Cooking: Valentine's Dinner

Menu:

Marinated and Grilled Mushrooms
(from The Province Newspaper)

Spanish-Style Grilled Steak
(from Jamie's Food Revolution, from Jamie Oliver)

Linguine with Rocket
(from Best Ever Three and Four Ingredient Cookbook)

Stir Fried Shrimp
(my own concoction)

Chocolate covered strawberries
Heart shaped rice crispies squares


Marinated and Grilled Mushrooms
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsps finely grated lemon zest
3 tbsps lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp tabasco or other hot pepper sauce or to taste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp paprika
24 medium white mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste

I used chili pepper paste instead of Tabasco.

- place oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, chili pepper paste, oregano and paprika in large bowl (my large bowl happened to be a Brita container without the lid and filters)
- add mushrooms and toss to coat
- it said to marinate for an hour, I didn't have an hour..so it was only marinated for about 15 minutes
- it was grilled for about 6 minutes
- after 6 minutes, the inside was still raw. I decided to put them in the oven until all the other food was done


Stir Fried Shrimp
1 bag of shrimp

- the shrimp was defrosted then marinated in the left over marinate from the mushrooms
- it was left in the marinate for about 20-30 minutes
- stir fry the shrimp until cooked (pink)

Linguine with Rocket

350 g/ 12 oz dried linguine
1 large bunch arugula
1 cup of Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

I didn't want to use linguine. I used bow ties instead. I didn't use the large arugula because I couldn't find any. I used small arugula, found in salads instead.

- cook pasta in large pan of boiling water according to instructions on the packet
- heat olive oil in pan, add the pasta, add the arugula
- stir until the arugula is wilted, 1-2 minutes
- add Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste

Spanish-Style Grilled Steak
2 fresh red chilies
1 red bell pepper
2 - 8oz beef top loin steaks
salt and pepper to taste
good sprinkling of normal or smoked paprika
olive oil
1 large clove of garlic
1 lemon
1 cup sour cream

I didn't use any fresh chilis. I used chili pepper paste instead. I added white onions for some extra color and flavouring.

- halve and seed bell pepper
- I put the steaks on the pan then seasoned it with paprika, salt and pepper
- then drizzled it with olive oil
- I was supposed to cook the bell peppers with the steak, but I didn't
- I turned the steaks over regularly but it still turned out a bit burnt
- the red pepper and white onion was put on the grill to cook
- once the steak was cooked, it was sliced
- half the lemon was squeezed on the steaks
- at this step is where the sour cream was supposed to be added on the top of the steak...I totally forgot about adding the sour cream

Cooking: Pork Chops and Veggies

Menu
Pan-Fried Glazed Pork Chops
(from Jamie's Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver)

Baked Winter Squash with Tomatoes
(from Best Ever Three and Four Ingredient Cookbook)

Pan-Fried Glazed Pork Chops
- 2 x 8oz pork chops
- olive oil
- sea salt and black ground pepper
- 4 sprigs of fresh sage
- optional: 1 lemon
- applesauce, mango, chutney, apricot jam, maple syrup or honey to glaze

I used honey to glaze the pork chops.

The first step was to cut the fat trimmings off to use it to use it as garnish (extra flavouring) at the end. My pork chops didn't have much fat trimmings so that didn't work out so well. I was supposed to fry the olive oil soaked sage in the frying pan for about 30 seconds. I looked away for a few seconds and I burnt them. I left some sage in the olive oil so I can use as garnish at the end.

The next step was to pan fry the pork chops. It seemed like it burnt more than it cooked. Because I brushed on the honey, it caramelized. The recipe said to fry it for about 4-5 minutes each side. After 5 minutes, it was still pinkish. I fried it for a few more minutes. When it was done, I put a piece of pork chop on the plate and garnished it with the fried sage and the fresh sage.

Baked Winter Squash with Tomatoes

- 1 kg pumpkin or orange winter squash, peeled and sliced
- 2 x 14 oz cans chopped tomatoes with herbs
- 2-3 rosemary sprigs, stems removed and leaves chopped

I used butternut squash instead of pumpkin or orange winter squash and used about 1/2 a kg. I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes and it wasn't as much as 2 x14 oz cans. I used thyme instead of rosemary. I guess I made my own recipe but used this as a guide.

First step was to fry the squash until a golden brown. After I fried the squash, I put them aside. But the recipe said to leave it in the pan and then put the tomatoes in. I fried the tomatoes in the pan until it was sauce consistency. I added the thyme, salt and pepper and also included some chili pepper paste for some extra flavour. In a shallow glass casserole pan, I layered the squash then the tomatoes. It was then that I realized I didn't use enough tomatoes. It was all I had so it had to do. It was then baked for about 35 minutes. It came out ok.

Cooking: Chicken and veggies

Menu:

Crunchy Garlic Chicken
(from Jamie's Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver)
Tomato and Aubergine Gratin
(from Best Ever Three and Four Ingredient Cookbook)

We were in a rush so there were many substitutions and I skipped some steps.

Crunchy Garlic Chicken
The recipe said to put crackers, butter, garlic, parsley sprigs, lemon zest and salt and pepper in a food processor. I am not even sure if my parents own a food processor. If we do, it's probably in the garage somewhere. I didn't have time to look for it. I put all those ingredients in a ziploc bag. I mixed everything up and crunched it with my hands. I should've cut the parsley smaller. The food processor would've grinded the crackers and parsley to much smaller pieces.

Another step told me to bash the chicken a few times. I think to flatten it out a bit. I didn't have time to do that either. The pieces of chicken I bought were a bit smaller than the regular chicken breast.

I had to cover the chicken pieces in flour, then dip it in egg. Then dip it in the cracker / parsley mixture. It is supposed to be nicely covered because of the finely grounded crackers. It became a kinda chunky. I put it in the oven and cooked it for about 20 minutes.

Tomato and Aubergine Gratin
Of course I forgot that this recipe makes 4 servings. Aubergines are also known as eggplants. I cut off the ends. I then cut it into smaller pieces. I cut them into slices then in half. I put them in the oven to cook for about 20 mins. I was supposed to brush on olive oil before I put them in the over. I was in such a rush that I forgot to put the olive oil before putting it in the oven. Once I remembered about the olive oil, I opened the oven and brushed the olive oil on the eggplants.

It was time to cut the tomatoes. Tomatoes were a bit expensive at Superstore so I didn't buy that many. The recipe calls for 400g/ 14 oz of sliced tomatoes. I have no idea how much is 400 g or 14 oz of tomatoes. I just decided to use 3 tomatoes. The recipe says to toss the cooked eggplants and tomatoes in a bowl with some seasoning. I skipped this step. I used a glass baking pan. I put a layer of sliced tomatoes. I used some dried herbs as my seasoning. I then put the eggplants on top of the tomatoes.

The recipe calls for 1/2 a cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I thought 1/2 a cup was a bit too much. I just sprinkled the Parmesan cheese on top until it looked like it was covered. I didn't want a thick layer of cheese.

Back in the oven it goes for another 20 minutes until the cheese is browned.

Cooking: Dinner for Jan 14 - part 2

The dinner menu was:

Appetizer - Bacon-rolled enokitake mushrooms
Meat - Beef patties with onions and peppers
Vegetables - Mushroom stroganoff
Carb - Minty courgette linguine

I am glad I prepared some of the dishes the night before. That night we were in a rush and didn't have time to do lots of cooking before heading out.

The bacon rolled enokitake mushrooms was the easiest to make. Because I prepped it the night before, I just had to put it in the oven. The recipe book said to put in their for 10-13 mins. I set the timer for 13 minutes and the bacon wasn't cooked yet. It took about 25 mins in total to cook the bacon. Of course the picture in the recipe book made it look beautiful. When I took it out, the mushroom was wilted but it tasted great.

The beef patties with onion and green pepper recipe was the one recipe that didn't really work out for me. I made the meat into patties. Once I put it in the pan, the meat started falling apart. I think the recipe was missing a 'sticking agent', like flour or egg or something. The recipe called for green peppers but I substituted colored peppers instead. I wanted to add some color. In one of the steps, it says to add seasoning. I added some Chinese flavours like hoisin sauce, sweet Thai chili sauce to the beef. It ended up becoming ground beef with onions and coloured peppers.

I didn't end up making the mushroom stroganoff. I didn't have time. I had to make white wine sauce then add it to the recipe. The dinner was fine without this dish. Maybe next time.

The last dish is minty courgette (zucchini) linguine. This dish had the most substitutions. I asked my dad to get the mint for this dish. I didn't have time to check if my dad bought the mint. There was no mint added to this dish. I used spaghetti instead of linguine. This dish became just zucchini and spaghetti. The night before I cooked the zucchini. I think I overcooked it. The recipe said to cook it until it is brown on one side. By the time it was brown on one side, it was overcooked. Oh well. It still tasted fine.

Overall, dinner was great. Everything tasted fine even with the substitutions. I would make them again.

Cooking: Dinner for Jan 14 - part 1

One of my goals this year to learn to cook. I will be cooking more using recipes from my cookbooks, my iphone apps and online recipes. I will be writing about my experience cooking the recipe, if I substituted any items and of course the final product.

I bought a recipe book called 'Best Ever Three and Four Ingredient Cookbook'. The recipes call for 3 or 4 ingredients. They don't count olive oil and salt and pepper as ingredients.

For tomorrow's dinner the menu is:

Appetizer - Bacon-rolled enokitake mushrooms
Meat - Beef patties with onions and peppers
Vegetables - Mushroom stroganoff
Carb - Minty courgette linguine

I am trying to prepare as much as I can tonight because we don't have much time to make and eat dinner tomorrow night.

Because I have a small kitchen, I did one dish at a time. The enokitake mushrooms look similar (maybe the same) as shitake mushrooms. I bought shitake mushrooms to use for this recipe. This recipe is easy. You just wrap the uncooked bacon around the middle of the shitake mushroom, then you grill it for 10 mins (or until the bacon is cooked). Then you take it out and cut it in half and serve standing up. Tonight I just wrapped the bacon around shitake mushrooms. I will grill them tomorrow.

The beef patties with onions and peppers are supposed to be like hamburger patties but with some veggies. The recipe calls for green peppers. I decided that it would look prettier with red and yellow peppers. This recipe took the longest because you have to braise the meat with the veggies for 20 or so minutes. I think I used a small frying pan, I only used half of the veggies.

The mushroom stroganoff was the only dish I didn't make yet. I didn't have time tonight. I think it would be easy enough to make tomorrow night. It is basically various types of mushrooms with a white wine sauce. I didn't know what white whine sauce is until I googled it.

For the minty courgette linguine, I substituted spaghetti and fettuccine for the linguine. The only ingredient I am missing is the mint. My parents said they will get the mint for me tomorrow. Courgettes are also known as zucchini. I fried the zucchini and cooked the pasta tonight. I just have to add olive oil and the mint tomorrow.

I guess I should read the fine print. All the dishes I made serves four. That's why I have so much food. I wanted to follow the recipes 'as is' so I know what it is supposed to be like before I modify the serving size. I wanted to make as much as possible tonight and just reheat tomorrow.