A Commentary on Vegetables- Rice

Hi all! You probably are thinking, "What the heck does she mean by 'A Commentary on Vegetables- Rice'? Rice is NOT a vegetable." Well, yes, I know rice is not a vegetable, but "A Commentary on Grains" does not sound as catchy. Now, about rice. What actually makes this food appealing? So many cultures include rice in their menus, but why? Sure, rice is filling, but why use it to make gormet dishes? Is it the taste? Or the texture? Who knows. Rice has no real flavor, so it does little to enhance flavor. The texture is nothing spectacular either. My theory is that rice was a filler to hold extra juices and flavors, but who can really ever know what makes rice appealing? So next time you make rice, ask your self, "Why am I making rice? Is it because I enjoy the taste? Or is it because I dn't feel like making anything more dificult?" Please do this, and post your answer in the comments bar at the bottom of my blog, as I would love to get to the bottom of the mystery of rice.

Buona Appetite!

Risotto and Brocoli and Gelato, Oh My!

Hi! Tonight, I was very busy cooking one of my favorite dishes so far, Easy Oven Risotto. It was wonderful! In risotto, there is vegetables, meat, and rice. I used italian sausage and sqaush in mine. I loved the flavor of this dinner! This risotto is probably one of the only flavorful rice dishes. Rice can be very bland plain, which leads me to a new special on... A Commentary on Vegetables!!! Although, I guess Rice isn't exactly a vegetable, but oh well. Check my blog soon to see a post on rice. But, back to tonight's creations. With my grandmother's help, we also made two other recipes, Cold Brocoli Salad, and Lemon Gelato. After reading my post on brocoli, you probably are guessing that I hated it. But (suprise, suprise!) I actually liked the brocoli!My grabndma liked it to, but my mom, the brocoli fanatic, did not like it very much! I find it kind of strange that I, who hate brocoli, liked the cold brocoli salad, and my mom, who loves brocoli, did not. Oh well. We also decorated the table beatifully. Pictures coming, as I am still in Chicago.

Buona Appetite!

P.S.
If you got the subtle reference to the Wizard of Oz in my post title, that is beacause I just saw the Broadway version of Wicked, which is all about what happened in Oz before Dorothy dropped in. Now I am completely obsessed with it!!! Bye!

Desert!!!!

Hi! Sorry I haven't bloged for a long time. I've been busy, but I promise I will start blogging more often. A few days ago, I made two delicious desert. First, Chocolate Dipped Macaroons. They are wonderful!!!!!!! I would make these again every day if I could! Sadly, I had to share them. Last saturday, I took part in an event called "Relay For Life", and I made these cookies as the food item I had to share with my team. But, thankfully, my teamates did not eat many, so I still have some for me! I also made Orange Gelato. It was good, but I made the mistake of using dried orange rind, so it was crunchy. Oops. But it still tasted good. When I make Lemon Gelato, I will definitely use fresh lemon rind, or none at all. I am in Chicago at my Grandma's house, so I don't have the pics of the deserts, but I will load them soon.

Buona Appetite!

Palatable Pizza

Hi! Right now I am in Chicago visiting my Grandparents. Chicago is the land of delicious pizza, so I decided to attempt to make a rivaling deep dish pizza. My Grandma helped me. We decided to used a different crust than the recipe suggests because my Grandma did not have the right GLF flours. But, she did have a GLF pizza mix, so we used that. We crumbled the sausage in the foodprocessor after cooking it. After we pressed the dough into the bottom of the sprinform pan, we layered monzzerella cheese, then sausage, then tomato sauce, then romano cheese. We baked it for about one hour. I coud not wait to eat! My mom said that it was better than Gino's East, one of our favorite deep dish chicago pizza places. My Grandma loved it too! I felt like I ate a little piece of heaven. My brother, who has loved everything I have made so far, didn't love it! He says he hated the romano cheese, but I don't think he would have cared if we hadn't told him it was there. Oh well. My Dad ate leftovers and loved it too! Here are some pictures:

WOW!!!

Hi! Sorry I haven't blogged for awhile. I have been very busy with rehearsals for a play I am in called "Seussical", and I haven't had much time to cook. But, today I made a recipe called "Herb Chicken in Blackberry Sauce". It took me about 1 1/2 hours. The chicken was baked with a thyme butter paste spread on top and in slits I made with a knife. I baked the chicken for about 40 minutes, first browning it at 425 degrees to lock the juices inside. To make the sauce, I sauteed shallots in olive oil with garlic and made a reduction with red wine. Next, I added blackberries and chicken broth and reduced the sauce even more. I also sauteed some zucchini with olive oil as a side dish. The chicken was good, but my whole family enjoyed the "Chicken Cutlets in Lemon Thyme Sauce" more. I liked the sauce, but I was told that I should reduce it more next time. And, we all agreed that the zucchini tasted weird. I don't know why. Maybe it was the blackberry sauce that they were in. All in all, this wasn't our favorite meal, but I still liked it better than most of the meals we eat. Here are some pictures of my plate:

YUM!!!!

Hi! Yesterday, I cooked "Wild Mushroom Ravioli", "Cheese and Spinach Ravioli" "Chicken Cutlets in Lemon Sauce", and "Beet Greens with Walnuts". The ravioli were heavenly!!! Strangely, I actually preferred the mushroom ravioli to the cheese and spinach ravioli. The chicken was okay, but the recipe had white wine in the sauce, and I thought it tasted too much like alcohol. My mom thought the chicken was too lemony. I agreed. I did NOT like the beet greens at all. Actually, we used swiss chard, but the recipe said it was fine. I absolutely hated the swiss chard, and even my mom didn't love it. But, I am absolutely in love with the ravioli. I ate them for lunch today. My brother is in Olympia right now being a page for the house of representatives. I wish he was here to eat the ravioli, but it just means more for me!!! Here are some pictures of the finished meal:

Buona Apettite

Cake!!!!!!!!

Hi! My birthday was six days ago and for celebration I made Dolce di Natale or chocolate hazelnut cake. It was wonderful! I served it with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. It was the best cake I have eaten in my entire life!!! It was very expensive to make, though, because it used a dozen of eggs. Here is a picture:

Buona Appetite!

Flavorful Focacia

Hi! Sorry I didn't post for a while. I was never able to find time to fit blogging in. Well, two of my favorite recipes I've made so far are focacia breads. The first focacia I made was called "Focacia with Parmesan Cheese and Oregano". It was absolutely delicious. My family and I ate it with olive oil, and I even added more cheese to it! The second focacia I made was called "Pizza Dough Focacia". All I did for this variation was make a plain focacia and spread it very thinly on a pan to bake with sausage and cheese. It was heavenly! Unfortunately, we ate all of the pizza before I was able to take a picture, but here is a picture of the focacia with oregano and cheese:

Salad for the Stomach

Hi! A few days ago I made "Mixed Green Mediterranean Salad" and "Mary's Vinaigrette". The salad was good, but I forgot one of the ingredients in the dressing and it turned out bad. oh well. mistakes happen. Plus, I never expected to have every recipe turn out good. Here is a picture of the salad and dressing:

Too Sweet For The Sweetest Sweet Tooth!

Hi! I baked a Jam Crostata a few days ago. I think that I am the only one in my family who loved it! It was very sweet, and I will admit that it made my heart skip, but it was still good. I used strawberry jam with lemon juice and zest. The crust tasted just like a shortbead cookie! Then, for the final touch, I put a dollop of whipped cream on top! The only problem was the fact that it didn't stay together. The whole thing looked like was bleeding in the middle. But, I loved making it. I can't wait to make the other three types of crostata in the book!

Buona Apettite!

Potatoes, Potatoes, Potatoes

Hi! I finished a simple recipes called "New Potatoes with Rosemary". Bet you can't guess what they are, huh? This recipe calls for, of course, new potatoes and rosemary. They turned out pretty well, but my family is not a big fan of potatoes unless they are mashed. This recipe makes a good side dish, but I don't think that I would make it again. I never have liked potatoes very much (they are too starchy) but I eat them now and then. Unfortunately, I wasn't thinking very well that day, so I forgot to take a picture. But, I guess potatoes aren't really exciting to look at any way. That's all for now!

Soup for the Soul

Hi! Today I made a recipe called "Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs", and a recipe called "Poultry Stock", which I needed for the soup. It was a wonderful soup. It was almost like a chicken soup, minus the chicken, with meatballs instead. My mouth was in heaven. I took seconds. The flavors of this soup still linger on my tongue, while making my mouth water. The picture on the right is my finished product. I could eat this soup everyday! Buona Apetitte!

Heavenly food!

Hi! Two days ago I made Parmesan Chicken and Arugula Prosciutto Orange Walnut Salad. It was delicious! I absolutely loved the Chicken! I personally didn't love the salad, but my mom loved it and told me it was wonderful, so her being an adult, I took her word. The chicken was absolutely delicious. All I did was lightly brush it with mayonnaise and herbs, and then rolled it in bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and baked it. I would definitely repeat this recipe! Here are some Pictures:

Buona Apetitte!

A Commentary on Vegetables- Broccoli

Hi! This post is all about vegetables. Yes, I know it's weird, but vegetables can be interesting things. For example, think about the vegetable broccoli. There are several clues in the name, color and feel that give you some insight into how it is going to taste before you try it. First, broccoli is a yellowish-green color, which clues us in that it will be bitter. Second, it feels kind of like a cluster of bacteria all attached to one stem. Last, think about the name. Broccoli. If you look at it closely, you will see something in the word. I'll help you. Broccoli. E-coli. Kind of makes you want to go throw out the broccoli that is probably festering in your fridge, doesn't it? Yeah, that's how I feel too. Well, more next time!

Buona apetite!

How I Started

Hi! I have done a little bit of blogging now, and I have decided to back track a bit and tell you all how I got started. I got a movie called "Julie and Julia" for Christmas. This movie was about a lady who was so inspired that she decided to cook through one of Julia Child's cookbooks and blog about it. Do you see the comparison? I love cooking so I am cooking through the GLF cookbook and blogging about it. You're probably asking yourself this question: "Why would anyone need to cook everything in a cookbook?" Well, I need to otherwise I know I will only make the pastas and the deserts. Well, I think I summed that up. Bye!

Bread Sticks For All!

Hi! Right after I finished my school work, I made Bread Sticks!!! They are absolutely delicious. Made with Parmesan Cheese and Fresh Minced Garlic, I could eat these delicious Bread Sticks forever! Here are some Pictures:

I am already four days down with 153 recipes still to go. I think I will finish my goal before the deadline is up, but from now on, I will add a list to the side of my blog that has all of the things I have cooked.

Buona apettite!

Success!

Hi! Last night I made Tortellini in Broth, Broccoli Rampini, and Aunt Caramel's Pasta Dough. The pasta dough I used in the tortellini. It was delicious! I would definitely make the tortellini again, but I didn't love the broccoli. My mom did, however. I guess the reason she liked it more than me is one, she loves broccoli, and two, it is scientifically proven that adults have less and duller taste buds than kids, which explains how adults can stand and even enjoy nasty vegetables that kids hate. Anyway, last night, we also ate the Tiramisu. It was one of the best desserts I have ever made! The only thing I need to do next time I make it is I need to soak the ladyfingers longer in the hot chocolate, make homemade whipped cream, and make a double recipe! It was so good that we ate all but a little of it. Also, I think I should let it thaw more before serving. I love this cookbook!!! Here is a link to where you can buy it on line: The Gluten Free Cookbook by Mary Capone.

Buona apettite

Two More Done!!!

Hi! Already only 364 days are left and I still have 157 recipes to go! Today I have cooked 2 more recipes, as well as something that I experimented with. The first thing I cooked: Italian Lady Fingers. The second: Tuscan Tiramisu. The Lady Fingers were part of the Tiramisu. I layered Lady Fingers dipped in Hot Chocolate with Marscapone cheese spread over the top and a light layer of shaved chocolate. I am planning to cook a large meal tomorrow, and that is when I will know how my Tiramisu turned out. I can't wait! Here are some pictures of my work in progress:



Lady Fingers:

Tiramisu:

Now, about my own recipe. I made a thick hot chocolate that was almost the consistency of pudding. Here is the recipe:


Chocolate Lover's Creamy Cocoa

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Heavy Cream

3 tablespoons Dagoba dark or other rich hot chocolate powder mix

3 tablespoons pure raw cane sugar


Instructions:
1.Pour all ingredients into small sauce pan and heat on medium heat while stirring slowly.
2.When Chocolate is rapidly boiling, stir quickly to remove any lumps and turn heat to low.
3.Let chocolate cook while stirring slow as not to burn for five minutes or so.
4.Remove Chocolate from heat and pour into mugs for drinking/spooning.
5.Serve with a small squirt of whip cream or marchmallow on top.

Buona apettite!

Serves 2 people

This is a great recipe on a cold snowy day. Enjoy!

The Beginning

It is the start of a new year, which brings about many changes in my lifestyle. I have decided to embark on a culinary adventure this year. I am going to cook through the Gluten Free Italian Cookbook by Mary Capone. I will have 365 days to cook 160 recipes. Today is day one. I already have made a recipe called "Green Beans with Almonds". The name of this recipe is pretty self explanatory. It is just what it says, green beans and almonds sauteed with butter and olive oil. This week, I am planning to make many other recipes including Parmesan Chicken and Tiramisu. Wish me luck!!!