Cookish - Throw It Together

Cookish is my new favorite cookbook! I have loved America's Test Kitchen for so long. I even applied to work there! Christopher Kimball, the author of this book, founded America's Test Kitchen, but then he created Milk Street.

Watching Milk Street cooking shows is the only thing that gets me on the treadmill every day after school. I am a recipe/cookbook junkie, and I somehow still learn something new every time I watch an episode. 

I love the places they visit and all of the unique spices they use. If you're in a cooking rut, tune in to this show or buy this cookbook!

Last night I made Za'atar Chicken and Eggplant Traybake. I've had a bag of Za'atar in the back of my spice drawer for a while (too long?), and I was so thrilled to be able to use it. I have been missing out not using this spice! The spice has this very cool lemony, sesame seedy taste that is so unique. 

I learned about this spice from Sam's Bakery, in Fall River, MA. They sell delicious meat pies using this spice. 

This spice can be difficult to find in your local grocery store. I highly recommend buying yours from The Spice House. Their prices are unbeatable, and they are the freshest you'll find anywhere. Tip: Always buy flatpacks so you don't have to pay for shipping. 

I'd show a photo of my dinner, but we ate it all before I remembered to snap a photo. This is the spice you need in your life! Za'atar also tastes great sprinkled on hummus (homemade or store bought). 

Cowboy Caviar

 

Cowboy Caviar with Tortilla Chips

Why wait for a party? Here's a great snack for when you want to eat some beans and veggies. You'll get so much protein from the beans. 

I used chickpeas, black beans, and black-eyed peas. 
Using this chopper makes quick work of the chopping! 

There's even a $5 coupon on Amazon available now. The chopper works so well!

Place in a large bowl:

1 can rinsed black beans

1 can rinsed black-eyed peas

1 can rinsed chickpeas

1 orange pepper, diced small

1 small can white shoepeg corn, rinsed

1 jalapeño (diced very small, ribs and seeds removed)

1/2 small red onion, diced small

1/2 cup fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped fine

For the dressing, in a small jar combine:

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 T sugar

2 small cloves garlic, grated

Salt & Pepper to taste (needs a lot of salt!)

Dress the salad and stir to combine. Tastes even better the next day. Serve with warm tortilla chips.

Zojirushi Rice Cooker

 

Zojirushi NS-LGC05XB Micom Rice Cooker & Warmer, 3-Cups 

I finally invested in a really good rice cooker, this Zojirushi. It works so well! It is hard to believe how often I use it. It frees up time in the kitchen to work on the other parts of your meal. The rice comes out delicious! It's the perfect size for two or three people.

I had been using my Instant Pot to cook rice, but I was never thrilled with the cleanup after. Although I am trying to limit my use of non-stick pans, I feel fine that the inner pan will not become scratched as we always use the plastic spoon that comes with the rice cooker.

                                                    

I usually make long grain white rice, but I have also made GABA brown rice. GABA brown rice has a lot of health benefits. GABA is a type of amino acid that is supposed to lower your blood pressure and relieve stress. We can all use that! Just be sure to plan ahead as it takes a long time to cook, at least two hours.

If you are on the fence about buying one, don't hesitate! I feel that it will last me a long time. It is so easy to clean and makes delicious rice. 

Farro Salad

My Attempt to Re-Create

a Fun and Tasty Lunch at Uno's

 

 

This past March, I got together with my four best friends from college for our Winter Getaway.  Our first stop was to shop at the outlets.  Not long after we bought a few things, we became parched and hungry.  Off to Uno's we went! 

 

My friend Margo recommended we all try their Farro Salad.  I had never heard of farro, but I was immediately hooked.  I loved the curious chew in each bite. 

According to Wikipedia, the exact definition of farro is debated.  Farro is grown in Italy, and it is sometimes confused with barley.  In the U.S., we can buy "common wheat berries" if we want to make this dish.

I found wheat berries at Whole Foods.  I bought them in the bulk food section which was a bargain.  I hate having to buy a huge bag of something...then lose my enthusiasm...then I feel guilty if I don't use it all. 
 

Uno describes their salad as "fantastically healthy for you."  Turns out, for a 1/4 cup serving, you get 6 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein, and it also has iron and folic acid. 

 

In my endless effort to eat healthfully, I made this wheat berry salad this morning.  It's chilling now.  I'm thinking about adding some feta cheese to round it out.  The Uno's version has cucumber in it.  I think I'll add that too, but I'll do so closer to when I'm going to eat it.  I don't want it to get watery.

I got the recipe from Giada DeLaurentis on the Food Network which is linked below.  It's very tasty!  Now if I could only re-create Uno's amazing Bloody Mary, that would be great!





 

Farro Salad



 



 

 





Bread Maker Mania

Happy summer!  I am happy to announce I have entered the wonderful, satisfying world of bread making.  After reading many reviews, I decided to purchase a Zojirushi bread machine.  It is top quality.  I am in love!  The first day that I took the machine out of the box I was able to make a great loaf of bread.  It's so easy.     

I have made five loaves of bread and one batch of pita breads in the last week.  I used recipes from the book that came with the bread maker.  Then, I also purchased a cookbook, The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger.  The breads I've made from this cookbook have come out much better than the recipes that came with the machine.  I highly recommend. 

Rice in the Pressure Cooker

Spring is here, school is almost out, and I'm gearing up for another fun summer filled with cooking and blogging. 

I plan on sharing some of my experiences with my pressure cooker. I love, love, love it.  If you're on the fence about buying one, do not hesitate.  Here's the one that I bought from Amazon: 




In order to cook rice, I also needed to buy a small stainless steel bowl so that I could steam in my pressure cooker.  I bought a set of three stacking Martha Stewart stainless steel bowls at Macy's.  The middle bowl is 3-quarts and it fits perfectly. 

I love to make Steamed Rice in my pressure cooker.  I adapted it from Miss Vickie's book which I highly recommend.



Measure one cup of long grain rice into a small stainless steel bowl.  Rinse it several times, then drain.  Put 1 1/2 cups of fresh water in the rice, along with a little salt and a tablesoon of butter.  Put one cup of water in the bottom of the pressure cooker.  Put the rice (that is already in a small bowl) on the trivet on top of the water.  Bring up to pressure.  I move to the lower temperature burner, and start timing for 8 minutes.  Let it come down to pressure naturally.  You will get perfectly steamed rice every time.  So delicious and so quick. 

This Week's Dinners

Sunday - meatloaf (ground sirloin/ground pork with poultry seasoning), baked potatoes, steamed broccoli with a quick cheese sauce, salad

Monday - Egg sandwiches on English muffins, hash browns, fresh fruit

Tuesday - Crispy chicken tenders (using Rice Krispies, a first!), mashed potatoes, corn

Wednesday - Chow mein with ground pork (cooked and frozen on Sunday), steamed rice in pressure cooker, edemame

Thursday - Pizza with carmelized shallots, fig jam, and goat cheese; regular pizza with pineapple