Not Your Average College Kitchen

AQUARIUM!

2011-02-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

I know it isn't food related, but it is so cool I just had to share. Hazel and I got an aquarium over the weekend. It's HUGE! No, there aren't any fish in it--yet. I think we are putting some in this weekend. It is SOO cool though. Except the filter makes us have to pee all the time. Anyways, here are some pictures. Recipe for pasta with brie and roasted chicken and eggplant coming soon... Keep your eyes peeled.

Here's the final product... sans fish of course...

Hazel putting the base together... she wasn't so clever... just saying.

I, of course, had to obsessively landscape the entire aquarium. It was like floral arranging under water!

Did I mention that we thought it would be a good idea to put in hot water? And then I had my arm in it for a couple mins... I got a little burnt (yes the discoloration of my right arm is for reals, the picture actually didn't do it justice).

This is the pretty rainbowthat the water makes on our floor! <3

Death of a Hollandaise

2011-01-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

It is with great sadness that I write my first post back from my hiatus. Tonight dinner was perfect. The asparagus was perfectly blanched, I nursed the sauce for the chicken into perfection, the chicken itself was perfectly juicy, even the bread was delicious. But it was not a happy meal, for I killed the hollandaise.

And what a perfect hollandaise it was! Butter-y and lemon-y and delicious. I needed to heat it a little because I made it ahead. As I tried to heat it up, I was excruciatingly careful: microwave at half-power, fifteen second increments stirring in between. Unfortunately, Hazel was talking about the new Harry Potter amusement park and I got distracted for SIX SECONDS! Fail. Complete and utter fail. the eggs curdled, the butter separated, all my efforts were destroyed. I almost cried. Quite literally because it's that time of the month and all I wanted was hollandaise.

So maybe I'm making this a bigger deal than I should, but it was traumatic. Thankfully, the rest of dinner was in fact perfect and I got to meet our landlord's new infant.

But here is a delightful recipe that I got from Michelle Roy Kelly and Andrea Norville's "Love at First Bite: the complete vampire lover's cookbook."

Chicken Victoria

Ingredients:
-1/4 c. flour
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/8 tsp pepper
-1/2 tsp marjoram (dried)
-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1/4 cup butter
-1 c. chicken stock
-1/2 c. white grape juice
-1 c. red grapes

Directions:
"On a shallow plate, combine flour, salt, pepper, and marjoram. Coat chicken breasts in this mixture. In a heavy skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add chicken breasts and cook for 4 minutes. Turn chicken over and cook 3 to 6 minutes longer, until chicken is just done. Remove chicken from pan and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add stock and grape juice to pan and bring to boil, scraping up pan drippings. Boil over high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until sauce is reduced and thickened. Return chicken to pan along with red grapes, and cook over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until grapes are hot and chicken is tender."

My alterations:
-I had to cook the chicken for significantly longer than the 7-10 minutes total, but this could have been avoided if I had pounded the chicken breasts out a little bit.
-I added garlic to the juice/stock step. Mostly because I love garlic. One clove worked for me.
-I used 3 tbs olive oil and 1 tbs butter because I used all the butter on the hollandaise :(

Changes I would make in the future:
-I would add more liquid because the sauce was DELICIOUS and I wanted more.
-I would add a few sprigs of fresh marjoram or extra dried because I wanted more flavor.

Overall, this recipe was really good. We served it with crusty bread and asparagus, but it would also be yummy over rice.

We're on Facebook and Twitter!!!

2010-10-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

I have finally finished my Facebook page that goes along with this blog. If you prefer to get all your updates via Facebook, then like the page using this link. If you want to check out my twitter feed, use this link

Pumpkin Soup

2010-10-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

Thank God for sale items. No seriously, we have been buying whatever is on sale and then coming up with dinner plans the past couple weeks. Here is one of mine/Liz's favorites: Pumpkin Soup.

Sorry for those of you who have a best friend named OCD, it's actually made out of butternut squash, not pumpkin. Sorry OCD. It's not my fault.

Ingredients:
Butternut squash
Chicken stock (or veggie for the veg-heads)
Thyme
Onion
Garlic
Butter
Optional: light cream

Instructions:
1. Peal and cut the butternut squash. The smaller the pieces, the quicker they cook. (I usually end up with cube-ish pieces about 2"x2")

2. Saute some chopped up onions and garlic in the bottom of a big pot. Add squash in a and cover with chicken stock. This will eventually be the liquid in the soup. Don't put too much in or you will have really watery soup!

3. Cook the squash until fork soft (don't rush this--put in a fun DVD and let the squash cook for a while otherwise you will have stringy chunky soup... not yummy)

4. Either in a food processor, blender or a strong mixer, puree the squash with the chicken stock. Add some chopped thyme (I used fresh lemon thyme because I had it, but regular thyme is good)

5. Return to heat (because it usually cools off too much while blending). If you want to add the cream, do so at this point. I didn't like it as much, but I'm a purist. Hazel really liked it with the cream. Crazy.

Note: the original recipe I got from my mom did not have the onions or garlic, but I put onions and garlic in everything.

Goat Cheese Tartlets

2010-10-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

So this recipe is 100% from my friend Lee. Just throwing that out there so she doesn't say I stole it later.

These delicious little poofs of goat cheese perfection are a great side, appetizer or compliment for soup. I made them for brunch with Lee the first time and as a side for a delicious pumpkin soup last week.

Ingredients:
Puff Pastry Shells
Goat Cheese (discussion below...)
Onions
Butter

Instructions:
1. Bake the pastry shells according to the directions on the box until they are about 3-5 minutes from being done.

2. While the pastry is baking, caramelize the onions with some butter. **When I made these the first time, Lee had an artisan caramelized onion marmalade. This was delicious but unfortunately hard to find in Boston.

3. Goat Cheese: I love goat cheese. Hazel loves goat cheese. We use a lot of goat cheese in this house. I think it would be wise to outline some basics on goat cheese:

If you are using it for melting or something that needs to be super smooth, use the creamy kind. If you are using it in a salad or something that needs crumbly-bits, use the crumbly kind. This might seem logical, but I'm blonde and it took me a long time to figure this out.

For this recipe, it would be best to use creamy goat cheese, but I think it needs to also be an herbed flavor. Most of the herbed goat cheese I have found is the crumbly kind, so there needs to be some strategy. You can just use the herbed kind, mix the herbed kind with the creamy kind, or mix your own herbs into creamy kind.

I used almost all the herbs in my planters and a couple dry additions to make my own creamy kind.

4. When the pastry shells are almost done, take them out of the oven, let them cool a little bit and remove the tops.

5. Add the caramelized onions and top with goat cheese. Replace top (or not... your call)

6. Put back in oven till they are completely cooked and beautifully brown. If you leave off the tops, you can broil the cheese till it gets nice and bubbly (if tops are on, they tend to burn... trust me.)

7. Let cool for a couple minutes and serve!

French Onion Soup

2010-04-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post this one before it gets too warm for a good hot soup. Basically, I am an onion addict. I won't eat them raw, but I put onions in about 90% of my savory dishes. Why not? :) So here is a tribute to an absolutely delicious vegetable: French Onion Soup.

Ingredients:

-Onions (I used about 8 big yellow onions, but I hear red are even better... but I can't resist a sale)
-Beef broth/stock (I probably used about 6-8 cups, but it really depends on what you want the onion-to-soup ratio to be)
-Crusty french bread
-Cheese (I used moz and parmesan, but mostly because Hazel didn't want to spend the money on Gruyere)

Instructions:

1. Slice the onions and caramelize: this should take a while so just be patient. I did it in our big skillet that is oven safe, so that I could assemble the entire soup and bake it right in the pan. If you don't have an oven pan, you will need a baking dish.

2. Add beef broth/stock: at this point, I try to heat up the broth because I think it takes less time in the oven and I get impatient watching cheese melt later.

3. Place slices of bread over soup: do this in the container you plan to bake!

4. Cheese!: cover the top with delicious cheese and stick in an oven with the broiler on. Wait till its all bubbly and delicious and brown looking and you're ready to eat. (just as a note, things that come out of the oven are hot--I know, shocking. But Hazel doesn't seem to understand this concept all the time, so just be careful when trying to eat it. I don't want to be responsible for burnt tongues)

.... I know this recipe is super simple, but I like it that way! I actually added a couple other things to the soup to make it better, but they really aren't necessary. However, in the spirit of full disclosure:
-I added some red wine along with the beef stock (because everyone knows how much I love a good glass of red wine... it's really an excuse to drink the rest of the bottle at dinner)
-I added a couple herby bits while heating up the broth (but I won't tell you what they were because you should experiment on your own!)

Baked Brie

2010-04-10T04:49:00.000-07:00

This little snack has become Hazel's absolute FAVORITE. I made it once as an appetizer for Thursday night dinner, and it has been requested every day since :) Its classic, easy, and almost completely healthy! And who doesn't love gooey cheese wrapped in a delightful crescent roll?

Ingredients:
-round of Brie
-fruity jelly/spread (I use raspberry preserves)
-crescent rolls (like the Pillsbury one in the tube)
-nuts (optional)

Directions:
-Unroll the crescent rolls but do NOT tear apart. It actually work best if you pinch the seams together to make sure there are no holes. Place on a baking sheet.
-Unwrap the round of brie, and cover one side with the jelly.
-Put the brie in the center of the crescent rolls. Fold up the sides of the crescent rolls and seal in the brie. Make sure there are no holes or the brie will escape when you bake it!
-Turn the whole thing over so what was the bottom is now the top. If you're using nuts, add them to the top of the brie now.
-Bake at 350 until the crescent roll starts to brown (follow directions on crescent roll container, but keep an eye on it--contrary to my mother's opinion, black is actually burnt).
-Let it cool for a couple minutes before serving otherwise the cheese will all run out. Serve with crackers and slices of apple.

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts and Potatoes

2010-03-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

So a couple weeks ago, I decided I wanted some potatoes, but eating just potatoes for dinner seemed like a bad idea... definitely something my mom would frown upon. While perusing the grocery store, I had picked up some small delicious-looking brussel sprouts. Why not put the two together?! So here is the creation, enjoy!

Ingredients:
-potatoes (about 3-4 small potatoes, I used red and white)
-brussel sprouts (I'll explain how to prep them below)
-garlic
-olive oil
-parmesan cheese

Directions:
Start by cleaning the potatoes: wash them, and chop into healthy bit-sized pieces. Throw the potatoes in a pot of water, cover, and turn on the heat. Watch the pot! (I am always letting it boil over and it is a total mess)

Prep the brussel sprouts: cut off the end that was attached to the plant, remove outer leaves and cut them in half the long way. *Sometimes leaves fall off more after you cut the sprouts in half, this is okay--just take off the loose ones and don't mess with the rest.

Sauté it up: Start with the garlic (one med/small clove is good, finely chopped) and 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Start to heat it up in a med/large sauté pan (don't let it get too hot cause garlic burns fast!). Add the brussel sprouts (I like to start them all with the flat side down to get a nice brown going) and keep them moving every couple minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the potatoes: The potatoes should be tender when you poke them with a fork, but still pretty firm because you want to brown them without over-cooking them. Drain them, and add them to the brussel sprouts. Keep everything moving otherwise it might burn! (I needed to add some extra olive oil at this point)

When everything looks all delicious: Take it off the heat, plate, and add parmesan. Then... enjoy!

Pasta with Sauteed Spinach and Sausage

2010-03-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorites so far. It was kind of an accident because I was bored and now I'm constantly craving it!

Ingredients:
-pasta (I used fun pasta... cause it was on sale :)
-spinach
-sausage (I used homemade sweet sausage)
-olive oil
-garlic
-parmesan

Directions:
Cook the pasta (follow box directions, make sure it's al dente) and drain.

In a sauté pan, put about 1-2 tablespoons olive oil and one clove of garlic chopped (I use the smallest cheese grater I have, it makes a lot of delicious garlic-juice). Remove casing of sausage and throw it in the pan whole. Turn up the heat (medium) and when you start to hear sizzling, turn the heat to medium-low and start to chop the sausage. You want to have large pieces, not completely broken up like taco meat. Keep moving sausage around in the pan till it is all brown and delicious looking.

When the meat looks thoroughly cooked add the spinach leaves and wilt them. This should only take a minute or two. I used about a cup and a half of fresh leaves, but you can use more or less depending on how guilty you feel about what you've already eaten :)

When the spinach is all wilted and such, add the pasta to the pan, fluff it all together, and ta-da! Top with some delicious fresh parmesan and maybe some extra olive oil. Delicious!

Monday Night Caprese Pizza

2010-03-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

So this week's meal theme is PIZZA! The first one on my list is Caprese Pizza. If you know me, you know I actually don't like pizza, but this week is going to be all about pizzas that aren't what we expect. Check out this first recipe to know what I mean:

Caprese Pizza

Ingredients

-basil, lots.
-tomatoes (I know they will be better in the summer, but I was craving)
-pre-made pizza dough or crust (I used a whole wheat pre-baked crust, cause I was especially lazy this week)
-mozzarella cheese (I used a bag of pre-shredded low-fat moz, but shredding it yourself or using fresh is better)
-parmesan! (I think this should be an ingredient in every meal you eat. No questions asked.)
-garlic (about 2 healthy sized cloves, more if you're not going on a date)
-pine nuts (optional, toast them first if you have them)
-olive oil (try the good kind, it's worth the financial investment)

Instructions

*first a note on my instructions philosophy: they are a GUIDE, alterations and additions are simply a sign of good cooking, so feel free!

1. Make Pesto: If you are lucky enough to have a food processor, throw the basil leaves (as much as you can hold in one hand) , garlic, 1-2 tablespoons parmesan, 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, and 1-2 tablespoons pine nuts. Because Hazel is allergic to nuts, we left out the pine nuts, and you can too (but they really make a good addition). As for the olive oil: I say start with 2 in the food processor, and add as needed. It should become a paste-like or a little thinner. If you don't have a food processor, get out your favorite knife and start chopping. Same ingredients, but do it by hand.

2. Top the Pizza: If you use pizza dough instead of a crust, it would be wise to spread the dough and bake for about 8-10 mins before cooking to make sure it doesn't get soggy. Spread the pesto (liberally) all over the pizza dough (except the crust of course). Slice the tomatoes thin and layer them on top of the pesto. Cover the entire thing in moz and sprinkle with parmesan (lots of cheese!).

3. Baking: Bake pizza at 450 degrees for 10-15 mins. To make mine look beautiful, I turned the broiler on after 10 mins and watched till it the cheese started to brown on top. I highly recommend this step!

4. Eat: biggest mistake we made was eating the pizza too fast. Don't burn your mouth!

Introducing the mini-Marthas!

2010-03-22T15:50:00.000-07:00

We moved in to our first apartment last September. Basically, there is a door, a stove, two beds, two desks and a bathroom. I guess that's what we get for our first home :) Thursday night dinners with my friend Liz started as soon as the semester got underway. It was our strategy to keep in touch with out insane schedules: mandatory weekly dinners! (Sound a little Gilmore-ish?) At our first dinner, Liz made an off-hand comment that Hazel and I are what Martha Stewart would have been in college.

Here is a summary of a typical night in the apartment:
5:00 Gilmore Girls and knit/cross stitch
6:00 start/work on dinner (this part is always involved because I enjoy experimenting)
7/8:00 eat dinner while watching NCIS or House or Millionaire Matchmaker
11:00 complain that we didn't get any work done
12:00 bed time!

As you can see, we are predictable home-bodies who enjoy a good calorie filled dinner with a good glass of wine.

Bios: ...and now, introducing the mini-Marthas!

My name is Anna, and I do all the cooking. Sometimes I cook meals from my childhood, sometimes I cook recipes I find online (although I never follow them strictly), and sometimes the things I create are just concoctions I dream up (or accidentally stumble across).

My roommate's name is Hazel, and she does all the dishes and crafts. She taught me how to cross-stitch and she is a knitting fiend. Sometimes she is a spaz, but everyone deserves to dance around once in a while shouting the words to "Party in the USA."

And now, let the home-making commence!