Seared Bell Pepper Salad

So I've been neglecting my blog lately, but not my cooking or photography, so expect more to come! This post is in response to many people asking me for this recipe, especially since I've been making it and taking it everywhere this summer. This salad changed my views on what a salad could be. I figured there wasn't much to change with salad... that sure you could throw some extra toppings on it, but it would always be just a salad. After this recipe, I now know that salads can be very different, tasty, and exciting... even for people who don't like salads very much.

I've pretty much had this salad once a week for the whole summer, and I'm still not sick of it! I thought that when asparagus went out of season that I wouldn't be able to have it anymore, but then I just added more bell peppers and it tasted almost as good. This recipe has both the original asparagus and non-asparagus versions (adapted from The New Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated), but when asparagus is in season I would highly recommend trying it. Also, this recipe made me fall head over heels for shallots, which I like to think of as the love child of an onion and garlic. It has qualities of both, but is so much subtler and gentler than either... plus it's got such a pretty pink color you can't help but smile. :) Of course with this lovely description, I find myself lacking a picture that does shallots justice... this will have to be remedied!

Serves: 4 to 6 people

Time to cook: 20 minutes

Equipment:
knife and cutting board
skillet or pan (at least 8in bottom)
big spoon (preferably wooden)
coffee mug or bowl
fork or whisk
big bowl for tossing all of the salad
bowls or plates to serve

Ingredients:
6 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 red/ yellow/ or orange (my favorite) bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1 by 1/4-inch pieces
1 lb asparagus, tough ends snapped off, and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces (if asparagus is not in season, substitute in a green bell pepper)
Salt and ground black pepper
1 medium shallot, sliced thin
1 tbs plus 1 tsp sherry or red wine vinegar
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
3 oz baby spinach (4 cups)
3 oz mixed lettuce (4 cups)
4 oz goat cheese, cut into small chunks (I love goat cheese, and if you do too, you will need more!)
You can also do snazzy things like adding edible flowers (pictured below)


Recipe:
1. Heat 2 tbs of oil in a non-stick skillet over high heat until beginning to smoke, add the bell pepper(s) and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes, stirring only once after 1 minute. This is pretty important and counter-intuitive, but you want to sear the pepper.

2. Add the asparagus, some salt and pepper and cook until the asparagus is browned and almost tender, about 2 minutes, stirring only once after 1 minute. (If you are using only bell peppers, then do another 2 minutes of cooking, only stirring once).
3. Stir in the shallot and cook until softened, about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Take off the heat and cool for 5-10 minutes.
4. Whisk with a fork the remaining 4 tbs of oil, vinegar, garlic, some salt and pepper together in a bowl (I like to use a coffee mug) until combined.
5. In a large bowl, toss the spinach with the vegetables and dressing. Add goat cheese on top or on individual salads and serve.

pain grille Français

So, I've been neglecting my blog lately because of two things... one, I've been trying to procrastinate less at work, and two, I've been reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in my spare time, trying to finish it before the movie premiere this week (ahhhhh!). So this recipe is a bit of a lazy one, but I absolutely love it.

French toast is probably the thing I cook the most, since I make it about once a week. I usually make french toast for my boyfriend and me on either Saturday or Sunday morning. It is also one of the things that I have cooked the longest, since I've made it for myself and family since I was little (I think my mom must have taught it to me at some point, and its not any more dangerous than making grilled cheese). It's definitely my favorite breakfast food (other than the broad cereal category).

So, a funny story about french toast. When I was taking French I in high school, my teacher, Mr. Paruso, was quite entertaining. He once told us this story about how he visited France and ordered french toast. Evidently, at this time he was quite fluent in French. He was sitting in a cafe and asked the chef to make him "pain grille Français." The chef looked at him, handed him a piece of toast, and said in English, "I am French, and this is toast... French toast." My teacher learned later that french toast in French is actually "pain perdu," and I've never forgotten that. Also, check out the Eiffel Tower pic I took back in '07, a budding photographer!

Pain perdu literally means "lost bread," because you are supposed to make it out of bread that is stale or not really good for anything else. I really like this idea, because it sorta makes the recipe a bit less pretentious. It's something that I like to make in pajamas and half awake, and I don't like the idea of specifically going to the store to get bread for french toast. I just make it out of whatever bread I have lying around, whether it be white or wheat, old or still good, ends or not. (Just don't use sourdough... the savory bread and sweetness of the recipe don't work)

Time to cook: 10min

Serves: 1-3 people

Equipment:
A big frying pan
A hamburger flipper (I feel that spatula is too broad a word today)
A small bowl (like for cereal, needs to fit a slice of bread)
A fork

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 cup of milk (plus more for drinking... it's good for you)
1tsp of vanilla
bunch of cinnamon (1tbs max)
1-2tbs of butter (depending on how many batches)
slices of bread (however many you want to cook, between 3 and 8 work for this recipe)
maple syrup

Recipe:
1) In the bowl, crack the egg and beat until well mixed.
2) Add the milk and vanilla, mix well

3) Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the milk (two shakes)

4) Add 1tbs of butter to the pan and heat on medium low heat until the butter begins to melt. Move the butter around until the whole pan is coated with butter. It's pretty fun...
5) Dip a piece of bread into the milk, coating one side, and then the other. Place the cinnamon side down on the pan, and sprinkle the top with more cinnamon.
6) Whisk the milk and add more cinnamon to the top. Repeat dipping the bread until you fill your pan (but make sure you have enough space for flipping)
7) After 3 minutes, check the french toast. If it sticks, let it stay for another minute. Flip. This part is really up to you, I like mine a light golden brown, but more crispy is also very tasty (more crispy makes for quite a pretty picture too....)
8) Wait another 2 minutes and check the other side.
9) When crisped to perfection, serve pretty side up (it tastes better that way)
10) Heat some maple syrup and drizzle all over
11) Repeat steps 3-10 until you are out of the milk mixture, or everyone is stuffed
12) Enjoy with a nice glass of milk, now you're ready for the day! (It's also good for brinner...)

Spaghetti

I've been thinking very hard about what I wanted to be the first recipe for this blog. There are several recipes that are very near and dear to my heart, and they'll make their appearances in due time. I chose spaghetti for a few reasons. If I had to choose a favorite food, even though this is a really hard decision, it would be spaghetti. I think I could eat this stuff (and I've come close to it) for at least a month straight before needing a little break. It's absolutely delicious and pretty easy to make. Also, it's good for you! Tomatoes actually get healthier for you in some ways as you cook them, so a tomato sauce is super nutritious. It is what I cook for myself when I'm sick and nothing else sounds good. I think this recipe also combats the "it's too hard to cook for one" excuse I often hear... it's cheap, you can freeze it or eat it for a week, and the leftovers actually taste better than the first day!

Spaghetti is one of those recipes that I think lots of people have their own variation that is their favorite. Take no offense when I say that my spaghetti is the best spaghetti in the world... because it is to me. But, if you don't have a recipe that you love, or you want to try something different, I hope you love this as much as I do. It is really a recipe that combines my boyfriend's and my families favorite versions. His family's version has caramelized onions, and mine has lots of garlic and oregano. Together, along with a few twists that I've made over the past few years, they have created this awesomeness.

This is definitely a recipe where I don't usually measure ingredients, so it was kind of fun to pay attention so I could make a recipe for others to follow. It also takes a while to make, so I learned a little about how the light in my kitchen changes during the day, and how I can't quite capture the colors I want later in the day, so that's something to work on. However, the shadows food makes are pretty neat.

Time: minimum 1 hr (only about 20 minutes active)

Servings: 5-6 people; 4 college males

Equipment:

One very large skillet
One gallon (at least) pot
Snazzy knife
Cutting board
Garlic press (if you got one, if not, they are cheap at IKEA and Target, and save you a few minutes of dicing... plus make your food taste better)
strainer
storage containers (unless you are feeding 5 people)

Serve with:

Fresh bread with oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping
A salad if you are so inclined

Ingredients:

2 tbs olive oil (EVOO as Miss Rachel Ray would say...)
4 medium/large yellow onions (yes, really)
1 lb ground beef (90/10 sirloin is best I think)
6 cloves of garlic
salt and black pepper
1 can of diced tomatoes (preferably sitting in garlic and oregano)
1 jar Prego (I've made it with fresh tomatoes... it tastes about the same)
2 tbs dried oregano
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup of red wine, plus more for drinkin' (I like Cabernet Savignon for this dish)
1 box of dried spaghetti (not the thin stuff... whole wheat is awesome though)
Parmigiano reggiano for sprinkling



I know what you're thinking about now... "I'm not going to buy any fancy parmigiano reggiano... I'll get the Kraft stuff from a can." You're not allowed to use this recipe if you do that... the parmesan fairy will take your teeth. If you can't find some authentic stuff, at least buy something with a rind. Honestly though, parmigiano reggiano is amazing, if you haven't had it try it... it will blow your mind. Try a little bit by itself... it's so amazingly delicious.

Instructions:

1) Cut the ends off the onions, cut them in half (longitudinal/hot dog) peel off the the outer layer. Cut them into 1/4in slices (latitudinal/hamburger). They should be half circles (see pic above).
2) Heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmery... when you drop an onion in it should sizzle but not burn.
3) Put all of the onions in (now you will see if your pan is big enough), stirring occasionally for about 30min. If the onions start burning, turn it down. If they don't sizzle, turn it up. This is the caramelization step, so at the end you will have golden brown onions.

4) Pour a glass of wine... drink it. This is necessary so that you don't get too anxious waiting for the onions, also you can make sure the wine is tasty. I'd also recommend leaving the room for a sec and coming back in... the onions should smell amazing!

5) Now that the onions are done, add the ground beef and mix it in. Add some salt and ground pepper.
6) While that is cooking, peel and crush the garlic and add it in. Make sure to stir everything together.
7) Once the ground beef is brown, add the mostly drained can of diced tomatoes. Stir.
8) Add the jar of Prego, oregano, and Italian seasoning. Stir together.
9) Add the balsamic vinegar and wine, stir.
10) Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes, stirring here and there.
11) Reduce the heat to low and stir occasionally for at least 10min (can go as long as you want, it gets better the longer you cook it, 30min is nice).
12) Bring about a gallon of water to a boil in the other pot, add a little salt to the water.
13) Drink some wine, you know what they say about watching water boil.
14) Add the pasta to the water, boil for 5min, then check noodles every minute or two until they are done. They should be "al dente" or "to the tooth," meaning you have to bite them, but they aren't crunchy. Turn the water off and drain, but not completely. Leave about a half cup of pasta water in the pot, and stir the noodles into it.
15) TASTE the sauce before serving! Usually I need to add some more oregano and black pepper. Plus, it's tasty, and you deserve to taste it before serving it to anyone else.
16) Plate or bowl the pasta, then put the sauce on top. Add a bunch of parmigiano reggiano. Pour yourself some more wine and feast!

Welcome to my blog!

So, this is new to me, and I've never been much of a writer, so we'll see how it goes. I've been thinking about doing some sort of food related blog for a while, and now that I recently have bought a snazzy new camera, I was thinking I could put the two together here.

I've been cooking for about 6 years now, and I absolutely love it. I am pretty much interested in all aspects of cooking, I love baking, making dinner, producing tons of food for parties, and eating :). I'm interested in just about any type of food, and love cooking complicated recipes, super easy standbys, and some of my own recipes. Almost all of my cooking I do with my boyfriend, it's an amazing way to have fun, work together, and produce something together. Most of the recipes I'll talk about here will either be from cookbooks, or something the two of us came up with.

As far as photography goes, I'm a newbie. I have probably been seriously making it my hobby for about 3 years now, but have gotten more serious the past year. I take tons of pictures of the food I make. I was thinking earlier that photography and cooking are actually really similar. With photography, you can visually share your experiences and views with others. However, and I think about this mostly while I'm taking pictures of food and flowers, you can't capture smells or tastes. With a well written recipe, you can! A recipe is like a photo that includes all of the senses, and it's a more direct way to share an experience. I think that's pretty neat.

I am currently a chemical engineering graduate student, 3 years in to a 5-6 year program. Sometimes (let's face it, often) in grad school you feel like you aren't accomplishing anything, not producing anything, and that what you are doing is a waste. So when I get home and am frustrated, even if I'm tired, cooking makes me feel better. Research and cooking are very similar, you can either follow and try to replicate a procedure made by someone more experienced, or experiment and try new things. However, you can eat the results of your cooking, not your research! But on a more serious note, I think the same drive and traits that make me pursue research also make me want to cook. In short, cooking makes me happy, and sometimes makes up for the pitfalls in grad school.