pre-made dinner

i'm away from home, so i prepared tonight's dinner and tomorrow's dinner ahead of time. tonight, i prepared all of the ingredients for a salad for my parents.

• romaine lettuce and spinach leaves
• avocado slices
• diced yellow pepper
• steamed asparagus
• sliced strawberries
• slivered almonds

parents said it was good. :) see you tomorrow for a more involved (but still simple) meal

first homemade dessert

for dessert with the salmon, i made homemade brownies with raspberry coulis!

brownie recipe here: http://itsybitsyfoodies.com/heart-brownies-a-la-mode/

i adapted that site's raspberry coulis a little...

• heat 1/4 cup water, 1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries, and about 2 tbs sugar in a small sauce pan at high heat.
• heat and stir until boiling, then reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally.
• after reduced, strain to remove the seeds and add a couple squeezes of lemon juice.

as you can see, i served the brownies with vanilla ice cream while they were still warm from the oven. heart shapes are optional. :) this was amazing. great homemade brownie recipe--very rich and gooey outcome. good with the slightly sour coulis. mmmmmmmmmm

cream-cheese-stuffed salmon

another pescatarian day. and, omigoodness, was it worth it... i made a Philadelphia Roll-inspired salmon entree.

• Make marinade with 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1/4 water, 1/4 soy sauce, 1 cup pineapple juice, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 2 tbls honey, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Marinade 2-4 salmon fillets for at least 30 minutes--the longer the better.
• Make sauce: Combine about 1/4 cup cream cheese, 1/4 milk, and 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce in small sauce pan. Stir at medium high heat until cream cheese melts, then let sit at warm until meal time.
• Take salmon out of marinade, cut slits in one side of salmon to make a pocket. Put about 1 tbs cream cheese in each of the salmon fillets. Place fillets on an olive-oil greased baking sheet, pour some of the marinade on top of each fillet, and then sprinkle additional sesame seeds over the fillet. Cover sheet with tin foil, and bake in oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes (or until fully cooked).
• Serve salmon with cream cheese/teriyaki sauce, rice, and green beans (or another green vegetable).
• inspiration: http://theboogieblog.net/2011/02/27/stuffed-salmon-w-sriracha-cream-sauce/

So so good. The sauce was really tasty, and we all ended up using it on the rice and green beans as well. I cooked the green beans very simply, combining with olive oil and garlic in a skillet at medium heat, covering occasionally. Really delicious. Definitely recommended.

roasted pear salad. mmmmmm

http://www.chefwanabe.com/2010/07/roasted-pear-salad/

mine didn't end up quite as pretty as hers, but it was still delicious.

last recipe. :(

So, tomorrow I go back to school. Tonight, I'm going out for dinner with the family and the boy. So, I thought I'd make a fancy lunch for my last day home and last day cooking. I made walnut pâté sandwiches with pear, red pepper, and arugula. Recipe:

• Roasted red peppers: to roast your own peppers (like I did today!), see recipe here: http://cookincanuck.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-to-roast-bell-pepper.html. At end, soak pepper strips in olive oil with some salt and garlic for extra flavor.
• Walnut pâté : Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread 1 cup chopped walnuts on baking sheet, and toast in oven until brown, about 7-10 minutes, shaking occasionally. Transfer walnuts to a food processor. Add 1 can cannellini beans, 2 tbs lemon juice, 2 tbs olive oil, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/4 cup water. Puree until smooth.
• To make Sandwiches: Peel and cut 2 large Anjou pears into thin slices. Spread slices of multi-grain bread with pâté. Layer roasted red bell pepper, pear slices, and arugula as desired. Top with another slice of multi-grain bread with pâté spread.
• original
  

Good good. Recipe makes a ton of pâté, so be prepared to make a ton of sandwiches, or to keep some on hand. If you're only making 2-4 sandwiches, you might want to cut everything in pâté in half, and you might only need to peel and slice one pear. Meal was good. Might make again for fun one day, or for a lunch party. But it wasn't incredible. Overall, solid recipe with which to temporarily end my blog.


Thanks for reading! I'll see you in March. :)

penultimate recipe

Tonight was my last cooked dinner before I head back to school. Made some vegetable/egg napoleons with feta and red pepper sauce. Oh em gee, good. Recipe:

Here (This is the original. I didn't change anything, so I'll just give you the link.)


My dad (really really really) loved it. My mom loved it. I loved it. Winner!!! Kinda difficult to make; at least there are a lot of dishes to clean by the end of it.... So so good, and will definitely be making it again when I'm home next. Mmm...

palmiers!

I decided that, as I'm leaving for school again soon, I should try to make a dessert before I take my cooking hiatus. I decided to try a super easy recipe to start out with: palmiers (cinnamon cookies). Recipe:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon in bowl. Sprinkle work surface with some of the sugar mixture.
• Open up 1 thawed frozen puff pastry sheet, roll with rolling pin to close cracks. Spread 2 tbs sugar mixture over sheet, roll over to press sugar into dough.
  
• Flip sheet over, spread 2 tbs sugar mixture, roll.
• Fold ends to first fold line, fold again so 2 folds meet at middle, fold once more to form log.
• Cut log into inches about 1/4 inch thick. Dip cut edges into sugar mixture, place that side down onto baking sheet. Place cookies at least 2 inches from edge of baking sheet, 1-2 inches from other cookies. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture onto tops of cookies as desired.
• Bake in oven for 8-11 minutes, cool on wire rack, serve!

So. Lay puff pastry, cover with sugar, fold, cut, more sugar, bake. Easy peasy.

Nom nom nom nom...



edit: I made these again the next night and discovered that I folded the dough incorrectly the first time. Instead of W's, they should look like hearts. I actually liked them more the first way I folded them. Whatever.

dee-lish dinner

Tortellini with spinach, tomatos, pine nuts, and white beans. Recipe:

• Cook 15 oz package of tortellini according to directions. Drain, toss with 1 tbs garlic-flavored olive oil to keep from sticking, set aside.
• Heat 1 tbs garlic-infused oil and 1 tbs regular olive oil in pot over medium heat. Add 3 minced shallots, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper. Cook until shallot is browning.
• Add 1 cup vegetable broth, simmer for a few minutes. Add 2 tbs thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes, simmer a minute more. Add baby spinach leaves (as much as desired, I used about three big handfuls). Cook until leaves are wilted but still green. Stir in 1 15-oz cannellini beans, heat for minute.
• Slowly add pasta to pot, mixing together. Mix in 1.4 cup toasted pine nuts and grated parmesean as desire.
  
• Serve with bread and additional parmesean at table.
• original
  

Probably one of the most involved recipes I've made so far, but not difficult. It was very very good, and I will definitely make again. The original recipe I found called for more shallots, more garlic, more beans, and watercress instead of spinach. I like my changes--the dish was certainly flavorful enough, the tortellini stayed the focus with only one can of beans, and the spinach was very tasty and nutritious. You could taste tons of different flavors, and there was a variety of textures too. Great meal.

Next, dessert....

brunch with mike!

pumpkin pumpkin pumpkin pancakes pancakes pancakes. recipe:

• Whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, and 1/4 tsp salt in bowl.
• Beat 3 eggs and 1/3 cup honey in separate bowl. Whisk in 1 1/2 cup milk, 1 cup pumpkin purée, and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
  
• Stir egg mixture into flour mixture.
• Coat nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray, and heat over medium-high heat. Ladle 2/3 cup batter onto skillet for each pancake. Cook for few minutes, flip, and cook until pancakes are browned on both sides.
  
• Serve warm with Honey-Raspberry Syrup.

raspberry syrup (or, berry mush, as mike calls it):

• Place 3 cups frozen raspberries and 1/2 cup water in saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 5 minutes, or until berries are soft. Mash in pan until smooth.
  
• Strain berry mixture through sieve into separate saucepan. Stir in 1/2 cup of honey, and return mixture to a boil. Remove from heat, add some of berry mixture back into sauce.
  

Mike and I ate them with whipped cream too, which I liked more than the berry-honey sauce. Good for a brunch. Although, very heavy. Recipe could def serve 3-5 people.

original

other meal

Also on vacation, I made a pasta dish with asparagus, mint, and feta.

It was bad. Sad day.

Here's the original recipe (I'm not even going to bother).

And here's a photo.

indiannnnnnn

On vacation, made this meal with Mike. It was awesome.

Paneer Matter recipe:

• Purée 1 large onion and 1 clove garlic in food processor.
• Cook 10 oz package of frozen peas according to package and set aside.
  
• Heat 1 1/2 tbs of veg oil in skillet at medium heat. Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, and 1 bay leaf. Heat for 1-2 minutes.
• Add onion and garlic mix and saute for 5-7 minutes, or until browned.
• Add 15 oz tomato sauce, 2 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp paprika. Simmer 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens. Add up to 1/2 cup water to thin, and simmer a few minutes more.
  
• Stir in peas, 3 tbs sour cream. and 1/2 tsp sugar. Cook for a few minutes more.
• Add cubes paneer cheese and cook just long enough to warm.
• Serve with naan and/or basmati rice.
• original
  

So good. Yummmmmmm. Important points. 1) If paneer is unavailable, cubed mozzarella works. It melts very easily, though, so you don't need to cook it long at all. 2) Something I noticed with my second try of this recipe... simmer the tomato/spice mixture for quite awhile. The longer you simmer, the better the spices taste in the final product.

Happy New Year!

Last night, we all went out to a dinner/gala event for New Year's Eve. Dinner wasn't served until 9, so I made an appetizer for everyone last night before we left home. Tomato and goat cheese galette!

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Cut 2 medium tomatoes int thin slices.
  
• In skillet, heat olive oil at medium heat. Saute 1 medium sweet onion for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat.
• Lay 1 sheet frozen puff pastry sheet on baking sheet. Distribute onion and oil evenly on top, leaving 1-inch border all around.
  
• Lay goat cheese on top of onion, sprinkle with 1 tsp fresh thyme.
• Lay tomato slices on top of cheese, overlapping slightly and covering all of cheese. Place about 6 whole, fresh basil leaves on top of tomato.
  
• Fold pastry up and over edges of tomato, crimping dough every inch or two, shaping pastry into cirlce.
• Bake until crust is golden, about 18 minutes. Cool, cut, serve.
• original
  

Good stuff. The favorite thing I've made of a few fam members. Will make again, for a party or something.