About a week (maybe 2) ago, they announced in my block class that we would be having chicken noodle soup for class this Tuesday. Just barely the day before I was told that it was quite possible that I had a gluten intolerance. This presented me with an interesting puzzle. I was as yet uniformed as to the nature of a gluten free world, so I did a little research into gluten free soups. I came across a blog that absolutely made my day.
The blog had a site that directed you in making your own chicken stock (cool, right?) Today, my experiment with this recipe was put into action. I must say my kitchen smells absolutely amazing! For those of you interested in this recipe, you can find it here:
http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/how-to-make-homemade-chicken-stock/
May your tables stay spread and your bellies stay full!
~L~
Monday, December 3, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
A Lifestyle Change
I went back to the doctor this week. My blood work is normal, but as I told him about the changed I have had since I altered my diet, he declared that I do, indeed have a gluten intolerance. I cannot begin to tell you how happy it makes me to finally know what is wrong with me. Finally, I have a solution to my physical problems.
It has been easier than I thought it would be to cut gluten out of my diet...at least, it has been easy to do so at home. There have been a couple of incidences...The first was Saturday. My family and I went down to St George. We went to a restaurant that we knew would be friendly as far as food selection went. Well, the meal went fine. After the meal, the trouble started. Our waitress brought us fortune cookies...and without even thinking, I ate one.
It has been an interesting experience. I suddenly have to think about what I eat. I have to look at packaging in the store. I have to bring my own treat to a lot of things...I have had people feel like they need to cater to my new needs. I simply tell them that I am fine and do not want to be an inconvenience.
I think of all my experiences in the last 2 weeks, one in particular smarted the most. My sister was hosting a Pampered Chef party tonight. I received a voicemail telling me what was on the menu: sourdough pizza and brownies. I deleted the message and hung up. In telling my friends what the message was about, I burst into tears. I think this experience has brought my new diet changes into focus more than any other event.
Okay ENOUGH of the doom and gloom. As a chef, the diet change has opened up a whole new line of creativity when it comes to food. I have experimented quite a bit over the last few days, but haven't had time to record anything. After all, finals are a week away for me!
My most recent experiment involved chicken. Here is the recipe:
4 chicken thighs
2 cups chopped cabbage
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 TBSP Olive Oil
2 small limes
2 tsp basil
pepper salt
Appx 1 tsp Lemon pepper
Appx 1 tsp season salt
Pour the oil in a non stick frying pan. Sprinkle the basil, lemon pepper, season salt and three dashes of pepper onto the oil. Cut one of the lime's in half and squeeze both halves into the pan.
Cut the chicken into cubes and put into the pan. When the chicken is browned, add the peppers, onions and tomatoes. Cook until the chicken is done, and the veggies are soft. Season with salt and pepper if you wish.
My take on this experiment:
This meal was delicious! I absolutely LOVED it! The great part of this was that you can eat this mixture plain, or put it over rice. I will definitely be cooking this again in the near future.
Changes:
Above is my original recipe. When I make this again, I will probably saute the onions and peppers before adding the chicken. THEN when the chicken is browned, I will add the tomatoes and cucumbers.
Happy Eating!
PS
To any out there who are thinking of cutting gluten from your diet, I would strongly recommend reading The Paleo Solution, by Robb Wolf. It was pretty informative and has made my transition a lot easier.
It has been easier than I thought it would be to cut gluten out of my diet...at least, it has been easy to do so at home. There have been a couple of incidences...The first was Saturday. My family and I went down to St George. We went to a restaurant that we knew would be friendly as far as food selection went. Well, the meal went fine. After the meal, the trouble started. Our waitress brought us fortune cookies...and without even thinking, I ate one.
It has been an interesting experience. I suddenly have to think about what I eat. I have to look at packaging in the store. I have to bring my own treat to a lot of things...I have had people feel like they need to cater to my new needs. I simply tell them that I am fine and do not want to be an inconvenience.
I think of all my experiences in the last 2 weeks, one in particular smarted the most. My sister was hosting a Pampered Chef party tonight. I received a voicemail telling me what was on the menu: sourdough pizza and brownies. I deleted the message and hung up. In telling my friends what the message was about, I burst into tears. I think this experience has brought my new diet changes into focus more than any other event.
Okay ENOUGH of the doom and gloom. As a chef, the diet change has opened up a whole new line of creativity when it comes to food. I have experimented quite a bit over the last few days, but haven't had time to record anything. After all, finals are a week away for me!
My most recent experiment involved chicken. Here is the recipe:
4 chicken thighs
2 cups chopped cabbage
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 TBSP Olive Oil
2 small limes
2 tsp basil
pepper salt
Appx 1 tsp Lemon pepper
Appx 1 tsp season salt
Pour the oil in a non stick frying pan. Sprinkle the basil, lemon pepper, season salt and three dashes of pepper onto the oil. Cut one of the lime's in half and squeeze both halves into the pan.
Cut the chicken into cubes and put into the pan. When the chicken is browned, add the peppers, onions and tomatoes. Cook until the chicken is done, and the veggies are soft. Season with salt and pepper if you wish.
My take on this experiment:
This meal was delicious! I absolutely LOVED it! The great part of this was that you can eat this mixture plain, or put it over rice. I will definitely be cooking this again in the near future.
Changes:
Above is my original recipe. When I make this again, I will probably saute the onions and peppers before adding the chicken. THEN when the chicken is browned, I will add the tomatoes and cucumbers.
Happy Eating!
PS
To any out there who are thinking of cutting gluten from your diet, I would strongly recommend reading The Paleo Solution, by Robb Wolf. It was pretty informative and has made my transition a lot easier.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Gluten Intolerance??
I have, for about a year, suffered from strange symptoms that my regular doctor could not explain. He tested me for diabetes (type 2) thyroid, and other things that weren't what was wrong with me. This last week I took a friend's advice and went in for a consultation with her doctor. We will call him Dr. Joe.
Dr. Joe's nurse questioned me extensively on what I had been dealing with.
Symptoms like:
--needing to eat every 2 hours
--sugar and breads making me dizzy and nauseous
--waking up bloated and sick EVERY morning, occasionally throwing up
--after eating sugar, having a raw throat
--being tired all the time
--etc
Dr. Joe came in and asked a few more questions. He then said "Sounds like you have a gluten intolerance." WHOA...over a year of misery and he has it figured out in ONE visit!!! YEAH! ...Well, we don't know for sure.
The rest of the visit, he told me he wanted me to do some blood work. He also said that the test for ciliac's was usually no conclusive. The only way to really tell if this is my issue is to go off gluten for a month. Dr. Joe gave me the name of a book called The Paleo Solution. I have since read most of it and today, I started my gluten free diet.
I feel amazing. ONE day without gluten and I have way more energy and my head aches are almost nonexistent. So, I guess this blog for the next week will be focused on recipes I create using gluten free foods.
Tonight's dish:
Bone-In Pork with Potatoes and Carrots
Ingredients:
1-2 small limes
1-2 tsp basil
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp diced onions
Season salt
Lemon pepper
1 Pork steak, cut in half (pretty sure they were steaks)
2 potatoes
2 carrots
1/2 TBSP softened butter
Okay, to start with, I used my slow cooker for the potatoes and carrots. When we got home from church all we had to do is cook the meat. So we will move onto that.
In a non stick skillet, pour the olive oil. Mix it and move it so it covers the whole pan. Add the onions. They should be cut into pretty small pieces, about the size of what is in salsa. Add 1 tsp of basil to the pan, then squeeze half a lime into the bottom also. Saute the onions until they are almost clear.
In a bowl, squeeze the other half of the lime until you have a good amount of juice in the bottom. Add another tsp of basil to this. Place the pork into this and stir around so that the pieces are covered. Add a little bit of season salt and lemon pepper.
Once the onions are almost see through, put the pork into the pan. Cook thoroughly, checking the center for pinkness.
Squeeze another lime into another bowl. Add a sprinkle of basil. Let it sit to reconstitute. Add the 1/2 TBSP butter. Mix it so it is a kind of paste. This will go on your potatoes. (I have been asked to try and exclude dairy from my diet for the first month. Since I hardly ever eat or drink dairy, I felt okay with this bit of butter)
Enjoy!
I hope this recipe is enjoyable to you. I would try it, then see if you should add less of something. I for one will probably add less lime...probably the half that you soak the pork in! Thanks for reading!!
Dr. Joe's nurse questioned me extensively on what I had been dealing with.
Symptoms like:
--needing to eat every 2 hours
--sugar and breads making me dizzy and nauseous
--waking up bloated and sick EVERY morning, occasionally throwing up
--after eating sugar, having a raw throat
--being tired all the time
--etc
Dr. Joe came in and asked a few more questions. He then said "Sounds like you have a gluten intolerance." WHOA...over a year of misery and he has it figured out in ONE visit!!! YEAH! ...Well, we don't know for sure.
The rest of the visit, he told me he wanted me to do some blood work. He also said that the test for ciliac's was usually no conclusive. The only way to really tell if this is my issue is to go off gluten for a month. Dr. Joe gave me the name of a book called The Paleo Solution. I have since read most of it and today, I started my gluten free diet.
I feel amazing. ONE day without gluten and I have way more energy and my head aches are almost nonexistent. So, I guess this blog for the next week will be focused on recipes I create using gluten free foods.
Tonight's dish:
Bone-In Pork with Potatoes and Carrots
Ingredients:
1-2 small limes
1-2 tsp basil
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp diced onions
Season salt
Lemon pepper
1 Pork steak, cut in half (pretty sure they were steaks)
2 potatoes
2 carrots
1/2 TBSP softened butter
Okay, to start with, I used my slow cooker for the potatoes and carrots. When we got home from church all we had to do is cook the meat. So we will move onto that.
In a non stick skillet, pour the olive oil. Mix it and move it so it covers the whole pan. Add the onions. They should be cut into pretty small pieces, about the size of what is in salsa. Add 1 tsp of basil to the pan, then squeeze half a lime into the bottom also. Saute the onions until they are almost clear.
In a bowl, squeeze the other half of the lime until you have a good amount of juice in the bottom. Add another tsp of basil to this. Place the pork into this and stir around so that the pieces are covered. Add a little bit of season salt and lemon pepper.
Once the onions are almost see through, put the pork into the pan. Cook thoroughly, checking the center for pinkness.
Squeeze another lime into another bowl. Add a sprinkle of basil. Let it sit to reconstitute. Add the 1/2 TBSP butter. Mix it so it is a kind of paste. This will go on your potatoes. (I have been asked to try and exclude dairy from my diet for the first month. Since I hardly ever eat or drink dairy, I felt okay with this bit of butter)
Enjoy!
I hope this recipe is enjoyable to you. I would try it, then see if you should add less of something. I for one will probably add less lime...probably the half that you soak the pork in! Thanks for reading!!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Chocolate Cake Creation
Yesterday, I had a huge craving for chocolate cake without frosting. So, I grabbed a cake mix (because I wanted to make it fast) After I had poured the cake batter into the pan, I had a stroke of brilliance hit me! I got out a microwave bowl. In the bowl, I "melted" or microwaved 1/4 cup peanut butter til it was sort of runny. Then, I added 1/4 milk and stirred til it was smooth. I poured the mixture into the the cake pan and swirled it around.
After I baked it, we tried it without frosting it. It tasted very similar to peanut butter bars, only light and fluffy. Yum!
Happy eating!
LP
After I baked it, we tried it without frosting it. It tasted very similar to peanut butter bars, only light and fluffy. Yum!
Happy eating!
LP
Sunday, August 5, 2012
It's Been Awhile
It has been awhile since I could post anything. I have been really sick the last little while, and sadly, it totally killed my creativity and desire to cook. My apologies.
Yesterday was the first day in awhile that I actually did any cooking. I didn't even do it all myself either. Anyway, I discovered some time ago that broiling chicken is much tastier than cooking it on the stove in a frying pan. Last night, my husband expressed an interest in learning how I prepare the chicken to be broiled so he could do it for me.
"It's really easy," I said. He replied with "I will watch and learn." I then was struck with inspiration, and proceeded to "teach" him to cook the chicken in the voice of the Swedish Chef from the Muppets. He found that pretty funny...
Well, I am going to make more of an effort to actually post, now that I am feeling somewhat better.
Cheer!
~L~
Yesterday was the first day in awhile that I actually did any cooking. I didn't even do it all myself either. Anyway, I discovered some time ago that broiling chicken is much tastier than cooking it on the stove in a frying pan. Last night, my husband expressed an interest in learning how I prepare the chicken to be broiled so he could do it for me.
"It's really easy," I said. He replied with "I will watch and learn." I then was struck with inspiration, and proceeded to "teach" him to cook the chicken in the voice of the Swedish Chef from the Muppets. He found that pretty funny...
Well, I am going to make more of an effort to actually post, now that I am feeling somewhat better.
Cheer!
~L~
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Two Things Tried
Okay, so my fridge was kind of empty again today...So I had to invent!! I had some chicken in the fridge thawing out, and had this brilliant idea come to mind. So, here is what I did:
I put about 2 TBS of olive oil in a non stick pan, then added finely chopped onion, dried basil, and a little lemon juice. Then I cut my chicken thighs into time pieces and put them in the pan to cook. I also sprinkled a little bit of lemon pepper on the chicken.
In another pot, I made about 2 cups of chicken broth. I still had some gravy left from that other experiment (see previous post) so I added about a cup of that to it too. Then, I added some corn starch to thicken it into a sauce.
Last, I boiled some spaghetti noodles. After they were cooked and drained, I put the chicken into the sauce and that went on top of the noodles-kind of like alfredo. It was really good...I just think the sauce should have been thicker. It also would have been yummy to add some veggies to the broth.
The second thing I tried today was brownies. About a week ago, I made brownies from a recipe book I got in 8th grade-which can be a bad idea, as 8th graders can be prone to type stuff wrong. The brownies were really dry, so I made some fudge sauce too. Well, the brownies got eaten, but the sauce did not. So, the 2nd thing I tried today was a modification of that dry brownie recipe. Instead of using the cocoa called for in the recipe, I used the sauce. I also had to add milk, so the brownies weren't super dry. Also, I had about 1/4 cup of cream cheese in my fridge that I threw in. It turned out pretty good. Very interesting flavor.
When I have gone shopping again, I will recreate the chicken and noodle recipe using actual measurements. It was a really good recipe. :)
Bon Appetite!
LP
I put about 2 TBS of olive oil in a non stick pan, then added finely chopped onion, dried basil, and a little lemon juice. Then I cut my chicken thighs into time pieces and put them in the pan to cook. I also sprinkled a little bit of lemon pepper on the chicken.
In another pot, I made about 2 cups of chicken broth. I still had some gravy left from that other experiment (see previous post) so I added about a cup of that to it too. Then, I added some corn starch to thicken it into a sauce.
Last, I boiled some spaghetti noodles. After they were cooked and drained, I put the chicken into the sauce and that went on top of the noodles-kind of like alfredo. It was really good...I just think the sauce should have been thicker. It also would have been yummy to add some veggies to the broth.
The second thing I tried today was brownies. About a week ago, I made brownies from a recipe book I got in 8th grade-which can be a bad idea, as 8th graders can be prone to type stuff wrong. The brownies were really dry, so I made some fudge sauce too. Well, the brownies got eaten, but the sauce did not. So, the 2nd thing I tried today was a modification of that dry brownie recipe. Instead of using the cocoa called for in the recipe, I used the sauce. I also had to add milk, so the brownies weren't super dry. Also, I had about 1/4 cup of cream cheese in my fridge that I threw in. It turned out pretty good. Very interesting flavor.
When I have gone shopping again, I will recreate the chicken and noodle recipe using actual measurements. It was a really good recipe. :)
Bon Appetite!
LP
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Lesson Learned
Finally! My computer if fixed! Now I get to explain yesterday's cooking catastrophe. I have only made 2 dishes that I have been told flat out never to cook again. The first was goulash, which my dad grew up eating and hated...thus the dislike and request never to cook it again. The second was sweet and sour meatballs...they just turned out nasty and I was quick to agree that I shouldn't make them again any time soon. I now have another thing to add to the list. Last night, I decided to make mashed potatoes in a whole new way. I was feeling lazy and decided to use my Idahoan Potato mix-flavor being roasted garlic. The twist I wanted to try was to use half of the water required and then substitute the other half with the left over gravy/broth mix from the last experiment (see previous post). It seemed like a good idea, but the flavor of the broth mix clashed really bad with the garlic. In short, it was disgusting and the smell was so strong I thought I'd die! Lesson learned.
I do want to make one point here. Eventually, I will try to make sweet and sour meatballs again. I will also eventually try to make a goulash recipe that my dad will like. Lastly, I will eventually try the potato concept again...without using garlic flavored potatoes.
On another note, I am trying to make broiled chicken for the first time. We'll see how it turns out!
Cheers!
-LP
I do want to make one point here. Eventually, I will try to make sweet and sour meatballs again. I will also eventually try to make a goulash recipe that my dad will like. Lastly, I will eventually try the potato concept again...without using garlic flavored potatoes.
On another note, I am trying to make broiled chicken for the first time. We'll see how it turns out!
Cheers!
-LP
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Dinner Tonight :)
Tonight for dinner I tried to recreate a dish that I came up with for Sunday dinner about a week ago. there were several things wrong with the dish then so I figured I would try again. Tonight when I cooked, I measured everything out, so here is the recipe for what I think I will call Chicken-Boiled Potatoes. Caution: You may want to read through this entire post before you try this recipe.
Chicken-Boiled Potatoes
Chicken:
4 Chicken Thighs
4 C water
1TBS Candont Pesto Classic paste
1/3 C Lemon Juice
1 tsp basil
1/8 C butter
Mix water, lemon juice, and basil in a large bowl (one that has a lid to go with it). Rinse off chicken thighs and place in the water mixture. Put the lid on and refrigerate. You can let it soak for an hour to 2 days. I let mine soak for two days because I had to go shopping.
After the chicken has soaked as long as you want, you can do several things. Tonight, I pulled one of my pyrex dishes from the cupboard to cook the chicken in the oven. I cut the butter into 5 pieces and put pieces all around the pan. Then, I used the Pesto Paste, and put a little on the underside of each thigh, kind of like a rub. I put the chicken paste-side down in the pan, put the lid on it, and cooked it until it was done.
ALSO: I use my slow-cooker (crock pot) a lot. You can do this same process, and just leave it to cook on low. I have also cooked the chicken in a pan on the stove. Every method yields slightly different chicken. Slow cooker chicken is usually really tender, and not rubbery at all.
Preheat oven to 400 (Fahrenheit)
Potatoes: (This isn't just potatoes, but I couldn't come up with a short enough name for it.)
7 medium potatoes
2 quarts water
3 TBS chicken base (I used the paste stuff)
1 TBS basil
3 C baby carrots
3/4 C onions, chopped
1/8 C butter
Put the 2 quarts of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. While you wait, cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch slices and set aside, and chop the onions to your desired size (mine were in 1/4 inch pieces). After the water begins to boil, mix in the chicken paste until there are no clumps. Add 1 TBS basil to the mixture. Put the potatoes, carrots, and onion in the chicken broth and basil mixture. Cook until the potatoes and carrots are tender about half way through.
In a baking dish (mine was Pyrex again) cut up the butter into pieces. Spread the pieces along the bottom of the pan. Put the vegetables from the pot and pour them over the butter. DO NOT DUMP OUT THE BROTH MIXTURE. Pour about 3/4 cup of the broth mixture over the top of the potatoes. This will help to keep them moist in the oven. Put the lid on the baking dish and cook until the potatoes and carrots are soft all the way through. I also sprinkled a little salt and pepper over the top of the veggies.
Last, if you so desire, you can turn the broth into gravy. All you gotta do is mix cornstarch with cold (emphasis on the cold) water. Mix it with the broth, bring it to a boil, boil for a few minutes and viola! Gravy!! You can find instructions for the cornstarch mixture on the back of the cornstarch box.
Okay, now, here are a few things I learned from doing this dish.
1. Potatoes cut in 1/4 inch slices cook a LOT faster than potatoes cut in chunks. When I tried this dish the first time, I used potato chunks. I would recommend doing the chunks, personally.
2. If you are going to cook the chicken in the oven, get it started and cooking BEFORE you start the veggies boiling-especially if you do potato slices and not chunks.
3. Sugar can help make something that was too spicy a little less so. Got to be careful though, or suddenly your gravy will be too sweet instead. (this happened to me)
4. I was in a hurry tonight and used baby carrots. Last time I tried this, I used long carrots that I pealed and cut into 3 inch pieces. It tasted much better that way.
5. The chicken was soaking in the lemon water too long. I think, because the Pesto paste had a slight lemon taste, that it would have been a good idea to mix some of the paste with water and use that to soak the chicken in.
We had a few friends over tonight to be my guinea pigs. A special thanks to Chris and Clairissa for lending their services. Here is the rating scale I am going to use:
Name of guinea pig (gp)
Rating for chicken with gp comments
Rating for potatoes and carrots with gp comments'
Chris: He was funny because he didn't really care much about details in the dish
Chicken: 4 (no comment)
Potatoes: 4.5-Potatoes were too mushy, but still tasted good
Carrots: 5-Loved them!
Clairissa: Clairissa was my toughest critic tonight. :)
Chicken: 3-The outside tasted good but because of the soaking in the lemon juice, the inside tasted off.
Potatoes: 4-Too mushy
Carrots: 4-Not much flavor in them (she said they weren't fresh and young enough, which is accurate. The younger the carrot, the better it tastes)
Bryan:
Chicken: 3-for the same reasons listed above
Potatoes: 4-Too mushy
Carrots: 5-Loved them!
I calculated the average of the above scores. Turns out this meal now had an overall rating of a 4 out of 5. I can already see a lot of things that I can (and will) change about this dish. Hope you enjoyed it!
LP
Chicken-Boiled Potatoes
Chicken:
4 Chicken Thighs
4 C water
1TBS Candont Pesto Classic paste
1/3 C Lemon Juice
1 tsp basil
1/8 C butter
 |
| Before cooking |
After the chicken has soaked as long as you want, you can do several things. Tonight, I pulled one of my pyrex dishes from the cupboard to cook the chicken in the oven. I cut the butter into 5 pieces and put pieces all around the pan. Then, I used the Pesto Paste, and put a little on the underside of each thigh, kind of like a rub. I put the chicken paste-side down in the pan, put the lid on it, and cooked it until it was done.
 |
| After cooking |
Preheat oven to 400 (Fahrenheit)
Potatoes: (This isn't just potatoes, but I couldn't come up with a short enough name for it.)
7 medium potatoes
2 quarts water
3 TBS chicken base (I used the paste stuff)
1 TBS basil
3 C baby carrots
3/4 C onions, chopped
1/8 C butter
Put the 2 quarts of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. While you wait, cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch slices and set aside, and chop the onions to your desired size (mine were in 1/4 inch pieces). After the water begins to boil, mix in the chicken paste until there are no clumps. Add 1 TBS basil to the mixture. Put the potatoes, carrots, and onion in the chicken broth and basil mixture. Cook until the potatoes and carrots are tender about half way through.
 |
| Butter in the dish |
 |
| Before baking |
 |
| After baking |
1. Potatoes cut in 1/4 inch slices cook a LOT faster than potatoes cut in chunks. When I tried this dish the first time, I used potato chunks. I would recommend doing the chunks, personally.
2. If you are going to cook the chicken in the oven, get it started and cooking BEFORE you start the veggies boiling-especially if you do potato slices and not chunks.
3. Sugar can help make something that was too spicy a little less so. Got to be careful though, or suddenly your gravy will be too sweet instead. (this happened to me)
4. I was in a hurry tonight and used baby carrots. Last time I tried this, I used long carrots that I pealed and cut into 3 inch pieces. It tasted much better that way.
 |
| Dinner on the table |
 |
| How it looks on a plate. ;) |
We had a few friends over tonight to be my guinea pigs. A special thanks to Chris and Clairissa for lending their services. Here is the rating scale I am going to use:
Name of guinea pig (gp)
Rating for chicken with gp comments
Rating for potatoes and carrots with gp comments'
Chris: He was funny because he didn't really care much about details in the dish
Chicken: 4 (no comment)
Potatoes: 4.5-Potatoes were too mushy, but still tasted good
Carrots: 5-Loved them!
Clairissa: Clairissa was my toughest critic tonight. :)
Chicken: 3-The outside tasted good but because of the soaking in the lemon juice, the inside tasted off.
Potatoes: 4-Too mushy
Carrots: 4-Not much flavor in them (she said they weren't fresh and young enough, which is accurate. The younger the carrot, the better it tastes)
Bryan:
Chicken: 3-for the same reasons listed above
Potatoes: 4-Too mushy
Carrots: 5-Loved them!
I calculated the average of the above scores. Turns out this meal now had an overall rating of a 4 out of 5. I can already see a lot of things that I can (and will) change about this dish. Hope you enjoyed it!
LP
Friday, June 15, 2012
Full Fridge Again (Finally)
I went shopping today and refilled my fridge. We hadn't been to the store in several weeks, so we had a lot to buy. I went down the discount isle to see if I could find anything to cook with. I found some sage, and 2 different rubs that looked like they might be interesting.
Anyway, I haven't been able to create in a few days since we had nothing to cook with. :) I'm excited now, because I've had chicken thighs soaking in lemon water and basil for a day or two, and tomorrow I get to use it in the dish I have been concocting in my head for the past week or so. Hopefully I can take some pictures of the completed dish tomorrow too!
On another note, I watched a video on Yahoo! today that featured chefs using dandelions in food. They had dandelion oil, dandelion cookies and jelly, dandelion calzone, and a lot of other interesting dishes. It made me want to go outside and pick a bunch of the noxious weeds to cook with. Hmm...maybe someday. I love to watch all those cooking shows because it helps to feed my idea bank. Anyway, for anyone who wants to see the famous yellow "flower" actual become useful, here is the link: http://screen.yahoo.com/the-great-dandelion-cook-off-29598394.html?pb_list=809f7f41-46e5-4104-9eba-e0702551faaf
Cheers,
LP
Anyway, I haven't been able to create in a few days since we had nothing to cook with. :) I'm excited now, because I've had chicken thighs soaking in lemon water and basil for a day or two, and tomorrow I get to use it in the dish I have been concocting in my head for the past week or so. Hopefully I can take some pictures of the completed dish tomorrow too!
On another note, I watched a video on Yahoo! today that featured chefs using dandelions in food. They had dandelion oil, dandelion cookies and jelly, dandelion calzone, and a lot of other interesting dishes. It made me want to go outside and pick a bunch of the noxious weeds to cook with. Hmm...maybe someday. I love to watch all those cooking shows because it helps to feed my idea bank. Anyway, for anyone who wants to see the famous yellow "flower" actual become useful, here is the link: http://screen.yahoo.com/the-great-dandelion-cook-off-29598394.html?pb_list=809f7f41-46e5-4104-9eba-e0702551faaf
Cheers,
LP
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
How It All Started For Me
I have always enjoyed cooking. As a teenager, I cooked dinner for the family a lot; not because I had to, but because I enjoyed looking up recipes and trying them out. My family became my unofficial guinea pigs when it came to my creations. When I left home to go to college, things changed a little. Not only was I on a budget, which limited what I could cook, I had to start planning around classes and such. I ended up on the typical "college kid menu," which consisted of prepackaged foods that were easy to make.
Around the time I met my husband, I started to really cook again. I discovered that cooking is like any other talent-if you don't use it, you lose it. All those months of a college kid diet had completely slashed my creative thinking when it came to food.
It took a few months after we were married for that creative thought to reappear in my mind. When it did, I started to do something I had never done before: I started creating my own recipes. Up until now, I have never recorded these recipes anywhere but in my memory. This blog is so I have that record and can share what I make with others.
Recording the recipes may turn out to be a bigger job than I can do. You see, I don't use measurements when I cook from my own recipes. My husband says I have a "Remmy-like" ability. For those who don't understand that reference, Remmy is the Rat from Rattatouille. But I digress. When I cook, I decide what spices should be used based on smells. I discovered that if the spices smell good together when they are just in their jars, they will go well together in the food. I also have to take into consideration what it is I am cooking. For instance, I wouldn't use Seasoned Salt and Lemon Pepper in Chicken Noodle Soup. The two aforementioned spices go very well together, but they don't go very well in Chicken Soup. This I know from experience.
With that said, I will make every effort to accurately record the measurements I use, and to not just "dump and chuck." Instead of being Amelia Bedelia, (who mixes "a little of this and a little of that") I will try to be as the chef on Yahoo's Chow Ciao (I think his name is Fabio).
Cheers,
LP
Around the time I met my husband, I started to really cook again. I discovered that cooking is like any other talent-if you don't use it, you lose it. All those months of a college kid diet had completely slashed my creative thinking when it came to food.
It took a few months after we were married for that creative thought to reappear in my mind. When it did, I started to do something I had never done before: I started creating my own recipes. Up until now, I have never recorded these recipes anywhere but in my memory. This blog is so I have that record and can share what I make with others.
Recording the recipes may turn out to be a bigger job than I can do. You see, I don't use measurements when I cook from my own recipes. My husband says I have a "Remmy-like" ability. For those who don't understand that reference, Remmy is the Rat from Rattatouille. But I digress. When I cook, I decide what spices should be used based on smells. I discovered that if the spices smell good together when they are just in their jars, they will go well together in the food. I also have to take into consideration what it is I am cooking. For instance, I wouldn't use Seasoned Salt and Lemon Pepper in Chicken Noodle Soup. The two aforementioned spices go very well together, but they don't go very well in Chicken Soup. This I know from experience.
With that said, I will make every effort to accurately record the measurements I use, and to not just "dump and chuck." Instead of being Amelia Bedelia, (who mixes "a little of this and a little of that") I will try to be as the chef on Yahoo's Chow Ciao (I think his name is Fabio).
Cheers,
LP
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