Cooking Creations.

The kitchen and I have never been terribly close.
Whenever I attempted to make anything, things never went quite according to plan.
Making mac and cheese set a dish towel on fire. Heating a pop tart set a fire in the toaster oven. Those types of things...

But restrictions can change people.
Not allowed to cook for two years, I now want to cook EVERYTHING.

I have been following a blog called Closet Cooking.
I want to make every recipe on it.

 Carmelized Mushroom and Onion Pizza

I couldn't find an puff pastry so I just threw it on pita bread with alfredo sauce.

Ingredients: pita bread. onion. mushroom. parsley. gorgonzola.

My Additions: alfredo sauce. mozzarella.

This is such a great way to make delicious caramelized onion and mushroom that can be used for anything. I want to try it with mashed potatoes next.

-1- Heat 1tbsp oil. 

-2- Add 1 onion chopped and cook till caramelize (~20min) 

-3- Add 1tbsp butter and melt. 

-4- Add 1 pound chopped mushroom and saute till caramelize (~20min) 

-5- Add 1 chopped clove of garlic and 1/2 tsp thyme chopped. 

-6- Season with salt and pepper. 

-7- Add 1/4 cup white wine. Deglaze and cook until evaporate.

Then... just throw everything on pita and bake in toaster oven or microwave.

Spinach Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Food processors are awesome! Pesto making is such a breeze.

Herbal Chicken Soup

Everyone around me was sick with something. So just for preventative measures I asked my mother for her herbal chicken soup. Too bad I couldn't find any of her suggested ingredients.

Mom's Ingredients: organic chicken. 15 slices of ginseng.

My Ingredients: black chicken. ginger. wolfberries.

 Cut up chicken. Throw all ingredients into pot and cook in 4 cups of water. 

Let simmer for a very long time. I left it in slow cooker over night. Drink the broth. Not bad.

Food - pork stuffed tomatoes

You can never talk about food too much... can you?
Another NA creation.


Pork Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients:
_1 lb ground pork
_1 stalk scallions (fancy name for green onion)
_roma tomatoes
_ketchup
_oil


1. Cut tomatoes in half. Spoon out innards of tomatoes and save for sauce. (These are tough times. You need to be resourceful dontcha know?)

2. Chop up scallions and mix with ground pork.

3. Roll pork mixture into ball and put into gutted tomatoes. (refer to picture)

4. Put oil in pan and fry the stuffed tomatoes on both sides until meat is cooked and tomatoes have that semi-soft wrinkly texture.

this is a bit of waiting game.

tomatoes waiting to dive in.

MEANWHILE...

onto the SAUCE!

5. Mix tomato innards with ketchup until its a thicker but still runny consistency

6. When stuffed tomatoes are done cooking. Remove from heat. Pour the sauce all over.

This kind of reminds me of grilled tomatoes in Middle Eastern food. Squishy tomatoes are good with rice. Especially fried rice. I like to break up the stuffed tomatoes and mix it with the rice so it's a giant blob. A delicious blob.

Food - clam buttah delight.

Jbear went to a friend's place and came back with yummy recipes.
The secret is to soak everything in garlic and butter.
I approve.


Clams + Butter + Garlic (+ Something Green)

1. Buy lots of clams.

2. Throw in some green stuff (chopped scallions) to make yourself feel better.

3. Chop up a bunch of garlic cloves. Whatever you think is reasonable. And DOUBLE it.

4. Melt one stick of butter in large pot. (or two)

5. Once butter simmers, throw everything in and watch some JS until the clams are ready (when they open up their mouths to say eat me).

Delicious. You are the Asian Paula Dean. Paula Nguyen.
Eat with rice. or plain. with your hands. like me.

because you cannot wait for the rice.

it. is. that. Good.

People may ask - What is this delightful sauce?

You respond - Buttah. Pure buttah. Please eat before it solidifies.