Basil Pesto

Earlier this year, I'd planted a basil plant in my backyard and it has grown in abundance. The next logical step was to make pesto.

This is what I did.

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed, chopped coarsely

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 medium-sized garlic cloves, minced

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Materials

1 food processor

1 cooking knife

1 cutting board

1 jar (something to keep the pesto in)

Directions

1. Combine the basil, garlic and oil in a food processor. Pulse to the desired consistency.

2. Add the cheese. Pulse until blended.

3. Add a pinch of salt and ground pepper to taste.

4. Store in the fridge.

Original recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/fresh_basil_pesto/

Here's what you should know:

- If you're using basil straight from the stem like I did, hold the end of the stem and with the other hand, pinch the stem loosely with your thumb and index and slide from the top down to take the leaves off easily. You want the soft part of the stem and the leaves.

- When chopping the basil, don't squish, just clean cuts so that you keep the flavour (the "juice") in the leaves.

- Use sparingly. A little goes a long way.

- Blanch the basil to prevent it from oxidizing. If you don't blanch the basil, keep a thin layer of olive oil on top of the pesto.

- Some people like to freeze the pesto in ice cube forms to keep well into snowville.

Make this. You deserve it.

Pesto Penne with Roasted Red Pepper

Hi internet,

This is something I threw together randomly with my friends. Enjoy!

Pesto Penne with Roasted Red Pepper

Ingredients

3 cups penne pasta

5 cups water

2 t salt

1 T pesto

1/2 onion, chopped fine

1/2 T garlic, minced

3 T olive oil

2 roasted red peppers, chopped

parmesan, salt and pepper to taste

Materials

1 large pot

1 colander

1 large skillet

1 wooden spoon/chopsticks/anything to stir the pasta

1 spatula

Directions

1. Cook the penne as directed on the package. FYI, it goes something like this: Fill the large pot with water. Put it on the stove and turn to high heat. Salt liberally. Bring to a boil. Once it's boiling, throw in the penne. Bring to a boil and watch it carefully! It may sud up. Bring it back down to a simmer for 8-10 minutes or until al dente and stir occasionally. Strain in a colander.

2. Heat the skillet at medium high heat. When the pan is hot, put in the oil. Brown the onion and garlic. Stir in the pesto. Next, stir in the roasted red peppers.

3. Mix in the penne. Stir well with the spatula so that the pasta is evenly coated. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

Here's what you should know:

- To prep the water for the pasta, salt liberally until you can just taste the salt in the water. If it tastes like the ocean, you've gone too far. I've been told that oiling the water will prevent the pasta from sticking.

- Don't burn the onion or garlic! Control the heat so that you release the aromas, but don't char the taste. You want the onion to be sweet and caramelized and the garlic to be golden.

- If you don't want to make roasted red peppers, buy them preserved in jars from the supermarket. I bought mine on sale and it will keep well in the fridge.

Tasty Cajun Chicken

Hey internet,

It's been a while, but I'm back with a new recipe! School's starting up again, so my friends and I got together for the weekend to savour our last bits of freedom. Damn.

Well anyway, what's better for a get-together than to cook some cajun chicken together? (We also made a penne that I will post)

Here it is!

Tasty Cajun Chicken

Ingredients

• 
  1/3 cup oil
• 3 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning (recipe below)
• 2 pounds boneless chicken breast
• Cajun Seasoning:
• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne powder
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon thyme

Directions

• Combine the ingredients for cajun seasoning in a large mixing bowl, as well as the italian seasoning. Add vinegar and mix well.
• Put the chicken in the cajun marinade one at a time. Place them in a resealable bag. Marinate chicken for 20 minutes or for up to 3 hours.
• Heat your skillet to medium-high heat. Add oil when the pan is hot. Place the chicken onto the hot skillet and brown both sides (about 15 minutes total).
• Original recipe: http://www.grouprecipes.com/4527/tasty-cajun-chicken.html#

Here's what I learned:

- Use less oil. Just use enough to lightly cover the bottom of the pan.

- I found that there was a bit too much marinade. Use your own discretion. Use enough vinegar that will cover all the chicken and add the seasoning to the vinegar instead of the other way around. If you want it to be spicier, put in more seasoning. Store any extra dry cajun seasoning in a separate container. If you like spicy, you'll want to use it later, trust.

- You don't want to burn your chicken. Keep the skillet closer to medium heat. If you've browned both sides of the chicken and it's still not cooked through, just add a bit of water (like 2 mm of water) and cover it. Keep cooking.

- To check if it's cooked, slice the thickest part open. Do not do this before 15 minutes. Unless it's a small breast (my chicken was about 1.5-2 inches thick), it will not be done and you'll let all the precious juice out that is keeping it moist

- Make a gravy after you cook the chicken. Turn the heat off first. Next, do this quickly. Mix water with 1/2 T corn starch in a small bowl. Turn the heat back on on high heat and pour water about 1/2 cup water into the pan (I just eyeball this really). Throw in the cornstarch mix too. While it's hot, scrape the brown bits at the bottom of the pan with a spatula (if you're paranoid of teflon bits, use a wooden spatula). Make sure that mixes with the water. Bring it to a boil and let it reduce (let the water evaporate). The sauce will thicken. Don't let it burn!!

Have fun people! Remember, wash everything! (except the spices)

Butternut Squash Soup

So I've been sick for the past three days due to a freak migraine, and decided last night to make some soup that isn't the traditional Chicken Noodle Soup that I ate last week (when I wasn't sick, ironically. I made it for my mother.). Then I stumbled upon this, and you can't go wrong with this stuff:

(The original)

Butternut Squash Soup II
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
• 1 (32 fluid ounce) container chicken stock
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
2. Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

(Link to the original is here)

Amazing!! Here's my take:
- Don't add salt. In fact, I don't even remember adding pepper. You can always add pepper when serving it. If you don't have a pepper grinder, GET ONE!
- Squash is a b*tch to peel/seed/cube. I know electricity is expensive these days, but if you're like me and not like my dad, throw it in the mini-oven at 400 F for an hour. The skin will come off easily (like roasted yam, as my dad said). Careful, it's hot! You won't need to cube it either. Just halve it, seed it, peel it, and then throw in medium-sized chunks of the "meat" into the pot.
- Use 1 potato. Some people suggest using 1 potato and 1 sweet potato. Haven't tried it yet, let me know how it goes. 2 potatoes might take away from the squash.
- Add 2 cloves of garlic. Then lightly brown the garlic and onion, just so that the aroma comes out and it's slightly tender. If the garlic gets dry or too cooked, then you're losing some of its "powers".
- If you experience too much "brownness" when browning the vegetables, honestly, just throw in the chicken broth. Browning of the other vegetables isn't really necessary. I only did it for the garlic and onion. Mmm.
- If 32 fl oz of chicken broth sounds too salty for you (my can has 690 mg per 2/3 cup! D:), just use a smaller can and add water. I used a 14.5 fl oz can and then added water after pureeing.
- If you find it a little bland, try a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg. And a few drops of Frank's Red Hot Sauce (although I really don't taste any "hotness").
- You want it to be super smooth. So if you've outblended your blender and it's still not pureed to perfection, take a strainer and get all the chunks out, then blend that with just enough soup to cover it, strain, and repeat if necessary.
- Wow. Please try serving this with a small dollop of sour cream. It's heavenly. I added two dollops directly into the soup after pureeing and adding water, and had just a little more sour cream on my spoon to mix into my own bowl.


LolaFresh Butternut Squash Soup
yield: 6
prep: 1 hr
cook: 50 mins
ready in: 1 hr 50 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1 medium potato, cubed
• 1 medium butternut squash
  
• 1 (14.5 fluid ounce) can chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• a dash of nutmeg
• 4 drops Frank's Red Hot Sauce (or 1/2 teaspoon dried cayenne)
  
• 1 (14.5 fluid ounce) can water, and some to achieve desired consistency.
  
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 large dollop of sour cream (and more to serve)

Materials

• 1 mini-oven
• 1 stovetop
  
• 1 large pot
• 1 cutting board
• 1 cutting knife
• 1 spoon
• 1 wooden spoon
• 1 blender
• 1 strainer
  

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Place a clean butternut squash into the oven. Roast for 50 mins. Leave 5-15 mins before the squash is finished to prepare the other vegetables. During the remaining time, you may watch your favourite sitcom, listen to your favourite music, and/or study for your exam.
   
2. Remove the squash from the oven and place onto a large plate or cutting board. Halve the squash and let it cool for 5-10 minutes, or immediately start seeding with a spoon and peeling it. Careful of hot steam.
3. Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
   
4. Add the other vegetables. Pour in the chicken stock (and water, use the can) to cover vegetables. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and hot sauce and stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes. Stir occasionally.
   
5. Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Strain if necessary, using a spoon to speed up the straining. Blend the remaining pieces and repeat if necessary.
   
6. Return to pot, and mix in water to attain desired consistency.
   
7. Add sour cream. Season to taste. Serve with a small dollop of sour cream and freshly ground black pepper.

And wash everything! Comment/Question/Follow

Grilled Cheese

This is my type of grilled cheese.

Easy Grilled Cheese yield: 1

Ingredients:

2 slices of square bread

1 tbsp butter (melted or softened, as long as it's spreadable)

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

ketchup on the side

Materials:

1 skillet big enough for your bread

1 knife

1 shredder for cheese

1 spatula

Directions:

1. Spread the butter evenly on both sides of each slice of bread.

2. Heat the skillet at medium-high.

3. Place one slice of bread onto the skillet. Sprinkle the cheese all over the slice of bread. Overflow is okay!

4. Place the other slice of bread on top of the cheese. Press occasionally with the spatula.

5. Once the bottom slice is golden, use the spatula to flip over the piece of bread. Press occasionally with the spatula and heat until golden.

Tips

- Careful not to burn it too much. Some people like theirs darker, while others like it just golden. I like mine browned, not charred.

- Serve it up with ketchup and a glass of milk!

- If you want it to be super easy, buy pre-sliced cheese, slip two slices between the bread, and use a panini press. Some people have even used a waffle maker to do the trick. I've even used a plate to flatten the sandwich in my mini-oven.

Easy Chili

The Original 

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound ground beef 1 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder 1 clove garlic, minced 1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 4 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeno chile peppers 1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, undrained salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large saucepan over medium high heat, combine the ground beef, onion and bell peppers. Saute for about 5 minutes, or until beef is browned. Drain excess fat.
2.	Add the chili powder, garlic, bay leaf, cumin, chile peppers, tomatoes, tomato sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Stir in the beans and heat through.

(click here to see the original webpage, as well as other tips and suggestions: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?RecipeID=15401&origin=detail&&Servings=6 )


Tips:
- Don't be afraid to salt! Season to taste.
- The secret is CUMIN. I know not everyone has cumin, but trust, do not pass on the cumin! You can follow the instructions and add little by little as you go. I added a LOT more cumin than the recipe asked for.
- Cover and simmer for as long as you like. I made mine at midnight so I let it simmer for like 2 hours. It's okay to let it sit but there's always the risk of food spoilage, so I'd suggest you don't do what I did (I let it sit overnight because I didn't cook my beans soft enough oops) and just pack it up into the fridge. The flavours will still intensify when the chili is in the fridge.
- Buy some good ole dinner rolls and slap some garlic butter on them, then toast them up to eat with your chili. Crackers are good too but then there's no garlic butter factor...
- If you have don't have tomato sauce, or you don't wanna buy any, but you have little cans of tomato paste lying around, use it! I just used a small 4.5 oz can of tomato paste and diluted it with 2 waters using the same can. You don't need to do mix it separately. Just throw it in. After a good little mixing, and then 1 1/2 hours of simmering and occasional stirring, the paste is bound to have broken down.
- I freaking love Tim Hortons' chili and I couldn't figure out what I was missing until I'd cooked the whole thing: MUSHROOMS! I know what I'm gonna add the next time I make this... (:

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