When I still lived at home, I barely ever cooked. While my dad is an amazing cook, my mom burns toast... seriously. Because he always cooked for my family, I never really learned how to cook, and I have lived off of pasta, takeout, and frozen food for three years now. Lately, I have become more interested in eating healthier and preparing fresher food. This assignment gave me the perfect 'excuse' to learn how to cook. I basically justified that cooking was my homework, and I spent days looking up recipes on my blackberry during class. (I was doing schoolwork!)Over the last ten weeks, I have cooked (not microwaved!) salmon asparagus and saffron rice, homemade pizza with whole wheat dough, and homemade sushi. Not only did the meals turn out really good, I have started to work on eating healthier, preparing more meals, and shopping at the grocery store for fresher foods. Although I did not 'explore' outside of my kitchen, this assignment has caused me to re explore preexisting spaces around me. I am starting to realize that by taking time out of my day for things like exercises and eating healthier, I am much happier and more successful in other parts of my life (such as school or stressful situations). Furthermore, I am noticing the different senses that I have to use while cooking (such as touch, smell, taste) While this might be an obvious observation, I am appreciating my sense of smell and really taking the time out of my day to enjoy it. With this project, I have learned to appreciate the smaller details in life, and as cliche as it is.. take time to stop and smell the flowers!
My Salmon Recipe:
Salmon:
1/3 pound of salmon (fresh from butcher. not frozen! it costs approx 3 dollars)
brown rice
teriyaki sauce
soy sauce
finely chopped garlic (found in jars)
lemon
Rice:
1 small bag of saffron rice
1 tablespoon of butter
water
4-8 asparagus stalks
sesame seeds
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
First, start the rice according to directions (The type I use asks to melt 1 tablespoon of butter (I use fat free for health) in 1 2/3 cups of water. When water has come to a boil, stir in rice and reduce to simmer. cover for 20 minutes, but watch it because the water boils fast and the rice will burn!)
For the salmon, I made up my own recipe. I combine 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of garlic, 1/8 cup of teriyaki sauce and 1/8 cup of soy sauce in a small bowl. After washing the salmon steak, I dip it in the bowl until it is completely covered. Then, I place it on a baking sheet covered in NON STICK aluminum foil. I place this in the oven at 375, and continually check it for 10 minutes. (the time and temperature varies depending on the size, thickness, and weight of the salmon... I cut into my salmon, and make sure it no longer looks pink and slimy. BUT make sure you don't overcook it! it will get too dry fast!)
While my salmon and rice are cooking, I wash and cut my asparagus, and place it in a skillet with 1/2 cup of water on med-high heat. I place a lid over the skillet, and cook the asparagus for 2 minutes, until it becomes easy to stick a fork into, but not soggy or too soft (it should hold some firmness) I take the lid off, drain any remaining water, and then put 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar in the pan with the asparagus on low-med heat. I saute the asparagus for another minute, then drizzle the sesame seeds over it. I mix the vinegar, seeds and asparagus, until the asparagus is hot and completely coated. The plate it!
Your rice and salmon should be done now. Take the salmon out, and with a sharp metal spatula, separate the skin from the salmon. The skin should remain on the aluminum foil to be thrown out, while the salmon can be plated, along with the rice and asparagus. You can add pepper and salt to taste, as well as I usually put lemon on the salmon.
For the pizza, I just bought a bag of whole wheat pizza crust, shredded cheese, and pizza sauce, all available at trader joes. I also bought my own toppings (a can of pineapple from Vons) On the bag of the crust, it has instructions on how to create the crust (basically just spread it out on a cutting board. It helps if you use A LOT of flour!) I added sauce, cheese and put my own toppings on (personally love the pineapple.....) This was a good dinner, and I took it to school the next day for lunch!
For the sushi, my mom and I bought a kit from borders. This was definitely the hardest meal to create, and it is NOT as easy as it looks. All the ingredients were close to $40.00, but we definitely had a very fun night. At the end of the night, we had realized that we had way too much rice and ingredients, and ended up throwing away a lot. Although the sushi we made was good, it was not exactly in perfect form! But we thought that this would be a fun dinner party idea!
Salmon:
1/3 pound of salmon (fresh from butcher. not frozen! it costs approx 3 dollars)
brown rice
teriyaki sauce
soy sauce
finely chopped garlic (found in jars)
lemon
Rice:
1 small bag of saffron rice
1 tablespoon of butter
water
4-8 asparagus stalks
sesame seeds
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
First, start the rice according to directions (The type I use asks to melt 1 tablespoon of butter (I use fat free for health) in 1 2/3 cups of water. When water has come to a boil, stir in rice and reduce to simmer. cover for 20 minutes, but watch it because the water boils fast and the rice will burn!)
For the salmon, I made up my own recipe. I combine 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of garlic, 1/8 cup of teriyaki sauce and 1/8 cup of soy sauce in a small bowl. After washing the salmon steak, I dip it in the bowl until it is completely covered. Then, I place it on a baking sheet covered in NON STICK aluminum foil. I place this in the oven at 375, and continually check it for 10 minutes. (the time and temperature varies depending on the size, thickness, and weight of the salmon... I cut into my salmon, and make sure it no longer looks pink and slimy. BUT make sure you don't overcook it! it will get too dry fast!)
While my salmon and rice are cooking, I wash and cut my asparagus, and place it in a skillet with 1/2 cup of water on med-high heat. I place a lid over the skillet, and cook the asparagus for 2 minutes, until it becomes easy to stick a fork into, but not soggy or too soft (it should hold some firmness) I take the lid off, drain any remaining water, and then put 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar in the pan with the asparagus on low-med heat. I saute the asparagus for another minute, then drizzle the sesame seeds over it. I mix the vinegar, seeds and asparagus, until the asparagus is hot and completely coated. The plate it!
Your rice and salmon should be done now. Take the salmon out, and with a sharp metal spatula, separate the skin from the salmon. The skin should remain on the aluminum foil to be thrown out, while the salmon can be plated, along with the rice and asparagus. You can add pepper and salt to taste, as well as I usually put lemon on the salmon.
For the pizza, I just bought a bag of whole wheat pizza crust, shredded cheese, and pizza sauce, all available at trader joes. I also bought my own toppings (a can of pineapple from Vons) On the bag of the crust, it has instructions on how to create the crust (basically just spread it out on a cutting board. It helps if you use A LOT of flour!) I added sauce, cheese and put my own toppings on (personally love the pineapple.....) This was a good dinner, and I took it to school the next day for lunch!
For the sushi, my mom and I bought a kit from borders. This was definitely the hardest meal to create, and it is NOT as easy as it looks. All the ingredients were close to $40.00, but we definitely had a very fun night. At the end of the night, we had realized that we had way too much rice and ingredients, and ended up throwing away a lot. Although the sushi we made was good, it was not exactly in perfect form! But we thought that this would be a fun dinner party idea!
The more I cook, the more I realize how much I love to host parties and cook for friends. While I was learning how to cook and bake meals, I would usually cook enough for my roommates and friends. While I enjoyed cooking for them, I also loved spending time in the kitchen talking with them and having dinner together. One of the harder parts of college is moving away from home and leaving your close group of friends and family behind. With the move, you also have to leave traditions behind, like having family dinners. However, through exploring my kitchen and cooking, I have been able to start dinner with friends and in turn, have become closer with them. (For class, I made brownies from Trader Joes- Brownie Truffle Baking Mix, as well as cupcakes from Betty Crocker... enjoy!)
Inspiring Hostess Blog: http://www.hostessblog.com/
Bon Appetit!
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