Saturday, July 30, 2011

Julia Child's Kitchen




Watching Julie and Julia is what inspired me to start this blog. I had been thinking for a very long time that I needed a hobby. I needed to find something that I loved to do, and master it. I had interest in sewing, photography, cooking, and interior design. I had some experience with a little bit of each, but I knew I had to pick one and stick with it. On a rainy day, I was home alone, and I decided to finally watch Julie and Julia. I had to wait until I was home alone because the husband would have refused to watch it, or if he did watch it with me, he would have made smart comments throughout the movie, and therefore ruin it for me.

While watching the movie a light bulb lit up. I already like cooking, and I kind of have to cook anyways, so why not blog about it while I try out new recipes and share the wealth with others? I could also use my nice camera to take pictures of my creations! Voila! For the next week I walked around the house saying "bon appetit" in a really high pitched voice.

On my birthday, the husband took me out for crepes (yum!) and then said he had to show me something at a museum in D.C. I was perplexed as to what he could show me; I had already seen the Hope Diamond and the Islamic Art exhibit. We went to the Museum of American History; he took me there to see Julia Child's kitchen!




Julia Child's Cuisinart Blender




Julia's pots and pans collection






Julia recorded a few of her cooking shows right from her very own kitchen.


I need one of these! Julia Child had a peg board in her kitchen to hang her collection of copper pots and pans, which she brought from France. She outlined them with marker to show anybody who used them where they should be returned. 




It was interesting to see the kitchen of the person who inspired Julie to start her blog, which in turn, inspired me to start mine. 



Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Grilled Chicken and Turkey Bacon Paninis

This is by far my favorite dish to make, and my husband's favorite dish to eat.

Ingredients:

1 loaf artisian bread (I use sourdough,  ciabatta, or Italian bread)
1 pound chicken, grilled 
6 strips of Turkey bacon, fried
1 block of pepper jack cheese, cut into thin slices
2 red bell peppers, cut into thin slices
fresh basil leaves
olive oil


1. Preheat panini griddle to medium heat.

2. Slice the bread diagonally with a large knife. This way you get more surface area with your bread and your slices are bigger. Cut them about 3/4 of an inch to 1 inch thick. When you buy the bread from the bakery section you can also ask them to slice the bread for you. They have a machine that will cut it into nice, thin slices for you.



3. Pair two pieces of bread together, and decide which side of the bread will be on the outside of the panini. Brush that side of the bread lightly with oil. This will be the side that will touch the griddle.




4. On the bottom slice, lay down a slice of pepper jack cheese, then chicken, then basil, and then a few slices of red bell pepper.

5. Place the second slice of bread on top. The oiled side should be facing up. 

6. Repeat steps 2-5, replacing chicken with turkey bacon.



7. Place two paninis on hot griddler. Close down the top of the griddle using the handle. Push down carefully and firmly for 30 seconds.



8. Allow to cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown and you see gorgeous grill lines on the bread. 

9. Remove from griddle and let cool, then enjoy! 




Tips:

1. Grilling the chicken and making the paninis all in the same day are a little time consuming. Try to cook the chicken the day before. 

2. Paninis are meant to be thin. Do not overload them with ingredients; choose 3 items tops to fill your panini. You are not making a sub. I would recommend choosing one type of cheese, one type of meat, and a vegetable (such as tomatoes, spinach, or bell pepper).

3. You can use your favorite cheese, but I find that pepper jack cheese tastes the best and really adds a lot of flavor to the panini.

4. Basil is also a key ingredient, the flavor pops in your mouth.


Friday, July 22, 2011

Manchurian Cauliflower

This is the first time I cooked Cauliflower in three and a half years. My husband isn't a big fan of veggies, and his father and grandmother don't touch Cauliflower because, well, it gives you gas! So I never bothered cooking it.

The other day I was really missing my mom, and I had a sudden craving for her delicious Manchurian Cauliflower. My dad was coming over for dinner and I decided, what the heck, I'm going to make it, and if nobody else wants to eat it, so be it! Lo and behold, everybody at the table ate it, and it was gone within minutes.

Cauliflower is high in fiber and Vitamin C, and is known to have compounds that inhibit cancer cell growth.


Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 green chilies, sliced
2 Tbsp corn starch
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp vinegar
1/2 packet Shaan Chicken BBQ mix
2 Tbsp garlic paste
1 Tbsp ginger paste
oil, enough to fill a deep frying pan or deep fryer

For sauce at the end:
2 Tbsp soy sauce
4 Tbsp garlic and chili sauce
4 cloves garlic, thinly chopped



1. Snap or cut cauliflower into florets.




2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, and slowly pour over cauliflower in a strainer.

3. Heat oil in a deep frying pan. I used my Cuisinart deep fryer.

4. In a large bowl, mix together corn starch, eggs, vinegar, Shaan mix, and garlic and ginger paste.

5. Add the cauliflower into the mixture. Make sure all surfaces are covered.

6. Fry the cauliflower on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Then turn the heat to high and fry until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Fry the cauliflower in batches, you do not want to crowd the frying pan or deep fryer. Set cauliflower on a paper towel to absorb the extra oil.



7. In another pot, heat 1/4 cup oil. Add green bell pepper, green chilies, soy sauce, and garlic chili sauce. Saute for 3-4 minutes.

8. Add in the cauliflower and and green onions.

9. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander.





Friday, July 8, 2011

Badami Chicken

Badaam means almond. This chicken curry gets its richness from almonds, cashews, and coconut milk. Nothing says South India like those 3 ingredients.




Ingredients:


1 whole chicken, skinned and cut into small pieces
1 cup plain yougurt
1 onion, chopped
1" piece of ginger
10 cloves garlic
6 cloves
2" piece cinnamon
15 almonds
4 cardamoms
15 cashews
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsps alt
2 tsps red chilli powder
coriander leaves for garnishing



The night before:

1. Blend ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cashews and almonds in food processor until it becomes a paste. There may be some pieces of cardamom that refuse to be blended.  



After work:


2. Heat oil in a large pot.


3. Add the chopped onions and fry until they turn golden.


4. Add the ground nut paste and fry well.


5. While frying this paste, add 3-4 tbsps of water.


6. Add yogurt and the chicken.


7. Add salt, turmeric, and chili powder. Cook for 10 minutes.


8. Add coconut milk and cook till done.


9. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with white rice or naan.