Saturday, January 24, 2009

Practice Makes... More Practicing!

Well... here I am. Making my grand domestic entrance.

I should begin by confessing, I'm a terrible cook. Absolutely... not good. I never saw any interest in it, never wanted to learn and really just enjoyed eating good food and was convinced I'd never be able to produce my own.

And I am still pretty much... convinced of the same, however I also have learned that there is great joy and fun in cooking - if you are doing it with the right person.

I am beyond lucky to have found a wonderful man... who is also a fantastic cook. And this fantstic man, this wonderfully... delicious man, not only can cook and is not only a perfectionist (to the point where only ONE meal has not turned out DIVINE -- and that was the horrific 3-hour greasy meatloaf disaster)... but kind enough to allow me to cook with him. So I am learning. Slowly and surely, I am learning. I may not be allowed to fly on my own yet (after all, he still wants to have dinner - and isn't quite trusting enough to risk the gamble of my cooking...


So we've begun the tradition of receipe-searching and cooking these meals that usually take a few hours to prepare... because we chop everything and really just make it an event.

It's fun to do and something that sometimes exhausts us so much... that we collapse with full bellies pretty soon after the meals. Which is fitting, considering the cooking barely ever starts before 8 or 9 and usually gets finished up around midnight. lol

Oh well, meals can be especially delish...
Even at midnight.
Especially if your lunch was twelve hours ago.

Here is one of our most recent discoveries, which I absolutely ADORE:

Penne with Sausage, Eggplant & Feta!

Ingredients
4 1/2 cups cubed peeled eggplant (about 1.5-2 pound eggplant)
1 pound bulk pork breakfast sausage
(I used Bob Evans Zesty Hot Sausage to add a little kick...so good!)
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
A box of penne - add an extra handful or two if you want.
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
Cook eggplant, sausage, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until sausage is browned and eggplant is tender. Add tomato paste and the next 3 ingredients (through tomatoes); cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Place pasta in a large bowl. Add tomato mixture, cheese, and parsley; toss well.

Notes
We altered it a bit and cooked the sausage fully first, then added the eggplant & cooked it with the sausage. We also didnt add the feta cheese and once everything was mixed, put it all into a casserole dish and melted mozzarella cheese over it using the oven. Later, we had feta to the side so whoever wanted to eat it with feta could add it to their pasta. Jason ate it without the feta, I ate the bottom part of the casserole and just used the feta, no mozzarella, and his roommate ate it with both. Everybody enjoyed it :)

And it made bunches, so there was enough for seconds & some lunch the next day. Even better reheated!

Friday, January 23, 2009

Thinking Outside the Recipe "Box"

Soooo I realize I'm kind of overwhelming the blog here. I guess we all know who has A LOT of time on her hands, right? :) At least I'm using my hands to cook food and not just twiddling the thumbs, right?! haha Well, I've decided to back off the posting, but at the moment Matt feels the urge to catch up on "Saw 4" and I need a reason to not look at the TV! Everytime I glance up there is something grotesque on the screen. Ew. Boys....

So I decided to tell you all about a momentous milestone in my cooking career that occurred this week. I........ IMPROVISED. Yes, I didn't follow the recipe exactly. It happened with much panic and anxiety, but I altered a recipe. The outcome? Miraculous success! Ok well miraculous for me because I feel like I never know what I'm doing. But this time I felt somewhat knowledgable.

My recipe was for Maple-Soy Glazed Salmon. When I was about to make it I realized that my recipe said that the salmon filets need to be at least 1 1/4 inches thick. Thinner than that and the fish will cook too fast and the glaze won't have enough time carmalize. Well I eye-balled my salmon filets and they were about 1/2 inch thick. I decided to do some investigation into why the thickness was such a neccessary detail. My recipe had me broiling the salmon, which I decided probably cooked the fish faster, and as they noted, would not let the glaze carmalize.

SO in a risky and daring move, I decided not to broil. I decided to BAKE, cook the fish a little slower. I also decided to marinate the salmon, instead of brush it on top. A slight change that made all the difference. The salmon turned out deliciously and my cooking confidence went up approximately half a point. I may be getting the hang of this after all!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Parmesan potatoes

Thankfully I had a small cooking success this week!  I made chicken marsala which turned out well, but I think I should use a different wine to really make it good.  But the shining star of the meal were the parmesan potatoes.  Super easy and so good!  

From the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook 
Parmesan Potato Wedges
6 medium baking potatoes (about 2 pounds)
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed

1. Line a 15x10x1 inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil; set aside.  Cut each potato lengthwise into eight wedges.  In a large bowl stir together butter, garlic, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.  Add potato wedges and stir to thoroughly coat.  Place wedges on the prepared baking pan.

2. Bake, uncovered, in a 425 degree oven about 30 minutes or until tender. 

I decided to prep these first (took about 10 minutes).  I had the butter melting in the microwave while i cut up the potatoes (I used Yukon gold potatoes instead of baking potatoes).  Then it was really easy to mix it all up and stick it the oven so I could concentrate on the chicken marsala which was all done on the stove top.  

Friday, January 16, 2009

Skillet Steak Fajitas

Here is my recipe challenge of the week! It actually looks really simple and very tasty. Probably to occur at the Kozusko house on Tuesday night. It is a recipe that can probably easily be made for a group (useful for Ashley!) and I thought it might also be a hit at the Mesko's. :)

As always, from Cook's Illustrated's "The Best 30-Minute Recipes"....

Skillet Steak Fajitas
1 (1 1/2-lb) flank steak
salt and ground pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 bell peppers, cored and sliced thin (I bought one red and one green. For spicy, the book suggests adding a sliced jalapeno as well)
1 red onion, sliced thin
2 tbsp water
1 tsp chili powder
12 (6-inch) flour tortillas
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro (I decided to forget this ingredient, not because of my dad's aversion to cilantro, but it seemed like a waste to buy a whole bundle for needing so little!)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp brown sugar

1. Sear Steak: Pat steak dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown steak on first side, about 5 minutes, reducing heat if pan begins to scorch. Flip steak over and continue to cook to desired doneness, 3 to 6 minutes. Transfer steak to clean pate, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

2. Saute Vegetables: While steak rests, add 1 more tbsp of oil to skillet and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add bell peppers, onion, water, chili powder, adn 1/2 tsp salt and cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl.

3. Soften Tortillas: Stack tortillas on plate adn cover with plastic wrap. Heat in microwave until soft and hot, 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

4. Make seasoning mixture: Mix remaining tbsp oil, lime juice, cilantro, Worcestershire, brown sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt together in large bowl and set aside.

5. Slice and Marinate Steak: Slice steak very thin across grain, and toss with marinade. Arrange beef on platter and serve with tortillas and vegetables.

Serve with salsa, sour cream, chopped avocado, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, and lime wedges (according to the book, this recipe is pretty flexible to accomodate to taste!)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

hey, also can you add my new email- jamie.kozusko@gmail.com to the list of "authors" and remove jblynne? Thanks!!

Pineapple Glazed Chicken!

Hey Andrea! You know I was thinking if you are in need of new recipes to try, I have lots of free time and lots of new cookbooks. If you want to give me some "do's" and don'ts" for your hubby and things you like/don't like I can flip through and see if anything else looks good for you guys!

Also, would you mind adding Kari Shaffer to the blog whenever you get a chance? She's been doing a lot of cooking adventures! Her e-mail is shaffer.kari@gmail.com

Ok, so... from Cook's Illustrated... the books which have taught me everything I know...

Pineapple Glazed Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
salt and ground black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice (NOT syrup)
1/4 c honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsps curry powder
pinch cayenne
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 c sliced almonds, toasted

1. Brown chicken: Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken lightly on both sides, about 4 minutes total.

2. Assemble Glaze: Drain pineapple chunks (over a measuring cup), reserving 1/2 cup juice. Whisk reserved pineapple juice, honey, soy sause, curry powder, and cayenne together.

3. Simmer Chicken in Glaze: Add pineapple juice mixture and pineapple chunks to skillet and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is no longer pink in center and the thickest part registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermoneter, 8 to 12 minutes.

4. Rest Chicken and Simmer Glaze: Transfer chicken to serving platter, cover with foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Return glaze to simmer and cook, uncovered, until thickened slightly and glossy, about 8 minutes.

5. Finish Glaze: Add accumulated chicken juices to glaze. Whisk cornstarch and vinegar together until smooth, then whisk into glaze. Continue to simmer glaze until thick and syrupy, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour glaze over chicken, sprinkle with toasted almonds, and serve.

Jamie's Notes:
- Serve with or over rice.
- Have "step 2" ready before browing the chicken, makes life easier :)
-Be generous in the measurements when making the glaze so you have plenty to pour over the chicken.
- For the toasted almonds, just put them in a little skillet on the stove over medium-low heat and flip them around until nice and toasted, they burn quickly so keep an eye on them!

Enjoy!!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Salmon Idea

Giada (from Everyday Italian) has burned me in the past (reference: The Domestic Diasater) however this recipe I just watched her make looks good... and is rated as EASY.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/whole-wheat-spaghetti-with-lemon-basil-and-salmon-recipe/index.html

It was on her "spa food" (aka healthy food) episode, and I'm curious about the existence of FLAVOR in this recipe. Does it look like something that would be good to any of you? Worth a go in the kitchen?

How goes the rest of your domestic adventures these days?

Love, Jamie