Anyone can cook.

Regarding the aforementioned Ratatouille in last night's post, allow me to be succinct.


IT. WAS. ABSOLUTELY. AMAZING!

It was nearly as perfect as it could have been.  And guess what made it?  Surprisingly, the lemon juice.  If it wasn't for the lemon juice, this wouldn't have been nearly as good.


I'm lucky I had extra lemons.

"What are you doing??" -- "Uh... vegetables. I'm cooking the... vegetables?"

See!  I added more color to my repertoire!  So, mes chéris, I DO improve.  And, just guess what we've concocted up this time??

If you couldn't guess it from this picture, shame on you.  Granted, it is a Kitty-ized version (me), but still - Ratatouille has a distinct look!  (In case you weren't tipped off by the title  ;)

I know, I said I was going to bake this week.  Well, sorry, best laid plans didn't happen.  Maybe pumpkin fudge tomorrow afternoon, to take to work on Monday... and I KNOW I will be baking next weekend, as my blanched almond flour is supposed to arrive on Thursday.  I can't wait!  (For all you out there, blanched almond flour = macarons.)

Also, in my defense, I didn't cook much this week, either.  Dinner consisted of salads (much like the earlier post of my breakfast salad), and broiled tofu (it was good!  but not photo-worthy.  Marinated in soy sauce, a little seasame oil, and lemon juice.).  I was pleasantly surprised.  

But, back to this week.

I bought squash (green and yellow zucchini) again this week, because it was on sale, it had a bit more color than "green", and when I made it for Thanksgiving, it was good.  But, all I did was sauté it in a wok until it was nearly carmelized mush, and season with salt and pepper.  It WAS delicious carmelized mush, though.  

This time, because I was feeling more creative, and I had both gorgonzola and bleu cheese in my fridge, I decided to spice it up.  And, I do love the lovely animated movie, Ratatouille.  

I started with three small yellow and two green zucchini, and sliced them just as thin as I could without much endangering my non-existent manicure.  Now, I understand that Ratatouille is supposed to have tomatoes, too.  The problem being, I hate fresh tomatoes.  Ketchup, Pasta Sauce, even Sun-dried tomatoes I can handle.  Fresh ones, or even chunky Pasta Sauce?  No go.  Nasty, disgusting little things.  So, I used sun-dried instead, and treated them as an accent.    

Then came the head of garlic (Mother - I know, it was only a head; I restrained myself.  All others - really, a whole head isn't that much garlic.  Jake - case in point; I can't be a vampire.).

And, because I had three fresh lemons that were starting to age, I added half the juice of one lemon, and dusted with lemon-zest.  (I bought the lemons with the intent to use them in martini's.  Awesome reason, I know.)  

Next came the sprinkle of gorzonzola, a 1/2 tblsp of butter, salt and pepper, and voila.  

Tomorrow, after I come home from church, I will bake it at 350 until nice and tender, broil for a few minutes to give it a nice brown sheen, take a picture, and enjoy some of it for lunch.  I will post pictures.  

Isn't it pretty, though?

I think so.  I'll let you know how delicious it is.

No, my favorite color is NOT green.

That wasn't meant to be a reoccurring trend either - is it my fault most of the veggies out there are greenish hued? It's just a result of our surroundings.

Either way, lunch yesterday consisted of a Cucumber Salad. Doesn't it look so nice and refreshing?

So the recipe was simple, basically it was 2 cucumbers, 1 cup plain yoghurt, and 1 tsp dill. Well, a trend you WILL see is that I don't believe in following recipes. They're more like guidelines rather than rulebooks. I'm a firm believer that if you make something with love, and make intelligent adjustments, it'll all turn out okay. And people CAN tell the difference between something cooked when you're irritated and something cooked while you're enjoying every minute of it.

Well, I had many fresh herbs leftover from Thanksgiving, and I either had to use them NOW or start drying them, because they weren't going to last much longer. So the 1 tsp of herbs turned into 1/2 cup of Rosemary, Oregano, Sage, and Thyme. Dusted with salt and pepper, and you're ready to go.

It reminded me of home, actually. Waking up before the sunrise to go for a 5 mile run up a mountain (because it's QUIET then and there's no risk of getting SUNBURNED), or a long walk in the hills behind our house when everything's green and growing.

It TASTED like that. Yeah, exactly.

So nothing that [a lot] more salt and pepper couldn't fix, but next time I think I'll follow the recipe a little closer.

In more recent news, since it was Sunday and I was allowed to have meat, and I'd bought two pounds of green beans the Friday prior, guess what I made?

As an afterthought, I think I tend to overdo things a bit. Because I ate half of that two-pound dish for lunch (granted, there's no calories in green beans - but there is in pancetta), and now I don't think I ever want to see/smell/taste it again.

But, it was delicious at the time, and everyone I've made it for has liked it.... I just don't think I'll be making it again for me any time soon. Bleh. On a positive note, that means I don't have to buy cured meat for $20 per pound anymore either.

Recipe!

1 lb green beans

3 oz Pancetta

2-3 shallots

Blanche the green beans in boiling saltwater for 3-4 minutes, and then immediately strain and douse in ice water to stop the cooking. If you don't, you'll be left with mushy green beans - you need to stop the cooking.

Cook the diced pancetta until crisp, and with a slotted spoon, transfer to a small bowl, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the shallots to the pan, and cook until golden brown (if the bottom starts to burn - add some water and stir. The water will evaporate, and should lift the 'almost-burnt' layer from your pan). Add the pancetta and strained green beans, stir for a few minutes until incorporated and warmed, and serve.

Voila. Works great as a light-er side dish to a meal, and has an almost-nutty flavor. Just try to avoid eating the entire pan.

This week, I have work, work, and work, and a "Continuing Students" info-session at the local university I'll be going to next semester, where I'm going to sign up for classes. Fun times. We'll see if I can't find some time to BAKE something somewhere in between.

And go shopping for more colorful veggies. We'll see what's on sale this week. Borscht, anyone?

Cooking healthy - for One

Read: a carb-detox.

First, you will begin to notice a common trend here - everything starts with caffeine. In one form or another. This was caffeine fix #2 of the day.

Have I mentioned how much I love my Nespresso machine? Granted, one of my goals within the next month is to decrease my caffeine intake, but an Espresso Macchiato can never be substituted. This will always be a part of my weekend routine.

So, I have decided once again to get back to cooking. I know I've said this before - but I'm serious this time. Likely you will see a lot of vegetables, at least over the next month.

- Goal #1 - Eat better, and battle the carb-fest that is the holidays. And to get rid of these extra pounds and prevent future ones.

- Goal #2 - In proper Advent fashion, attempt to be a quasi-vegetarian and Alcohol-free, from now until Christmas. If you know me, this is harder than it sounds. I enjoy my Friday-night glass of wine (I don't drink during the week), and love my meat.

- Goal #3 - Build my basic cooking skills, to a point where I may actually drop $20 grand to go to Culinary school.

So, because last night was a carb frenzy (I finished the Thanksgiving Stuffing), breakfast today was a salad.

It's greens/dried-berries/gorgonzola/dried-tomato/merlot-raspberry-vinaigrette could only have been made better by diced prosciutto. Which is in my fridge next to the pancetta. See goal #2. T-21 days and counting.

I do love my camera, though.

And yes, to Goal #3, it may actually be a potential future option. I have every intention of FINDING THINGS TO DO IN TAMPA. It's going to start with Ballet again (read: under-optioned and overpriced), taking classes at University of Tampa (Finance and Marketing - I love numbers, but these are NOT my strong suits), volunteering at the Children's hospital (as a "Baby-holder" - I know, you're jealous - but it doesn't start until JANUARY), and trying to find serious cooking classes that jive with a full-time job (and don't require a second one to pay for).

Wish me luck.

Lunch today, with a future post and pictures - Cucumber herb salad.

Lunch tomorrow - Green beans with shallots and diced pancetta. Meat doesn't count on Sundays.