Irrepressible Perserverence

'No-Fuss' Cioppino

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 01:22:40 GMT

I think one of my biggest flaws cooking is that I'm so hyped up on the trying new and exciting things angle, that I forget to go back and repeat myself. So recipes that turned out great or would turn out good if I did this or that to it never, or I should say rarely, get remade. It's a great shame, so that's one of my goals for the New Year - remember to incorporate what I've already done in my cooking.

That said, since winter likes to think it's upon us, I opted to revisit a recipe that was quite good but could use some help. I first made this back in September of 2009 and tonight I hit up dexfarkin for some additional advice on what to do with this.

The what? 'No-Fuss' Cioppino
The where? Take 5: 150 five-ingredient recipes (Weight Watchers)
Side dish? Some fresh bread my roommate bought
End result: Much better, very filling.

( No fuss! )

They really weren't kidding when they named this puppy no-fuss. With the exception of cleaning the shrimp, the entire recipe is incredibly simple. Though speaking of those shrimp...

There was a tiny moment of flailing in the kitchen tonight. I was happily going along, ripping the shells off the shrimp and making sure I got all the meat out of the tails. Right up until I reached for one and found myself holding a shrimp head, complete with eyes and antenna. I stared at it staring at me until I yelped and threw it into the garbage disposal, not stopping until I'd turned it on. As if I were afraid of zombie shrimp heads crawling out of the sink in the middle of the night...

......Excuse me, I need to go run the garbage disposal one more time.

A-hem, now then. The biggest problem of the night came not from dinner but from the stove, as apparently one of the burners isn't working and the other one was smoking. We finally figured out a system as Marissa cooked her dinner and I cooked mine to the satisfaction of all parties but we'll probably have to call someone about the stove. Joy.

Overall, the longest part of it was cutting up the cod though since it was still a bit frozen when I cut it, it was actually easier than if I'd tried it raw. (Oh! And for those playing our game out there, if you'd read what I wrote in the September post about this, I had accidentally used sweet vermouth instead of dry. This time, I got it right. There was a taste difference and for the better.)

With Dex' additions to the dish, it was much more flavorful this time around. It's an incredibly filling and easy thing to toss together, especially if you have random frozen veggies in your freezer. In the future, I might like to try a "no fuss" version but this will be my go-to for quick and simple, that's for sure.

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Spiced Lamb Chops w/Cucumber and Red Onion Salad

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:13:56 GMT

Playing a bit of catch-up tonight - the previous dinner was on Monday and this dish was the one I just finished cleaning up the kitchen from. Cooking would be so much easier if I had someone to clean up after me...

Tonight I managed to redeem myself, either because I wast just more on or because this was actually a good recipe. I've always had a soft spot for lamb but I don't often cook it because ... actually, I have no idea why I don't cook it more often. Especially considering it appears that my roommate, Marissa (i.e., my test subject/frequent victim), likes lamb as well. I probably don't cook it often because Giant doesn't do well by it but that may end as I've discovered a butcher within driving distance. I'll be testing him out this weekend.

I also appreciate any recipe that comes with its own side dish, as one of my failings is I make the main dish ... and then realize that I didn't prepare anything to eat with it. Thank god for microwave veggies. I have really got to think that far ahead.

The what? Spiced Lamb Chops w/Cucumber and Red Onion Salad
From where? WeightWatchers Ultimate Flex & Core Cookbook
Side dish: Came with it - cucumber and red onion salad
End Result: Loved it

( Spiced Lamb Chops w/Cucumber & Red Onion Salad )

Instead of rubbing the spice mixture over the sides of the lamb, I gently pressed the meat into the bottom of the bowl to get a nice coating, shaking off any excess rub before flipping it over to repeat on the other side and then moving to the next one. I had to shake the bowl from time to time to get enough in the center but it seemed to work really well that way.

Problems didn't start to arise until I was right about to start grilling the chops on my babyForeman grill. The grill was starting to break. Not in any explosion types but the one side wouldn't lift up all the way. And the chops were a little thick for me to grill them properly. For a moment I had been stumped, wondering if I could just grill with the top open and flip it but I had been worried that the middles wouldn't get properly cooked.

And then I realized that I could close it - kind of - and grill for 4 minutes on each side while I prepped the oven. I set it to 350F and let it preheat as the chops got this really nice seared top to the, complete with grill marks and everything. After about 8 minutes, all in, I put them on a tray and baked them at 350 degrees for 10 minutes (and I say I haven't learned anything...).

The only major problem came when I set fire to the tea towel. 5 minutes in and I went to check on them but I couldn't locate the mitten that prevents my hand from catching on fire. So I grabbed a tea towel, which I've done before, but never when what I was cooking was on the bottom rack. The bottom of the towel swung down and juuuust barely hit the hot red coil, immediately igniting a small section of the towel that was currently in my hand.

A few seconds of screeching and flinging the towel into the sink went by, after which the fire went out, I double checked to make sure I still had eyebrows and I went and found the mitten.

So, anyway, the chops ... They came out medium, maybe a bit medium-rare, which meant fantastic, of course. My meat should still be kicking a bit when I eat it.

I think maybe a little less of the spice mix next time - it was very, very good but a bit grainy in some places from where I'd pressed down. The flavors mixed really well together and there wasn't one that really overpowered any of the others. And the salad was very good as well, with a nice bite from the vinegar, if at times a bit too much bite when mixed with the red onion. I don't know how to down play that bite, though. Any ideas?

Overall, a very successful dinner that I'm certainly going to be repeating. Once I get a new grill, as I had to bury the current one (alive! Mwahaha...). If you don't count the fire bit...

Any helps, hints and suggestions are welcome!

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Pepper Peach Chicken Skewers (Monday Night)

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:36:23 GMT

Seeing as I spent most of January 2010 not cooking due to family issues, I was quite keen to get back on the horse, so to speak. I normally cook between three and four times a week, trying to time it so that I have enough leftovers to supplement most of my work lunches. Generally, I try to only buy one, maybe two, lunches per week in an effort to cut down on money spent and crap ingested.

At least if it's crap I made, then I know what went in it, you know?

After threeish weeks most decidedly not cooking and eating out (necessity for the most part, exhaustion and my mom visiting for the rest), I nearly exploded as I went grocery shopping for the upcoming week.

Sadly, the first night of cooking was not the raging success I had been hoping for. (I think I'm a decent cook - my friends think I'm a good cook. This met neither expectations.)

The what? Pepper Peach Chicken Skewers
From where? Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking
Side dish? Yes, regular white rice
End result: This needs help (except for the rice)

( Pepper Peach Chicken Skewers )

I probably should have known I was in trouble after about the fifth time I stabbed myself in the hand getting the stupid peaches and chicken on them. And I don't know if I was cutting small or what because I had to do quite the juggle to get all the chicken onto the skewers and a few pieces ended up just dashed about the pan as I gave up with the sharp, pointy objects after that.

Part of the problem with the recipe was my own error - I had misread the measurements for (not just one) both the olive oil and lemon juice. I did one teaspoon of each instead of one tablespoon. Looking back, that explained why I thought the marinade lacked gumption. Though it did a passable job, I suppose.

I started to get concerned with the goings on in my oven about 6 minutes into the affair when I had to flip the ~~little ba~~ ... wait, my mother might read this ... stupid little sticks. (Hi mom!) The peaches were looking a little worse for wear as they proudly started showing off some of their burned marks. The chicken still obviously needed some time so I was forced to moved the sheet a little further away from the heat of the broiler. And then I stared into the oven as it cooked for the next 6 minutes like a woman possessed, unwilling to turn away in case my oven somehow turned into Dante's Inferno, forcing my dinner into the never ending flames of hell and pain that is burned chicken.

6 minutes passed with a lack of any seeable fire (trust me, that's to come...) and I rescued my dinner. I did have to wait for the rice, though by this time my worry that dinner was going to be ruined and I was going to end up weeping in a corner (my rice looked like rice soup at the 6 minute mark for the chicken, so I'd been a tiny bit concerned), had passed. My rice was looking like rice and I hadn't yet had to pull out the fire extinguisher.

...do I even have one of those? Maybe I should...

I ate from one of the sticks as I waited for the rice and found it to be okay. Not bad but not great either, you know? The peaches, despite the burn marks, turned out to have fared better - crisp and juicy but obviously cooked. The chicken was a bit tough and the flavor was not what I had been expecting. Sandra Lee and myself had failed to meet my expectations.

To make matters worse, this dish did not stand the test of time. i.e., leftovers for lunch. The chicken did not reheat well and the peaches got all ... soggy. Gross would be an understatement. Tuesday's lunch was essentially rice and butter, during which I glared daggers at Sandra Lee on the Food Network in the lunch room.

I'm not sure how I could possibly rescue this dish, what I could use instead of the marinade she put forth in her book. Obviously I need to pay better attention and I really should read the recipe in-depth well in advance of making dinner.

To quote River Tam, my food proved to be problematic.

I just don't know if I should bother to try and fix this recipe.

Any helps, hints and suggestions are welcome!

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Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:36:50 GMT

After much thinking, I believe I will be using this journal to document my cooking. I have a habit of glossing over my mistakes and issues with cooking in other places, mainly because I have a Thing with screwing up what I'm cooking. But that's really part of the process, isn't it? The screwing up and figuring out what you did wrong. Trying to figure out if the recipe needs to be chucked or if you can modify it to be something better. Learning to not set fire on things (I've done that less than a handful of times, cross my heart!)

I don't know where I want to go with this but I want to see if I can actually stick with posting pretty often on this topic this year. Expect two posts to follow this to catch up with Monday's dinner and tonight's.

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