by beth on January 30, 2010
They taste better than this picture looks.
I realize I sound like a Food Network nut based on my past few posts, but it really is my go-to channel, Web site and magazine when I’m looking for practical recipes and information. As my cooking skills and interests have evolved over the years, so has my liking for different shows/hosts. The one host that I seem to connect with the most now is Ina Garten. Quite simply, she rocks. I love her food philosophy of using simple, fresh and quality ingredients. I also love her entertaining style of being able to do as much prep work as possible so you can actually enjoy your own party. I bet she makes a mean cocktail.
The thing I like best about Ina is her recipes are rock solid. Every time I use one of her recipes, it is usually the best version I’ve ever made of that dish. I bring this up because I love shortbread cookies and have been searching for and trying different recipes over the years that I like, but have not fallen in love with. Let’s face it, if you are going to consume that much butter you better be in love with it. Sitting at Little J’s dance class the other day, I was searching for a cookie recipe to try that night. I didn’t want to be bothered to stop at the grocery store, so I needed to limit it to ingredients I already had. I did a search for cookies on the trusty (yet sometimes hard to navigate) Food Network site and decided to see what cookie recipes Ina had to offer. Score! Shortbread cookies and I had all of the ingredients.
Long story short, the recipe was simple and the cookies were delicious (hubby and I each ate 3 to just make sure they were edible. Yeah that’s the reason). This recipe is now my go-to for shortbread. Ina is also my source for the following recipes:
I’m sure there are more, but that’s all I could think of right now. Therefore I am declaring a new rule for myself: if I need a recipe for something specific I’m trying to make, my first stop is to see if Ina Garten has a recipe for it. If she does, I will search no further. End of story. This is why “In Ina I Trust”.
Who or what is your go-to food resource?
by beth on January 27, 2010
One of my favorite magazines is Food Network Magazine. My world pretty much comes to a complete stop when it arrives in my mailbox until I quickly page through it to see what recipes look good. In the latest issue, I found a recipe for Shrimp and Chicken Etouffee and decided that was the first thing I was going to try from the magazine. I had never made etouffee or even eaten it before. I always gravitate towards jambalaya instead when in the mood for NOLA food. As part of my New Year’s resolution, I was ready to try something new.
First problem, the recipe was labeled as Weekend Cooking and I decided to try it on a Wednesday. Take it from me, they label these recipes like that for a reason. It was much more time consuming than I had the time for, but didn’t realize it until I already had everything finally cut. Uh oh, this is not going to be good. I decided to cowgirl up and committed to finishing the dinner before Little J’s bedtime.
The recipe was pretty straight forward but there was one little part that I was not 100% sure of, the roux. I have some prior experience with making a roux for my alfredo sauce, but not a dark, nutty roux. As I follow the directions, I immediately start the questions in my mind:
- Should it be more of a solid?
- Or more of a liquid?
- How dark brown?
- What have I gotten myself into?
I took my best guess at the roux’s readiness and continue the recipe by adding the veggies. I’m almost at the end of the recipe and I’m noticing the color of my etouffee is no where near as dark as the one in the picture. Uh oh, this can’t be good. I make the rice and finish up the etouffee not knowing if I just wasted an hour and a half of my life making something we won’t want to eat.
I am happy to report that the meal was delicious and we were happy to pack up the leftovers to freeze and enjoy another day. Apparently roux is not a cruel mistress and just provides different depths of flavor (yes, I said depths of flavor). I will definitely be more patient with it next time to see how it changes the flavor. Are there any cooking techniques that trip you up?
by beth on January 23, 2010
Last night marked the end of a long, busy week and decided to put down the laptop and just veg. For me, vegging on a Friday night can only mean one thing is on my TV, Food Network. The show coming on was The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Have you seen this show? It’s the stars of Food Network talking about the best food they had ever eaten.
The first episode talked about the best salty things they had eaten and the second was a more general topic. Everything they ate sounded and looked really good. I’m definitely adding pork belly to the list of things I need to try.
The show got me thinking about the best food I had ever eaten and I was really disappointed that I could not think of anything off the top of my head. Hubby and I even discussed it and couldn’t think of many things we just absolutely crave. The one thing that stood out most to the both of us was the filet mignon that I make at home.
Does this mean that I’m picky about my food? Or I totally go to the wrong restaurants? Maybe I don’t pay attention to really think about it while I’m eating? I’m going with a combination of restaurant choice and paying attention. Due to Little J, every restaurant we go to has to have chicken nuggets on the menu and I’m usually pretty distracted getting her to eat. My goal moving forward is to be more in the moment when eating and be on a quest to find the best thing I ever ate.
Now I’m asking you, what and where did you get the best thing you ever ate?
