Today Ben & I went to the most amazing spice & tea shop. The Spice and Tea Exchange of Tarpon Springs
They have multiple locations around the southeast (including Asheville, yay!) but we visited the shop on the sponge docks today. While we were browsing around with our eyes, the owner came up and insisted we "shove our noses in the jars" for the full effect. My favorite was the Smoked BBQ Rub(probably because I'm itching to cook some BBQ) and the Tuscany Blend. They had a pretty vast assortment. They were a bit pricey but competitive.
Once the tea section cleared out (a bit more limited) Ben & I darted for that wall of flavors. He preferred the Mountain Jasmine; I favored the Marrakesh Mint. Having just stocked up our loose (& bagged) tea supply, we couldn't justify buying today but will definitely be back, if only for our noses' sake.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Ranch Eggs!
I cooked this meal last Tuesday & its definitely one of my favorites.1 1/2 cups very thinly sliced romaine lettuce
1 scallion, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
2 teaspoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
The above ingredients are for the lettuce mixture that decorates & add to the flavor of the actual dish. I thought this addition was perfect. The cilantro completely spiced up the main dish-just as it was getting hum-drum. I highly recommend using the lettuce mixture in excess!
Main Dish:
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 cup prepared green salsa (see Tip)
8 6-inch corn tortillas
Canola oil cooking spray
3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
4 large eggs
The green salsa was a first for me (and my family). My mom really like it though. I enjoyed it too. I'd like to try it in its pure form with just tortilla or pita chips. The recipe called for using 2 tortilla per serving, one right ontop of the other. I was hesitant to do this at first but after baking the dish...the double tortilla helped the dish refrain from getting mushie and sloppy. In the recipe the eggs were to be sunny side up...I started them sunny side up but then with the wonderful suggestion from my mom, I poached them. It turned out great.
Dessert:
1 Peach (quartered)
Vanilla Frozen Yogurt
I picked this addition because I wanted to experiment with grilling a bit. Though I found out our grill was down...luckily my mom had the perfect solution: "Amanda, meet the broiler", "Broiler, meet Amanda". It was glorious & I didn't even get eaten by mosquitoes in the process (as standard issue when grilling in the summer). After about 7 minutes in a high temperature broiler the peaches were tender, warm and ready for their accompaniment. Served up in a fancy glass...these were the hit of the evening.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Stuffed Chicken, Smashed Potatoes & Zucchini
Can you tell that I cooked for a lumber jack tonight? Well, I guess a truck driver is close enough. It was me & my dad tonight so I wanted to make a big, hearty meal. With the help of Rachel Ray & some improv..I did :)
The recipe called for:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 oz of blue cheese crumbled
1 handful of spinach
1 handful of arugula
some salt & pepper
4 slices of bacon
Fun Fact: Publix meat counter is amazing. They only sold chicken breasts in a 3 pack so that'd mean I'd have to get 6, thereby spending upwards of $15 for these yard birds. Well Ben walked over to the counter & asked the deli man to make up a 4 pack for us....low and behold; he did, and gladly I might add.
$23 later I walked out of Publix with anticipation of my first full meal.
When I got home I saw that I would need to clean the kitchen before cooking in it. This is always a motivator to cook (not so much). Once everything was degreased from the breakfast my dad cooked earlier that day I began.
I wasn't exactly sure how to stuff a chicken breast & the recipe was not too specific on how to execute this maneuver either. So I did the best I could. Looking back & talking it over with the dad, I would've been better to horizontally slice the breasts, stuff, then replace the top portion & bake. Lesson learned.
The chicken portions were gigantically thick as well. The recipe called for only 20-22 minutes in the oven but these chickens were barely warm after 25 minutes. I did end up cooking them a little too long. I wonder if there are better tips for how to know when a chicken is cooked.
Smashed Potatoes:
These were yummy.
4-5 potatoes, boiled (skins on)
4 tbsp of EVOO or margarine
1/4 milk
4 stalks of chives
lots of pepper and a splash of salt
Throw everything together & break out the masher. This was my first time using a hand masher & I loved it! My dad was not a big fan of the lumpy potatoes but I thought they were perfect; especially since I had left the skins on them. Delicious & super easy.
Zucchini:
These were pretty good. My dad did help me out a lot on this dish...after an hour he was growing hungry & wanted to help me out (aka. speed things up).
Lots of EVOO
2 zucchinis
lots of dill
a dash of salt
We chopped the zucchini, combined it in a bowl with the seasoning, salt & some olive oil. We mixed them around until they were coated. (Another great idea; using the bowl instead of doing it in the skillet). I think we put too much oil in the skillet & over cooked the zucchini (Over cooking is a trend for me tonight). But overall they fit well with everything else.
Reviews: My dad did like potatoes & the blue cheese/spinach filling for the chicken & obviously the zucchini. The mom liked it all, but she's a mom & has to. I made a plate for Ben with some leftovers so lets see what he thinks tomorrow.
On a side note: Tonight was really the first time I enjoyed cooking. I usually just enjoy baking but I really got a lot out of cooking this meal. It was also nice to cook with my dad, even if he did kill my zucchini...
The recipe called for:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 oz of blue cheese crumbled
1 handful of spinach
1 handful of arugula
some salt & pepper
4 slices of bacon
Fun Fact: Publix meat counter is amazing. They only sold chicken breasts in a 3 pack so that'd mean I'd have to get 6, thereby spending upwards of $15 for these yard birds. Well Ben walked over to the counter & asked the deli man to make up a 4 pack for us....low and behold; he did, and gladly I might add.
$23 later I walked out of Publix with anticipation of my first full meal.
When I got home I saw that I would need to clean the kitchen before cooking in it. This is always a motivator to cook (not so much). Once everything was degreased from the breakfast my dad cooked earlier that day I began.
I wasn't exactly sure how to stuff a chicken breast & the recipe was not too specific on how to execute this maneuver either. So I did the best I could. Looking back & talking it over with the dad, I would've been better to horizontally slice the breasts, stuff, then replace the top portion & bake. Lesson learned.
The chicken portions were gigantically thick as well. The recipe called for only 20-22 minutes in the oven but these chickens were barely warm after 25 minutes. I did end up cooking them a little too long. I wonder if there are better tips for how to know when a chicken is cooked.
Smashed Potatoes:
These were yummy.
4-5 potatoes, boiled (skins on)
4 tbsp of EVOO or margarine
1/4 milk
4 stalks of chives
lots of pepper and a splash of salt
Throw everything together & break out the masher. This was my first time using a hand masher & I loved it! My dad was not a big fan of the lumpy potatoes but I thought they were perfect; especially since I had left the skins on them. Delicious & super easy.
Zucchini:
These were pretty good. My dad did help me out a lot on this dish...after an hour he was growing hungry & wanted to help me out (aka. speed things up).
Lots of EVOO
2 zucchinis
lots of dill
a dash of salt
We chopped the zucchini, combined it in a bowl with the seasoning, salt & some olive oil. We mixed them around until they were coated. (Another great idea; using the bowl instead of doing it in the skillet). I think we put too much oil in the skillet & over cooked the zucchini (Over cooking is a trend for me tonight). But overall they fit well with everything else.
Reviews: My dad did like potatoes & the blue cheese/spinach filling for the chicken & obviously the zucchini. The mom liked it all, but she's a mom & has to. I made a plate for Ben with some leftovers so lets see what he thinks tomorrow.
On a side note: Tonight was really the first time I enjoyed cooking. I usually just enjoy baking but I really got a lot out of cooking this meal. It was also nice to cook with my dad, even if he did kill my zucchini...
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Picnic in the Park
Had a picnic with Ben today at Lettuce Lake Park. Though I didn't cook anything I wanted to record our spread, as it was delicious!
From Publix (I know, I know):
kiwi, strawberry & pineapple fruit salad
white cranberry juice (yum)
croissants
spreadable goat cheese (leftover from the avocado dip)
Believe it or not we still have more goat cheese. So now we are hunting for recipes that call for 4 oz of goat cheese to use up the rest.
Tomorrow night is panini night!
From Publix (I know, I know):
kiwi, strawberry & pineapple fruit salad
white cranberry juice (yum)
croissants
spreadable goat cheese (leftover from the avocado dip)
Believe it or not we still have more goat cheese. So now we are hunting for recipes that call for 4 oz of goat cheese to use up the rest.
Tomorrow night is panini night!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
The Aftermath of Avocado & Goat Cheese Dip
I did enjoy this dip. It came out chunkier than was pictured on the recipe. But with the help of Ben, it turned out to be a hit.
Overall the creation was more hummus like than dip like. Next time I'd like to find extremely ripe avocado. It paired well with pretzels so I'm sure a pita bread would be amazing.
The feedback I got was positive. Most said it tasted like a hummus. I found it very thick & "goat cheesey". A lot of people liked it & 2/3 were gone by the time we left.
So for next time...riper avocados & toasted pita bread.
Yay! My first actual food product.
Overall the creation was more hummus like than dip like. Next time I'd like to find extremely ripe avocado. It paired well with pretzels so I'm sure a pita bread would be amazing.
The feedback I got was positive. Most said it tasted like a hummus. I found it very thick & "goat cheesey". A lot of people liked it & 2/3 were gone by the time we left.
So for next time...riper avocados & toasted pita bread.
Yay! My first actual food product.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Avocado Goat Cheese Dip
I'm really excited about this recipe.
Ingredients:
3 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted & cut into chunks
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt (+)
3 tbsp lime juice
4 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. goat cheese
In a bowl combine avocados, garlic, cumin & salt. Use an electric hand mixer to mix ingredients together. Add lime juice, cream cheese & goat cheese pulsing until smooth & blended well. Add a bit more salt if necessary.
This recipe asks to be served with whole wheat pita chips but I think I'll see what I can scrounge up in the pantry instead of going out to buy pita chips. I will probably use fat free cream cheese too. Well see how it goes!
Ingredients:
3 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted & cut into chunks
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt (+)
3 tbsp lime juice
4 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. goat cheese
In a bowl combine avocados, garlic, cumin & salt. Use an electric hand mixer to mix ingredients together. Add lime juice, cream cheese & goat cheese pulsing until smooth & blended well. Add a bit more salt if necessary.
This recipe asks to be served with whole wheat pita chips but I think I'll see what I can scrounge up in the pantry instead of going out to buy pita chips. I will probably use fat free cream cheese too. Well see how it goes!
Long Island Iced Green Tea
Ingredients: Yields: 2 servings
2 oz (4 tbsp) of tea vodka (recipe below)
1/2 oz (1 tbsp) lemon juice
1 oz (2 tbsp) Cointreau
1/4 oz (1/2 tbsp) golden rum
2-3 tsp of simple syrup
Tea Vodka:
1 cup vodka
2 Green Tea teabags
Allow tea to steep in vodka for 2 hours. Mix ingredients & serve over ice.
Assessment: This drink was borderline good/bad. It was randomly flavorful. Granted, I used black Lipton tea instead of using the green tea that it called for. I think the flavors would blend better with a green tea. I'm also interested in trying it with manufactured Sweet Tea Vodka; I would guess that by using a sweet tea mix I could leave out the simple syrup. A brand like Firefly has a strong line of tea vodkas.
2 oz (4 tbsp) of tea vodka (recipe below)
1/2 oz (1 tbsp) lemon juice
1 oz (2 tbsp) Cointreau
1/4 oz (1/2 tbsp) golden rum
2-3 tsp of simple syrup
Tea Vodka:
1 cup vodka
2 Green Tea teabags
Allow tea to steep in vodka for 2 hours. Mix ingredients & serve over ice.
Assessment: This drink was borderline good/bad. It was randomly flavorful. Granted, I used black Lipton tea instead of using the green tea that it called for. I think the flavors would blend better with a green tea. I'm also interested in trying it with manufactured Sweet Tea Vodka; I would guess that by using a sweet tea mix I could leave out the simple syrup. A brand like Firefly has a strong line of tea vodkas.
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