Pasta Carbonara and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Starches and Carbs! Yummmm! 

So I may have used the wrong kind of pasta for Carbonara... but that's okay! First off we poached an egg which was pretty cool. Then we sweat an ounce of pancetta in a small saute pan (probably a little more than an ounce....pancetta is good..) We drained some of the fat out, poured in 1/4 of a cup of heavy cream to a simmer and seasoned with some salt and pepper. 

Then we tossed about 4 ounces of al dente pasta into the sauce pan and topped it with a tablespoon of chopped parsley. We served the pasta with the poached egg and ta-da! That was the pasta dish. The egg was really creamy and it was such a good dish.  

The garlic mashed potatoes were pretty good too. I'm always a sucker for potato dishes. My lab partner for the day peeled about a pound and a half of all purpose potatoes, and simmered them in salted water and 3 or 4 cloves of garlic until they were tender. We let them cool and threw them in a mixer with the paddle attachment until it was broken up really well. Then we switched to the whisk attachment and pureed it. We added an ounce of butter, the 1/4 cup of light cream to get the consistency just right. We also added about a head of roasted garlic to the mix too just to add some more flavor. Then salt and pepper to taste. It was so good. I'm a fan of garlic too so that was just a plus.  

Deep Fried Eggplant! (and Skillet-Steamed Vegetables)

I've had deep fried onion rings before so I figured it would be fun to try using eggplant instead. They turned out alright. A little dry but with a marinara sauce or something they would be so good! 

Just cut up one large eggplant into 1/2in slices then stick them in cold water for 5 or 10 minutes. Coat them in flour (shake off the excess), dip them in an egg mixture (we used 2 eggs beat with 1 tbsp of milk), then coat them a second time in bread crumbs. Fry them up in some hot oil for a few minutes and they're good to go! Watch them too, they cook fast and some of our slices turned really brown, really fast! 

We also made a skillet-steamed vegetable dish (mine are a little overcooked...whoops) but they were perfect for me! 

I cut up a medium zucchini and a yellow squash and heated them in a pan with 1/4 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of butter. I put a lid on it so it would steam the veggies (supposedly for 3 minutes but apparently for longer since they were a little over done...). I took the lid off and let the water reduce a little so there was a butter sauce and then I served it. Super easy, healthy, and delicious! 

More Salsa!

We really did keep it simple the first few weeks of class so on the second day of cooking we made a savory mango salsa. Yummmmmmmm! 

All we did was cut up 2 mangos, 4 kiwis, about 1/2 a red onion, and 1 jalapeno and mixed it all of that with 3/4 cup of sweet corn, 2tbs minced cilantro, some lime juice, and a little bit of salt to taste.

I know, when you see a mango salsa you're not expecting a savory sweet kinda deal but believe me, it's almost better than a normal salsa. At least worth a shot! 

Food Prep!

This semester I'm in a great class that I'm so excited about called food preparation. 3 hours of lecture and then actual hands on cooking which is so much fun. It makes me want to go to culinary school more and more.

Anyways, the first day that we actually got to cook in was basics so we made a tomato salsa! 

It was a pretty simple first class. We cut up 4 tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of jalapeno, 1/4 cup of minced scallion, 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro, and about 2 tablespoons of lime juice. I think we added a splash of tomato juice to thicken it just a tiny bit and added salt to taste.

It was a really good salsa. Actually it was the first salsa I've ever made so I'm pretty proud of myself. Not that it was a difficult recipe but small steps! 

ROC - Mariachi

A few of my friends and I have this great Mexican grill where we love to go. Pitchers of margaritas are a must and at Mariachis they're fantastic and not too expensive. 

Of course Mariachis moved and is now Don Patrons but it's pretty much the same exact thing only a new name. 

For my friend's 22nd birthday this past February she decided she wanted to go. It's still good. Even as Don Patron. 

It's almost a tradition to order margaritas and just about everyone upgrades and orders a giant Corona-Rita (A  margarita with a little bottle of Corona tipped upside down in it). It's a crazy. 

Back when it was Mariachis I ordered a Taco salad which was so much food and really really good.

This time around I decided on the Enchiladas Verdes O Rojas (I think?) which was really good. There's just enough sauce on top that mixes well with the rice and gives everything tons of great flavor. The plate is also a great size and is really filling! 

Since it was my friend's birthday her boyfriend arranged for a birthday dessert which turned out to be deep fried ice cream with a cute little candle on it. It was super cute! She passed it around too because we were all so full so I got a try. Deep Fried Ice Cream is Boss. I can't believe I've never had it before! I want to go back just for that right now honestly.