So after a 7 month hiatus, I am now back to my cookbook challenge. I may not be able to finish by my 1 year mark, but I will darn sure give it my best shot. After having our newest addition and finally quitting my job to be the mom I know I'm meant top be, I can make a little more time in my life for myself and my children, including my love of food.
My mom and I recently had the opportunity to help with the food for my Sister-in-laws 30Th birthday party. The plan was to have a menu that was Italian based appetizer bar. Appetizers have always been my favorite form of food because it is a meal in a bite, giving you the opportunity to taste lots of different things. when I first started my cookbook collection, appetizers, hors d'oeuvre's, starters etc., were the ones I wanted the most, so once the menu theme was set in place, I had LOTS of books to choose from.
The first book was simply titled "hors d'oeuvres". This book has always been a favorite of mine because there is a picture with every recipe, making it easy to decide if the food is what you envisioned, as well as prepping ahead and storage suggestions.
Because of the Italian theme we went with a recipe that had a Mediterranean influence.
"Tiny Parmesan and black olive shortbread's with Parsley pesto and Feta"
-Hors Doeuvres by Eric Treuille & Victoria Blashford-Snell
Being the anti-baker that I am, my mom volunteered to do the shortbread's. After getting several calls from her about the dough, I know the recipe left us sort of hanging out to dry-literally. She was so perplexed because the dough was not dough at all but a powdery mix resembling something similar to Bisquick. After reading through the ingredients and mumbling to ourselves over the phone we went with the wing it approach of, when all else fails add more butter. I'm sure that is a life quote of Julia Child's and Paula Deens. Once she added more butter the recipe came out fine, The olive flavor was not really present for being called a black olive shortbread, but the Parmesan came through beautifully. As for the pesto, that was assigned to me. Pesto in my opinion is about as important as ranch dressing ( yes I said ranch dressing) I know for a epicurean of sorts i shouldn't have a love of condiments such as ranch but I do, so sue me. Anyway, Pesto can enhance the flavor of practically any dish, is simple to make, and easy to store, yet for some unknown reason i had not made it since culinary school. I wasn't a big fan of the parsley pesto idea so I went ahead and made a traditional pesto and also utilized another cookbook of mine with the recipe. This came from;
The Pasta Bible by Jeni Wright
This book also has my highly sought after photo with each recipe, but also has instructional photos for the more advanced techniques required. The recipe was simple straight forward and turned out really well. I also liked the fact the the ingredients were listed in measurement as well as weight.
Once both of these components were done all that was needed was to plate them up-making these pretty simple and straight forward. The flavors were pretty powerful so if you don't care for garlic and Parmesan, these were not for you. We were pleasantly surprised to find that even with the pungent flavors, they were quite a crowd pleaser.
The next app. we wanted to make was some sort of bruschetta. In my book-The Essential Appetizers Cookbook , we again have photos and helpful hints with each recipe, even provided sections based on regions of the world to ensure that your menu flowed well. The section on Bruschetta provided different recipe variations on this common Italian dish. I chose the:
"Pastrami and Herb Creme Fraiche with Tomato and Basil Bruschetta"
Creme Fraiche in layman's terms is a french variation of sour cream. The flavor tends to be richer and the consistency thinner but the biggest difference is the price-if purchased. After doing some digging my mom managed to make a restaurant quality creme fraiche in a matter of days and a lot cheaper then what you'd pay in the grocery store. We then just finished it off with some fresh chopped chives and it was ready to go. the fortunate thing about this time of year are the great garden tomatoes.the tomato basil mixture was very straight forward and a simple mixture of tomato, finely shredded basil, some garlic, top shelf olive oil, along with salt and pepper to taste, with the garden tomatoes really standing out with such great flavor. The pastrami was an easy find for me since we have found ourselves constantly shopping a local discount grocery store that also has Amish deli cuts-that are truly to die for.
Once the elements were ready we allowed the guests at the party to build as they ate because we were afraid of the bread getting soggy, which we were glad we did since the tomatoes began to get a little soupy. This dish was probably my favorite- it was filling and left your pallet wanting more. The contrast in flavors were fresh, creamy and well seasoned. Definitely one that will go into our regular repertoire.
Well folks, it's good to be back! more recipes and books to come.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
I was very fortunate to have married a man who definitely brings home the bacon….. or should I say elk, deer, antelope and all other four legged animals with antlers. Our freezers are never scant to say the least, and he is always encouraging me to make something new and different with them. To help you understand my husband he is, and is not a picky eater. The best way to describe what he likes is this; if he had meat, potatoes, and corn the rest of his life he would be completely happy, but in the same breathe, he does not like to venture too far from his comfort zone of foods. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I love to cook. I try different things, challenge myself in the kitchen and if that limits me to a starch, some sore of game meat and a can or corn…ugh…you get the point. Even with this bit of knowledge in my head I try to go forth and make food that could possibly change his mind. 7 out of 10 I can but occasionally I find him picking his way around the dish, but like the great husband he is, never complains, that or as my mother would say “he knows better then to get hit with the frying pan!”. All in all he has gotten better about trying things in our 7 years together, and now encourages me to use up what we have in different ways.
This Christmas I received a cookbook from my parents in honor of the Pendleton Round-up called “Beyond the Bull”. This book is full of recipes, pictures, and history about one of Oregon’s cherished events. From cover to cover, this book is full of down home hearty cooking that can stick to the ribs of any cowboy or cowgirl, green horn or saddle tramp.
After having some time to go through the book, I selected a Beer pot roast recipe to try out. I should start by saying I have traditionally hated pot roast because in my opinion thus far, it has been bland, boring and dry. Whenever I have had it, it normally gets drowned in ketchup or some other condiment just to make up for the “mistake in a pot” flavor. I knew this going in but was convinced I would find a way to give it a better flavor, the recipe looked promising and that chuck roast in the freezer could be used for little else. It started off with a onions caramelized in butter, and I mean lots of onion. I know that onion can be a really over powering flavor, but once they are caramelized they are so sweet and mild in flavor that even the most anti-onion eater will find it suitable. Once the onion were nice and brown and had a sweet smell steaming from the pot I added the flour, salt, garlic, and one can of beer. While this was brewing away, I seared off my roast. One tip I will give anyone either doing a dry oven roast or a pot roast, ALWAYS sear your meat. This means you have your pan so hot, when you add your oil to the pan it starts to smoke. Then you season your meat (salt, pepper etc.) and then put it in your pan. This will create a really loud sizzle and it will only take maybe 20 seconds to get a good dark color, and you’ll want to rotate to do the same on all sides. When you finish, if you were just looking at it you’d think it was done. This is a trick I learned in culinary school that keeps your juices in when cooking for long periods of time. That also means, no cutting and checking it while cooking. The best way to tell if a roast is done is to check periodically with your instant read thermometer. You can find a done-ness guide online or in your typical Betty Crocker cook book. Once I had the meat seared and the base done I placed the meat in the dutch oven with the sauce and baked it, covered for about 3 hours. I wanted to be sure and have a vegetable, so about ½ before being done, I added some carrots. I also made some roasted red potatoes to help sap up some of the sauce. This recipe was so easy, and so good, heath went back for 3rds! There are so many different ways to cook a pot roast and I really feel like it comes down to the meat and how it is handled, and thanks to my husband; we have plenty to fill our table. He may be picky sometimes, but boy he sure comes in handy!
Love you honey.
Now on to book #8
This Christmas I received a cookbook from my parents in honor of the Pendleton Round-up called “Beyond the Bull”. This book is full of recipes, pictures, and history about one of Oregon’s cherished events. From cover to cover, this book is full of down home hearty cooking that can stick to the ribs of any cowboy or cowgirl, green horn or saddle tramp.
After having some time to go through the book, I selected a Beer pot roast recipe to try out. I should start by saying I have traditionally hated pot roast because in my opinion thus far, it has been bland, boring and dry. Whenever I have had it, it normally gets drowned in ketchup or some other condiment just to make up for the “mistake in a pot” flavor. I knew this going in but was convinced I would find a way to give it a better flavor, the recipe looked promising and that chuck roast in the freezer could be used for little else. It started off with a onions caramelized in butter, and I mean lots of onion. I know that onion can be a really over powering flavor, but once they are caramelized they are so sweet and mild in flavor that even the most anti-onion eater will find it suitable. Once the onion were nice and brown and had a sweet smell steaming from the pot I added the flour, salt, garlic, and one can of beer. While this was brewing away, I seared off my roast. One tip I will give anyone either doing a dry oven roast or a pot roast, ALWAYS sear your meat. This means you have your pan so hot, when you add your oil to the pan it starts to smoke. Then you season your meat (salt, pepper etc.) and then put it in your pan. This will create a really loud sizzle and it will only take maybe 20 seconds to get a good dark color, and you’ll want to rotate to do the same on all sides. When you finish, if you were just looking at it you’d think it was done. This is a trick I learned in culinary school that keeps your juices in when cooking for long periods of time. That also means, no cutting and checking it while cooking. The best way to tell if a roast is done is to check periodically with your instant read thermometer. You can find a done-ness guide online or in your typical Betty Crocker cook book. Once I had the meat seared and the base done I placed the meat in the dutch oven with the sauce and baked it, covered for about 3 hours. I wanted to be sure and have a vegetable, so about ½ before being done, I added some carrots. I also made some roasted red potatoes to help sap up some of the sauce. This recipe was so easy, and so good, heath went back for 3rds! There are so many different ways to cook a pot roast and I really feel like it comes down to the meat and how it is handled, and thanks to my husband; we have plenty to fill our table. He may be picky sometimes, but boy he sure comes in handy!
Love you honey.
Now on to book #8
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Start at the top and work your way down...
This was my first thought as I looked up an down my bookcase. I realized in a second that my "one a week" plan may not work, after I counted 167 cookbooks. Like my cooking blogger before me, I plan on taking no more then a year. Once this epiphany hit me, I took a deep breath and grabbed the first book and in the most juvenile way possible, flipped through the pages with my eyes closed and pointed at my first recipe.
"Deceptively delicious"
by Jessica Seinfeld
-Aloha chicken kabobs-
I was so happy to get this book off the shelf since I felt it would be an easy place to start-sort of. The whole concept behind this book is to trick your picky eaters into consuming good-for-you food. My mother purchased this book for me since I have a daughter who is obnoxiously selective in her food choices(unless it resembles dessert). I spent about an hour last night looking through all the other recipes and found some of them great yet others to be disappointing. All of them are great family recipes for anyone with kids 8 and under but as for the healthy factor some of the recipes only had 1/4 cup of good-for-you food for a recipe that fed 8-10 people. One great thing though is everything is pureed to hide the most noticeable foods in some pretty strange but yummy places and even thought it i allot of work for the bigger recipes I spoke of, it totally works with ones that have enough to really get the kids (or husbands for that matter) the nutrition they need. The one recipes I selected seemed to be a good way to incorporate the more healthful items. The recipes came together pretty well but my environment to say the least was not what I had hoped for. Two screaming kids, a totally destroyed kitchen and not getting home from work until after 6:30...ugh! The recipe was your typical home breaded chicken recipe but with a twist. with the egg wash, you added pureed pineapple and sweet potato and a small amount of soy sauce. With the breadcrumbs was 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut that definitely gave it a totally different flavor that went over well. The chicken was delicious and my overly picky daughter actually decided she liked pineapple.....MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! I'm not sure if this will be the cookbook I rely on day in and day out but It was definitely good inspiration for getting my picky eaters to consume good food. I also know that to be able to really get into my recipe, I need to do it in a....shall we say...more relaxing enviroment.....
Coming soon....book #2!
"Deceptively delicious"
by Jessica Seinfeld
-Aloha chicken kabobs-
I was so happy to get this book off the shelf since I felt it would be an easy place to start-sort of. The whole concept behind this book is to trick your picky eaters into consuming good-for-you food. My mother purchased this book for me since I have a daughter who is obnoxiously selective in her food choices(unless it resembles dessert). I spent about an hour last night looking through all the other recipes and found some of them great yet others to be disappointing. All of them are great family recipes for anyone with kids 8 and under but as for the healthy factor some of the recipes only had 1/4 cup of good-for-you food for a recipe that fed 8-10 people. One great thing though is everything is pureed to hide the most noticeable foods in some pretty strange but yummy places and even thought it i allot of work for the bigger recipes I spoke of, it totally works with ones that have enough to really get the kids (or husbands for that matter) the nutrition they need. The one recipes I selected seemed to be a good way to incorporate the more healthful items. The recipes came together pretty well but my environment to say the least was not what I had hoped for. Two screaming kids, a totally destroyed kitchen and not getting home from work until after 6:30...ugh! The recipe was your typical home breaded chicken recipe but with a twist. with the egg wash, you added pureed pineapple and sweet potato and a small amount of soy sauce. With the breadcrumbs was 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut that definitely gave it a totally different flavor that went over well. The chicken was delicious and my overly picky daughter actually decided she liked pineapple.....MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! I'm not sure if this will be the cookbook I rely on day in and day out but It was definitely good inspiration for getting my picky eaters to consume good food. I also know that to be able to really get into my recipe, I need to do it in a....shall we say...more relaxing enviroment.....
Coming soon....book #2!
The beginning of a challenge.....I think....
My most recent years have been spent being a wife to a husband with his own business, mother of two and working a full time job. this in the end leaves little time for ones self to explore other options besides the debate over taking a shower in the morning OR being able to put make-up on for the day.
I now find myself relishing in my years as a culinary student and staring at my massive bookshelf that is packed and stacked with cookbooks that have done nothing since their inhabitants but collect dust. Some I don't believe I have ever made one recipes out of. Chinese to Italian, the Art of Baking to 365 ways to make an egg; SO many recipes without one glob of goo on the pages or dust of flour! I have spent my time these past years taking care of others, and this bookshelf shows that the things that I love and the the things I have a passion for have literally been put on a self...no pun intended. Although the movie may not be a block buster Julie and Julia has really hit the nail on the head for me. I need something to spark my passion that I once had for cooking. I need to make my family gain 5 pounds from eating the disgustingly good food and my friends to relish over my not-so-potluck parties. I now challenge myself, each week to make one recipe out of my many neglected cookbooks. I am not doing this for glory or fame or the hope of being published but for a single soul search of the talent I know is buried inside of me.
Wish me luck world....the book search begins tonight!
I now find myself relishing in my years as a culinary student and staring at my massive bookshelf that is packed and stacked with cookbooks that have done nothing since their inhabitants but collect dust. Some I don't believe I have ever made one recipes out of. Chinese to Italian, the Art of Baking to 365 ways to make an egg; SO many recipes without one glob of goo on the pages or dust of flour! I have spent my time these past years taking care of others, and this bookshelf shows that the things that I love and the the things I have a passion for have literally been put on a self...no pun intended. Although the movie may not be a block buster Julie and Julia has really hit the nail on the head for me. I need something to spark my passion that I once had for cooking. I need to make my family gain 5 pounds from eating the disgustingly good food and my friends to relish over my not-so-potluck parties. I now challenge myself, each week to make one recipe out of my many neglected cookbooks. I am not doing this for glory or fame or the hope of being published but for a single soul search of the talent I know is buried inside of me.
Wish me luck world....the book search begins tonight!
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