It seems like all I've done for the last year is read and cook. (I'm really ok with that.) I found a book about cooking this weekend and it's really a great kitchen tool. The book, Cooking By Ratios has tons of recipes and explains how to fundamentally cook based on weight ratios. So, I think this will be my next cooking direction, trying to portion out 1 servings worth of food based on ratios.
This is what I mean....the ideal ratio for basic cookie dough would be 1:2:3. 1 part sugar to 2 parts fat to 3 parts flour. So lets say 1 part of anything equals 2 ounces. The dough recipe would be 2 ounces sugar, 4 ounces of butter and 6 ounces of flour. From that point, you add whatever flavoring you would want the cookies to have. Since they ounces are WEIGHT ounces and not LIQUID, I need to acquire a kitchen scale before I get started on this little adventure. Maybe I'll get that in a few weeks when I go home to start packing up.
Happy cooking, y'all!
Amy
Monday, June 20, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Someday...
I'll post a new recipe again. Don't give up hope, I'm still here! I will be away from my kitchen for a few weeks, but I WILL be back to cooking and blogging soon! I'm working with the SHSU Summer Music Camps for the next few weeks and there are no kitchens in the dorms (for good reason!). Soon, dear friends, I'll be back with some exciting (hopefully) new (definitely) recipes. If I think of anything profound, I will be SURE to let you know!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Even better French Onion Soup
I get to be in my own kitchen for a few days since I had a little change of summer plans. If I had more time I would try something new and exciting, but knowing I will be eating fabulous cafe belvin for a couple weeks, I decided that I want to make my favorites while I can! So I decided on French onion soup...but of course I changed it up a bit. Just a bit.
Oh! And I made brownie....but they were from a Paula deen recipe that I adjusted. With the brownie recipe, I just halved the recipe and used a mini cupcake pan. I baked them for about 30 minutes and they turned out great! Tomorrow they will go with vanilla ice cream and HOPEFULLY some homemade caramel sauce. But I have tried to make caramel sauce 3 times and I just end up with a mess. I will get this right darn it!!!
Here's the recipe for French Onion Soup!
1 sweet onion, halved and sliced
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, enough to coat the pan
Salt and pepper
Marjoram - a couple shakes
Thyme - a couple shakes
1/4 cup white wine - I used cheap Chardonay again!
3 bouillion cubes
2 cups water
1 cup cubed French bread
2/3 cup shredded gouda cheese
1. Heat the olive oil over medium-high and add onions. Add salt, pepper, marjoram and thyme and cook until the onions are tender.
2. Add the wine and let it cook into the onions for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the beef stock and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Set your oven to broil at this point.
4. Split the onion mixture into two oven safe bowls and put half of the bread cubes in each bowl and top each with half of the cheese.
5. Bake under the broiler until the cheese melts. Probably about 4 minutes....watch though so you don't burn the cheese!
The herbs and wine add really great flavor and go well with the gouda. The herbs de Provence I used last time were good with the broth but didn't go quite as well with the gouda. I think this might be the way I make it from now on!! It was delicious.
Also, I hope you noticed we split it into two bowls. I had a really big onion this time so I just split everything. It's a recipe enough for two so share and share alike! I didn't share this time around, but I will be having it for lunch tomorrow. Soups are one of the few things I don't really mind eating the second day...soups and ratatouille and macaroni...
Ok, happy cooking, y'all! I'll let y'all know how the caramel sauce turns out, if it ever does!
Amy
Oh! And I made brownie....but they were from a Paula deen recipe that I adjusted. With the brownie recipe, I just halved the recipe and used a mini cupcake pan. I baked them for about 30 minutes and they turned out great! Tomorrow they will go with vanilla ice cream and HOPEFULLY some homemade caramel sauce. But I have tried to make caramel sauce 3 times and I just end up with a mess. I will get this right darn it!!!
Here's the recipe for French Onion Soup!
1 sweet onion, halved and sliced
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, enough to coat the pan
Salt and pepper
Marjoram - a couple shakes
Thyme - a couple shakes
1/4 cup white wine - I used cheap Chardonay again!
3 bouillion cubes
2 cups water
1 cup cubed French bread
2/3 cup shredded gouda cheese
1. Heat the olive oil over medium-high and add onions. Add salt, pepper, marjoram and thyme and cook until the onions are tender.
2. Add the wine and let it cook into the onions for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the beef stock and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Set your oven to broil at this point.
4. Split the onion mixture into two oven safe bowls and put half of the bread cubes in each bowl and top each with half of the cheese.
5. Bake under the broiler until the cheese melts. Probably about 4 minutes....watch though so you don't burn the cheese!
The herbs and wine add really great flavor and go well with the gouda. The herbs de Provence I used last time were good with the broth but didn't go quite as well with the gouda. I think this might be the way I make it from now on!! It was delicious.
Also, I hope you noticed we split it into two bowls. I had a really big onion this time so I just split everything. It's a recipe enough for two so share and share alike! I didn't share this time around, but I will be having it for lunch tomorrow. Soups are one of the few things I don't really mind eating the second day...soups and ratatouille and macaroni...
Ok, happy cooking, y'all! I'll let y'all know how the caramel sauce turns out, if it ever does!
Amy
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Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Sun-dried Tomato and Pancetta pasta
In my efforts to not buy groceries right before I leave my kitchen for a couple weeks, I decided to use what I had to make a pasta dish for dinner. I had french bread from HEB and their bread tastes best when drizzled with the olive oil, salt, pepper and baked. It's so stinkin' good! So I basically had a ton of carbs for dinner...but I didn't have to buy groceries, so I guess that's ok.
So in the fridge, I had most of a wedge of Parmesan cheese, about 1/4 cup cubed pancetta and sun-dried tomatoes and heavy cream. These lead to an amazing alfredo-esque sauce.
1 table spoon olive oil
1/4 cup cubed pancetta
just less than 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, cut into small pieces & with oil
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup white wine
1 1/4 cup fresh, shredded parmesan cheese
1. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook for about 5 minutes. Its kinda like bacon, so cook until the fat starts to cook off some.
2. Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and their oil and heat mix together.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and let the pan cool some before adding the cream. Add the cream and mix everything together.
4. Add 1/4 cup white wine and mix. Let the alcohol cook off some...about 3 minutes.
5. Add the parmesan cheese a little bit at a time so that the cheese melts and makes a lovely saucey-ness.
Pour over whatever pasta you have on hand and toss it together and you have a fabulous meal! I like that the tomatoes are sweet and just a little tangy! So good!
Happy cooking, y'all!
Amy
So in the fridge, I had most of a wedge of Parmesan cheese, about 1/4 cup cubed pancetta and sun-dried tomatoes and heavy cream. These lead to an amazing alfredo-esque sauce.
1 table spoon olive oil
1/4 cup cubed pancetta
just less than 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, cut into small pieces & with oil
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup white wine
1 1/4 cup fresh, shredded parmesan cheese
1. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook for about 5 minutes. Its kinda like bacon, so cook until the fat starts to cook off some.
2. Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and their oil and heat mix together.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and let the pan cool some before adding the cream. Add the cream and mix everything together.
4. Add 1/4 cup white wine and mix. Let the alcohol cook off some...about 3 minutes.
5. Add the parmesan cheese a little bit at a time so that the cheese melts and makes a lovely saucey-ness.
Pour over whatever pasta you have on hand and toss it together and you have a fabulous meal! I like that the tomatoes are sweet and just a little tangy! So good!
Happy cooking, y'all!
Amy
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Saucy Pork Chops
The other night when I posted about not forgetting to post, I ended up making pork chops with a creamy and cheesy wine sauce. They were awesome!!!
Here's what I did:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 shallot
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves removed from the stem and chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
3-4 medium white mushrooms
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 white wine
1/8 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup (about) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon flour
1. In the frying pan, heat the oil at about a medium-high heat. Add the shallots, rosemary and garlic. After about 2 minutes, add the pork chop.
2. After about 5 minutes, flip the chop and add the mushrooms to the pan.
3. Saute the mushrooms and cook the pork chop until it is cooked through. You'll probably need to flip it a couple times to cook it evenly.
For the sauce.
1. Remove the pork chop and most of the mushrooms from the pan. Add the butter and let it melt.
2. Add the chicken stock and swirl it around the pan to pick up the goodness left from cooking the chop.
3. Add the white wine and simmer a minute or two so the alcohol can cook out.
4. Add the cream and mix thoroughly.
5. Grate the cheese into the liquid and add the flour. Stir to encourage the cheese to melt evenly and the flour to not clump up.
6. Add the mushrooms back into the pan and gently mix them in.
7. Simmer and let the liquid reduce so that the sauce thickens.
8. After about 10 minutes of stirring and thickening, you should be ready to serve this on top of your pork chop!
I hope you guys like the sauce! It was pretty good!
Happy cooking, y'all!
Amy
Here's what I did:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 shallot
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves removed from the stem and chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
3-4 medium white mushrooms
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 white wine
1/8 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup (about) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon flour
1. In the frying pan, heat the oil at about a medium-high heat. Add the shallots, rosemary and garlic. After about 2 minutes, add the pork chop.
2. After about 5 minutes, flip the chop and add the mushrooms to the pan.
3. Saute the mushrooms and cook the pork chop until it is cooked through. You'll probably need to flip it a couple times to cook it evenly.
For the sauce.
1. Remove the pork chop and most of the mushrooms from the pan. Add the butter and let it melt.
2. Add the chicken stock and swirl it around the pan to pick up the goodness left from cooking the chop.
3. Add the white wine and simmer a minute or two so the alcohol can cook out.
4. Add the cream and mix thoroughly.
5. Grate the cheese into the liquid and add the flour. Stir to encourage the cheese to melt evenly and the flour to not clump up.
6. Add the mushrooms back into the pan and gently mix them in.
7. Simmer and let the liquid reduce so that the sauce thickens.
8. After about 10 minutes of stirring and thickening, you should be ready to serve this on top of your pork chop!
I hope you guys like the sauce! It was pretty good!
Happy cooking, y'all!
Amy
Friday, May 27, 2011
I didn't forget
I've been wanting to blog, I just haven't made anything worth posting...really. I tried to do something with chicken and it started one way and ended completely different. And unfortunately, I'll be heading to east Texas soon and won't be anywhere that I'll be cooking for about 3 weeks. I'll try to make up the lost time when I get back to my place.
I will share this with you: If you haven't read "My Life in France" by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme, you should. It covers the life of Julia Child and her continuing pursuit and research and curiosity of the French middle-class cuisine. She tested and tasted and explored so many ways to give us the perfect, fool proof ways to cook as the French bourgeois do. I hope to acquire some of her books this summer, because quite honestly, I was inspired by her. Outstanding book, extraordinary love, and unending curiosity. Read it.
Happy cooking, y'all!
Amy
I will share this with you: If you haven't read "My Life in France" by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme, you should. It covers the life of Julia Child and her continuing pursuit and research and curiosity of the French middle-class cuisine. She tested and tasted and explored so many ways to give us the perfect, fool proof ways to cook as the French bourgeois do. I hope to acquire some of her books this summer, because quite honestly, I was inspired by her. Outstanding book, extraordinary love, and unending curiosity. Read it.
Happy cooking, y'all!
Amy
Sunday, May 22, 2011
French Onion Soup- A variation
I made French onion soup for dinner tonight, but I remembered I had some Herbs de Provence in the cabinet and I figured, what the hell....its French soup, right? Why not add some French herbs? Herbs de Provence has oregano, lavender (the American version), rosemary, thyme and a bunch of other stuff in it. This definitely took my soup to the next level!
I added 1 tablespoon of Herbs de Provence to the onions as they cooked in the oil and then cooked the rest of the soup as usual. I usually use a smoky gouda with the soup, and it worked fine in this case, but I think the smoky-ness didn't really mesh well with the rest of the flavors. Maybe a plain gouda or even traditional Gruyère cheese. I'll try that next time. For now, get ya some herbs de provence...its just the right combo for the onions and olive oil. Hope y'all enjoy!
Happy cooking, y'all!
Amy
Doesn't this look pretty?!
I added 1 tablespoon of Herbs de Provence to the onions as they cooked in the oil and then cooked the rest of the soup as usual. I usually use a smoky gouda with the soup, and it worked fine in this case, but I think the smoky-ness didn't really mesh well with the rest of the flavors. Maybe a plain gouda or even traditional Gruyère cheese. I'll try that next time. For now, get ya some herbs de provence...its just the right combo for the onions and olive oil. Hope y'all enjoy!
Happy cooking, y'all!
Amy
Doesn't this look pretty?!
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