Chili





Normally Im not a huge chili fan, but I began looking around my cookbooks and online for something that could use a can of black beans that i've had in my cupboard for a while. I happened to find this recipe and as it turns out I actually had everything that it called for already in my pantry. bonus!



It is very tasty, its mostly veggie but it does have some chicken in it. Its garnished with some sharp cheddar cheese shavings and some homemade whole wheat rosemary focaccia I made today. Speaking of the bread I had never made focaccia before but i think it did turn out pretty good. I did modify it from a recipe that calls for all white flour, but it turned out really tasty. :) Its a nice accompaniment to the chili/soup.

Sauces...

Well I've never really been very good at making sauces, especially cream sauces. However I found a very good recipe online, from Barefoot Contessa whom I love every one of her recipes that i've tried I loved. I made this last week which is a recipe gorgonzola cream sauce. I did modify the recipe a bit, using milk instead of cream. The flavor was spot on but i don't really think i liked the consistency. If I make this again I will definitely use the cream instead. You see here I did make a cheese ravioli, topped with the sauce topped with sauteed mushrooms and a side of grilled zucchini.

I didn't love the sauce wholeheartedly however I did find a modification to it that I really liked. I mixed the gorgonzola cream sauce with my tomato sauce and it made a really nicely tangy tomato cream. yum!

Simplicity.

When it comes to food sometimes the simplest things are the best. Last night after work I went to my local produce market, Devon Market. Bought a bunch of stuff since my fridge was bare, I had no fresh fruits of veggies in it except some lettuce but with nothing to put on it, which would be sad. Even though i'm generally not a big fan of bagged lettuce i bought some the other day. I used this, it was baby green and red butter lettuces with fresh cut mushrooms sprinkled gorgonzola cheese, and tomatoes with a homemade lemon vinaigrette. It was so simple but seriously so delicious! I had it with a nice piece of crusty bread. It was amazing!

Cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcakes

So cupcake shops seem to be popping up everywhere these days. They even had a cupcake challenge on the celebrity apprentice the other day. Well anyways a friend sent me a text about a new cupcake shop that opened recently, and man she just planted the seed in a serious way. So of course I had to make a pitstop on the way home to my neighborhood bakery, Flourish. I was able to procure a little chocolate cupcake to fill my craving. It's been months since i've had a cupcake and it was super good yummy goodness!

Mashed potatoes

So today I decided that I was going to make some mashing potatoes with my chicken that i was defrosting in the refrigerator. So i cut up the potatoes and you know start making them as usual. I go in the frig for the butter and milk (I had run out of cream). And I see some buttermilk in there, I was thinking well that sounds like it would be good, right? WRONG!! It was horrible, it made the mashed potatoes taste a little bit sour. I mean it wasn't inedible or anything but I would definitely not do it again. I will save my buttermilk for better things like ranch dressing, pancakes or corn muffins.

Oh well cooking is learning I guess...trial and error is the only way you find these things out sometime..

I bought a couple of bagels from my favorite bagel shop the other day. Which is The Bagel, on Barry and Broadway in Chicago and the best representation of a NYC bagel I have been able to find in Chicago. My favorite are the sesame bagels. So I woke up yesterday and thought about making something with them. I happen to have ingredients to make this sandwich. It is a toasted sesame bagel, with cream cheese, sliced tomatoes and salt and pepper. I think traditionally this normally has capers on it or something but I didn't have that. But this was simpl,e and very tasty.

Last night I made cranberry orange muffins. I acquired this recipe a couple of years ago and never really made them. Last year for some reason around Thanksgiving I saw fresh cranberries in the store and I figured id give it a try. As far as recipes go this one is a blockbuster, almost everyone that i've given this to has loved it. My dad even liked it and he is really picky. The recipe is chocked full of flavoring especially the oranges, and is super yummy. I'd even say its my ULTIMATE!

Welcome to my first post!

I've done quite a bit of cooking this weekend. I guess this is what happens when i am home for a whole weekend and I just sit home and cook. Althought I did make some good stuff.

I made this roasted red pepper soup, garnished with sour cream. I've never actually roasted red peppers before and it was actually quite simple. I was quite pleased with how it turned out for my first time. However, If i make it again I will definitely adjust the cream/broth ratio. I generally prefer a more brothier and less creamy soup. I modified it from the original recipe to make it hotter, and I'm really glad that i did. I ended up having it for lunch today as well. I think i will make it again.