Does making it at home mean its healthier? Or am I fooling myself?

Back to the scones! I've decided thats my default thing to bake... why? Because I can make them. It seems that other things that I bake seem to... well fail. Its not like I'm clueless, i KNOW why it happens I just continue to do the same thing over and over again. I'm not a baker. Not yet anyways. I'll just keep trying, but I'm telling you, scones... I can do scones. This time I decided to do a glaze, mmm confectioners sugar. So I proceeded on my merry way to make raspberry scones with lemon glaze. Delicious. Oh! I forgot to say that I used a new recipe then normal and this one had no eggs in it. I was hesitant to follow the directions, because baking without eggs seemed... wrong in some way. But I resisted the urge to not follow the directions per usual, because when I deter from the normal directions thats when my baking goes.... wrong.

Raspberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

For scones:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
• 1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones
• 1 cup fresh raspberries

For lemon glaze:

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 lemon, zest finely grated
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  

My girlfriend loves fried chicken... and man So do I. But I've been trying to move away from fried things (at least until I get back into my gym routine). So I decided we would try and bake the chicken with some delicious panko crumbs on it. Lets just say it didnt taste as good as when its friend.. but we still ate it all. What does that tell you?

Baked Panko Chicken

Finally I've documented a burger creation that I've been making for awhile and it always is a winner in my book. I love hamburgers, cheeseburgers, bacon cheeseburgers all of the above so I decided to make delightful twist on a cheese burger.

Gorganzola Cheeseburger with Caramelized Onions

I forgot how long it takes to caramelize onions. But it was totally worth it.

So I decided to make some brownies from scratch something I've never done before, and since my best friend Deirdre who is a baker didnt answer her phone... I had to find a recipe on my own and of course they turned out dry and gross. Thanks for not picking up the phone Deirdre, the cost was the lives of innocent brownies. ANYWAYS, to try and save the brownies I decided to make a caramel sauce from scratch... but since the brownies were such a fail I was only left with caramel sauce so.... I made caramel apples.

Homemade Caramel Sauce on Apples

Homework? Who has time for that.

Comfort Food Has a Life of its Own

So graduation rolled around and as predicted... I'm still in school. Summer school to be exact, which is not the most fun way to learn, but each of us has to do what we have to. My girlfriend recently returned from Italy which has encouraged me to get back on my blogging high horse and start cooking more frequently again. What better to cook then comfort food? Oh yeaaaa

So I tried my hand at lasagna for the first time, seemed easy when I read the recipe but I didn't realize what I had in store for myself. I had to half cook the noodles and then dip them in ice water to stop the cooking? Well... as you all know I've got fairly good coordination but zero focus so... It went a little hay wire, burned some of my fingers but I got the job done. I decided to use a cream sauce instead of a heavy bolognese and I used turkey meat instead of beef.

Turkey Lasagna

The process..

Ready to bake!

Crispy!

Dig in!

The recipe I used is from the book that I forgot I had bought "Live, Love, Eat" by Wolfgang Puck, I altered his recipe only slightly.

Recipe:
6 Cups Hearty Beef Bolognese
2 Cups ricotta cheese
3/2 Cups fresh grated Parmesan
1/4 Cup Marscapone cheese
1 large egg beaten
1lb dried lasagne noodles
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I used 2 cups)
Chopped fresh Italian parsley
Fresh ground pepper

I went back up to my grandma's the other day and went back into the shop that sold all those amazing cook books, ya know the one where I was going to buy the salad dressing book but opted for the home cooking? Well I bought a new one! Yes thats right... more cook books. This one is called "Sunday Soup" a number of soups, sorted by season with easy and delicious recipes to maintain my apparent need for soup in my life. I decided to try out a recipe called "Spring New Potato and Garlic Soup". It sounded promising for sure, so I began my journey down potato soup lane. Easy and successful. Not gonna lie though, make sure your ready for dairy, dairy and more dairy.

Spring New Potato and Garlic Soup

Creamy...

Recipe:
12 oz new red-skin potatoes (I used yellow)
2 tsp salt
2 Cups half and half (I'd advise for you just to use 2% milk)
One 5 oz package 5 oz Boursin cheese with garlic and herbs
Ground which pepper to taste
4 tsp Parsley
4 tsp fresh chopped chives

First cup up the potatoes and boil them until soft. Then add the rest of the ingredients and keep burner on low, make sure the soup doesn't boil. Make sure all the cheese is melted and add the potatoes and warm through. Then eat!

Alright so lets see a show of hands, who loves meatloaf??
Thats what I thought everyone... and if you dont, have you even tried it? Or does your mom make really bad meat loaf? Well my pseudo Greek mom made amazing meatloaf and I recently asked her for the recipe.

Oh Meatloaf..


Mix mix mix! Its the most fun with your hands..

Forming the loaf is an art form.

Load that baby up with ketchup

Eat with delicious green beans.

It was really hard for us to stop eating it... Its all gone now. It left quick.

So recently it was a friends birthday and we went to Napa and went wine tasting and by the time lunch rolled around we were all... drunk. Well at least I was, and we ate this delicious curry chicken that my friend Lianna made. I couldnt stop eating this delicious little concoction so I asked her for the recipe. It was a Giada recipe. Knew there were no faults. Now I dont really like cabbage too much, not that I've had very much of it... I made the chicken salad the night before and ate it the next day for lunch, another thing we couldnt put down.

Chicken Curry Salad with Cabbage

Recipe:
8 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, about 8 slices (I didnt use this)
1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
3 1/2 to 4 cups diced/shredded roasted chicken
1 1/2 cups shredded radicchio (or red cabbage)
4 ciabatta rolls

I could eat it all day...

We're Back in Business Baby

Ok, ok, ok, I know this has been a fail lately, and I'll admit it's 100% my fault. I swear I've been cooking but not up to par at all. Nor have I been posting. The madness! Will you ever forgive me guys?

How can you guys not forgive that sad face?!
Look at it!
LOOK AT IT!
Full of shame and despair from the loss of cooking.







Lets get back on track...

Ice cream?

Holy ice cream maker! I'm really enjoying my ice cream machine, not only is it easy but it makes delicious things for me to eat. Recently my mom gave me some lemons... like 15 lemons and so i decided to make some lemon sorbet, I juiced and juiced and zested and mixed this sorbet and hoped for the best. I threw it in the machine and it swirled and churned. It created a delicious lemon sorbet.... that was EXTREMELY overpowering. I think I over indulged in the zesting or something because boy... It was hard to eat. So it was what we like to call "a good intentioned fail". This has not discouraged me though, I will continue to create ice cream and my roommate wants me to make some frozen yogurt soon, fro-yo for short and it will be grand.
Maybe you guys can do better on the recipe?

Lemon Sorbet

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Remember to zest lightly ladies and gents.

Lets move onto something quick an easy shall we?

We have a large amount of chicken that our household likes to eat and at times it can become a bit... boring. God how could you say that about chicken?! I know. Its terrible. But its true and sadly to say I've been running out of options for new and improved delicious chicken treats. But we also ALWAYS have tortillas at the house. So? Chicken tacos, you guessed it. They look delicious, like I've marinated the chicken for days in tomatoes sauce and all that goodness. Its a ploy. Ha ha! All i did was cook the chicken in salsa (any will suffice) and it turned out full of flavor. Throw some normal taco ingredients in there as well, cheese, sour cream, ect. and you've got a full blow meal.

Chicken Taco's

They're so good. I want one right now.

So I was at my grandmothers house awhile back and we decided to go shopping for my mother and her twin sisters birthday, we walked through a number of shops and of course one HAD to be full of plates and nic nacs and throughout the store it was littered with miscellaneous cook books and everyone that I picked up I couldnt help but want. Finally I decided on a salad dressing cook book because who make salad dressing cookbooks with pictures?! I needed it. I clutched it tightly as we finished up walking through the store and then I saw it. I cookbook with a large picture of baked Mac and Cheese as the cover, it was a cook book... of HOME COOKING. Ok... so I tossed the salad dressing book, I mean was I really going to buy champagne vinaigrette? Who am i kidding?

I meticulously looked through the cookbook when i returned home because whichever cardiovascular threatening dish I was about to embark on needed to be the correct one for my first. And I chose well.

Baked Conchiglione with Spinach-Ricotta Filling

(Before they baked)

(After they baked)

Before they met certain death in my mouth.

Also I'd like to note that whenever i say "Ricotta" I think about Giada and how she says it and it feel somewhat legitimate.

Recipe taken from "From Our Home to Yours:
1/2 Pound Spinach leaves
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 pound Mozzarella (I used a whole pound cuz were really into cheese)
1 egg lightly beaten
1 tablespoon finely minced basil (Omitted)
Salt and Pepper to taste
20 Conchiglione (Jumbo Shells)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup Pecorino romano cheese

Alright people. Get to it.

So everyone knows how much I like to bake muffins right?
Come on, you haven't noticed a pattern by now?

Well I like to do this thing, usually around 8 pm on a week night where I look in our cabinets and take all the delicious ingredients we have and put them into muffin form. Now the problem with this method is that sometimes I create splendid muffins and sometimes I create muffins that taste like powerbars. The other problem is that I have NO IDEA what i put in them to make them so delicious or not.

Well I made these blueberry muffins and I didnt put much sugar in them because I wanted them to be less sweet and more approachable for breakfast. I remember putting oats and blueberrys and other muffin like ingredients but who really knows what was in those babys. All I know is that i sprinkled sugar on top, baked them and they were gone in a day and a half. To this day people still ask me to let them know when I make those muffins again so I can either save them one or invite them over. What was in those muffins?! WHAT?!
Love obviously and some well rounded cynicism.

Blueberry Muffins with Sugar Tops

These look professional for sure.

I have this memory growing up, a positive one, of me and my father going to Jack in the Box after school all the time and getting chicken teriyaki bowls. We would then proceed to the park in Rockridge under the freeway and sit on the ground in the sunny spots that we could find and eat them together. Boy do I miss him and those bowls. Well I figured out how to make them myself! Fooled you Jack in the Box! They are fairly simple and if you know how to make rice and cook vegi's your set. I just steam the broccoli and carrots, saute the onions and of course some minced garlic in a store bought terriyaki sauce and add some chicken. Throw it on some rice, mix it on up and you got yourself a homemade meal ready to calm your comfort food craving.

Chicken Teriyaki Bowls

I have not have a good piece of red meat in awhile, so when I returned from Italy (Yes I went to Italy, we can get into that food in another post), I wanted to cook myself something fantastic. So once again me a Fillet Mignon had a showdown. Last time I just cooked it on my stove top slightly, having done no research. But this time I was ready for battle, I did my research and figured I would pan sear it and then bake that baby. And thats what I did.
Now the sides were a little harder, I wanted green beans (I know I always make them but I like them) and but i really wanted some pearl onions as well. Now my good friends always bake a chicken with pearl onions and it turns out marvelous and I wanted that kinda taste in my mouth. A succulent pearl onion that popped in my mouth. What's best when you dont know what to cook it with? In the words of Paula Dean, Add some butter!
So I sauted my pearl onions in butter for awhile and then added in the beans, lets just say the fillet mignon was not the only thing my friends were jealous of as they watched me eat.

Pean Seared Fillet Mignon with Brown Butter Green Beans and Pearl Onions


Not too glamorous on our plastic plates but it was damn delicious.

Thats all I got for now, I need to go cook me some lunch, my brain cells are depleting and I need to give ya'll something to look forward to eh?
I know it's been a lengthy time since my last entry but I'm back dont you worry, Momma's gonna make you some more meals.

Gourmet pancakes, Thai Curry and Catfish.

It's sure been a couple weeks, I know, and Im sorry! The end of the semester occurred and finally I had no time to cook, and no time to blog. I did get some cooking in though, before the finals hurricane hit me.

I've been looking at some delicious pancake recipes involving Ricotta cheese and blueberries. Mmmm just what I wanted for breakfast. So i prepared the night before for some tasty day starters. I started making the pancakes and the heat was on a little too high, they were delicate to say the least. So I changed to a lower burner and they came out a lot better! The batter made was really thick and strange, but i had faith it would turn out well. And boy was I right. If your looking for a great way to start the morning, eat these.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry's

This Recipe takes a bit more time then normal pancakes:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 large egg

2 large egg whites

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon

Later on I was cooking some chicken and rice, a typical meal here in the house and I wanted to spice it up a bit. I looked through our stuffed spice cabinet and found some Thai curry powder I bought awhile back and never did anything with. Now was my chance! I sprinkled some on my chicken along with some garlic powder and started cooking away. Now I have been looking at how to make flavored rice recently, and I figured it was the right time with this Thai curry. I throw some chicken brother, garlic powder, water and thai curry powder and let it cook. It turned out really delicious. Both the chicken and the rice had different flavors but they were great together.

Thai Curry Powder Chicken and Rice

So I bought some catfish the other day because I had this fleeting childhood memory of eating catfish and enjoying a lot. So I pan friend some catfish with a flour and corn meal breading, and paired it with some pan seared spinach with some garlic. It looked great, I plated it nicely and finally I bit into it. The first bite.... It didnt really tasted like the kind of fish I would like, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt and took a couple more bites. Nope. No way. It tasted like it sad on the bottom of the sea floor, oh... well Maybe thats because catfish live on the bottom of the ocean?
Anyways. It was gross for me. I opted to just eat the Spinach instead.

Pan Friend Catfish with Garlic Spinach

Last time i'll make Catfish for myself.

My girlfriend needed something for a potluck she was going to and wanted me to help her make something delicious for her. So we decided to make Cheesecake in cup cake form. Thank you grandma for showing me how to make this before! We made an oreo cookie crust and they came out great!

Little Cheese Cakes

They were delicious!

I'll post more when I'm less burnt out!

Flower Bowls and much more.

I wish there was more time in the day to blog and less time to do homework. I did a lot of cooking this week, no specific Halloween themed though, but a lot non the less. Yesterday I went to the Salvation Army to see if they had any cool plates for a couple dollars that I could purchase to maybe spice up how my pictures look. I found these pretty little flower bowls, you can see on the right, that are perfect cup of soup, or rice. To say the least I was very excited when I found them, I think they were even brand new (but of course we'll never know). I really wanted to get some nice plates as well, but I couldnt really find any that struck my fancy, there were some more bowls, but I didnt even need to buy the flowers ones. Anyways, hopefully you will see more pictures with these delightful little things (on a different colored surface then the counter). I will continue my thrift store, interesting plating mission, dont worry.

So I have really been wanting something spicy, and I keep buying these green beans that I leave in the fridge for too long, and then they are gross. So I knew I needed to include my recently purchased beans in my meal. I wanted to do some sort of szechuan or Asian style green bean, but alas I'm always missing some fish juice or clam juice or something that I never feel the energy to go out and get. So I used what I had around the house, some garlic chili sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar to create some sort of sauce for the beans and chicken I was going to cook. Turns out I made it way too spicy, to the point where in the end I couldnt feel my mouth. It was damn worth it though.

Spicy Chili Green Beans and Chicken

After I had burned my mouth off for the night I was really craving some chips, just to munch on. Now I dont buy chips, because it is really easy for me to eat way too many in one sitting, so easy prevention, I dont buy them. But I really wanted them! So my mind flashed back to this one time in highschool, I was at a party with some vegitarian hipster kids and in a drunken stupor they decided to cut up potatoes and fry them, and we ate them as chips. Long shot? No way, it was totally going to work. So without warning I started to peal a potatoe, and cut it up as thin as possible, while heating up some oil for frying. I made a bunch of them to share and mixed up some sour cream and onion dip.

Homemade Potato Chips with Seasalt

Lets just say once the chips were polished off my other roomate started cutting up more potato and reheating the oil for a second round.

The erractic weather in San Francisco had decided to be cold the next day and I really wanted something that would heat me up. Browsing recipes I came accross a Chili recipe that sounded easy. I decided to make it spicier then the recipe had called for, and instead of using ground beef, I decided to take the healthier route and use ground turkey. Which worked out well, since our guest who was staying with us doesnt eat red meat, which i found out when he walked in mid-chili making and explained he was glad he could eat it.

Spicy Turkey Chili


The cooking process

As you can see there was no seafood included in this week, so I really wanted to make some catfish, but alas my girlfriend wanted to eat shrimp, so I opted out of the catfish for the night... but it's coming! Strangely there was not a large shrimp selection at the store that night, so we bought some butterfly shrimp, a pound to be exact and made a couple differnt things. I fried some up with Panko crumbs, make some into gyoza with spinach and my girlfriend cooked the rest up with some garlic. It was quite an adventure.

Shrimp and Spinach Gyoza


fry, fry, fry....


Garlic Shrimp and Spinach (Cooked by Maia)


Panko Shrimp

It was like binging in a seafood marathon.

Days passed and I returned to school once again, but not without the craving of a dearest soup calling my name. Finally when I didnt have any work to do (or was putting it off, either way) I had some free time. I decided to had a second go at the South African Mealie, feeling more confident then the first time. I did the same rountine and it came out just as delicious as last time, success! (I froze it so that I will be able to have it anytime I want).

South African Crab Mealie 2

Finally I've been trying to complete this very simple cinnamon twist recipe. Now I grew up next to a bakery that had the BEST cinnamon twists there ever were. Now I've recently revisted that bakery to make sure I was correct... and I still am. So good. Anyways, I found an easy recipe that used Pilsberry bread sticks, egg and cinnamon sugar. Unfortionitly our mega-safeway didnt have any breadsticks so i opted for cresant rolls or something? Whatever. Anyways, they turned out delicious, but still Im going to need a lot of work, to perfect this... maybe even some homemade dough.

Cinnamon Twists