Muchos Gracias!

Matet and I have many friends who live on the border with Mexico, and many of them are avid readers of my culinary adventures. So I thought of making a surprise Mexican theme this weekend. It turned out to be a total success. So much so, that I am quite confident I deserve a genuine Mexican sombrero. We had a couple really fun and super spicy Mexican dishes. The kind that makes you run to the kitchen to grab something to drink, or gives you a runny nose, or bring tears to your eyes. It's a good thing we had a huge can of ice cream in the freezer. That certainly helped restore our insides to some balance :)

So this Saturday's dishes were:

Dish # 1 - Orange Salad

Serves 5 Time to Prepare 15 min

1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch white sugar
1 pinch ground white pepper
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
2 heads butter lettuce - rinsed, and torn
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
5 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the dressing by whisking together the sour cream, mayonnaise, milk, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, white pepper and cayenne pepper. Store in an air-tight container and refrigerate.
Prepare the salad in a large bowl by combining the lettuce, onion, oranges and mushrooms. Add enough dressing to coat and toss. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add croutons if desired.

My experience: For some strange reason, we did not find any mandarins at the supermarket this week, so I used regular oranges instead. It was an easy to make salad, although I think I put a little too much garlic.
Our verdict: The mushrooms and oranges blended well with the lettuce, and the dressing was really tasty.

Dish # 2 - Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 15 min Cooking Time 40 min

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/3 (1 pound) package frozen pepper and onion stir fry mix
2/3 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/3 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chili peppers, drained
1-1/3 (14 ounce) cans vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn
1/4 pound tortilla chips
1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/3 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the pepper and onion stir fry mix, garlic, and cumin, and cook 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Mix in the tomatoes and chile peppers. Pour in the broth, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes.
Mix corn into the soup, and continue cooking 5 minutes. Serve in bowls over equal amounts of tortilla chips. Top with cheese and avocado.

My experience: This was a great soup. I put jalapeno pepper instead of green chili peppers, and added a bit more cumin. So the outcome was super hot. Still, it is a fantastic recipe. I will do it again some time in the future.
Our verdict: Melted tortilla chips, avocado and cheese give this soup a really nice texture and taste. Very good!

Dish # 3 - Zippy Ground Beef Skillet

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 15 min Cooking Time 10 min

1/4 pound uncooked small tube pasta
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons diced onion
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons diced green pepper
1/2 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1-1/2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup reduced fat sour cream

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook the beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the tomatoes, jalapenos, honey, chili powder and salt. Reduce heat to low; cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta; add to beef mixture. Add sour cream; cook and stir until heated through (do not boil). Serve with rice or as is.

My experience: Super-delicious! All the ingredients came together very nicely. Wow! I'm speechless! This recipe makes me fall in love with Mexican food.
Our verdict: This is a winner! We will be eating this many times in the future.

Dish # 4 - Orange Banana Shake

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 5 min

1 banana
2 oranges, peeled and seeded
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup vanilla ice cream

In a blender, combine banana, oranges, milk and ice cream. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

My experience: Well, shakes are failure-proof. So there is no way you will go wrong with them. For this particular shake, give some extra time to blend the thin orange skins.
Our verdict: Healthy and tasty. A nice way to finish off the day.

Muchos gracias mi amigos! Adios!

Can You Say Yum?

This Saturday was a milestone for me. For the first time ever, I felt completely fine in the kitchen. With no fears of any kind, I prepared the food and had fun while doing it. I'm certainly gaining confidence. I had less questions for Matet, moved faster around the kitchen, and nailed those recipes. Yeah, baby! Woohoo!

Last Saturday I had a brilliant moment making a chicken fried in an awesome sauce and champagne. I felt like some alcohol wouldn't hurt this time around as well, so this week's dinner includes a fish fillet prepared in white wine. But the highlight of the dinner this time around was the dessert. It was absolutely delicious! Super scrumptious! Yummmmmy!

So here we go:

Dish # 1 - Swan's Summer Soup

Serves 2 Time to Prepare 10 min

4 large tomatoes
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
2 tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Using a juicer, extract the juice of the 4 large tomatoes.
In a medium bowl combine the tomato juice, avocado, corn, 2 diced tomatoes, cilantro, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowls.

My experience: I can almost hear you say, "Cold soup??? Yuck!" Well, think of this not as a proper soup, but as an appetizer. Back in Lithuania, people love making a cold pink soup on hot summer days. Sour cream, fresh vegetables, the works. It's very refreshing. So when I stumbled on a different recipe for a cold soup, I really wanted to give it a try. This one is all about tomatoes, and if you are a big fan of tomato juice, I'm afraid you may not enjoy this recipe. I did things a bit differently. First, we did not find avocado in the grocery, but also instead of squeezing tomatoes, I used commercial tomato juice from a pack. Worked just as well.
Our verdict: Matet never really liked tomato juice, so she did not enjoy it, but it was great for me.

Dish # 2 - Chicken Salad

Serves 8 Time to Prepare 30 min

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 cups diced, cooked chicken breast meat
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 1/2 cups diced Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups halved green grapes

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, salt, poultry seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and lemon juice.
In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, celery, green onions, water chestnuts, Swiss cheese, and grapes. Add the mayonnaise mixture, and stir to coat. Chill until serving.

My experience: When I made this salad, Matet was not even in the house. This salad is definitely one of the best I've made so far. Very tasty. I had some variations to the recipe. Instead of mayo, I used plain yogurt. Instead of Swiss cheese, I added the Feta cream cheese that I had as a leftover from last Saturday. Finally, adding diced apples would have been nice too. We bought the apples for this purpose, but yours truly forgot to add them... Silly me.
Our verdict: Excellent salad. Will be adding this to our regular rotation for sure.

Dish # 3 - Fish Fillet Italiano

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 10 min Cooking Time 15 min

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup black olives, pitted and sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 pound cod fillets

In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until softened.
Stir in tomatoes, olives, parsley, and wine. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Place fillets in sauce. Simmer for about 5 more minutes, or until fish turns white.

My experience: This was perfect. From start to finish. Really proud of myself with this recipe. Serve with rice (brown rice is the best) and white wine.
Our verdict: It was so quick! Tastes very good. The fish was really soft.

Dish # 4 - Chocolate Hazelnut Fruit Crepes

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 10 min Cooking Time 10 min

1 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
4 crepes
4 bananas, sliced
1 (7 ounce) can pressurized whipped cream

Spread 1/4 cup of chocolate hazelnut spread onto each crepe. Arrange 1 sliced banana down the center of each one. Roll up, and place in a warm skillet over medium heat. Let them warm up for about 90 seconds. Transfer to plates, and serve topped with whipped cream.

My experience: We did not find any crepes at the supermarket. Ended up buying lumpia wrapper, but it's intended for frying and gets hard, so we ruled it out and had to make our own crepes. Matet did it by mixing 2 eggs, a cup of flour, a cup of milk, and some butter. Basically like a large pancake, right. Just thinner. I added strawberries.
Our verdict: Best crepes in the world!!! What a perfect way to finish off a long day. Good thing we have a gym on our ground floor.

Let's Get Mushy!

It's a Valentine's Day tomorrow, so it is appropriate for a "seasoned" chef like me to consider cooking something special for my one and only. I wanted to honor Matet for being my friend, my lover, my partner in life. 11 years ago, on a Valentine's Day, I asked her to marry me, and what a journey we've had so far! So with my heart filled with gratitude and overcome by all the mushy feelings, I decided to make something extra special :)

To begin with, here are two simple recipes for a Valentine's Day breakfast in bed for your loved one.

Dish # 1 - Raspberry Cheesecake Stuffed French Toast

Serves 6 Time to Prepare 20 min Cooking Time 10 min

1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup raspberry puree
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 loaf French bread, cut into 1 inch slices
butter
confectioners' sugar for dusting
nutmeg, for topping

In a bowl, whisk milk, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon into the beaten eggs until well blended. Set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together raspberry puree and cream cheese until smooth. Make 'sandwiches' by cutting each slice of bread in half and spreading raspberry-cheese mixture in the center, then top with the other half.
Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet or griddle. Dip bread into egg mixture, coating thoroughly. Cook until well-browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar and nutmeg. Serve immediately.

My experience: I am proud to say I made this all by myself. Cinnamon did not seem to dissolve in the mixture, so I used a blender to get it right. The rest was piece of cake. :)
Our verdict: Very soft, it melts in your mouth if you eat it immediately. Very very very good! Mmmmm!

Dish # 2 - Berry Smoothie

Serves 3 Time to Prepare 5 min

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup frozen unsweetened strawberries
• 1 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup ice cubes
• 
  
• Place the milk, berries and sugar in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Add ice cubes; cover and process until smooth.

My experience: I forgot to put in the strawberries! So this turned out to a "raspberry smoothie" instead.

Our verdict: Great with Dish # 1! Perfect for breakfast!

OK, now let's head into the main dish for that special dinner! This is a winner! By far, the best dish I've ever made.

Dish # 3 - Champagne Chicken

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 10 min Cooking Time 45 min

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour for dusting
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup champagne
• 
  
• Lightly dust chicken breasts with flour and a little salt and pepper.
• In a large skillet, lightly brown chicken breasts to a nice golden brown in olive oil. Once browned on both sides, add mushrooms and champagne. Cook over medium heat, champagne should boil a little, for approximately 1/2 hour. When chicken is tender, transfer chicken to a platter.
• Pour cream into skillet. Simmer about 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Pour sauce over chicken breasts. Serve.

My experience: This was very easy to prepare. I loved how champagne smell filled the kitchen. The sauce was superb. Tastes soooooooo good! The chicken absorbed much of the champagne and was very tender. What a great dish! Wow!!!

Our verdict: First word out of Matet's mouth after she tasted it, was "Magnifico!" Well, if my wife can speak Italian (?) out of the blue, trust me when I say, this was an extraordinary dish! :)

Finally, a refreshing fruit salad to finish off the meal.

Dish # 4 - Creamy Fruit Salad

Serves 8 Time to Prepare 15 min

• 1/2 (20 ounce) can unsweetened pineapple chunks, drained
• 1/2 (15 ounce) can sliced peaches, drained
• 1/2 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
• 2 medium tart apples, peeled and diced
• 3/4 cup cold fat-free milk
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons orange juice concentrate
• 1/2 (1 ounce) package sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

In a large bowl, combine the fruit; set aside. In another bowl, whisk milk, orange juice concentrate and pudding mix for 2 minutes or until smooth. Add sour cream; mix well. Fold into fruit. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

My experience: I did not find vanilla pudding mix in the grocery. So my cream mixture turned out a bit too watery. Something thicker would have been better. Oh well :)

Our verdict: Nice to have some fruits to finish off the day.

So, Valentine's Day special was quite special. Now, let's get mushy, baby! 

Unplanned Chewing Gum!

I had plenty of reasons to ditch my cooking assignment today. After all, I was tired after 4 hours of playing table tennis in the morning, endured a grueling exam in Economics in the afternoon, and then spent two hours wandering the aisles at the grocery store. But, I figured, I should still push through with my cooking experiment, otherwise I might have some other excuse next Saturday and before you know it, I would quit the whole commitment to 52 Saturdays altogether. So while paying at the cashier, I made my decision: "It's OK, kitchen is my friend now! I can do this!"

You are probably wondering what dishes made it to my menu tonight, so I better share my recipes. But first, let me ask you this: Did you ever have soup with peanut butter, or a peach beef stir-fry? No? Well, this was my first time too. I have to say these strange mixtures are yummy. The soup is absolutely 5-star.

Dish # 1 - Greek Tomato Salad

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 10 min Ready in 10 min

• 3 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon and 1-3/4 teaspoons olive oil
• 3/4 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 cup and 2 teaspoons thinly sliced red onion, separated into rings
• 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped green pepper
• 3-1/4 tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges
• 4-3/4 pitted ripe olives, halved
• 2 tablespoons and 1-1/4 teaspoons crumbled feta cheese

In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, oregano, basil, sugar, salt and pepper. Add red onion and green pepper; toss to coat. Stir in tomatoes, olives and cheese. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve with pita bread.

My experience: Last night we ate at a Greek restaurant in our neighborhood, so I thought of bringing some of Greek flavor to our home tonight. It did not take long to make. Basically, just get everything ready and follow the simple instructions. This salad is a winner.

Our verdict: The whole mixture of ingredients is great. It's a refreshing salad that will make it onto our table many times in the future.

Dish # 2 - Peanut Butter Vegetable Chicken Soup

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 15 min Cooking Time 35 min

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup diced, cooked chicken meat
• 1/2 cup peeled and cubed potatoes
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup diced zucchini
• 1/2 cup broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup canned whole tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 
  
• In a large stock pot, combine the broth, chicken, potatoes, and carrots. Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 10 minutes, till vegetables are tender. 
• Add zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, celery, onion, green pepper, and garlic. Simmer for about 8 minutes. 
• Add peanut butter, parsley, salt, and pepper; stir until peanut butter is fully blended. Simmer for 3 minutes longer.

My experience: Well, Matet saw how tired I was tonight, and had mercy on me. She did this soup while I worked on the main dish.

Our verdict: Who would have thought that peanut butter would do well in a soup???!!! This soup is outrageously delicious. Definitely one of the best soups we have ever eaten. Wow!!! We finished eating our dinner, and I sat down to write the blog, but writing about the soup makes me want to go back to the kitchen and have some more! Perfection in a bowl!

Dish # 3 - Peach Beef Stir-Fry

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 10 min Cooking Time 10 min

• 4 peach halves from a can
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef round or sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• Hot cooked rice
• 
  
• Drain peaches, reserving 1/4 cup juice. Cut peaches in quarters and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, broth, soy sauce and reserved peach juice until smooth; set aside.
• In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry beef in oil for 3 minutes. Add broccoli and onion; stir-fry 2-3 minutes longer or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir sauce and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add tomatoes and reserved peaches; heat through. Serve over rice.

My experience: If you've been wondering why tonight's blog is entitled "Unplanned Chewing Gum", here is the explanation. Last Saturday I learned that I should read and follow the instructions. Well, this Saturday I learned that my wife knows better than what the recipe says. So today's lesson for all the guys out there: "Listen to your wife/girlfriend/partner!" Having learned the value of following instructions, I followed this recipe to the letter. Turns out, Matet was right when she said that there is no way that beef is going to be tender in 3 min. I should have marinated or cooked it longer. Everything was perfect (the sauce, the peaches mixed in with beef, etc), but the beef was like a chewing gum! Darn it! Live and learn. Thankfully, Matet cooked it a bit longer and made some more sauce, and the leftovers are now perfect.

Our verdict: Beef definitely needs more time in the wok or needs to be marinated for some time before frying. Other than that, it's great. The sauce is very good. Broccoli and peaches go really well with beef. Another strange recipe, worth the try.

Dish # 4 - Gloomy Day Smoothie

Serves 3 Time to Prepare 10 min Ready in 10 min

• 1 mango - yellow, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
• 1 banana, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup vanilla nonfat yogurt

Place mango, banana, orange juice, and yogurt in a blender. Blend until smooth. Serve in clear glasses, and drink with a bendy straw!

My experience: Cooking doesn't get any easier than this. Really simple and quick. Throw the ingredients into the blender and voila!

Our verdict: The recipe says: "This smoothie is so bright, cheerful, and delicious, it is like a blast of sunshine on even the most rainy, windy days!" Well, it's bright, cheerful, and delicious on even the sunniest of days. :) We think chilling it, or adding some crushed ice, would make this smoothie even better.

Another memorable Saturday is over. I am learning so much. More than anything, my attitude towards cooking is beginning to change and tonight's dinner, with the exception of that hard-to-chew beef, was actually fun. I had fun in the kitchen! Never thought I would ever be able to say that! Cool!