Journal

2010 - Week 3 Cooking

So from last week I suppose. I desperately need a fine mesh strainer. Orzo? Quinoa? The strainers that I have are made for items that are much bigger. I may even hike down to Kitchen Collage to get one.

I am noticing something about the tools that I have, most of which are made by Oxo. They seem to have a number of wash cycles they can go through, before they are, as it seems to me, designed to fall apart. So the glue that holds the handle on the tool just kinda gives up and then water starts getting in there and it gets gross. It seems less likely to happen from the "Steel Collection" ones that I have. Others, I have gotten in the habit of separating the two pieces and washing them separately so no water gets stuck inside the tool. I really don't think I should have to do this though.

  • Thai Chicken with Basil (p13 Cook's Illustrated January/February 2010)
  • Cajun Red Beans and Rice (p19 Cook's Illustrated January/February 2010)
  • Cacio e Pepe (p24 Cook's Illustrated January/February 2010)
  • Goat Chops
  • Jalapeno Burgers

2010 - Week 2 Cooking Results

Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes

These were quite good, though I think the temperature they had the heat at was too high. I'd definitely make these again.

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, Feta, and Mint (Light & Healthy 2010: The Year's Best Recipes Lightened Up from Weeknight Kitchen with Lynne Rossetto Kasper)

I love olives...my wife, not so much. and even though I reduce the amount of olives in this, it was still a bit to much for Shannon. I still think it was good, though.

Everyone's Favorite Potato Soup with Bacon (Dollars to Donuts: Comfort Food and Kitchen Wisdom from Route 66's Landmark Rock Cafe from Weeknight Kitchen with Lynne Rossetto Kasper)

This was surprisingly easy to make, and cheap too. I added some more spices and what not, because the recipe said I could...but it was a good baseline for a recipe. I added some red pepper, corn, peas and that seemed to bring it up to something quite hearty.

Braised Tofu and Peas in Curried Coconut Milk (How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food from News from Kitchen Collage)

Though I followed the recipe, I really questioned it right off the bat. When it called to make sauce and then add spices too it, I was curious, since I though you were supposed to bloom the spice or make a paste...and boy did it show later. While I thought it was ok, the spice kick that should have been there in a curry was not there in the slightest. It was kind of frustrating. I kept adding more and more and yet it was all swallowed up by the mixture of tomatoes and onions. Also, Shannon doesn't like tofu. So I guess I'll be having this for the next week or so for lunch (whee!).

Roasted Quinoa with Potatoes and Cheese (How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food from News from Kitchen Collage)

Over all this dish was pretty good. But I think the quinoa was undercooked. I was a bit surprised at the directions considering how long I've cooked quinoa before. Though I thought it was filling and kept me full for quite a while.

Yucatan-Style Chicken, Lime, and Orzo Soup (Bon Appétit newsletter)

I loved this soup. Warm on a cold day, spicy to clear out your sinuses and simple to make. Shannon thought it was a bit too spicy. Even though I only used 1/2 of the jalapeno peppers it called for, I suppose I could have toned it down a bit more by cutting out the seeds and ribs of the pepper I used, but to me it was just right.

2010 - Week 2 Cooking

Along with the magazines I get several email newsletters, so I decided to start giving credit where credit is due. All but one of these are from recent newsletters.

2010 - Week 1 Cooking Results

Swiss Steak with Tomato Gravy (p21 Cook's Country December/January 2010)

This needed more spice...it just didn't have enough. The meat was nice, but over all It was just ok.

Spicy Beef and Bean Enchiladas (p21 Cook's Country December/January 2010)

I suspect because I didn't like the Swiss steak so much, making enchiladas out of them?... I think the several other enchilada recipes that I made last year were better then this.

Chicken Paillards with Clementine Salsa (p80 Bon Appétit December 2009)

This was actually quite good...I ended up using the salsa as a topping to leftover turkey cutlets on a sandwich...so it added a nice set of flavors to the chicken and also to the turkey.

Penne with Lemon and Root Vegetables (p70 Bon Appétit December 2009)

I made this last night. Along with doing that I also prepped the rest of the celery and carrots so that they're all set up for easy eating. This was very good. A nice combination of carrots, celery and parsnips. It was relatively easy to make, though seemed much harder because of all the prep that I did, and tasted very good.

Turkey Cutlets with Brussels Sprouts and Dried Cranberries (p72 Bon Appétit December 2009)

Shannon does not like brussel sprouts. Sam does not like reheated brussel sprouts (leftovers). I'm actually a mild fan of the taste, but Shannon did not like the taste nor the smell of brussel sprouts. Which means that I'll probably not make anything with brussel sprouts in the near future. Overall this dish was pretty good, I thought, but as for leftovers, I ended up picking out the turkey to make sandwiches and not using the brussel sprouts (the smell of them wasn't appealing to my nose).

2010 - Week 1 Cooking

It's a new year!

I've got a few cookbooks to go through before they make it into the rotation (I bought Ad Hoc at Home for myself and my mother in law (thanks!) got me: Good Eats: The Early Years)

I also have at least one that I've about 70% through that hasn't made it into the list either...so...uh...I'd better get through the others faster I suppose.

We have talked about things that we may want to try in the new year as far as cooking goes. Buying products that are more local and what not. Our friends are members of a farmer's Co-Op, and while I have bought from them at the farmer's market, I don't know if I could use all the produce I would get from them on a regular basis, so I would feel wasteful. I have been thinking about becoming a member of the Iowa Food Cooperative which allows me to pick and choose what I want from a list of what I want and get it once a month or so (I think). The problem with that is that we don't particularly have the space, so we would have to invest in a freezer of some sort to stick in the basement. We are still talking about this, especially since it involves the purchase of a freezer.

I have also thought more about portion sizes. A lot of the meals that I make are for 6 or 8 or some other amount of people and because of this it may be the only thing that I make. When you spend 2 hours making a meal a course for a weeknight, do I really want to spend another 15-30 minutes making sides to go with it? Well this year I will try to do that more. This past week I've done well enough. I guess we'll see how we go. Try to get more green things into our life and think more about serving sizes when I dish out the food.