Cooking for the girls

I love cooking for people! There is something about how someone chooses to cook a dish that has been recreated so many times so many different ways, that it is never just macaroni and cheese or just like your mamas homemade lasagna. People express themselves in their food based on what ingredients they choose, the plate they put the food on, and the way they present the food to their guests is a unique to everyone.

This week was restaurant week in Buffalo,NY and while all the restaurants had appealing menus, very few offered a three course meal with a beverage. After talking with the girls, we decided to have dinner at my house where I would cook us a $10 a piece, three course meal. Since we had opted out of the restaurant scene I still wanted the girls to feel special and fancy. I always put a lot of love into my food, but this time, cooking for new people, I put a little extra.

 The menu was:

Appetizer: She crab soup
Entree: Filet Mignon with a red wine reduction
Side: Risotto and roasted asparagus
Dessert: pumpkin souffle

I know you might wonder how I got the food to make these dished for $10 each? I do portions. Each person did not get their own filet, or a heaping pile of risotto. No one had seconds and everyone was satisfied.



It was delicious. Thank you to my girlfriends for a fun night and for letting me cook for you!

Hot apple cider float

In buffalo it has cooled down and currently is in the 50's. The smell of fall is in the air and apples are in abundance. The cravings for comfort foods, pumpkin desserts, and apple pies are in full swing. Recently I had purchased apple cider from Wegmas but just didn't did want to sit down and drink cold cider. I came a cross an idea for apple cider floats and thought it sounded delicious.

What you need:

Apple cider
cinnamon
vanilla ice cream
caramel sauce

Instruction:
1. Heat the cider and add a pinch of cinnamon.
2. Fill glasses 3/4 full with cider
3. Add a couple scoops of the vanilla ice cream.
4. Drizzle with caramel sauce (or make your own like I did)

Healthy factor? eh, throw it out the window on this one. Apple cider has somewhere around 30g of sugar for 8 fl. oz., add the ice cream, the caramel.....forget it! If you want to help yourself chose a yogurt or low fat ice cream, sugar-free caramel, and maybe they sell a low sugar apple cider? I prefer to just eat the regular stuff in moderation.

Now, my boyfriend did not love this (shame on him). He would have liked to have a bowl of ice cream with some type of apple cider sauce poured over top drizzled with the caramel, which actually was a great idea. Try this or make it your own, just enjoy the flavors of the season!


Hope you enjoy it!

Make it fresh: Mozzarella

Some people say sometimes certain foods are just not worth making fresh. I disagree on every occasion. Making fresh anything is always amazing, but there is something about the process of making cheese that seems to be extra special. So, grab yourself a gallon of milk and a little time because were making cheese.

What you need for Mozzarella:
1 gallon of whole milk, not ultra-pasteurized
1 1/4 cup cool water, chlorine-free
1 1/2 tsp. citric acid
1/4 rennet tablet
1 tsp of salt, optional (add any herbs you would like too!)

1 stainless steel pot
a dairy thermometer
a colander
slotted spoon
knife
*rubber gloves (recommended because the mozzarella is very hot when you have to form the cheese)

Directions:
*Start by heating a pot of water to 150-160 degrees for the water bath method used later on.

1. Dissolve rennet tablet into 1/4 cup cool water and set aside.
2. Mix 1 1/2 tsp citric acid into 1 cup cool water.
3. Pour 1 gallon of milk into the pot and stir vigorously while pouring in the citric acid water. Heat to 90 degree while stirring.
4. Remove pot from burner and slowly stir the rennet solution in using an up and down stirring method for 30 seconds.
5. Cover the pot and leave it for 5 minutes.
6. Check the curd using clean hands by pressing or pulling the curd away at the edge of the pot. If there is a clear separation with clear whey then you are good to go, if whey is still milky let it set for a few more minutes.
7. Cut the curd with a knife by cutting horizontally 1 inch sections across, then vertical cuts all the way .
8. Place the pot back on the stove and rehear to 105 degree while slowly moving the curds with the spoon. Be careful not to disturb the curd.
9. Take the pot off the burner and stir for 2-5 more minutes. Ladle curds into colander to drain off whey. Put curd into the hot water until the curd becomes elastic and stretchable (use spoon to stretch, if it does not stretch then return to the hot water)
10. Add the salt or herbs at this point to work into the cheese.
11. Form the cheese by stretching it with your hands into a ball.

YUM! After making this you will understand the high price for mozzarella in the store. Its cheap to make it at home and just takes about 1 hour. I hope you all enjoy this!

Delicious chocolate mousse with sliced bananas and strawberries

Hi Everyone!

Instead of dinner I am presenting you with dessert! This is a amazing snack to have on hand when your looking for guilt free. Normally I would not say yes to sugar-free and fat-free product, however, it tastes yummy and you can change it to fit what you like. It starts with a box of sugar-free fat-free chocolate pudding (NOT instant) fold in some light whipped topping and add in your favorite fruit. To spice things up a bit, use a packet of instant coffee diluted in hot water and fold into the chocolate mixture. YUM.

The price is 1.25 per person! The pudding runs about 1.00 as well as the whipped topping. 1/2 banana was used, three strawberries, and 1/4 cup of pudding was used.

The health factor is a 9. I deducted a point for the processed chocolate package. It gets points for the fruit, dairy (for the calcium), and low calorie/ sugar. A great thing to try is making mousse from cocoa. I have never tried it but it has given me the idea for the future!


Mousse Recipe:

Follow the directions on the back of a pudding box. It is important that after you cook the pudding you move it into a bowl that is sitting in a bowl of ice and stir-stir-stir. This will cool the pudding rapidly. If you do not want to go through all that and want to prepare the pudding the day ahead of time, store it in the fridge with plastic wrap crinkled tightly right ontop of the pudding. It prevents the film from forming on top which when you re-stir will give lumps.

Once the mousse is cool, fold in whipped topping. Be gentle with this. I call this the "sending your love" stage. You have to be patient, gentle, and kind to the mousse when folding it so it doesnt fall flat.


Buon Appetito!

Mexican Chicken Quesadilla

Hi Everyone!

I had a request for Mexican so I decided on chicken quesadillas. I have not made Mexican dishes and frankly am very intimidated. I don't eat much Mexican to know how it is supposed to taste and my roommate loves it so I don't want her to be disappointed. However, I felt the challenge and decided why not? I chose chicken quesadillas because it is easy and healthy. I sauteed a pepper and yellow onion with a little cajun seasoning and olive oil, added some pan-seared chicken breast, topped it with cheese and that's all it took.

The tortilla was a white corn tortilla about 6 in wide. I chose the small ones because they are cute and personal with only 100 calories each. Since you need two for a quesadilla it was smarter because most the other tortillas were about 140 calories for 1.

The cost for my quesadilla is $2.75. The tortillas you buy in a huge stack of 18 at food lion for around 1.50. I used one large chicken breast for both my roommate and my quesadilla. The cheese I bought pre-shredded which was a bad move because there is so much flour that you can taste it when the cheese melts. Trust me, take the extra minute to grate your own cheese. 

The great thing about these personal quesadilla is you can personalize them. Use pepper jack cheese, sharp cheddar, or a four cheese blend. Whatever your guests want its easy to fit their needs!

Health Factor is a an 8. The meal gets points for no fat besides what the veggies were sauteed in which was about 1 teaspoon. It has good protein, some veggies and I used a reduced fat cheese. Lost points for being white flour and adding cheese. It wouldn't be a quesadilla without it! There was no sour cream added but if you wanted it read the label on the back and only use one serving. It will subtract a point from the health factor but if that works for you then go for it. 

Buon Appetito!

Honey Garlic Vinaigrette Salad with Orange Infused Shrimp

With spring break just around the corner, its time to buckle down since I have failed to meet any weight goals. Some of the girls and I have joked about the Victoria's secret diet, which in case you don't know is salad with no dressing (usually before shows). So here is my spin on the "diet".

I knew that I was making a salad for sure but sometimes I get tired of the regular Italian dressing(homemade of course) so I decided to make this honey garlic vinaigrette. Only need four ingredients: vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, and garlic. Simple and sweet!

Since I knew I was making this deliciously sweet dressing I was thinking how I will doctor-up my shrimp because I didn't want to use any cheese. So my roommate went to the store and picked up these gorgeous oranges. There it was. Juiced the orange put it in a baggy chopped some garlic and added the shrimp. Let it sit for about 10 min.

This dish is sweet and delicious. Perfect dish to throw into the week to mix things up a bit.

The cost was about $3.00. Shrimp again was bought at Aldis for $6.99. I only used 5 shrimp for my salad and the salad was about 1 1/2 cups. 

Health Factor is a 7. It looses points for the oil and honey. However, there is no salt in this dish which is great compared to store bought dressing which are high in sodium, not to mention the chemicals! This is easy so try it!


Honey Garlic Vinaigrette (makes a little less than 1 cup)
***the normal recipe calls for 1 cup of oil, but it was too much so I am guessing with this. Fix it to your taste.

1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients and whisk until emulsified. You only need 1/4 cup to add to your salad. That also depends on how much lettuce and other vegetables you add.




Shrimp Recipe (Serves 2)

10 large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 clove, chopped
1/2 orange, juiced

Defrost shrimp under running cold water or in the refrigerator the night before. Add shrimp, orange juice, and garlic into a baggy. Seal and let marinate. In a sautee pan, add everything in the bag, cook on med to med-low heat until cooked. Add to salad.



Let me know what you all think!?

What would you change or what did you do differently that worked or didn't work?




Buon Appetito!

Dinner for Two: Valentines Day Love

Happy belated Valentines Day everyone! Since my roommate and I both were without dates, we were each others! Since we were craving lobster, that's what we had. BUT we didn't go out and pay market price, we stayed in and cooked ourselves.

Dinner Menu:

Grilled Lobster tail with a garlic butter marinade
Alaskan King Crab Legs
Grilled zucchini and yellow squash

Dessert Menu:

Creme Brulee with fresh whipped cream and strawberries

YUM. We bought these crab legs at SAMS and get this, 2 lbs pre-cut for $21 dollars. These are found in the frozen section not in the open coolers.

Lobster Tail, SAMS $24 for two they were about 1 pound total. Twin tails at a restaurant can be $50+.

Squash and zucchini, Aldis $1.99 for three or four each.

Creme Brulee, it is my favorite food ever created. It is darker than it should be because I did not have my torch, so instead you can put it under the broiler. Its crunchy top and creamy custard is the most amazing thing. We did not use real vanilla bean because its expensive but just used pure vanilla extract.

Side note: Try creme brulee ice cream by ben and jerrys


Total cost per person $26.

Healthy factor? WHO cares its valentines day, we already are eating all the chocolate our boyfriends are buying us! Just kidding I guess If I had to put a number on it the dinner was an 8 (if you do not dunk your lobster in butter) stick to lemon juice or just enjoy the meat. Dessert gets a 1 because it did have a strawberry. But seriously all it is is heavy cream and egg yolk full of fat and cholesterol. Top it off with cream and sugar for whipped cream, I think 1 sounds about right.

Buon Appitito!

Food for the sick

How lovely to find out my roommate has the FLU!! So on top of lysol, I know her favorite is broccoli cheddar soup from panera in a bread bowl. So off I went to wallymart to get what I needed.

Cost is 4.00. It cost so much because of the bread bowl. That bad boy is HUGE and was 3.00 but was fresh from the bakery. Next time I will make my own.

Health factor is 4. I did use fat free half and half and reduced fat cheese but still- common when your sick you dont really give a crap.

This was delicious and if you get time this is a great sunday dish! I love soups and so does my roommate so it works out.

Recipe:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups half-and-half (fat free)
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 7-inch sourdough bread boules (round loaves)
• 4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
• 2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp white and yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. Add the chicken broth and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the bread bowls: Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the top of each loaf, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Remove the bread top, then hollow out the middle with a fork or your fingers, leaving a thick bread shell.

Add the broccoli to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick. Ladle into the bread bowls and garnish with cheese.

Buon Appetito!

Hamburgers and Sweet Potato Fries

YUM. The meat is Fit & active meat from Aldis. It was a little over $3 for 1 pound of meat. I split it in four and can get two meals out of this. Sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes=good choice. These "french fries" were drizzled with Olive oil, salt and pepper and popped into the oven! They were amazing :) Easy dinner and good alternatives. Buns I got at Sam's, they were 18 for a dollar something. such a good deal, of course not whole wheat but its cheap.


Cost was $2.50 per person.

Health Factor is 6. It gets points off for white bun, red meat, and cheese. However, its a very very lean burger which tends to make it a little dry so make sure to season well. It was also cooked on a grill which lets the fat drip from the burger instead of putting it on a pan, a George Foreman would work fine too. Sweet potatoes are loaded with good vitamins and drizzled with olive oil which makes them a delicious alternative to french fries. Make your own they are easy and so much better for you!


Burger Recipe:
1 pound burger meat
1 T worshishire sauce
1 T garlic powder
Salt and Pepper
1 T parsley flakes (dry)

*make into four patties. Key to the patty is to make it thin, burgers shrink and tend to be really thick which makes them hard to eat.

Sweet potato fries:
 2 sweet potatoes
Olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Cut sweet potatoes into steak fries (a thick Julienne?) and place on foil on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until fries are crispy.


Buon Appetito!

Dinner for Two: Vegetable Stir-Fry

Hi all,

So I have received some great feedback that recipes are missing. I didn't know that you wanted it, so from now on I will do my best. I don't follow recipes so don't hate me if I mess up.

Every Wednesday is stir-fry here in the menio-gent household. Why? Because we have class from 1 to 7! So in the morning I always pre-cut all veggies, onion, garlic etc. that way I don't have work to do when I get home. So again I look around to see what I have to add to the stir-fry. I found broccoli, peas, and corn in freezer. Then I had zucchini, squash, and I roasted some peppers earlier to add. So- invest in a wok. I love mine, its cast-iron and works amazingly. Its quick and healthy because there is little fat needed because it steams veggies and also gives them a slight chard flavor.

My total cost of this meal was $5.00. Buy your peppers at SAMS you get a pack of 6 red, orange, and yellow peppers for around $6 and get zucchini in squash at Aldis its like half the price than a regular grocery store. The rest of the veg are frozen so they were like $1 a bag and of course you don't use the whole thing.

Health factor is an 8.5. There is 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.

Recipe:
1 squash
1 zucchini
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper
1/4 yellow onion
1 lg garlic clove, diced
1/2 cup peas
1 cup broccoli
1/2 cup corn
1 T vegetable or canola oil
1 T soy sauce
1 T rice vinegar
3 T dry sherry



In wok (or sautee pan) heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. add all veggies except peppers, broccoli, and zucchini. Cook for 5 minutes (in a wok not sure about reg pan) and then add the rest of veggies. If you like ginger, add minced ginger, I added it to mine but didn't really like it. Cook until broccoli is tender. Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, and dry sherry in bowl then add to wok. Stir until coated then serve!



Buon Appetito!

Dinner for one: Chicken over green bean salad

Today was such a long day! Starting the morning off with a five hour cooking class is hard work, but good food. Since I failed to bring home leftovers and again failed to get my butt to the gym, I decided I really needed to make it simple and healthy tonight. I was planning on having a grilled chicken salad which tends to be the norm, but then in the way back of my cupboards was a can of green string beans. Oh I know your thinking, ew-canned beans? But let me tell you, my parents used to make this as a side and you just have to doctor it up a bit. So you drain the beans put them in a bowl and go to the refrigerator. I found cherry tomatoes-they looked good, feta cheese-that looked good, oh and of course my musts-garlic and onion. Add it to your beans, toss with apple cider vinegar and wal-la, so good.

Charlie likes to watch me cook and I LOOOOVVE the company

Now lesson on the canned beans, they are 20 calories per serving which is a 1/2 cup with NO fat! There was no fat (olive oil) added to the salad, also no salt, the beans have enough to carry you through. The chicken was prepared in a pan over med-low heat with 1 T of olive oil, paprika, and a dash of salt. Then of course I had to have a slice of the cheese bread that was made in lab today. Good news to share- if any of you do not use Brummel and brown as your butter, you should! Its amazing. Its a natural yogurt/vegetable oil butter with 1.5 g sat fat and no cholesterol for 1 Tablespoon. Try it sometime.

My grand total for this meal is $3.00.
I always hear everyone say how they don't go to Sam's club because they don't want to buy in bulk but for chicken I am telling you its worth it! This chicken is huge and cheap, I got 5.37 pounds of chicken for $9 and some change. I usually only eat a half chicken breast because they are just to big and that half is still over 3 oz. I put one per freezer bag and one feeds my roommate and I.


My health factor on this (taking out the bread because that was only around because of lab) is an 8. I gave it a high score because the chicken was pan seared and the salad had no oil added just vinegar. It lost points because of the feta cheese but there was only a teaspoon. This dish was easily under 250 calories (again minus bread).


Buon Appetitio!

Dinner for one: Parmesan encrusted shrimp and pecan pesto pasta

Hi everyone,


Tonight is my first blog. I will be cooking for only one tonight because my roommate is gone for the night. I got home after a long day of class and can't wait to start cooking. Just so you know, I love cooking in complete silence! So I am cooking with no TV, music, or phone. Just me and my food!

Tonight's menu is Parmesan encrusted jumbo shrimp over pecan pesto angel hair pasta. I don't normally make pesto but I happen to have some fresh basil around. YUM. I love making pesto because it is a non-temperamental sauce to add to any favorite dish. Many people get stuck on the ingredients, DON'T! Use what you have around the house. If you don't have fresh basil, use fresh spinach or even mint. You also don't have to use pine nuts, tonight I am using pecans because that is what I have but you can use any nut you have around just make sure you stick to one kind. Then the rest is pretty easy, garlic, Parmesan cheese ( I use shaker cheese not fresh brick) and olive oil. So lets cook!

My grand total cost for my delicious dinner? $4.95! You can bring your costs down by not using shrimp but using chicken and not using pecans. However, I love shrimp and CANNOT eat chicken every single night. I get my shrimp from Aldis. I get raw jumbo shrimp (26-30ct) or 1 pound for $6.99. Not bad when I only used 6 for my dinner.

I will try to rate my "healthy factor" for each dish.

This dish gets a 5. Yes I know it has olive oil but fat is still fat and there is quite a bit for one serving, along with cheese and sodium. If I would have used whole wheat pasta then I would up it to a six.


One way to make this a little healthier is to cut back some of the olive oil and add lemon juice. You also can use whole wheat pasta instead of white, thats just all I had. Play around with your recipes and do what fits best for you.

Buon Appetito!!!!


Jade