Boiled Beef Dinner

This is the other dish that I made for Thanksgiving. My mom can’t have poultry, so every year we make her some kind of beef or something that she can eat, and can enjoy too. I started with a big slab of brisket. Raw of course. I boiled 2 cans of vegetable broth, and a little water. Then I put the meat in that, lowered the heat, and cooked it for 1 hour. I also put a bay leaf, and some nutmeg in too. Then I refrigerated everything over night, then cooked it in a pan the next day. It was very easy! And I was fun… just not hard at all. It didn’t even take long. The preparation I mean… the cooking took longer, but everything else was really quick! It was really yummy too!

Corn and Cheese Pudding

A few days ago, I made a REALLY yummy pudding. It’s not the usual chocolate, or vanilla pudding, but it was a sweet, corn pudding! It was really good. And easy too. Here’s how it’s done. First I started with 3 corn cobs (fresh) and cut all the corn off of it, into a bowl. Then after that they were all cut off, I mixed those with 3 eggs, milk, chicken broth, a little salt, and pepper, some nutmeg, cayenne, and Monterey Jack Cheese! YUM! Then I put that in a 9 inch round pan, then cooked it for 45 minutes. Then it came out nice and hot and delicious! I fell in LOVE with it! It’s the most amazing pudding I’ve ever had. Better than Chocolate… well… never mind. Nothing is better than chocolate, so I take that back! It was great though! So, I think it’s about time for those who don’t have this cookbook to get it. It’s amazing! So BUY it!!!! Haha.. no you don’t have to if you don’t want too, but it’s really great!

Potatoes Boulangere

Tonight I made a REALLY good potato dish! Called well look at the top, you’ll find out there!

I started by caramelizing an onion. I cut it into slices, then put that, and a bay leaf in some hot oil. While that was going on, I sliced three cloves of garlic. Then when they were nice and sliced, they went in with the onions. Then that just sat and did its thing, while I started cutting some potatoes up. I had four russet potatoes that had to be sliced into circles. (I think it’s funny that everything in this recipe is SLICED!) Then everything was read for assembling. First I got a casserole dish, that I rubbed olive oil in, then added some of the potatoes, then some of the onion mixture (of course removing the bay leaf), then potatoes, then the rest of the onions. Then I put some chicken broth in, until it almost got to the top. Then I put it into a 425 degree oven. That cooked for 45 minutes, then was ready to be eaten up! And I have to say, those were some down-right good potatoes! Interesting too. I never cooked potatoes in chicken broth. But it gave it a good flavor. Definitely a keeper! Something quick and easy… I like it!!!!

Cold Sesame Salad

A few days ago, I made a really weird, but cool recipe out of “Get in There and Cook”.  I don’t know what kind of food it was. I’m guessing sort of Chinese-ish, but you never know. I started by cooking up some spaghetti noodles. While those were cooking, I mixed together the cold sauce I would be putting on my noodles. I started by mixing up some peanut butter (weird, I know… but it gave it a really good flavor), soy sauce, hot sauce (just a little), and some salt and pepper in a blender. I got that all blended together, and then set that aside to let it get to room temperature. All I had to do at that time, was wait for my noodles to be done. When they were finished, I drained them, then put them in some cold water to chill out.  Haha! Get it? “chill” out!!!! Anyway, so when they were done, I put them in the sauce and tossed them together, and it as all finished! YAY! But I do have to admit, it wasn’t the most pretty dish you’ve seen. But it was okay. The taste I mean. I didn’t LOVE it, but it was good. I haven’t had one dish in this cookbook that I don’t like. That’s how cool this cookbook is. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. It’s super good! I hope you enjoy the post! Not a long one, but sort and sweet!!!!

Chicken and Vegetable Curry

Tonight, well, was an interesting night. I made a really interesting, and challenging dish. There were lots of ingredients. Here’s the scoop!

So I started with 1 cup of chicken broth and half a cup of water (COLD WATER!!!!) and then I poached the chicken in that, until it was mostly cooked through, but I was going to be doing more cooking later on, so it didn’t have to be perfectly cooked. So while was happening, I chopped up tons of veggies. I sliced onion, chopped carrot, and sliced some red pepper. Then I sautéed those in a little dab of oil, until they were nice and soft. While I was cooking the veggies, I cooled the chicken in the broth, so it got nice and moist (don’t you hate it when the chicken is dry? Yuck!) . After that I switched it over to a plate. Then I added 1 tablespoon of curry into the veggies, and the poaching liquid. Then cooked that longer. After some of the liquid evaporated,   I pureed some of the veggie mixture. Only so I could thicken the mixture. Then that went back in, and cooked LONGER! At some point I added garlic, but I did so much, I can’t really remember EVER single thing that I did!!! So when that was pretty much done, I put the chicken back in the pot, and cooked it. I also made rice to go with the curry, just to give it more flavor, and made it more of an entrée! It was really good though. It had a weird color, but the second I tasted a piece of the chicken, I was in heaven. It’s filling though, so I made a pretty big plate, and didn’t even eat all of it! But it was good, and really fun to make. It just took a while.

I’m so sorry I haven’t posted things regularly. I’m a stressed a busy girl, and so is my mom, so we don’t have very often to make trips to the grocery store, so that explains that.  But since I don’t have much more time to finish this project, I’ll be doing more. But I do apologize. Anyway, enjoy the post!!!!!!!

Filet Mignon

Well, well, well, I’ve deserted you.  I’m so sorry about the not having any new posts lately. It’s terrible. The way I’m so busy I mean. I even missed cooking. But I think I’m getting back to it. Anyways, so, I made like the best meat ever. The really expensive kind (that I got for cheap and Trader Joes!!), that’s super tender and juicy, and delicious.  Also very easy to make! Let me tell you how this wonderful meatiness was prepared!

I started by heating up some oil in a non-stick pan. And then as that was heating, I seasoned my meat. I used salt and pepper of course. Then I added a little bit of Jamaican Jerk rub. (Pampered Chef seasonings) And I used a little Bouquet Garni. That’s a special seasoning that is used for maybe a pork roast, or different kinds of meat. So those two tasted REALLY good together. I know, weird, but I like to experiment. If you put a little bit of the nice, elegant, normal stuff, it’s sometimes nice to add a little bit of flavor. Something tangy, or sweet. The jerk rub was tangy. But I didn’t put a lot. Then that would over power everything else. So anyway, that was all seasoned up and ready for the hot pan. I put it in and the second I did, I heard the most beautiful sizzle. It was like, like, well, like a filet mignon on a skillet!!!! Haha! But it did sound really good! Then I just cooked it from there. It might have taken about oh, lets say 30 minutes total. So it didn’t take long at all! Yay! And then when it was done, it was nice and  juicy and amazingly delicious! It was very small though, because we couldn’t afford ANYTHING else bigger. I don’t know who can afford and expensive slab of meat like that. But it was good, and we still have some left over! I was surprised! But it was the greatest! I have never made anything like that before. That’s actually, you know, meat. I have made a pasta that is completely out of this world, but you get the point! Anyway, hope you enjoy the post, and I really am sorry I haven’t gotten to write anything for a while. I will get started again, and then hopefully finish up this cookbook!!!!

My Dad’s Birthday Dinner

Two weeks ago was my dad’s birthday. October 6th exactly! When he was celebrating his birthday, he was out of town on a business trip, but he did get to go out with his sister, mother, and brother-in-law.  My family usually always makes him a birthday dinner.   So we did so!  The menu you may ask!!! Here you go!

I started by making some LAMB.  Yes… lamb!  I’ve never tasted lamb, made lamb, or even touched a lamb (raw or alive!). I started by seasoning it with rosemary leaves, salt, and pepper.  Then I got my panini press back out to be doing some searing again! I used it a few months ago, for something else. Oops… I can’t remember what I used it for! Oh well! Anyway, so I did that, and then cooked it in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.  Then I took that out, and put the chops (they WERE lamb CHOPS) on a plate, and covered them with foil. Then I made a sauce to go with it. I deglazed the pan with some white wine and water. Then just let it evaporate a little, then skimmed off the fat, and it was good to go! My lamb was finished. But I have more!

For the sides, everything I made, you have probably already heard about.  I will name them in case you haven’t! I made Honey Lemon Glazed Carrots (previous), Rice Pilaf (previous), Cous Cous (new), and of course, some good bread!!! Now the Cous Cous was really easy to make. I’m not going to say good, because it wasn’t, and it wasn’t a recipe in my cookbook either. But what I did was boil 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of butter, and half a teaspoon of salt. Then when that boiled, I added one cup of Cous Cous, and let it sit for five minutes! Then I FLUFFED (don’t you love that word!!?? FLUFF!!!) it with a fork… and that was it!!!! Then I think you’ve heard about everything else! So happy birthday to my daddy, and even though he didn’t get to see us on his REAL birthday, he still got a nice, home cooked meal from his favorite Junior Chef! That’s me!!

Pasta with Four Cheeses

A few days ago, I made a yummy pasta dish. It was different, but kind of good! What I did, was started by cutting up three different cheeses: Swedish Fontina, Mozzarella, and then I grated Parmesan cheese. So I didn’t exactly cut three. But I kind of did. Oh whatever! Anyway, so while I was doing that I was boiling some water so I could cook my pasta. I salted the water really well, and then when it was boiling, I was ready to cook my pasta. So I put that stuff in the hot tub, and let it sit there for a while. So when I was doing that,I started heating up my spaghetti sauce. Now for this recipe, I was supposed to make this with marinated tomatoes, but I have a hard time dealing with fresh tomatoes.  I don’t like them, so luckily, my mom went to the rescue, and just bought me some sauce.  I touched it up with some secret ingredients, that not even my family I cooked it for knew that I put some different stuff in there. They will find out eventually! So that was heating up, my cheese was cut up… there really wasn’t much I had to do for this! But when everything died down, I got to the fun part-adding all the cheeses into the pasta! There is another cheese that I have forgotten to tell you about: Ricotta. I mixed that with some nutmeg, and salt and pepper, and it tasted superb! I also added the fontina, and mozzarella into that. Then that whole mixture went into the pasta. So simple! I was surprised with how it turned out! It was pretty rich in taste, and I couldn’t even swallow a whole plate of that stuff! But it was killer! So yummy! And it was fun to make. I got to learn a little bit about different kinds of cheeses, and lots of super cool stuff!

Polenta with Marscapone

Tonight, my mom was dying for me to make polenta! So you know what I did! I made it! It was very interesting.  I haven’t made anything like this before.  Well first, I heated up 5 cups of milk. Then when that was nice and hot I added one cup of polenta.  Then here’s the deal. I had to keep it on the stove for an hour. And I had to stir it every ten minutes of that hour! Then on and on, and was like “this isn’t very thick” and it’ s still not that thick, but it turned out pretty good. So oh yeah, after the hour passed, I added 5 tablespoons of marscapone cheese to the polenta. Then that was pretty much it! So easy. But you see, I didn’t have much meat to cook, so all I did was the polenta. And polenta isn’t good without something to go with it, so yeah. But maybe I’ll make something to go with it tomorrow.

So some of you might be asking me what polenta is. Let me tell you! It’s basically a cornmeal. Just a different kind! Hope you enjoy the short, easy post!!!

Salisbury Steaks with some Sides!!

A few nights ago, I made sides for a meal! Yeah, you heard me… just sides! My mom did the Salisbury Steak, and I just did the stuff to go with it! It was so fun! Okay, so here’s the scoop!  What I did was first I started on some Red Hash brown potatoes. (I’m feeling the sudden craving for hash browns! Okay people, lets get through this, and get through it fast, because Miss Dana here doesn’t have any potatoes!!!) Anyway, so what I started with was boiling the potatoes (skin and all) in some water, with a generous amount of salt… not a lot, but enough to start flavoring the potatoes). Those cooked for about 15 minutes or so, and then I drained the potatoes, then started cutting them up. Now these babies were hot, so I had to be VERY careful! I got all those cut up into nice, bite size pieces, and then came the good part. THE FRYING! First, of course, I heated the oil in a big pan, and then added potatoes, garlic chopped up, and some more salt. And pretty much from there was just the part where you fry the stuff, then it’s ready, once it’s nice and crispy, and has a nice brown color all around the potato. THAT simple! And they were totally delicious!

I also made some good boiled green beans! And they were super easy… here you go! I bet I can do this in one paragraph!

First I took some green beans, and snapped the ends off. While I was doing that I boiled some water with TONS of salt in it. Then when the water was boiling and my beans were snapped,  in they went into the hot tub!!! And then all it took was some hot stuff, and then beans were ready! I got them soft and actually chewable, and they were delicious! And to make them better, I squeezed some lemon juice on in with some pepper and salt! And they were super good! See! One paragraph!!! Aren’t I super cool???!!! Anyway, that’s all for now! Enjoy!!!!