Mar 09 2010

Kitchen Loot

Random ish, Wedding No comments

LaBranda and I have been holding on to some gift cards and money that were gifts from our wedding. With $100 to spend at Williams-Sonoma, we decided to hit up the store and at a minimum purchase a Cuisinart 16 cup Food Processor. When we arrived at the store, we found out that Williams-Sonoma had increased their professional discount that they extend to chef’s to 20% off. We ended up buying more than the food processor (as you can see below). You know you have spent a lot of money in the store when they give you a giant reusable bag to carry your purchases. We haven’t used the food processor yet, but we did use our new All-Clad Copper Core 3-qt Saute & Simmer Pan last night. You know it is an amazing pan when you can cook on low heat and keep the contents amazingly hot!

william-sonoma loot

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Mar 02 2010

Pasta Primavera

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LaBranda and I made Pasta Primavera last night that was inspired by a recipe from Simply Recipes as well as one from the Food Network. We kind of combined the two, made our own touches and here is what we came up with.

Pasta Primavera

Ingredients

  • 3 carrots, cut into 2″ x 1/2″ strips
  • 2 zucchini, cut into 1/4″ discs
  • 1 yellow squash, cut into 1/4″ discs
  • 1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
  • 1 yellow onion, cut into thin strips
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 – 15 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 1 pound Campanelle
  • 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • Salt and fresh ground pepper
  • Parmesan Cheese, optional

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water, 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning, and 2 tbs. of salt to a boil (for your pasta).
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Lightly saute the garlic then add the vegetables, remaining 2 tsp. of Italian seasoning, 1 tsp. salt, and 2 tsp. pepper to skillet. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes or until vegetables are slightly tender.
  3. While cooking the vegetables, add the dry pasta to the boiling water and follow the cooking instructions for the pasta. You want to time it so that the pasta is done soon after the vegetables.
  4. Add the tomato sauce to the vegetables and bring to a simmer. Add the cherry tomatoes and simmer for another 3 minutes.
  5. Once the pasta is ready – cooked but still firm, or al denté – drain the pasta and put directly into the skillet with the vegetables. Toss everything together and adjust seasoning to taste.

Quick Notes

You can use any shape or style of pasta that you like. We wanted to try the Campanelle and we ended up liking it quite nicely. Other recommendations would be Farfalle or Penne.

Top with Parmesan cheese, if you like.

Number of servings (yield): 6

Culinary tradition: Italian

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Feb 26 2010

Kitchen Upgrades

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Much of mine and LaBranda’s gift registry consisted of things for guest bedroom, bathrooms, artwork, but predominately things for the kitchen.  With LaBranda being a chef and I very much falling into the foodie category, it only stands to reason that we take great pride in our kitchen and the utensils in which we use.

One problem we’ve had is that we were quickly running out of cabinet space. To help with that we purchased a pot rack and with my dad’s help last weekend (thanks Dad!) we got it installed and freed up most of one of our larger cabinets. Hopefully this will give us the room we need!

New Pot Rack

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Feb 24 2010

Raleigh Auto Expo and Photo Fun

Photos, Random ish 2 comments

A few of my friends recently purchased new DSLR cameras and were looking for some help in learning their equipment. While I don’t consider myself a photography expert another photographer friend and I decided we should arrange a group photo shoot day to just go and photograph something and have fun. There was a big auto expo in Raleigh Valentine’s Day weekend so we thought it’d make a good Saturday morning excursion. I think everyone had a lot of fun and we got to see some really cool cars!

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Feb 22 2010

Pan-Seared Steak with Cilantro Sauce

Recipes 1 comment

The other night I wanted to cook something special for LaBranda. She had a busy week of school and I thought why not cook a nice dinner.  I stumbled upon the recipe below from Whole Foods via an awesome recipe website – Love and Olive Oil.

I made a few alterations (reflected below) and added more chili powder and cumin. I also add fresh cracked blacked pepper to the cilantro sauce which really set it off. I also served this with 2 pan seared ribeyes instead of flat iron steak and it was still excellent. Add a sweet potato and some asparagus cooked with a similar spice mixture as the sauce and we had one amazing meal.  I hate I didn’t think to snap some pictures of the plate!

Pan-Seared Flat Iron Steak with Spicy Cilantro Sauce

Source: Whole Foods

Ingredients

  • 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
  • 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground chili powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 (10– to 12-ounce) flat iron steaks

Instructions

  1. Combine the cilantro, garlic, 1/2 cup of the oil, lemon juice, cumin, chili powder and salt in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth.
  2. Taste and adjust seasoning including adding some fresh cracked pepper. Set sauce aside.
  3. Sprinkle steaks on both sides with salt and pepper.
  4. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  5. Add steaks and cook to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare or 4 to 5 minutes for medium.
  6. Transfer steaks to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before thinly slicing.
  7. Serve with sauce on the side.

Number of servings: 6

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