New cookbook!

I was so, SO excited to get this today in the mail! I ordered it from amazon.com for $27.10, including shipping, which is pretty darn good for a hardcover book with 990 pages of recipes, and best of all, technique. If there's one thing I'm lacking in the kitchen, it's the "science" of cooking. Here is an except from the book:

Simplest Roast Chicken

"We tried a simple, classic approach: we roasted the bird at 375 degress for one hour. The skin was golden and slightly crispy. At 160 degrees internal temperature, the juice ran clear, but the dark meat was still not properly cooked near the bone. We continued cooking until the thigh meat reach an internal temperature of about 170 degrees. At this point, the breast meat was close to 180 degrees, but it was still juicy. This was an interesting discovery. While the breast meat of chicken roasted at 450 degrees was a bit dry when the thigh registered 160 degrees, the bird roasted at 375 degrees still had juicy breast meat when the thigh registered close to 170 degrees. We also found that the commonly held indication of doneness, "until the juices run clear," is an imprecise measure."

Man, that is probably really boring to most people but exciting to me!

The only thing I don't like is there are no COLOR pictures. Of course you want to stuff as much information in a book like this, but I never quite realized how much I love color photos of food until now.

Look for many CI recipes in the upcoming weeks!

Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese

Source: Some article on msnbc I printed out in 2006

Nom nom nom. Nothing is more decadent or guilt-inducing than homemade macaroni and cheese. I love this recipe. I usually coat a couple of chicken breasts in olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake them, then chop the chicken and put it in with the mix. It makes me think I'm at least getting some protein in right before I fall into a carb coma.

Also, I used medium cheddar because it was on hand, and it is CRUCIAL to use sharp cheddar as the recipe calls for! The taste of fontina and gruyere is pretty mild, so you need the sharp cheddar to punch it up a bit.

Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese

Makes 6 servings

2 chicken breasts (optional)
2 1/2 cups of dry pasta, such as macaroni, gemelli, rotini, or cavatelli
2 1/2 cups of milk
1 slice onion
1 bay leaf
10 whole black peppercorns
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 1/2 cups)
3 oz fontina cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
3 oz Emmenthal, Gruyere, or similar Swiss-type cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup of bread crumbs

1. If using chicken breasts, coat in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes. Let breasts cool and shred. Leave the oven on at 350, and butter a 2-quart baking dish.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in the pasta and boil until it is about half cooked, about 5 minutes. Drain well, rinse with cold water, and set aside, tossing from time to time as it cools to avoid sticking.

3. Put the milk in a small saucepan with the onion slice, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Bring just to a low boil over medium heat, then remove from heat and let sit to infuse for 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until it foams up and has a very slight toasty smell (it should not brown), 1 to 2 minutes. Strain the warm milk into the pan and whisk to blend. Continue to cook the sauce, whisking often, until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and gradually whisk in the cheeses until fully melted. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper, then add the pasta and chicken ,if using, and stir to fully coat with the cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle bread crumbs evenly over. Set the dish on the oven rack and lay a piece of foil on the rack to catch any drips. Bake until the macaroni and cheese is bubbling hot and the top is nicely browned, about 40 minutes. Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

New toy: Reynolds Handi-Vac

I've been eyeing this for a few weeks and it went on sale so I finally bought it! I hate freezer burn and it seems like it ruins the meat after awhile. The Handi-Vac retails for $10 and comes with 3 1-quart bags. It's battery operated and comes with batteries in it.

There's a little hole in each bag and you put the device over the hole and press the blue button. You have to press down pretty hard and sometimes wiggle it a bit so it gets the right suction.

Due to the way that it sucks out the air, it shouldn't be used for foods with liquids--the meat below had a little sauce left and I had to stop suctioning so it would pull the liquid out of the little hole.





Overall, I would give it a B+. It seems like it takes a little work to get the hole in the bag aligned right to work with the suction device, but it's a great price if you'd like to vacuum seal your foods!

The Blue Monster!

Source: My hubband

My husband not only excels in making cereal, grilled cheese, and canned soup, but in creative drink-making. This one is very tasty! He himself named it "The Blue Monster!"

The cast of characters:

Ingredients:

1 and a half shots of vodka
1 shot of Pucker Island Blue
7Up or Sprite to taste

Mix all ingredients in a glass and enjoy!

Gary's Turkey Burritos

Source:All Recipes

A healthy twist on Mexican! This is delicious, filling, and easy to make!

Gary's Turkey Burritos

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ready in: 35 minutes
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground turkey
1/2 can of diced tomatoes with chiles (or jalapenos, however they come)
1/2 can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon chili power
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 small onion, diced
1 can of fat-free refried beans
1 can of corn, drained
1/4 to 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream (optional)
6 10-inch tortillas

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.In a large skillet over medium heat, brown ground turkey. Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, seasonings, corn and onion. Reduce heat and let simmer, about 20 minutes.

3. In a separate skillet, heat beans over medium-low heat. Spoon a portion of beans in the middle of the tortilla, then top with meat mixture.

Repeat with all tortillas, fold center and ends, and place in a baking dish, seam side down. Sprinkle tops with cheddar cheese. Bake for about 5-8 minutes, or until tortillas are warmed and cheese is melted. Top with sour cream, if desired. Enjoy!

Fresh Guacamole

Source: All Recipes

There are two things that will happen to you if you move to California: you will grow to love sushi and avocados. I had lukewarm feelings about both when I moved here, to the point of I was constantly saying at restaurants, "WHY DO THEY PUT AVOCADO ON FREAKING EVERYTHING?" I now realize it is a brilliant campaign by the California Avacado Commission to transform everyone into avocado lovers! Damn you, all powerful commission!

In any case, I have no idea when/if avocados are in season elsewhere, but fresh guacamole dip is TO DIE FOR! This recipe is a winner. I forgot to buy roma tomatoes so I ended up using half a can of canned, which I wouldn't suggest. Fresh tomatoes make all the difference! I would add half the lime juice and then taste--I don't like too much lime juice. And if you some queso cheese, sprinkle a bit on top before serving! Yum!

Guacamole

Prep time: 10 minutes
Ready in: 10 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

3 avocados--peeled, pitted, and mashed
(Slice the top of the avocado lengthwise until you reach the pit, then twist. You'll have 2 halves. Remove the pit, and scoop out the innards.)
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper, if desired. Refrigerate one hour for best flavor.

Baked Pasta

My lovely cousin Christine, who was a lovely bridesmaid in my wedding (far left):



started her own cooking blog, Steen's Cuisine, and the timing could not be better. I asked the hubs what he wanted to eat this weekend, and he said something mostacholi-like. The Baked Pasta from BHG listed on her blog sounded delicious, and it was, as well as very simple! As we were eating, Kevin said, "You can make this again." LOL...he has also demanded credit for picking the pasta sauce, Ragu Roasted Garlic. That is his highly recommended sauce for this dish :)

I used grated Parmesan cheese, which meant that there was a lot more Parmesan than mozzarella in the dish. I thought it tasted GREAT, but when putting the final layer of cheese on the dish, I added more mozzarella.

On another note...being the cooking neophyte that I am, I am always excited to share a new tip, no matter how simple. I have a garlic chopper, and I used to just put the garlic in the chopper, papery shells on, and then pick them out. THEN I was reading a Rachel Ray cookbook and one of her tips was to lay the garlic buds on a cutting board, put the flat part of a large knife over them, and then hit them with the flat of your hand to "pop" the shells off, like so:



So it may be one of those things like "tongs" that everyone else already knew about, but I like to pretend I am spreading knowledge :)

Baked Pasta

8 ounces of dried pasta (I used mini penne, but just about anything would work)
16 ounces of Italian sausage or ground beef (I used 4 Jennie-O sweet Italian sausage links, squeezed out of their skin)
3/4 cup of chopped onion (1 medium onion)
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 26 ounce jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1 and 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese (combine the cheeses)
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper (I used 1/2 because I LOOOOOVE pepper)
Fresh chopped parsley to taste


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil water and prepare pasta. While the pasta is cooking, cook sausage, onions, and garlic in a skillet until meat is done and onions are tender. Drain the meat and pasta.

2. In a 3 quart casserole dish, combine the pasta, meat, 1 cup of the cheese mixture, and black pepper. Stir gently to combine.

3. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and parsley. Bake another 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!