What’s Cookin’

I used to be the queen of convenience foods (the Freezer Queen?). All I needed was a box and a microwave and I was good to go.

But then something changed (or maybe the Food Network rubbed off on me). One day, I no longer wanted to eat ingredients like “maltodextrin” and “canthaxanthin,” not to mention a bunch of preservatives and too much salt and fat. Things like “ammonium phosphatides” and “sucroglycerides” just didn’t sound tasty to me anymore.

So I found some recipes online and started … cooking.

And I actually liked it.

Yes, there are some downsides. Sometimes I cook too much (and eat too much). And I really wish I’d had to take home ec in school so I would have known how much sugar to use when my measuring cup didn’t have the exact marking for the amount I needed (I didn’t want to risk putting in too much or too little so I found that the measurement equaled 16 teaspoons – which I faithfully scooped out, 16 times. Sigh.).

But the feeling of accomplishment you get when you follow a recipe and actually create something good and tasty is priceless. And it’s also nice when you find a new recipe and know that you have all or most of the ingredients it calls for already in your kitchen.

Here are four of the recipes I’ve tried recently, and my reviews. They’re all on the Taste of Home website, which has a ton of recipes that usually aren’t too complicated or expensive to prepare (perfect for a newbie like me, and maybe you too):

Honey-Mustard Potatoes

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Honey-Mustard-Potatoes

These turned out great! I used small white potatoes instead of red, but they were still very good. And I bought green onions for the first time ever because of this recipe. Did you know green onions cost about $1 for 2 bundles at the grocery store and are wrapped together with a sticker that includes a UPC code (so you don’t have to worry about weighing produce and annoying the people behind you in line)? See, told ya I was a newb.

Italian Bow-Tie Bake

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Italian-Bow-Tie-Bake

This couldn’t have been much easier to make and it was so good. Only four ingredients are required, too, and you can try using whole-grain pasta to make it even healthier. This is amazing.

Golden Chicken Nuggets

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Golden-Chicken-Nuggets

These…didn’t turn out so great. (And the original recipe didn’t have a photo with it so I used a photo from a similar recipe.) I tried to make my own Italian seasoning to bread these with because I haven’t been able to find bottled Italian seasoning in a store, and it just didn’t taste good. I found an Italian seasoning recipe online and made it but I didn’t have any marjoram — I don’t know if that made a huge difference or not but the breading came out too herb-y and without a lot of good flavor. But this also could have been because I used too much breading. Anyway, sweet and sour sauce didn’t even save these nuggets, unfortunately.

Raspberry Coffee Cake

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Raspberry-Coffee-Cake-3

This. Was. Awesome!

I think this was the first cake I ever made from scratch and it came out really well, even though I didn’t soften the butter before I combined it with the other ingredients (after dealing with a lumpy mixture, I finally just microwaved the batter a little) and I didn’t make the glaze for the top, just to cut out some sugar. This is a really moist, delicious cake that I’m sure I’ll make again sometime. Even if you don’t like raspberries, I’m sure you could try blueberries, blackberries or pretty much any other fruit.

So that’s been my excursion out of the freezer aisle and into the frying pan. I’m proud to say that my last couple of trips to the grocery aisle have involved no purchases of frozen items — well, except ice cream, because I’m not perfect.

If you attempt any of the recipes above, or know of any more quick, easy dinners for me to try, please let me know!

I love you again, Food Network

Once upon a time, I watched the Food Network all the time. I learned how to make meals in 30 minutes. I found out how to make a tortilla from scratch. I gasped with anticipation while watching a painstakingly prepared multistory cake be carried to the judges’ table.

Then I got tired of it all and switched to TLC.

Recently, though, FN has beckoned me back. (And I don’t have much of a taste for TLC shows like “Police Women of Rinkydink County” and “Mall Cops Patrol the Parking Lot”).

But there are some shows I just can’t go for. It’s painful to watch “Cupcake Wars,” for example. Besides the fact that everyone on that show takes something as (let’s face it) trivial as cupcakes DEADLY. SERIOUSLY., it’s hosted by a guy who’s also a magician and goes by the name of Justin Credible.

Yep. SERIOUSLY.

I also can’t watch anything hosted by Alexandra Guarnaschelli because of the first impression I got from her. Years ago, when I first started watching FN, she was a contestant on the Ultimate Thanksgiving episode of Food Network Challenge. I don’t remember if she was making potatoes or the turkey or what, but she just gave up. Just threw in the towel without even trying to make whatever she was making work. I have no idea why FN gave her her own show because it’s clear that she wouldn’t have even made it past the first week as a Food Network Star contestant.

Speaking of which, that show has restored my faith in the network. I watched Food Network Star for a couple seasons, skipped last year, and now I’m back. It’s not a good show by any stretch of the imagination but, like the finest junk food, it’s filling and addictive.

I don’t even have a real favorite contestant this year, unlike in previous years (search for “Adam Gertler” on my blog to find out my favorite candidate of all time). But there is one who’s moving up slightly in the pack for me (not for the same reason as AG, though).

Aarti Sequeira already has her own food show – on the Internet. She comes with an expertise in a style of cooking not often found on FN, a fun personality and experience with teaching people to cook (what a concept, FN). Check out her blog: http://www.aartipaarti.com/

And here’s links to her “shows” on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/aartipaarti

Oh, and FN execs, if you need to get rid of someone in order to make room for “Aarti Paarti,” may I suggest:

He got a show!

Thanks, Food Network, for reading my blog.

From Food Network Addict:

Adam Gertler is in L.A. shooting episodes of a new Food Network show Will Work For Food, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

It’s not a cooking show, per se. Gertler will show how people in the food business do their jobs. Among them: potato chip inspector, shark feeder and dog-food taste-tester. Gertler, an actor and former waiter at Amada in Old City, coowned The Smoked Joint, a short-lived barbecue restaurant at the Academy House in Center City.

According to the article, Will Work For Food premieres Sept. 30 at 9:30pm on Food Network.

No official word from Food Network, though.

UPDATE: Food Network confirms it’s true.

“On The Next Food Network Star Adam exhibited a unique combination of quick wit, passion for food and an engaging personality,” said Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production for Food Network. “He earned millions of fans across the country who have let us know that we have a second star in our midst. We feel this series is a perfect fit for his talents, letting him showcase his brand of humor while he works for food.”

http://foodnetworkaddict.blogspot.com/2008/08/adam-gertler-wins-too-his-own-show.html

Adam

Oh, Adam Gertler, why didn’t you win “The Next Food Network Star”???? All season I was waiting for you to win, even before the stupid show started! Why, on the finale, when the judges discussed whose show they could put on the network the next day and your name came up, did they pick Aaron “Big Daddy” McCargo instead of you? Why did they bring Aaron back in the Vegas episode when he clearly did the worst job? Why did they seem to pipe in the audience laughter, probably from your pilot presentation, into his?

Food Network or some other network, please hire this guy!!

ETA: They did! Look for my other post about it!

I think I’ve eaten my weight in these

 

I go through food phases like I go through everything-else phases. I go through a period where I’ll crave a certain thing, then I’ll be so sick of it I never want to touch it again.

Sadly, the same has happened with these frosty treats. At first lick, they had kind of a strange taste, just like when your mom would buy Wyler’s packets instead of Kool-Aid because it was like 3 cents cheaper. And these are also made by Wyler’s. Coincidence? But the more I ate them, the more I liked them, especially the tangy raspberry and oddly refreshing kiwi-watermelon. Lemon was my third favorite and I still have a ton of orange creams in the freezer because, on my taste meter they’re simply, “Ehh.”

But my love affair with the pops seems to be ending. Oh sure, they’re up for a whirl when I come home after a 90-degree humidity fest and want something cold. But their taste is starting to sweetly sicken me. And like the Philly Swirl ices I consumed by the truckload before them, they’re probably on their way to freezer-burn hell, never to touch my lips again.

Wyler’s Italian Ices, I will remember you….

ETA: I went back to put in a link for these things and just saw that they have Icee Slush Bars??!!!?!

And the cycle will continue.