It’s been a while since I have posted anything! I guess after Halloween, the holidays came with a whirlwind of excitement, lack of snow, and FOOD!
Over fall break, I decided to stay here in Boulder since the 5 schlep was kind of a hassle. A bunch of friends stayed back too, and together we created our first Thanksgiving as a family! I’m really lucky to have such a great second family here at school! We’re all kind of learning to live on our own, away from family and oldest friends; its amazing to know that no matter what state I’m in (emotionally or physically!) I can turn to someone I love.
Unfortunately my camera broke a few weeks ago and I haven’t been keeping track of anything I have been making! Including my FIRST THANKSGIVING!! :(
My mom would have been so proud to see me making my very own cranberry chutney from scratch and my DELICIOUS sausage and apple stuffing! But I think she would have been even more proud of the boys who made an AMAZING 20 lb turkey! I was scared for them to be in charge…. but it was awesome! I’m SO bummed there were no pictures to capture it!
CRANBERRY CHUTNEY
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/cranberry-chutney-i/Detail.aspx
STUFFING
Thanksgiving!
And we all know as soon as Thanksgiving is over, Christmas and Hannukah are right around the corner!
This weekend I made homemade latkes for a little Hannukah party my roommate hosted on sunday (the 4th night of hannukah for you non-Jews)
It was soooo easy and fun! Michelle cheated and got a store-bought mix. Mine were legit. :-P
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/potato-latkes-i/Detail.aspx
I encourage everyone to try making them (even though Hannukah ends tonight).
My latkes! :)
Now Dasha and I are off to make some Christmas cookies!!
see ya!
My love of cooking forces me to spend hours and hours looking for new blogs and recipes to try. Here’s a quick list of some of my favorites!
Pretty foods is just a nice sight to look at beautifully created foods. Lots of pastries, cakes, and ice creams.
Cupcakes and cashmere is a really cool fashion blog, but the writer has a love for cooking and posts some GREAT recipes including home-made oreos, english muffins, and salted caramel! (check the left side panel for recipes)
David Lebovitz is a geat blogger living in Paris, documenting all of his travels and delicious foods.
Gourmet is great because it has nearly any recipe you could want!
Explore and find your favorite site, with your favorite dish! :)
It’s been a long time since I’ve updated. so…. Tonight was a cooking with Brooke night! She always buys really great food so I raided her side of the fridge and we made some Thai-style Tofu! this is actually a harder recipe because it takes a while to prepare and a lot of patience… but its DELICIOUS!
***View my tofu post <a href= “http://yourcollegecook.tumblr.com/post/1202536447/the-truth-behind-tofu”>HERE</a> on how to prepare it!***
Thai-Style Marinade:
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 2 T low sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 T apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 fresh or dried cayenne or Thai chili pepper, minced (can use other small red hot pepper)
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts
Preparation:
Whisk peanuts and water together. Combine with other ingredients.
-Place tofu in large dish with marinade. Let sit for minimum 30 minutes.
-Preheat oven at 350 degrees
Meanwhile…
Brown rice
White onion
Green pepper
Mushrooms
extra marinade
-Make brown rice how you normally would (Brooke used Instant 5 Minute)
- Chop all veggies
-In a frying pan, throw in some oil and let heat.
-Throw in onion FIRST (they take longer to cook) and allow to cook for 10-12 mins.
-Add green peppers (5 more mins), and finally mushrooms. pour extra marinade and cover with lid to steam on LOW.
-Using a baking pan, arrange tofu on a pan and pour marinade on top.
-Bake for 25 mins.
-Remove from oven and FLIP pieces over to bake for another 15-20 mins.
**Brooke added a little flair to it by sprinkling mozzarella on top for the second bake.
Serve hot with rice and veggies!
YUMMY. Eat well kids!
Once a upon a time, I was a vegetarian. But I was completely miserable because after 5 months i wasn’t getting enough protein, too afraid to go back to meat (many people get sick for a few days during the transition), and dining hall tofu was heinous. I couldn’t master the tofu myself, and got stuck with the same flavored tofu :( I was a sad vegetarian. Recently (though not a veggie anymore…) I was googling new ways to cook tofu and I came across the most OBVIOUS concept ever. MARINADING TOFU! like, duh! marinading would obviously create maximum flavor! So since then I have been searching various tofu marinades for my tofu creations.
People who are not familiar with tofu are scared to make it because they don’t know how to prepare it. Silken tofu is different than firm tofu, which is different than extra-firm tofu. Most entree/fried/baked dishes are best with extra-firm (what I use mostly).
-To use, cut as much as you need from the block and rinse under cold water. Squeeze and dry with a paper towel.
-Slice the tofu about 1/4 inch thick and place between 2 clean dish cloths.
-Place a cast-iron pan or heavy object on top to squeeze out the excess water. (20-30 mins)
-Leave sliced, or cut into cubes.
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT TOFU
*Tofu sits in water, but once opened, the water must be changed daily and used within 8 days.
*Extra-firm is best for entrees.
*Silken is best for steaming/desserts/etc.
*Marinades are best for locking the best flavor.
*remove AS MUCH WATER as possible!
*tofu can be frozen! but thaw and drain as much as possible!
So this last week has been a whirlwind with the whole moving process and getting ready for classes to start next week! I am absolutely in love with my apartment! its beautiful and hip and just perfecttt. All of my roommates are moved in now soo we’re having a lot of fun setting everything up!
A few nights ago, Mike, Stephen, and I made dinner for the first time in my apartment! :)
I used a recipe from fitness magazine and made a few alterations. It was soo yummy!
LEMON CHICKEN PASTA:
Dinner with “Grill Master” Mike… HAHA!
So while I ate fantastic and exquisitely designed food in New York, Mikey and I took a trip to Whole Foods one night, and decided to make our own gourmet meal. We both love to cook, so we put our skills together and decided on Cedar Grilled Salmon and Blue Cheese Spinach Salad.
Cedar Grilled Salmon:
1 lb Fresh Salmon
2 *Cedar Planks (found at wholefoods or other specialty stores)
Olive Oil
Lemon
Fresh basil leaves
After soaking the planks for 2-3 hours in water, place one piece of salmon on each. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon, and basil leaves. Place on a closed BBQ for 20 mins. Some flames might start but calm them down with water. (The plank will be very burned after.) Remove from fire to cool, and then remove from planks.
*Cedar planks must be soaked for 2 hours or more!
(Serves 4)
Blue cheese and Spinach Salad
1 bag of baby spinach
1 pint fresh raspberries
dried cranberries
bluecheese crumble
1 pint mini heirloom tomatoes
5 small mushrooms
fresh snap peas
walnuts
Pomegranate vinaigrette
Clean and slice mushrooms and combine with tomatoes, spinach, cranberries, and raspberries. Sprinkle blue cheese and toss with 1/4 cup of vinaigrette. Serve chilled, but before spinach starts to wilt. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of blue cheese as served, and with a side of walnuts. (for an extra crunch, I tossed in a few snap peas, which are in season now!)
(Serves 4)
Enjoy this beautiful grilled masterpiece with a fruity sparkling wine. It’s the perfect meal for a warm summer night with your friends!
xoxo, CC
New York City cuisine…. can’t beat it. During my 2 week stay in the city, I think I ate some of the BEST meals of my life! I went to a few spectacular restaurants and some that are more name, than great taste.
This post is meant to critic, recommend, and brag about the amazing delicious things I got to eat. Unfortunately, I did not take enough pictures to show you chefs, but I will try to describe as best as possible.
I was lucky enough to eat at 2 Michelin Starred restaurants (a very prestigious rating, as stars are only appointed to the most excellent restaurants… 3 stars being the highest rating and almost impossible to get.)
The 3 most notable restaurants I ate at were:
1. Gotham Bar and Grill (Union Square) — 1 Michelin Star
2. Union Square Cafe (Union Square)
3. Gramercy Tavern (Gramercy Park/Flatiron) — 1 Michelin Star
Gotham was by far the best restaurant I have ever been to. It had a bustling atmosphere and every course in the three course meal blew me away, even the beer (Mad Hatter No. 9) was beyond wonderful! They serve an amazing tuna tartare, which was fresh, buttery, and beautifully presented. You need a reservation and it’s extremely pricey but worth the triple digit price.
Union Square Cafe is a classic New York dining experience, with bright and comfortable decor. Our server was one of the most charismatic and attentive people I have met, and even sent us a desert on the house when I couldn’t decide between the Kalamansi Lime and Coconut Cream Tart with Greenmarket Raspberries or the USC’s Banana Tart, Macadamia Brittle and Honey-Vanilla Ice Cream (yes, I got both). The duck confit was prepared to perfection and actually fell of the bone with the slightest touch. Again, pricey but worth it.
Gramercy Tavern was alright, and apparently rated 1 Star, but in my opinion, not that great…. It took forever to be seated, our server was slow and I feel like I could have gotten a better meal for $20. The sea bass was decent, but a bit to fishy and very lemony. Top Chef judge, Tom Colicchio owns it, which must be what all the hype is about. But just not my thing.
Honorable Mentions:
Tabla (Gramercy): Indian inspired dishes with a flare. $$$
Best of NYC:
Pastrami: Carnegie Deli… HUGE sandwiches
Pickles: The Pickle Guys (lower east side)
Doughnuts: The Doughnut Plant (lower east side) Yummy flavors like Tres Leches and Creme brulee!!
Deli: Rocky’s (Chappaqua, Westchester County) quick. cash only. totally delish.
Euro-Coffee: Madeline’s (Chelsea) look for their beautiful pastries!
Canoli: any cafe in Little Italy!
Milkshake: Shake shack!! frozen custard shakes with daily flavors.
These reviews made me hungry…
xoxo!
-teenagekix-deactivated20100818 asked: Andrea! Your blog is so cute. Seriously love to cook, and especially next year at school. Keep it up mama! =]
thank you!!!! :D be sure to tell your friends to come to college cook if they need recipes :)
