So...over the past 2 weeks, I have been experimenting with ingredients I had never previously cooked with. As silly as it sounds, I had never tried to cook an entire pork loin (or any pork loin for that matter). The result...YUM! I LOVE pork loin! It's so easy to cook and you can do so much with it. I am definitely searching for more of RR's recipes that include pork loin from now on. I've also been making dishes with tarragon. I've always liked the flavor of tarragon, but never used the fresh herb in a recipe before. My fiance and I loved (and devoured) Rachael's chicken casserole with fresh tarragon. Mmmmm... Another new ingredient I've recently tried is tamari, which is aged soy sauce. In some of my earlier blogs, I used regular soy sauce in recipes not realizing that there was much difference between the soy sauce packets I've saved in the junk drawer (you know you have one too) from all the Chinese food take-out we used to eat. Well, now I can say, there is a difference! Tamari has a richer quality as opposed to just a saltiness like soy sauce packets have. I went back and made the Orange BBQ make-your-own take out using the tamari instead of soy sauce packets and it made a huge difference. I highly recommend it.
Here are the recipes I've made over the past 2 weeks including tonight (Halloween):
Oct 31...Deviled eyeballs (LOL...a nice twist on traditional deviled eggs)
Oct 30...Reuben stuffed potatoes
Oct 29...Orange BBQ Cashew Chicken
Oct 28...Honey mustard chicken tenders
Oct 27...Baked Shells Casserole
Oct 26...Philly Cheesesteak Lunchbox roll-ups
Oct 25...Not Your Mama's London Broil
Oct 24...Jerk Chicken (yes, again....my fiance LOVES it)
Oct 23...Split dog foot longs
Oct 22...Florentine Dream Burgers
Oct 21...Rollover pork loin black bean chili (a new favorite)
Oct 20...Indian Curry Roast Vegetables
Oct 19...Roast Pork Loin with Oven roasted veggies
Oct 18...Chicken casserole
Oct 17...Inside out sausage chops (not really a fan of this one, sorry)
Oct 16...Tuna casserole (not as good as the chicken version!)
Oct 15...Maple glazed pork chops with scallion smashed potatoes and escarole
Oct 14...Hot Reuben dip (and leftovers!!!)
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Playing Blog Catchup!!!
I know, I know...I've been MIA for awhile, but I promise I've been cooking and have the pictures to prove it, LOL! I haven't posted on my blog in awhile because I have decided not to post the daily blogs separately, but rather to post them as an entire month so that the blog is easier to read. I will still post the daily blogs and the pics of the food, however, I will be posting them in a calendar format...For example, October will be one post with 31 sections (one for each day). The pictures will be posted chronologically on the left hand column of my blog, as they are now. I was told by a "professional" blogger that this will make my blog easier to read. I will post the food photos daily and the blogs will probably be posted weekly or bi-weekly under the month they coincide with.
For now, I'll give you a brief update...I've been in Florida for a few days and have whipped up some yummy meals in between traveling, wedding planning, and attending my bridal shower! This challenge is getting tougher, but I'm still dedicated and have been learning sooooo much!
Oh, and best news of all...my fabulous bridesmaid, Jody, bought me the plastic whisks I have been dying to cook with!!! Oh my gravy! I'm going to be whisking up lots of yummy sauces and gravies soon!!!
For now, I'll give you a brief update...I've been in Florida for a few days and have whipped up some yummy meals in between traveling, wedding planning, and attending my bridal shower! This challenge is getting tougher, but I'm still dedicated and have been learning sooooo much!
Oh, and best news of all...my fabulous bridesmaid, Jody, bought me the plastic whisks I have been dying to cook with!!! Oh my gravy! I'm going to be whisking up lots of yummy sauces and gravies soon!!!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Florida Fun!
Prav and I had so much fun in Florida! I attended my bridal shower and got some great RR cooking tools! My friends and family gave me plastic whisks, food warmers (awesome for entertaining) and a new set of RR cooking knives! Yay! While in Florida, my mom and stepdad enjoyed the benefits of this challenge. I was their personal chef! I made South Beach inspired burgers for them (how appropriate, right?) and pigskin paninis. I am working on my knife skills now that I have a few sets of knives that are actually meant for cooking with and not cutting steak with, lol. :)
Here are the recipes from the last 2 weeks:
Oct 13...Ragin' Cajun Chili
Oct 12...South Beach inspired burgers
Oct 11...Pigskin Paninis (for game day, of course)
Oct 10...Pretzel-crusted chicken & zucchini strips with honey mustard dipping sauce
Oct 9...Super-sized healthy breakfast sandwich
Oct 8...Double chicken dumpling soup
Oct 7...Spanish Chicken and Rice (very cost-conscious meal...love it)
Oct 6...Oven glazed apple lemon chicken with cordon bleu potatoes (a favorite!)
Oct 5...Thai lettuce cups
Oct 4...No fry stir fry
Oct 3...Crispy Chicken Sticks (so easy!!!)
Here are the recipes from the last 2 weeks:
Oct 13...Ragin' Cajun Chili
Oct 12...South Beach inspired burgers
Oct 11...Pigskin Paninis (for game day, of course)
Oct 10...Pretzel-crusted chicken & zucchini strips with honey mustard dipping sauce
Oct 9...Super-sized healthy breakfast sandwich
Oct 8...Double chicken dumpling soup
Oct 7...Spanish Chicken and Rice (very cost-conscious meal...love it)
Oct 6...Oven glazed apple lemon chicken with cordon bleu potatoes (a favorite!)
Oct 5...Thai lettuce cups
Oct 4...No fry stir fry
Oct 3...Crispy Chicken Sticks (so easy!!!)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
9/30/09 My small screen debut!!!...diet inspiration, LOL
I think my face is going to explode from blushing so much!
Prav and I spent an hour watching the Rachael Ray Show in bed together. We absolutely LOVED supernanny, Jo Frost's segment! We didn't actually get to meet her while we were in NYC, but we did see her sitting in her green room with her "people." I wish we had the opportunity to chat with her. She just seems like such an amazing, down-to-earth person.
I'm still feeling a bit overwhelmed after seeing Prav and myself on TV with Rach! I can tell I was nervous. :) Also, I think I'll be looking through the "figure friendly" RR recipes for awhile! The camera really does add 10 lbs...and there were like 5 cameras on me (50 lbs??? LOL). Ugh...the wedding is less than 3 months away. Thank you, Rachael, I think I've found my motivation to work harder to be healthier. :)
I hope everyone enjoyed the show. We definitely enjoyed filming with Rachael Ray and her crew! I have to say, the producers of the RR Show were/are some of the nicest people I have ever met! A special thanks to Amy, Jill, & Liliana!!! I feel so lucky to have met these women and to have them supporting me through this endeavor.
I feel very fortunate to have had this amazing experience. Prav and I both feel that being on the RR Show is a memory we will cherish forever. And, yes, I am using my new knives and spoons everyday!!!
Prav and I spent an hour watching the Rachael Ray Show in bed together. We absolutely LOVED supernanny, Jo Frost's segment! We didn't actually get to meet her while we were in NYC, but we did see her sitting in her green room with her "people." I wish we had the opportunity to chat with her. She just seems like such an amazing, down-to-earth person.
I'm still feeling a bit overwhelmed after seeing Prav and myself on TV with Rach! I can tell I was nervous. :) Also, I think I'll be looking through the "figure friendly" RR recipes for awhile! The camera really does add 10 lbs...and there were like 5 cameras on me (50 lbs??? LOL). Ugh...the wedding is less than 3 months away. Thank you, Rachael, I think I've found my motivation to work harder to be healthier. :)
I hope everyone enjoyed the show. We definitely enjoyed filming with Rachael Ray and her crew! I have to say, the producers of the RR Show were/are some of the nicest people I have ever met! A special thanks to Amy, Jill, & Liliana!!! I feel so lucky to have met these women and to have them supporting me through this endeavor.
I feel very fortunate to have had this amazing experience. Prav and I both feel that being on the RR Show is a memory we will cherish forever. And, yes, I am using my new knives and spoons everyday!!!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
9/29/09 My very first pot roast...
What's for dinner tonight? Weeknight Pot Roast with Horseradish Buttered Bread
Confession...I have NEVER made a pot roast or a stew in my life! However, I absolutely love pot roast and stewed meat with veggies. And, what could be bad about gravy and bread...nothing, that's what!
Tonight, I attempted to make my very first pot roast. Rachael calls this a "Weeknight" pot roast because you don't have to slow cook it (at least that's what I assume was the logic behind the name). I still haven't braved the crock pot slow cooker yet, but I fully plan to before this challenge ends! Throughout the movie, "Julie and Julia," Julie Powell keeps mentioning that she has to, "bone a whole duck" by the end of the year. That was her obstacle and maybe the crock pot is mine, haha.
So, the pot roast was delicious. I am definitely more comfortable making gravy from roux and really love doing it now! My veggies were tender and the London Broil was perfectly medium rare. Prav and I both agreed, this was one of our favorite meals. We've been eating late at night recently because I am back to working night shifts. I can't wait to take my leftovers to work with me. This is such comfort food and I am LOVING it! The horseradish and butter spread over the crusty bread is the perfect addition to the meal!
This meal only took me 45 minutes to make too! I'm getting better with my time, but I am still making a huge mess in the kitchen, LOL. Everyone keeps asking me if Prav does the dishes and cleans up. My answer to everyone is this: Prav is an amazing eater, taste tester, and an incredibly dedicated spouse.
Maybe part of my challenge will be to learn to love cleaning...NOT! I don't like to clean, but I love my fiance and I know how hard he works. He deserves all of the best things I can give him. Plus, my floor is covered with salt because I throw a little over my left shoulder for luck whenever I cook (just like Rach). Since I am doing this intentionally, I feel responsible for cleaning it up. I guess I forget that Rachael has a crew to clean up her set and I am stuck doing it myself. Oh well!
Oh, I almost forgot, the News & Observer has written an article about my appearance on the Rachael Ray Show. You can check out the article at: http://blogs.newsobserver.com/tv/duke-nurse-to-appear-on-the-rachael-ray-show
Enjoy!
Confession...I have NEVER made a pot roast or a stew in my life! However, I absolutely love pot roast and stewed meat with veggies. And, what could be bad about gravy and bread...nothing, that's what!
Tonight, I attempted to make my very first pot roast. Rachael calls this a "Weeknight" pot roast because you don't have to slow cook it (at least that's what I assume was the logic behind the name). I still haven't braved the crock pot slow cooker yet, but I fully plan to before this challenge ends! Throughout the movie, "Julie and Julia," Julie Powell keeps mentioning that she has to, "bone a whole duck" by the end of the year. That was her obstacle and maybe the crock pot is mine, haha.
So, the pot roast was delicious. I am definitely more comfortable making gravy from roux and really love doing it now! My veggies were tender and the London Broil was perfectly medium rare. Prav and I both agreed, this was one of our favorite meals. We've been eating late at night recently because I am back to working night shifts. I can't wait to take my leftovers to work with me. This is such comfort food and I am LOVING it! The horseradish and butter spread over the crusty bread is the perfect addition to the meal!
This meal only took me 45 minutes to make too! I'm getting better with my time, but I am still making a huge mess in the kitchen, LOL. Everyone keeps asking me if Prav does the dishes and cleans up. My answer to everyone is this: Prav is an amazing eater, taste tester, and an incredibly dedicated spouse.
Maybe part of my challenge will be to learn to love cleaning...NOT! I don't like to clean, but I love my fiance and I know how hard he works. He deserves all of the best things I can give him. Plus, my floor is covered with salt because I throw a little over my left shoulder for luck whenever I cook (just like Rach). Since I am doing this intentionally, I feel responsible for cleaning it up. I guess I forget that Rachael has a crew to clean up her set and I am stuck doing it myself. Oh well!
Oh, I almost forgot, the News & Observer has written an article about my appearance on the Rachael Ray Show. You can check out the article at: http://blogs.newsobserver.com/tv/duke-nurse-to-appear-on-the-rachael-ray-show
Enjoy!
9/29/09 About the missing dates on my blog...
So, you may be wondering what happened to some of the missing dates on my blog...good question! Some of the dates that are missing contain information that cannot be posted due to the confidentiality agreements I signed with the Rachael Ray Show. Since the show airs tomorrow, you can expect that I will post the missing blogs shortly after (if I'm allowed to, lol). Thank you to everyone for your support and encouragement!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
9/24/09 Very French and Cheesy!
What's for dinner tonight? French Onion Soup with Cheesy Croutons
There's nothing my man loves better than a bowl of French Onion Soup! He will order French Onion Soup from any restaurant regardless of what the quality might be! I've seen Prav order this soup at Subway, Panera Bread, Quiznos, and 7-11, etc. There's nothing wrong with these establishments, mind you; I'm just making a point here...he will order this dish from anywhere!
So, Rach made French Onion Soup on the show today and I made it for dinner tonight. I hate chopping onions more than anything and this recipe calls for slicing up 6 whole onions! Ugh... I took a tip from Rachael and it seemed to help. Rachael said on the show today that one of her viewers wears goggles while chopping up onions to avoid having burning, stinging eyes. Well, I don't have goggles, but I do have sunglasses! Yep, I wore my sunglasses while chopping up the huge pile of onions! And, guess what...it worked!
I don't think my onions caramelized properly. The onions are supposed to brown up in the pot and mine didn't. I even cooked the onions for 45 minutes instead of 30 as the recipe instructed. Oh well. The soup still tasted great. Rach adds Worcestershire sauce to the onion broth and I think it tastes even better that way! The cheesy croutons are made with Gruyere cheese which, thankfully, I now know how to pronounce and use! Rachael uses smaller croutons as opposed to one big floating crouton which makes eating the bread much easier.
All and all, I think the soup was tasty and Prav finished a big bowl of it tonight. However, I think I need to figure out why my onions never browned up. Hmmm...a mystery for now.
There's nothing my man loves better than a bowl of French Onion Soup! He will order French Onion Soup from any restaurant regardless of what the quality might be! I've seen Prav order this soup at Subway, Panera Bread, Quiznos, and 7-11, etc. There's nothing wrong with these establishments, mind you; I'm just making a point here...he will order this dish from anywhere!
So, Rach made French Onion Soup on the show today and I made it for dinner tonight. I hate chopping onions more than anything and this recipe calls for slicing up 6 whole onions! Ugh... I took a tip from Rachael and it seemed to help. Rachael said on the show today that one of her viewers wears goggles while chopping up onions to avoid having burning, stinging eyes. Well, I don't have goggles, but I do have sunglasses! Yep, I wore my sunglasses while chopping up the huge pile of onions! And, guess what...it worked!
I don't think my onions caramelized properly. The onions are supposed to brown up in the pot and mine didn't. I even cooked the onions for 45 minutes instead of 30 as the recipe instructed. Oh well. The soup still tasted great. Rach adds Worcestershire sauce to the onion broth and I think it tastes even better that way! The cheesy croutons are made with Gruyere cheese which, thankfully, I now know how to pronounce and use! Rachael uses smaller croutons as opposed to one big floating crouton which makes eating the bread much easier.
All and all, I think the soup was tasty and Prav finished a big bowl of it tonight. However, I think I need to figure out why my onions never browned up. Hmmm...a mystery for now.
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