dinner for one

Today I have a symbolic logic exam looming over my head–which, come to think of it, is probably why I had the drive to start a blog today. This dinner is another product of my procrastination. It’s a spicy take on grilled cheese and tomato soup (it’s actually sauce, but go with me) and is inspired by the fact that I’m going to be awake all night–I wanted something hearty to go on. To make this dinner for two, just add some extra potatoes and make two slices of bread. Do not double the sauce, for the love of god. I have so much left over: tomorrow, I’ll be eating some banging spaghetti.

Before you embark on this wonderfully simple meal, I’d like to remind you to please taste your food as you go and to add spices gradually. This is packed with a lot of flavors I love, and since I’m terrible at measurements and I’m new at this, go with your instincts. I promise, it’s delicious.

tomato sauce with cannellini and garbanzo beans

5 cloves of garlic

1 small onion

1 can whole peeled tomatoes

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can canelli beans

1.5 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp crushed red pepper

1/4 c red wine

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp oregano

1 tsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sesame seeds

sweat garlic and onions in extra virgin olive oil for 3 minutes, then add beans and tomatoes. Stir with spoon, breaking tomatoes for about 1 or 2 minutes. Then season to taste with spices, salt and pepper. simmer for 45 min to 1 hr. Add sesame seeds when there is about ten minutes to go. Stir occasionally.Meanwhile get those oven fries going.

red bliss oven fries

3 medium sized red potatoes, washed and cut into eighths

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

mix together and cool for 30 min in 375 oven, or until they are golden brown (do not trust my timing my oven is a piece of crap)

grilled cheese with goat cheese and manchego cheese

pad of butter

1 slice bread (preferably ezekiel 4:9)

a little goat cheese (five small-average sized crumbles)

as much manchego cheese as you want, or 1/4 c

place bread in hot pan butter side down. sprinkle cheeses evenly on top. wait 3 minutes. flip bread over so cheese is on pan. wait 1 second. using a metal spatula, flip. scoop up fried cheese bits and smear cheese together with the bottom of a spatula. serve hot with oven fries and tomato sauce.

Bon Appetit,

Brittany

I took a lot of pictures. They will be up by next Friday. After I get the cord to my camera.

 

Hello world!

Hello, world. My name is Brittany and I live in a very small apartment, with a very tiny kitchen. My kitchen is so tiny it doesn’t have drawers. I mean it. I put my flatware on top of my microwave. My range is half size and my sink doesn’t fit my big mixing bowl.

But hear me: my tiny kitchen doesn’t stop me from making the most delicious foods. Once you learn how to cook in a very tiny kitchen, you will cook for life.

I am also a college student (read: broke). I have less time than I pretend to and more work than I can come to terms with, and as my second to last semester winds down in Happy Valley, I thought, hey why don’t I start a blog.

This blog will be about my only true passion in this world: food. I remember learning how to cook the same way I remember learning how to walk–as in, I don’t really. I’ve been in the kitchen with my dad since I could stand, but I’ve only just realized that I want to cook professionally. In ten years, hopefully you’ll be reading about me in Food and Wine or Bon Appetit (this latter publication is the storybook of my childhood).

Here is my offering: I will bring to you recipes that defy the odds of bugdet and space. If I can make them in my very tiny kitchen, then so can you. Trust me, your kitchen is bigger.

 

mousse that will change your world

So have you every had a dessert so amazing it changes you on some level? No? Well friends, that is about to change. This mocha mouse with Sichuan peppercorns found on epicurious will move you. The peppercorns and coffee give the chocolate an earthy spiciness that goes beautifully with homemade whipped cream.  In fact it’s so good I’ve made it twice in the past week. And my vegan friend ate it and loved it (and she’s vegan).

for the original recipe go here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mocha-Mousse-with-Sichuan-Peppercorns-i-Mousse-au-Moka-et-Poivre-i-243637

Here’s my take on the whole situation: First of all, you don’t need Sichuan peppercorns, per se. 1/3 tsp of plain black peppercorns are lovely in the finished product. You do, however, need whipped cream. Here I insist it’s better made by hand. To do this you need: 2 1/2 tbsp of sugar and 2 tsp of vanilla. Then you need 1-2 cups of heavy whipping cream. If this is too much sugar or vanilla for you that’s no big deal, just taste the cream before you start whipping and everything will be fine. What you do need to do is make sure there is enough of those two magical ingredients. Otherwise there is no point to all of this–it’ll just taste like heavy cream.

Next, or perhaps first, you want to chill a glass or metal bowl in the freezer. This is critical for both the meringue you’ll be making for the mousse, and for the cream. An ice cold bowl ensures that your egg whites and your cream will thicken. As someone who employs a whisk and elbow grease to make this dessert, I promise you, this little trick will save you from spending more than twenty minutes staring at your ingredients.

This mousse, if you make your meringue right, only needs about two hours to set. Then you have heaven in a custard cup. I like it best served with frozen raspberries and whipped cream. It would also be great with a hint of chili powder and any fruit you can find.

Happy eating.

Brittany

p.s. I’ll put pictures of this process up as soon as I can upload pictures onto my computer.