Why is it taking so long?

Popcorn Au Natural

I love myself some popcorn.  I grew up with my mom having the huge air popper with the popcorn popping all over the place as we waiting patiently for the popcorn to be done.  I also remember the jiffy popcorn.  You know... the kind you hold over the stove and shake until its done?  Basically a huge fire hazard.  With the invention of the microwave came microwave popcorn.  Any breathing person including my 6 year old can make popcorn in the microwave.  As I get older and start looking at ingredients I realized all of the "extra" ingredients that is in microwave popcorn.  I also realized that it is much more affordable to buy plain popcorn and make it yourself.  Because of that, I was very excited to try to make "au natural" popcorn.  I started with 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels. 

I even bought the generic target brand!

The recipe called to put the popcorn kernels, 1 TBSP of oil and a pinch of salt into a large stainless steel bowl.  It then says to cover with foil and puncture a couple of holes through the foil and place it directly on the stove.  This was not successful in my case because #1, we have an electric stove, #2 my stainless steel bowl either was dirty on the bottom or has some other material because it melted.

I started again with my large pot. Repeated the process but used the top instead of the foil.  I constantly shook that huge, heavy pot for 3-5 minutes.  It was kind of exciting and nerve racking to do because I didn't want to burn the popcorn plus it weigh about 5 lbs!  If you have ever burnt popcorn before...it makes the house stink for hours!!!!  It was a huge success.  I then melted 2 1/2 tbsp of butter in that trusty microwave and put it on the popcorn with salt.

My kids LOVED it.  We also went to the movies a couple of weeks later and Ryan and I decided that my popcorn was way better than the movie popcorn. I call that SUCCESS!  Popcorn, a healthy high in fiber treat, that my kids loved, with no added ingredients that literally caused me less that $1.00 to make!  Yea!!!

There are tons of options to change up the popcorn... parm cheese, cinnamon and sugar, chili powder. The options are endless!!!  What is your favorite?  

Wontons with friends!

Since I started this blog, I have not cooked for anyone but family.  Not sure why.  I guess I am nervous that people will think I am weird, that it would turn out bad, or the pressure of cooking for someone else made me nervous. Seriously, even at birthday parties for my kids I freak out a little bit that everything tastes good.  After I cooked my tofu from the last post, my really good friend came over and wanted to know what the smell was and why I didn't cook for them more.  Honestly, every time we get together we end up ordering pizza.  I decided after that, that I should relax and share my experience with them.  This one looked fun to try.  I started with canned chopped artichoke hearts.  This is a new staple for me in my pantry.  I have added it to rice, pasta, or salads and adds veggies with not much thought.  

I added bacon, feta cheese, salt and pepper and 1 egg.

While cooking for this particular friend, she offered to help.  If you do not know me, I am a huge control freak.  I am pretty much in high gear when I am cooking.  Because of this, my children rarely get to help me.  LOL.  I made a change and let her help me.  We started with wonton wrappers and placed 1 tsp of the mixture in the middle of the wrapper

We then used our finger with cold water and outlined the wrapper.  The point of this is to seal the wonton.

This recipe makes 35-40 wontons, so while we were assembling the wontons we kept the other ones on a wet towel.

Once they were all made, I turned the oven on 200 degrees to be able to keep them warm.  I placed 10 wontons into a med-high pan with 1 tsp on olive oil painted on the bottom of the pan.

After two minutes on one side, I flipped them.  They are very delicate so I ended up using a spatula instead of a fork.  Once then are flipped and then browned on the other side I added 1/4 cup of hot water to steam them.  After they were steamed for 1 minute I placed them into the oven and repeated the process.

Here are the finished products.

Overall, they turned out pretty good.  Symon loved them.  In the words of my mom, " I love cooking for Symon because he loves everything".  As for my guests they said they liked them as well.  Lets be honest, we decided the bacon made them. I felt some of them were greasy.  After we ate them, we decided that it could be good if we added some heat with jalepenos or a spicy sauce.  We also had some spicy chip dip that we ate with it.  It was good.  I suggested soy sauce or a sweet and sour sauce as well.
I really enjoyed cooking with friends.  After looking back.  I will be trying it again.  These two particular people were great sports and can't wait to cook again for and with them.

Is anyone else sick of Tofu experiments?

I just cringe every time I see tofu as one of the ingredients.  Literally I can hear my family complaint before I even put it on the table but here we are.  TOFU again.  Apparently, I will be trying every single cooking method with tofu until I can find the one that I can at least be able to swallow without gagging.  As before, I started with a block of tofu, drained it and then placed paper towels around it and then placed cans on top for 12 hours. This is to dry up all of the liquid, so the tofu can absorb the flavors that it will take on. 

We then create the "sauce" that the tofu will take on.  This is a sweet and sour tofu.  Ingredients include soy sauce, garlic, ginger, flour, and corn starch.  Into the fridge with the dried out tofu to marinate overnight.  I had horrible flashbacks from a prior recipe for peanut butter chicken made a couple of years ago.  The consistence of this marinate was so gross, but we digress.

At this point I would like to point out the ingredient list.  In my experience a ingredient list this long equals a lot of time and work for something not worth it.  Seriously,  I want to cook out of my kitchen pantry.

After the marinate part.  Here are the results.  Most of the liquid was gone.  It was really mushy looking which again freaks me out.

Onto the first "cooking" step.  This is the frying station.  Tofu, then flour and then my electric skillet with crisco melted.  I didn't have enough vegetable oil so I had to think what did my mom use.  I distinctly remember my Mom using crisco in her baby daddy frier.  It is a shout out to you Mom!

The cubes of tofu goes into the flour and then into the oil.  I love my electric skillet.  It takes the work out of frying because it keeps the oil at the perfect temperature.  Especially because I have an electric stove which makes it even harder.

Here is Symon testing the fried tofu.  He loved them. Now we make it into sweet and sour tofu.  I placed the fried tofu into the oven at 200 degrees to keep them warm.

I made my own sweet and sour sauce with ketchup, sugar, vinegar and honey.  It took ALOT of ketchup and I am not a fan.  I was a little grossed out at this point.

I diced up some veggies: bell peppers, carrots, onions and celery.

The veggies are saute' in a skillet at med/high heat with a little bit of oil.

Tossed with the tofu and then covered in sauce and let it come to a boil and then removed.  Here is the finishing product.

 I will be honest, it was definitely smelling like a chinese restaurant in the house.  The results were good, but not as good as many chinese restaurants I have eaten at.  The conclusion was that we liked the fried tofu plain as opposed to the whole dish.  As a side note, it was really gross the next day for left overs.

Green Beans

Green beans are a staple at our house.  Simply because they are green and my family won't complain when I put them on the table.  Both pluses in my book. They are also cheap and easy to keep in the freezer for quick meals.  You can use them in a salad, plain with dip or as a traditional side dish.  Don't forget Green Bean Casserole.  Ok you can forget that one because it is SOOOOO gross in my book.  I refuse to even have it at Thanksgiving.  I typically serve my green beans as a side dish similar to how this recipe is prepared.  

  

This dish takes literally minutes so have everything ready before you start your pan. 

Butter into a cold pan.

When "foaming" add the pecan nuts. Then do not move from the stove!  Toss until they darken SLIGHTLY.  They burn so fast. Not good eats as AB would say.

Then removed the nuts and add the beautiful blanched green beans. Ok so I am lazy and did not blanch them.  I stuck them in the microwave for 25 seconds with a little bit of water and plastic wrap on the top just to soften them a little.

After around 2 minutes or when the beans start to brown at the ends I added the garlic and tossed until I could smell the garlic.

After cooked I place everything in a bowl.  Beans, nuts and garlic.  I tossed with 1 tsp of red wine vinegar.  I never have done this step before but it made the beans have an amazing flavor that I loved.  Probably one of the best "beans" I have taste.  Served with mash potatoes and BBQ chicken.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this simple recipe and it made plain green beans take on a whole new flavor.  Play around with different vinegars and nut types.  I will most definitely be keeping this one as a staple in our house.

Miller Trout

I grew up (as stated before) eating fish.  I distinctly remember fish being brought home and all I wanted was for them to fry the.... tail.  OH MY GOSH.  The crunchy fish tail was my favorite.  Needless to say, I have not had it in a while.  I am not a fisherman and to be honest, isn't trout something you are suppose to catch yourself?  Well, I could not so I got this yummy fish at Sprouts.  

I started off by grinding some thyme and then adding it to some flour. 

Here it is ready for my fish.  Here... fishy fishy!

My beautiful, non stinky trout butterflied and ready.  BTW, if the fish stinks, it's not good.  It should smell like the ocean.  Speaking from experience of course.

Here is my saute pan with the butter "foaming".

Flesh side down into the pan.  Sizzle... Sizzle....

Look at the golden color!  It smells like the ocean mixed with butter.  Is your mouth watering yet?

After I removed the fish I added mustard and a little cream to the pan to make a quick sauce.  DON'T skip the sauce.  It makes the dish!!!

Here it is.  Served with rice and roasted broccoli. (my husbands favorite)

I am going to be honest,  this is ridiculously easy.  The problem is that we usually don't have trout laying around our fridge or freezer unless you are a fisherman.  Don't be afraid.  My favorite part of this meal.... For 8 ounces of fish or one filet is only 200 calories and a ton of protein.  Eat up my friends.  It's good and good for you.

For some of you wondering if my kids ate it.  The both tried it.  Even Reagan!  Ryan said he would eat it again.  I guess I better learn how to fish.

PS: I guess I should explain the title "Miller" Trout.  There is a method in French cooking called "meuniere"  The word means "miller's wife".  This style of cooking is the food dusted with flour, sauteed in butter and then with a pan sauce created with the left over butter.  and... Now you know.  :)

Fruit Salad... Hot?

Have you missed me?  I have missed you.  I love cooking but we have been going through a huge transition in the last year which has left you in the dust.  I forgot how much I love to cook and try new things and my cookbooks were calling me.  In the last 8 months we have put a 5-6 year old through Kindergarden, moved to a new city, rented our old house and have added a new business.  To say the least we have been crazy.  It is time to get back.  We have been eating out, eating out of boxes and not ENJOYING cooking.  I may not have a fancy kitchen at my new house but I need to use it.  Finally I started on my cookbook again.  To recap for new viewers, I have been working through Alton Brown's very first cookbook in which he goes over different types of cooking methods and how to use them.  We have attempted searing, grilling, roasting, and frying.  I am currently mastering saute' which is version on frying.  I have made squid, duck, beets, and many other exciting things.  Hoping I can keep motivated to finish this book someday.  :) 

Hot Melon Salad....Fruit Salad,  Hot?

It's about 105 degrees these days in Phoenix and needless to say, too hot to turn on my oven.  When I think of summer, I think of cool fruit salads.  Not hot but here we go.  This is a melon salad.  In this case I used cantaloupe.  You can see here that we have a chopped red onion, cantaloupe, basil, feta cheese and pine nuts. 

Hot saute' pan with olive oil and then the onions go into the skillet.  It smells awesome!

When I started smelling them, I added the cantaloupe.

I cooked this for about 3-4 minutes until the melon becomes slightly soft.

I then added the basil.

Lastly when off the heat I mixed in the feta cheese and pine nuts.

The flavor of the melon salad was really good.  Ryan even ate it.  Reagan just wined about it.  Symon and I both liked the flavor.  I think the cheese and the basil made it feel less "hot".  It did become mushy very quickly and then I was really unable to tolerate the texture so I could really only eat one serving.  I served it with a turkey sandwich but maybe with a piece of chicken would be better.  It might even be good as a "salsa" over fish or chicken.  I may try that next time.  Overall I give it a C.  Do you have any warm fruit salads?  I would love to give this another try.

Shrimp Scampi overhall

Shrimp Scampi Overhall

I would say that shrimp is the gateway to fish.  If you have never tried fish, this is a great place to start.  If you have never cooked fish... also a great place to start.  It even comes frozen which is awesome for us peeps in Arizona.  You can buy it frozen, cooked, and ready to eat thawed if you wanted to.  Even my 6 year old son LOVES shrimp cocktail like his papa.  I obviously grew up eating fish.  Fried, poached, baked, grilled and any other way.  I did not grow up eating salmon or tuna from a can.  Yucky!  I even ate crispy fish tails.  Yummy!  When I moved to Arizona, I will be honest.  I was afraid to eat fish.  Did I really want fish that had been shipped from the ocean that far when I lived 15 minutes from it my entire life.  Nope!  But fish in general is good for you and since I have kids and have to eat healthy to teach them...  I eat fish.  Yes frozen.  It's better than nothing right? Omega 3's and all that jazz.  Shrimp scampi over pasta is pretty much the simplest way to eat/cook shrimp.  It starts with chopped garlic and parsley.  Pretty standard ingredients in cooking. 

Of course you need some shrimp.  Now to be clear.  There are multiple ways to buy shrimp.  Heads on or off.  (yes they were an animal at one time with a head) Then there is cooked or raw.  Frozen or fresh.  And then they even come in different sizes.  Small, medium, large, jumbo.  There are technical numbers for all of this but since I don't live near the ocean, I get what I can.  These were large/Jumbo size.  I bought the non-cooked version from the fish case and Frys.  In the past, I have used the cooked ones and they are pretty good just cook quicker.  There is also a shell and vein on them.  The shell is pretty obvious to take off.  The vein, not so much but PLEASE don't forget to remove it.  Even better, have the fish monger do it for you.  For you fish virgins, that the guy behind the counter.  The vein is, for lack of a better term, the poop tube.  Nobody wants to eat that right? Here is my pretty fish.

Now put them in a hot pan right after the oil.  I chose olive in this case because I would only be cooking these for 2 minutes max.

They will immediately turn a pretty pink and start to curl.  Turn the stove off and remove!  They become tough and rubbery very quickly.  Yucky and not good eats.

Add two chopped roma tomatoes and the garlic parsley mixture. Toss to combine OFF THE HEAT!

This is then placed over angel hair pasta or any other pasta you can dig out of your pantry.  The oil, garlic, parsley, and juice from the tomatoes make a great light sauce.

This is a great meal for summer because it takes literally 5-7 minutes to make total.  For us Arizona people, you don't even have to turn on the oven when its 110 degrees which is an added bonus.  I will be honest.  I have been eating this for a while.  When Symon and I were in college we would buy the "Pasta-roni" garlic butter in a box and frozen shrimp already covered in frozen butter and garlic from Costco and eat this all the time.  No tomatoes of course because veggies are not needed right? This is the adult, non frozen, fresh version.  Try it!