meet me at the dock: what's cookin' doc
I come from a family of incredible cooks. I love watching someone prepare a meal and witnessing the transformation of the entire process unfold. I love knowing the history behind a dish. I love those handwritten recipes which have been passed on within a family. I love cooking shows. I love movies about cooking. I love aprons, cookbooks, dining ambience, and I love going to the farmers market...
but...
I do not love to cook.
I never have... In fact, the thought of having to prepare a meal for a dinner party makes me want to run to the hills and never return. I did not inherit the domestic gene or the natural ability to be graceful in the kitchen. It's not like I can't follow a recipe, and I do what I have to do when duty calls, but I never seem to enjoy it.
However, with my big love for all things food related, I am pushing myself to give cooking a second chance. It started this week with a simple recipe...
I'm not saying I'll be starting a food blog anytime soon, and don't even think about asking me to host Thanksgiving, but I'm beginning to feel like I might be turning over a new leaf.
So my questions for you are:
Are there any of you who haven't felt especially at ease in the kitchen?
Do you have any simple recipes that will help me look like I know what I'm doing?!
xo, jen.
*the gorgeous photo above was taken by Bella Cirovic (thank you Bella!)
*you can find the recipe for the Lemon Zest Pasta here
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I feel that way, too. I actually just started a series on my blog to learn or brush up on some of the domestic "basics". I started with chicken stock: http://www.mirandamakesablog.com/blog/2012/3/22/the-basics-chicken-stock.html
Miranda ~ glad to know there are "others" :) Thank you for the link to your beautiful blog! And big congrats to you and your director of domestic operations role! I'll be checking in for sure!
xo
jen
so glad you are practicing for my visit next week! tehehe. i'll show you how to make chicken and dumplings.....super easy!
so glad you are practicing for my visit next week! tehehe. i'll show you how to make chicken and dumplings.....super easy!
For a bunch of easy recipes, I would check out EveryDay Food, put out by Martha Stewart. Unlike her other recipes, these generally are simpler and easier. Only caveat is that she does NOT include ingredient prep time in the "time to make" estimates (i.e, if the recipe calls for chopped onions and carrots, the time to get those to their chopped state is not included).
For a easy-peasy go to recipe for winging it, I love to through together pasta dishes with veggies and goat cheese. Favorite in our house is penne, spinach, goat cheese and pine nuts.
Cook your pasta. While it is cooking, wash some baby spinach and dry it and cut a couple ounces of soft goat cheese into smallish chunks (like into 1/2 inch thick coins, then cut each coin into quarters).
Pine nuts taste better toasted to me, so I toast them in a pan (throw ~ 1/4 of them in a frying pan and heat over medium heat just until they start to brown) but you can totally skip this step.
When your pasta is done, scoop out about 1 cup of the cooking water before you drain the pasta. Drain the pasta and put it back in the pot, with your burner on low heat. Add the baby spinach, the pine nuts and the goat cheese and stir. Add pasta water in little bits and keep stirring. It'll combine with the cheese to make a tasty sauce - you might not need the whole cup, so taste after each add-and-stir until it tastes good to you. Add a little salt if it tastes bland and sprinkle a little pepper on as well.
The best part of this is that you can totally add whatever you might happen to have around to it - cooked chicken, sausage, mushrooms, garlic, peppers are some of what I have used. It's a great way to play around and experiment with what flavors go together. If you've got a veggie that would benefit from being a little cooked before getting mixed in (like zucchini or broccoli), saute it in the pot with a smidge of olive oil before adding the pasta back in.
CELISA ~ you are not lifting a finger while you are here, but I sure do love me some chicken and dumplings!
JENN C ~ thank you so much for the Every Day Food hook-up and for that delicious recipe. I got hungry just reading it !
xo
j
I think you articulated my thoughts about cooking in this post !!! Not easy to be in this position, you are brave. Things really came to a stark realization when I married an Italian-American, who is always thinking about food. The only way I was able to come around, is to cook my childhood's dishes, they seem more worth while somehow. Why is that? Repetition creates comfort? I am not sure...
So true Brigi! My Mom left me a cookbook of all my favorite meals from childhood, and I have to say those are the ones I feel most comfortable trying out. :)
xo
jen
i will lift BOTH fingers maybe. you nourish me, so i can nourish you Jen, if i want! :)
we can make something from your mom's cookbook then! :)
Easiest recipes for those who don't cook: Grill, baby!!
Start with fresh: veggies. Slice em up, put em into a zip lock bag w/ some olive oil, lemon, garlic, ginger... whatever herbs you like. Splash of wine. Let it sit for a while & then grill. Great veggies for grilling (sliced eggplant, zucchini, sliced peppers, portobello mushroom).
Greta sides: cous-cous (cooks in 5 mins), rice, baked potato, pasta.
You can also mixed your grilled veggies into some of the sides.
Jen!! Good for you. I'm gonna try that recipe.
Bella! You are such an inspiration! The photos of you in your kitchen and dining with your family make me want to show up on your doorstep right around dinner time! Thank you for the tips, I'm writing all of them down.
xoo
j
Hey Jen.. your first paragraph could have been written by me and I am domestically challenged also. My go to quick yummy meals are soup and green with either rice and pasta. For soup I cheat a bit and buy whole foods mom's chicken soup, but I zoosh it up a bit, I saute some garlic in oil with herbs and salt then add the soup, it makes such a big difference to saute the garlic and herbs before adding the liquid. Then I add a bunch of extra veggies to it..simple, easy and tasty. For greens I LOVE kale, collards and spinach. Again I start with oil and spices, but for the greens I add curry, ginger, crushed red pepper to the oil and heat then add the greens, cook until just wilted and the greens are still :green.. then add a touch of honey or maple syrup.. toss with some rice or pasta .. so quick easy and delicious...
I have been inspired lately to make a recipe journal and I am going to start making one a week, I 'll let you know how it goes.
I must add although I love you and watching your videos I was quite entertained by you kitty investigating the space behind you..so cute!
xoxoxo
Karen
deldino
oh jen.... i knew you were a girl of my heart... i too do NOT love to cook. i don't hate it, i just don't enjoy it. but i really want to like cooking.... especially when moms, sisters, sister-in-laws make it look so freakin' easy!!! i swear my mom can create a gourmet dinner with only four leftover ingredients in the fridge. me.... they just end up in the garbage. lol
i'll have to give you my mom's homemade pasta sauce recipe one of these days. to die for. and doesn't matter how much care, and energy and time i put into making a good pot of sauce.... NEVER tastes as good as hers.
xoxx
I have a sign in my kitchen that says "I know how to cook...I JUST DON'T."
I think that's about to change, however. We shall see!
KAREN~ you sound like you know what you are doing to qualify for domestically challenged ~ and, i drool at the photos you take of your home cooked meals! Thanks for this tips though! Good ones for sure! xo
FRANCESCA ~ I would love your sweet Mom's recipe... xoxoxo
SHIRLEY ~ Smart woman to have such a sign. No explanations needed!
*oh, and by the way we topped the lemon zest pasta with chicken and avocado ...
happy sunday folks!!!
xo
:) you're invited.... anytime!!
jen i say domestically challenged but i think i mean id like to branch out ni stick the easy stuff cause recipes can intimidate me. i want to conquer that by making something outside my comfort zone. i will keemyou posted
xo
karen
jen... i, on the other hand, grew up in a family that did not cook and was raised on a very typical chicago diet of pizza and mac n cheese. so when i started cooking for myself, i had to learn all on my own! luckily, there are now SO many beautiful food blogs out there (which i just spent the last hour perusing) to inspire you.
when i don't feel like making dinner a production, i often throw together some rendition of bibimbap (korean mixed rice). start with a bowl of cooked brown rice. throw in whatever you've got on hand in the kitchen: steamed garlic greens, sauteed carrots, fresh sprouts, tofu, beans... you get the point. top with a poached egg and some toasted pumpkin seeds, a drizzle of sesame oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. hearty, healthy, beautiful and easy!
jen, great video (cute kitty in the background :) ... i love when any of you put in videos. they always make me smile.
i'm with bella on the grilling. definitely. my husband does a great chicken parm (could be easily done with eggplant). olive oil on the chicken breasts...grill...while still on the grill, add dollops of marinara sauce (homemade or not ;) and sprinkle mozzarella cheese and shredded parm...let cheeses melt then take off grill. serve with pasta (or not), mixed greens salad or grilled asparagus (or not), and fresh bread (or not).
any time we serve this, it's liked by all...and it's super easy. of course you could bake the chicken breasts in the oven as well. there's just something about the grilled flavor...
for a super fabulously easy and yummy artisan bread (although very white and refined...i've tried this recipe with various whole grain flours and just haven't been satisfied), go here:
http://wednesdaychef.typepad.com/the_wednesday_chef/2006/11/jim_laheys_nokn.html
p.s. so fun to read everyone else's ideas/tips :)
definitely want to try jessica's bibimbap (if for no other reason than loving the name!)