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.