Purple Stuff

Alton Brown once started an episode of Good Eats by saying:
    "Behold, the great American Mega-Mart. At no time in human history have so many edibles been available to the general population. But did you know that the average American shopper has a list of fewer than a hundred items from which he or she rarely deviates. To put that into perspective, consider the fact that this store has that many different kinds of canned soup.
    Why is this? Well, I think we’ve lost our sense of curiosity, of wonder. We’re so busy focusing on our shopping list, that we don’t allow ourselves to discover new ingredients. And that is a crying culinary shame. Because as you run your usual circuit from cereal to sour cream, you may be walking right past something that could change your culinary life.
    The cure? Just stop. Stop. Step away from the cart. Look around. Look for something that you’ve never seen before, that you’ve never tasted or used before."


Alton Brown was speaking of course of wonton skins, as this is the beginning to his episode titled "Wonton Ways." In this case of AB's wonton skins they in fact ended up being Good Eats... I, however, ended up with purple stuff. In general I do try to keep my eye out for something new and different but sadly it is hit or miss and I believe that is why most people just stick to their "list." The good news is my guinea pigs seem to love this "purple lettuce" so that it is not going to waste. I don't think the lettuce was bad, per-say, however I just didn't like it. By all means if you want to buy some purple stuff and try it, don't let me stop you...


---Dare to Cook---

At least it was pretty.

Leftovers...

Part of the problem with cooking for one is that I have to eat the same thing for a few days, which is why I don't cook everyday and thus will not have a post everyday... So tonight, like last night, and tomorrow night will be leftovers... At least they are tasty leftovers!!

---Dare to Cook---

Krispy's Tour of Italy

Alright, so it's not exactly a tour... Last year for Valentine's Day I tried to have a really amazing super for myself; I went Greek. It didn't turn out so well, not that the food didn't turn out, it was just a really bad time to realize I don't like cooked spinach. This year I'm going Italian.

Now that the day has come to an end and I have made a splendid lunch, dinner, and dessert, here is how it went down.

---Dare to Cook---

Lunch was a delicious Bruschetta Pizzaiola.

Before Baking

After Baking

And here is how you make it.

(From cookingchannel.com)

Ingredients

• 1 baguette, sliced
• 1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 handful fresh basil, plus more for garnish
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

On a high heat, toast the bread using a stovetop grill, then set aside on a cookie sheet pan.

In a bowl, mix together the mozzarella and tomatoes, season very lightly with olive oil and salt and pepper. Stir well and top the bread with the mixture and place on the sheet pan.

Cook in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and starts to crisp into a nice golden color, than place in a platter and allow to cool off for a few minutes before serving.

Dress with a couple leaves freshly picked basil, a drizzle of extra-virgin oil, salt, and pepper.

Dinner was a Italian Sausage Lasagna done in the crockpot, with garlic bread.

Ingredients

• 3/4lb bulk Italian pork sausage
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cans (15 oz each) Italian-style tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 container (15 oz) part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (12 oz)
• 12 uncooked lasagna noodles

Directions

1. In 10-inch skillet, cook sausage and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and salt.
2. In medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese.
3. Spray 3 1/2 to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Into cooper, spoon 1/4 of the sausage mixture. Top with 4 noodles, broked into pieces to fit. Top with half of the cheese mixture and 1/4 of the sausage mixture. Top with 4 noodles, remaining cheese mixture and 1/4 of the sausage mixture. Top with remaining 4 noodles and remaining sausage mixture.
4. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.
5. About 10 minutes before serving, sprinkle top of lasagna with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover; let stand about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut lasagna into pieces.

For the garlic bread you will need a load of bread, a few cloves of garlic, butter, and olive oil.

Smash garlic cloves and place in small pot with butter and oil, heat on low to medium until the butter is melted. Allow the garlic flavor to infuse into the butter and oil mixture. Place cut pieces of bread on a cookie sheet, spread the butter, oil, and garlic mixture on top of the bread and place under the broiler until top is golden, brown, and delicious.

Here are some pictures to help you along the way.

And finally..................DESSERT!!

Pound cake with macerated strawberries and blueberries...

I must admit I cheated with the pound cake, it was a box mix... And the whipped cream was store bought this time...

However, to macerate the berries, quarter the strawberries and place the blueberries into a bowl with about a 1/3 cup of sugar, and if you want some additional flavor you can add some honey and a little liquor; Disaronno helped me stay with the Italian theme. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour until a sauce forms.

And here is what you get!

And of course to top everything off you have to have a nice Italian made drink.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Curious Yet Tasty Avocado Experiment

As some of you may know I attempted Alton Brown's avocado ice cream from his episode "Curious Yet Tasty Avocado Experiment." Well, it was curious alright, I'm still not sold on the tasty part. I think it was actually better before it went through the ice cream churn.
This one I did take pictures of as I made it so allow me to share them with you. These were taken with my phone so the artistic quality is not up to par but it should give you a good idea of the steps. I've also decided that I will attach the recipes to my posts that others may indulge in anything they want to try as well!

---Dare to Cook---




Avocado Ice Cream
(from foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients

• 12 ounces avocado meat, approximately 3 small to medium
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

Peel and pit the avocados. Add the avocados, lemon juice, milk, and sugar to a blender and puree. Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl, add the heavy cream and whisk to combine. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and chill until it reaches 40 degrees F or below, approximately 4 to 6 hours.

Process the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. However, this mixture sets up very fast, so count on it taking only 5 to 10 minutes to process. For soft ice cream, serve immediately. If desired, place in freezer for 3 to 4 hours for firmer texture.

First Post

Well here is my first post on the first blog I've had in years. This first post isn't going to be much, I just want you to know what to expect.
I guess you could say this blog will be done a little "Julie and Julia" style, except I don't plan on going through Julia Child's cook book nor do I really cook everyday, however, when I do cook I like to make notes and share so this is where I plan to do that.
Not only do I enjoy cooking the food, I also enjoy making the food look nice, and in most cases I like taking pictures of food. So you should also expect there to be pictures of the food I cook whenever possible.
So there it is, the outline for this blog. I hope you enjoy.

Welcome to Krispy's Adventures in Cooking.
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