Cheese spaghetti. Most people's first impressions reach far from the classic red marinara sauce we associate so well with the word "spaghetti". Most people don't even know what to think.
Cheese spaghetti is a lot more simple than most people's imaginations lead them to believe. It's basically a cheese sauce over spaghetti noodles.
The ingredients for the sauce are pretty simple. The recipe calls for flour, butter, milk, cheese,and one, 8 oz. can of tomato sauce.
The base of the sauce is made up of what the French called a roux (pronounced "roo"). The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines it as, "a cooked mixture of flour and fat used as a thickening agent in a soup or sauce."
Now, don't go thinking that the base is lard and flour. It's simply just melted butter in a sauce pan. I use salted, stick butter, and I use a good half an inch chunk. Once it's melted, I pour a little bit of flour, just enough so that it dissolves into the butter. The roux should run off of the spoon pretty smoothly, it should be just barely a liquid. All of this should be done off of the heat of the stove.
Once the roux is mixed, open up the tomato sauce and pour it in. Next is the milk. I use two cups of milk, which is the equivalent to 8 oz. so I just use the can of tomato sauce as a measuring cup. I pour two in and let it warm up over medium heat.
Now, the good stuff comes out. I always buy the sharpest cheddar cheese I can find because the sharper the cheddar, the more cheddar flavor there is in the sauce. I slice the cheese up and throw it piece by piece into the sauce, stirring the entire time so that the cheese doesn't melt to the bottom of the pan. It helps if you throw in three or four slices and wait till you see the cheese melted and swirling around in the sauce.
The sauce itself can need quite a bit of salt, so I add in some seasoned salt to my liking. I'm a salt fiend, so my salt might not be exactly what your salt liking is. It's all a matter of opinion.
It's pretty easy to make a larger batch of the sauce too. Just add either more milk or more cheese, or both, and the sauce magically expands. Crazy concept, I heard it's got something having to do with physics or some smart subject like that.
But wait, we can't forget about the noodles! It's best to start the water boiling first and by the time the sauce is done cooking, the noodles are usually done. Throw a couple of handfuls of dry spaghetti noodles in the water and don't forget to stir every now and then.
The recipe is pretty flexible, with the exception of the main ingredients, but it's become a delicious habit of mine to make it, almost weekly now. My roommates, who have continually become my taste testers love the stuff and ask me quite often to make it for them. Even if they ask me half way through, I can still make more. That's the great part about it.
As far as where the recipe came from, my dad has cooked it for my family for a while, and my grandparents have been cooking it for him for as long as he can remember.
I asked my dad where it came from, and he wasn't to sure but he knew that we are not the only family who cooks it. Apparently there have been a handful of other families who know about the odd recipe. The dish is, surprisingly, known outside of my family. Where it originated from, or how it was came about is beyond me.
It's a good recipe and it's fun, cheap and easy to make. Just make sure you don't leave the sauce pan in the sink for more than a couple days, it starts to smell like rotten eggs. But I wouldn't know that from experience or anything...
Monday, October 27, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Splurging on meat
This past weekend while looking through a heap of paper on the dining room table, I came across an ad for Safeway, where I get everything that I can't usually get at Trader Joe's. I flipped through it, not expecting to find anything good, but discovered an ad for steak.
Now, I don't normally eat a whole lot of meat. I've been meaning to because, as an athlete, I need to keep a healthy dosage of protein. And it's pretty common knowledge that most red meats have quite a bit of protein in them.
It's not usually on my cooking agenda because the stuff is hard to prepare and can be very touchy. Meat is far more unforgiving if you cook it wrong. Not only can it cause a night of cuddling with the toilet, but the tab is often a hefty one.
Regardless, I figured I'd give it a shot. Let's just say I was feeling dangerous. The price was what sealed the deal. Safeway had a variety of steaks on sale, from New York to T-bone. I don't really know a whole lot about each one to determine a taste difference, so I settled on a type that seemed to be moderately priced and sized. The price for two good sized steaks ended up being around $6.00.
In thinking of the side dishes for a meat of such stature, asparagus popped into my head. Now, during the summer time, my roommate went on a BBQ spree and probably grilled everything that could possibly be grilled. She came up with a fancy little number which consisted of asparagus wrapped prosciutto, which is a very thinly sliced Italian ham.
The stuff is to die for, but prosciutto will put a dent in the grocery budget. It had cost about the same as the steak for about eight slices of this salty goodness. It's tucked away near all the fancy cheeses and meats which usually have a home by the deli.
But, since I seemed to be on a haughty, carnivorous feeding frenzy, I splurged and bought it all.
Friday night rolled around and I fired up the grill.
Steak preparation seemed to be easier then I thought. I was cooking at a friend's house and rubbed the slabs of meat in what is formally known as "steak rub". Steak rub can be bought at pretty much any grocery store and is basically just a bunch of herbs and spices thrown together in a bottle and then rubbed on the outside of steak to give it some punch.
To prepare the asparagus, I washed it off and broke the stems off the bottom. The best way to know where to break the stem is to start a bit up from the bottom and just start bending it and moving up the stalk until it actually snaps. This is to ensure that the tender part of the asparagus is not wasted.
Then, just open up the prosciutto and wrap it around the spear.
Grill this up until the prosciutto looks crispy.
To check the steak, just get a knife and cut a little slit in the middle and take a peak inside. It's done when most of the pink on the inside is gone, but then again it depends on how well you like your steak to be cooked.
Here's a website with an index to help you decide:
http://www.redmeatandnutrition.com.au/Recipe/CookingTechniques/BBQ/
The meal over all was absolutely delicious. It was a little on the salty side, but that can all depend on what kind of steak rub one's using. Those are always up in the air.
Now, I don't normally eat a whole lot of meat. I've been meaning to because, as an athlete, I need to keep a healthy dosage of protein. And it's pretty common knowledge that most red meats have quite a bit of protein in them.
It's not usually on my cooking agenda because the stuff is hard to prepare and can be very touchy. Meat is far more unforgiving if you cook it wrong. Not only can it cause a night of cuddling with the toilet, but the tab is often a hefty one.
Regardless, I figured I'd give it a shot. Let's just say I was feeling dangerous. The price was what sealed the deal. Safeway had a variety of steaks on sale, from New York to T-bone. I don't really know a whole lot about each one to determine a taste difference, so I settled on a type that seemed to be moderately priced and sized. The price for two good sized steaks ended up being around $6.00.
In thinking of the side dishes for a meat of such stature, asparagus popped into my head. Now, during the summer time, my roommate went on a BBQ spree and probably grilled everything that could possibly be grilled. She came up with a fancy little number which consisted of asparagus wrapped prosciutto, which is a very thinly sliced Italian ham.
The stuff is to die for, but prosciutto will put a dent in the grocery budget. It had cost about the same as the steak for about eight slices of this salty goodness. It's tucked away near all the fancy cheeses and meats which usually have a home by the deli.
But, since I seemed to be on a haughty, carnivorous feeding frenzy, I splurged and bought it all.
Friday night rolled around and I fired up the grill.
Steak preparation seemed to be easier then I thought. I was cooking at a friend's house and rubbed the slabs of meat in what is formally known as "steak rub". Steak rub can be bought at pretty much any grocery store and is basically just a bunch of herbs and spices thrown together in a bottle and then rubbed on the outside of steak to give it some punch.
To prepare the asparagus, I washed it off and broke the stems off the bottom. The best way to know where to break the stem is to start a bit up from the bottom and just start bending it and moving up the stalk until it actually snaps. This is to ensure that the tender part of the asparagus is not wasted.
Then, just open up the prosciutto and wrap it around the spear.
Grill this up until the prosciutto looks crispy.
To check the steak, just get a knife and cut a little slit in the middle and take a peak inside. It's done when most of the pink on the inside is gone, but then again it depends on how well you like your steak to be cooked.
Here's a website with an index to help you decide:
http://www.redmeatandnutrition.com.au/Recipe/CookingTechniques/BBQ/
The meal over all was absolutely delicious. It was a little on the salty side, but that can all depend on what kind of steak rub one's using. Those are always up in the air.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
The mighty left over
In the column prior, about the dominance of Trader Joe's supplied homemade pizza, the left over ingredients were quite hefty. A good amount of mushrooms and sliced red onions were left.
And, as mentioned prior, a meal was quilted together to blanket the taste buds of any starving student, both in pocket and in mouth.
The dinner time meal was comprised of grilled, seasoned chicken breasts, rice and sauteed veggies, as well as the quite uncommon, but none the less delicious vegetable, swiss chard.
For college students, this may sound completely unreasonable and out of the price range and or skill, but the only difference between this and a lean cuisine is the dishes and a few extra minutes.
The chicken used was Foster Farms bag of frozen chicken breasts. The bag is about two and a half pounds and costs about $10.00. For the amount of chicken that is given, it is a pretty good deal.
The swiss chard you can get at pretty much every grocery store that carries a moderate amount of produce. For those who don't know what swiss chard is, the best way to describe it is an almost sweeter version of spinach. It's a leaf that looks a lot like romaine lettuce, big in size and green. But swiss chard seems to be more billowy with the way the leaf sprouts up and out from the main stem. It is usually tucked away in a corner, and might require some assistance in finding, but for the most part, it is usually labeled on the twisty tie that holds the leaves together.
It usually isn't to expensive and comes in a bundle about half the size of it's leafy look a like- romaine lettuce.
The only other ingredient is rice, which is a pretty common thing in a kitchen. If not, it should be and it's a pretty cheap item. Even if it's not used for a year, it is still good.
So, to put it all together, you'll need two pots and a sauce pan. Use a medium size pot to cook the rice. Boil two cups of water and pour the rice in. Leave it uncovered and turn it down a bit. Cook this for about seven to eight minutes.
In order to steam the swiss chard, there is a device cleverly named... a steamer.
They are moderately cheap and can be bought at places like Target or Safeway.
Fill the second pot with just a bit of water. Wash and cut the stems off of the swiss chard. Cover the pot and let the water boil underneath the steamer until the leaves are soft. It will cook down quite a bit.
For the veggies, the fun begins. Put about two spoonfuls of olive oil in the frying pan - just enough to cover it. Let it heat up, you can usually tell by when it starts to smell a bit, or the oil is steaming. Drop the veggies in and stir them every now and then until they are all soft and cooked. I kept the sliced mushrooms and red onions in a plastic bag in the fridge.I usually add some seasoned salt, but I add that to everything. It's a staple in all my meals.
Last, but definitely the best, is the chicken. I used a George Foreman grill which is amazing for any and all quick meals. It cooks the chicken breast - frozen - in more or less, depending on size, five minutes.
To serve it, put the veggies over the rice and add the chicken and swiss chard on the plate. I'd recommend adding some salt to the swiss chard.
Overall, the meal probably costs about $4.00 once everything is divided up and averaged out.
And, as mentioned prior, a meal was quilted together to blanket the taste buds of any starving student, both in pocket and in mouth.
The dinner time meal was comprised of grilled, seasoned chicken breasts, rice and sauteed veggies, as well as the quite uncommon, but none the less delicious vegetable, swiss chard.
For college students, this may sound completely unreasonable and out of the price range and or skill, but the only difference between this and a lean cuisine is the dishes and a few extra minutes.
The chicken used was Foster Farms bag of frozen chicken breasts. The bag is about two and a half pounds and costs about $10.00. For the amount of chicken that is given, it is a pretty good deal.
The swiss chard you can get at pretty much every grocery store that carries a moderate amount of produce. For those who don't know what swiss chard is, the best way to describe it is an almost sweeter version of spinach. It's a leaf that looks a lot like romaine lettuce, big in size and green. But swiss chard seems to be more billowy with the way the leaf sprouts up and out from the main stem. It is usually tucked away in a corner, and might require some assistance in finding, but for the most part, it is usually labeled on the twisty tie that holds the leaves together.
It usually isn't to expensive and comes in a bundle about half the size of it's leafy look a like- romaine lettuce.
The only other ingredient is rice, which is a pretty common thing in a kitchen. If not, it should be and it's a pretty cheap item. Even if it's not used for a year, it is still good.
So, to put it all together, you'll need two pots and a sauce pan. Use a medium size pot to cook the rice. Boil two cups of water and pour the rice in. Leave it uncovered and turn it down a bit. Cook this for about seven to eight minutes.
In order to steam the swiss chard, there is a device cleverly named... a steamer.
They are moderately cheap and can be bought at places like Target or Safeway.
Fill the second pot with just a bit of water. Wash and cut the stems off of the swiss chard. Cover the pot and let the water boil underneath the steamer until the leaves are soft. It will cook down quite a bit.
For the veggies, the fun begins. Put about two spoonfuls of olive oil in the frying pan - just enough to cover it. Let it heat up, you can usually tell by when it starts to smell a bit, or the oil is steaming. Drop the veggies in and stir them every now and then until they are all soft and cooked. I kept the sliced mushrooms and red onions in a plastic bag in the fridge.I usually add some seasoned salt, but I add that to everything. It's a staple in all my meals.
Last, but definitely the best, is the chicken. I used a George Foreman grill which is amazing for any and all quick meals. It cooks the chicken breast - frozen - in more or less, depending on size, five minutes.
To serve it, put the veggies over the rice and add the chicken and swiss chard on the plate. I'd recommend adding some salt to the swiss chard.
Overall, the meal probably costs about $4.00 once everything is divided up and averaged out.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Homemade Pizza Revolution
Pizza parties will forever be revolutionized.
No longer are they exclusive to the twelve and under, huddled in the party room at the local Round Table. Think back to your childhood when mom wouldn't take you out to your favorite pizza place, but instead she made the dreaded home baked pizza. They never tasted the same and never came close to as juicy and delicious as those greasy slices from the pizza joint down the street.
Take those thoughts and erase them completely, throw them out the window. Trader Joe's markets is writing their declaration of war on bad homemade pizza. Watch out Boboli, you're "Authentic Italian Crust" is being challenged to a dual of taste buds.
Trader Joe's sells all the ingredients one needs to make one scrumptious pizza pie. They have three different kinds of pizza dough you can try: garlic herb, plain white, or whole wheat. The doughs come in a bag, lightly covered in oil to keep them from sticking to the bag.
The great thing about the doughs is that since they are not baked, you don't get that dry, "all crust with a little pinch of toppings" taste in your mouth. It bakes in the same out of time it takes for the cheese and other toppings to be cooked all the way through.
The doughs sit in the refrigerated section, conveniently right next to a tub labeled "Pizza Sauce", which is a bit contradictory considering Trader Joe's is very intimidating for the new shopper. If you don't know exactly where the product is or what it looks like, it can be quite difficult to try and find. Spaghetti sauce works good for pizza sauce as well, but the pizza sauce compliments the dough better.
Mozzarella cheese is a couple sections down from the pizza dough. I prefer buying whole mozzarella and then grating it myself, but they come in pre-shredded bags. Also, the cheese comes in whole milk or skim milk. I prefer whole milk, although more fatty, the taste is uncompromisable.
From then on out, the fixings are all by choice. There is sliced pepperoni a bit farther down from the cheese, hanging underneath what little selection of lunch meats Trader Joe's has. The pepperoni has a kick, but isn't spicy per say.
There are plenty of other things that you can find at the store to put on the pizza. And that is part of the beauty of making a pizza at home, it can be made strictly to ones liking. The customization of the pizza is limitless.
My pizza includes (with prices):
-Garlic Herb dough: $1.29
-Trader Joe's Pizza Sauce: $2.29
-Whole mozzarella cheese (in whole or skim milk): 4.29
(just the basics cost all together: $7.87)
-Sliced Pepperoni: $2.79
-10 oz. Sliced Mushrooms: $2.29
-8 oz. Sliced Black Olives: $1.19
-two Red Onions (they come in pairs): N/A (Since I don't buy these every time I get supplies to make a pizza, I didn't keep records of how much it costs, but I know it wasn't that expensive.)
The great part about the pizza is that pretty much everything gets used in one batch with the exception of the mushrooms and the onions. There are just the right proportion of mushrooms and sliced onions left over to make another meal out of it.
I usually bag the left overs and saute (lightly cook) them together in a little bit of oil sometime later in the week. I put it over rice and cook up either some chicken or some breaded fish and it turns out pretty yummy. Surprisingly, it doesn't take that long to cook either.
But back to the pizza. The cool thing about all of this is that it's a great meal to cook with friends. Have each one of your friends buy an ingredient, and then each of them prep their own. One friend to stretch the dough, cut the onions, wash the mushrooms, open and drain the olives, shred the cheese, and so on.
A cautionary note about the dough, before you lay it out on a cookie sheet, make sure that you spray it with some form of Pam, or rub it with some butter to make sure the dough doesn't stick. Flour works good to, but I find that if you use to much flour, you can taste it on the pizza which is never good. I use a combination of the two, I use Pam so the flour has something to stick to. I pour a bit of flour onto the cookie sheet and then shake off the excess into the garbage.
While the pizza is cooking, it's a good opportunity to socialize and hang. When the pizza is done, it cooks for about 40 minutes, then it's chow time.
So grab your appetites and your machetes, there's about to be a taste revolution. Bad taste buds will no longer reign in the land of homemade pizza, viva la revolucion.
No longer are they exclusive to the twelve and under, huddled in the party room at the local Round Table. Think back to your childhood when mom wouldn't take you out to your favorite pizza place, but instead she made the dreaded home baked pizza. They never tasted the same and never came close to as juicy and delicious as those greasy slices from the pizza joint down the street.
Take those thoughts and erase them completely, throw them out the window. Trader Joe's markets is writing their declaration of war on bad homemade pizza. Watch out Boboli, you're "Authentic Italian Crust" is being challenged to a dual of taste buds.
Trader Joe's sells all the ingredients one needs to make one scrumptious pizza pie. They have three different kinds of pizza dough you can try: garlic herb, plain white, or whole wheat. The doughs come in a bag, lightly covered in oil to keep them from sticking to the bag.
The great thing about the doughs is that since they are not baked, you don't get that dry, "all crust with a little pinch of toppings" taste in your mouth. It bakes in the same out of time it takes for the cheese and other toppings to be cooked all the way through.
The doughs sit in the refrigerated section, conveniently right next to a tub labeled "Pizza Sauce", which is a bit contradictory considering Trader Joe's is very intimidating for the new shopper. If you don't know exactly where the product is or what it looks like, it can be quite difficult to try and find. Spaghetti sauce works good for pizza sauce as well, but the pizza sauce compliments the dough better.
Mozzarella cheese is a couple sections down from the pizza dough. I prefer buying whole mozzarella and then grating it myself, but they come in pre-shredded bags. Also, the cheese comes in whole milk or skim milk. I prefer whole milk, although more fatty, the taste is uncompromisable.
From then on out, the fixings are all by choice. There is sliced pepperoni a bit farther down from the cheese, hanging underneath what little selection of lunch meats Trader Joe's has. The pepperoni has a kick, but isn't spicy per say.
There are plenty of other things that you can find at the store to put on the pizza. And that is part of the beauty of making a pizza at home, it can be made strictly to ones liking. The customization of the pizza is limitless.
My pizza includes (with prices):
-Garlic Herb dough: $1.29
-Trader Joe's Pizza Sauce: $2.29
-Whole mozzarella cheese (in whole or skim milk): 4.29
(just the basics cost all together: $7.87)
-Sliced Pepperoni: $2.79
-10 oz. Sliced Mushrooms: $2.29
-8 oz. Sliced Black Olives: $1.19
-two Red Onions (they come in pairs): N/A (Since I don't buy these every time I get supplies to make a pizza, I didn't keep records of how much it costs, but I know it wasn't that expensive.)
The great part about the pizza is that pretty much everything gets used in one batch with the exception of the mushrooms and the onions. There are just the right proportion of mushrooms and sliced onions left over to make another meal out of it.
I usually bag the left overs and saute (lightly cook) them together in a little bit of oil sometime later in the week. I put it over rice and cook up either some chicken or some breaded fish and it turns out pretty yummy. Surprisingly, it doesn't take that long to cook either.
But back to the pizza. The cool thing about all of this is that it's a great meal to cook with friends. Have each one of your friends buy an ingredient, and then each of them prep their own. One friend to stretch the dough, cut the onions, wash the mushrooms, open and drain the olives, shred the cheese, and so on.
A cautionary note about the dough, before you lay it out on a cookie sheet, make sure that you spray it with some form of Pam, or rub it with some butter to make sure the dough doesn't stick. Flour works good to, but I find that if you use to much flour, you can taste it on the pizza which is never good. I use a combination of the two, I use Pam so the flour has something to stick to. I pour a bit of flour onto the cookie sheet and then shake off the excess into the garbage.
While the pizza is cooking, it's a good opportunity to socialize and hang. When the pizza is done, it cooks for about 40 minutes, then it's chow time.
So grab your appetites and your machetes, there's about to be a taste revolution. Bad taste buds will no longer reign in the land of homemade pizza, viva la revolucion.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Input
Here's the deal, I need three ingredients from you guys, and then I, the magical meal maker, will try to stir up some fast, cheap, easy concoction of a meal for all you starving college students who miss the "homemade" stuff to enjoy. Then, I'll write about it; if it was good/bad, how it was made: measurements in English, equipment, seasoning, the whole nine yards.
So here's what I need:
1) a meat (or for vegetarians, tofu or rice and beans will do)
2) a vegetable
3) a carbohydrate (such as rice, pasta, etc), or some other ingredient to make a side dish.
EX: I need ingredients like:
1) skirt steak
2) corn
3) white rice
I'm not sure how this will go, or if the result will even make it up here. Comment back with ingredients by Friday afternoon and I'll get cooking.
Ideas include maybe something you never had time or courage to make? Let me know. I plan to write step by step how I did it, costs, measurements, the whole enchilada (yuck yuck)
Drink suggestions are also good. I am not sure if I will include them or not, but feel free to add.
Thanks!
the anonymous A
So here's what I need:
1) a meat (or for vegetarians, tofu or rice and beans will do)
2) a vegetable
3) a carbohydrate (such as rice, pasta, etc), or some other ingredient to make a side dish.
EX: I need ingredients like:
1) skirt steak
2) corn
3) white rice
I'm not sure how this will go, or if the result will even make it up here. Comment back with ingredients by Friday afternoon and I'll get cooking.
Ideas include maybe something you never had time or courage to make? Let me know. I plan to write step by step how I did it, costs, measurements, the whole enchilada (yuck yuck)
Drink suggestions are also good. I am not sure if I will include them or not, but feel free to add.
Thanks!
the anonymous A
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