Thursday, November 17, 2011

Awesome Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue

Yawn!!!! Just kidding. I'm still here. I've been working behind the scenes on a few things. I hope to have an update soon. In the meantime, here's the recipe for that Awesome Slow Cooker BBQ I mentioned. I've had quite a few of you asking for the recipe so here it is. I'm not sure who gave this to me but it is awesome!

Ingredients:
6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 12 oz. bottle of your favorite bbq sauce
1/2 cup of Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 T. Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
Place chicken in the slow cooker.
In a bowl mix the other ingredients. Then pour the mixture over the chicken.
Cover and cook for 3-4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on low.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Earthquakes, Hurricanes and Tweets! Oh my!

Oh! What a crazy week it was! The Kid's first day of school was interrupted by a 5.9 earthquake leaving me shaking in my boots and Kid declaring it the "best first day of school ever!." Just a short 5 days later, Hurricane Irene decided to visit us for a sleepless night when I watched the big trees in my backyard as any overprotective mother would. So, what did I do during this nerve-wracking week? I cooked. I revisited some of my favorite Jamie recipes and made Chicken Tikka Masala (pg. 82)and Pot-Roast meatloaf. The easy indian dish wasn't a huge favorite the first time I made it but I have learned a thing or two since then and I love how hearty and easy it is to make during the week. Once I knew the hurricane was definitely headed our way, I knew I needed some good comfort food for the weekend. The first thing I thought of was pot-roast meatloaf. This is one of my all time favorites from my food revolution adventure, I even taught it during my first cooking class in January. It was the perfect dish for the rainy Saturday leading up to Irene.

In the middle of all of this, a lot was going on in my food revolution. Not only did my article post but I got a tweet from Jamie ("Lovin what my girl Amy is doing! jx") AND was declared a Food Revolution Hero on his website. I cannot even tell you how excited I was! I feel like I was finally able to thank him and as a bonus I got a huge thumbs up as well. I owe a huge thank you to Janey at jamieoliver.com for all of her help and encouragement.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/us/foundation/jamies-food-revolution/heroes

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Look at me!

My quest to thank Jamie Oliver for all he did for me is now complete! Last week I received an email asking me to write an article for his website and it is up today. Check it out and don't forget to sign Jamie's petition while you are there.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Taking the Wind Out of My Sails?

So, I know that I haven't written in a while and I'm sure some of you are wondering why. Did she go back to take-out and tacos? Did her computer fall out the window? Did the baby spill milk on it? Is she even alive? Well, I must say there are a couple of things that have just taken the wind out of my cooking sails and now I must 'fess up I guess.

The first is just that cooking in the summer is just tough. A terrible confession I hate to admit. I love the farm fresh tomatoes and corn of the summer and my family has always been able make a meal out of a simple trip to the roadside veggie stand. I think too that the carefree days of summer mean pulling together something at the last minute so you can have just a little more time at the beach or poolside. That doesn't mean though that I've fallen victim to TOO much take out. We've had lots of grilled fish and chicken and I even did a yummy pulled BBQ in the crock pot a few times. I have also remade a few of the Food Revolution recipes, a couple of the curries and also the salmon tikka. I remember this happening last year too at the beginning of my cooking revolution which, if you've been reading along, had me way behind by the end and I was playing a frantic game of catch up. So, maybe I should give myself a bit more credit. While sliced tomato and corn with some grilled chicken isn't a gourmet meal, it is a fresh healthy dinner on the table.

The second reason is that my writing time was completely thrown off this summer, another thing I blame on the time of year. My weekly writing time just wasn't happening, with school being out it just wasn't that quiet around here. But even though I haven't written I did teach another cooking class and I've gotten quite a few emails from friends and blog followers about recent recipes that they've tried. That's pretty cool!

So, maybe I haven't been as stuck as I thought. All summer friends, family and fans asked, "are you still cooking?" and "what are you going to do next?" And that is where the decision lies. Do I cook my way through another book? Teach more classes? What would be the next course of action in my revolution?

In the meantime, while I try to decide this next course of action, I still think all the time about how just over a year ago I couldn't cook at all. Look how far I've come! I went from pawning off the cooking duties to my dear husband to teaching cooking classes at Whole Foods. How amazing is it that in just 365 days, a celebrity chef and one of his cookbooks got me that far? Which reminds me, I'd still love to have the chance some day to thank Jamie for teaching me to cook.

So maybe the wind hasn't gone out of my sails….maybe I've just been anchored for awhile admiring the view.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

"Complications arose, ensued, were overcome."

 "Complications arose, ensued, were overcome."
...Captain Jack Sparrow


That quote sums it up. The quick update is that I haven't stopped cooking, the writing just fell by the wayside for a bit. But, I promise to catch you up on all of my latest adventures. There will soon be updates on my second cooking class at Whole Foods, what recipes I've tried again and an update on my quest to thank Jamie Oliver. I will also give you my take on the current season of the Food Revolution TV show as well as my upcoming plans for Amy's Food Revolution. So, don't leave me now! You won't want to miss what comes next.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

NEWS

Good morning!

Today is an exciting day. Tonight is the premiere of season 2 of Food Revolution.
ABC, 8 p.m.
Be sure to watch!

Also, my second cooking class at Whole Foods in Annapolis is just under a month away, Tuesday, May 10. This will be a hands-on cooking class. Below is the link. They have the wrong description up so here's the correct one. I hope you can come.

http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/annapolisculinary/store-calendar/


Tuesday, May 10th
Amy and Jamie - Amy's Food Revolution, Final Days!

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Hands On $50

AMY AND JAMIE

A year ago, Amy, a reluctant cook, started a Food Revolution in her own kitchen by cooking her way through Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution cookbook and blogging about the adventure. Its been 365 days, did she make it? Did she cook all 173 recipes? What did she learn and what can you learn from her adventure? Come meet Amy, hear her story and learn to make some of Jamie Oliver's recipes.

Amysfoodrevolution.blogspot.com

Recipes:
Sweet Potato and Chorizo Soup
Lasagne
Fruit Scones

One last thing...Amy's Food Revolution website is now on Facebook. Check it out and "like" it :)

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Do I Know How to Cook Now?

Reading back at my first blog entry there are a few things my pre-revolution self thought I should be able to do. If someone asked me "What do you mean you can't cook?" These are the examples I would give as to things I thought a "good" cook should be able to do.


1. Make something without a recipe. I think my exact words were "there is no way I’d be able to browse the aisles and come up with something without a recipe."

2. Have a go-to meal that I made to give away. Like when your friend is sick, has had a loved one die or to welcome home a new baby. I remember having this conversation with two friends in particular and I was baffled and felt like this was something I needed to be able to do.

3. Know how to roast a chicken.

4. Have a couple of dishes that I just know how to do that don't involve a jar of pasta sauce or tortilla shells and taco seasoning.

So, I decided to test out #1. I went to the grocery store with no list, no recipe and the baby in tow. I picked up chicken breast, a butternut squash (something I never would have bought pre-revolution) and some broccoli.

When I got home, I cubed the butternut squash, tossed it with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, two cloves of garlic, a dash of cinnamon a little bit of brown sugar. I put them on a baking sheet, put them in a very hot oven (400 I think) and roasted them for about 20-30 minutes.

For the chicken I cut them into tenderloins, rubbed them with sea salt, pepper, and squirted a little lemon juice on top. Then I grilled them in my awesome grill pan.

I served the squash and chicken with some steamed broccoli and it tasted really good. It wasn't a super fancy meal but I made it up and it tasted great. I would never have been able to do that a year ago.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

FAQs

I thought I'd take a minute out from my cooking adventures to answer some frequently asked questions. Let me know if you have anymore…

The #1 question I get asked is…
Q: Did you gain weight?
A: No. I didn't! I actually lost weight.  Although, Husband would say he gained a pound during the last week because we were eating so much.

Q: If you were inspired by the movie Julie & Julia why did you pick a Jamie Oliver book? Why not Julia Child? 
A: I knew that with the two kids (ages 8 & 2) that French cooking was not going to go over well and I really needed my family to buy into my revolution too. I also knew that I needed to find something with a more manageable number of recipes. That being said, I didn't count the recipes until after I had bought Food Revolution.

Q: Why Food Revolution and why Jamie Oliver?
A: My first blog entry, The Missing Ingredient, does a much better job telling the story but the back of the book and introduction that I flipped through at the bookstore really just hit me and I could really relate to what Jamie wrote. Why Jamie? Why not? Honestly, I wasn't a Jamie fan at the time I was looking for a book. I had seen him on morning shows but that was about it. I had never seen any of his cooking shows. I owned one of his books but I had never even cracked the spine on it. The Food Revolution show started about a month after I started. But, I quickly became a fan and eventually, my whole family did too. I think the kids think he is a long lost uncle or something.


Q: Could you really not cook?
A: Yes, I could really NOT cook. I called my mom and dad all the time to walk me through making things. When I say that I couldn't boil water for pasta, I am not joking. My husband did most of the cooking. I could make scones, smoothies and a pot roast (but only with about 10 calls home.)

Q: Did you really make all of the recipes?
A: Yes. I have the spreadsheets to prove it. 

Q: Had you ever written a blog before?
A: No.

Q: Are you a writer?
A: No. Some writing is required for my job but not the fun, creative kind.

Q: Why did you call your blog "Amy's Food Revolution?" Why not something more clever?
A: I wanted search engines to know that the blog was about food. Also, when I started the project, remember it wasn't really about Jamie. Two of my favorite blog titles that were rejected: "Amy & Jamie" (this one is now used for my cooking classes) and "Amy Does Jamie" (rejected by my husband. He says because of the search engine reason, I'm not so sure.)

Q: How in the world did the Whole Foods Cooking Class come about?
A: In Food Revolution's introduction Jamie asks that you sign a "Pass It On Pledge" and teach friends what you learn. I mentioned this in one of my posts and also the fact that I wanted to have a cooking party. SO many people said they wanted to come that I started to look for places to have this party since I knew they wouldn't all fit in my kitchen. When I talked to the manager of the culinary center at my local Whole Foods and asked if I could rent the space for a party she said, "Would you be interested in teaching a class?" She thought a lot of customers were in the same boat as me and that they would find my adventure interesting. 

Q: How did you pick the order of the recipes?
A: I didn't really plan it out. There were some weeks that I'd plan out that Sunday for the week. Then there were some that I knew way in advance for example, cabbage for St. Patrick's Day, scones for the Valentine's Day tea for my daughter and the birthday cake for me. There were also many days when I flipped through the book, picked something out and went to the store that day.

Q: When and where would you write?
A: Most of the time I did all of my writing at a local coffee shop while my daughter was in dance class. This wasn't ideal and it meant the blog was about a week behind most of the time but it was usually the best I could do. I'd write all of the entries from the week before on Monday evening and then just post them one at a time through the week.

Q: Do you have a favorite food blog?
A: Yes! www.organicspark.com by Molly Chester.

Q: What was your favorite recipe?
A: Easy. Sweet Potato and Chorizo soup

Q: What was your least favorite?
A: Baked Leeks

Q: What recipe surprised you the most?
A: Fish Pie

Q: What was the hardest ingredient to find?
A: Believe it or not, red chiles. Jamie loves red chiles! They seem to be in everything. Grocers told me that there was some sort of shortage of red chiles. I had the worst time finding them. 

Q: What did you do the NEXT night?
A: We went out to dinner :)

Q: So, can you really cook now?
A: Well now isn't that the money question. I think that is what I'm trying to figure out. Did my Food Revolution work? Tune in tomorrow.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

My Final Exam


Saturday, March 5
Day 365 in my Food Revolution

On the Menu for the day:

For Lunch:


#168: Kedegree (pg. 288)


For Dinner:

#169: Roast Beef (pg. 192)
#170: Bread Sauce (pg. 210)
#171: Cauliflower Cheese (pg. 225)
#172: Yorkshire Puddings (pg. 209)

#173: Vanilla Cheesecake with Raspberry Topping (pg. 325)

It's my last day of cooking. I really can't believe it. I had focused so much on getting the recipes done this week that yesterday I realized that I hadn't invited anyone to my final exam dinner. I called my parents in a bit of a panic, "Wanna come over for my last dinner?" Despite the fact that they live two hours away, my awesome mom and dad dropped everything and drove over to my house the next morning to stay for the day.

When they arrived I was already working on lunch, Jamie's Kedegree on page 288. This is another recipe I've obviously put off until the end. Kedegree is a dish made of rice, fish, boiled eggs and its made with a curry paste. So you don't have to keep reading until this time next week, know that I made it in a flash, every morsel was eaten and raved about and I'd definitely make it again. There's a great youtube video of Jamie making a version of this and as he says, Kedegree is really great to make after a few days of lots of eating like Christmas or New Years so it turned out to be the perfect thing to make after our marathon week of cooking (and therefore eating).
Check out the video and let me know if you give it a try too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wPgabUBAuQ

In preparing for my final exam, I have read and reread these recipes several times. I got out an index card and planned out my timing just like my mom does the week of Thanksgiving. I had everything prepped, planned and ready to go and I worked through my plan like I had been training for this for like 365 days or something. I remained calm in a crisis ("Crap! The Roast Beef isn't done when its suppose to be!") and uncertainty (hmmm….how do I keep Dish A warm while Dish B & C cook) consulting my support system as they entertained the kids and checked on my progress throughout the day. It was a well executed "event" and I think if Jamie had been there to grade me I would have gotten an A.

The Roast Beef turned out great with lots of flavor and the bread sauce was a great topping in lieu of gravy. It was different than the other Roast Beef dinners that both my mom and dad have coached me through in the past and the fact that they were there meant the world to me. They have been so excited for me and I know they are two people that can honestly appreciate how far I've come this past year.

The Cauliflower Cheese wasn't my favorite of Jamie's side dishes but it was easy, everyone "tried something new" and seemed to like it quite a bit. It made me think about what good sports my kids have been along the way (especially the Kid) and that I hope the "revolution" not only taught them something about trying new things and taking on challenges but also that when you set a goal its important to finish it, even when the goal is just your own and not a school or work deadline.

The Yorkshire Puddings seemed to be the bonus question on this exam and if you've ever tried to make them you'll know what I mean. You need to be on your toes and be ready for anything, as they are very delicate little suckers that need constant attention. There are times when you need to leave them alone and times when they need very quick action on your part. Honestly, the yorkshire puddings are probably a bit like me during this whole experience and I imagine my husband was like the careful baker that knew just what to say and when to say it. He knew when to swoop in and help as well as when I just needed to be left alone. He didn't sign up for this yet he prepped and chopped and washed more dishes than he has in his entire life not to mention all of the editing, tech support and being my staff photographer. He was the best solider in my Food Revolution and had my back every step of the way.

Sitting around the table and looking at what I had made, toasting to a Food Revolution that I started on a whim made me think about the rest of my friends and family that encouraged me, cheered me on and especially the ones that said, "You should do this! Its going to be great!" They believed in my idea more than I did and I'm so glad I listened to them.

I found myself thinking back to a lunch of yummy egg salad with a dear friend and co-worker a year ago. He was the very first one to hear my idea and his enthusiasm made me move forward and actually do it. Another friend and co-worker seemed to be one of the first to read every blog and would call or email me to let me know that she was reading and listening. She also surprised me and showed up at my cooking class. I am so lucky to work with them and it means the world to me that they are both such Amy fans.

My sister was one of my favorite guinea pigs who so many mornings called and asked, "What are you making today?" She softly egged me on even on days when I just didn't think I had time for my Food Revolution. She also did her share of chopping and baby-watching while I threw together a recipe for our lunch or dinner. I gave her a copy of Food Revolution for her anniversary and she calls and tells me which recipes she's trying and what she thought of them.

My Friday walking buddy talked strategy and ideas and really helped me figure out my vision for the blog and how I wanted it to reflect me and what I was doing. She has been such an awesome sounding board and I couldn't have done this without her either.

My gardening neighbor supplied endless amount of fresh stuff from her little garden last summer and answered tons of "Do you have….?" runs down to my house. She even endured all of my cooking chatter even while battling morning sickness when the last thing she wanted to talk about was what I was having for dinner that night.

My college friends who don't live close-by anymore shouted and cheered from the rooftops so loud I could hear them hundreds of miles away. J…always the first to read my blog posts and my huge support in the Indian cooking department! K….my gentle editor and awesome cheerleader. S…one of my first followers and loyal readers.

The Vanilla Cheesecake with Raspberry Topping I started the day before by making the crust and finished Final Exam morning by making the filling with my trusty KitchenAid Mixer. This cheesecake was going to be the last recipe eaten and written about. #173. And while I mushed the raspberries for the topping I kept thinking about this last blog post and everyone that has been reading about my journey. I thought about the readers that were friends I had lost touch with and reconnected with through my stories, readers that I didn't know well that became my biggest fans, ones that did a little PR for me and got their friends to read and the loyal strangers, some of whom I still don't even know their real names.

Friends like P…we met on our honeymoons 10 years ago and really had just exchanged Christmas cards and an occasional anniversary card. I found out that she was just like me! She didn't cook either and really wanted to. One of my highest moments of this journey was getting an email from her saying that I had inspired her to cook!

Or E…another one of my followers, married to my post-college roomy, who seems to read all of my posts and comment. We have never had the chance to spend a lot of time together and having him follow so closely and let me know he was reading was a great chance to get to know him better.

Or M….a neighbor and one of my most frequent commenters who always kept me in check and asked great questions about the recipes, substitutions, and where to get ingredients. She was always a good reminder that ultimately it was about the cooking.

Luckiest1…another blogger in Canada, who is also cooking through Jamie's cookbooks. She has been a great support and I don't even know her real name!

Danny…Jamie's web editor who shocked me with his email when he actually wrote back and has been such an awesome cheerleader all year. Having him validate what I was doing and send his "You Go Girl!" support was a huge motivator that got me through this year.

Cindy….the reporter who did a story on me and quickly became a good friend. During the last few weeks when I was having trouble getting the rest of the writing done her "So did you make it?" messages kept me going.

There's like 50+ more of you I need to thank for reading but I'm afraid if I keep writing the 'thank yous!' you'll stop reading! So…I'll continue.

We sat down to eat the cheesecake and I was so happy that I had done it, so sad that it was over and for the VERY first time since it had began 365 days ago I thought….

"I wonder what Jamie Oliver thinks."

And then I thought….

I need to thank him.

So now the recipes are cooked but I feel like I'm not done yet. Did I do what I set out to do? Can I cook better? People all year have been asking me if I thought Jamie Oliver was reading my blog and I always thought that I didn't care. I wasn't really writing it for him but now that I realize how much he's taught me, I feel like I need to know. So I hope you'll keep reading. After 173 recipes and 365 days I still feel like there is a bit more to do and I hope you'll see what happens next.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Fish Pie Gets a Public Relations Makeover

2 Days Left….

March 4, 2011: I have today and tomorrow. That's it. Today I am tackling Fish Pie (pg. 285)and also the first part of Jamie's Vanilla Cheesecake which will be the dessert for my final meal tomorrow night. I'll tell you all about the cheesecake tomorrow. Let's talk about Fish Pie.

Fish Pie. This is one I have NOT been looking forward to making. Pie is for sweet. Pie is for apples or berries. It is not for fish. My last meal tomorrow is made up of recipes that I have “saved” for the last meal, the fish pie recipe has been "put off until the end."  It just didn't sound good to me. I have even put it off for a night when I know I'm not going to be eating it. My plan is to make it for Husband and walk right out the door for a fundraiser. I will not be eating this Fish Pie thing.

I start putting it together. I peel and boil some potatoes for the topping. I grate some carrot, celery and cheese into the bottom of a casserole dish. As I'm mixing in the shrimp and the white cod I'm starting to get a better sense of what this fish pie is all about and now it is starting to actually sound good. I can hear Jamie laughing at me again! It is now that I realize the real problem with Fish Pie, its name. It really just needs a good PR person. Have I mentioned before that I'm a Public Relations professional? So, this Fish Pie is in luck. Let's rename it Seafood Casserole. There. Doesn't that sound better? Its a yummy seafood casserole with veggies, cheese, shrimp and nice white flaky fish topped with mashed potatoes. How could anyone not want to eat that? I ended up stealing a few bites before I left and I loved it. I know my family will be enjoying SEAFOOD CASSEROLE for many years to come.

Recipes cooked: 166
Recipes left: 7
Days left: 2

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/fish-pie?clicked_from_search_results=true&query=fish%20pie

Saturday, March 19, 2011

3 Days Left…

Wednesday, March 2….Recipe #165: Aloo Gobhi.

Aloo Gobhi (pg. 88) is a vegetarian curry dish, made with cauliflower and potatoes. This was the second vegetarian curry dish in the book and Husband and I were once again really surprised at how filling it was. I'm really trying hard not to think about the fact that I still have eight recipes left to make and just 3 days to do it. Its Wednesday, I have to leave for an appointment as soon as Husband gets home and I'm cursing myself for not clearing my calendar during this last week of cooking. I'm also thinking of all of those summer nights, weeks even, where I skipped cooking. Summer procrastination has left me with lots of recipes to make and very little time before my deadline. I'm getting emails and phone calls from people asking, "What are you going to do next?" "Will you keep blogging?" At this point, I try to answer their questions but honestly, I can't even think about how I'll make it through the next three days. I start daydreaming about what the answer might be but pull myself back to reality. There is too much to be done before that happens. For once in my life, I'm having a hard time thinking ahead! So, I get started on my aloo gobhi.

Opening my Food Revolution cookbook I notice that it is starting to show a bit of wear and tear. I've taken this book everywhere and when it isn't in a coffee shop with me, on vacation, or in the car while I run into the grocery store, it sits on the kitchen counter. There are a few stains, the spine is getting pretty "bendy" and it really is well-loved. I've never had a well-loved cookbook! It feels good. The picture of the Aloo Gobhi is quite pretty and Jamie even writes in his introduction, "It's a really delicious combination of potato and cauliflower with spices, and it gets its gorgeous yellow color from the turmeric that is used to flavor it." On day 362, I agree with him! It is gorgeous! I'm not sure a year ago I would have said that a curry was pretty but I look at the picture (and eventually what gets to my kitchen table) and I think, "That's some good-lookin' food." In addition to being pretty, its not too hard to make either, once you get passed all of the potato peeling. One interesting thing about this recipe is that it ends up going in the oven for the last 20 minutes of cooking. So, with it doing its thing in the oven, I leave instructions for Husband to take it out when the buzzer goes off and I run out the door to my appointment. And now we officially have just two days to go….

Recipes cooked: 165
Recipes left: 8
Days left: 3

Friday, March 18, 2011

New Beginning Soup

I distinctly remember last March when I started my Food Revolution looking at this recipe, Spring Vegetable and Bean Soup (pg. 128), on the first day of spring and thinking that I should make it. But, making soup seemed like it would be so hard then and I decided to skip it. Now, its March 1, just 361 days later, and spring is just around the corner. I have just four days left in my adventure and soup doesn't phase me one bit. "They" say that spring is a time of rebirth, renewal, new beginnings and I definitely am looking at a new beginning as this spring approaches. What a great year I've had! I'm excited for spring this year. Even though this adventure is coming to an end, I know the new beginning of something else is just around the corner.

Happy Spring!

Recipes cooked: 164
Recipes left: 9
Days left: 4

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

#163 is all me

Monday, February 28, 5 days to go….Mondays are so busy. I knew I wouldn't be able to get a lot done but I HAD to do one recipe. So, I picked the last salsa recipe in the book: Black Olive, Sun-Dried Tomato & Celery Salsa (pg. 275). I made a small batch just for myself at lunch time to go with some yummy crackers but I think this would be great with fish or chicken. After the last Olive Mutiny, I didn't even ask the family if they would like some. I just whipped it up quietly and ate it. If you love black olives and sun-dried tomatoes as much as I do, this is worth a try!

Recipes cooked: 163
Recipes left: 10
Days left: 5

Monday, March 14, 2011

Holy Mackerel! Its Fancy Tunafish!

(Sorry for the radio silence…back to your regularly scheduled blog entry….)

February, 27, 2011, Oscar Night…6 Days Left

To send good vibes to our favorite for Best Picture, The King's Speech, I decided to make Beef & Onion Pie (pg.177), a traditional English dish that I'm sure Colin Firth eats. But, before I started working on dinner, we needed to deal with lunch. Actually, it was going to be a very big cooking day. I guess you could say it was my Oscars of cooking days. Since it was my last whole weekend of cooking I really needed to crank out at least three recipes today. So, for lunch I made the family Jamie's Sweet and Sour Pork on page 65. It cooks really fast and you need to be completely ready before starting to cook. While I started my marathon of cooking, Husband started his marathon day of dish-washing. He already seemed to be dragging a bit from keeping up with me yesterday and I felt kind of bad that it was starting again already. I also hadn't broken the news to him at how many recipes I was going to do that day.

After lunch was cooked, eaten and cleaned up, I got going on the beef & onion pie. The pie filling was a cinch to make and I felt like I could almost guess what Jamie was going to say next, it followed similar techniques as some of his other recipes. The one thing that threw me was that I didn't do a good job reading through the recipe beforehand to gauge how much time I would need. I just saw "40 minutes" under the "To make your pie" section and totally missed the hour that the beef filling had to cook in the "To make your beef filling" section. Once I realized it, I sent Husband, Kid and the Baby out to eat. They have been good soldiers and there was no reason for them to starve on my account. Also, after eating our crazy menu for the week, I think they were quite excited to get out of there!

After I got the pie filling bubbling away on the stove, and the family was out of the house, it was time to prepare the recipe I was least excited about. Now the other bumps in my food revolution have all been about not being brave enough to prepare the recipe, but in all of these cases I knew once I could get the courage to do the cooking, the food would get eaten. For Recipe #161 I wasn't sure anyone, including me, would eat it. Yes, we're talking about Smoked Mackerel Pate on page 282. So, I decided making half of the recipe was the way to go. To get me through this I kept thinking of all of those Oscar Starlets that would be dining on some sort of fancy pate that night at all of their big Oscar parties. I turned to page 282 and read through Jamie's recipe.

Jamie writes, "This is such a lovely thing to eat. There's loads of goodness in the skin of the mackerel, so try to leave it on when you make this -- you won't really notice it once the fish is all chopped up."

I next skimmed over the ingredients: 10 ounces smoked mackerel, 4 scallions, 2 lemons, one 8 ounce bar of Philadelphia cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of horseradish, salt and pepper, ciabatta bread, 2 large handfuls of sprouts (for garnish). Then I read over the method and like a big, large brick, it hit me over the head. Its just fancy tunafish salad! Instead of tuna you are using the mackerel, cream cheese instead of mayo, etc. etc. Well, then, that doesn't seem so bad! I made it in no time and you know, once again, Jamie was right. It was pretty good. Husband got home with the kids and I was completely shocked when he tried some and liked it too. You know, at the end of a long cooking day, it was almost as good as winning an Oscar.

Recipes cooked: 162
Recipes left: 11
Days left: 6

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

FREAKOUT


7 Days left.
I'm stressed. Its Saturday, February 26. I have just one week left and still have 16 recipes to make. In addition to that, tomorrow is the Oscars and our efforts to see some of the nominees hasn't gone well. To add insult to injury it is my parents 39th wedding anniversary and I didn't get a card in the mail. I have just spent a fortune at the grocery store getting most of the ingredients for the next 7 days and my fridge is moaning at me to please stop shoving things into it. Looking back now I don't even remember really talking to my family on this particular day. Lunch, Chicken Chow Mein (pg. 60) was made in a fog (very yummy and easy but I should have added more chile). It was as if the magnitude of what I had taken on, how much I wanted to finish and just how hard that would be, had come crashing down on me and all I wanted to do was run and hide in a movie theater and hang out with Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon for a couple of hours. So, that's what I did. Knowing I had to make Salmon en Croute when I got home I still went to see True Grit, all by myself. After hiding from my self-inflicted assignment for a few hours on the western frontier I went home feeling a tad guilty that I had abandoned my family for the afternoon. Husband says, "If you don't finish EXACTLY on time, it would be okay. No one would know." I yell, "I would know! Don't say that anymore." As the words leave my mouth I think, I'm really losing it. Just like Julie Powell, I'm losing it. Only days before, I had just read the part in her book where she and HER husband have this same conversation. I hope he hasn't noticed that I just yelled at him and I carry on making Salmon en Croute, otherwise known as the recipe that got me back my mojo. Salmon en Croute ( pg. 291) is a ridiculously easy dish with results that make you look good, real good! Even though en croute has this lovely fancy french sounding name, Jamie's is very italian in flavor. Now I have nothing to compare this to, I'd never heard of en croute but doesn't it sound hard to make? It wasn't! First you roll out two sheets of puff pastry. Flour a cooking sheet and lay the rectangle of puff pastry on it. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper over a big piece of salmon and lay it, skin side down, on the pastry. Spoon some olive tapenade paste over top the salmon and then layer basil leaves, tomato slices and pieces of fresh mozzarella over top. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Gather up the sides of the pastry and pinch and push them together and then brush some egg overtop. You pop it in the oven and just 35 minutes later you have a very impressive looking dinner. Mine looked better than the picture in the book and I gave myself a good pep talk, "See Amy, you can do this!"


Recipes cooked: 159
Recipes left: 14
Days left: 7

Recipe #157

Parsnip & Ginger Soup (pg. 139)

smelled great. strong taste. maybe a little too strong.

The fact that I had no idea what a parsnip looked like a year ago, much less what it tasted like, I'm proud that I threw this together like it was nothing.

I found the recipe online at the Denver Post...

http://www.denverpost.com/food/ci_13651791

Recipes cooked: 157
Recipes left: 16
Days left: 9

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Kicking and Screaming Curry Pastes

The most dreaded page for me in Jamie's Food Revolution has always been "Easy Homemade Curry Pastes" on page 99. So, please imagine me being dragged to the kitchen kicking and screaming while you read this. I have looked at this page at least one hundred times in the last 346 days and each time I looked at it I first heard the sound "cha-ching" because I was sure the ingredients would empty my kids college savings accounts. The second thing I heard was my own voice saying, "Why would I want to do this when I can find a perfectly good jar of curry paste on the shelf at the grocery store?" Just like the Roast Dinner chapter, this was one part of the adventure that was very intimidating. But since we have just 9 days left, it was time to stop the kicking and screaming and get on with it.

To help the "cha-ching" problem I headed to Whole Foods with my gift card that I got for teaching my class in January. I did a little research about freezing curry pastes and I decided I would take a day and just crank them all out, freeze them and actually have things in my freezer besides frozen waffles, peas and ice cream.

Like my first roast dinner, it turned out to be just as easy as Jamie said it would be and I was dead wrong. I don't know what I made all of that fuss about and I could hear Jamie having a good laugh over my drama. It was still a bit pricey to buy things like almond flower and lots of unusual spices but, once I got the ingredients home, the pastes were easy and quick to make. All of the pastes are made with the same method: you toast some seeds in a dry pan, mash them up with a pestle and mortar, put them and the rest of the ingredients into a food processor and whiz them around until they form a paste.

It really didn't take to long to make them all and then I used the Rogan Josh paste to make the Rogan Josh Lamb curry (pg. 81) for that night and it was really good. Another recipe in the same chapter is Vegatable Bhajis (pg.92 )which are kind of like a Indian veggie hash brown. I also took a portion of the rice and used it to make spicy chile rice (pg. 96). I'm way too much of a spice wimp to ever make this again. I feel like the rice helps to cool down your mouth so making the rice spicy too felt counter intuitive.

So, in one afternoon and evening I was able to make five paste recipes, one curry recipe, the last of the rice recipes and the Bhajis for a grand total of 8 recipes for the day! I popped the rest of the pastes into the freezer to use another time and let out a big "phew." I was super proud of myself!

Wow! I was shocked to find the whole page of curry pastes on Jamie's website! Very cool…check it out…
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/curry-recipes/easy-homemade-curry-pastes?clicked_from_search_results=true&query=curry%20pastes

149: Rogan Josh paste
150: Rogan Josh curry
151: Vegatable Bhajis
152: Korma paste
153: Jalfrezi paste
154: tikka paste
155:vindaloo paste
156: spicy rice

Recipes cooked: 156
Recipes left: 17
Days left: 9

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Crunchy Pasta

Pasta al Pangrattato (pg. 50) is an easy and different way to prepare pasta. I substituted tuna for the anchovies and it was a yummy, crunchy, protein filled dinner. The only downside was it did not get rave reviews from the peanut gallery. Maybe you'll like it better than they did, if you do, let me know and we'll have it for lunch one day….

Pasta Al Pangrattato
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution pg. 49


Serves 4-6

2 cloves of garlic

1-2 dried chiles, to your taste

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

4 slices of stale bread

sea salt

1 pound dried fusilli

8 anchovies in oil (I subbed a can of tuna)

1 lemon
To prepare you pasta
. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Finely chop your chiles. Pick the thyme leaves off the stalks. Slice the crusts off the bread and discard. If they’re dry enough, finely grate your slices of bread if not, break them up into small breadcrumbs with your fingers or give them a quick whiz in a food processor.
To cook your pasta
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the fusilli and cook according to the package instructions. Halfway through the cooking time, put a large frying pan on medium heat and let it get hot. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the oil from the tin of anchovies into the pan, let it get hot, then stir in your breadcrumbs. Add the garlic, chile, thyme leaves and anchovies (but not the remaining oil in the tin) and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring every so often, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Drain the fusilli in a colander over a bowl, reserving some of the cooking water in case you want to add a splash to loosen up the pasta. Add to the frying pan and stir well. Squeeze the juice of half the lemon over the pasta. Give the pan a shake. Have a taste, and if you think it needs a little more lemon, squeeze the other half over too.

Recipes cooked: 148
Recipes left: 25
Days left: 12

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Scary Banana

One of my last desserts is Banana Tarte Tatin (pg. 334). Jamie has a great video online (see the link below) of him making this dessert. The same night I made the Roast Lamb dinner I also decided to make this easy dessert. After the fire incident the week before, I was a bit reluctant and honestly, scared, to give this a try but we had the ingredients and I really needed to do some catching up. We are less than two weeks from my deadline and I still have quite a lot of cooking to do. So, I got my wits about me as Jamie might say, and I just got in there and did it. I watched the video again while I was stirring the scalding caramel on the stovetop and kept in mind all of his safety tips as I went along. It did turn out quite good and I was really proud of myself that I was able to flip it over just like Jamie does. VICTORY!! So, the only problem really is that Kid doesn't like bananas, Husband doesn't like Caramel and I ended up eating a lot of it myself. Oh, well. Calories don't count if they are for a good cause, right?

Recipes cooked: 147
Recipes left: 26
Days left: 13

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFjzLMb_36k

And here's the recipe on his website….

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/banana-tarte-tatin?clicked_from_search_results=true&query=banana%20tarte%20tatin

Monday, February 28, 2011

Silence About the Lambs

I'll never forget one night when the Kid was about 4 and we were having Tilapia for dinner. She loved the stuff and we grilled it quite a bit that summer along with some roasted veggies. One of these nights, while we were eating it out on the patio, husband said, "Can you pass the fish?" She said, "Daddy, its not fish, its tilapia." It was also the summer that she loved the movies Finding Nemo and Cars and I guess we had just never really had that talk with her that "tilapia" was Nemo's cousin and as they say, "what you don't know, can't hurt you" (or create drama that your mama has to deal with.)

Remembering this story last week, I was feeling a bit nervous about how I was going to tell her what was for dinner that night, Roast Lamb (pg. 200). Now we've had a few other lamb recipes but somehow the fact that lamb was in it just never came up. I guess I also hesitate a little at the thought of eating the cute little fuzzy baby sheep and maybe a bit of this thinking that she'll "freak out" is really just me projecting some of my own feelings onto her.

What happened next is quite surprising. I have this cool cookbook stand and I've gotten in the habit of opening the Food Revolution book to the page of the next recipe and sitting it on the counter. The Kid spotted what we were having and kept saying it over and over again. "Mom, when will the lamb be ready?" "Mom, what does lamb taste like?" Each time she did I corrected her and said, "Let's just call it roast, please?" So maybe she doesn't have as much trouble with this as I do. The "Roast" was prepared like all of the others in this chapter and it turned out so, so good. Kid LOVED it (shocking right?), she even had a second helping. Husband loved it too. To go with it, I made Mint Sauce (pg.210) and Baked French Potatoes (pg. 224). The Mint Sauce was fine but mine seemed to turn out a bit more watery than Jamie's. The Baked French Potatoes were surprisingly tasty and reminded us of french onion soup.

I'm shocked at how much my family loved this dinner. I definitely underestimated the Roast Lamb. I think I was also reminded of an important parenting lesson, don't make your "stuff" into their "stuff."

Recipes cooked: 146
Recipes left: 27
Days left: 13

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Curry by a Klutz

Haven't we all had one of those days where you feel like the biggest klutz in the world? One of those days where everything you touch drops to the floor and every time you lift your foot to take a step you trip? I have a lot of these days. I imagine my mother could see that being a klutz was going to be a problem so when I was 4 years old she put me in dance class. But, after 24 years of ballet and then 10 years of yoga I still have some pretty rough days in the klutz department. The day I made Jamie's Thai Green Curry (pg. 91) was one of those days. Everything I touched I dropped, every time I stirred the curry there was a spatter. It's amazing I sat down to the dinner table with all fingers and toes intact. The shame of it is that this is a really easy recipe and the fact that it is loaded with green stuff made the mom in me feel extra happy. Of course that was a bit overshadowed by the fact that I made such a huge mess making it and that I had made a really easy recipe rather difficult.

Even the grocery shopping seemed easy. I bought asparagus, a pound of frozen shrimp, a can of coconut milk, scallions and some lemongrass. The only spice I didn't have on hand was coriander seeds so I bought those too. The other ingredients: peanut oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, snow peas, a lime, garlic, a piece of ginger and cilantro I seem to usually have in my kitchen now. This would not have been the case a year ago but my grocery shopping seems to have gotten to the point now where I always have certain things on hand or at least seem to know when I need them even when they are not in a recipe.

To make the curry paste you combine the peeled and crushed lemongrass stalks, trimmed scallions, garlic, ginger, seeds and cilantro in a food processor until it is finely chopped. (Jamie also calls for green chile but I omitted this in hopes that the kids would eat it if it wasn't too spicy. When I make it again, I will add the chile). It smells so good! That lemongrass is really cool stuff! While chopping, add the soy sauce and fish sauce and keep mixing until it becomes a smooth paste.
After your paste is made, snap the ends off the asparagus and slice lengthwise. I would cut them in half too. In a pan on high heat add the oils and when they are hot add the shrimp and then the asparagus and paste. Pour in the coconut milk and snow peas and bring to a boil. Squeeze in the lime juice and you're done.

Doesn't it sound easy? Now insert into the above paragraph several splatters, a dropped knife that missed my toes by an inch, an emergency trip to the store because my cilantro was yucky, a near boil over and you'd see how I made this easy recipe way too difficult.

Recipes cooked: 143
Recipes left: 30
Days left: 16

Monday, February 21, 2011

Valentine's Day Part 2

About a week before Valentine's Day I was at the pharmacy with the Baby waiting for a passport picture to be ready. I was really frustrated and not having a good day. It was our second (of three) attempts to get passport pictures and I was tired of dealing with incompetent high-school drop-out teens who were wasting my time and money. This guy was better than the first but he was understaffed and I was starting to lose my patience with him too. Baby had earlier in the week started this thing where he wants to do everything "I myself." I was getting a lot of "You stay her mommy, I do it I myself." This is fine except when we're in a store. Since we had some time to kill I thought I'd give him a bit of space and see where he thought he wanted to go. He wandered down an aisle and again said, "I be right back mommy, I do it I myself." "What are you doing, honey?" "I getting Mommy present." He came back with a little box of Whitman's chocolate with a football on the front of it. I practically started bawling right there and of course I bought him, I mean me, the very special present. I was still gushing at what my little romantic had done that day when Husband came home. "Hummphf!" he grumbled. I think he felt like this 2 year old was showing him up a bit. You could tell he was feeling a bit of pressure for the upcoming holiday and the next day I had a "First Day of Valentine's" note and 1 cookie. This went on all week: two movie tickets, three chocolate hearts, 4 Shakespeare sonnets, 5 StarBUCKS, 6 roses and 7 love songs. It was so sweet but by the end of the week, as February 14 drew closer, I was now the one feeling some pressure. So, Valentine's morning I gave husband an invite to dinner. When he brought the kid home from dance class that night, the baby was in bed and the kid turned into a hostess and seated him at our dining room table. She gave him the evening's menu and served him water and a bread basket while I finished preparing Spanish-Style Steak (pg. 235) and Posh Chopped Salad (pg. 122). Then, I plated the dinner, took off my apron and snuck around to the front door so Kid could seat me too. While we ate the yummy steak and salad, Kid serenaded us on her violin and then put herself to bed. She loved helping and later told us it was the best night ever.
So, what started with a little box of chocolates ended up being a very fun and romantic week in our house.

Recipes cooked: 142
Recipes left: 31
Days left: 19

Valentine's Day Part 1

Valentine's Day Part 1
My mom started a tradition with the Kid of celebrating her half-birthday which falls on Valentine's Day. When she was small we'd order half a cake from the bakery. For the last three years, we've had a Valentine's Day Tea Party for her and her friends. They dress up and I serve a traditional English Tea. I love tea. I love scones and tea sandwiches and little sugar cubes (those cool little pincher things are always the hit of the party). I knew when I bought Jamie's book 11 months ago that the Fruit Scone recipe (pg.331)would be saved until Valentine's Day and the 3rd annual Tea Party for Kid. Scones are so easy to make. Before my cooking adventure they were the only thing I could make and not screw up. This recipe was nice, easy, and made delicious scones. I made them that morning and cooked them just before the guests arrived. We topped them with Jam and Whipped Cream and of course served with tea and some fresh fruit. Here's a link to the recipe I used. Give it a try…

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1076329/Fruit-scones.html

Recipes cooked: 140
Recipes left: 33
Days left: 20

Friday, February 18, 2011

Trial by Fire

I suppose it was bound to happen. There was a fire in my kitchen. I am usually a person that is good in tense or emergency situations but to say I lost my cool on this one would be an understatement. Let me start from the beginning…

I was making Broiled Trout Topped with Mustard and Oats (pg. 253) and Kid was helping me. We were doing great and it was a very easy prep. After drizzling a pan with olive oil you lay the trout fillets skin side down on the pan and season them with salt and pepper. Next, you smear a spoonful of Dijon mustard over each fillet. In a bowl you put a couple of handfuls of old-fashioned oats, drizzle with olive oil and toss, coating the oats in the oil. Sprinkle the coated oats over the fillets, give a pat and a last drizzle of olive oil. After this, we put our pan of trout in the oven under the broiler. Then next thing I knew something didn't seem right and I opened the oven door to check on the fish. Flames spewed out. And that's when I lost it. I won't embarrass myself anymore than that. I really, really lost my cool and everything that I knew I should do went out of my head. Husband came in, turned everything off and we waited for the fire to lose its oxygen supply and go out. When he finally took the pan out, I was still shaking.
"So, I guess we're ordering pizza?"
Husband scraped off the charred oats, checked the fish to make sure it was done and said, "No, it will be great!"
And it was!

Recipes cooked: 139
Recipes left: 34
Days left: 22

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

"Faked" Potato Soup

So, you know the trick where you mash up cauliflower to trick your family into thinking its mashed potatoes? I felt like this recipe accomplished the same thing. Cauliflower and Cheese Soup (pg. 136), once blended, makes a very close cousin to Potato Soup, add some crumbled bacon on top and they are almost like twins. My sister and I put this simple recipe together during their visit last week. It should have taken a short 20-30 minutes but with the two babies running around it took us double that to get it on the table. The good news was that we ate in peace and quiet while they were napping and had a nice sister chat…that never happens!

Recipes cooked: 138
Recipes left: 35
Days left: 23

Sunday, February 13, 2011

My Last 20-minute Meal

Well, not really but I did make the last one in that chapter, Spicy Moroccan Stewed Fish with Couscous (pg. 26). I was intrigued by this one because Jamie writes, "…a good thing to give the kids for dinner" and lets be honest, don't we all want to know what Jamie Oliver feeds his kids?
During my search to find the recipe online I found out that it was featured in Cooking Light this time last year, along with a story about Food Revolution. I need to go check it out!

Recipes cooked: 137
Recipes left: 36
Days left: 25

Spicy Moroccan Stewed Fish with Couscous pg. 26
Food Revolution by: Jamie Oliver

1 c uncooked couscous (I used whole wheat couscous)
3 T olive oil, divided
3 T fresh lemon juice, divided
3/4 t salt, divided
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 c boiling water
12 oz halibut (or another white fish or salmon), cut into large chunks
3/4 lb raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 t cumin seeds
3/4 t ground cinnamon
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 fresh hot red chili pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 c clam juice
1 14/5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 c frozen green peas
First, prepare the couscous: Place couscous in a medium bowl; add 1 T oil, 2 T lemon juice, 1/4 t salt, and 1/8 t pepper. Pour boiling water over couscous; cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork before serving.
Next, prepare the seafood: Sprinkle 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t pepper over fish. Toss shrimp with 1/4 t salt.
Then, prepare the stew: In a large skillet, warm 3 T oil over medium heat. Add cumin seeds, cinnamon, garlic, and chili pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, then layer the following ingredients: fish, shrimp, and tomatoes. Cook for 5 min. Add peas and cook for 5 more min.
Serve the stew over couscous and enjoy!

Friday, February 11, 2011

30 days hath September…

You know the rest. April, June and November. All the rest have 31 except February. Right. Except February! Why does the last month in my journey have to be the shortest? That being said, I need to be in the kitchen, people! No time for typing today so let's get on with it….

Yesterday I made the last stew recipe. I really loved these recipes and making them in the winter was super special. I know that I will make these again and again. Hot, yummy stew warms you up like no other. This one was Pork & Cider (pg. 180) and I made the Pastry Lid (pg. 184) as a topping. I really liked this one. I used Woodchuck Pear Cider and it was so mild and went perfectly with the pork. The pastry lid took a bit of extra work but it was worth it. It turned out great.
The original recipe is on Jamie's website. To make the pork & cider variety replace the beef with 1 pound of diced stewing pork, use 3 sprigs of sage as your spice and 2 cups of medium-dry hard cider in place of the ale. Cooking time is 2 1/2 hours.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/beef-and-ale-stew-1

Recipes cooked: 136
Recipes left: 37
Days left: 26

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Amy Had a Little Lamb

This is about my first time cooking grilled lamb chops, specifically Jamie Oliver's Grilled Lamb Chops with Chunky Salsa on page 244 of Food Revolution. I hope it won't be my last but it was a bit stressful. The key, I am told, is to buy very good quality meat. I got mine at Whole Foods. Make sure it is a payday as it will be sure to put a dent in your wallet. I'm really not sure what made it so stressful because it really couldn't have been any easier, maybe it was the fact that I had invested so much money in these four chops! First you heat your grill pan until it is "screaming hot." Cut in half a red chile and two tomatoes and quarter a red bell pepper. Drizzle the lamb chops with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Next you put everything on the grill pan. Start the chops upright with the fatty edges down and start the veggies out on the perimeter with the cut side down. Jamie says that the chops should cook for about 4-5 minutes in total, turning every minute or so and giving them a good press each time you turn them. Here's where I got a bit nervous and wondered what I was doing wrong. My chops took 20 minutes to cook all the way through. I don't know if it was the cut of meat or my pan wasn't hot enough or both but in the meantime the rest of my dinner got cold. Now, the best part was this hot chunky salsa. After the chile, pepper and tomatoes have grilled and charred a bit take them off the grill pan and chop them all up (I did mine in a food processor to save time). Add a bit of olive oil and some basil to your hot salsa and serve on top of the lamb chops. It was delicious!

Recipes cooked: 134
Recipes left: 39
Days left: 30

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Brilliant Fish and Overconfident Rice

Pan-Fried Curried Cod on page 258.
This is a brilliant idea! Its quick, easy and would be a great thing to put on the table during a busy weeknight. Here's how easy:
Sprinkle about 3 Tablespoons of curry powder on a cutting board along with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Roll 2 chunky cod fillets around in the mixture until they are coated.
Put a pan on high heat and add a pat of butter and a "lug" of olive oil.
Lay the fillets in the pan skin side down. Cook a few minutes on each side, spooning the hot oil on top as you go.
Serve over rice with a spoonful of plain yogurt and some cilantro leaves sprinkled on top. Mmm! Good!

Now, to knock out another recipe I decided to make the garlic and nutmeg rice (pg. 96) to go with the curried cod. Well, it was a bit much. At first I thought that maybe the powerful flavors of the garlic and nutmeg were just the wrong pairing with the curried cod. But, the more I thought about it, I couldn't think of anything that would go well with it. It was like the rice, who should have been a "wingman," was too confident and overpowering for its own good and couldn't get along nicely with others. You know the type…wink. wink.

Recipes cooked: 133
Recipes left: 40
Days left: 32

Monday, February 7, 2011

Saucy with a Chance of Meatballs

My mother-in-law makes the best meatballs and pasta dinners. Its delicious and you can feel the excitement as we sit down around the big table to one of her famous pasta dinners. I have been putting off making Jamie's Meatballs and Pasta on page 151 because 1. it looked like a lot of work and 2. there's no way they could be better than hers. Well, I was right, on both counts. They did feel like a lot of work and they were good but not as good as my mother-in-laws.
1. My mom was visiting the afternoon I made the meatballs. It took three of us to make these probably because I wasn't prepared, got my hands messy and then needed to keep asking husband and my mom for help. I imagine that next time I'd be a bit better at it. Also, mine stuck really bad to the bottom of the pan. Jamie says put a pan on medium heat and maybe mine got too hot. In the beginning, I also had a really hard time maneuvering them around the pan without breaking them into pieces. Again, I should have looked at the pictures. Halfway through I noticed that Jamie moved them around the pan with a fork. I tried this and it worked so much better. So, if you try this, learn from my mistakes, lower the heat and use a fork as you move the meatballs around.
2. I have no idea how my mother-in-law does it but hers are much better. I imagine its a lot of practice, a bit of genetics (her mother was from Sicily) and a lot of love.

Here's the link on Jamie's website if you'd like to give it a try.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/meatballs-pasta-usa-version-imperial

Recipes cooked: 131
Recipes left: 42
Days left: 34

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Oscar the Grouch Soup

Remember how I told you that blending the previous soups was key to making them yummy and appetizing? Scratch that for this one. I should have know better and followed Jamie's lead by paying more attention to the pictures but I didn't. I ended up with something that looked the color of Oscar the Grouch and probably something that would have lived in his trash can. Don't get me wrong, Lentil and Spinach Soup (pg. 137) was just as tasty but blending the soup made it a bit of a mental challenge to eat. In Jamie's picture its colorful and looks fabulous, mine did not. It didn't really matter since it was just husband and I that ate it but I definitely made a "note to self" if I ever make this again, especially to give to someone.
Recipes cooked: 130
Recipes left: 43
Days left: 35

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Leftover Overload

You'll notice the two entries about my class doesn't mention any new recipes. The need to make one recipe a day and the amount of leftovers in the fridge is really catching up with me. I tried to come up with a few to check off the list that wouldn't require more tupperware and fridge space while we had a few "leftover" nights. Like the super sauces, the oils on page 276 are a huge life saver for quick dinners that aren't boring during the week when you are short on time. These oils can be put on meat or fish but you can also use them over salads, they're a cross between a flavored oil and a dressing. To help make my recipe quota for the week, most of them I've used as a dressing over salad on the side. The last two I had to make were the Asian oil (fresh ginger, 1 T. soy sauce, 1 lime, a few sprigs of cilantro, 1/2 chile and 6 T. olive oil) and Chile and mint (1 chile, few sprigs mint, 8 T. oil, 1/2 lemon). Since we were playing "empty the fridge" this week I made these to go over my salad at lunch time. Both were quite tasty and easy to whip up. I'll definitely make them both again to try on meat.
Recipes cooked: 129
Recipes left: 44
Days left: 38

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Newspaper Hunt

On the morning after my cooking class I got a message from a friend saying, "Great article in the Capital." What?!?!? I had answered some questions via email from a reporter but I had no idea it was out yet. I looked it up online and it was great! I was determined to find a hard copy. Oh, did I mention it was the day after the article was published? Oh, and did I mention it was a snow day and both kids were home!? Our first stop was the grocery store. No papers to be found. I asked at Customer Service and Marsha said, "Hey! Your picture was on the back of the paper! We thought that's why they went so fast!" Load both kids back in the car and head to the drug store. None. Drive down to the book store….none. Okay, the moms out there know what a huge effort this has been so far. I have gotten two kids in and out of the car, one is in a carseat, and slugged through the slushy ice three times now. Its getting to be lunch time and my brood is losing patience with me but I did buy them a little something at the book store to bribe them for one more stop. 7-Eleven. Oh, thank heaven for 7-Eleven. I pulled right up to the door and ran in. YES!!! 5 copies! I took them to the counter. The clerk asked, "You know those are yesterday's papers?" "Yes, its OK." "You want yesterday's papers?" "Yes, please." The guy behind me gives me a second look, "Hey! You're in the paper! I read that yesterday, great article." I'm so glad someone understands.

Here's the link…

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/fnw/2011/01/25-49/Mom-cooks-her-way-through-TV-chefs-cookbook.html

Monday, January 31, 2011

Cooking Class

In the introduction to Jamie's book, he challenges the apprentice cook to learn a recipe and then sign a "pass it on" pledge, promising that you will teach that recipe to a friend. Last year, soon after I started my food revolution, I thought a fun way to do this would be to have a cooking party. But, the more I talked about it, the more people wanted to come and the next thing I knew I was trying to figure out how everyone would fit in my kitchen. I started to make some calls to see if I could do it somewhere else and one of those calls was to my local Whole Foods. They have a culinary center and have classes and demonstrations in there weekly. My contact there, Frances, told me that they didn't really rent out the space but that my idea was very cool and asked what I thought about teaching a cooking class. I remember saying, "You got the part that I can't cook, right?" She thought it might be a great experience for their customers and it would help me fulfill the pass it on pledge. So, last Tuesday, my class was held. I was a bit nervous which is unlike me. I speak in front of people quite a bit so that part wasn't what was causing my insides to shiver. I was nervous about the cooking part. But, once I got there I met Robert who would be my helper for the evening. A graduate from the Culinary Institute of America, Robert had my back and I could tell. He made me feel right at home and I had a blast. I demonstrated three of my favorite recipes to my class: Quick Salmon Tikka with Cucumber Yogurt, Shrimp with Marie Rose Sauce and Pot Roast Meatloaf. It was fun to make these favorites again and everyone Oohh-ed, ahh-ed and MMmmmmm-ed there way through the evening. My class was a great mix of people and it felt as if my worlds were colliding that night. I'm so thankful that they all took the time to come. I had dear old friends and new friends, work friends and mom friends, new faces in the front that I was meeting for the first time and the face of my sweet husband cheering for me in the back. I guess I did well enough, Robert said I did great and they'd love to have me back!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Catch-up Cooking Retreat

Going to my mom and dad's is like a nice retreat. The small town where I grew up sometimes seems worlds away from the hustle and bustle of city/suburban life. Husband and Kid were on a long weekend trip and going to Grandma's house seemed like a perfect idea for me and Baby. The week had been a little rough in the cooking department. As of last Friday morning I had only made two recipes for the whole week. So, I warned my parents ahead of time that I would be doing a lot of cooking. They were super excited and totally willing to help out!

Friday:
On Friday I needed a quick and easy recipe and looked again at the sauce section of the cookbook. I knew the Bacon and Mushroom Cream Sauce (pg. 270) would be perfect. It would be quick and easy and we could put it over pasta. Husband isn't a huge fan of mushrooms and I knew he'd appreciate it if I made this without him. It was so, so good and just as simple as the other sauces. Another Super Sauce!

Saturday:
Since I was at home in my seaside town, I knew one recipe this weekend would involve seafood. I headed to my favorite seafood place and got some tuna steaks for Jamie's Italian pan-seared tuna (pg. 262). We couldn't believe how good this one turned out too!
Check out the link and give it a try:

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/home-cooking-skills/italian-pan-seared-tuna

Sunday:
Its Sunday morning and I'm still behind. I really like the stew recipe and I still have three more to make from that section, two toppings and one last stew. So, for dinner I picked the chicken and white wine stew again but this time put the hot pot topping (pg. 186) on it, which is like sliced potatoes. I thought it would be fun to make a dessert too since I hadn't done one in awhile and decided to make Jamie's Chocolate Fruit and Nut Tart (pg. 344) which also meant I could check off another recipe, the Sweet shortcrust pastry (pg. 346). This brought my weekend recipe grand total to 5!

Mom and Dad were such a huge help and I had a great time cooking for them. I think they were in a bit of shock that their daughter had made them so many meals. They were happy and I headed home very relieved that I had checked so many recipes off my list. Now it was time to get ready for my cooking class on Tuesday….

Recipes cooked: 127
Recipes left: 46
Days left: 41

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Interview Soup

I got an email from crofton.patch.com to interview me about my blog. We set up a time for the reporter, Cindy, to come over last Tuesday during the baby's naptime. She wanted to also get some photos of me in the kitchen starting dinner. I thought soup might be a good thing to do since it would be rather photogenic and decided to make Cauliflower & Cheese Soup. I made my list and headed to the store but when I got there I couldn't find any cauliflower. She was going to be there in just a few hours and I needed to get home so I racked my brain for something else to make. I remember I had mint in the fridge and thought of the pea and mint soup. It just goes to show you how many times I've looked at this cookbook. I picked up a few bags of frozen peas, a fresh bunch of carrots, some celery and headed home to make Pea and Mint Soup on page 132.
Cindy and I had a great talk, check it out…. Oh, and the soup turned out great too!

http://crofton.patch.com/articles/crofton-mom-is-on-a-quest-to-cook


Recipes cooked: 122
Recipes left: 51
Days left: 46

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Five Spice Powder Road Block

Asian Chicken Noodle Broth (pg. 37) is from the Twenty-Minute Meals chapter and Jamie says that it is "just like something you can get in a posh noodle bar." The pictures in the book for this are very tempting and I've been wanting to make this for a long time but there was one ingredient, Five-Spice powder, that created a major cooking road block. I couldn't find it anywhere and husband and I made several unsuccessful trips to every store I could think of and then eventually a second trip to one of them to score the missing ingredient. Mine did look a lot like the picture and it really was fast to make but I'm not sure I'm at the "posh noodle bar" level yet.
Recipes cooked: 121
Recipes left: 52
Days left: 48

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Mangled Mango

I made Jamie's Mango, Cucumber and Chile Salsa (pg. 272) for a party last Saturday. I was in charge of bringing Chips and Salsa. I chopped and mixed 10 minutes before I walked out the door. I cursed that mango the whole time. I do not like dealing with them but I love how they taste. They remind me of my honeymoon in St. Lucia where they are at every meal in abundance. I've watched quite a few "how-to" videos on how to deal with the contrary fruit and I understand the concept of how I should tackle it but I just can't seem to get the hang of it. Mine never look like they do in the videos, mine turn out to be a mangled mess. Despite my battles with the mango the salsa was bright, colorful and looked quite tasty. It was so hectic at the party that I didn't really get to taste it but it seemed to disappear so I hope that meant everyone liked it. I would like to make this one again and I think it would go really well on top of fish.
Recipes cooked: 120
Recipes left: 53
Days left: 49

Friday, January 21, 2011

Fish Cakes, Olives and Mutiny!

My revolution crew has been quite friendly and cooperative up until now. I really shouldn't complain. But last week, there was a mutiny onboard my Revolution ship.
Now I completely predicted that there would be some groaning to the evening's recipe, Salmon Fish Cakes (pg. 280). We're Marylanders, its crab cakes or no cakes! But, a deal's a deal so I whipped up some during afternoon nap and hoped for the best. I thought it would help if I made them when no one was watching me. Now, Jamie recommends that you serve the cakes with the Tomato, Basil and Olive Sauce (pg.269) which I still hadn't made and I had all the ingredients. I thought that would be a great way to check another recipe off the list and try Jamie's recommendation. So, its dinner time and everyone starts wandering around the kitchen.
"So, what's for dinner?" they asked. Without comment, I unveiled the fish cakes from the fridge, presenting them to the crew.
"Hmm. They look good," husband and kid both said. "How do you eat them? Like a sandwich?"
"Well," I said as I opened the cookbook, "we're actually going to make this sauce to put on top of them."
Practically in unison the two of them said, "No way. No olives."
"Really?" I ask.
"Really!"
Okay, so this crew has been with me for 315 days and have tasted 117 recipes and now they balk at black olives? I was shocked. I expected the salmon cakes to need some selling, not the olives. But, since I really need their support for another 50 days, I decided to throw the olives overboard and make the sauce without them.

The sauce and the fish cakes calmed the crew down and we set sail for our next port.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/fish-cakes

Recipes cooked: 119
Recipes left: 54
Days left: 50

Thursday, January 20, 2011

I LOVE SWEET POTATOES

I love sweet potatoes. Baked. Fluffed. Boiled. Grilled. You name it. I love them so much it's what I call my kids as a term of endearment, instead of say "Sweet Pea." Peas are great but they're no sweet potato. When I go out to eat, I always skim the menu first for the sides that come with each entree and I will order something based on if it has this fantastic veggie served with it.
I have been DYING to make Sweet Potato and Chorizo soup (pg.131) since I bought Jamie's book many moons ago. I hadn't made it yet because
1. I was waiting for the perfect cold winter day and
2. I needed to time it just right because unfortunately, no one else in my house shares my love of Sweet Potatoes.
Husband though does love spicy Chorizo sausage and I was hoping this would be my selling point. In order to make my recipe quota for the busy week I actually started making this soup at 8 o'clock at night. It was done in time for our 9 o'clock show. When I showed Husband what I was making he said, "Oh, I'll have a taste." Two bowls EACH later we had quickly promoted this recipe to our "favorites" list. It is amazing. We actually fought over the leftovers. He forgot to take his leftover portion to work and I ate it. And I didn't feel at all guilty about it.

Recipes cooked: 117
Recipes left: 56
Days left: 51

If you haven't tried a recipe yet, this one is a must….

Sweet Potato and Chorizo Soup
From Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
1 3/4 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade

olive oil

2 large carrots, peeled

2 celery stalks, sliced evenly

2 medium onions, peeled and rough chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

1 3/4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and rough chopped

7 ounces chorizo sausage, sliced

small bunch fresh parsley, fine chopped

1 heaped teaspoon Madras curry powder

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 fresh red chile, fine diced (This is just for garnish at the end, I bought very spicy sausage so I actually topped mine with either plain yogurt or grated cheddar and also some nutmeg)

Bring the stock to boil in a saucepan. Let it simmer on the back burner.
Bring a large pot to medium-high heat. Pour in the olive oil. Put all the chopped and sliced foods (all the veggies and the chorizo) into the hot oil. Add the curry powder and mix it all up. Cook until the carrots have softened but are not falling apart and the onions have turned a little golden, about 10 minutes.
Pour in the hot stock. Give the soup a stir and let it come to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup until the sweet potato is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Season the soup with salt and pepper. Stir. Taste. Season it to your taste.
Blend the soup with an immersion blender (easiest) or by pouring it into a large blender or food processor. This part is very important and totally "makes" the soup!
Jamie says top with diced chile and serve but I used some plain yogurt and nutmeg.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The Funny Pesto Story

The Kid sits beside one of her best friends (let's call her "U") for lunch nearly every day. Quite often she comes home and tells me that U's mom makes the best pasta ever! Now, I know U's mom does a lot of cooking and I imagine she's quite an amazing cook. I think there is no way I can ever live up to these expectations. After this happens a few more times I discover that it is Pasta with pesto. Okay, now we're getting somewhere. Next I find out that U has asked her mom to pack EXTRA pasta with pesto for the Kid the next time she makes it. So, I finally ask U's mom, "How do you make this amazing pesto?" She starts to laugh and says, "Its just out of a jar!"

So, this week, I MADE pesto. The Kid thought the fresh basil made the pesto a brighter green which she thought was "cool."
And guess what! At the end of dinner she said…
"Can we pack the leftovers in my lunch tomorrow?"
Smile.
Recipes cooked: 116
Recipes left: 57
Days left: 52

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Kabobs Got Me

Everyone pitched in and we assembled Jamie's Pork Kabobs (pg. 238) last week. Even though I followed Jamie's advice and made sure there was plenty of room in between each piece on the skewer I still couldn't manage to get them to cook all the way around and ended up taking them off to make sure they were done. They turned out great and I really liked the super easy rub that is used to make them but I felt a bit defeated that I needed to take them off the skewer. I will need to try this again sometime.

It looks like Jamie cooked the pork kabob recipe on Good Morning America last April, the recipe is on their site…

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=10190962

And a great video of Jamie making them…

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/video/jamie-oliver-prepares-pork-kabobs-10329806


I also had on hand the ingredients for creamy leeks (pg. 223). They just weren't our thing and sadly, this was the first in 115 recipes that we didn't fight over the leftovers.

Recipes cooked: 115
Recipes left: 58
Days left: 53

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Cold Mornings, Hot Fruit

Last weekend, I made Jamie's Stewed Fruit on page 319. There are so many great things about this recipe….

1. Its easy. Chop some fruit, put it in a saucepan with just a little water, add a bit of sugar to taste (Jamie suggests starting with just 2 teaspoons) and cook. And cook. And cook.
2. You can use whatever you have on hand. I used 3 pears, some frozen strawberries and added a bit of ginger.
3. It made my normally cold breakfast of yogurt and granola into a hot and comforting breakfast all week. It was so good I had a hard time sharing with the family.

Recipes cooked: 113
Recipes left: 60
Days left: 55

Friday, January 14, 2011

Gadget Awareness

I've been wanting to try the Evolution Carrot recipe on page 116 for quite awhile. Twice now, I was going to make it for an event but we ended up not going and it didn't get made. I love the Evolution recipes but this one was a bit intimidating because it involved grating a mess of carrots. I wasn't crazy about this idea. First of all, my cheap plastic grater broke and I haven't replaced it. So the other day when I was thinking about doing this recipe, I remembered that my food processor came with a grating blade. So, I pulled out the trusty manual. I got this 10 years ago for my wedding so I took it as a good sign when I realized I still had the manual. In no time, I had yummy, freshly grated carrots. Husband said, "Did you know it did that?"
With my most confident face I said, "Of course." ;)

Evolution Carrot Salad
pg. 116

After grating my carrots, the kid was anxious to help put the rest of it together. She picked the leaves off of the mint and cilantro stalks and she cut them up with my awesome Pampered Chef kitchen shears (gadget #38) so they were finely chopped. We tossed the herbs in with the carrots. The kid did the seasoning with salt and pepper and then helped count as we added 6 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Next comes the evolution part. Jamie then gives three more steps that you can do or not do depending on your tastes. Kid tossed in some sunflower seeds that I had just toasted on the stove and she also tossed in some chopped clementines. We stopped here but you could also add pieces of pappadams (yeah, I had to look up with those were too) and some feta or goat cheese. This was so fun to make together and the best part yet, she actually ate it!

Recipes cooked: 112
Recipes left: 61
Days left: 57

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Super Sauces

If you've been reading for awhile, you might have noticed that I talk a lot about the show "Max & Ruby." Now, if your life doesn't include children and your planet isn't inhabited with the likes of Elmo, Mickey Mouse and (god forbid) Barney than you may need a quick backgrounder on this brother and sister. First of all, they are rabbits. White rabbits. The older sister is school-aged, likes to be in charge and always thinks she is right. The younger brother is around toddler/pre-school age and he communicates mostly in actions not words. Ruby likes to be in total control of the situation, dictating what they play. She plays with Max when she is interested and ignores him when she has other agendas. Max usually is trying to get her to listen. After many attempts and despite the fact that Ruby thinks he is too little and she is smarter, Max ends up being right and helps to resolve the current dilemma. My son loves this show. Loves. Loves. Loves. We live Max and Ruby 24-7. Its kind of an obscure show. Its not the most popular but you know what, THIS IS HIS LIFE. Even at age 2, he can totally relate to this little white bunny because his sister, the kid, IS RUBY. And he IS MAX. Its quite adorable. The week before Christmas, he got an early Christmas present of three Max and Ruby books….Sunny Bunny Tales, Snow Bunny Tales and his favorite, Super Bunny Tales. I have read these books over and over and over again for 20 plus days now. My little guy runs through the house yelling, "SOOOOPERRRR Bunny!" So, when making Jamie's sauces this week, you'll understand why, on more than one occasion, I thought "SOOOPERRRR Sauces!" These sauces totally saved my dinners last week and I hope they will rescue you from dinner boredom too. They were quick, simple and you can put them over whatever meat, fish or pasta that you have around. Now, I made one awhile ago and this week I tackled three more, here are my reviews.

Cherry Tomato, Caper & Balsamic Sauce (pg. 267)
Never in my life had I cooked with capers, I didn't even know where to look for them in the grocery store, but they are darn tasty in this super easy sauce. I put it over pasta and served it with a salad topped with Jamie's Chopped Herb Oil on page 276. I'll do a write up on the oils soon but, like the sauces, they add something unexpected but easy to your weekly dinners.

Mustard, Creme Fraiche, and White Wine Sauce (pg. 268)
Ooooh….not my favorite. (Sorry, Jamie.) Maybe I added too much mustard? It was a bit on the strong side. I served it over chicken and rice. The first few bites were great but then it just was a bit overpowering which is why I think I may have screwed this one up a bit.

Very Simple Curry Sauce (pg. 271)
This will be a new staple recipe in my house. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Please try it….
serves 4
-6 scallions
-large bunch of fresh cilantro
-olive oil
-5 heaped teaspoons curry powder
-1 tablespoon of butter
-2 x 14 oz. cans of coconut milk
-sea salt
-juice of one lemon

Trim and finely slice the scallions and cilantro. Put a pan on a low heat and add 2 good "lugs" of olive oil. Sprinkle in the curry powder and the scallions. Stir around and add the butter. Cook for 20 or 30 seconds and when it's all bubbling nicely, add the coconut milk. Bring to a bill and then turn the heat down and simmer for 2 minutes. To finish, season to taste with salt and stir in the cilantro and lemon juice. Serve hot with fish or meat.
Easy, right?

Recipes cooked: 111
Recipes left: 62
Days left: 57

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Have I had a cooking growth spurt?

Plugging along through my list, I made Jamie's stew again, this time with "Chicken and White Wine" (pg. 180) as the main ingredients and I added one of his topping suggestions by putting dumplings (pg. 185) in it. I am getting quite good at this recipe. My sister came over the next day and I fed her the leftovers for lunch, she liked it so much that I sent her home with most of the ingredients to make it that night. There are so many things about that previous sentence that I just can't believe! First, the fact that I had something to feed her is amazing. A year ago my sister, my brother-in-law and my sweet little niece, Si-Wy, lived with us for about three weeks. I think I might have made them a real meal once that entire time. Fast-forward a year later and in just a week I have made them lasagna, chopped salad, chowder and stew in just a few days. I think they wish I had started this project earlier last year! Second, the fact that I had the extra ingredients to give her is something I never thought I would say. I noticed this just about a week ago. I'm learning what ingredients need to be on hand and my trips to the grocery store seem to be getting shorter and cheaper because I already have half of what the recipe calls for. WHO IS THIS AMY PERSON?!? Have I had a cooking growth spurt?

Here's the original beef and ale stew recipe. To make it with chicken and white wine substitute the beef, ale and bay leaves for 1 pound of diced, boneless and skinless chicken, 2 cups of white wine and 3 sprigs of fresh thyme. Reduce the cooking time to 1 1/2 hours.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/beef-and-ale-stew-1

Recipes cooked: 107
Recipes left: 66
Days left: 62

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

New Year's Day Memories and Looking Back on 2010

Each New Year's Day reminds me of my great-grandmother, Lena. She lived next door to us when I was growing up. She is one of my cooking inspirations and memories of her kitchen are always fresh in my mind. I remember New Year's Day at her house very, very well. She was quite superstitious. On New Year's Day, my sister and I were not allowed to be her first visitors, its bad luck. Good luck is for your first visitor of the day to be a man. So, if we wanted to go see her or needed to take her something, Dad had to come with us and go in first. Walking into the back door of her house brought us straight into the kitchen where she was usually propped up on a stool by the big white porcelain sink. On the stove would be a pot of black eyed peas for New Year's Day, another tradition that, if eaten, would bring you good fortune for the year. She made everyone eat some, even my sister who was quite a picky eater back then, had to have a small spoonful.

Well, on this New Year's Day, I didn't make black-eyed peas (does playing their music in the background count?) but I did make Jamie's Shrimp and Sweet Corn Chowder (pg. 294) for my family. This recipe impressed everyone once again and I craved the leftovers until lunchtime the next day.

New Year's Day is not only a day "for auld lang syne" but for thinking of our more recent past. 2010 gave me this project and this blog. Thanks so much for joining me for the first part of this journey. I hope you'll stick around for a few more weeks to see if I finish.

I also hope you'll give the chowder a try and tell me what you think….

Shrimp and Sweet Corn Chowder
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
pg. 294

Serves 4-6
Ingredients
• 1 large leek washed and chopped • 1 pound of potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks • 1 quart chicken broth, Jamie says, "preferably organic" • Olive oil • 6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon sliced • 1 2/3 cups sweetcorn • 1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream • sea salt and pepper • 1 fresh red chili de-seeded and chopped (I didn't have one and the chowder was great without it)• 6 cream crackers crushed

To Cook
Pour the chicken broth into a saucepan and bring to a boil
Add bacon rashers to casserole type pan with olive oil, cook until golden and crispy. Using tongs transfer cooked bacon to a plate leaving the fat in the pan.
Add the leek and potatoes to the pan and cook for 3-5 min.
Add sweetcorn and shrimp. Add hot broth and cream.
Add a good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 min until potatoes are tender.
Remove off heat and blend. Season again to taste.
Serve with chopped chili, crackers and bacon on the side. (the pictures in the book also appear to have parsley and not chili, I used that instead.)

Recipes cooked: 105
Recipes left: 68
Days left: 63

Monday, January 3, 2011

Christmas #3 Lasagna

Dec. 29 2010: My mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law and niece came over for Christmas #3. I figured everyone was ready for a break from holiday fare so I made Jamie's Bolognese sauce (pg. 165) and used that to make his lasagna (pg. 169). I served it with the Mediterranean chopped salad (pg.123) on the side.

I will definitely be making this one again. I talked to my dad today, almost a week later, and he said he's still thinking about it. In addition to being quite memorable and tasty, it also looked amazing on the dining room table. When I put it down, everyone said, "It looks just like the picture!" All of the kids liked it too, a huge plus. Also nice is the fact that it was pretty simple to make which is great when you have a house full of company including toddlers pushing grocery carts through the kitchen and remote control fire trucks bumping into your toes.
I hope you'll give it a try.
Recipes cooked: 104
Recipes left: 69
Days left: 66

Here's the lasagna recipe, with some notes.

(for chopped salad, see recipe and info below the lasagna recipe)



Jamie Oliver’s Lasagna – Food Revolution
Serves 4-6 (or more, we had 6 adults, 3 kids and still one piece left over)

For the Bolognese sauce:
- 2 slices of smoked bacon, preferably free-range or organic (it never occurred to me to add bacon to lasagna, the flavor just this little bit of bacon adds is amazing!)

- 2 medium onions

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 2 carrots

- 2 celery stalks

- olive oil 

- 2 heaping teaspoons of dried oregano

- 1 pound of high quality ground beef or pork or mixture of two (I used all ground beef)

- 2 14 oz. cans of diced tomatoes

- sea salt and pepper

- fresh basil

- 2 oz of Parmesan cheese (I was nervous because I ran out of cheese but there was plenty and it tasted great. Be sure to leave enough to make a pretty top)
For the lasagna:
- 8 oz dried egg lasagna sheets (I used 365 brand No Boil sheets, and they worked great)

- 2 cups of creme fraiche or thick sour cream
 (I used sour cream)
- 4 oz of Parmesan cheese (For future, I’ll cut that in half)

- 1 large ripe tomato, sliced

- 4-6 basil leaves

To make the bolognese sauce:
Finely slice the bacon and chop up the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery into small dice. Place a large casserole-type pan on medium to high heat and add 2 lugs of olive oil, bacon and dried oregano – cook until bacon is lightly golden.
Add veggies to the pan and stir every 30 seconds for around 7 minutes or until softened and lightly colored. Stir in the ground meat and canned tomatoes.
Fill one of the tomato cans with water and add to pan (I either need to get a bigger pan or I might not add the extra water next time. The tomatoes came with a lot of juice and my pan was close to overflowing
Stir in a good pinch of salt and pepper. Pick the basil leaves off and put in fridge for later. Finely chop the basil stalks and stir into pan. Bring to boil. Turn the heat down and simmer with lid on for 45 mins, stirring a couple times.

To finish the sauce:
Preheat oven to 375. Remove the Bolognese sauce from heat. Finely grate 2 oz of Parmesan into the sauce. (For future, I will not add cheese here)
Tear and stir in any larger basil leaves, keeping smaller ones aside for top. Taste sauce and add more salt and pepper if needed.

To make the lasagna:
Grate 4 oz of Parmesan. If you don’t use No Boil sheets, boil some water in a pan, then add the lasagna sheets with a drizzle of olive oil and blanch (slightly soften) for 3-4 minutes. Drain sheets and carefully pat dry with paper towel to absorb excess water. Spoon a third of the Bolognese sauce into the bottom of a ovenproof dish.
Follow with a layer of lasagna sheets. Dollop a third of the sour cream and smooth over the lasagna sheets. Sprinkle one third of the Parmesan cheese.
Add another layer of sauce and repeat with sheets and cheese, ending with sour cream and Parmesan on top layer.
Top the creme and Parmesan with sliced tomatoes and small basil leaves, drizzle with olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. After that, remove the foil and bake for 35 more minutes until the lasagna is bubbling and golden. (I placed on a baking sheet in case of bubbling over)

As for the chopped salad…confession….my dad did most of the chopping. I supervised though and the end result is that I've decided I need a bigger cutting board if I am ever to make it again. Here's the recipe…

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegeterian-recipes/mediterranean-chopped-salad-usa-version