A Recipe for Disaster: Attention Deficit Disorder & Cooking

So,  let's start with this. If you have ever met me even once, even for 5 minutes, that's enough time to realize I have some serious ADD, because my attention span at its un-medicated worst is about 3 minutes...tops. Shiny things are my world, as is playing with my hair and wondering if I should dye it again, and thinking way too much about how I would rather be surfing for cheap international flights on Kayak.com than most other things.

Tonight, I made dinner for one of my best friends and her new significant other, so I could get to know said sig.oth. by plying their soul open with delicious food. I can be quite charming when I want something from you, for example: info about whether you deserve to be dating my amazing friend ;) (Complimenting me on my cooking will definitely score points, for the record.)

Tuesdays are a long looooong day of classes for me, so my "paying attention reservoir" is pretty much depleted by 4:30 when biostats is over. So attempting 3 brand new recipes--probably not the world's smartest thing to do. But like I said, the limit has been reached, and there is very little brain power left by evening. Stupidity is to be expected. I trip a lot and end up with random burns and bruises because of days like Tuesdays.

Thankfully, one of the recipes I attempted was pretty much idiot-proof. It basically goes: cut open squash, don't slice off fingers, put squash in oven for 40 minutes. Great. Done. I'm awesome. Feeling good about myself right now.

Oh wait, FALSE. Apparently I can actually mess up something as simple as the next dish I attempted which was Spanish red beans & rice. I was instantly frustrated because the recipe called for bacon, which is very inconsiderate of it considering my friend is a vegetarian. How dare that age-old recipe make my life more difficult?!

So I figured...okay...bacon. The most important parts about cooking with bacon are the fat you render from it and the saltiness of said fat. (Mmmmm, aren't you drooling now? As your arteries slowly clog up?) So I substituted bacon fat for just plain old lots and lots of butter and extra salt. Awesome. I rock. Smells good...let those onions and garlic do their savory mouth-watering job filling my apartment with great aromas.

In the meantime, I saw rice on the ingredient list and somehow my IDIOT disordered tired brain thought "oh, okay, cooked rice. Got it".

No. Wrong. Not cooked rice. Just regular, plain, uncooked, normal rice. IDIOT. But said rice was already cooked in my lovely rice cooker, and there was no turning back. So I ended up just mixing all the rest of the ingredients together in the onion/garlic/tons of butter pot, trying not to let anything burn on the bottom because there was no rice or liquid to prevent that...

Oy vey.

Once the mixture that should have boiled with the uncooked rice to give it a lovely integrated flavor seemed ready, I added the cooked rice and mixed it all around until it at least resembled what it should have been. As for the flavor? Well, it was lacking. Because this idiot (me) cooked it wrong so none of those yummy flavors had the opportunity to penetrate into the dish! So I added cayenne pepper and more salt to pump up the experience, and let it sit covered in the pot off direct heat for a little while.

It didn't turn out horrible, as I had terrible visions it would. My quick thinking and pure, utter genius (yes, I'm back to praising myself) with the cayenne pepper saved it! And I think I may have just invented a very quick, though admittedly not quite as delicious or flavorful, vegetarian version of red beans and rice.

Anyway, enjoy the recipe. I'm including the original, but you can deduce the new IDIOT version from the above entry. Have a lovely evening all. I'm gonna go eat some more rice!


RED BEANS & RICE

• 3 bacon slices, chopped
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups long-grain white rice
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon hot Spanish smoked paprika (Pimentón de la Vera)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 cups water
• 1 15- to 151/2-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed, drained

Sauté chopped bacon in heavy 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until bacon is brown and fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Add onion, red bell pepper, and garlic; sauté until onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir until coated, about 1 minute. Stir in bay leaves, tomato paste, cumin, paprika, and salt. Add 4 cups water and beans and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand covered 10 minutes. Fluff rice with fork. Remove bay leaves. Transfer rice to bowl and serve.

Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Red-Beans-and-Rice-234813

A People Pleaser! :)

Hello fellow foodies :)


I am SOOO excited about making my first appearance on here. I must say when Alana first asked me about contributing to her yummy blog I questioned myself. I have made learning how to cook one of my New Years resolutions for about as long as I can remember and I must say I haven't gotten very far!


CHANGE though has come into my life in a BIG way! I recently moved to L.A., started a new job, and most excitedly moved in with my boyfriend of 4 years, after spending the majority of our relationship apart. It has definitely been a crazy time, and while there are still many boundaries, toilet seat positions, and dish washing protocols to be ironed out I am very happy!


One boundary that is well established though is the kitchen, my boyfriend Andre, is an outstanding cook, and in turn has cooked the majority of the meals. This for many, including myself, is a dream come true but recently I've found myself slightly jealous of his talent. His creative, turn anything into a delicious meal, no recipe ever needed kinda talent. I hesitate to say this, but I think my internal womanhood is kind of wounded. So, when Alana asked me to start contributing to her blog I saw it as a PERFECT opportunity to start taking back the kitchen! Or at least feeling like a equal contributor which for me is the most important part! :)


The first recipe I'd like to share with you is one passed down to me by Andre's family. It's delicious, really easy, and feeds MANY! 

Green Chile Chicken Casserole 

Ingredients 


4 Boneless Chicken Breast
2 Cans of Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
2 16 oz./1 lb. Packages of Cheese (I get one package of Pepper Jack and Colby Jack but feel free to use what you like)
1 White Onion
1 tbs of Margarine or Butter 
1-2 8 oz. cans of Diced Green Chilies (you can also buy the big can of whole ones and just slice them up yourself)
1 Bag of Corn Tortillas (make sure the bag has a minimum of 30, and the thicker the better, you want them to be able to absorb and hold structure)
2 7 3/4 oz. Cans of El Pato Sauce
Spices - Seasoned Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Chili Powder (and any spices you feel would go good with a mexican cuisine)


Steps (Make sure to read through before jumping in some things overlap)


1. Fill large cooking pot 1/2 or 3/4 full of water. Season water with all spices, don't be shy. Place chicken breasts in water and boil. You'll know when the chicken is ready when they start to float, it takes them between 15 and 20 minutes. If you're a nervous chicken cooker like me don't be shy to take one of the breasts out and slice inside to see :) 


2. While chicken is boiling: shred both cheese packages and set aside, cut up white onion and saute in a small pan with some margarine or butter, rip each corn tortilla into 4s and with the pieces cover the bottom of your casserole dish making sure to overlap, leaving no spaces in between. 


3. After all your little set up steps are done chicken should be close or finished boiling. Take each chicken breast out of the water and shred. Some of you may have a shredder which could definitely used here but for those of you like me its all HANDS baby. The chicken breasts are going to be VERY HOT though, so please handle with care, you may need to give them a little time to cooooooool off. 


4. As your waiting for your breasts to be touchable ;), prepare the oven and set it to 3750. Then, pour out some of the water in the pot, you used to boil the chicken breasts. Pot should be filled less than half way and a little more than 1/4. Empty both cream of chicken soups in the pot and stir. Bring mixture to a slow boil and let soup thicken. If you've left in too much water this is also where you can boil it down. The thicker it is the BETTER! 


5. After you've shredded the chicken well, re-season with some seasoned salt and pepper! 


6. Now its time to build your casserole! Remember before starting that you are making around 3-4 layers so use your ingredients proportionately. Layer in, as evenly as possible, chicken, saute'd onions, green chillies, and cover with cheese, then drizzle, not too generously, the soup broth all over. You want to cover every inch but you don't want to drown it. Cover with corn tortilla squares and repeat steps. When you've reached your top layer cover with a little more cheese then the bottom layers so you get a good solid top. 


7. Place casserole in the oven and promptly do a shot, tequila suggested :) Monitor dish, you'll know when its ready when the edges and high points start getting some golden brown  parts.  


8. When its ready, take it out and let it set for about 5 minutes. With all those layers you want to give it some time to set so its not falling apart on you. If you're like me though you'll probably only be able to wait 3 minutes. Cut out squares for yourself and guests and place them on plates. Now comes the MOST IMPORTANT step, generously cover with El PATO sauce. If you miss this step you've severely injured this dish! Shame on YOU! lol :)


CONGRATS YOU'RE DONE! 


This dish goes best with your favorite mexican beer or beverage, mine being a Margarita :) Now sit down and ENJOY!!! I promise your tummy will not be disappointed! 

Here we go...back to school!

Today was my first day of grad school, and already I. Am. Exhausted. I found the classes interesting and the professors engaging, but it still took 3 cups of coffee, 1 spearmint yerba mate, my daily dose of Ritalin (thank you ADD), and a fair amount of head shaking/arm pinching to keep myself awake through several 2+ hr lectures. I am just so NOT a morning person.

At least on Tuesdays I get to end the afternoon with my beautiful box of organic vegetables =) delivered right to my doorstep courtesy of Boston Organics. This significantly brightens the prospects for my evening. Prior to spending the last 4 months in Africa (where I had little to no control over what I ate), I had read Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food. Say whatever you want about his message, I think it's brilliant.

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

So that's what I intend to do--along with trying to stay organic (within a student budget), NOT becoming a vegetarian by any means, and cooking for one in my little South End kitchen. Yay for no roommates!

My camera is currently MIA; in my hurry to dodge the potential doom of Hurricane Irene, it remained in my friend's New York apartment under a pile of other things I forgot to pack. Hopefully it will make its triumphant return to Boston soon so I can visually document my food porn, but until then, I will simply share with you the recipes I recently made that are simple, cheap, and wonderfully delicious.

Enjoy, friends!

Thai Basil Eggplant

2 Asian Eggplants
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves

Sautee the garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add eggplant, soy sauce and red pepper flakes and allow to cook for 3 to 5 more minutes.

Add the basil, stirring well, and cook for another minute, or until eggplant is done.

From Jolinda Hacket at About.com

Grilled Coconut Kale

(I don't have a grill, so I "grilled" under my broiler on low instead. I think it probably burnt a little more than it would have otherwise, but it was still delicious. Just pay attention so you don't set the oven on fire! That's a PSA for all my fellow ADD sufferers out there.)

1 bunch kale, ribs discarded, leaves cut into wide strips
1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne, or more to taste
1/4 teaspon mild paprika
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Combine all ingredients except kale in a small saucepan. Heat until slightly warm and combined. Combine in a bowl with kale leaves, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Remove, then grill on a very, very hot pre-heated grill pan until softened and sizzling.

Adapted from a New York Times Recipe