Ready to Wok & Roll

So, I had definitely planned on making both Julia and Jacques' mayonnaise recipes first, but after going out and buying all of the ingredients, getting stuck behind a customer that wasn't understanding something and held up the line for 5 minutes, dealing with a rude cashier, having to go to another store because the first store didn't have some of the ingredients I needed, waiting in line at that store for 10 minutes because they only had one cashier, and last but not least, having some old lady steal my pull-through! I decided I'd tackle one of the vegan recipes I found, because after everything that happened, I just needed something simple and easy to make. First one up!  From My Bowl: 1 cup whole raw cashews (Soaked overnight) 1 tsp fresh lemon juice 1 tsp distilled white vinegar 1/2 tsp nutritional yeast 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard 3/4 tsp salt 1/4 - 1/3 cups cold water Drain your soaked Cashews, if they are still in liquid. Add the Cashews, ...

From the Master Herself: I'm never going to be a Michelin Star Chef, have my own Food Network TV show, or own a restaurant. And I'm definitely never going to cook a 100% picture perfect meal. And I am 110% okay with that. We see all of these beautiful masterpieces on TV, but don't think for a moment that all of these things were done in a single shot. No one is perfect. Ingredients are missed. Things are burned. Breads don't rise. Cream curdles. Eggs are dry. Souffles collapse. Etc. Etc. My point is, things happen. You just have to learn to roll with it. It took me a very long time to realize that as long as it tastes good, I don't need it to look like it came out of a magazine.  Random Fact: Some of the gorgeous food you see in magazines, isn't even real food. Don't believe me? Check out this article . Cheers.

So TOPS had a buy 2 get 3 free deal on bacon, and I had to take advantage of this deal. Why? Bacon . That's why. Smithfield's Hometown Original I used to fry my bacon in a frying pan or on a griddle, but I got tired of all of the hot grease splashing on me, and all over my stove. So I started baking it. The first time I tried baking it, I did it without parchment paper. It came out fine, so you don't have to use it. But it's just my preference, because I like my bacon super crispy, and without parchment paper, sometimes it's a little hard to get the bacon off of the pan. I don't always add a little extra "flare" to my bacon, but today I was just in the mood. So I topped the bacon with some brown sugar, garlic powder, pink salt and cayenne pepper. I set the oven to 350 and let it get to temp before I put the tray in. Time really depends on how crispy you like your bacon. But you also have to be very careful with bro...

While reading Essential Pepin  and watching re-runs of his cooking shows, I've noticed that one of Jacques' favorite herbs to use is chervil . They say chervil is a mix between parsley and tarragon with a hint of anise. I am not a fan of anything anise flavored, so I looked up substitutes for chervil. Per Google , I can use parsley or tarragon. If an egg dish calls for chervil, you can sub with dill or chives. I'm also not a big fan of tarragon, so I'm going to use parsley.  Keep in mind that you can always substitute something for something. You can't always change measurements (especially in baking), unless you're changing the quantity, but if you don't like the taste, or the flavor, or you can't use gluten, or you're a vegetarian/vegan, or etc., etc. etc. you can always change an ingredient. Yes it changes the recipe, but not drastically. You see, recipes are really just road maps. You can follow the directions, you can tak...

Okay, so ... It's not a gourmet sandwich, but it's definitely a step up from takeout. I bought fresh French bread to make my sandwich, and because it was nice and fresh, I did  absolutely nothing except spread mustard on it. What kind of mustard? Um, the only mustard a 100% Buffalonian should use, WEBER'S . Had the bread been a day or two old, I'd have brushed the inside with oil and lightly fried it in a pan. Or spread some garlic butter on it and popped it in the toaster oven. I think there's just something criminal in messing with fresh out of the oven bakery bread. The "meat" in my sandwich is MorningStar Farms ,  SPICY BLACK BEAN BURGER I didn't take a picture of the actual burgers while I was cooking them, because my phone was charging. They were in my freezer, so I microwaved them for 45 seconds and then popped them into my toaster oven. I cooked two, they come 4 in a package. I set the oven to 350 a...

The skinless and boneless meat from one side of a chicken breast is called a supreme . The French Chef Cook Book Julia Child

After watching Julie & Julia, I've become quite enraptured with the idea of starting to really challenge myself when it comes to cooking. I've decided that I'm going to really push myself to do this. Like Julie Powell, and I am loathe to compare myself to this woman. Read her 2nd book, Cleaving , and you'll understand why. Anyway, like Julie, I've made many goals in my life, but I've not always followed through. Okay, more like never followed through, period. Working out - nope. Saving money - nupe. Eating healthy - nuh uh. Go back for my Master's - ha. Finish Master's and then go for PhD - nah. You get the idea, right? So, while I'm not planing on opening my own restaurant, I really am going to be brave and try making recipes that I wouldn't normally. And as part of my goal to rekindle my passion of reading, over my somewhat forced vacation, I checked out  The French Chef  cookbook (Julia Child),  Essential Pepin (Jacques Pepin), a...

Veggie Pizza Crescent rolls Cream cheese Sour cream Mayo Garlic powder Tri-color peppers Broccoli Cherry tomatoes Prep I use tri-color peppers because it makes the dish look pretty (My Mother always said that a pretty dish often means a healthy dish) Dice up peppers into smaller pieces and dry off with paper towel Chop up broccoli into very small pieces and dry off with paper towel I use cherry tomatoes because they tend to be less juicy Mix everything together and add a pinch or two of salt Place in mesh colander and let the salt remove more of the moisture Let cream cheese get to room temp Use a mixer to get it fluffy Mix in mayo, sour cream, and garlic powder I used a round pan, but you can use whatever size you have handy The reason I use round is because it's easier to separate crescent triangle and spread out in round pan I also like the way it slices Bake the crescent dough for 10-15 minutes I gauge by how b...

Pecan French Toast Ingredients: Italian bread, eggs, heavy cream, vanilla ( You can use the  Good Vanilla like Ina Garten or whatever you have on-hand), and cinnamon. I bought the bread unsliced, because I prefer to cut it myself. Mix the eggs, heavy cream, vanilla and cinnamon together in a bowl. I cut the bread in very thick slices. Think Texas Toast size. Placed the bread in a baking pan and then I soaked the slices in the heavy cream mixture overnight. For the topping/syrup: Melt butter (unsalted), toast pecans When butter starts to brown add brown sugar (light) Fry toast in skillet, but do not cook all the way Place on baking sheet  Spoon brown sugar on top Bake at 350 for 10 minutes Remove tray from oven and spoon on pecans/syrup Sprinkle on a little more brown sugar on top Place under broiler, keep eye on it, because brown sugar burns easily This dish reheats nicely So you can cook more and save some for...

Two weeks. That may not seem like a long time for some people, but for someone who hasn't taken a vacation in over a year ... it is. I've neglected a lot of my hobbies because of it. Reading Up until a few years ago, I had been an avid reader. When I was in grammar school, we participated in the Pizza Hut  Book  It  challenges. I'd blow through my monthly goal every single time. Partially motivated because I'm extremely competitive, and partially motivated for super greasy pizza. (I could try and blame my love of reading and Book It on being fat, but I think that would be a bit of a stretch ) For me, if a book was really good, I'd stay up all night to finish it. Now, I either fall asleep just a few pages in, or I have to re-read sentences over and over, because my brain just won't connect. Cooking I used to cook all the time. Recipes that would pop into my head, things I'd see online, clipped "cards" from magazines, and cookbooks from t...