Recent Meals: Frittatas, Pizzas, Curry and Frappucinoes

As you know, I've been busy with finals. I wasn't going to allow myself a real break until Monday after 5 when I finally turned in my 15-20 page term paper. But I decided that was a little draconian and that you all were missing my food writing. Plus, I have 5 pages done so far, I can punch out the rest in a flash if need be.

Anyway, I've been busy and so I've mainly been doing quick meals or cooking the day before. I made a green curry sometime on Thursday night which has lasted through 3 meals so far, probably because Mike won't go near the stuff. Here is a recipe that is easily amendable (I change around the ingredients every time, simply based on what I have on hand).

Green Curry with Chicken
Ingredients:
1 table spoon of green curry paste (you can find a small jar at most supermarkets in the Asian cuisine aisle)
1 can (14 oz) of (light) coconut milk
2 T of (low sodium) soy sauce
1 T of fish sauce (very smelly but essential for the flavor)
1 T of sriracha chili paste (to taste)
1 t of chopped or grated ginger
2 garlic cloves
2 chicken breasts (~7 oz) diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper sliced
1/2 red bell pepper sliced
1/2 red onion diced (last time I sliced a white onion)
1/2 C peas
1/2 C of (frozen) chopped spinach (last time I used whole-leaf baby spinach)

Method
1. Bring the curry paste, coconut milk, soy sauce, fish sauce, chili paste, ginger and garlic to a boil.
2. When the liquid comes to a boil, add the chicken breast and vegetables and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes. Serve with jasmine rice.

*I'm going to be coming up with a recipe for coconut jasmine rice soon, which I think would pair awesome with this recipe

For Mike, I just cooked a pepperoni pizza, using some of the pizza dough that had been sitting in my freezer. On a side note, I highly recommend buying and freezing pizza dough as it thaws quickly and you can use it make two very quick meals that are also good for getting rid of food in the pantry and fridge: 1) pizza; or 2) calzones (which also freeze well for lunches or dinner)

For breakfast I made a frittata with some spinach, chopped asparagus, gruyere, swiss and mexican blend cheese.

And as I'm sure many of you know, Starbucks is doing a frappucino happy hour from 3-5 pm until May 16th. You can go in and get any frappucino for half price. I, being too cheap to pay and too lazy to walk to the one 3 blocks from my apartment, decided to use my handy-dandy new blender, some freshly-brewed coffee, almond extract, agave nectar, half & half and ice to make my own frappucino happy hour. I topped mine with some whipped cream and chocolate sauce. I have to say, it was the perfect way to beat this DC heat.

And please forgive the sideways picture, as well as the less-than-amazing quality of the other photos. I use my cell phone to take pictures, as I can email them directly to myself, which is much easier than pulling out my camera for one shot. But, I'll be getting a new phone in less than a month (hopefully the HTC incredible android phone or an iPhone) and that should greatly improve the food-picture experience.

Enjoy.

Finals Period is Among Us

I am dying to do some more posts (had a great cinco de mayo party last night that I'm dying to share with you all), but I have to hold off for a day or two, or at least until I finish this reading. I have a final tomorrow afternoon and Saturday afternoon, so for now, I am going to focus on my studies. Happy eating!

Shoutouts:
Mike
Jarrett
Paul
Shaniqua
Ethel
Jacob
Kari

Thanks for coming last night!

Recipes that Freeze and Reheat Easily

As a college student, I don't have hours on end to dedicate to cooking meals from scratch. And so I've been  trying to find foods that freeze easily and reheat to taste just as fresh as when I first cook it. So coming across this article was a godsend.

"Recipes that Freeze Well" from thekitchn.

Many of you have been asking for more recipes that freeze well, and we're happy to deliver! Making big batches of food and freezing the leftovers is a good way to capitalize on abundant seasonal ingredients, reduce waste, and save time down the road. Below the jump, we have some tips on freezing whole dishes and a round-up of our favorite freezable recipes from the archives.

 

 

Tips for Freezing Pre-made Foods:

• Dishes based on grains, meats, and/or vegetables freeze very well.

• Dishes with milk and other dairy don't tend to freeze very well. If you'll be freezing all or part of a recipe includes dairy, stop cooking and freeze it just before you would add the dairy. Fortunately, the dairy is added toward the end of most recipes, so it's a simple matter to add it in once defrosted.

• Freeze food in serving-sized portions. Not only is this convenient, but smaller portions thaw more quickly.

• Fill the container that you're going to freeze. This prevents freezer burn and saves space in your freezer.

• Don't forget to label everything! After some time in the freezer, it might not be so easy to tell the vegetarian soup apart from the bolognese sauce!

Freezer-Friendly Soups
• Black Bean Soup
• Spring Leek and Lemon Soup
• Pumpkin, Peanut, and Ginger Soup
• Spicy Chickpea Stew

Freezer-Friendly Sauces
• Ratatouille
• Basic Tomato Sauce
• No-Cream Wild Mushroom Sauce
• Lamb Ragu
• Butternut Squash and Coconut Curry

Freezer-Friendly Main Dishes
• No-Boil Chunky Cheese Lasagna
• Homemade Calzones
• Cincinnati Chili
• Old-Fashioned Sloppy Joes (freeze the sandwich filling)
• Basil Parmesan Pot Beans

Freezer-Friendly Meat Recipes
Once reheated, these leftovers will likely be too dry to eat on their own. Instead, re-purpose them in soups, sauces, and fillings.
• Slow-cooked Brisket with Onions
• Spice Seared Boneless Leg of Lamp
• Chipotle-Porter Pot Roast

Strawberry-Mango Smoothies

That infamous DC summer is right around the corner, but the humidity is already in full force. So I decided to make a little icy beverage at lunch to get myself through the day. Here is some eye candy.

Gnocchi with Bacon, Spinach, Vodka Cream Sauce

I know there has been a lack of posting recently. I went home for the weekend to watch Georgetown's ultimate team, Catholic Justice, play at sectionals in Princeton. Despite one team trying to murder their players (Jacob ended up with stitches and a broken nose instead), they played hard and ended their season on a high note.

Back to our feature programming. I bought some gnocchi about a month ago, when I was on one of my trader joe's grocery shopping binges, but hadn't had a chance to cook it. Last night I decided it would be quick and easy to do a pasta dinner. So I fried up some bacon, browned some almonds, dethawed some spinach, mixed some sauces together and came up with a pretty good gnocchi dish. Mike ended up just eating cappelini pasta, with red sauce and bacon crummbled on top, but I'm going to give you the recipe for my dinner instead.

Ingredients:
1 package of Gnocchi (about 3-4 cups)
4 strips bacon
1/4 C almonds
1/2 cup frozen spinach
1/2 C vodka sauce
1/2 C Alfredo Sauce

Method:
1. Put the gnocchi in a pot of boiling, salted water. When the gnocchi rise to the top, boil for 2 more minutes, then set aside.
2. In a frying pan, fry the strips of bacon. When the bacon is done, drain of the oil and cut into large pieces. In the same pan, brown the almonds. When the almonds are browned, add the frozen spinach and cook for 3 minutes.
3. In a sauce pan, add the vodka sauce, alfredo sauce, bacon, almonds and spinach. When the sauce begins to simmer, take off the heat, and serve with the gnocchi.


This recipes is easy enough because you don't have to go through the effort of making your own sauce (which I was originally planning on doing with some sundried tomatoes and cream). Not to mention, it can be vegetarian safe by not adding the bacon. I'm sure it would be good, in terms of flavor and color, with some asparagus or peas. Point is, you can amend the recipe given what you have in your pantry at time, but for now, this is a good, quick and cheap baseline.

Can you make perfect food in a less-than perfect kitchen?

Mark Bittman, the prolific food writer for the New York Times, posted on his blog a picture of himself cooking turket breasts in his kitchen. The first thing that popped out was the tiny, Manhattan kitchen he was standing in and the lack of many expensive kitchen tools.

The interview itself was very revealing of the excuses that keep those with small spaces and less money out of the kitchen. As a college student, those are the concerns that most resonate with my situation. These are parts of the interview that I found to be most applicable:

"Q: So why do so many people think a nice kitchen will solve their cooking woes?


A: Maybe it’s like what you said. You use your crummy kitchen as an excuse not to cook. Maybe it’s like saying, “I can’t exercise in the winter because I don’t have an elliptical trainer.” I once cooked for six months in what amounted to a basement with a hot plate, microwave and a refrigerator and sink. Not only did I cook for six months, but I wrote the column for six months. It was funny. People like to cook when they’re camping and in other places where the situation is less than adequate. For some reason they think they have to have a great kitchen to cook at home, but it’s not true."

Q: So what are your must-haves in a kitchen, and what can you live without?


A: One of the things I hate about my stove is you can’t put four pots on it at the same time, so you cook with two pots and use the oven more. A functioning oven, the best possible stove… I think a big refrigerator is not that helpful. Stuff that’s in the refrigerator shouldn’t be in there all that long anyway. You need a couple of sauce pans, a couple saute pans, you need some knives, and then you need to pick up what you need on an as-needed basis. If you’re going to roast a turkey you need something big to put it in. When you need it you’ll know you’ll need it. Some things you’re going to find yourselves repeatedly wishing you had. Those are the things you need."


Having less-than-adequate kitchen space, or only having the most basic of kitchen tools, should not be an excuse to take responsibility for cooking. If anything, it is a constraint that makes sure that you have only the essentials, and that is all you really need to make great food.



The Bitten Blog has since been combined into the New York Times' Diner's Diner's Journal, but it's definitely worth a peek, if not a very critical once over.

How to Make Ice Cream with Just One Ingredient

Apparently frozen bananas result in a creamy ice cream and can be made in a food processor or blender, such as my everyday oster 12-speed blender. I was interested in the possibility of being able to make ice cream with just one ingredient and with just one kitchen tool, and so, on the way home, I stopped at the grocery store and picked up two bananas to make a small, experimental batch.

The recipe I used is as follows:

Ingredients:
2 Medium Bananas
2 t Vanilla Extract
1-2 T Milk (optional)
2 T Peanut Butter
1/3 Cup Chocolate Chips

Method:
1. Slice up the bananas into small slices, put on a plate, and place in the freezer for 1-2 hours.
2. Put the frozen bananas and the 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract into a blender or food processor and begin mixing at a high speed. If you are using a blender, you will have to stop periodically to remove banana that is stuck underneath the blades. It may also help to use the 1-2 tablespoons of milk in the initial blending.
3. When the mixture is smooth add the peanut butter and chocolate chips and mix on a slow speed for 30 seconds so that the ingredients blend together, spoon into a bowl and serve.

I think next time I would up the amount of vanilla extra to 1 tablespoon or more, or use a stronger extract, such as almond, to cover the banana taste more. However, the end results were delightful. From a banana and a little milk, I created a creamy, custard-y ice cream that may be my go to dessert in the stifling DC heat come summer time.

Other Ingredients to experiment with:
Almond extract
Coffee
Coconut (a little milk or some sweetened, shredded coconut)
Fruit (blueberry, strawberry, mango, raspberry, etc)
(Candied) Walnuts or Almonds
Candy (Toffee, M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, Kit Kat, Gummy Bears)
Sprinkles
Caramel
Marshmallow Fluff

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

It's getting toward the end of the semester which means my workload is increasing and my study schedule is becoming insane as I have to begin preparing for my final exams. This would be the point in which I would give in and go to leo's for all of my meals, but I have made it my prerogative to stay strong and find meals that are that much easier to make. 


I still have lots of soup left in my fridge, so I will be pairing that with sandwiches and salads throughout the week, as those are meals that take about 10 minutes to prepare. Here is a recipe for the next sandwich I plan on making this week.


Monte Cristo with Blackberry Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• 1T Mayonnaise
• 1T whole grain Dijon mustard
• 1t whole grain Dijon mustard
• 2 slices white bread, crusts removed, if desired
• 1/4 cup seedless blackberry jam
• 4 slices deli ham or turkey
• 4 slices Swiss or Cheddar cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 
  
• Method
• 1.Combine 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise and 1T mustard with wire whisk in small bowl. Season, if desired, with salt and pepper. Evenly spread bread with mayonnaise mixture.
• 2. Combine jam, remaining 1 teaspoon mustard in small bowl with wire whisk; set aside.
• 3. Evenly divide ham and cheese between 2 slices of bread, then top with remaining bread.
• 4. Beat eggs with milk with wire whisk in small shallow dish. Season, if desired, with salt and pepper. Dip sandwiches in egg mixture, turning to coat. Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray over medium-high heat and cook sandwiches, turning once, 5 minutes or until golden and cheese is melted. Serve with blackberry sauce on the side.

Grilled Cheese and Soup - An Easy Sunday Lunch

As you know yesterday I used my new blender to make soup. I decided to heat some of that up, along with a grilled cheese sandwich. And it wasn't just any grilled cheese sandwich. I up two servings from the ciabatta roll, one for Mike and on for myself. On Mike's I just layered a couple of strips of mild and sharp cheddar cheese. On Mine, I sliced up half of an apple and layered that on the bread, along with some shredded swiss-gruyere cheese. Be sure to apply lots of butter on the pan, as grilled cheese tends to be more fried than grilled anyways. You could also use the compound butter, such as honey-butter or a roasted garlic-basil-butter (the kind that I made the other day).

The expense for this meal is minimal as the entire ciabatta roll was $2.69 and there is still more than half left, the two blocks of cheddar were about $2.50 each and there is more than 3/4 left on each, after using some of the cheddar in other recipes, and I used 1/2 of an apple from a 5-for-$3 bag of apples, and about 2 oz of cheese from the 12 oz-$5.99 bag of shredded swiss-gruyere cheese. I'm too tired to figure out what the exact expense was, but I think I could say it was about $1 for Mike's and $2 for mine. I think it took about 10 minutes to cook the two sandwiches and heat up the soup as well, so the time requirement is minimal as well.

Very soon I'll share my adaptation of the butternut squash-sweet potato-carrot-apple-bacon soup. For now, enjoy the eye candy.

Strawberry and Strawberry-Mango Smoothies

In case you have not realized, I'm loving this new blender. My first official creation was the butternut squash-sweet potato-carrot-apple-bacon soup, adapted from Confessions of a Cardamom Addict, but I'll share that with you later. My other blender creation today was a strawberry smoothie (followed by strawberry-mango smoothie). While I tend to not measure while I cook, here is an approximation of my recipes.

Strawberry Smoothie:
Ingredients:
2 cups of yogurt
1 lb bag of frozen strawberries (got mine at trader joes for only $1.69)
1/3 cup agave syrup
1 t vanilla extract

Method
Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

This will make a verrrrrrrrrrrry thick smoothie, so if you want a thinner consistency, do 1 cup of yogurt and 1 cup of milk.

As for strawberry-mango smoothies, just do 1/2 lb strawberry, 1/2 lb mango. You could even throw in some protein powder, for your health, or a frozen banana, for a creamier consistency. I suggest using this recipe as a guideline and experiment to find the consistency and flavor(s) that you like the most.