Chicken Cordon Bleu

How it's supposed to Look:


So, today I had a spot of bad news. So I did the only thing I could do. Decided to cook. I decided to try something a bit more complicated then what I've made so far. Chicken Cordon Bleu a french dish. I personally have never had it before, but I figured, "why the hell not?" I loved France and I loved french food so why not.

Chicken Cordon Bleu: Recipe via allrecipes.com





How Mine Looks:

Ingredients

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 6 slices Swiss cheese
• 6 slices ham
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.
2. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
3. Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.

Conclusion:

I really liked cooking this for many reasons. 1. It's french why would I not want to make something french. 2. I got to use wine, cooking wine it was really awesome, I felt like a chef, so I of course dropped it in the way I'd seen on TV, but alas it did not set the food on fire.

I didn't brown it as much as I would have liked, and so it didn't have that crispy look it should have. But it did taste very very good. I enjoyed it and so did my aunt. I also made paprika potatos and Asparagus. I'm pretty full, well full is an understatement, I felt like I would explode. Which is always good.

Cordon Bleu is rich and creamy. It's also a bit heavy. It taste like it's from France, which is my fave part. That you can eat something and know what it's from.

Baked pasta with Vodka Sauce

How Its supposed to Look

Like I said before, I'm a big fan of pasta. Huge fan of it, add some cheese and we're set. That's why I decided to bake some pasta and add my new obsession...Vodka sauce. Oh yes, my friend Nick made some homemade Vodka sauce a few months ago and I've been crazy for the stuff ever since. I thought to myself, I wonder what that tastes like baked, so here it is...

Baked Pasta with Vodka Sauce: Recipe via ehow.com

How mine Looks: Pretty good.

Things You'll Need:

• oven proof baking dish
• 1 lb penne pasta cooked and drained
• small container ricotta (whole milk or part skim will work equally as well)
• small mozzarella (about 8 ounces)shredded
• 1 egg
• 1-2 jars vodka sauce (you can find jars of vodka sauce at your supermarket)
• sliced meatballs, sausage and/or chicken
• grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Cook penne pasta til it's almost done which is considered al dente. Drain and set aside.

2. Step 2

   In a large mixing bowl combine the small container of ricotta and the egg. Mix until the egg is blended into the ricotta.

3. Step 3

   Add the penne pasta to the ricotta mixture and stir until all the ricotta is mixed with the pasta. Sprinkle half of the shredded mozzarella cheese into the pasta and ricotta mix and stir again.

4. Step 4

   Take one jar of vodka sauce and pour into the pasta and ricotta and mix well.

5. Step 5

   If you are adding meatballs and/or sausage and/or chicken to this dish then it all has to be cooked ahead of time. Whatever meat you are adding to this dish slice into bite size pieces and then mix into the pasta and ricotta mixture.

6. Step 6

   Pour into an oven proof baking dish and cover with additional vodka sauce and the rest of the shredded mozzarella.
   
   Bake in a pre-heated oven 350 degrees for about 30 to 45 min or until the mozzarella becomes nice and bubbly on top.

Conclusion:

I really enjoyed eating this. it's probably the best thing I have cooked so far. But that's probably, because I made pasta bake before. It was very good, had the right amount of cheese, etc. I'm VERY VERY PLEASED with it. I do want to work on my presentation, my food isn't as attractive as it tastes. Anyway, I'm deep in thought about my next attempt at cooking...something harder then pasta and rice I think. Meat perhaps? Yea, maybe. Maybe a full meal: Meat, veggies and something to go with it.

Stuffed Shells

How it's supposed to Look:



Things that I am obsessed with...pasta with cheese. In fact people have been known to ask, "do you want some pasta with that Parmesan. I decided to go for the ultimate cheese and pasta dish...pasta that's stuffed with cheese. So I made some stuffed shells, stuffed with not one, not 2, but 3 types of cheeses! Heaven.

Stuffed Shells: Recipe via allrecipes.com
How Mine Looks: It looks bad, but was really really GOOD!
(sorry the pics suck, I took these after my family had already eaten most of them and it was taken with my macbook pro as opposed to my camera which I can not find)

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 (32 ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce
• 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. In a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, half the mozzarella, half the Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper until well combined. Stuff cooked shells with ricotta mixture and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. In a medium bowl, stir together pasta sauce, mushrooms and reserved mozzarella and Parmesan. Pour over stuffed shells.
5. Bake in preheated oven 45 to 60 minutes, until edges are bubbly and shells are slightly set.

Conclusion:

In the end I think I should have added a bit more sauce, I used half the bottle, because I wanted to be cheap. I also wish I would have cooked it on the stove less and had it bake less in the oven. Besides that it was really, really good. Instead of straight marinara sauce, I used this four cheese sauce by Bartoloni, I also added this two cheese combo meant for quesadia. I did not have mushrooms, so I just put green pepper in the sauce.

Tomato Rice and Pinto Beans

How it's Supposed to Look:




There's this amazing Mexican restaurant called La Palapa in Manhattan and I'm obsessed! with it's tomato rice and pinto beans. I've been known to drag a friend there, just so I can eat the rice. Of course when you go there, you just can't eat the rice and beans, you have to eat tacos, and drink margaritas. Which usually ends with me spending way too much money. My roommate Katharine suggested I learn to cook it, so I did.









How Mine Looks:



Tomato Rice

Required Ingredients

* 1 can of whole tomatoes (drained)
* ½ a small white onion (roughly chopped)
* 2 garlic cloves (halved)
* 1-¾ cups of chicken broth or water
* 1-½ tablespoons of olive oil
* 4 whole tomatoes (unpeeled)
* 1-½ cups of rice (medium-grain)
* 2 carrots (scraped and chopped into ¼ inch pieces)
* 2 serrano chilies or 2 jalapenos (slit lengthwise nearly end to end)
* ¼ cup of chopped fresh parsley
* ½ cup of a 10-oz. Box of frozen peas
* Salt

Instructions

* Combine the canned tomatoes with onion and garlic and blend in a blender. Blend the tomatoes smooth to equal 1 cup.
* Heat the broth/water until it is steaming and then lightly oil the tomatoes.
* Grill the tomatoes enough to char their skins. When the tomatoes have cooled, remove the peels and chop them.
* Take a 3-quart saucepan and heat olive oil in it over a medium flame. To this add raw rice and stir regularly during a cooking period of 5 minutes.
* Add the tomato mixture and carrots, and stir for a few minutes. Let it cook until it looks somewhat dry.
* After this, add the warm broth or water, chilies and parsley and stir the mixture thoroughly.
* Cover the pan with a lid and place on a range burner or a cooking grate of charcoal or gas grill (indirect, medium flame).
* Cover this for 15 minutes or until the liquid is almost absorbed. Then add peas and grilled tomatoes, and stir with a fork. Cover the pan and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
* When done, gently fluff the rice with a fork. Remove the chilies and use it to decorate the top of the rice and serve.



PINTO BEANS: Recipe via find.myrecipes.com


Ingredients

* 1 cup dried pinto beans
* 3 cups reserved chicken broth
* 3 bacon slices, diced
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 2 teaspoons chili powder
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preparation

Sort and wash pinto beans; place in a large saucepan. Cover with water 2 inches above beans, and bring to a boil. Boil beans 1 minute. Cover, remove from heat, and let soak 1 hour. Drain.

Bring beans, broth, and remaining ingredients to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours. Chill, if desired; reheat over medium heat.



In the end it was ok, but no La Palapa. The beans came out a dark brown color instead of the reddish brown color I was expecting. Also, I jumped the gun and added the tomatoes to cook into the rice as opposed to waiting till the end and putting it in later as decoration... Well, I had some and my family had some and they liked it, so better luck next time.

My Culinary Arts

This is how it goes....I have been wanting to really get into cooking for sometime. It usually went like this "I don't have the ingredients, I don't have the right utensils, cookware, etc, etc." The change? I'm back home where between my aunt downstairs and my mom, we have all the tools and most of the supplies and since I have nothing to really do this summer. There really isn't any excuse.

So this is my cooking blog. My recipes, my experiences and what I did wrong.