IT'S BACK!!

Hey everyone! As promised, my blog is officially back! With my week of absolutely no obligations, I figured some cooking would do me some good. I can't promise that I'll be able to update as frequently as I used to, but I'm going to try for at least once a week.

Anyhow, tonight I made Chicken Piccata, the healthiest of the Everyday Cutlets in the Everyday Entrees chapter. What's even better, is that I got to make this meal for TWO people since my roommate, Katie (actually, more like an apartment mate, cause we don't actually share one room. Thank you off-campus housing), will be home later after work.

As usual, I took the chicken out of the freezer too late and had to help it defrost by running it under some cold water. It really had no bearing on the outcome, because that chicken was as moist as ever (not to toot my own horn or anything...). The chicken that I have is quite thick, so I had to half it, and was surprisingly successful. I suppose I've come a long way from my crooked cutting of eggplant, tuna steaks, etc.

I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper then dredged it in flour. I had never done this before. If I'm going to coat chicken, I usually just bread it using the flour-egg-bread crumbs method. However, this was really good. It gave it just enough coating to really absorb the sauce, but not enough to make it unhealthy.

After melting some butter and heating some oil, I cooked the chicken for about three minutes on each side, then removed it from the pan and added some chicken stock, lemon juice, and capers. As that was brought to a boil, I thought it might be a good idea to make sure that the chicken was cooked all the way through. It's always nerve-racking for me to check the done-ness of meat, especially poultry or fish...and especially when I'm cooking for someone else. Whenever I cut into one piece to check it, I swear I do it with one eye open, bracing myself for some half-cooked nightmare. Fortunately, I did well this time. Literally.

As the sauce cooked I added some fettuccine to my pot of boiling water. I've learned the hard way that fettuccine takes longer to cook than spaghetti, and most certainly longer than angel hair. Last time I cooked it, it was still a little hard. I like my pasta a bit before it hits al dente, but definitely not crunchy. I still have some work to do on my fettucini cooking.

I added the chicken back to the pan and lowered the heat once the sauce came to a boil, turning the chicken every so often so all sides could absorb it. I then put the chicken and the sauce over some pasta, and topped it with some Parmesan cheese, of course.

I have to say, after not working with this book for quite a few months, I was nervous that I may have lost my Giada touch, but I think I still have it. No lie, this was soooooo good. Like I said before, the chicken was moist and it did absorb the sauce well. The sauce itself was a good balance between the lemon and the capers with nothing overpowering (I have a tendency to go overboard with lemon, especially when I use fresh lemon juice). Also, there was just enough sauce to coat the one cup of pasta I used. Overall, delicious.

It's good to be doing this again, especially now that I'm off-campus with my own kitchen about 7 feet from my bedroom door. No more Rachael Raying my way up the stairs with arms full of pots, pans, knives, and food. No more baking things in toaster ovens and using a makeshift double burner. And though my space here is limited, my fridge space has increased exponentially considering I'm sharing it with one other person rather than five. Yes, life is good.

I'm planning on doing this again next Tuesday, since Tuesdays and Thursdays are my easy days. Next time I'll be making one of Giada's Quick and Simple recipes from the Everyday Contorni chapter: Sauteed Broccoli Rabe with Raisins and Pine Nuts. Interesting, right?

Revived!!

Hello readers,

I apologize for being M.I.A. (yes, missing in action, not referring to the rapper) for the past...4 months? It's been a little busy, and I haven't really settled into any sort of routine or schedule all summer. That being said, be prepared for more food fun when the school year starts. I began this project, and I fully intend to finish it! I'm moving back at the end of this week, then heading off to Bermuda, followed by a week of nothing. During that week, be ready for some cooking and posting.

See you then ;)

Oh So Saucesome

Hey there!

Yes, it's been a reeeaaaalllly long time since I've updated in here. Don't worry, I have in fact eaten since then. I've even cooked since then, just nothing from the project. To those who faithfully checked this thing each week (Mom?), I apologize. But here it is, an update!

Tonight I made "Spinach and Mushroom Ravioli" from the stuffed pasta section of the "Everyday Pasta, Polenta, and Risotto" chapter. I had some help with this one from a certain someone named Ryan who made all the multi-tasking much more manageable. He's also just nice to have around in general. Anyhow, here's how it all went down.

We started by dicing up some mushrooms and sauteing them with some EVOO spray. Then we threw in some spinach and let it cook a couple more minutes. As this all happened, I was laying out won ton wrappers like it was my job (and I suppose it was at that moment) to make the ravioli from "scratch."

This recipe actually has you use the won ton method unlike the pumpkin ravioli. I find this odd considering the spinach and mushroom would be much easier to find in a grocery store than the pumpkin ravioli. Just sayin'.....

Once the mushrooms and spinach were sauteed to our liking, we removed them from the heat and let them cool (and I used this time to switch over my laundry that had slowly taken over my walk-in closet of a room). The next step allowed me to use one of my new gadgets, a food processor!! Yes, I received a food processor for my 21st birthday and I was ECSTATIC. We put the mixture into the food processor and pulsed it until it was a coarse texture. It actually kind of came out looking like bright green hummus. I was supposed to stir in some mascarpone cheese along with Parmesan next, but I've grown tired of buying containers of mascarpone, using a tablespoon of it, and then having it go bad in my fridge. Therefore, I improvised with two wedges of garlic and herb Laughing Cow cheese. Similar? Taste-wise, not really. Texture-wise, certainly.

Before filling the won tons with the spinachy goodness, I brushed them with a egg wash (which they needed because apparently when you let won ton wrappers sit out for any given amount of time, they sort of dry out. Oops!). Then I put one heaping teaspoon of filling onto each, sealed it around the center, and pressed the edges with a fork. I still don't own a ravioli cutter, but did not attempt to make cool edges on these ones. I've learned that butter knives literally don't cut it when it comes to designs.

And now, for more multitasking. First, we got a pot of water boiling to cook the raviolis. As I assembled the pasta, Ryan sauteed more mushrooms for the sauce. We cooked about four raviolis at a time so they wouldn't stick together (even though they still did) and it took about three minutes for each batch. We added some sauce from a jar (what?!?!?!?!) to the sauteed mushrooms and served it over the raviolis.

It was pretty good overall, but we both agreed that there was something missing from the filling. I think it was my use of Laughing Cow over mascarpone. I'll have to work out the kinks on that one. I do have a lot of filling left over that I think will be a good dip for chips or crackers, or perhaps a good topping for toasted Italian bread? Hmmm....

The next recipe will be from the "Everyday Entrees" chapter and to be honest, I don't know when I will be tackling that one. Check back every so often and you may just be lucky enough to see something new :)

Recipe Revolution

But really, when are my recipes NOT revolutions? Or....at least MY version of them. I'm just going to jump right into this one.

Today, I made the last of the "Everyday Tomato Sauces" with "Tuna and Tomato Sauce." Fear not, I refused to eat tuna this time around. Third time is not the charm in this case, because I am not willing to try it a third time. In its place, I used tilapia, ergo, I introduce to you, "Tilapia and Tomato Sauce." It still has that nice alliteration :)

There's really no use in going through how the recipe should go, because I just kind of winged this one. I started by searing the tilapia with some capers and lemon juice until it was cooked all the way through and could be flaked (what a horrible term to describe a food item. Honestly? Flaked?) I then turned down the heat and added my marinara sauce (that had been frozen from the last time I made it) and heated it through.

All the while, I cooked some spaghetti. How easy is this recipe? Final step, I drained the pasta, put it on a plate, and topped it with the sauce. Voila.

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Obviously, it was much better than if I had used tuna (I'm having flashbacks of choking it down in the past), but the tilapia didn't really stand out. However, tilapia sort of tastes like whatever you cook it in or with, so I guess it did its job? The marinara was great as usual, and probably even better than when I initially made it from being frozen.

Not gonna lie, I probably won't make this again. Oh well. Can't win every time.

That's all the updating I intend to do this week, check back again next week though!

Dear Followers,

I have been terrible at updating my blog, I'm well aware. And for this, I am very sorry. Unfortunately, I will only be able to update this about once a week seeing as my spring season for field hockey starts this week. Also, college has suddenly become very, very time-consuming (go figure, right?).

So, again, I'm sorry for not updating at all this week but believe me, it's killing me that I'm not cooking more! Stay tuned for one update this week, I promise!!

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?

Whisk It Good

This "Puddings and Creams" section of the "Everyday Dolci" chapter is my weakness. Two recipes in, and I'm in love. Chocolate Zabaglione was the final straw.

May I first point out that a pudding or cream with such a complex name seems like a daunting task. But fear not, we have Giada on our side. And her recipes are "everyday" meaning they are simple and that anyone can do them. Myself included.

I started by simmering some fat-free evaporated milk (in place of whipping cream as usual) and learned, again, that fat-free foods do not function the same as whole fat ones. Though not as big a failure as attempting to brown light butter, the evaporated milk separated a little bit and I had to whisk it to get it back together.

After removing the milk from the heat, I stirred in some chocolate chips until the mixture was completely smooth. Next, I filled a pot with about two inches of water and brought it to a simmer. As it heated, I put four egg yolks, sugar, cooking wine, and a pinch of salt into a glass bowl that I placed over the water. Next, I whisked.

I whisked for approximately four minutes. Or at least I think it was about that amount of time. When I started whisking, I realized that the clock on the microwave had not been set, and my cell phone was in my bedroom, so there was no other way to keep track of time. I could have stopped once the mixture came to 160 degrees, but yes, I do not have a thermometer. So i counted to 240-Mississippi. Like I true college kid, I always find a way to make due.

The mixture became thicker which was promising. This was the step that could really make or break it all. I removed this from the heat then folded in the chocolate mixture. It became what you see drizzled over my frozen strawberries above.

The final product was probably not as thick as it typically would be considering I used fat-free milk in place of full-fat cream, but it was still to die for. The salt in the cream gave it a sweet and salty contrast (which I LOVE!) and the tart strawberries added another dimension of taste.

Gina Neeley says that "cute girls don't lick the bowl." Well then call me a brute, because I certainly did without any hesitation. I was in the comfort of my own room though, so I didn't look like a total animal.

And there you have it, cycle EIGHT through the book! I now have an announcement to make. I will be cooking again tomorrow night starting from the first chapter, but then instead of moving on to another sauce, on Friday, I will be making the next dessert. It requires Chocolate Zabaglione so I made enough today for that recipe and don't think I should keep it refrigerated until I come around to the last chapter again. I know, I'm going against my own self-imposed rules, but I still feel weird going out of the order that I set out to accomplish this project.

Anyhow, I will see you again tomorrow night when I start cycle nine!!