Last week, as part of my sister's graduation weekend of celebration and fun, we also had the unfortunate but necessary duty to move her out of her apartment. So, all of last Monday, we sorted, boxed, threw out and packed the last four years of her life.
At one point, my sister asked me to go through the pantry and throw out her leftover food. I cringed at the thought but unfortunately, it didn't make sense to ship it all back home. Well, when I opened it up to see boxes and boxes of unopened rice pilaf, couscous and pasta, there was no way that I was going to let it all go to waste. I grabbed an old Victoria Secret shopping bag and went shopping.
She even had a couple cans of Betty Crocker Rainbow Chip icing! I am definitely a baking purist but a Funfetti cupcake with Rainbow Chip icing is my favorite half-birthday treat. This past February, I discovered that you can not find Rainbow Chip icing anywhere around here. But up in Boston, my sister was squandering two whole cans! My roommates were very excited to see me come home with this loot. I somehow miraculously managed to squeeze it all into my suitcase. I also nabbed a pair of her "old" jeans and they look absolutely awesome on me!
This dish, I came up with last night when I was looking over my spoils and what was about to spoil in the fridge. I do not normally buy anything that has a flavor packet because I enjoy making my own. This couscous had real pine nuts in the flavor packet so I thought I would try it. Turned out really well for a quick dinner!
Couscous with Mushroom, Spinach, and Goat Cheese
1 box of Pine Nut of Couscous
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups sliced Mushrooms
2 cups Spinach
1 cup Goat Cheese
1. Prepare the Couscous as directed.
2. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil.
3. Saute the Mushrooms and Spinach. Cover with a lid for about 5 minutes to wilt the spinach.
4. Stir the cooked mushrooms and spinach into the couscous. Crumble the goat cheese into the mixture.
P.S. Next time, I think I would add some sundried tomatoes and more pine nuts to jazz up the couscous a little more.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
The Spoils of Packing...
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Taste and Create Part 2: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
For my second recipe for Taste and Create IV from Veronica's La Recette du Jour, I made Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Although, I never thought I would get caught up in the no-knead bread fad...I have! I love having fresh bread! This makes it possible more frequently. There is also the extra benefit of not angering my roommates by covering the kitchen with flour. No matter how hard I try to clean up...we still find flour in the oddest places!
When I saw this recipe, I was excited because Veronica said it was possible to mix it up, throw it in the fridge and pull out a bit when you want some fresh bread! So, I tried it and I am very happy with the results. I am thinking about throwing in another loaf right now. Veronica gives her readers some excellent advice and tips, especially if you are not cooking in America. I was lucky on this one as the recipe was written in cups and based on the flour I can get here. She recommended using a pizza stone and not worrying about using an oven thermometer. I took both tips and it work well! Delicious!
And now for a tag and award...
Elle of Elle's New England Kitchen tagged me with"Look What I Made." Started by Farida at Farida's Azerbaijani Cookbook, I was asked to make a list of recipes I have made from other blogs. I love this tag because it is great to see what other recipes people have tried.
1. Butterscotch Mascarpone Cream Layer Cake from Tartelette
2. Pasta & corn salad with red bell pepper sauce from Kitchen Unplugged
3. Chicken Pot Pie with Cilantro Biscuits from Wandering Chopsticks
4. Chocolate Tribute Cake from Veronica's Test Kitchen
5. Chubble* Bread from To be Mrs. Marv…
My tags....
1. Susan of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy
2. Lore of Culinarty
3. Veggie Girl
4. Kristin of The Pearl Onion
5. Nemmie of Cast Sugar
Sylvie of A Pot of Tea and Biscuit bestowed this wonderful award upon me. Thank you so much Sylvie! It made my day!
I struggled to figure out who to award this to, as I read so many worthy blogs, but finally decided upon...
1. Kevin of Closet Cooking
2. Jen of Use Real Butter
3.
You all have excellent blogs and I look forward to reading them everyday!!!
Simple Crusty Bread
Adapted from “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007)
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough
Cornmeal.
1. In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).
2. Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put dough on pan sprinkled with cornmeal; let rest 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.
3. Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450 degrees; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.
4. Dust dough with flour, slash top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.
P.S. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Taste and Create Part 1: Rocket Mousselines!
1. Preheat the oven to 320 F.
Don't you just hate it when real life gets in way of your blogging? This past week has been very hectic and busy...I have barely had a chance to read a few blogs here and there let alone do something for my own.
Last weekend, my sister graduated from college. I met my family in Boston for a long weekend of eating, drinking, and some more eating. It was a really fun weekend but when I got back late Monday evening, I was exhausted and sick of eating so many large meals. I decided to take a couple more days off. Tonight, I finally found my desire to cook again and just in time for the event Taste and Create IV. This month I was paired with Veronica of La Recette du Jour. My job was to look over this beautiful blog, pick some recipes to try and report back. After much reading and deliberating, I decided upon two...the Rocket Mousselines and Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.
When I was living in Rome, my friends and I would see Rocket on the menu but, showing our American ignorance, had no idea what it was. Eventually, we ordered some pizza with Rocket and discovered that Rocket is Arugula!
I really liked this recipe because it seemed like a perfect light dinner. I struggled a little bit with converting the gram measurements (I really do need to invest in a scale) but I think it turned out great. Also, I halved the recipe and it made two ramekins. I took Veronica's suggestion pairing it with a salad and drizzled with a lemon vinaigrette. Delicious! Exactly what I was craving!
Check out La Racette du Jour's recipe for Rocket Mousselines
Arugula Mousselines
1 cup arugula leaves
1/2 cup soft cheese such as ricotta or goat's cheese
2 tablespoons crème fraîche
1 egg
1 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan
fresh basil (about 6 large leaves)
salt, pepper, nutmeg
2. Bring a pan of water to the boil and have ready a bowl of iced water.
3. Throw the rocket into the boiling water, blanch for 30 seconds, drain, and immediately tip into the bowl of iced water.
4. Food process the eggs, cream, and cheese with the seasonings.
5. Squeeze out the rocket, add to the liquidizer with the basil and parmesan, and mix again.
6. Pour the mixture into buttered muffin tins or ramekins and bake for 25-30 minutes until set.
7. Turn out onto plates and serve warm.
