi-homemade pizza, and Sunday marks my next Giada mission. I will be delving back into the "Everyday Pasta, Polenta, and Risotto" with the Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Red Pepper Flakes recipe. YUM!

A quick update: Last night I made my famous Oreo Truffles (with peanut butter) for Katie's birthday celebration tomorrow. I would take a picture, but I have been in and out of the kitchen so many times tonight and I really just don't feel like it. They came out fantastic (I tasted one) and are MUCH easier to make this year with the help of kitchen utensils (I found that an ice cream scoop works really well to crush up Oreos--I told you I needed one Mom). It's also much easier to chill them when a full-sized refrigerator is available rather than trying to disperse them among four different mini fridges. Ah, college life.

I made marinara sauce tonight in preparation for tomorrow's Tomato Sauce with Olives. Basically, it's the marinara sauce with olives and crushed red pepper. You really can't go wrong. I only had to make a half batch of the sauce this time and seeing as I had made it before, it was quite easy and I didn't mess up at all! I did, however, manage to slice my finger open. That's what I get for being too trusting with my knives (and for trying to get chopped garlic off the sharp end of a knife). I suppose this is another life lesson I can take with me: when you just relax and do what you know how to do, everything will work out fine.

There will be a field hockey recruit staying the night on Friday so I had to push my cooking up one night to Thursday. On Friday, I will be hosting a team dinner and will be making pizzas! They are not at all from scratch (aside from a white pizza that I'm planning on attempting...), but it's better (and cheaper!) than ordering in. I will try to take pictures of those without the team noticing and looking like a complete fool. Stay tuned!

Crunchy, Crunchy, Crostini!

It's official. I am the queen of improvisation. Today's mission brought us back to "Everyday Antipasti" with the second recipe of "Fresh from the Pantry" which was Crostini with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Chickpeas. I highly recommend this recipe as a starter for parties and gatherings. It has crowd-pleaser potential. And it takes no time at all to make.

You start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees. Then you cut a baguette into 24 diagonal slices and brush them with two tablespoons of olive oil. I don't doubt that I would eat 24 pieces of crostini (I am a good, bread loving Italian), but it would go against my better judgement to do so. Therefore, I reserved my Weight Watcher points for the day and cut the recipe in half making 12 pieces. Also, on the subject of health, I substituted the two tablespoons of olive oil for some olive oil spray. Not only was it much easier than brushing each individual piece, it was also fat free! The baguette pieces only need to cook for eight minutes, so as the oven preheated I made the spread.

I hardly had to do any chopping with this recipe since the whole spread is made in a food processor, and I luckily have a little chopper! After today, I absolutely LOVE this gadget. It's right up there with the electric frying pan. I started by using the chopper to chop a clove of garlic. The recipe called for one clove for the full crostini, but I figured one small clove couldn't hurt when cutting the recipe in half. It turns out I was right. Once that is done, you are supposed to add a can of chickpeas, some fresh lemon juice, two tablespoons of water, and salt and pepper and mix it all up in the chopper. Me being me, I completely forgot to buy chickpeas for today, however, I still had another can of cannellini beans left from the tuna and white bean salad that started this project. I used those instead of chickpeas which I'm sure changed the flavor in some way, but I love both so it didn't faze me at all. This is all mixed till the texture is almost smooth.

You are then supposed to add 1/4 cup of olive oil as the food processor is running. I once again took the health food route and opted for just a tablespoon of olive oil rather than the two that were called for by cutting the recipe in half. Also, my chopper doesn't allow me to add the oil as the machine is running, so I just had to add it then mix it. I don't think it made much difference either way. This is all blended till completely smooth and it ends up looking like hummus (yum!).

Next, you add 1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes (drained if you bought them in oil, which I did not) and some basil and parsley. Giada added at the top of the recipe that fresh herbs from your "window box" could be substituted for dry herbs in the recipe to add more flavor. Well, I don't have a window box of fresh herbs in my apartment, but I do have parents that I see every weekend that bring me awesome things such as fresh herbs. Therefore, I took Giada's suggestion and listened to Ina Garten's rule of always using "really good herbs"and it DID pay off. The spread was VERY fragrant and flavorful (which I wasn't expecting since I forgot to cut the amount of water added in half) and had a hint of red color from the tomatoes.

After crisping up the baguette pieces in our toaster oven, I spooned a teaspoon of the spread on top of each piece. I then topped each piece with a little sprinkle of Romano cheese (not part of the recipe, but cheese never hurts). The crostini was crisp and made the classic crunch sound when I took a bite into it and the spread was smooth and creamy. If you were to serve this at a party, I would suggest having the spread in a bowl for guests to add themselves since it can make the crostini soggy if left on there for too long. The spread could also double as some delicious hummus for chips and pretzels :)

Success once again! My next day of cooking is Friday when I take on Tomato Sauce with Olives! As always, check back before then for more updates!

La Dolce Vita

It truly is the good life when Italian desserts are a part of it. Tonight, as I mentioned in my previous post, was my first dessert from the "Everyday Dolci" chapter. The first section was "Everyday Fruit" and the first recipe was Fruit Salad with Cannoli Cream. Yum. At the beginning of the section, Giada explains how much Italians love their fruit for dessert and how you shouldn't do the recipe unless you're using fresh fruit. Well I must be some sort of rebel, because I had to go with the frozen selection (what?!?!?). More about that later.

The first thing you make in this recipe is the cannoli cream. For me, this was a lesson in reading the directions COMPLETELY before proceeding. You start by combining 1/3 cup ricotta cheese (I used part-skim though the recipe calls for whole-milk) and two tablespoons of whipping cream. Then, using an electric mixer, you beat 1/3 cup more whipping cream with three tablespoons of powdered sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. I thought I was supposed to beat this all together with the ricotta till soft peaks formed. The soft peaks never formed, though the mixture did get thicker and more whipped cream-like. I looked to the recipe to see if there was a hint as to how long it would take to generate soft peaks and read "Fold the ricotta into the whipped cream." Oops. As I said, this was a lesson in reading directions...but I must say the cream tasted JUST as good.

I set the cream in the fridge while I proceeded with the rest of the recipe. You next have to combine 12 ounces of fresh strawberries with 1/2 pint of fresh raspberries along with a tablespoon of granulated sugar and a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. I had to use frozen fruits since the grocery store apparently doesn't import fruit from warm climates and only has these berries in season. I also decided to be authentic and use an actual half of a lemon for my lemon juice which was probably more than a tablespoon, but who measures unless they're baking? This mixture is supposed to sit for 20 minutes and is to be tossed occasionally. I DID follow these instructions correctly.

As that sat, I toasted the three tablespoons of almonds for the topping. I used the electric frying pan which has proven itself time and again. It saves me many a pointless trip up to the kitchen for small, short tasks. I love it!

As those toasted (did I mention this was also a lesson in multitasking?), I peeled two kiwis to add to the fruit. I've decided that no food should be allowed to have terrible skin that needs to be peeled unless it is easy to do so. Have you ever tried peeling a kiwi? It starts off just fine, but as you have most of it peeled and are just trying to get the last bits of fuzziness off, it starts slipping out of your hands and making your hands cold (if you keep them refrigerated) and you start to question whether or not they need to be completely peeled. Then you feel the skin and realize yes, they really do. Anyhow, after peeling both kiwis I cut them up and tossed them with the rest of the fruit.

Once the almonds were done toasting I let them cool off and began to assemble the dessert. You spoon 1/4 of the fruit mixture into a bowl, top it with 1/4 of the cream, then sprinkle some toasted almonds on top. Dee-lish. The fruit was sweet and tart thanks to the lemon juice bringing out it's natural flavors combined with the sugar. The cream was thick and smooth and the toasted almonds brought out the dash of cinnamon. Overall, it was fantastic. I may or may not have licked the bowl in the comfort of my own room. I'm not lying.

The dessert chapter is the last in the book which means that next week, we start all over again! We're back to antipasti with a nice crostini recipe. I won't reveal too much, you're just going to have to check back and see what's in store!

A quick update: my team got our first win of the season today and I got MY first start of the season!! I celebrated by eating more "Neverland Cookies" than I probably should have, but you would do the same seeing as they are peanut butter cookies with macadamia nuts (need I say more) and chocolate chips. My mom is fantastic. Speaking of sweets, tomorrow is my first Giada dessert; Fruit Salad with Cannoli Cream. Woo hoo!!

Lions and Tigers and Brussels Sprouts...Oh My!

Tonight was not a Giada night, however, I still had to eat and I much prefer to cook than buy something. Since I didn't have a recipe to follow tonight, I let my creativity take over! Pictured above is a Turkey Burger (it's kind of hidden, I know) and some Roasted Brussels Sprouts. Yum, yum, and more yum.

For starters, I preheated the oven to 450 degrees. As it heated, I chopped the Brussels sprouts. Side note: for those that think they don't like Brussels sprouts, 1) you've probably never tried them or 2) you've never tried them like this. Once again, I take no credit for this idea, it was all my mother. When you roast Brussels sprouts at a high temperature, they caramelize on the outside and lose their cabbage-like flavor. They become really nutty and crisp and you really have to take my word for it. Even my father that doesn't like Brussels sprouts prepared the conventional way loves these. Anyhow, I halved them each and took off most of their outer layers since those get a little wilted from being in the fridge. I then placed them all cut-side down on a cooking sheet sprayed with EVOO and sprinkled them with salt and pepper.

As those cooked, I prepared my turkey burger. I've never made these before and had to look up how long they need to be cooked because, as Rachael Ray says, no one wants a rare poultry burger. From what I read, they need to be cooked about three to four minutes on each side. Of course, had I not been on the phone the entire time I was cooking, I probably could have timed this, but my sister and I had much to discuss from the VMAs to Irish dancing. I didn't want to just make the burger out of ground turkey meat, so I decided to add a wedge of Garlic and Herb Laughing Cow cheese. I also added a splash of balsamic vinegar to keep the burger moist. For some extra flavor, I added some oregano.

I combined the whole mixture with my hands (for some reason I love mixing raw meat dishes by hand. It's so much easier. It was one of my favorite things about making meatballs) and formed it into a patty. I then cooked it in a heated pan that had been sprayed with EVOO and seasoned with salt and pepper. As this cooked, I took the Brussels sprouts out to flip them and let the other side cook up a bit. I was a little paranoid about the burger being cooked through all the way, so I probably cooked it more than necessary on each side. It was a bit dark, but I figured I would rather have a dry, well-done burger than one that was pink in the middle.

Once this was all finished, I headed back down to my room (with ease other than almost losing my phone while I was still on it) and assembled the dish. I used a Multigrain Arnold's sandwich thin for my burger (for those doing the Weight Watchers point system, I HIGHLY recommend these. They are one point each!) and then halved two cherry tomatoes to add to the burger. These are the reason my burger is hidden in the picture, they made it a bit of a big bite. Guy Fieri would be proud. And let me tell you, this dish was money.

I don't know how I do it, but I once again cooked the meat perfectly. It wasn't dry in the least and was cooked all the way through. The cheese made the texture very smooth and the oregano really stood out among the other flavors. My Brussels sprouts were roasted to perfection as well and I had more than anyone probably ever should (but I needed to use them before they went bad, and they're Brussels sprouts, they're good for you). Overall, another successful night of food :)

Mushrooms Are Pretty Fun Guys...

...and did I mention I love puns? All right, pictured above are the ever delicious Stuffed Mushrooms from the "Everyday Contorni" chapter of Everyday Italian. As these cooked, I read some of Giada's informative passages in the book and learned that contorni are vegetable side dishes. I also learned that stuffed vegetables came about when Italian housewives needed something to do with their leftovers. Cool, right? Traditional stuffed mushrooms from Genoa are typically stuffed with anchovies, marjoram (I have no idea what that is) and bread crumbs. Giada's recipe is much simpler than that.

First things first, Giada's recipe makes 28 stuffed mushrooms. As much as I would love to eat that many mushrooms, I don't think that would be wise...or possible. Therefore, I had to reduce the measures in this recipe to one-fourth their size. Also, I have now learned how to be resourceful in making my way to the kitchen here. I put all my supplies in one of my reusable grocery bags and walked up and down the stairs with ease. A very simple solution to my Rachael Ray problem.

When I got into the kitchen, I preheated the oven to 400 degrees and began to prepare my stuffing. I started by chopping two cloves of garlic. The recipe calls for two cloves...for 28 mushrooms. I didn't think to maybe reduce this number, so I had A LOT of garlic for five mushrooms. I then chopped some fresh parsley (thanks to my mother!) and added it to the garlic. The recipe includes fresh mint as well, but I didn't follow my grocery list so well yesterday and forgot to pick some up. Word to the wise: chop herbs BEFORE you chop garlic so they don't stick to your knife and drive you crazy. To this mix, I added 1/8 cup of Italian bread crumbs and 1/8 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese (the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of each of these).

Next, I stemmed my mushrooms. I don't know why I thought this would be easier with the "gourmet stuffing mushrooms" I had bought. It really wasn't. Mushrooms are pretty delicate so when you're trying to pop out the stem with a sharp knife, you have to be super careful that you don't rip the mushrooms apart. I was pretty successful in keeping my mushrooms intact, but there was definitely potential for it to go awry.

Now the recipe does not call for this next part, but I'm pretty sure I've seen this done in other stuffed mushrooms recipes. I took all the stems and chopped them up and added them to my stuffing since it was looking a little lax. I figured adding more mushroom to mushrooms couldn't hurt. However, I should add that trying to finely chop these stems was tedious. They kept sticking to the knife and I couldn't get them cut as finely as I wanted. In fact, it took me so long to chop these things that the motion-sensor lights in the kitchen turned off.

Once the oven was at the right temperature, I sprayed the tray with my EVOO spray and placed the mushroom caps on top. I tried to evenly distribute the filling amongst the caps and ended up getting more of it all over the tray than in the mushrooms themselves. I also realized in the process that I hadn't really combined the filling ingredients all that well and each element wasn't very evenly distributed. For a finishing touch, I divided a teaspoon of olive oil amongst the caps and put them in the oven. I then let them cook for 25 minutes as I read my Rolling Stone magazine at the table. Within about five minutes, I could smell the awesome-ness.

When the mushrooms were done, they were a nice golden brown color and smelled FANTASTIC. And believe me, they tasted just as great. That being said, there is definitely room for improvement. The filling didn't really stay together too well so I will have to find a way (other than adding more cheese) to make it more cohesive. Also, it was very garlicky. I should have cut back on that part of the recipe, but hindsight is 20/20. In the future, I would also like to see how the mint fits into the recipe. Once I got past the garlic in mine, the parsley gave it a fresh, clean taste and the combination of the bread crumbs and the cheese was salty and gooey and great. When you cut into the mushrooms, all the juice kind of spills out of them (I don't think there's anyway to really avoid that) and works well with the filling.

Bottom line: I highly recommend this dish. Especially as a starter for parties (hence why the original one makes 28). Thursday is my first venture into some Italian desserts, but I will be updating before then since I fully intend to continue cooking throughout the week :)

An Open Letter to Shrimp:

Dear Shrimp,

Where have you been all my life, and why hasn't anyone forced me to try you sooner?? Yes, what you see above is some Grilled Shrimp on top of a pile of Roasted Vegetables. After 20 years of hating the smell of shrimp in a frying pan or cringing at the sight of those little question mark bodies curled over the edge of a cocktail glass, I can now say I am a shrimp fan.

Now, allow me to explain this endeavor. We are now on the chapter of Everyday Entrees, with the first section being "Everyday Grills and Sautes." The first recipe is Grilled Jumbo Shrimp. I had every intention of following this recipe completely seeing as it's shrimp, olive oil, salt, and a grill, but me being me, I had to vary quite a few elements. Most of them unintentionally.

It all started on Labor Day. Leslie was so kind as to give me a lift to Aldi so I could buy my frozen shrimp for today's recipe. Well, Aldi is not open on Labor Day (we still had classes on this holiday so we were outraged to see anyone else taking a day off) so we headed down to Hannaford. Leslie was pressed for time so I quickly ran to the freezer to pick out the shrimp. I didn't feel like spending much on the jumbo shrimp, and then my eyes met the tiny little package for a mere $2.99. Without examining the package I grabbed it, checked out, and went on my merry way. Fast forward to this morning. For once, I defrosted my food by placing it in the fridge before heading off to class. I looked at the package and realized that I had bought salad shrimp (hence their tiny size) and that they were already shelled and deveined...and cooked. Fantastic, right?

I called my mom to make sure I could still at least heat these over the grill. She assured me that I could, it just wouldn't be the same as grilling some raw shrimp. I figured I could deal with that.

Moving on, I knew I couldn't eat just shrimp for dinner (especially if I ended up not liking it. We wouldn't want another tuna incident). So I decided to roast up some veggies on the side. Note to self: if you're going to cook, pay attention to what you're doing and HOW MUCH you're making. I was talking with the various people that were in my room as I chopped the veggies before heading up to the oven. In the process, since I wasn't paying attention to how much food was in the bowl, I chopped an entire onion, and entire zucchini, and an entire eggplant. I looked down finally and noticed how full my bowl was, and then figured I was hungry enough to eat it all and that veggies in mass quantities are guilt-free.

As the veggies roasted, I talked to my dad on the phone as I do every night. I realized that everything was piled on top of each other on the tray, but figured it would be OK and that it would still roast just fine. Well, it did roast, but not nearly as much as I had hoped (and this is after my father and I went through all 500 songs on his iPod and I guessed all the artists. Did I mention I lead an extremely exciting life?). I got over it and brought everything downstairs to start the shrimp.

I thought the veggies would stay nice and warm on the screaming hot tray as I cooked the shrimp (they were tiny so I knew it wouldn't take long) and didn't think to maybe cover them with tin foil or anything. Great thinking. My veggies were a bit cold once I started eating them. Anyhow, I put the shrimp into a bowl with two tablespoons of olive oil and then, for a little kick, added some chili powder. I mixed it all up and put them on the now hot George Foreman Grill.

A note on Foreman grills: Remember when these things first came out and Mr. Foreman urged you to try his "Lean, Mean, FAT GRILLIN' MACHINE!" Well, the machine doesn't actually "grill" the fat off of anything. Instead, the bottom tray is slanted downward so all the excess oil and grease just trickles right off. This would explain why a drip tray is included with the grill. I didn't think I needed that...until I covered the counter in olive oil. Nice. Lesson learned: if something comes with attachments, there's probably a logical explanation and function for them.

The shrimp didn't take long to cook (or should I say heat through) and I placed them on top of my now cold veggies once they were done. I sat down, didn't think twice about what I was about to do, and ate a shrimp. I will say, my fears of its consistency were not far-fetched, but the consistency was nothing worse than eating clams (and a lot less chewy). I'm sure if I had grilled RAW shrimp rather than already cooked shrimp, it wouldn't have been as tough. Long story short (is it too late for that?), I liked it a lot. I'm not sure I could handle cold shrimp, but I'm now willing to dive head-first into this unexplored world of shellfish.

As I've said before, success is so delicious :) My next cooking day is Sunday when I take on Everyday Contorni and some Stuffed Mushrooms (one of my favorites!)! Keep your eyes out for a possible update tomorrow. It's our first home game which means some delicious food at our tailgate!!

Happy Thursday!

I'm going through blog withdrawl, so I'm updating without any new food to share. I am sitting down now to a nice chop salad and a mug of milk while watching the Neelys cook and kiss (mainly kiss, I swear those two are on some serious uppers) and make Hot and Spicy Tortilla Soup, yum!

I've had the past couple of days to really solidify my routine here at school and everything is starting to calm down. For awhile there, I thought this was going to be the semester from hell where I'm just going, going, going non-stop. However, I'm now in the groove and set for success! My classes are going well, I've finally got my act together for field hockey (though it would be nice if we could notch a win!), and I'm finding time to have fun with friends.

Today was the first day that felt like an autumn day. It was cooler and breezier, the only thing that reminded me that it's still technically summer, is that the leaves are still green. With autumn comes Pumpkin Chai Lattes at the coffee shop and I can't wait! Pumpkin is such an autumn-ish flavor. I actually have been thinking of ways to incorporate it into recipes. Yes, that is what I do in my spare time. You know in the movie Hairspray when Tracey is in class and all she's thinking about is dancing after school? Well when I daydream in class, I think about food and new recipes. This isn't really anything new, my days have always been driven by the next time that I can eat (I have been known to ask what's for dinner at 9 a.m.).

Anyhow, I should probably focus on some work now before our girl's night later tonight! Gotta love watching a chick flick with the girls :) Oh, and lesson learned from this salad: there IS such a thing as too much red onion. Yikes.

When Life Hands You Lemons...

...make Lemon Spaghetti! Or lemonade. But I promise that the former will be exponentially more delicious. Tonight was recipe number three out of Everyday Italian and if you haven't figured it out by now, it was Lemon Spaghetti. It is the first recipe from Chapter Three which is Everyday Pasta, Polenta, and Risotto (side note: I really like my approach to this book. It's nice to have each chapter introduced slowly, don't you think?). The first section of this chapter is once again, Fresh From the Pantry, so the recipes are fairly simple.

This recipe was incredibly simple and I highly suggest that you give it a try. That being said, I did make some modifications to it in order to make it a bit healthier (I'm sure Giada won't mind. She doesn't understand what it's like being over a size 2). The first thing the recipe asks you to do is make the sauce. It serves four, and calls for 2/3 cup of EVOO, 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of lemon juice, and salt and pepper (though those are measured in almost all recipes, I usually just do it to taste). For those who don't know, I am a Weight Watchers point counter and have certain point values that I find acceptable for each meal. When I entered this one into the recipe builder, I decided that 14 points for a serving just wasn't going to fly with me. Therefore, I made some changes for my single serving dish.

First, instead of using that much EVOO, I used just one tablespoon. Since it called for the same amount of cheese, I also used just one tablespoon of that. I didn't actually measure out the lemon juice for it (it has a point value of zero as it is), but the recipe said either 1/2 cup or the fresh juice of two lemons. I bought one lemon and squeezed it to death and that was fine. You then whisk it all together.

Next, I cooked up one cup of angel hair pasta. The recipe calls for dried spaghetti, but that wasn't as readily available to me and I had a little over a cup of angel hair left in the box. I really don't think it matters, though I do love dried pasta. After cooking the pasta, you need to reserve one cup of the water if you're making the full 4 servings. Seeing as I only made one, I saved 1/4 cup.

Once the pasta was drained, I put it on a plate, added my water (I didn't even use the whole 1/4 cup. It's just to keep the pasta moist), then added the sauce. I also sprayed some fat-free olive oil spray on top of this just to give it more of the olive oil taste without the olive oil guilt. On top of that, you add some fresh chopped basil (or dried if you're on my budget) and some grated lemon zest (...or not. I don't have a grater and something tells me that trying to finely chop a lemon peel will NOT have the same effect).

Here is my explanation for the picture. Just as I was sitting down to take the picture and eat this delicious meal, my phone rang. It was Katie and she was at the door so I had to run downstairs to let her in. As we walked back to my room I started telling her a story and as we sat down in my room I began eating without thinking about the purpose of the meal. Just as I had about two bites left, I remembered that I hadn't taken a picture and I simply could NOT let this blog be posted without one (I like to have proof that this all actually happens). I quickly took one between bites and there you have it!

My next cooking day is Friday when I take on Grilled Shrimp (dun dun dun...). Let's hope this turns out better than the tuna. I'm sure I will have some updates in between cause a girl's gotta eat!

Success is Delicious...

Tonight was my second time making a Giada recipe and it was much better than my first. As i stated in a previous entry, I'm going chapter by chapter in Everyday Italian so tonight was

chapter Two: Everyday Sauces. The chapter opens with Marinara sauce! Giada explains that traditional marinara sauce is not the same as you would get with your mozzarella sticks at Applebee's (OK...she didn't use those words exactly, but you get the point), instead it's very light and is full of vegetables. Who knew?

And what was more exciting about tonight? I had dinner guests!! My best friends Katie and Matt joined me for dinner tonight so I had to put my game face on for this one.

In addition to trying a new recipe tonight, I tried a new gadget: the electric frying pan. This thing is fantastic. I did NOT have to Rachael Ray my way up the stairs AND my apartment now smells of wonderful Italian cooking which reminds me of home. The only time I had to leave the room was to make the pasta since we don't have any hot plates or burners. We'll work on that.

Now onto the sauce! I began with half a cup of EVOO. I heated this in the pan then added two cloves or garlic and two onions, each finely chopped. At this point, one of my roommates sat down in the living room and told me "It smells like deliciousness in here." I knew I was on the right track at that point. As these cooked, I chopped two stalks of celery. I then had to peel and chop two carrots. For the third time since living here, I attempted to peel a vegetable and forgot to take the plastic covering off the peeler. Of course, my first reaction was that the peeler had somehow lost all sharpness, and then I looked down and discovered my mistake. I am the reason that they make those plastic safety guards.

Anyhow, once chopped, I added the two veggies to the pan along with some salt and pepper. The recipe calls for half a teaspoon of each, and I thought about actually pulling out the measuring spoons to be exact, and then I realized I'm Italian and measuring really doesn't matter.

As you're reading this, you're probably thinking "wow, this all seems to be going pretty smoothly," right? Well, mostly right. I'm the "clean-as-you-cook" type so as the veggies cooked, I wanted to clean up everything that I no longer needed to use. I reached for the cutting board, looked to the left of it, and found an onion that was perfectly in tact. Then it hit me. I had only added ONE onion to the sauce. Quickly, I peeled the onion, and chopped it (this onion did NOT want to be peeled and did NOT want to be finely chopped. It put up quite the fight. I did win in the end though, seeing as I am the superior being in this scenario) then let it cook up with the rest of the pan.

Onto obstacle number two. I had two cans of stewed tomatoes that I needed to be opened and added to the sauce. The recipe calls for two 32 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes, but Aldi didn't have crushed tomatoes, and I couldn't pass up the deal of 49 cents for each can of stewed tomatoes. I figured they really couldn't be that different. Now as I've mentioned before, my can opener is a pain. You know those times when you want a child to come with you somewhere and you grab them by the hand and they turn into the "boneless child" and just kind of collapse into the ground? Well that's what my can opener does. You sink it into the can and think it's all going to be fine, then as you crank the handle, it gives up and just ruins the can shredding the label in the process. After much effort and elbow grease (I think I may have even broke a sweat), I got the two cans open and added them to the pan.

The next step in the recipe is to let the sauce simmer for an hour. I decided this was the opportune time to clean up. After I was done, I glanced over at the sauce and noticed it still hadn't thickened yet. It also wasn't very red (but it was very colorful and pretty. I'm starting to sound like Ina Garten, how bad can that be?). I decided to let it cook more as I rinsed the cans from the tomatoes. I looked down, and discovered why the sauce wasn't looking quite right. The recipe calls for two 32 ounce cans of tomatoes. I used two 14.5 ounce cans of tomatoes. I taste-tested it and it did taste good, but hardly like marinara sauce should. I stood there at a loss, wondering what I would tell my dinner guests. I promised them marinara sauce, not vegetable stew and my concoction was definitely resembling the latter.

It was then that I remembered that my mother (thank God for her!) had bought me a ginormous, yes ginormous, can of tomato puree. The sauce was saved!! I added about a cup of the puree along with some Italian seasoning (in place of the bay leaves that I don't have) and let the sauce cook more. I also finished cleaning up and because my can opener hates me and cuts jagged edges on my cans, I cut my thumb in the process of cleaning the cans.

Once the sauce was almost done simmering, I decided to head upstairs to cook the angel hair pasta that I was going to serve with the sauce. I once again forgot how long it takes for a pot of water to boil on an electric stove. I sat there for what seemed like forever waiting for it to boil. However, contrary to popular belief, I watched that pot the entire time, and it DID eventually boil. And they say a watched pot never boils...

Angel hair pasta cooks up in no time, so I had no trouble with that...other than the fact that I can't measure how much pasta to cook and ended up making much more than needed. Matt and Katie arrived shortly after the pasta was done and we all ate at my kitchen table. I'm pretty sure that's the first time it's been used. And it did force me to clear the table before they came over. Did I mention that our kitchen and living room area still isn't completely unpacked?

Both Katie and Matt told me the meal was great and after eating, our friend Savannah came over and bonded with us. The night ended with Savannah going back to her friend's room and the three of us watching My Best Friend's Girl over in Matt's room. Funny movie, but definitely not one to watch with your parents.

As usual, it was a fantastic night overall, and there are PLENTY of leftovers for those nights when I don't have time to cook. I have a tournament this weekend, so there won't be anything new (or any Domino's thank GOD) till Monday. But check back then when I conquer my third recipe: Lemon Spaghetti! Yum-O :)

Game Day Game Day!!

Today is our fist game!! As exciting as that is, that means I don't get to cook tonight and will be eating the fine cuisine offered by Domino's. Awesome.

On a better note, I did get a chance to bake last night! I didn't take any pictures, so you'll just have to trust me. Usually for away games my mom makes cookies for my team for after the game. Since our game is in New Jersey today and is quite a hike from my hometown, my parents won't be able to make it. However, I couldn't let my team go without any baked goods, therefore, I made my world famous (well, maybe someday) Banana Walnut bread. I don't have a loaf pan, but I do have an 8x11 baking dish so I put the batter in there and made little banana bread bites. I also decided to top the bread with some cinnamon rather than more walnuts just to mix it up a bit.

My next cooking day is Friday when I tackle Giada's marinara sauce, so check back then to see how it all pans out!