I've really been having fun in the kitchen lately. I don't really cook fancy gourmet meals. That's my husbands domain, but I've been having a lot of fun and success with making simple everyday meals taste really good. I've been learning some interesting techniques along the way too that I can use in many different ways.
The two recipes that I've been playing with are a lentil soup with rice or pasta (I like it with brown rice best) and pasta with vegetables in a creamy garlic sauce. The lentil soup recipe started from my favorite book "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone." I highly recommend this book even for non-vegetarians. It is very thick, easy to read, and is chock full of good information on how to cook different vegetables, whole wheat pizza, muffins, desserts, vegetarian soups, pretty much anything you can think of. This recipe was originally a lentil minestrone, which the second time I made this I substitute the small pasta with brown rice. The things I really learned about was cooking soup with aromatics for flavor (thyme, parsely stems, and bay leaves, but I always used bay leaves before) and steaming greens and then chopping them coarsely and adding them to the pot. So far for greens I've used mustard greens and kale. I've never used either in a soup before. I have to admit they are very good!
The second recipe was from some books Food and Wine had sent me for free. I kind of combined two recipes last night that really had good results. I roasted brocolli, garlic, pine nuts, salt and pepper in the oven on 400 for 15 minutes. While that was going I boiled 1/2 pound penne pasta on the stove, and in a saucepan, I put two tablespoons of butter and sauteed some garlic for a few seconds and then added 1 cup of cream, salt, and pepper, and heated to a simmer. I mixed everything together with some shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I was out of grated romano or parmesean cheese). It was fantastic. I think next time I'll cook some shrimp in the garlic butter mixture and then add the cream. Yummm!!!
I can't wait to see the new house this weekend and see how my amazing kitchen is coming. I think the granite countertops were to be installed tomorrow. I'll try to post some pictures from last Sunday's house visit. I know I have one of me in the kitchen showing how happy I was.
Also, we had our first appointment to look at our house on the market today at 2 PM!!!! And it only went on the market on Tuesday. Please make us an offer! Pleeeeeassse!
The two recipes that I've been playing with are a lentil soup with rice or pasta (I like it with brown rice best) and pasta with vegetables in a creamy garlic sauce. The lentil soup recipe started from my favorite book "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone." I highly recommend this book even for non-vegetarians. It is very thick, easy to read, and is chock full of good information on how to cook different vegetables, whole wheat pizza, muffins, desserts, vegetarian soups, pretty much anything you can think of. This recipe was originally a lentil minestrone, which the second time I made this I substitute the small pasta with brown rice. The things I really learned about was cooking soup with aromatics for flavor (thyme, parsely stems, and bay leaves, but I always used bay leaves before) and steaming greens and then chopping them coarsely and adding them to the pot. So far for greens I've used mustard greens and kale. I've never used either in a soup before. I have to admit they are very good!
The second recipe was from some books Food and Wine had sent me for free. I kind of combined two recipes last night that really had good results. I roasted brocolli, garlic, pine nuts, salt and pepper in the oven on 400 for 15 minutes. While that was going I boiled 1/2 pound penne pasta on the stove, and in a saucepan, I put two tablespoons of butter and sauteed some garlic for a few seconds and then added 1 cup of cream, salt, and pepper, and heated to a simmer. I mixed everything together with some shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I was out of grated romano or parmesean cheese). It was fantastic. I think next time I'll cook some shrimp in the garlic butter mixture and then add the cream. Yummm!!!
I can't wait to see the new house this weekend and see how my amazing kitchen is coming. I think the granite countertops were to be installed tomorrow. I'll try to post some pictures from last Sunday's house visit. I know I have one of me in the kitchen showing how happy I was.
Also, we had our first appointment to look at our house on the market today at 2 PM!!!! And it only went on the market on Tuesday. Please make us an offer! Pleeeeeassse!
Comments
RYC : Thanks for the comments about my DD. It's so true at this age everyone either asks "what" it is, or says what a cute boy.. some of the wiser ones look at her LONG LONG eyelashes and KNOW she's a girl!
Emily aka madmommy