Adventures in Cooking Pt. 5 & 6
After a brief hiatus, Adventures in Cooking is back! Though I did do some basic cooking during the weeks that my mom was in Brazil (which included picking up Chinese food on the way home), my attempts to be Palmetto Bay's very own Rachel Ray was on hold.
Last week I made Pork Loin Chops with Sweet & Hot Peppers and Wilted Spinach with Garlic Chips. Both came out very well, though it is not my favorite recipe. The amusing part was when I couldn't fit all of the pork into one skillet. Did I think to get another skillet? Nope. I required my mother's help in that department. And I didn't buy enough spinach. However, I did have a very entertaining moment in cooking it. See, in the directions she tells you to simply add the spinach to the pan. Since my mother didn't see me attempt to put ALL the spinach in at once, she didn't forewarn me that it wouldn't all fit and that instead I should slowly add spinach as it shrinks when cooked. It was highly amusing.
This past week I made Saucy Buttered, Smothered Steaks with Spinach Gratin. Highlight: first week that I required NO assistance from my mother! Yay me! I again had issues fitting all the meat in one skillet. But this time I just got out another skillet so that everything would cook faster. (It's a good thing that the cook doesn't do the dishes because I make QUITE the mess when cooking.) I messed up slightly in the sauce portion because a) the butter was supposed to be softened, not melted and b) I let it sit out as opposed to putting it in the fridge while the meat cooked. No matter though. It still turned out good.
The spinach was really good (onions, garlic, Swiss cheese, cream cheese and nutmeg). I just should have drained the spinach a bit more so that it would be less watery. Nonetheless, still yummy.
Oh and my mother gave the positive Brazilian (probably Latinos in general) comment: "Now you can get married (Agora voce pode casar)."
I have yet to decide what to make this Sunday. I'm thinking chicken.
Last week I made Pork Loin Chops with Sweet & Hot Peppers and Wilted Spinach with Garlic Chips. Both came out very well, though it is not my favorite recipe. The amusing part was when I couldn't fit all of the pork into one skillet. Did I think to get another skillet? Nope. I required my mother's help in that department. And I didn't buy enough spinach. However, I did have a very entertaining moment in cooking it. See, in the directions she tells you to simply add the spinach to the pan. Since my mother didn't see me attempt to put ALL the spinach in at once, she didn't forewarn me that it wouldn't all fit and that instead I should slowly add spinach as it shrinks when cooked. It was highly amusing.
This past week I made Saucy Buttered, Smothered Steaks with Spinach Gratin. Highlight: first week that I required NO assistance from my mother! Yay me! I again had issues fitting all the meat in one skillet. But this time I just got out another skillet so that everything would cook faster. (It's a good thing that the cook doesn't do the dishes because I make QUITE the mess when cooking.) I messed up slightly in the sauce portion because a) the butter was supposed to be softened, not melted and b) I let it sit out as opposed to putting it in the fridge while the meat cooked. No matter though. It still turned out good.
The spinach was really good (onions, garlic, Swiss cheese, cream cheese and nutmeg). I just should have drained the spinach a bit more so that it would be less watery. Nonetheless, still yummy.
Oh and my mother gave the positive Brazilian (probably Latinos in general) comment: "Now you can get married (Agora voce pode casar)."
I have yet to decide what to make this Sunday. I'm thinking chicken.