My Journey from Carry-Out to Cooking

Decadence

2009-09-15T10:26:00.002-05:00

Mondays are not fun. So I decided to make a decadent dinner to cap it off. Stopped at McGonigle's on my way home & picked up a ribeye. I'm very lucky to have such a great butcher counter within a mile of my house. I saw this post last week over at The Pioneer Woman Cooks & knew that I'd have to try that sauce sometime. Um, yum. On the side I made the individual potato gratins that Melissa D'Arabian made on the Next Food Network Star. I also cut up a beefsteak tomato from my garden. I'm not looking forward to the end of homegrown tomatoes. :(

Ribeye with an onion & blue cheese sauce, potato gratin & tomato. Sorry for the poor picture quality, it was taken with my phone.

From Drop Box

Mmmm....Steak

2009-08-25T10:45:00.003-05:00

I was given a bunch of Omaha Steak meat, so grilled a Top Sirloin tonight. I'm getting pretty good at manning (womanning?) the grill with the help of a meat thermometer. I make a point to poke the meat with my finger when it hits the desired doneness, so hopefully one day I can forgo the thermometer.

My amateur steps to a perfect steak:
1. Take the meat out of the fridge & allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
2. Season the meat. Last night I used my favorite rub, from the Kansas City Company.
3. Throw on a hot grill & leave it alone.
4. Flip & insert meat thermometer.
5. Remove from grill when temperature hits 125 degrees.
6. Rest at least 5 minutes before digging in.

The result? Medium-rare yumminess:

From Drop Box

On the side I made a salad using cherry tomatoes from my garden & a homemade vinaigrette of dijon mustard, balsalmic vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil & grated parmesan. Took some leftover baguette slices, drizzled with olive oil & a little sea salt & threw them on the grill to toast up. Then topped with fresh cracked black pepper & freshly grated parmesan. The twice-baked potato was part of the Omaha Steak package & was pretty tasty. Lots of cheese, which is never a bad thing!

From Drop Box

Basil Overload!

2009-07-21T10:37:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year. The basil plants in my garden are growing like crazy.

From Drop Box

I decided to make pesto on Sunday. Made 2 batches; one to use this week and another one to freeze.

For dinner last night I made a creamy pesto sauce with mushrooms & prosciutto then I roasted some chicken tenders saltimbocca style and threw them on top of the pasta. Pretty good, except I didn't salt the sauce enough due to thinking the prosciutto would add saltiness. Now I know!

From Drop Box

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

2009-04-22T11:14:00.003-05:00

It was a beautiful evening, so I decided to fire up the grill. Over my lunch break I put a dry rub of garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle powder, salt & brown sugar on a pork tenderloin. Got home from work, heated the grill to med-high & grilled about 20 minutes until the pork reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Pulled the pork off & let it sit for 10 minutes before slicing. The result? Perfectly cooked & juicy pork with a flavorful & spicy crust. Mmm...porky goodness.

From Drop Box

Look at that yummy crust:

From Drop Box

I decided to serve the pork alongside something sweet since I used so much chipotle in the dry rub. Made garlic-habanero mashed sweet potatoes. Yum. Also had some leftover grape tomatoes, so made a simple olive oil/basalmic vinegar tomato salad, which added the perfect hint of acidity to the dinner. Good stuff!

From Drop Box

First Grilled meal of the Year

2009-03-25T11:25:00.003-05:00

Spring has arrived! Actually, it arrived & then went away. It's only 44 degrees today & I had to turn the heat back on in the house yesterday. Boo! But on Sunday it was still nice out & I took the opportunity to fire up the grill for a yummy steak. I used a dry rub on a filet, roasted some asparagus (yes...again) & sauteed some mushrooms & shallots. It was all very tasty & I gobbled it up!

Tasty spring asparagus:

Mmmm.....steak:

From Drop Box

Chipotle Chicken Pasta

2009-03-09T11:11:00.002-05:00

I had some extra chicken tenders & mushrooms that needed to be used so I decided to make a chipotle chicken pasta for lunch yesterday. I made an alfredo sauce & added some of the adobo from chipotles in adobo to it. I also through in some chipotle powder. Doesn't look very appetizing, but it sure tasted good!

I crushed a large clove of garlic & put it in the pan while the oil was heating up. Removed the garlic, then added chicken, mushrooms, onion & chopped chipotles. After a few minutes I added a splash of chicken stock to the pan. At the very end I added parsley & scallions.

Mixed in the pasta & alfredo sauce, topped with grated parmesan & more parsley.

After taking a couple bites, I decided the dish needed a little acid, so I squeezed lemon juice on it. That's what it needed. Very tasty!

Adobo

2009-03-09T11:03:00.003-05:00

I've never had (or really even heard of) adobo prior to a couple weeks ago. Which is a little crazy since I lived with a Filipino for 7 years. Can't believe she never introduced me to this tasty dish! Since I've never had it before, I have no idea if what I made tasted authentic, but it sure did taste good. I adapted a recipe found on Food Network for my own tastes. Of course I felt the need to spice it up, so I added serrano chilis & chopped onion. I only used chicken thighs & I also added some brown sugar to cut through the vinegar. Served along side some Jasmati rice.

The chicken was incredibly tender and flavorful, the meat just fell off the bone. I should braise more often!

New Orleans Pasta Special

2009-03-02T16:24:00.003-06:00

Several years ago one of my favorite lunch spots closed. It was called Kiki's Bon Maison (or something like that). They made this amazing cajun pasta dish & I was lucky enough to get my hands on the recipe. It's certainly not figure-friendly, so I only make it once every couple years. I was craving it yesterday, so figured it was time to break it out again! Rough recipe for the sauce (halved): 1/2 C Olive Oil, 4 T Butter, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tsp each of paprika, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper & cayenne, 1 T lemon juice. Combine & heat over low. Serve over linguine with chicken/shrimp mushrooms, pimentos, parsley & grated parmesan. Soooo good.

Balsalmic/Garlic Chicken Thighs

2009-02-18T11:41:00.003-06:00

I had leftover mashed potatoes & more asparagus so I decided to pair them with boneless/skinless chicken thighs with a garlic & balsalmic sauce. I also poured the sauce on the roasted asparagus. It was pretty good, but I definitely need to invest in a better balsalmic vinegar if I make this again. I got the idea from a cooking blog that I read, but can't find it right now for the life of me. Basically I sauteed the chicken, removed from the pan & then threw minced garlic & vinegar in there to deglaze & reduce.

It's Schnitzel Time

2009-02-11T11:49:00.003-06:00

I had a boneless pork chop that needed to be cooked & came across this recipe at the perfect time. I decided to serve it with roasted garlic & cheesy mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. First I used up the rest of a garlic bulb & threw it in the oven to roast for about 20 minutes.

I boiled the potatoes & prepped the asparagus. I love to roast asparagus, it's so easy & tastes so good. I always toss with olive oil, salt & pepper. Depending on my mood, I may also add garlic or red pepper flakes. After roasting I top with any of the following: fresh lemon juice, parmesan, balsalmic vinegar. Yum.

I pounded the pork chop, set up my breading station and made the sour cream/dill mixture for the sauce.

The final product was pretty darn tasty!

Chili Time!

2008-11-22T19:37:00.002-06:00

Chili weather has arrived & I've got plenty to eat now. Made a big batch of Habanero Hellfire Chili today. I loooove spicy food, so I thought this recipe sounded great. It had the perfect amount of heat (for me). Definitely spicy, but not to the point of being uncomfortable. It warmed me up, but didn't make me sweat. I bought some cheddar cornbread at Cosentino's Market in Brookside to enjoy alongside the chili. So good! I've already got some leftover chili in the freezer that I will enjoy later this winter. And tomorrow's lunch? Chili Dog & Fries. Yum!

First meal on the new stove

2008-11-20T11:31:00.005-06:00

I finally got rid of the horrible range that came with the house. The stovetop was electric coil & the oven baked unevenly and very slowly.

Serious fug:

Would've loved to switch over to gas, but stuck with electric. Got a ceramic-top range from Sears on Sunday during their friends & family sale and had it delivered and installed yesterday.

New range (and tile backsplash):

I decided to make risotto & use up some stuff in the fridge. First I sauteed onion, mushrooms & garlic. Then added the aborio rice & started the risotto process. Add a ladle of hot chicken stock, stir until absorbed, then repeat for about 20-25 minutes until the rice is nice & creamy. Added in some frozen peas, rotisserie chicken, freshly grated parmesan, salt and pepper.

Result? Great comfort food. Yum!

Tomato Plants

2008-07-13T14:29:00.004-05:00

The rabbits and/or squirrels ate the first few tomatoes that appeared on my plant, which made me quite sad. They've also feasted on my jalapeños. I can happily report that a few tomatoes have managed to survive the creatures at this point. The jalapeños? Not so lucky. Here are pictures of my tomatoes:

Taken in June:

Taken in July (my how they've grown):

The biggest tomato on July 13th. Sadly the critters got to this guy shortly after the picture was taken. Grrrr!

His smaller buddies:

I can't wait to enjoy these tomatoes. Yum!

Making use of Leftovers

2008-07-13T14:09:00.003-05:00

I had some leftover prosciutto-wrapped chicken, so decided to throw it in some pasta. I sauteed some garlic in olive oil, then added some prepared pesto & heavy cream. Mixed with the pasta & cut-up leftover chicken & added fresh basil & parsley from my garden, Parmesano Reggiano cheese, lemon zest & some crushed red pepper. Cut up an heirloom tomato to enjoy on the side. Good stuff.

Weekly Roundup

2008-07-11T11:52:00.004-05:00

Here's the takeout vs. cooked meal roundup for the week so far:

Monday: Grilled Chicken/Corn/Swiss Chard
Tuesday: Prosciutto-wrapped Chicken/Salad
Wednesday: Popcorn
Thursday: Chipotle (my addiction...I think I could eat this every day & not get sick of it)
Friday: Leftover Chipotle & homemade guacamole
Saturday: Frozen pizza (lunch), made Party Potatoes for Michelle's party
Sunday: Pasta with pesto cream sauce & leftover chicken (lunch). Went to Kelly's for dinner. I brought corn on the cob & chipotle-lime butter.

Takeout: 1
Cooked Meal: 3.5 (I think making fresh guac counts for something) :)
Too lazy to get takeout or cook: 2.5

It's a start!

It's a Chicken Post

2008-07-11T11:34:00.005-05:00

So I've been eating lots of chicken this week. I've had bone-in/skin-on thighs, boneless/skinless thighs and a boneless/skinless chicken breast.

First up are the bone-in/skin-on thighs. I used a recipe found on Simply Recipes for Red Chile Marinated Grilled Chicken. Everything I've made from her blog has been very tasty. On the side I cut up potatoes & onions and grilled them in foil with butter & spices and made a tomato & avacado salad. Yum.

Next was the boneless/skinless chicken breast. I totally cheated on this one. Saw tequila-lime marinated breasts at Whole Foods and they just looked too good to pass up. Threw them on the grill along with corn on the cob. Had my first foray into Swiss Chard & it was quite good. Just sauteed in olive oil, butter & white wine along with some red onion & garlic.

I decided to use stuff already in the fridge for the boneless/skinless thighs. I had some leftover prosciutto and gruyere so I put the cheese and some arugula on the chicken and wrapped the proscuitto around it & threw it in the oven. Went outside and mowed the back yard and when I came in it was done. Served it alongside arugula salad with gorgonzola & tomatoes.

Good News/Bad News

2008-07-07T16:31:00.002-05:00

You always give the bad news first, right? Bad news: I haven't written anything in this blog.

Good news: I actually have been cooking more.

My camera got lost during the move, so I've been unable to visually document the attempts at cooking I've made. I now have a new camera, so perhaps there will be posts with actual pictures at some point in the future.

I have fresh herbs growing in my garden & maybe someday I'll have peppers and tomatoes too. Of course that's only if I figure out a way to outsmart the stinkin' rabbits. Argh.

I've started keeping a spreadsheet of my pantry items and I'm keeping that on Google Docs. So now I can search for recipes while I'm at 'work' and immediately see what items I'd need to purchase at the store on my way home. Hopefully this will keep me from buying yet another bottle of white wine vinegar (I currently have three).

I bought a new chef's knife & I can't believe I've gone this long without it. It makes life 10 times easier! Purchased a sharpening steel over the weekend, so no more dull knives in my kitchen!

I went to Whole Foods yesterday & ended up buying Swiss Chard. I've never had it before, but for some reason it just jumped out at me. So tonight I'll be trying something new. Exciting!

So I'm on the right track. Now if I can just remember to document before I dig in & eat...maybe this blog will actually get off the ground!

Oops!

2008-06-02T12:44:00.002-05:00

Wow, that may have been the worst attempt at keeping up a resolution ever. I have to admit that I didn't come close to cooking twice a week. I haven't even gone to the grocery store in over a month. Perhaps it's time to try this again. Or perhaps in another 18 months I'll post again with the update that nothing happened. Yep, I suck.

It's a New Year

2007-01-16T15:18:00.000-06:00

This is the year I resolve to cook more. As it is, I only cook a couple times a month. And sometimes that 'cooking' involves making boxed rice and throwing in some store-bought rotisserie chicken. I've had enough of that. I want to become a better cook & the only way is through practice. So beginning this weekend I resolve to at least cook a couple times a week. I want to try new recipes and use fresh ingredients where possible. I will try to detail my journey from bringing home carry-out every night to actually cooking. Wish me luck!