Shrimp Korma and Basmati Rice

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – June 17, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published by MyRecipes via e-mail on June 15, 2011.

For reasons I don’t quite understand, I don’t like spicy food.  When I came upon this recipe, I was excited since I had a bunch of basmati rice I needed to use, it was chock full of vegetables and it didn’t have tablespoons of curry powder in it.  This is important for the heat factor but also for a certain individual’s gas factor (not mine, mind you).

© You Want Me to Cook?
Shrimp Korma and Basmati Rice

Yummy, right?  It looks very similar to the original picture, although my curry sauce is slightly more red and brighter.  That is because of the type of curry powder I used, which I’ll detail in the ingredients section.  It was thick, chunky and smelled fantastic!  That is everything I want out of a curry… and more.

Daily Recipe Round-up for December 7, 2011

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Pillsbury

Cranberry Brie Appetizers

Daily Recipe Round-up for December 5, 2011

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Food Network

The Neelys’ Spiced Gingerbread Piggies

Modenese Pork Chops

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – June 16, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published by Allrecipes via e-mail on June 13, 2011.

Okay, this isn’t Thanksgiving related, but I have a lot of organizing to go through.  Here is a recipe I made well before the countdown to the holidays…

I always fear that I’m going to miss a recipe because it doesn’t tickle my fancy when I come across it.  For example, I occasionally will see a recipe with wine or rum in it and wrinkle my nose, but every time I make a marsala dish or a rum cake, I fall in love.  I stared at this recipe for a while before deciding to make it.  It was simple and contained savory ingredients (butter, garlic, pork), but I kept stumbling over the wine part.  I finally said, “Screw this!  I’m putting it on my list of things to make.”

I’m glad I did.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Modenese Pork Chops

I swear you can look at this picture and tell how good it smells.  I’m willing to concede that my pork chops don’t have the same level of browning that the original recipe writer had.  It’s mostly because I chose a boneless chop and boneless chops cook faster.  It is saved by the savory looking sauce though.

Thanksgiving Success

Well, Thanksgiving was a success - sort of...

Appetizers were out just as the guests arrived and my in-laws brought a delightful selection of wine.  Dinner went on the table only 20 minutes after I intended and it was still warm.  The turkey looked gorgeous, there was plenty of food (and leftovers) and we had a great conversation.  A friend joined the party for dessert and we had a blast!  I managed to keep the mess to a minimum while cooking and our dinner guests graciously helped us with dishes after the meal so there was basically nothing to do but relax and have fun after dinner and dessert.

For my first Thanksgiving hosting, I only had a couple of breakdowns and none were on the day of dinner... this was a major accomplishment for me (see Rule #3 in my Rules to Baking).  I had planned out a schedule and finished everything without any major rushing or panicking.  Honestly, this was one of my best parties ever.

So why did I add a "sort of" on to my success?  Well as I baked in the days leading up to the meal, I was able to take pictures and lots of notes.  The day of the meal... not so much.  Not a big deal - unless you blog about cooking.  I didn't even get a picture of the turkey, something that made me cry later in the evening.  It really was pretty and even my father-in-law, the official turkey carver, commented on how nice it looked.

So let's recap... 

As a chef, baker and party thrower - success

As a cooking blogger - epic fail

I'm going to try to get up some of the recipes I made with the limited pictures I have over the next month, but I can't promise too much... Christmas cookie season is upon us.

Happy cooking!!!

Progress and The Most Disgusting Thing I've Ever Tasted

Before I get started for the day, I thought I'd let everyone know how it's going.  I didn't get nearly what I wanted to get done yesterday.  I did manage to make the appetizer dips and salad dressings.  Today I'm starting the day with making the cheesecake... mostly because I know it is the hardest thing I'll be making (other than the turkey of course).

I also wanted to share a huge mistake I made yesterday.  I was making Light Blue Cheese Dressing and the recipe called for Low-Fat Plain Yogurt.  We usually keep a large container in the fridge for smoothies, so when it was time, I grabbed it and started mixing.  I took a little taste before I mixed in the blue cheese and it tasted off.  I figured the blue cheese had to finish it off.  I mixed in the Blue cheese and gave it a taste.

It was one of the most disgusting things I've ever tasted... EVER!

It was so sour that I immediately thought I had something that had expired or gone bad.  I started picking up cartons and containers checking dates and smelling the food.  Nope.  Then I spun the yogurt around and looked at the label.

My husband had bought Vanilla yogurt.   

The sweet against the lemon and blue cheese created a curdled taste in the dip.  I've vomited before and had a better taste in my mouth.  It was horrifying and I drank a glass of water and chewed a piece of gum to stop the offensive breath that was sure to form.  I tried to figure out a way to salvage the dressing, but it wasn't going to happen.  Mostly because I wasn't willing to taste it again to see if it was getting any better.

Thank all that is holy that I bought extra blue cheese and still had a gigantic tub of Greek yogurt left over.  I started again and this time, the dressing turned out SUPERB.  I even thought about cooking up some buffalo chicken so I could eat it right then.  

I'm going to also throw out there that I'm glad I made the mistake.  I had never tried Greek yogurt before now (I know - what was I thinking) and was totally unaware of how creamy and rich this low-fat yogurt was.  The regular low-fat yogurt was downright watery compared to it.  The remake with the Greek yogurt was creamy and delicious.

Hope your holiday plans are coming together!

Things Are Coming Along Nicely

What a crazy week it has been!

I'm an esthetician and I was the make-up artist for a very large bridal party.  I love sharing in someone's special day, but I kept thinking about what I had to do to get my house Thanksgiving ready.  Of course, by the time I was done, there was NO WAY I was going to be doing any cleaning.  Then, my crazy chihuahua got tape worm causing the entire pug and chihuahua army to go through the deworming process.  While getting the dogs checked out, we found a lump on our pug we've had since we've been married.  Luckily it isn't anything serious, but emotions have run high throwing my cleaning/cooking schedule off kilter.  I'm kind of back on track  now and the cooking process was supposed to have started, but I've gotten sucked into 16 and Pregnant marathon, so I thought I'd update you on my process to keep me from screaming at the television.

And the Thanksgiving Planning Begins

If you haven't already heard from my Facebook page, I found out that I will be hosting Thanksgiving dinner for about 10 people.  Although I've had large dinner parties before, none of them have been the scale of a traditional holiday meal.  Oh, I've never made a turkey before either.

YIKES!!!!!

So I’ve nailed down my Thanksgiving menu and ordered my turkey (a 16-18 pounder since I want plenty left over for casseroles, sandwiches and soups).  The preparations start tomorrow with a trip to the store for all the non-produce items needed for dinner.  Of course, we’ve determined that our eat-in kitchen won’t seat all 10 people (or really give enough room for us to put the leaves in our dining room table) so there’s going to be a lot of furniture re-arranging to turn our living room into a dining room while keeping it functional for people to relax before and after dinner.

And I don’t want to talk about the cleaning.  I’ve already assigned bathroom detail to my husband.

I have to admit that I’m a little frightened about making the turkey.  I’ve gotten a lot of advice on how to do it, but a lot of it conflicts with each other.  For example, some people say to cook it upside down, some say to brine it, some say to not baste it… my head is spinning!!!  What I decided to do is pick a recipe that closely follows the advice of the Butterball experts so if I get caught in a pickle, I can call them for help.  Just in case, I’m thinking about making sure I have a ton of chicken just in case I need to whip up a meal quickly. 

Here is the menu:

Weekend Recipe Round-up for November 4-6, 2011

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Betty Crocker

“Steak” and Cheddar Melt

Prep Time: 20 Min

Total Time: 25 Min

Servings: 6

Daily Recipe Round-up for November 1-3, 2011

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Betty Crocker

Chocolate Lover’s Dream Cake

Prep Time: 20 Min

Total Time: 3 Hr 35 Min

Servings: 16

October Recipe Round-up: epicurious & Southern Living

Here’s Round #12 (also the final round) of the End of October Recipe Round-Up!  If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

epicurious

Black Rice with Squid

Yield: serves 6

October Recipe Round-up: Pillsbury

Here’s Round #11 of the End of October Recipe Round-Up!  If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

“My” Pot Pie
Prep Time: 5 Min

Total Time: 25 Min

Makes: 2 servings

October Recipe Round-up: Cooking.com

Here’s Round #10 of the End of October Recipe Round-Up!  If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Peanut Butter Brickle Drops 

Active Time:  10 Minutes
Total Time:  20 Minutes
Yield:  Makes about 64 cookies

October Recipe Round-Up: Real Simple

Here’s Round #9 of the End of October Recipe Round-Up!  If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Sweet and Salty Pumpkin Seeds 

Serves 8

Hands-On Time: 15m

Total Time: 1hr 30m

October Recipe Round-up: MyRecipes

Here’s Round #8 of the End of October Recipe Round-Up!  If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Hot Caramelized Onion Dip with Bacon and Gruyere 

Yield: Makes 2 cups
Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Bake: 20 Minutes Total: 1 Hour, 10 Minutes

October Recipe Round-up: Allrecipes

Here’s Round #7 of the End of October Recipe Round-Up!  If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Loaded Potato Soup

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups)
Total: 20 Minutes

October Recipe Round-up: Kraft Recipes

Here’s Round #6 of the End of October Recipe Round-Up!  If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Spaghetti and “Oozing Eyeballs”

Total Time: 45 min

Prep: 20 min

8 servings

October Recipe Round-up: Taste of Home

Here’s Round #5 of the End of October Recipe Round-Up!  If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Lollipop Ghosts

10 Servings

Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

October Recipe Round-Up: Every Day with Rachael Ray

Here’s Round #4 of the End of October Recipe Round-Up!  If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

 

Polenta-Topped Lamb and Eggplant Pie

4 servings

30-minute Meals

October Recipe Round-up: Cooking Light

Here’s Round #3 of the End of October Recipe Round-Up!  If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.
 

Quick Turkey & Bean Chili

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup chili and 1 lime wedge)
Total: 20 Minutes

October Recipe Round-up: All You

Here’s Round #2 of the End of October Recipe Round-Up!  If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.
 

Candy Corn Cake Wedges

Yield: 12 wedges (serving size: 1 wedge)

Prep Time: 45 Minutes
Bake: 25 Minutes
Freeze: 30 Minutes

October Recipe Round-up: Betty Crocker

It’s been a rough couple weeks so I haven’t been keeping up on my posting.  I have been saving my Halloween recipes for a round up and figured if I didn’t do it now; it was never going to happen, so we’re doing the End of October Recipe Round-Up!  To make it easier on you, I’ve broken the collections down by publication, so you’re going to be seeing a lot of posts today.

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Betty’s Classic Beef Stew

Prep Time: 25 Min

Total Time: 3 Hr 45 Min

Servings: 4

What in the world...

I subscribe to a lot of magazines.  Maybe too many, but it is kind of an addiction of mine.  In a quest to get rid of clutter, I'm going through old magazines and ripping out recipes and little tricks and hints to pass along to all of you.

So I'm flipping through the March 2010 copy of Every Day with Rachael Ray and read this in the Mess of the Month:

"Every morning I make hard-boiled eggs, and one time I cooked them the night before.  While we were sleeping, the smoke alarm went off: The eggs were burning in a pot with no water.  The entire house smelled!"

Before I continue with my point, I'd like to point out the magazine's response to this particular letter was "Watch us make hard-boiled eggs at rachaelraymag.com/march."  Seriously?  That's what you came up with?  There are so many things wrong with that individual's "mess" that it makes my head spin and yet they used it as a jumping off point to promote their teaching on the website.  By the way, some of their recipes and teaching is a huge point of mockery in their forums. (If you follow the link, make sure you scroll down to read the comments.  You'll get a good chuckle)

My response would have been something more like, "WHAT THE HECK?!?!?!  ARE YOU INSANE?!?!?!"  

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – May 5, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published by Cooking Light via e-mail on May 3, 2011.

So we continue with the trend of cooking a lot of the same things with another one of my favorites – Mexican chicken casseroles.  I know what attracted me to this dish other than my love of Mexican food.  It is supposed to be a “healthier” version of a creamy chicken casserole.  The ingredient listing had all the right things and the picture looked fantastic, so why not?

© You Want Me to Cook?
Mexican Chicken Casserole

Okay, it looks tasty, but it isn’t what the recipe’s picture looked like.  I can’t figure out why it is so orange looking.  Okay, I can (enchilada sauce), but I used the same amount as specified in the recipe and the same type of cheese.

 

Daily Recipe Round-up for October 19, 2011

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Cooking Light

Skeletal Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies

Yield: Serves 40 (serving size: 1 cookie)
Hands On: 39 Minutes

Total: 1 Hour, 51 Minutes

Daily Recipe Round-up for October 18, 2011

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Pillsbury

Slow Cooker Lasagna

Prep Time: 25 Min

Total Time: 6 Hr 35 Min

Makes: 8 servings

Thai Noodle Bowl with Shrimp

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – May 4, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published in Every Day with Rachael Ray – May 2011

After yesterday’s post, I realized that I have another continuing theme in the dishes I select – curry.  I’m cutting myself a little slack on this one since it is a soup.   

I love a good soup on chilly days and this one intrigued me because of the rice noodles.  I’ve not been able to find them (or bought the wrong ones which is most often the case) so I was on a mission to find them.  I found them in the most surprising of places – tucked away in a grocery store that has one of the tiniest Asian sections ever.  The rest seemed like a perfect dish for me: the sweetness of coconut, saltiness of soy sauce (even if I used a reduced sodium blend), spice of curry, and tasty shrimp.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Thai Noodle Bowl with Shrimp

On one of the first cold days of fall in the Chicago-area, I’m staring at this picture wishing I had a bowl.  It is a spicy and creamy (yet not heavy) soup with color and texture.  It looked perfect and smelled fantastic.

Daily Recipe Round-up for October 17, 2011

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Every Day with Rachael Ray

Double Mushroom and Marsala Cream Fettuccine

4 servings

30-minute Meals

Slow Cooker Mushroom Swiss Steak and Gravy

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – April 28, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published by Betty Crocker via e-mail on Sunday, April 24, 2011.

Maybe it’s time I tell everyone how I come up with blog posts and dishes. 

I have literally thousands of recipes to choose from.  I try to pick recipes from the most current magazines I have and then will dig through my recipe archives if I can’t find anything that tickles my fancy.  Honestly, I go a lot by what sounds good to me at the moment I’m creating my menu for the week.  I’ve tried to keep track of everything I’ve made recently, but that just adds a lot of time to the process… time I’d rather spend writing and cooking.

When I cook, I follow my rules: clean my cabinets, empty the sink, pull out the ingredients and equipment.  Then I take pictures of everything (and now take pictures of all the nutritional information labels as well) and write down any changes to ingredients and any supplemental equipment I need (or feel I need) for the recipe.  Finally, I break down the recipe on a marker board so I can take notes and pictures while I’m cooking.  When I’m all done, I take pictures of the finished product, write down all of the notes from the marker board and make detailed notes about the mess I’ve created, taste of the dish and what I would change, if anything.

The reason I felt the need to point this out to all of you is because I realized I’ve made this particular dish, I don’t know, probably 5 or 6 times this year.  It is from different sources and the recipes all have their own little tweak, but the Swiss steak / beef stew / creamy beef and noodles seems to be ever present in my cooking rotation.  I sat down and really thought about why and it is probably for the following reasons:

• Slow cooking rules… minimal cooking and perfectly cooked beef.
• Tomatoes and mushrooms are abundant in these recipes and this girl LOVES her tomatoes and mushrooms.
• I can serve it with noodles or potatoes to mix up the leftovers.

I guess it just looks tasty and I get drawn to the stewed beef like a bug to a light.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Slow Cooker Mushroom Swiss Steak and Gravy

I’m torn by my finished product.  On one hand, it is so gravy-licious and you can tell the meat is perfectly cooked (meaning falling apart) but is also looks very messy and like it is missing something.  Of course it is – egg noodles.  One day I will learn to compare the picture with the recipe to the ingredient listing.

Weekend Recipe Round-up for October 15-16, 2011

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Betty Crocker

Tuscan-Style Chili

Prep Time: 5 Min

Total Time: 25 Min

Servings: 4

Daily Recipe Round-up for October 14, 2011

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Every Day with Rachael Ray

Quick Ribollita

6 servings

30-minute Meals

Chicken and Shiitake Marsala

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – April 28, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published by myRecipes.com via e-mail on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.

My obsession of mushrooms has spread to trying different types.  My Porcini Mushroom Soup was a success, so this time I decided to try shiitake mushrooms.  I tried them once before, but as a blend and in a heavy tomato sauce.  In this dish, there would be no hiding the taste.  This dish is all about the mushrooms.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Chicken and Shiitake Marsala

So the dish looks okay, but my chicken seems a little bland.  Lucky for me it takes a lot of mushrooms or it may not look appealing at all.  I served it with a chunk of bread, but it just didn’t plate well.  Thank goodness it smelled fantastic or I may have not wanted to eat it based on looks.

Daily Recipe Round-up for October 13, 2011

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Betty Crocker

Cornbread-Topped Chicken Pot Pie

Prep Time: 30 Min

Total Time: 1 Hr

Servings: 4

Daily Recipe Round-up for October 12, 2011

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Pillsbury

Honey Barbecue Pork Roast with Carrots

Prep Time: 5 Min

Total Time: 4 Hr 35 Min

Makes: 2 servings

Daily Recipe Round-up for October 11, 2011

If anyone makes one of these recipes, I’d love for you to let me know, give me your thoughts and even take a picture or two.  I’d LOVE to start posting updates from other cooks, such as myself.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  That’s the point of this blog.

Pillsbury

Carrot-Cake Sandwich Cookies

Prep Time: 45 Min

Total Time: 1 Hr 10 Min

Makes: 1 dozen sandwich cookies