October 14th Newsletter

I am a part of a cooking group. There are four of us who have been together for four or five years. None of us can remember exactly when our first get together was, but it started because we wanted to share cooking ideas and techniques. We’ve cooked Spanish tortillas, crêpes, Indian, Mexican, Chinese dumplings, homemade tortillas, Peruvian food, and much more. We get together about once a month in each others homes, but we sometimes go to restaurants. We even took a trip to Peru together.

This week’s newsletter and recipes are the result of our get together last week. It was my turn to host and with the weather cooling off, I decided it was time to break out the fall recipes. When the group comes over, I admit that I pay special attention to plating and adding finishing touches. 

We started with a pea soup that built on Indian spices. A subtle nutty taste from the cardamom and an earthy undercurrent from the coconut milk. The Mexican crema and the croutons were the finishing touches.

We tend to eat a lot during our luncheons, which means our families are less than lucky that night, because we don’t feel like cooking or eating! I decided to go lighter with this meal, so I served a vegetarian Caramelized onion, blue cheese, and arugula pizza. The caramelized onions added depth and flavor, so one doesn’t need to eat as much to be satisfied.

We finished the meal with Moroccan Mint tea and chocolate ginger pots de crème.

A typical luncheon for us lasts three hours, which goes by unbelievably fast. While our get togethers are about catching up with each other and talking about the world, the food is a staple of our group. It’s fun to learn a new skill or recipe or just talk about cooking ideas. I truly enjoy our group and look forward to many more luncheons.

Why not start your own group? It doesn’t have to be elaborate nor do you have to cook, but it’s great to be around people who like to talk about food!!

Happy cooking and eating! Email with any thoughts or suggestions!

October 7th Newsletter

Do you ever need a really fast dinner? Of course you do. We all do. I have a menu for just that occasion.

Last weekend I traveled to see a sick friend and her husband. Knowing them well I asked if I could make dinner for them when I arrived. They agreed. Of course these people appreciate good food, so I had to think carefully about what to make. I needed to make a hot, well-rounded meal that could be made in a hurry. I decided on a Frittata with bell peppers served with Sautéed carrots with ginger, and Pete’s biscuits.

Before leaving I made the biscuits. I steamed the carrots and packed them in a container. I sautéed the bell peppers and onions for the frittata and packed them also. I packed a cooler with these items and the raw ingredients I would need for the rest of the meal. Off I went.

After a two hour drive and greeting everyone, I started to prepare the meal. I turned on the oven and set to work. I started the frittata and sautéed the carrots in ginger. This house had a regular oven as well as a Breville counter oven so I cooked the biscuits in the Breville while the frittata was in the large oven. I could have easily wrapped the biscuits in aluminum foil and reheated them in the same oven with the frittata. Dinner was on the table in less than 30 minutes.

The next time you are traveling or need a fast meal remember this menu. All of these recipes are on the iwannabeacook website. You can prep this the night before or the morning of. The biscuits can be made and frozen - reheat a few at a time if you want. This is a meal that can be prepared from what you have on hand. If you don’t have bell peppers use another vegetable or just leave it out. Add leftover bits from the refrigerator to the frittata - cooked chicken, vegetables, or just cheese.

Remember cooking doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. It just needs to be something you enjoy and can share with others.

Happy cooking and eating! Email with any thoughts or suggestions!

September 30th Newsletter

I’ve been thinking about entering the local Christmas cookie contest. I had an idea that sounded just perfect. A simple cookie that had a crunchy texture, chocolate and peanut butter, and a little spice from ground ginger plus a hint of orange. I’ve thought about this recipe for weeks. I even put all the ingredients on the counter for a couple of days to really, really think about how the ingredients would blend. I finally made them. I was quite proud because they looked appealing although a little sticky to the touch. A problem I can solve.

I happily plated the cookie and gave it to my younger son. He picked it up and didn’t like the stickiness. I told him that I would fix that and was more interested in the taste. He took one bite and the look on his face was startling. He looked at the cookie and then at me. He put the cookie up to his lips again. And then he put it back on the plate with a “I just can’t eat that.” Then he rushed to the bathroom to brush his teeth. I thought, “Really, how bad could it be? The ingredients should be perfect together.” I took a bite. Well, yes it really could be that bad. My husband then took a bite. Same reaction. Not one of us could take a second bite. Without hesitation I threw the entire batch in the trash.

You might be wondering why I’ve recounted this story. I want to remind myself and other cooks that failure is a part of this business. I’ve been cooking a long time, and I still make mistakes. What do you think I did with this recipe? I put it in my cooking notebook along with a few notes - epic failure being one of the phrases. This isn’t one that I will even try to fix, but I do want to remember what I tried. I have a completely different thought for my cookie entry. The only similarity is a subtle orange flavor. Hopefully I will have better success.

Now onto the successful recipes of the week. I would like to highlight the Blackened tilapia recipe. Blackened refers to the look of the fish after it has been cooked. The spice rub on the fish turns a dark color after it has been cooked in oil or butter. This recipe is so quick and easy and delicious. We have eaten it two weeks in a row and have decided it’s our new fish recipe for fish tacos. Experiment with the spices to make it as mild or spicy as you like.

Happy cooking and eating! Email with any thoughts or suggestions!

September 23rd Newsletter

As I typed up recipes this week my thoughts focused on the order of the ingredients. I know it seems a silly thing to worry about, but when you are in a hurry a streamlined recipe is exactly what you want. My ingredient lists, for the most part, include prep work. Example: 1 tablespoon butter, cut into 6 pieces. I do this so that when you are executing the recipe you have everything prepped. Remember the term mise en place - everything in its place?

I was following the recipe for Spicy Cajun mix and realized that I listed wet ingredients in between dry ingredients. Example: I needed 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and then I needed 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. That meant that I had to use two sets of measuring spoons. It was not necessary, so I changed the order of the ingredients. This allowed me to measure the brown sugar first and then the Worcestershire sauce without having to use a second set of measuring spoons.

All of the dry ingredients are now listed first and then the wet ingredients. I also tried to list all the ingredients that used a tablespoon first then a teaspoon then a 1/2 teaspoon, etc. It’s a minor change, but I think it will make my recipes even easier and faster to follow. This isn’t always possible of course, but rest assured that I streamline the ingredients as much as I can.

Fall is definitely in the air here in Wisconsin or at least apples are ready at the orchards. This week the feature recipe is an Apple pie. There’s a saying, “Easy as pie.” Well it is once you get the hang of making the pastry. This week’s blog is on How to make and prebake a pastry. It is useful for both a pie and a quiche.

Next week will feature Blackened tilapia tacos.

Happy cooking and eating! Email with any thoughts or suggestions!

 

September 16th Newsletter

This week we feature two recipes from the cooking extremes. On the "quick and easy perfect for a weeknight dinner” extreme we highlight Chili con carne which can be used to top rice, baked potatoes, or hot dogs. It can also be used in nachos or as a stuffing for bell peppers. This meal takes about 30 minutes to prepare and allows you time to prepare a salad or vegetable while the chili is cooking.

On the “gourmet perfect for a dinner party or Sunday dinner” extreme we feature French-style beef short ribs which are nothing short of spectacular. This recipe requires upfront work to finely chop the vegetables and brown the meat, but once you put it in the oven there is no work for three hours. This recipe is not cheap either. In addition to the cost of beef, it requires two bottles of red wine. This is truly a gourmet meal when served with mashed potatoes and green beans.

iwannabeacook received a request for a Slow Cooker recipe of the week. That will begin next week.

Photos We would love to feature pictures from our followers! If you have a photo of food that you cooked from our website, please send it to us. We will either feature it in our newsletter or our website.

Video We posted a video of How to make Pete’s biscuits. Check it out.

Remember to email with any thoughts, suggestions, or questions!

September 9th Newsletter

This week was devoted to Kitchen equipment. Just like the  Pantry ingredients it is hard to know what equipment you really need in your kitchen when you first start out. When I helped my son set up his first apartment kitchen, we left out some very important items like a vegetable peeler, storage containers, and a dish drainer. At least that mistake helped me to make this list for the iwannabeacook website so it will be easier for you. The page is divided into several sections based on the type of cooking you do. For example, if you cook Asian or Mexican foods there is a list of specialized equipment. There is also a section on equipment needed for baking. With more experience you will find things which you specifically need in order to make your cooking job easier.

On the cooking side of things, this week was devoted to salsa and potatoes. I just love to make new salsas. If you put the salsas in condiment bottles, then you can drizzle them over foods making your food look like they are from a professional kitchen. Look at this recipe to see what I mean. If you are looking for a new way to prepare new potatoes, try Salt and vinegar potatoes. These double-cooked potatoes are not only attractive, but they can be used in numerous situations.

Email with any thoughts or suggestions!

September 2nd Newsletter

Shout out to the RIT students who requested a quick and easy Spaghetti with meat sauce recipe!

This week was devoted to the Pantry ingredients page. For the first-time apartment dweller stocking a kitchen can be a daunting task. The same is true for someone deciding to learn to cook. For the Basic pantry ingredients our goal was to create a list of ingredients that would allow a cook to create most recipes that they will encounter. The College pantry ingredients include a few more pantry items with their tastes in mind and their need for extra meals and snacking. The Intermediate and Gourmet pantry ingredients build on the basic pantry ingredients to make increasingly complex meals.

We also included a list of Spices and Freezer ingredients to complete the kitchen pantry. Ethnic cooking is a large part of iwannabeacook, so we included pantry ingredients for those who want to cook Asian,  Mexican,  and Indian foods. There is a comment section at the bottom of the Pantry ingredients page. Please add your suggestions for items that are necessary in your kitchen.

Tune in next week for Pantry equipment suggestions.

Email with any thoughts or suggestions!

August 26th Newsletter

I dropped my son off at college last week and moved him into his first apartment. Exciting for him; less exciting for his parents. It’s wonderful to see how excited he is to be in his new place. Our family was in charge of supplying the kitchen, which was a practice run for the Pantry section on iwbac’s website. Next week’s newsletter will focus on that.

While in New York, we took some of his friends to dinner. I continue to be amazed at the number of students who want to cook. I walked away from that meal with requests for recipes that are quick and easy to make, yet cheap and filling. One request was for a meat sauce to go with spaghetti. This could easily be purchased pre-made at a nearby grocery store, but they want to cook it themselves. I loved seeing their enthusiasm. Watch for these upcoming recipes!

Some of this week’s new recipes are perfect for a first-apartment kitchen to make your space feel more at home, but others are meant to introduce change. Tired of serving the same appetizers? Try Truffle popcorn. It is an excellent appetizer with wine or for nibbling on while standing around the grill. Elegant or casual. When was the last time you made biscuits? Pete’s biscuits can be on the table in 30 minutes.

Please remember that I do take requests for recipes! So, email with any thoughts or suggestions!