Julie and Julia

A few nights ago Beth, Everly, Fairlight and I watched the movie Julie and Julia. We had all seen it before but it was so worth watching again. It was the perfect movie for our girl's night. It's so cute! If you haven't seen it, it's the true story of a girl who decides to cook her way through Julia Child's book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year and blog about it along the way. The movie takes her story and matches it with similar things that happened in the life of Julia Child many years earlier. I love it for several reasons. First off, obviously, it's all about food! It's about Julia Child, who was an amazing chef and her part of the story is so entertaining. And I love the dynamics between the two different couples. There are several scenes in the movie that remind me of Donavon and I. For one, we're always cooking together. But also, a lot of times I feel like I'm just as crazy and frazled as the female characters in the movie and he's just as sweet and level-headed as the husbands. :)

And, it's about blogging, which inspires me to do a better job here. It's an all around inspiring movie, even if you don't blog. If you haven't seen it, watch it. It's super cute, a true story, funny, and sweet. I must say, the fact that Julie cooked all of those recipes in one year while balancing a full-time job and a marriage is incredible! It's all I can do to make 5 meals most weeks and I'm not married or working full-time!

Now, watching this movie led to a couple other funny events for us..

The first one was that half way through the movie our dvd player stopped working. We were dead-set on watching this movie so that didn't stop us! We told our dad about the problem, because that's what we always do, and he said he could come help us in a minute but he was busy. So, we told him he didn't have to and we decided we were perfectly capable of fixing the problem. Ahem. We took the dvd out and cleaned it. It still skipped. We turned it all off and back on. It still skipped. We blew into the place the dvd goes in just like we used to do when playing Mario Bros on nintendo... and it still skipped. That was pretty much the extent of our ideas to fix the dvd player and none of them worked. So we eventually gave up on that and decided to watch it on the computer that's in the same room. Only, the computer is behind the couch. So we began the process of moving the computer and realized there were a lot of things plugged into it that we weren't so sure could be unplugged.. frankly, we didn't really know what all of it was. So...we decided to leave the computer where it was. This lead to our truly brilliant idea that I'm afraid our father was not expecting to be our solution when we walked in to check on us a few minutes later.....we moved the couch! It was a perfectly logical way to remedy our problem. And most importantly, it was one that didn't require being tech-savvy in the least! So eventually, after rearranging our entire den, we finished our movie!

Then I went to bed. I only thought the movie was over. Little did I know it would continue my head all night long. No, I didn't dream of the characters in the movie. Nor about if I was one of them. Nor about the way that Donavon and I are similar to them. What did I dream about all night long? The food. Yes, I spent all night literally tossing and turning over a recipe. I woke up multiple times out of frustration over my own Boef Bourguignon. If you don't know, that is beef stew that is discussed a lot throughout the movie. I dreamed and dreamed and dreamed about trying to make this recipe. The funny thing was, even in my dream I knew that I didn't really know how to make it. I do in fact have the Julia Child cook book that the movie is framed around( I used it just the other day to make yummy baked cucumbers!), so I do have the Boef Bourguignon recipe. But, for some odd reason, I was not using it in my dream. My dream was more of a half-awake kind of dream where most of the time I knew I was laying in bed and just thinking about this recipe. But that's what was so frustrating! I would think and think and think about it, trying to decide if I had enough mushrooms etc. only to remember that I was not going to figure it out by thinking about it while laying in bed! When I woke the next morning I couldn't believe I had lost so much sleep by stressing in my half-conscious way about Boeuf Bourguignon. I believe I shall have to try this recipe now that it haunts me so.

Cheers,

Sabrina

Introducing......

My new photographer: Fairlight Crumb!

My sister, Fairlight has agreed to help me out in the photography department of my blog. I only have a little point and shoot camera which is great for snap shots but not so great for close ups of food. Plus, when I'm cooking I can't take a lot of time to get the perfect picture. But most importantly, she's an amazing photographer and has agreed to help me!! So, get excited. The recipes you see on here are about to get a lot more exciting! :)

Drunken Noodles

This is the dish that really hooked me on Thai food. I had it at a restaurant so this is not the exact one, but it's close. Until this point I think the only Thai dish I had actually cooked was Pad Thai. Oh, and some spring rolls that didn't really....roll. Anyway.. this was a really yummy recipe that we all enjoyed a lot. It was really spicy though, so be careful! I actually adapted the recipe some and it was still really spicy! I'll include the ways that I changed it in parentheses. I honestly can't imagine how hot it would have been if I had included all of the peppers that it called for but if you're adventurous, go for it! This is from the book I mentioned before, True Thai by Victor Sodsook with Theresa Volpe Laursen and Byron Laursen.
Also, this book calls it Drunken Spaghetti because they replaced the rice noodles with spaghetti noodles and it worked splendidly.
Another note on the name: you may be wondering why it's called "drunken" anything. It has no alcohol in the recipe! There are several theories that I've heard on this. The one I had heard before was that it's so spicy that it's said you could get drunk on all the water you'll drink! I can believe this! Another is that you have to drink so much that you end up drunk because I guess it's assumed you're drinking alcohol. Another that is shared in the cook book is that chilies are thought by some to be a cure for hangovers. Therefore this meal was the perfect thing to eat when you have one. I personally like the first one, but take your pick! Either way, there is no way you will get drunk from drunken noodles! Also, there is quite a bit of prep work for this recipe but once you start cooking you have to move really fast. As is the way with most wok-cooked meals. Just keep that in mind. Also, the cooking times are all aprox. so don't freak out if you go over your 45 seconds or something. For some of it you may have to adjust a little depending on how hot your wok is. For the most part, though, in this recipe it seems pretty accurately timed.

Drunken Spaghetti

1 pound spaghetti

1/2 cup chicken stock or canned chicken broth (I used broth)

8 Serrano chilies ( used 5 1/2)

24 cloves garlic (I told you there was a lot!)

1 cup loosely packed chopped Italian basil

6 small dried Japanese chilies (I couldn't find Japanese chilies anywhere so I used the substitution the author recommended which was dried chilies de arbol and I only used 2 1/2)

2 1/2 T veg. oil

1 pound ground beef

6 plum tomatoes, cut in half and sliced into thin wedges

1 small red onion, cut in half and finely sliced

3 scallions, including the green tops, angle-cut into 1-inch pieces, bulbs cut in half lengthwise

3 T oyster sauce

3 T Thai fish sauce

6 T sugar

1 can tomato (8oz) sauce

1 T white pepper

Sprigs of cilantro

Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water until it is tender but firm, about 9-10 minutes. Drain well and toss with the chicken stock. Set aside.

Make a pesto from the serranos, garlic, basil, and Japanese chilies:

Mortar-and-pestle method: Stem the serranos. Put the serranos and garlic in the mortar and poind them just until they are crushed. Add the basil and Japanese chilies and pound all the ingredients to a mash. Set aside.

Processor method: Stem the serranos. Crush them and the garlic with the side of a chef's knife. Mince the Japanese chilies. Put all the pesto ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until moist and nearly minced. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and set aside.

Place all of the ingredients within easy reach of the cooking area. (this is important! I even measure them out and put them in order.)

Set a large wok over high heat. When it is quite hot, add the oil. Rotate the wok a bit so the oil coats the sides. When the oil is hot, take handfuls of the ground beef and work it through your fingers to break it up a little as you add it to the wok. Stir-fry the beef, pressing it down into the bottom of the wok. Turn the beef over, press it down into the wok again, and continue to stir-fry until the meat begins to brown, about 45 seconds.

Add the chili pesto and stir-fry for 45 seconds. Add the spaghetti-chicken stock mixture and stir-fry for 45 seconds. Add the tomatoes, red onion, and scallions and stir-fry 45 seconds. Add the oyster sauce and fish sauce and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, tomato sauce, and pepper and stir-fry until the sugar is dissolved and the ingredients are well blended, about 1 minute. Transfer to a large serving bowl, tear sprigs of cilantro over the spaghetti, and serve.

Cheers!

Sabrina

Thai Food, My New Kick.

"Kick" is actually a very good way to refer to Thai food, now that I think about it.
I had been wanting to try more Thai food after having some Drunken Noodles at Basil House in Texas City that was absolutely, scrumptiously delicious. It still shocks me that College Station doesn't really have a Thai restaurant. We have so many, and yet, no Thai. I had read some about it and heard a lot of claims like, next to French cuisine Thai was the best in the world. I had to know more. So I went to Half Price Books (a really great place to find cook books for a good price btw) and found a Thai cook book called "True Thai" by Victor Sodsook. I only had about 10 minutes in the book store so I chose it without knowing too much about it but it looked like a good one that was actually real Thai recipes and not just the super-easy-10-minute-Thai-on-the-go-for-a-busy-mom-in-suburbia...ya know? Turns out, I really like it. It's written by a Thai-American chef who understands Thai cuisine but also understands that Americans don't always have access to the same ingredients. I think he (Victor Sodsook) does a really good job of finding the balance between what is legitmately Thai and what we can find here. There are a lot of recipes and it even breaks down lots of different types of homemade curries, which is pretty awesome. So, I bought it and have been rather thrilled by what I've found inside. So far, I've done a lot of looking and reading and researching and only made 2 dishes but they've both been really yummy. I made Drunken Spaghetti (this book's version of Drunken Noodles, my inspiration) and Chicken with Red Chili and Cashews. Tomorrow, I'm making Pork with Garlic and Crushed Black Pepper. I've come to find that Thai food is pretty unique and interesting and so far seems to be almost a mix between Japanese and Italian. Considering these are two of my favorites, it's pretty exciting! It's very heavy on the garlic, which is something I didn't quite expect but love. It's also extremely spicy. I mean, really. When I made the drunken noodles I ended up cutting down the peppers in the recipe considerably and it was still quite a sinus cleanser. Not all of it is spicy but a lot of it is and when it is, it really is. I've only made these two recipes so far because I have to kind of spread out my new-to-everyone dishes throughout the week. Also, some of my family doesn't do spicy too well which cuts back on how many of the recipes I can make.
Anyway, I'm excited about all things Thai right now!
I'll post pictures of tomorrow's dish if it turns out well. Cheers!
-Sabrina

Square One..Leaving?

I saw in the paper today that Square One Bistro is being replaced by a burger place. This is tragic news considering that it's on the list, and we haven't been yet!! That's the first reason that it caused me to distress and the second is that I think I would like it. I feel like it was a little bit different than everywhere else and a burger place is definitely not. Oh well. Hopefully it will be open long enough for Donavon and I to at least get to try it. So long, my formerly potential friend, Square One. *sniffle*

One of my Own!

This is a recipe that I came up with on my own one day, based on the ingredients we already had in the house. It turned out really good, if I do say so myself, and I've made it again since. I always get a lot of compliments when I make it. I mean, who doesn't like potatoes?! The name came about because the first time I was making it everyone who came in the kitchen asked me what I was making and because I was kind of making it up as I went and it didn't have a name, I kept replying, "chicken, potato something". So, now that's the name! :)

Chicken Potato Something

approximately 6 or 7 chicken breasts, washed dried and cut in half (to make them thinner)

1 onion, diced

2 bell peppers, diced (any color, I've used several)

2 carrots, diced

4 cloves garlic, diced or pressed

5 Russet potatoes, diced

2 cans diced tomatoes

3 cans chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

2 sticks of butter, maybe a little more

olive oil

(serve over rice)

Heat butter in large stock pot or skillet. (when I made this recipe, I was cooking for 10-12 people and the ingredients are listed for that amount. Because of this, I had to use a skillet and a stock pot to brown the chicken and then added it all into the pot at the end.)

Add chicken and brown each side. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add diced vegetables, garlic and potatoes to skillet.

Add enough olive oil to prevent sticking.

Cook and stir until potatoes are tender but still a little crunchy.

Add canned tomatoes and chicken broth. Return chicken to pot.

Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft and chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice. Enjoy!