what's cookin?
I made my first ever successful grilled cheese sandwiches this weekend. That actually sound pretty ridiculous considering how long I've been cooking, but I haven't even attempted to make one since high school because they would never turn out when I did. Either the cheese wasn't melting and the bread was burning or the cheese was melted but the bread wouldn't toast. No more! My grilled gouda-havarti sandwich was excellent. Patience really is key. I used to cook everything on high heat because I just wanted it to cook faster.
I'm far from being a foodie, but I've recently discovered a love of cooking. Kind of a new hobby for me. Nothing too fancy, but I'm branching out a lot and experimenting more. I like to try at least one new recipe a week, to make cooking (and eating) more interesting. I've had some failures- some mine, some the recipe's- but I've had a lot of successes, too. The last really good recipe I tried was "gumbo style chicken creole". I liked it so much, in fact, that I'm going to share it with all of you!
Gumbo Style Chicken Creole
-1/4 cup oil for frying
-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
-1 green bell pepper, chopped
-one onion, chopped
-2 cups cooked, chopped chicken breast meat
-1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, with liquid
-3 celery stalks, chopped
-2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
-1 cup chicken broth
-1 package hot Italian sausages, cooked
-3-5 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tsp soy sauce
-1 tsp white sugar
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- cayenne pepper, to taste
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in bell pepper and onion. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Add cooked chicken and sausages, tomatoes, celery, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, salt, ground black pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir together, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
I made some changes based on the suggestions in the comments, to make it more to my tastes. The original recipe is here, if you prefer.
I actually tried another new recipe a few days ago -"Savory Pork Stew"- but it didn't turn out. Stew never does for me and I'm about ready to give up on them altogether. I just don't have a knack for it. It was edible and everything, but neither Nat nor I liked it enough to have more than one bowl each. It's a shame because I made a big pot of it and most of it went to waste. I hate wasting food. :/
I'm far from being a foodie, but I've recently discovered a love of cooking. Kind of a new hobby for me. Nothing too fancy, but I'm branching out a lot and experimenting more. I like to try at least one new recipe a week, to make cooking (and eating) more interesting. I've had some failures- some mine, some the recipe's- but I've had a lot of successes, too. The last really good recipe I tried was "gumbo style chicken creole". I liked it so much, in fact, that I'm going to share it with all of you!
Gumbo Style Chicken Creole
-1/4 cup oil for frying
-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
-1 green bell pepper, chopped
-one onion, chopped
-2 cups cooked, chopped chicken breast meat
-1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, with liquid
-3 celery stalks, chopped
-2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
-1 cup chicken broth
-1 package hot Italian sausages, cooked
-3-5 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tsp soy sauce
-1 tsp white sugar
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- cayenne pepper, to taste
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in bell pepper and onion. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Add cooked chicken and sausages, tomatoes, celery, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, salt, ground black pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir together, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
I made some changes based on the suggestions in the comments, to make it more to my tastes. The original recipe is here, if you prefer.
I actually tried another new recipe a few days ago -"Savory Pork Stew"- but it didn't turn out. Stew never does for me and I'm about ready to give up on them altogether. I just don't have a knack for it. It was edible and everything, but neither Nat nor I liked it enough to have more than one bowl each. It's a shame because I made a big pot of it and most of it went to waste. I hate wasting food. :/