Recipes of the Week

Cooking is my new hobby. I'm working on better eating habits and that means eating more whole food. This gives me an excuse to cook.

These are the recipes I tried this week:

Crispy Rosemary Chicken
Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Rosemary Chicken

4 (or however many you need)thighs
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp of rosemary
garlic powder or fresh garlic

coat the pan with olive oil or coconut oil. I use coconut oil because its solid then turns liquid. Put chicken in pan and cover with olive oil, rosemary, salt pepper, and garlic powder. Heat the oven to 350* and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bast with the juice and bake for another 15 mins.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

4 cups of muenster , Italian blend, and Cheddar cheese
1 box of elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons of butter
1 chicken bullion cube
2 tbsp wheat flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup of milk
1 tbsp of sour cream or Greek yogurt
1/4 cup of panko break crumbs
1/4 cup of additional cheese
black pepper
paprika

Cook macaroni al dente in the water/bullion cube mixture, drain and set aside. In a pan, mix the flour and butter together. Wisk until smooth. Remove from heat and add cheese, milk, cream, and sour cream. Add to noodles. Put in baking pan and cover with panko bread crumbs, cheese, pepper, and paprika mixture.

Next week, I'll post pictures of what I cook.

Cooking is sophisticated: Eating out at home

In our last post we spoke about food marketing and the deception of food companies. If you took that post to heart, here are a few restaurant style recipes you can make at home in under a half hour.

Homemade Potato chips


Ingredients:
•6 or more medium lg. potatoes
•Oil or fat for deep frying
•Salt
Preparation:
Wash and peel the potatoes. Slice very thin.
An old fashioned cabbage slicer can be used (careful of the fingers) - or use a sharp knife or food processor with a thin slicing blade.

Put the slices at once into a bowl of cold water and let stand for at least one hour. Ice water is best, but you can set the whole bowl in the refrigerator if you wish. Dry well by shaking them in a towel.

Fry in hot oil at 390 degrees F. until a light golden brown. Don't try frying too many at once, better to put one layer on the frying basket. Drain on paper towels or any kind of plain crumpled absorbent paper.

If you haven't any paper, use a worn dish towel. Salt lightly. These can be kept for some time if they are sealed into plastic bags or containers after they have cooled.



Homemade ice cream:


What you'll need:
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup milk or half & half
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons rock salt
1 pint-size plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc)
1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag
Ice cubes
How to make it:
Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.
Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.
Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!
Tips:
A 1/2 cup milk will make about 1 scoop of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more. But don't increase the proportions more that that -- a large amount might be too big for kids to pick-up because the ice itself is heavy .

Potato Skins:

Ingredients
4 large baking potatoes, baked
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
(optional) 4 green onions, sliced
Directions
1.Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-in. shell (save pulp for another use). Place potatoes skins on a greased baking sheet. Combine oil, Parmesan cheese, salt, garlic powder, paprika and pepper; brush over both sides of skins. Bake at 475 degrees F for 7 minutes; turn. Bake until crisp, about 7 minutes more. Sprinkle bacon and cheddar cheese inside skins. Bake 2 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and onions. Serve immediately.

Mozzerella Cheese Sticks

Ingredients
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 quart oil for deep frying
1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese sticks
Directions
1.In a small bowl, mix the eggs and water.
2.Mix the bread crumbs and garlic salt in a medium bowl. In a medium bowl, blend the flour and cornstarch.
3.In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
4.One at a time, coat each mozzarella stick in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then in the bread crumbs and finally into the oil. Fry until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.

Inside out Burgers


Ingredients
8 ounces ground beef
1-ounce cooked bacon, chopped
1-ounce shredded Cheddar
2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
1 hamburger bun, optional
Special tools:
1 round mold (lid to a peanut butter jar or other round container recommended)
1 sheet plastic wrap
Directions
Divide ground beef into approximately 2 equal portions. Set aside. Line round mold with plastic wrap. Pat half of the ground beef into the round mold. Layer with cheese and bacon, being careful not to go too close to the edges. Cover with other half of the ground beef. Press down edges of ground beef together to seal. Remove pattie from mold and pan fry over medium heat in 2 tablespoons of oil. Serve plain or on a bun.

I like to cook

I think I am one of the few gen yers that actually likes to cook. Most of my friends eat out at least 5 days a week or more and have never touched a stove. That last part is an exaggeration but you get what I'm saying. I love to cook. Although I am not G.Garvin in the kitchen, I want to be one of the best cooks I can be. I have an aunt that cooks our thanksgiving dinner every year and I'm so jealous at how good the food is. I've been planning to come up early for a lesson but work obligations get in the way. So digression aside, I love to cook ,i love to create, I love seeing different ingredients become one. Here are a few things I like to cook:

Shrimp and Pasta

1 cup of pasta: penne, bow tie, spiral, even spaghetti works

2 tsps of olive oil

1/2 tsp of butter

1 tsp of garlic or two shakes of garlic powder

4 or 5 cherry tomatoes cut in halves

1/3 cups of fresh mozzarella

1 cup of spinach

3/4 cup of shrimp

Directions:

Add pasta to water and boil until tender, drain and set aside. Add the butter,mozzarella, and garlic to the pasta and cover to allow cheese to melt. In a separate pan, add the shrimp to the olive oil and cook until done, add the cherry tomatoes and spinach and cook until done. Add the shrimp mixture to the pasta and stir until well mixed.

Spinach salad

editor's note: you'll realize that tomatoes, spinach, and fresh mozzarella make up a few of my favorite dishes because they're so versitile and I already have them.

1 cup of spinach

3 or 4 halved tomatoes

1/4 cup of fresh mozzarella

1 tbs of vinegrette dressing of your choice

add the ingrediants to a bowl and mix well

Personal Pizza

1 wheat flat bread or pita

1/4 tbs of olive oil

1 tbs of alfredo sauce

1/2 cup cut cooked chicken breasts

3/4 cup of cheddar cheese

Directions: set oven to 350* and allow to preheat. Take the bread and spread the olive oil on back to prevent sticking. Spread the alfredo sauce on the bread and add ingrediants as desired. Allow pizza to cook for 10-15 minutes or until all cheese has melted. Cut in half and enjoy with salad.

Daily Randomness: Watermelon and Fresh Mozzarella

If you know me, you know that I'm a bit random. This is another one of my random thoughts.

For work, I brought two snacks, tomato, mozzarella, and spinach salad with some vinaigrette dressing and some watermelon pieces. So, I was at my desk, being receptionisty, when I was hit with the weirdest craving: watermelon and cheese. I went to the fridge and took some cheese out of my salad and put them in my watermelon and it was great.

This is not my first soiree into watermelon and cheese territory, having had it at a meet and greet a few months ago but the cheese was too strong. Feta would not be my first pairing because of it's strong flavor. If you're looking to add watermelon and cheese to your summer cookouts, I suggest fresh mozzarella because of how it compliments the watermelon flavor. Try fresh mint or salt for an added kick.