*28 Dishes Later*

I've decided to undertake in a little cooking project during the entire month of February. Basically, my goal is to create a new dish every time I cook, whether it is breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, appetizer, or a tasty treat. My one main rule is that I cannot create the same dish twice. So if I make a mushroom risotto one night, then I have to somehow mix it up and add something new to the mix, maybe some chicken, maybe some basil...I don't know, the possibilities are endless! What I hope to get out of this by February 28th is 28+ new dishes that I can add to my repertoire.

Here is a list of dishes that I already have in mind to challenge me come Monday...

Chicken Alfredo Pizza
Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed Mushrooms
Three Cheese Risotto
Coconut Shrimp
Mac & Cheese
Calzone
Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Fiery Mango Salsa
Satay Sauce

I think the first dish that I want to try and make is from one of my favorite chefs, the naked chef, Jaime Oliver. I want to try his Prosciutto, Artichoke, Mozzarella Pizza with Egg

This has bomb.com/nomnomnomnom written all over it.

Please, if you have any suggestions or dishes you want me to try please leave me a note. I am open to all types of dishes and challenges. Until then, here is a little drink that I mixed up tonight just out of the blue...

Peppermint Cocoaffee

2 c favorite brewed coffee
1 c milk
1 candy cane, broken in to pieces
4 T coca powder
1 cinnamon stick
splash of vanilla extract

Introduce all ingredients in a pot and let steep for 4-5 minutes. Enjoy!

The Best Thing I Ever Ate...

If you are ever in LA then I highly recommend that you visit Henry's Hat in Hollywood. They have the best, Best, BEST ice cream sundae that I have ever tasted.

It's called their Three Scoop Banana Split.

The thing that won me over was the caramelized bananas. The sweetness of the bananas with the crunch and sweetness of the sugar was amazing by itself. Combine this with the creamy, smoothness of the neapolitan ice cream that was made locally is just heavenly. The dish also comes with two side cups of chocolate fudge and a strawberry fudge/jam. Take a bite with a little of everything and it is enough for your very own nomfest.

The first time I ever ordered it, my friends and I devoured it in record time and wanted more...so we ordered another one. Best decision of my life. It is now one of my goals to recreate the caramelized bananas.

I want it now. In my mouth. nomnomnomnnomnomnnomnomnnom...

Did You Know...

...that you could leave the avocado pit in with your guacamole mixture to prevent oxidation, or browning?



Of course, that is what some people say. I have not yet tried this, and to be honest, am somewhat hesitant of this statement. I do not see how this could be true or if an avocado really is a super food. It probably is an old wives tale, one that I will debunk soon.

*Breakfast, Risotto, & Calzones, Oh My...*

This update is purely about recipes. These recipes are dishes that I saw on Food Network (Giada and Robin Miller) and copied out of memory. Yup, strictly memory, no recipe following. Woot! But first...



I. Love. Breakfast. Byaawww!!!


Ok now on to the recipes...



Mushroom Risotto

5 cups chicken broth
handful of mushrooms (i used the cheapy pre-sliced packaged ones)
3 T butter
1/2 a shallot/or onion
3 cloves garlic
1/4 c white wine
1 cup rice
1/2 cup Asiago cheese (grated)
1/2 cup Romano cheese (grated)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
parsley
salt/pepper

Simmer mushrooms with chicken broth. Do not over boil. About 20-30 minutes

Meanwhile, melt butter and saute shallot/onion and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir around to coat. Add wine and keep stirring. With a slotted ladle scoop out mushrooms and let excess liquid out. Add to rice mixture. When wine is almost all absorbed by rice add in chicken broth one ladle amount at a time. **You need to be constantly stirring and mixing the rice mixture with the liquid or else it will burn** Keep adding broth to rice every 5 minutes until gone. When mixture is bubbly and creamy (about 30 minutes) and rice is soft add in cheese. Add salt and pepper and sprinkle parsley. Word!



Chicken Alfredo Calzone

refrigerated pizza dough
EVOO
salt/pepper
chicken breast pieces, cubed
cumin
shallot
Alfredo Sauce
Parmesan cheese
parsley
garlic
Italian seasoning


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. I used the packet mix Alfredo Sauce mixture...soooo good NOM! So follow that for Alfredo sauce. I also used the Pillsbury pizza dough. Unroll that and flatten out. Drizzle EVOO, salt and pepper over.

Heat a pan to medium-high heat and cook the chicken. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Slice a shallot and add to chicken.

When sauce is done smother over the pizza dough and sprinkle chopped up garlic around pizza. Distribute chicken and shallots around one half of the pizza. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese modestly over pizza. Fold over half of the pizza and pinch the sides close with fingers or with fork. Drizzle top with evoo to brown it and sprinkle parsley and Italian Seasoning. Cut three slits on top to let steam out and to prevent it from blowing up in the oven. Bake for 9-13 minutes, until brown.


NOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOM to all you readers out there. Enjoy!

*Strawberry Goodness*

So as most of you know I am going to Culinary School to become a chef. What you may not know is what I want to do after I graduate. My dream job would be to become a personal chef for a celebrity, or at least, for a crazy, fun, (wealthy) family. My ultimate goal would be to create a program that teaches children to cook or just teaches children that food can be fun.

The reason that I bring this up is because I am able to practice my latter dream at the place I currently work at. Being a YMCA leader I am able to create a curriculum that I enjoy doing and that interests the kids. Every Friday I run a Cooking Club where I am able to create easy and fun dishes that kids will actually eat. My one goal is expose the kids to different tastes and ingredients that they might otherwise shy away from. I urge every child to try a little before they disregard it. What usually ends up happening is that they love it.

My first club, I started with an easy recipe: Fruit Kabobs coated with Strawberry Yogurt with Toasted Coconuts sprinkled over it. Of course it was a hit because every kid loves fruit and the yogurt and coconut was like an extra treat. The real reason behind this post (and my affirmation that I am headed in the right profession) is what I created this past Friday for my kids. I call it my, "Strawberry Goodness."

Baby salad mix, strawberries, mint, red onion, and a balsamic vinaigrette. Add to that the taste palates of elementary school aged kids. I was pretty hesitant at first; but I wanted to challenge myself to create something that the kids would be surprised that they enjoyed.



So these were the ingredients. I urged everyone to try the salad with strawberries and drizzled some vinaigrette over it. The younger kids (kindergarteners and 1st graders) were pretty hesitant but tried it anyway. The older kids, especially the 4th and older were pretty open. I urged them to also try it with the mint and red onion and told them that those two ingredients really completed the dish. Of course, they could care less about that but ventured on anyway. The outcome was almost unanimous...






THEY LOVED IT!!!

Imagine hearing from kids who were "bummed" that we were having salad as our dish asking...no, begging, for seconds of everything, not just strawberries. Being the true teacher (and aspiring chef) that I am, I was ecstatic that they liked what I was "teaching" them, but even more ecstatic that they loved what I was "cooking" for them.

I boast (perhaps too much) that I am a great chef and cook these amazing dishes. However, after hearing all the excitement and rave reviews from probably the toughest, harshest, and most honest critics, I am really starting to get excited about what I can do after I graduate from AI.

So now I am sharing with you...and encouraging you all to try this recipe. I can not claim all the credit. I did get the base of this recipe off of foodnetwork.com. However, like every true artist, I added in my own tweaks and tastes to call it mine.


"Strawberry Goodness"



Your favorite salad mix (I love the Baby Spring Mix)
Fresh Strawberries
handful of Mint
handful of Walnuts (toasted if you prefer)
Mozzarella
1 oz EVOO
2-3 oz Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp Sugar
salt/pepper

To create the vinaigrette combine the evoo, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. You may need to adjust the sizes according to your tastes, ie: more EVOO, less balsamic.

Slice strawberries and add to salad mix. Cube mozzarella and add to mix. Chiffonade mint and add to mix. Add walnuts to mix. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Toss and Enjoy!

And enjoy you will!

:)


Happy Cooking!

*Hits & Misses*

For every Carrie Clarkson or Kelly Underwood...there's a William Hung...or Rueben Studdard (I'm obvi watching American Idol right now)

For every multi platinum album....there's a one-hit wonder (eeehhhhh MACARENA)

For every Sue Sylvester...there's a Will Schuester (sorry, I can't stand him)

For every Sixth Sense, there was an Unbreakable (...and The Signs, and Lady in the Water, and The Village, and The Happening)

Basically, for every good dish...





Bananas that I caramelized (cooked with butter, milk, sugar, and brown sugar) and added it to my ice cream sundae...NOMs all the way!



















There's a...not so good dish...















That's supposed to be coconut...and yes, its burnt. I wanted to extract the flavor by toasting it. I checked on it at 8 minutes and 2 minutes later it looked like this. Lesson learned.











Good dish...


Frozen fries from the freezer section that I drizzled EVOO, salt, pepper, and paprika over and melted cheese. Then poured some mushroom gravy for some extremely delicious gravy cheesy fries.

The burger on the left has shredded cheddar cheese on it and I cooked it with some of the gravy I made. The burger on the left also has shredded cheese and I was feeling adventurous and decided to slather on some homemade pesto sauce. I'll let you decide which burger was the hit and which burger was the miss. Hint: pesto sauce and shredded cheddar cheese DO NOT go good together.




Here's a good dish/bad dish that came all rolled up in one...

This is my famous mac & cheese that came out creamy, cheesy and oh so nommy. I decided to add in a little something-something and added in some portuguese sausage (homemade sausage from Hawaii) for spice. At first the sausage added in a little smokey sweetness, but as I ate more, it somehow turned a little too sweet and almost ruined the amazing mac & cheese. Let me repeat..the mac & cheese was bomb.com...the mac & cheese with sausage was just a BOMB!



Cooking is all about new adventures and new tastes. Of course you are going to stumble along the way. Vegetables will be burnt, meat will be under-seasoned, and salads will be over-tossed. If you cook the same thing every night in the exact same way, it is going to start to taste bland and boring. I am anything but bland and boring.

Here is a recipe that I envisioned on a whim...it was also on my list of dishes I wanted to create. It was a homerun if I do say so myself...

Shrimp & Chicken Pesto Pizza



chicken
salt
Olive Oil
pepper
cumin
shrimp
garlic
parsely
basil
shallots
mozzarella cheese (shredded)
pizza dough
pesto sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. I used the store bought pizza dough and baked it per those instructions. Roll out pizza dough on baking sheet and sprinkle salt and pepper over.


Pesto Sauce:
2-3 cloves roasted garlic
1/4 c pine nuts
1 - 1.5 c basil
1/4 c parmesean cheese
EVOO
salt & pepper

In a food processor or blender, grind garlic and pine nuts together. Add basil and incorporate well. Add parmesean cheese. While processor still on pour in EVOO until sauce is liquidy and the consistency that you want. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread over pizza dough.

Chop up shallots, garlic, parsley, basil and set on side.

Add olive oil into pan and add cut up shallots. Saute.

Cut up chicken into small pieces. Drizzle pan with olive oil and add chicken. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Cook shrimp for 1-2 minutes. Spread shallots, garlic, chicken, and shrimp around pizza. Sprinkle cheese around pizza. Cook in oven following pizza dough instructions, usually 8-10 minutes. Take pizza out and chiffonade basil and spread around pizza. ENJOY!


Happy Cooking!

ABC's of Cooking

Another reoccurring post subject. When I come across a new cooking or food term I will post it here to share my knowledge with y'all. Happy Learning!

A-a la plancha=a way of grilling, meaning grilled on a metal plate. It's a way of grilling food, usually steaks, on a very hot metal pan. Most chefs do this by turning their pan upside down on the stove and cooking the food on the back flat part of the pan.

B-bias=to cut at an angle

C

D

E

F

G-garde manger=pronounced gard mah-zay; literally means one who keeps food. Preparation and presentation of usually cold foods, sometimes hot foods.

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q-quinoa=pronounced keen-wah. Type of grain native to South America, similar to couscous

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

*So It Starts...*

I start my culinary adventure tomorrow. Tomorrow I have to attend a mandatory all day orientation. I get to meet my fellow classmates who are all eager to show off their culinary expertise and impress with their language and technique. I get to meet my professors who are all qualified and accomplished chefs on their own right. I get to explore my campus where I will forced to test my culinary wits for the next 2 and a 1/2 years. And I am excited, nervous, and scared as heck. Excited because this is that new chapter that everyone wishes for...a new chance to experience something. Nervous because I kept telling myself that I would never go back to school. And scared because what if I am not as good as I think I am. All these feelings keep swirling in my head while every so often one makes it self present like something short of a throbbing headache.

I guess I just have to continue do what I'm doing and do what I know how to do...and that is to make other people happy; recently that has been with food.

This is what I had for dinner tonight...


Watching "Food Network" every night and reading through my books I learned how to cook the perfect medium rare steak. I usually spoil myself and buy some filet mignon, but this time I opted not to and to rely on my cooking techniques. Get it to room temperature, mean while heating a large skillet. Coat the steak with EVOO, crushed pepper, and salt and pan fry both sides for 4 minutes to get a nice brown coating. Finish it off in a 450 degree oven for 4-5 more minutes for a rare-medium rare perfection. Let sit for 10 minutes. ***Always let your steak sit for at least 10 minutes to allow the juices to stay with the steak. If you cut into the steak too early the juices will escape and their goes the goodness.***



This is the red wine sauce that I accompanied with my steak. Using the same skillet that has the steak drippings, fry some shallots or white onion for 2-3 minutes. Pour in 3/4 c of your favorite red wine and a 1/4 c chicken broth. Bring to boil and cook for 2 more minutes to allow the onions to flavor the sauce. Remove from heat and add 3-4 tablespoons of COLD butter, slice-by-slice to thicken up the sauce. Serve over steak and enjoy.



I love my starches, so I accompanied the dish with some roasted potatoes. Cube up some potatoes and drizzle with EVOO, pepper, and salt. I also added some chicken broth just for some extra flavor. Insert it into a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. When that is done, add it minced or crushed garlic and your favorite herbs (dill, rosemary, oregano, etc) and leave for 15 more minutes. At the end I like to add parsley.


While I guess the feelings that I am feeling are completely normal for anyone undertaking something new, if my dinner tonight showed any indication to my culinary success, then I know I have nothing to worry about.

:)

HAPPY COOKING!

Cookbooks, Cookbooks, Everywhere!

These books are the only books that I read now days. They are almost like my bible(s). A sort of guide on how to live (eat). "Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys" and "Good Eats" are my favorite cookbooks so far. They are so many recipes and ideas that I use from them. "Good Eats" also taught me how to properly cook a steak and how to tell how cooked it is by touch...make a loose fist and the skin between your pointer finger and thumb should feel soft, similar to a rare steak...which is how I love my steak.



I would like to accumulate more baking and dessert cookbooks. Perhaps Martha Stewart's Cookies and Cupcakes cookbooks. I really want to buy a baking kit, complete with tips and pastry bags and instructions on how to make those pretty frostings on cupcakes and cakes.



I also decided to tackle one of my creative cuisine dishes. This is my first attempt at making a "Stuffed Pancake," only it is more of a pancake sandwich. I used the ready made bisquik mix and added water, cinnamon, and vanilla. I added chocolate chips to the pancake and spread peanut butter as if it were mayonnaise...or mustard for you mayo haters. I sliced some bananas and lined them between both flapjacks. I generously poured some maple syrup and nom'ed away. It was bomb.com!

I also wanted to give a shot-out to my iPhone and the app that is quickly becoming one of my favorites: Hipstamatic. All the food pics that you see I have taken it with that app, it gives it that high quality, almost vintage look. I think I will be taking all pics of food with that app.

HAPPY COOKING!!!

*Creative Cuisine, Vol. I*

This is going to be a topic that will be recurring throughout this blog. This will be an ongoing list of dishes that I develop and tastes delicious in creativity. Similar to how artists are inspired by friends, their surroundings, their past...life, essentially; I am inspired by my friends, my environment, my life to create dishes that will tease the palate with flavors and excitement. So here is the first volume of what I would love to create...

Shrimp Pesto Pizza--I love my pesto and shrimp, and further in this post you will see the pizza that I created with the help of Top Chef
Coffee and Pepper Rubbed Chicken in a sandwich or burrito/fajita--thanks to Bart for inspiring me to create a grilled burrito
Stuffed French Toast/Pancake--I really want to create the ultimate stuffed pancake, but I am not too sure if it will turn out. I do know that Stuffed French Toast is possible. I would love to create a hearty breakfast and stuff it with eggs and meat; but I do have a major sweet tooth and the combination of peanut butter, bananas, and chocolate sounds heavenly
Hot Chocolate/Chai Tea Latte--it is one of my culinary goals to create the best hot chocolate recipe (paprika and cinnamon are helping a lot)

That is my list as of now. When I perfect a dish, I will need some volunteers to be taste testers! :)

-----------------------------------------

And since I haven't posted for 3 days here are some pictures of my dinner tonight and some goodies I baked for our Big Bears NYE 0910 trip. I think they were a hit...




This is one dish that I cannot take any credit for. It came from the Top Chef recipe book, but has been one of my favorite dishes to make.



This salad was inspired by The Melting Pot (my fave restaurant) and is a play on their California Salad. Instead of using bleu cheese, I use feta cheese and add avocados and use a Lime/Walnut Raspberry Vinaigrette.



Here is one of the desserts that I baked. I call it my Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cookie.


Finally, the last dessert I made, and possibly one of my favorites that I made when I was still in elementary school. My brother would go crazy every time I made this and what ended up happening is that I would have to make two batches...one for me and one for him.

...and as I promised Rizzle Kizzle (Thing 2)...

Puppy Chow (Muddy Buddy) Recipe

1 Box Chex Cereal
1 c peanut butter
1 bag choc. chips
4 tbsp butter (1/2 stick)
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
powdered sugar

Microwave to melt peanut butter, chocolate chips and butter. Microwave by 30 second intervals to prevent burning the chocolate chips as it is very easy. Stir in cereal to be sure that is entirely coated with the peanut butter and chocolate mixture. Pour cereal mixture in double lined brown paper bag and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. You will need a lot to cover entire cereal mixture. Shake bag vigorously to coat cereal. I find it helps if you shake with music on (preferably some Mika or cool mash-up playing). Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!!!!

p.s.-whenever you see the title of my blog surrounded by asterisks, " * ", that means there is a recipe in the post. I figured that will help people sort out what postings will have recipes.