Tomatoes and Tiramisu

...but not together. That's just gross. I apologize for not updating sooner, but I've been absolutely SWAMPED with things to do around here. I have been able to cook amidst the chaos, however, I haven't had much time to sit down and type this up.

That being said, let's get started! I did another "Tricolore" recipe from the "Everyday Antipasti" chapter which was rather familiar. Who hasn't had some version of a Caprese Salad before?

You may notice the picture of the gross looking cheese accompanying my beautiful salad above. Allow me to explain. While I was home, I bought some boccinni (I know I butchered the spelling) to use along with grape tomatoes for this recipe. I thought it would be cool to have the ingredients all the same size. Well, I really should have used my ingredients sooner. Upon retrieving my cheese from the refrigerator, I think it's pretty obvious that it had become inedible.

A minor setback if you ask me. Instead, I opted for two sticks of light string cheese. Sure, it's not the same as fresh mozzarella, but desperate times call for such actions.

To make the salad, I sliced up the tomatoes and cheese and tossed them in a bowl. I then whisked together some EVOO (actual, not spray of course), lemon juice, salt and pepper. I then tossed the dressing with the salad and BAM, there you have Caprese Salad. It's so simple, but so flavorful. I never thought to incorporate the lemon juice in the dressing before, but it really made a difference especially in comparison to say a balsamic vinaigrette.

And now, my second recipe that I need to write about: Tiramisu. As I mentioned in my previous post, I needed to go out of order in this cycle so that I could use my Chocolate Zabaglione before it went bad. I broke my rule, but I really don't mind considering it was delicious.

I started by stirring some mascarpone cheese until it was smooth. I then whisked together some Cool Whip Free and sugar. The recipe, as always, called for me to make my own whipped cream using full-fat cream, but considering how fattening Tiramisu is to begin with, I decided to give it a little makeover.

I folded the cheese into the cream, then folded in my Chocolate Zabaglione and refrigerated the resulting cream. Next, I made some instant espresso thanks to the ever-so-strong Starbucks Via. This was used to coat the lady fingers (for those not in the know, these are light, pretty much flavor-less cookies. A softer type of biscotti). I lined the bottom of my pan with a layer of dipped lady fingers, then topped that with some of the cream. I repeated this step, then ended with a layer of semi-dipped lady finger because...I ran out of coffee. These cookies soak up liquid like its going out of style leaving me with little to work with by the end.

The Tiramisu was supposed to be to be refrigerated, then flipped upside-down to be served after sifting some cocoa over the top. This is far too complicated for a dish that's just going to be devoured by college students. I didn't have a chance to take a picture of the Tiramisu because by the time I thought to do so, there was little of it left and being the child I can be at times, I kind of destroyed it by mindlessly poking at it with a fork.

It wasn't the prettiest Tirsmisu anyway, so I'll save a picture of it for when I have it perfected.

That's all I have for tonight. I plan on taking a couple of cooking days off in order to make a bigger dent in my declining balance and to give myself some time to get ahead on my work. Don't you hate when priorities get in they way of fun?

This Post is Dedicated to Caitlin...

...for the sheer fact that she actually sounded mad at me when I said I hadn't posted on this in awhile. My dearest Caitlin, this post is for you!!

It definitely felt good to do some cooking tonight!! We start classes tomorrow so I didn't have anything to do today (other than run some errands and sign a lease so that I'm not homeless next semester), ergo I was antsy to start cooking. I always say that I can't eat dinner before 5 p.m. otherwise I feel like an old person trying to catch that early bird special, but I ate around 4:30 p.m. tonight. I am weak.

Tonight I made another recipe from the "Everyday Sauces" chapter in the "Everyday Tomato Sauces" section. It was a Simple Bolognese aka "meat sauce." When it comes to tomato sauces, I generally opt for marinara over meat, but I figured I may like meat sauce more if it were my own creation...and if it didn't say "Prego" or "Ragu" on its jar.

I started by cooking some minced onions and garlic until they were soft. I was only making half the recipe (some for tonight and leftovers for tomorrow) so I used one clove of garlic and half an onion. This whole plan must have slipped my mind in the next step of adding carrots and celery. I should have used half of each, but I was in some sort of daze and just added a whole one of each. I think Common's "Universal Mind Control" on mtvU had me mesmerized. Thankfully you can't go too overboard with either of those vegetables and it didn't make much of a difference. Plus it wouldn't be one of MY recipes unless something went wrong, right?

After I sauteed those over medium-high for about five minutes, I cranked the heat up to high and added some ground beef. In true health nut fashion (side note: I was the opposite of a health nut all winter break. Chocolate and Christmas cookies are my vice), I used 95/5 ground beef. I was a little afraid that this would result in some dry beef crumbles in my sauce, but this was not the case.

Next, I had to add a can of crushed tomatoes, parsley, basil, salt and pepper. I realized I didn't buy crushed tomatoes, but did have some diced ones in burgundy wine. I wasn't sure what the wine flavoring would do to the sauce, but seeing as burgundy is a dark color and I was working with some dark meat, I didn't really see a problem with it (great logic, I know). Diced versus crushed tomatoes would only make for a chunkier sauce which also didn't faze me. Being a college student without my own fresh herb garden, I used some dried basil and Italian seasoning rather than the fresh versions suggested in the recipe.

I then let all of this simmer and thicken for about 30 minutes. In the mean time, I boiled some salted water and cooked up some orecchiette to serve with the sauce. After 30 minutes, I stirred in some Parmesan cheese to the sauce as well as more salt and pepper.

As you can see from the picture, my bolognese ended up looking like some sort of Italian sloppy joe. The consistency was very chunky, but the flavor was surprisingly smooth. It wasn't overpowering and the beef wasn't dry (I think I have the tomatoes to thank for that). It was MUCH better than any jarred meat sauce I had had before (one would hope this would be the case with anything that comes in a jar).

Overall, a successful first night back in Everyday Italian! As I said before, I'll be eating leftovers tomorrow night (which will be nice seeing as tomorrow is my first day of classes), but will be making some marinara sauce to use in some future recipes. I will see you again on Thursday when I put together another "Everyday Pasta, Polenta, and Risotto!"

Cause We Need a Little Salsa, Right This Very Minute...

Yes, it is the Christmas season, and it's a night to try another one of Giada's "Everyday Sauces!" Tonight, I made Salsa All'amatriciana. I wish I knew how to pronounce that, but I won't be taking Italian next semester, therefore we may never know (actually I probably will find out eventually). This is a tomato-based sauce that was different than what I'm used to. It was a little like marinara, but also chunky like a meat sauce. Allow me to explain:

First, I sprayed a pan with some EVOO spray and heated it over medium heat. I then added some diced pancetta. This was my first time working with and eating pancetta. I've always been told that it's the Italian version of bacon, but you know me, I didn't believe anyone. I saw Rachael Ray and Giada herself use it on Food Network and was told I would like it, but I would respond with "no. It's ham. I hate ham." True, I do despise ham. It's right up there with tuna, it sets off my gag reflex. But, as with most other foods that I have strong aversions to, everyone was right about pancetta. It is Italian bacon. Whenever my idols cooked with it on TV, they talked about how they wish you could smell it as it cooked. I now understand why. The stuff is fantastic.

I cooked the pancetta for about eight minutes (in this time, it began to start foaming as if it were rabid pancetta). I then added some finely chopped onion and cooked that until it was tender. That took about five minutes. After that, I threw in some minced garlic and crushed red pepper. Giada says to cook this until it becomes fragrant or for about 30 seconds. I actually counted it out because it was difficult to smell it over the pancetta. But I wasn't one to complain. Our kitchen smelled great!

Next I added some tomato puree as well as some salt and pepper. You then lower the heat and let the sauce thicken for about 15 minutes. During this time, I boiled some water, made some perfectly al dente spaghetti, and caught up with the Kardashians (this is not something I'm proud of, but I'm just being honest).

After draining the pasta, I stirred some Parmesan cheese into the sauce. I then put it on top of the pasta and dug in! Like I said before, it was like a marinara sauce in how tomato-y it was and with the combination of onions and garlic. But the pancetta gave it a few chunks like a meat sauce. It was a nice balance between the two. Definitely something I would make again (I made two servings of the sauce so I could eat the leftovers tomorrow night. I'm sure they will be even better tomorrow!).

I'm sure by now you're wondering what's with the picture of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree at the top of the post. For starters, it's there because I don't know how to post pictures in the middle of my posts where they are most relevant. Second, it's there because I saw it in person this weekend in NYC!! I had an amazing time in the city with my best friend Katie and, as always, was sure to eat some exceptional food. I had some Honky Tonk pancakes at the Brownstone Diner (these were pancakes with peanut butter chips in them and were topped with slices of bananas), had my first slice of actual NYC pizza (and what are the odds that Ray's Pizza had my favorite: mushrooms and black olives), and had some Cuban food as well. On top of all that, I got a lot of Christmas shopping done and was able to experience the city without the hassle of being on a school trip :)

Anyhow, I will be cooking again on Thursday night and my dish will be part of a larger meal to be shared with my roommates. One of them just graduated this past weekend and will be leaving us after this semester (that's a scary thought considering I only have two semesters left after this one). Check back then for more food fun!

Let's Call the Whole Thing Off..

Ah, yes. I have recovered at last from the tuna debacle from Sunday. I'm positive it was a mind over matter thing, but my stomach was quite upset after trying that dish. I had to lay down and watch Meet the Robinsons to recover. Cute movie, by the way.

I was soo excited to make tonight's recipe out of the "Everyday Contorni" chapter. It is my first from the "Roasted and Baked" section (and if you know me, you know I LOVE my roasted veggies!). The recipe is called Tomato Vegetable Casserole and after reading all the ingredients, I was pretty sure I couldn't go wrong.

I started by peeling and chopping a small potato, small sweet potato, and a carrot. I was supposed to add a bell pepper into this mix, but I didn't see that I needed one and forgot to pick one up this weekend. Oops! I tossed all of these in my glass baking dish with some EVOO spray, salt, and pepper. Next, I added a layer of thinly sliced red onion and topped that with a layer of zucchini. I then seasoned this layer with more EVOO spray, salt, and pepper. On top of THIS, I put some slices of tomato, then sprinkled some bread crumbs and shredded mozzarella on top. The recipe called for Parmesan cheese, but I ran out and will be going home at the end of the week, so there was really no reason to buy more.

I had the toaster oven preheated to 450 as the recipe tells you to do, then put the dish in to cook. Now, when I put this glass dish into the toaster oven, it remains open just a crack. This wasn't an issue when I made brownies in there this past weekend, but then again having half-done brownies is one of my favorites and just plain delicious. This is not the case when it comes to potatoes. When I first took the casserole out (the bread crumbs and cheese were beyond "browned" on the top), the top half was nice and tender, but the potatoes were still pretty raw. I don't know if you've ever eaten a raw potato. They don't taste bad, but they certainly don't taste like much.

I stuck the casserole back in for a bit more, but then took it out again for fear of the top completely burning. What's pictured at the top is my first serving of the casserole. Like I said, raw vegetables aren't bad, they just don't taste like much (with the exception of the tomatoes and such on top. THOSE were exceptional). I decided to mix up the entire casserole and spread it out in the dish to make a thinner layer and hopefully cook the rest of it. Well, some of it cooked, but not all. That's what I get for being lazy and not just marching up to the kitchen and cooking it properly.

That being said, I could imagine the casserole being delicious if cooked in a proper oven with the door completely closed. I will have to try it again when this is possible.

This is my last update for the week as I gear up to get ready to go home for Thanksgiving!! My next two updates will be from my own house (hooray for space, proper supplies, and all resources in one place!) and I can't begin to tell you how excited I am!! I'm also excited to get this computer to the Apple store to figure out why my keyboard hates me. Until then, bon apetit!

Yup, I got nothin'

There aren't too many plays on the word "tortelllini" so I won't even try to stretch for one. Let's get right to it! Tonight we venture once again into "Everyday Pasta, Polenta, and Risotto." We begin a new section in this chapter: "Everyday Stuffed Pastas!" I was very excited when I saw this section. Most stuffed pastas are stuffed with cheese and, let's be honest, there's very few cheeses in the world that I don't like (one exception would be the Horseradish cheese that I accidentally ate at my sister's house. Never again.).

Tonight's recipe was Cheese Tortellini in Light Broth. Doesn't sound too exciting, right? I thought the same thing. It was extremely easy to make. I started by bringing some chicken stock to a boil. I then added the tortellini and let it cook for about seven minutes and added some pepper to the stock. My tortellini of choice was ricotta and spinach stuffed (it actually wasn't by choice, it was the only kind I could find at the grocery store, though I really don't mind. I love both of those things). Once it was al dente, I scooped it into a bowl along with some of the broth, topped with with fresh parsley and cheese, and it was finished!

I wasn't sure whether the dish was supposed to be like a soup, or just have a bit of broth below the pasta. The instructions merely say to ladle the broth and tortellini into serving bowls. A little confusing, and kind of strange if you ask me. I've never had tortellini served this way. It was good, though I wish it was in a sauce rather than a broth. Definitely good for a quick fix meal.

Me being me, I decided to make a side dish to go with the pasta. I halved some cherry tomatoes, added some pre-sliced mushrooms, and tossed them with my vidalia onion dressing and some salt, pepper, and mozzarella. It was a different spin on a traditional caprese salad. My tomatoes were definitely not at their peak though, and I'm beginning to realize why Ina Garten encourages you to use "really good" ingredients. They really do make all the difference.

Seeing as I don't have much work to do tonight, I'll give a little more to this blog entry. My earlier entries seemed much more interesting and chaotic, but I've really got this cooking thing down lately (not to mention the recipes haven't been too involved as of late). I've been trying to think of ways to incorporate cooking into my future without completely derailing the plan I have now (considering I DO enjoy my current career path) and without having to spend hundreds of dollars on cooking school (yes, I have looked up the prices). My goal is to be a music journalist, but what if I could add food into that as well? When I'm home, I rarely ever cook without music. To me, they seem to be inseparable. Now to find a way to make money from writing about food and music...hmm....

Anyhow, I will be cooking again HOPEFULLY on Sunday. It all depends on whether or not I can obtain the main ingredient. The dreadful main ingredient....tuna steaks. I'm hoping these taste different than canned tuna. Regardless, I have yogurt and granola as my back up plan for that night. Join me then to see if I survive.

P.S. My first order of business upon arriving home for Thanksgiving break is to have the Apple store clean my laptop. My mouse has been sticky lately and has developed a mind of its own. It's driving me insane.

Caliente!!

Forgive the cross-cultural reference in the title, but I don't know how to say "spicy" in Italian. Unfortunately, I won't know how to say it for awhile considering my crazy schedule for next semester won't allow me to take Italian :(

Tonight I explored another tomato sauce...Spicy Tomato Sauce! According to Ms. Di Laurentiis, this sauce is also known as "all'arrabbiata" which translates to "in the angry style." It's an angry sauce. Mine wasn't quite as hot as I may have liked it, but it packed a nice punch. And this is how I made it.

I started by sauteing some chopped onion and garlic for about three minutes in some EVOO. I've gotten very good at trying to keep my hands garlic-smell-free and am proud to say that despite the enormous size of the clove I used, my hands only smell like my Lime Basil kitchen soap :) I next added some chopped black olives, capers, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes.

I tried not to go overboard on the red pepper flakes, but I think my sauce could have used more. I would classify it as a "mild medium" sauce. I could've kicked it all the way up to "hot," but I didn't want to overpower the other flavors the first time making it.

Next, I added some crushed tomatoes and let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes while I cooked some penne. I use spaghetti or angel hair pasta more often than any other form, so I had forgotten how much longer it takes to cook other types. Luckily, I started cooking it early enough that it was ready at about the same time as the sauce.

As I said before, the sauce wasn't as spicy as I would have liked, but it was great nonetheless. The tomatoes weren't overpowered by the red peppers and the olives and capers made it a little salty. The penne was Giada's suggestion which, as expected, was perfect for this sauce. The bigger pasta scooped up more sauce than something like spaghetti could.

I must say, thus far the sauces from the "Everyday Sauces" section have been pretty quick (with the exception of the marinara sauce that needs at least an hour) which is nice considering a college student like myself doesn't have all the time in the world to cook. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing like a sauce that took an entire day to cook, but these ones have been just as good and I can eat them sooner!!

The next update will be Thursday with another pasta dish! Can't wait!

You Say Tomato...

...and so do I. I'll start this entry off by saying I almost didn't cook tonight. On our way home from our away game last night we stopped at Arby's and I went for that side of fries with my otherwise somewhat healthy meal (let me mention that it has been a LONG time since I have eaten fast food fries), and I was still feeling those fries today. I don't think I will ever have a random fast food craving again because of the feeling those fries gave me. It probably doesn't help that I haven't eaten all that well the past two days. Time to get back on the wagon!

Long story short, I did in fact cook tonight just for all my foodie followers (the things I do for you all) and I'm glad I did. Tonight was another stuffed vegetable from the "Everyday Contorni" chapter, Stuffed Tomatoes! I've had stuffed mushrooms, stuffed banana peppers (mmmmm), but never a stuffed tomato. But honestly, I don't think you could possibly go wrong with a tomato stuffed with something. Unless that something was tuna.

First things first, I had to cook some couscous. The recipe says to use arborio rice, however, being the poor college student that I am and the difference between couscous and rice being small, I didn't feel bad about the substitution. I cooked the couscous in some salted water which didn't take long, then set it aside.

Next, I had to cut the top off the tomatoes and hollow them out. Easy, right? No, not really. I cut off the tops then dug in with my spoon and found it to be almost as difficult as trying to hollow out a pumpkin. The difference is that a pumpkin is much more sturdy and thick and you can cut a bigger hole in the top. A tomato is smaller and it's easy to go right through its walls. The first one I hollowed out ended up having a small hole in the bottom, and then I got the hang of it on the second one. Too bad I only made two tomatoes.

As the toaster oven heated, I tossed the pulp from the tomatoes with my couscous along with some garlic, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. I also stirred in a bit of Parmesan cheese. After this was all mixed to my liking, I filled each tomato with the mixture, heaping it a bit on top (Giada's rules). I then placed the tops of the tomatoes on top of this, and baked them for about 20 minutes.

I had a good amount of couscous left over so I decided to eat it as my tomatoes cooked. Turns out this was just as good on its own (aside from biting into some raw garlic. Luckily I don't plan on socializing outside of my apartment tonight. And maybe this will ward off any Edward Cullen wannabes. Did I mention there's a creepy cardboard cutout of him in a window on the top floor? I digress). I decided I needed to create a meal out of this mixture at another time when I was feeling more creative.

The picture above puts my tomatoes side-by-side with the picture in Everyday Italian. I don't think Giada covered her tomatoes with the tops when she cooked them because hers are nice and browned on top. She also probably cooked hers in an actual oven, not a toaster oven. But she also has a state-of-the-art fully loaded kitchen in Malibu, and I do not.

Despite all of that, the tomatoes were delicious, and messy. I wasn't sure how to dig into them, so I opted for a fork rather than using my hands like the barbarian I tend to be in the privacy of my own room. The tomatoes were soo juicy and of course, the basil enhanced their flavor. Giada recommends serving these to guests I'm assuming in some sort of party setting, but I think they may be a little messy for such an occasion. I recommend them as a side dish to a meat entree, personally.

Sunday will be my next day to cook when I try out another dessert and complete my third cycle through the book! Holy cow times flies!! Check back then for more updates :)

P.S. Congratulations to the cross-marketing campaign between Dove and Wal-Mart. Your "Real Beauty" campaign has been stuck in my head for the past week (you know, the one to the tune of "Do Your Ears Hang Low?"). Luckily, I refuse to fall for your advertising antics and will NOT be going to Wal-Mart to stock up on Dove beauty supplies. Take that Man!

Checca yoself...

...before you make another terrible pun. I may have another new love, and it's name is Checca Sauce. Not only is this "no-cook" sauce incredibly easy and quick to make, it's also incredibly delicious. Giada says that there is no point to making Checca sauce if tomatoes are not at the peak of their ripeness, but I did it anyway and it was still great.

The amount of time it took to make this sauce is basically the amount of time it took to make the pasta. As I brought the pasta water to a boil, I started the sauce by putting some cherry tomatoes, scallions, garlic, Parmesan cheese, basil, and oil into my chopper. I have to say, the best thing about my chopper is that I don't actually have to chop anything before adding it in there. It saves my hands from smelling like garlic for days on end. Anyhow, you pulse all of this together until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped, NOT pureed. No problem there. I pulsed it until it looked about the consistency of tabbouleh. If you don't know what that consistency is, then you probably haven't had tabbouleh and are therefore missing out on another delicious food.

Next, I transferred the sauce to a bowl and mixed in some salt, pepper, and mozzarella cheese. The recipe said to use some fresh mozzarella cut into cubes, but the shredded part-skim mozzarella I used seemed to work just fine.

Once the pasta was cooked to al dente, I tossed the sauce with it and I was ready to go! This whole "no-cook" sauce thing is great. Less mess, less time, but without cutting back on any flavor. Tomatoes and basil are always a winning combination and were the stars of the sauce. It was very fresh tasting. One thing I've noticed from all these recipes I've made is the spicy element of garlic. Especially raw garlic. I think the spice of the garlic in this sauce enhanced the flavors and kept them from being bland (since it's not really peak tomato season anymore).

As i was eating this, I realized this sauce would also be great as bruschetta. Some crispy Italian bread would've been perfect for soaking up the tomato juice that was left over once my pasta was gone but alas, I didn't have any. Anyway if you're looking for a very quick meal solution, I highly recommend this recipe!!

The next cooking day will be Friday when I take on another pasta dish: Orecchiette with Toasted Bread Crumbs!!

Side Note: I absolutely love that the sun is shining right now, but it's picking the most terrible spot in the sky to be at the moment. It's just at the top of my window shining directly on me and into my eyes (which are extremely light-sensitive). It's also in just the right place where I can't really avoid it unless I hover over my computer which is far from comfortable. Oh well, I'll take it shining in my eyes in the middle of the day over a dark cloudy or snowy October!

P.S. Happy Birthday Doug!

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!

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 :)