When I first heard the term "mango salsa", I fell in love. I absolutely love mangoes and salsa can be quite fun. What better way to learn to enjoy cooking than find something fun AND good? So I got myself all worked up about it; told everyone I knew I was going to attempt to make mango salsa and even envisioned what I could serve with it.
Everything came to a screeching halt when I read the recipe (NEVER forget to read that recipe). Jalepenos? JALEPENOS? Yuch. As much as I love mangoes, I detest jalepenos. Call me a wimp, if you will. I cannot use spicy. Oh, some will be needed for certain foods. I do understand that. Maybe some red pepper flakes or even possible the JUICE of a jalepeno but the whole pepper?
But then I looked it up and realized that the very term "salsa" means "spicy sauce". Hmm....now what? My first guess was to just give up the idea of making any kind of salsa; which is sad, in a way since mango salsa still sounds like fun. But then my friend and "cooking guru/guinea pig" mentioned that I didn't HAVE to put in jalepenos. I could try a different spice or something slightly less "volcanic".
Wow. Ingredient switching? At my level? Preposterous! But definitely worth a try. Now I get to experiment with different things to find out which tastes best. Wish me luck and I'll let you know how it goes!
PS: Coming soon: Olive-stuffed pastries!
Where's the Fun?
Cooking should be fun, right? That's pretty much the whole point of what I'm doing. Learning to enjoy cooking so it's not so much of a chore.
My first dinner the other night went well; better than I had expected. And while there were some parts that were intense (trust me; for a non-cook like myself, boiling noodles successfully is intense) it wasn't fun.
Hmm. What can I do to make it more fun; thereby making me WANT to do it?
I was watching "Worst Cooks in America" last night on the Food Network channel and their first challenge was to create a hamburger with anything they wanted. This made me sit up. I've cooked hamburgers before; a means to an end as I've said previously. But to CREATE my own signature burger? Wow....the endless possibilities!
And if I can create my own burger, what next? Couldn't I create pretty much anything? No, I still don't know enough about flavors to know what would and wouldn't work but I'm pretty sure that's what most cooks enjoy. Making it their own.
Sure, I'm still going to use recipes. There are quite a few I've seen that seem a tad difficult but might be worth trying at least once. But I'm going to learn to be brave and try flavors that I normally wouldn't put together. Sort of like finger-painting as a child. Just let it flow!
So, as soon as I come up with a recipe, I will post and let everyone know. Wish me luck!
My first dinner the other night went well; better than I had expected. And while there were some parts that were intense (trust me; for a non-cook like myself, boiling noodles successfully is intense) it wasn't fun.
Hmm. What can I do to make it more fun; thereby making me WANT to do it?
I was watching "Worst Cooks in America" last night on the Food Network channel and their first challenge was to create a hamburger with anything they wanted. This made me sit up. I've cooked hamburgers before; a means to an end as I've said previously. But to CREATE my own signature burger? Wow....the endless possibilities!
And if I can create my own burger, what next? Couldn't I create pretty much anything? No, I still don't know enough about flavors to know what would and wouldn't work but I'm pretty sure that's what most cooks enjoy. Making it their own.
Sure, I'm still going to use recipes. There are quite a few I've seen that seem a tad difficult but might be worth trying at least once. But I'm going to learn to be brave and try flavors that I normally wouldn't put together. Sort of like finger-painting as a child. Just let it flow!
So, as soon as I come up with a recipe, I will post and let everyone know. Wish me luck!
The Results Are In....
....And it didn't turn out too badly. Not for a first effort, anyway. The sauce turned out rather well but the pork chops were slightly overcooked. But all in all, my guinea pig (er, roommate/friend) said it tasted pretty good.
First of all, I'd like to thank her for being there with support and helpful advice (She's good at this whole kitchen thing) and second of all, READ the whole recipe. I read the recipe probably about 15 times. Read through the ingredients, read through the instructions...the whole enchilada. It wasn't until I was cooking the pork chops and wondering what was taking so long that I realized that the recipe called for BONELESS pork chops. Mine were thick and definitely still had the bone.
Don't know how I missed that but I did. That'll teach me to "skim" over what I'm reading.
And for those of you that would like to try this recipe, the sauce came out a little thin; add a little corn starch to thicken it if you'd like (The house cooking guru says don't forget to mix the corn starch with cold water first BEFORE adding it to the sauce and add while sauce is boiling)
Thanks to everyone for their support. It helps a lot to have people that believe in you even if you're not so sure yourself. I'm adding a pic or two to show you how it turned out. Let me know what you think!
Here we go!
The time has come.
Yes, my dear friends, I have chosen my first recipe and will be attempting to follow it tonight. It doesn't look too terribly difficult but those of you that know me know it's going to be tough.
But I can do it. Most certainly.
Tonight's attempt is Southern-Style Pork Chops. It actually sounds quite good (white wine and heavy cream sound decadent, don't they?) and I'm going to serve it over buttered egg noodles and pair it with peas. (Frozen for now; the peas in the garden aren't ready yet) I shall go over the recipe several hundred times to make sure I have everything I need at the store and then probably a few dozen more times to make sure I have it right.
I will post the recipe here so anyone that wants can try it themselves. But I will most definitely be sharing how it went and how it tasted. Will even try to get a few pictures up as well.
So, wish me luck and I'll see everyone soon!
Southern-Style Pork Chops
Original Recipe Yield 6 pork chops
Yes, my dear friends, I have chosen my first recipe and will be attempting to follow it tonight. It doesn't look too terribly difficult but those of you that know me know it's going to be tough.
But I can do it. Most certainly.
Tonight's attempt is Southern-Style Pork Chops. It actually sounds quite good (white wine and heavy cream sound decadent, don't they?) and I'm going to serve it over buttered egg noodles and pair it with peas. (Frozen for now; the peas in the garden aren't ready yet) I shall go over the recipe several hundred times to make sure I have everything I need at the store and then probably a few dozen more times to make sure I have it right.
I will post the recipe here so anyone that wants can try it themselves. But I will most definitely be sharing how it went and how it tasted. Will even try to get a few pictures up as well.
So, wish me luck and I'll see everyone soon!
Southern-Style Pork Chops
Original Recipe Yield 6 pork chops
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
- 6 boneless pork chops
- 3/4 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
Directions
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Liberally sprinkle the onion soup mix over both sides of the pork chops. Fry the pork chops in the hot oil until the pork is no longer pink in the center, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Remove the chops from the skillet, and set aside.
- Pour the white wine into the pan; bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat to low. Stir the heavy cream, and season with garlic powder and salt and pepper. Gently lay the pork chops in the pan, turning to coat in the sauce. Simmer until thoroughly reheated, 5 to 10 m
Blanching for Idiots
Well, mainly for me, anyway.
I've been perusing (love that word) through all the different "easy" recipes and the "not-so-easy" recipes and have found quite a few that sound really interesting and look delicious. And I've learned while watching "Worst Cooks in America" on the Food Network channel that you ALWAYS read the entire recipe first.
Makes sense. Gives you an overall view of what you're going to be doing and how. And although I consider myself to be fairly well-read, I'm discovering terms that I've never even heard of before.
Drupe? Etouffe? Did you know that chopping and dicing are DIFFERENT? And although I've heard the word "blanching" before, I didn't know what it was. Until now. Yup. I now have at my fingertips a complete glossary of cooking terms. Probably won't use them all; heck, probably won't use but a few. But looking through it, it's amazing the things you can learn.
So now I'll be armed with the knowledge of all those terms that were but a nuisance in the past and be more able to complete the task I have set for myself.
Enjoying the art of cooking!
I've been perusing (love that word) through all the different "easy" recipes and the "not-so-easy" recipes and have found quite a few that sound really interesting and look delicious. And I've learned while watching "Worst Cooks in America" on the Food Network channel that you ALWAYS read the entire recipe first.
Makes sense. Gives you an overall view of what you're going to be doing and how. And although I consider myself to be fairly well-read, I'm discovering terms that I've never even heard of before.
Drupe? Etouffe? Did you know that chopping and dicing are DIFFERENT? And although I've heard the word "blanching" before, I didn't know what it was. Until now. Yup. I now have at my fingertips a complete glossary of cooking terms. Probably won't use them all; heck, probably won't use but a few. But looking through it, it's amazing the things you can learn.
So now I'll be armed with the knowledge of all those terms that were but a nuisance in the past and be more able to complete the task I have set for myself.
Enjoying the art of cooking!
The Beginning
Okay. I'm not a complete novice at cooking; I've done some in the past and didn't do too badly. I just didn't enjoy it. So, I'm thinking, should I start with a beginner recipe or something a little more advanced?
The only problem I have with recipes is that sometimes they aren't specific enough. "Cook until brown"....wait.....what shade of brown? How long will it take? That's been one of my biggest fears; not doing it right. But I've learned that mistakes happen and most of them can be fixed. Or done over. I need not be so scared of making those mistakes and just make them. And then learn the how and why so I don't do it again.
So what I'm thinking of doing is cruising through the internet and the various cookbooks at my fingertips (yes, unused cookbooks) and see what's out there. Maybe even get ideas from all the cooking shows I watch.
Wish me luck and stay tuned; you'll never know what's going to happen!
The only problem I have with recipes is that sometimes they aren't specific enough. "Cook until brown"....wait.....what shade of brown? How long will it take? That's been one of my biggest fears; not doing it right. But I've learned that mistakes happen and most of them can be fixed. Or done over. I need not be so scared of making those mistakes and just make them. And then learn the how and why so I don't do it again.
So what I'm thinking of doing is cruising through the internet and the various cookbooks at my fingertips (yes, unused cookbooks) and see what's out there. Maybe even get ideas from all the cooking shows I watch.
Wish me luck and stay tuned; you'll never know what's going to happen!
The Journey into Cooking
Welcome to Froggy's Cooking Pad.
This is my journey into the world of cooking. Not so much learning to cook but learning to LIKE to cook. I can follow a recipe as well as the next person. Well, for the most part, anyway. But I could never understand the allure of WANTING to cook. To me, it was always just a means to an end...eating.
My whole life was about avoiding learning things in the kitchen. I always volunteered for kitchen duty rather than have to stand over a hot stove cooking something. Where was the fun? Where was the joy? What was the point?
It was only recently that I made a discovery. While watching shows on the Food Network channel, I discovered that by merely changing one ingredient, a whole meal could be changed. Or by cooking it differently. I was watching these shows and all of sudden, there was a spark. Nothing big or dramatic, but a spark nonetheless.
So I thought I'd try my hand at creating something. Oh sure, I'll be using recipes to start. But I'm hoping that I'll be able to learn to use my palate to create my own recipes.
I hope you'll join me on this journey. Or quest, if you will. Go through the trials and tribulations; the successes and failures. And maybe we'll learn something together.....
This is my journey into the world of cooking. Not so much learning to cook but learning to LIKE to cook. I can follow a recipe as well as the next person. Well, for the most part, anyway. But I could never understand the allure of WANTING to cook. To me, it was always just a means to an end...eating.
My whole life was about avoiding learning things in the kitchen. I always volunteered for kitchen duty rather than have to stand over a hot stove cooking something. Where was the fun? Where was the joy? What was the point?
It was only recently that I made a discovery. While watching shows on the Food Network channel, I discovered that by merely changing one ingredient, a whole meal could be changed. Or by cooking it differently. I was watching these shows and all of sudden, there was a spark. Nothing big or dramatic, but a spark nonetheless.
So I thought I'd try my hand at creating something. Oh sure, I'll be using recipes to start. But I'm hoping that I'll be able to learn to use my palate to create my own recipes.
I hope you'll join me on this journey. Or quest, if you will. Go through the trials and tribulations; the successes and failures. And maybe we'll learn something together.....
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