I am not much of a sweets fan myself, rarely eating dessert (I prefer to have more dinner!). I do have a sweet tooth when it comes to beverages though, and when I saw this recipe for homemade strawberry milk, I had to try it.
I've been hooked on the stuff for a few days now. Probably not the healthiest thing in the world given the sugar content, but it's a nice treat every once in a while and has to be better than the processed variety you can buy in stores.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Some Recent Mistakes
I've been trying lots of new recipes recently, and though I've unfortunately allowed too much time to remember the exact process I used for them, I wanted to record some missteps so that I can avoid them in the future.
Beer Braised Pork Chops with Sauerkraut
A good recipe that involved browning the pork chop on both sides, then putting it in a dutch oven with sauerkraut, onions, and beer, and letting it simmer for about an hour. Unfortunately I didn't have a dutch oven, so I used a casserole dish. Everything smelled and looked great, but when the hour was up, I moved the dish to an unused burner. A couple of moments later...
BANG!
The casserole dish, going from a hot to cold surface so quickly and being made of glass, exploded. Luckily the pork chops were in tact and were a fair dinner, but I'll be sure to obtain a dutch oven before I try this one again.
Homemade Ravioli
The blog that inspired me to launch my own, Post-College Kitchen, had a nifty looking recipe that used Egg Roll Wrappers to create ravioli. I couldn't find sweet potatoes at the store the night I tried this, so we used a more basic tomato, pepperoni, and cheese filling.
While the taste was pretty good, I think they ended up undercooked as they were incredibly doughy. The sheer size of the egg roll wrappers contributed to this as well. Some of them also burst open while cooking, making them look far less impressive on the plate.
The original recipe can be found here. I'd like to revisit this one some day, but I would need to think about how to fix the flaws with it first.
Beer Braised Pork Chops with Sauerkraut
A good recipe that involved browning the pork chop on both sides, then putting it in a dutch oven with sauerkraut, onions, and beer, and letting it simmer for about an hour. Unfortunately I didn't have a dutch oven, so I used a casserole dish. Everything smelled and looked great, but when the hour was up, I moved the dish to an unused burner. A couple of moments later...
BANG!
The casserole dish, going from a hot to cold surface so quickly and being made of glass, exploded. Luckily the pork chops were in tact and were a fair dinner, but I'll be sure to obtain a dutch oven before I try this one again.
Homemade Ravioli
The blog that inspired me to launch my own, Post-College Kitchen, had a nifty looking recipe that used Egg Roll Wrappers to create ravioli. I couldn't find sweet potatoes at the store the night I tried this, so we used a more basic tomato, pepperoni, and cheese filling.
While the taste was pretty good, I think they ended up undercooked as they were incredibly doughy. The sheer size of the egg roll wrappers contributed to this as well. Some of them also burst open while cooking, making them look far less impressive on the plate.
The original recipe can be found here. I'd like to revisit this one some day, but I would need to think about how to fix the flaws with it first.
Pasta Diavolo
Once upon a time I ate a meal at a restaurant named Bravo! in Indianapolis, an Italian establishment. I ordered what was called the Shrimp Diavolo, a slightly spicy pasta dish with shrimp in a creamy tomato sauce. I've had a couple of stabs at reinventing it ever since, and though I haven't succeeded yet, I made an attempt last night (using italian sausage in place of shrimp) that was satisfying nonetheless.
Pasta Diavolo with Italian Sausage
1/2 pound Italian Sausage
Cajun Seasoning
Old Bay Seasoning
Fennel Seed
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 chopped Yellow Onion
1 can diced Tomatoes
8 oz. Rigatoni (any noodle will do)
1/2 jar Alfredo Sauce
1. Place the Italian Sausage in a skillet and season with Cajun Seasoning, Old Bay Seasoning, and Fennel Seed. Cook over medium-high heat until it has crumbled and browned. Set aside on a plate and drain fat from skillet.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add the Olive Oil to the pan. Once hot, add the Onions and saute for 5 minutes, or until translucent.
3. About this time begin boiling water for your pasta. Prepare according to package instructions.
4. Add the Tomatoes to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add the Italian Sausage and Alfredo Sauce to the pan with the Tomatoes and Onions, reducing heat to low. Stir well, let cook an additional 5-8 minutes.
6. Drain pasta and serve sauce over top.
Served with asparagus.
This dish was not as creamy or spicy as the original Shrimp Diavolo I still yearn to recreate, but it was very hearty with plenty of flavor. I can't wait to have the leftovers at lunch today, should kick the tail of my normal turkey sandwiches.
It would be pretty easy to make a shrimp variety of this dish. Simply replace the sausage with shrimp and cut out the fennel seed, and the rest of the recipe should be able to remain intact.
Pasta Diavolo with Italian Sausage
1/2 pound Italian Sausage
Cajun Seasoning
Old Bay Seasoning
Fennel Seed
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 chopped Yellow Onion
1 can diced Tomatoes
8 oz. Rigatoni (any noodle will do)
1/2 jar Alfredo Sauce
1. Place the Italian Sausage in a skillet and season with Cajun Seasoning, Old Bay Seasoning, and Fennel Seed. Cook over medium-high heat until it has crumbled and browned. Set aside on a plate and drain fat from skillet.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add the Olive Oil to the pan. Once hot, add the Onions and saute for 5 minutes, or until translucent.
3. About this time begin boiling water for your pasta. Prepare according to package instructions.
4. Add the Tomatoes to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add the Italian Sausage and Alfredo Sauce to the pan with the Tomatoes and Onions, reducing heat to low. Stir well, let cook an additional 5-8 minutes.
6. Drain pasta and serve sauce over top.
Served with asparagus.
This dish was not as creamy or spicy as the original Shrimp Diavolo I still yearn to recreate, but it was very hearty with plenty of flavor. I can't wait to have the leftovers at lunch today, should kick the tail of my normal turkey sandwiches.
It would be pretty easy to make a shrimp variety of this dish. Simply replace the sausage with shrimp and cut out the fennel seed, and the rest of the recipe should be able to remain intact.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza
I've wanted to create this blog for a long time as I've already attempted a number of recipes I'd like to recall, but we'll just have to make due with starting from this point in time.
For dinner last night Amanda and I enjoyed a Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza, inspired by a pasta dish Amanda loved at Olive Garden a few months back. The key to the dish is the Balsamic Vinegar, which elevates the other ingredients to another level. Making pizza (with pre-made crust, anyway) also makes for an easy and quick night in the kitchen, with relatively little clean up. Additionally, most of the ingredients can be used in whatever quantity you'd like. Want extra shrimp? Just toss 'em on!
Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza
1 ready-made pizza crust
olive oil
alfredo sauce
gorgonzola cheese
1 bartlett pear
spring mix greens
raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail-off
red curry powder
old bay seasoning
honey
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1. Preheat the oven as per the pizza crust instructions.
2. Brush pizza crust with a thin layer of olive oil. Add a thin layer of alfredo sauce on top of that.
3. Cover pizza with gorgonzola cheese and spring mix greens. Cut pear into bite-size pieces and add to pizza.
4. Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. When hot, add shrimp. Season with red curry powder and old bay seasoning. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque and slightly orange. Transfer to a paper towel covered plate to drain excess oil. When cool enough to handle, add shrimp to pizza.
5. Drizzle pizza with honey. Then drizzle pizza with about 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar. It is important not to use a heavy hand with the balsamic.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or by following the pizza crust baking instructions.
Served with garlic bread.
Much as she did when she had a similar dish at Olive Garden, Amanda really enjoyed this dinner. For me, it lacked enough savory punch to be one of my favorite dishes. I very often prefer savory flavors to sweet flavors, and the sweet elements (honey, pear, even the gorgonzola cheese and balsamic) are really the stars of this dish. The best element for me was the shrimp, which I prepared with a new seasoning combo that I will certainly use again. Perhaps with more shrimp this dish could have been a home run for me.
Given the multitude of options available when making pizza (you really can toss almost anything on top), this version certainly hit some high notes. I don't think I'd ever crave it, but it is a nice change of pace that is quite a bit more elegant than your run-of-the-mill pizza.
For dinner last night Amanda and I enjoyed a Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza, inspired by a pasta dish Amanda loved at Olive Garden a few months back. The key to the dish is the Balsamic Vinegar, which elevates the other ingredients to another level. Making pizza (with pre-made crust, anyway) also makes for an easy and quick night in the kitchen, with relatively little clean up. Additionally, most of the ingredients can be used in whatever quantity you'd like. Want extra shrimp? Just toss 'em on!
Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza
1 ready-made pizza crust
olive oil
alfredo sauce
gorgonzola cheese
1 bartlett pear
spring mix greens
raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail-off
red curry powder
old bay seasoning
honey
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1. Preheat the oven as per the pizza crust instructions.
2. Brush pizza crust with a thin layer of olive oil. Add a thin layer of alfredo sauce on top of that.
3. Cover pizza with gorgonzola cheese and spring mix greens. Cut pear into bite-size pieces and add to pizza.
4. Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. When hot, add shrimp. Season with red curry powder and old bay seasoning. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque and slightly orange. Transfer to a paper towel covered plate to drain excess oil. When cool enough to handle, add shrimp to pizza.
5. Drizzle pizza with honey. Then drizzle pizza with about 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar. It is important not to use a heavy hand with the balsamic.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or by following the pizza crust baking instructions.
Served with garlic bread.
Much as she did when she had a similar dish at Olive Garden, Amanda really enjoyed this dinner. For me, it lacked enough savory punch to be one of my favorite dishes. I very often prefer savory flavors to sweet flavors, and the sweet elements (honey, pear, even the gorgonzola cheese and balsamic) are really the stars of this dish. The best element for me was the shrimp, which I prepared with a new seasoning combo that I will certainly use again. Perhaps with more shrimp this dish could have been a home run for me.
Given the multitude of options available when making pizza (you really can toss almost anything on top), this version certainly hit some high notes. I don't think I'd ever crave it, but it is a nice change of pace that is quite a bit more elegant than your run-of-the-mill pizza.
Cooking A.C.
I have always loved cooking--or at least the idea of it. Even from a young age I can remember being fascinated by food: the nearly endless array of ingredients available in the world, the creative mind it takes to piece together something that works. I grew up watching a number of cooking shows that celebrate these ideals (i.e. the Japanese version of Iron Chef) and they remain some of my favorite shows today (i.e. Chopped).
I actually never did a lot of cooking growing up, and so by the time I graduated college and had a proper kitchen for the first time, my culinary toolbox was pretty bare. But now that I've got the opportunity to experiment in the kitchen and build up an arsenal of recipes, I've enjoyed it thoroughly. Thus the title of the blog: Cooking A.C., or, Cooking After College.
The purpose of this blog is primarily for myself: a place to record my culinary trials and tribulations, archiving the various recipes I attempt and preserving the memory of how succesful each was.
I actually never did a lot of cooking growing up, and so by the time I graduated college and had a proper kitchen for the first time, my culinary toolbox was pretty bare. But now that I've got the opportunity to experiment in the kitchen and build up an arsenal of recipes, I've enjoyed it thoroughly. Thus the title of the blog: Cooking A.C., or, Cooking After College.
The purpose of this blog is primarily for myself: a place to record my culinary trials and tribulations, archiving the various recipes I attempt and preserving the memory of how succesful each was.
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