Cooking 101: Pinterest Culinary School

Another Pinterest win on the books. This one was even a single serve (easily scale-able for Sunday night dinners) but with having my freezer stocked with Costco salmon- this was an easy, quick and delicious meal.

I swear that Pinterest has become my cooking 101 class! I have had more success with Pinterest recipes than I have ever had in my life!

Anyways. Make this salmon. Paired with some rice, sauteed spinach, it was the perfect post-workout dinner!

From Natasha's Kitchen....

Baked Salmon with Garlic and Dijon

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com

Skill Level: Easy

Cost To Make: $10 – $12

Serving: 4

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs salmon
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 large OR 3 small cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1.5 tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp salt
• ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ⅛ cup mild olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Lemon slices

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450° F and line a rimmed baking dish with foil.

1. In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley, 2-3 cloves pressed garlic, 1.5 tsp Dijon, ½ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp pepper, ⅛ cup olive oil and 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice. Mix well.
2. Cut salmon into even portions and lay them onto your lined baking dish skin side down.
3. Generously brush all sides of your salmon with the sauce and top with fresh lemon slices.
4. Bake at 450°F for 12-15 minutes or until just cooked through. Don’t over-cook or your fish will be dry. Voila! Easy, excellent dish.

Creamy Avocado Whole Wheat Pasta with Shrimp

How will I tie a cooking adventure to Jenni's day three prompt? Well....something that makes me uncomfortable is cooking seafood. Shrimp, clams, some fish, crab, etc.. One, it is expensive (usually). Two, I don't really know what I am doing. Steak, chicken, pork---cook till done. Fish. Seafood. Who the heck knows! Three, it can make your apartment smell.

Not being exactly the best cook in the world. I survive, but am certainly not the person you want in your kitchen cooking dinner. Baking you cupcakes, absolutely. Cooking shrimp. Nope, wrong girl.

Well yesterday I saw a post over at Kevin and Amanda for a pasta dish that used avocado as the sauce. It reminded me that I had bookmarked a similar recipe MONTHS ago, and had yet to try it. With a free evening last night, I decided to give Amanda's recipe a try.  

Amazingly, it was a HUGE success. It was delish! I am so proud of my cooking skills! The shrimp were....dare I say it?....good. REALLY good.

 

Now I know this isn't the normal response to something that makes one uncomfortable, but it was a good link between my dinner adventure and my blog every day challenge! I say it is a win!

Medium Rare

It is no secret that I love me a big piece of red meat with a side of potatoes in some form. Luckily the SO is just as enamoured with red meat and appreciates a fine meal complete with an ice cream sundae. Where did we have such a fantastic meal you ask?

Medium Rare.

With a prix fixe menu, you are guide exactly towards what is perfection:

Artisan Rustic Bread
Mixed Green Salad
Culotte Steak & Hand-Cut Fries w/ Secret Sauce

Sound simple? Simple, but downright scrumptious. Yes. I said scrumptious. That secret sauce is good enough to lick the plate. The bread is good enough to ask for a loaf to take home and smoother with nutella, and the salad....even the salad is so good you want seconds.

Best part is. You get seconds! After your first serving of fries and steak, you are served a second round from a hot pan, straight to your plate. Luckily, they bring a little extra sauce. Let's just say these are the worlds best left-overs.

Top this all of with...you guessed it. Ice Cream Sundae, complete with a cherry on top.

Next time the parents roll into town, this place is a must-go. (Wink wink parents).

Something besides cereal for dinner!!

After the fire alarm debacle of 2012, I have been a bit shy to cook anything past a bowl of cereal. Typically the bf is around to help me cook (we do Sunday dinners almost weekly), but with him gone for work, I am left to my own devices. Cereal just wasn't doing it for me tonight so I decided to copy a dish I had a long time ago at Cork Wine Bar. They serve avocado on toasted bread, with pistachios, and olive oil. It is salty, savory, and delightful! I made my own version tonight and it was pretty close to the original!

Under 15 minutes and a perfectly filling and tasty dinner that didn't come out of a box!

Staub and a Dinner Failure

I recently just added a Staub cast iron grill pan to my kitchen line-up. She is a beaut! Cobalt blue, shiny, non-stick surface and heavy enough for me to seriously injure and intruder if that were to ever be and issue.




We took her for a spin tonight and besides the evident fact that my cooking skills are so below where they should be (can anyone say yucky fish for dinner?) she worked great! I currently have a flank steak going through the final stages of marination in my fridge right now which I will attempt later this week.

Honestly though…why can’t I cook? I can bake. Just about anything. But cook. No. Absolutely not. This is not just a problem for me, but think about the poor soul who marries me and finds out I can only put cupcakes, baklava, cookies, and cheesecake on the table?  Pretty sure if  when I go back to school I will starve to death since I won’t live in ADPi and have Sandi to cook my meals, leave “late plates”, or access to the kitchenette!

I also tend to have really negative experiences cooking fish. I just get so discouraged when I make something that gives me the yucks! It is a waste of money and then I also get all nervous about  cooking again—and heave forbid I would actually cook for someone! Gasp.
How did you all learn to cook? How have you gotten over your mental blocks of “I have no idea what I am doing with this pot and pan!”

oh. Is that right? You all love to cook? I am just abnormal? oh. ok. What’s new.
But really people…my default two chicken dishes and pasta are just not going to cut it anymore.

A (Hank)ering

Em and I took a after work splurge and went to one of my favorite DC spots: Hank's Oyster Bar. Our service was sadly some of the worst I have EVER had at a restaurant and I hope that I never get the serve we had. We felt horribly unwelcome and like we were ruining the guys night. Ummm...last time I checked, you were the one who signed up to be a waiter buddy. And while we were ordering oysters in small batches and some sides we had a decent amount of wine....so buddy....news flash....our bill was worth your time. And oh yea...you won't get great tips being a jerk. Just saying...mk?

Anyways now that I am done with my rant. (Hank's I hope you never ever ever ever do that to me again).

But without fail the oysters were amazing. I am already starting to drool just thinking about them. Take a look at some of our succulent delights.

A Burrito and An Eggroll

So this past month has been packed with visitors (ok not packed but considering I keep a fairly small social circle--to have TWO visitors in one month is pretty "packed" for me).

Erica--who writes an amazing blog btw. Check her out. just left on Sunday (yes I cried as per usual when friends depart). We had a couple wonderful days together just chatting, getting caught up on each others lives, cooking some amazing food, eating some tasty brunch, and snuggling in bed since I am cover stealer.

I probably appreciate more at this point in my life more than ever the simple joy of sipping coffee with a girlfriend and just chatting. I knew I had it great growing up with a great group of friends and then in college meeting an otustanding group of women who I know will be entwined in my life more than I think even I will ever be able to full comprehend. But you take it for granted...until you don't have it anymore. Yes, all my girls are just a phone call, skype, text, email away...but that simple delight of just grabbing coffee, lunch, making dinner, drinking a whole bottle of wine is something that just isn't at my fingertips like it was in college living here in DC. I do have some amazing girlfriend here in DC, but my DC lends to a lot of work, and sometimes not as much personal stuff as I would like. Anyways. You get the point. Having Erica here was amazing and I miss her a lot already. And I am also so glad she is safe and doing what she needs to be doing for her right now.

Some highlights from the trip include this amazing dinner we just kind of whipped up on the fly. I had the fixins to make this pasta sauce that was handed to me by AlliBear's mom awhile back, and then Erica got me this great little cookbook that comes from a moment in NYC to have accessible fresh produce. From that we made a roasted veggie salad served over spinach with a garlic vinaigrette sauce (yes we made that--i know right!!?)

We also had a great series of photos that spawned from this conversation:

A: Ugh I am so bad about taking photos! We don't have a single picture of us together from your time here.
E: *shrugs*
A: Well I have my little camera
E: I'm asian I rock at taking the self portraits with the extended arm.

(Or something like that)

Which resulted in this:

 This one jusdt didn't do it for me.

 So then we took this gem. Yes you can see up my nose.

 We were drinking coffee and I look like I had a gallon of wine.

 Excited Erica.

 Ok maybe there was something in the coffee?

 Getting there

 My "excited eyes"

In the end. Not bad.

So special.

We did enjoy a wonderful brunch at Belga Cafe which has been on my list of places to dine at for awhile now. I will 100% be going back as I didn't want to order six menu items--but they sounded so good!

I was so glad to see Erica and I selfishly hope she moves somewhere close so I can see more of her! But for now, I just savor the days I get to spend with my friends!

Ratatouille Part Deux

Last night I was determined to actually cook dinner. And not "cook" one of my Trader Joes means that I have survived off of for the last year of my life. When I was in transition and searching for housing last October Ben graciously hosted a dinner party (pretty sure it was to provide distraction from what was going on in my life...so thank you Ben!) and made this delish Ratatouille recipe from Smitten Kitchen. On a side note I need to start using more of the recipes from SK, as the ones I have tried are delish and nothing too complicated for my cooking skills and itty bitty kitchen. This recipe for St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake is calling to me in my late night IambloggingandIwantsomethingsweetbecausewhenyouareanadultyoucaneatwheveryouwantinthecomfortofyourownbedandnoonewilleverknow

state.

Anyways. Back to my Ratatouille story. Ben made this for me and then I made it for cohabs Erin and Paul when I first moved into my new place. They were the first people I had over for food in my new apartment and the other day I was thinking how good that dinner had turned out. So I made it again.

A few lessons:

1) when you are too tired to cook. You are probably going to stop reading the directions and therefore leave out an ingredient. Luckily with this I was able to improvise and throw the ingredient in later.

2) Just because there weren't any left overs last time (when you served three people dinner) DOES NOT mean you need to make a full dish of something for my single eating self. To put it lightly...I have baked veggies overflowing in tupperwear.

3) The goat cheese is what makes it.

4) Also splurge on the thyme, it really does add all the flavor that is characteristic of Ratatouille.

5) Find a rat to sit on your head while you cook. It will make the stress of the week melt away.

And finally. This is one of the most visually appealing things I have ever made in my cooking adventures. It is simply beautiful with the layers of color. It makes me really lust for a fancy knife set so I could cut my red bell pepper in whole slices rather than butchering uncivilized like with my IKEA knives. But nonetheless...it was a beautiful meal:

Parentopolis

So I never really wrote much about my parents coming to visit me. So here it goes. A readers digest version of the wonderful couple of days I got to see them here in DC.

I had to work a few days while they were here but we still snuck in some good sight seeing and

some great family dinners.

On Sunday after getting some decent sleep we got up and headed down to see if we could get tickets to go through Ford's Theater and see some Smithsonians. We managed to score some tickets to the Theater and while we were waiting we went to the National Archives which was cool since it was something I actually hadn't even done/seen here yet. We then did our Ford's Theater tour which has been on my to-do list forever and it did not disappoint! From there we headed to the Portrait gallery, at a bit of lunch and then headed back to my apartment to get my car to go see the Jefferson and then headed to Old Town to see my old 'hood and grab dinner at the Fish Market (Yum lobster pasta!) Dad had a scooner of beer which was pretty amazing.

Monday I had to work but met up with my parents in the evening for dinner at Potenza which was absolutely delish.
Tuesday the parents did some marathon sight seeing while I was at work and then we met up at the Brickskeller where I had the most amazing beer that I have ever put in contact with my lips. More of a desert but this beer was epic!

Wednesday I took the day off to spend some quality time with mom and dad and we fit in a ton! First we went out to the new air and space museum out by Dulles airport which was really fun.




After air and space we headed to Arlington National Cemetery.

We then trucked up to the National Cathedral which I had not seen since my adventures to DC way back in High School, so it was neat to see it again. I forgot what a stunning cathedral it is.

After the Cathedral we even made it over the White House- AND saw BO! Yes we got to see Bo Obama frolic around the south lawn. After the White House we had dinner at Founding Farmers (which I am sure you are all familiar with now as being one of my favorite places to eat in DC) and then took a night-time tour of my office before heading back to their hotel after a marathon of a day.

Sadly we had to say goodbye and the parents headed back to be parents to the poodle who I am sure was antsy without them! But we had a great trip and I am so glad they made it out here while I am living in DC!

What's Cookin' Good Lookin'

Monday night I made this:

Photo courtesy: MarthaStewart.com

Minus the tomatoes (substitute green beans with garlic). Yes that is right, skirt team in a Balsamic dressing with poltena. I must say my polenta turned out great and the steak...so good!

I found the recipe courtesy of Martha and if you are craving a good red meat dish (I was needing some iron apparently) this is fairly easy and seems kind of hard to really mess up. The only this is when you are reducing your balsamic...brace yourself. The smell is a bit overwhelming, but hang in there because once reduced...it is a savory sauce!



There was also some of this:

photo courtesy of epsion

And then there was this for dessert
Photo courtesy the Daily Scoop


It was quite the meal and makes me wish I could cook more. I think I am intimidated by cooking things that are 1)not baked goods 2) out of a box 3) in my freezer. But honestly usually when I do attempt some sort of cooking effort, this usually go pretty well. Now I just need a bit bigger kitchen. *Le sigh* the day when I own my own place will be so awesome...if even just for the bathroom and kitchen (two of the most important features in a house for me).

I am thinking there will need to be some of these made at some point...maybe if someone throws and opening day party again for the Nats I will bring some of these along:




Photo courtesy of MarthStewart.com

I love soft pretzels so i am sure I would devour these!

Also has anyone made Marshmallows before? This is high on my priority list to make before spring (they seem like a winter thing to make) but some good hot cocoa and some homemade marshmallows just seem like a luxury I would enjoy.