Trying Thai!

I am so excited about this post because tonight I made my first ever Thai dish!  I made Giada's veggies in yellow curry, and it was a great experience!  I had gotten the yellow curry in the Strip over the summer for like 2 bucks, and ended up spending about $4.50 on two cans of coconut milk at Giant Eagle.  I know it wouldn't be that expensive at an Asian food market.  In any case, those ingredients, along with two chicken breasts I added, were enough for five big servings.  (Side note - I now have two full weeks of lunches in my freezer!  Woot!)

The only changes I made to the recipe are: I used about six tablespoons of the yellow curry instead of the said 1/2 cup; I omitted the Serrano chili because I figured the curry paste would be spicy enough for me (it was); and I left out the lime leaves because I couldn't find any.  When I make this again, I'll make sure to go to the Strip and get those lime leaves, because the dish was just missing a little "something."

Those of you who know me well know that I'm not a spicy food person.  I love buffalo wings with blue cheese, and I enjoy mexican food, but the spice needs to be mild for me to enjoy it.  That being said, I've had curry now four times, and it is by far the spiciest food I've ever had.  But the fact that I like it enough to buy all those weird ingredients (fish sauce) to make it myself might be a sign that I'm coming around to spicy foods!

And now for the pictures!

The curry paste actually came in a bag inside of the container.  You can see it 

peeking around the corner on the right side of the coconut milk.

Was able to find this at Giant Eagle for about $2.50.  But it is stinky

and super potent.  And boy does it taste and smell like unpleasant fish!

But I guess it just adds depth of flavor to the dish since you only add a tablespoon.

It's not really "yellow"

My dinner!  I also ate several ... several ... spoonfuls of the curry straight out of the pot about 20 minutes after I'd finished my plate.  I made 1 dry cup of rice, which I used with four dishes (one for my dinner and the other three went in the freezer).  But I have enough curry left over for two more medium-sized portions, so I'll probably make some more rice tomorrow for lunch.

If you're scared to try making this, don't be!  If curry paste freaks you out, it shouldn't.  Some ingredients in the yellow curry are lemongrass, basil, and chili pepper.  Really, I don't do spicy, but I love this stuff!  The coconut milk is what makes it for me.  The potato was creamy, the carrots were soft and sweet, and everything just melded so well together.

I hope maybe I've encouraged you to branch out and try cooking something you never have before!  Have fun!

The past month of goings-on

I have certainly been neglectful (is that a word?) of the blog lately.  Moving is no longer my excuse since I've been at my new place for 5 weeks now and have been settled for about 4.5 of those weeks.  The main thing I'll talk about today is the red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting that I made for my mom's birthday party yesterday, but here are some other things I've been up to lately ...

M&M cookies are my new favorite thing to make.

I've made them at least 3 times in the past month.

Delicious M&M peanut butter sandwich cookies!!  I could eat these all day.

This was the fourth time I made meatloaf.  The first 2 times I put it in a loaf pan and there was waaay too much liquid in it to slice it.  Then I tried putting it in a 9x5 inch pan, which was probably the best turnout as far as the liquid issue goes.  However, I saw the Barefoot Contessa make meatloaf this way, so I wanted to try it.  I either used to lean of mean (93/7), or too much fat and liquid escaped onto the foil.  I'm guessing it was the fat ratio.  Also, I am never putting garlic in this recipe (Kim's Ultimate, see former post) because it just doesn't go well with the sweet and sour thing going on.

 I make darn good scrambled eggs, if I do say so myself!  This was the second time I'd used Yukon Gold potatoes, the first being mashed potatoes I made a couple of weeks ago for Eric and me.  I diced them up and fried them in butter, olive oil, salt and pepper for about 5 minutes, turning them frequently until all sides were browned.  Then I put a lid on it for about 3 minutes, and they were perfect!  Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Now for the main event ...

Creamed the butter and sugar, eggs waiting patiently on hand ...

My kitchen.  Yep, all of it.  As in about 3 square feet of counter space.  

Note the small folding table that saved the night.

After taking 10 minutes longer than the recipe said, they're finished!!

I didn't take a picture of the batter beforehand because it looked disgusting.  Just sayin.

And now the grand finale!

I used this recipe after reading some surprisingly negative comments about Paula Deen's.  I think the reason other cooks said hers was bland (which was the main complaint) was because she uses vegetable oil instead of butter, buttermilk, or sour cream.  I actually modified the McCormick recipe a bit because I didn't have sour cream.  Instead, I used 1 cup buttermilk and 1/4 cup vegetable oil instead of the 1 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup milk.  However, I DID use Paula's recipe for cream cheese frosting but used real butter instead of margarine (what was she thinking?!?!?).  Next time I will take her advice and use 1.5 recipes of the frosting.  Even though my mom's favorite frosting with red velvet cake is the cooked flour icing with sugar, she was pretty happy with what I made (although she really doesn't look it!)

 This is all the reassurance that I need!

New Beginnings

Well, here I am.  It's 9:00 the night before I move to my new apartment, my second place.  I hate moving.  But, I did a pretty good job of cleaning out my fridge and freezer.  (And I have my kitty back, plus a new one!!!)  On Monday I actually made two dinners, one for lunch throughout the week, and one for dinner.  Here is what my freezer looks like now:

Since I took this picture I finished off one of the ice creams.  I'm packing everything in a big cooler with lots of ice tomorrow morning.  I'm wondering if the fish will stay frozen when I move it tomorrow?  I'm not worried about the vegetables or blueberries thawing out a bit if they do.

I think this is the best sauce I've ever made.  I never use a recipe for sauce, I just use whatever I have in the kitchen!  And lots of Parmesan cheese.  Lots ...

And what pasta is complete without bread and butter?

So that used up a pound of ground beef, and this used up a bag of frozen broccoli and a package of pork.  I did, however, have to buy the rice.  It's par-cooked, and I really like the texture compared to regular white rice.  I'd never tried it before, but now I'll probably buy it from now on.

Oh, and why should I worry about food going to waste when my dad is around?  My parents came over to help me pack today, and my dad ate two bowls of my leftover pasta for lunch, while I had the last pork and broccoli.

As I write this I have a warm, tiny, grey kitten sleeping in my lap.  Now if only Carmella would want to be friends with this little one ...

Premier party

Let me first start by explaining the double meaning of the title today.  Last night I hosted a Premier Designs jewelry show for my friend Caryn.  It was also the first party that I've ever had by myself at my own place.  It was a really great night, and so wonderful to have my apartment filled with people I love.

So I spent a couple of hours beforehand making goodies (and several hours beforehand cleaning!).  Here are the results:

I found some beautiful (and tasty) "green" peppers on sale yesterday.  They were a mixture fall colors, totally cool.

I also tried a new recipe for honey mustard sauce.  The only problem with adding lemon juice to mayo - you guessed it - it curdled.  So I stirred and stirred, and then I strained.  Good as new!

I made the zucchini bread about a month ago and froze it.  I wrapped it first in Saran wrap, then foil, then a Ziploc freezer bag.  Honestly, I think the bread tasted better last night than when I had first made it a month ago.  I also made some icing for it with a little bit of confectioner's sugar and a few drops of milk.  I drizzled it over the bread after I had plated the slices, and I decided that next time, I'll lay the slices out on a cooling rack right next to each other and do it that way, so that the icing is prettier and more even.

The dip mix came with mayo that I bought on sale a couple of months ago.  Just a Knor's vegetable dip with mayo, sour cream, water chestnuts, a package of spinach, and salt and pepper.

I got the plates and napkins at Target, and the flowers I picked up at Shop n' Save.

It was so much fun to host my own party, and I can't wait to do it again after I move - in 6 days!!!

Egg-cellent

I'm just getting over a really bad cold, and I actually took the day off on Wednesday to help speed the recovery process along.  One of the few good things about being home sick is that I got to sleep in and make a leisurely breakfast. My dad used to make fun of me when I still lived at home that the only food I could make was breakfast food.  Well, all I can say is, I make a damn good omlette.

I start with 2 eggs well beaten with about a tablespoon of either water or milk.  I put butter in the pan over medium/medium-low heat and add the eggs when it's hot enough.  I pour the eggs into the center of the pan and add salt and pepper and gently stir them until they're about 2/3 of the way cooked.  Then I turn the heat down very low and put a lid on for about 2 minutes, or until the eggs are set.  Next I add cheese and whatever other goodies I have around, turn off the heat, and put the lid on until the cheese is melted.

The last step is to fold it over with a spatula, and you have a beautiful, healthy meal!  Sometimes I even make one of these bad boys for dinner.

I think a very slight golden brown color is ideal, or no color at all.

I don't have pictures of this yet, but my new favorite way to make eggs is sunny-side up, with a medium-cooked yolk (the way I prefer it).  I learned this from Claire Robinson on Food Network.  What you do is drop your eggs into a hot pan with butter, and kind of form the whites into a circle so you can get the eggs out easily once they're done. After the whites have set a bit, add 2 tablespoons of hot water to the pan and cover it for probably 3 minutes or so, turning the heat down to low.  I don't have this down to a science yet, so I do take the lid off and check the yolk with my spatula to see if it's  hard enough yet.  They turn out so pretty and it's super easy.  This way you don't even have to worry about flipping them and possibly breaking the yolk.

How do you like your eggs?

Teri-ouchy

I love coming home from work and throwing something together with the ingredients I have at home.  Well, I had to pick up 2 things (OK 3 things, but the third one was on sale!) at the store, but only paid about $2.50 for the extra ingredients.  I'm definitely making progress cleaning out my freezer, but I still have a package of pork, a pound of ground beef, and a big bag of fish to go through.

So, why the witty title, you ask?  Last night was the first time I used a microplane to zest something.  I'll let the picture do the talking ...

Yeah, it wasn't pretty, nor did it feel good.  But the rest of the preparation went well!

So to get rid of the 1.5 lbs of chicken in my freezer, I thawed it overnight in the fridge and cut up half for use last night and saved the rest for dinner tonight (which I didn't actually eat tonight, but I'll start eating it tomorrow.  I had leftover teri-ouchy for dinner tonight).  I used my wok for only the second time and threw in canola oil, chicken, garlic, an inch of grated ginger, a green and red pepper, half an onion, and the zest (shudder) of one orange.  Oh yeah, and the mushrooms that were on sale.  By the way, mushrooms smell like feet, and don't taste much different.  But for some reason, I like them.  I also cooked a cup of brown rice and served the chicken and peppers over it.  Right before the chicken mixture was done cooking, I added probably 1/4 cup teriyaki  sauce.  I put soy sauce on it when I plated it.

   

I'm not 100% sold on the orange zest.  It almost adds a dessert quality to the dish.  But it was still yummy!

S'mores in September

While it is still plenty warm enough to have a campfire, I don't have the luxury of any outside space to use, especially not any place to set things on fire!  Several months ago I was pondering the uses of a broiler, and I have to tell you, I've only used it to make s'mores.  I'll let my photos do the talking ...

Getting ready ... 

Perfectly golden brown!

And the big, gooey reward!

Mmm ... meatloaf ...

Now that (I think) fall is finally here, I feel that it's more appropriate to make dishes like meatloaf, mashed potatoes, stew, casseroles, and anything that feeds your body AND your soul. Sometimes I think I need someone here to monitor how much I feed my soul, because when my body says, "you're full!," sometimes I don't stop. Especially when it's meatloaf that's this good. Unfortunately, I can't credit myself for this delicious recipe, as it is Kim's Ultimate Meatloaf. I love the combination of sweet and savory in this dish.

The one problem I have with my meatloaf is how it comes out. It ain't too pretty. A lot of liquid seeps out on the sides, and I think only a small percentage is fat. The first 2 times I made it, I put it in a loaf pan, which was a big mistake. Today I made it in a 10x7 glass baking dish, which had a little more room on the sides. Same problem. Next I'll try putting it on a big half sheet pan lined with something so that I can actually cut slices out of it instead of spooning out the crumbled pieces.

I also wasn't crazy about my mashed potatoes tonight. I had a lot of lumps. I used 3 good-sized russets, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, and half a cup of warm milk. Any suggestions for next time?

I know some people don't eat leftover mashed potatoes, but 1. I do and I think they're perfectly fine as long as you heat them up long enough, and 2. You can make great potato pancakes! I'll probably make those along with some scrambled eggs for Saturday morning. Watch for it ;-).

The First

Hey y'all. So. I think that Blogger will be my format of choice. I tried Wordpress and don't really like it. Anyways, I'm really excited to start this, and to have something to look forward to after work ... well, besides being done with work.

A few weeks ago I took some photos in my kitchen. Here is how small my current kitchen is:

And a few more pictures ...

So, it is functional. The kitchen where I'm moving to in 4 weeks is about half this size. I will have half the counter space, and although my new stove will be gas (thank you Lord!), it is small as well. However, I'm still able to create tasty dishes with what I have. I made peach pancakes from scratch ...

I used a recipe that calls for making your own buttermilk - you add a small amount of vinegar to regular milk before you add it to the dry ingredients.

Butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and, of course, fresh peaches.

And the delicious finished product!

I also made what I'm calling a poor woman's panzanella salad. I made it with home-grown tomatoes from my grandparents, homemade balsamic vinaigrette, and (here's the "poor" part) regular ole' mozzarella cheese and white bread. I cut the crust off of the bread, cut it into little cubes, and toasted it with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper in a pan on the stove. You wouldn't believe how good it turned out.

The bread stayed crunchy but still absorbed the vinaigrette, the tomatoes were super flavorful, and it all worked together so well. To save dishes, I actually mixed the vinaigrette (balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper) in the bowl that I would eat out of. I don't always use recipes, especially for things like soup, gravies, and peach pancake topping. I watch Food Network enough that I know the basics!

Hope you enjoyed my first post! Happy Labor Day weekend.