Valentine's Day

So Valentine's day has come and gone.  Whew!  My girlfriend and I decided to take it easy and cook dinner at home, which for me is always just a bit frightening. 

She likes to cook for relaxation and to sooth her nerves.  While I couldn't be more different.  I like to cook, but I become a nervous wreck when I do.  Not having the impeccable timing that she does for planning everything out, I don't know what goes where, when and it leads to quite a few "issues" during the entire cooking process.

So, this year she put a wonderful pot roast in the oven before work and left it to cook for the entire day.  We also planned to make Asparagus Soup and Queijadas for desert. 

She was running a bit late so I tackled the soup and Queijadas.  Needless to say I was a complete and total wreck.  My mind was racing at a million miles a minute:
1) Is that sugar or flour (obviously an easy one to remember, but not when steam is emanating from one's ears and the world is spinning)
2) OH NO, I think I just dumped in 2 cups of vanilla extract when it called for a teaspoon
3) THAT CAN'T BE GOOD, I just put a teaspoon of flour into it when it called for 2 cups
4) What is it that I am cooking again, and how the &*(@@ much is a "pinch of ground black pepper"?

All this goes to show that even a crazy cook (such as myself) can once in a while pull it off.  Dinner came off without a hitch, and the food was excellent.  We had such a great time, that we planned to do something similar in the next few weeks...

Was that my heart that just skipped a beat?

Yummy

One of the great many things that I like about this place is that co-workers will randomly cook up delicious little treats, such as Queijadas.  I just happened to be walking by the Kitchen this afternoon and I see these biscuit like things that turn out to be completely amazing.  I am already planning to make them for my girlfriend!

The last time I cooked for her it involved microwaving a frozen bag of peas and carrots and placing some grilled pot stickers on top.  Needless to say, she wasn't too excited about the meal itself, just the fact that I cooked for her. 

Bah Humbug - Bread Baking

OK, I stand corrected.  It was an absolute blast.  To be honest, I never knew I had it in me.  We went down to a small independent bakery south of Seattle.  The owner/baker/sole employee does all of her own baking and is quite popular in her neighborhood for her rustic white sandwiches.

Well, we learned first about making bread and then we made rustic white and focacia.  My girlfriend who is the best cook between us took right to it.  I needed a little coaching about the kneading and working the dough.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun and quite tasty too.  I am going to see if I can put her recipes on the site, I think you will all love them.

Bread Making, Who Would Have Thought It...

My girlfriend and I are taking a Bread Making class tonight.  This will be my first attempt at being a baker, so wish me well.  Her excitement is palpable, mine on the other hand is mildly excitable.  Oh well, I guess that is how it goes.

Any suggestions for what type of breads are the best to make are welcome, as I was planning to focus solely on pretzels, much to the chagrin of my girlfriend.

West Wing Reruns

Man was not meant to survive on West Wing Reruns alone.  After 4 days of being under the weather, I can't take another second of President Bartlett... I am sure he can't take another of me either, so I guess we are even. 

Back at work today, and just trying to get caught up.

Skiing & Bok Choy Soup

Still tired from a weekend of skiing at the Pass, which is about 45 minutes East of Seattle.  Not the greatest conditions, but still a lot of fun.  This is the first time I have bought a season's pass, and the Pass didn't even open until a week and half ago.  Yikes!  I better get the best out of my purchase ASAP.  Anyway, my girlfriend has this great Bok Choy soup recipe that is the greatest breakfast on the slopes that anyone can imagine.  I know, it sounds weird, but it works!  Ingredients:  Bok Choy, Egg Noodles, Chicken Broth, Salt, Soy Sauce and water. 

It hits the spot and is mouth watering tasty!  Not too heavy that you have to sit in the lodge for a few hours waiting for your breakfast to settle.  I hit the slopes immediately!

Unfortunately, it isn't on the site, but I will see what I can do!

eating too well

My girlfriend and I cooked a great dinner last night, and my favorite of the two dishes we tried from Allrecipes.com was Fresh Asparagus Soup.  We also tried the Rosemary Pork Roast, which needed more salt than the recipe suggests.  It was a great dinner, complimented by a great Merlot!

Also, personal suggestion for a great appetizer for a party is Boniet.  Quite an awesome spread on small pieces of toast.  We had it at our New Year's party, and it was the first to disappear.

Have a great weekend!  Let me know if you find any other great dishes.

Allrecipes Gear!

I have my own personal Allrecipes coffee mug, now sitting prominently on my desk via our new merchandise available at http://www.cafepress.com/allrecipes.  Some of the biggest sellers have been our baby bibs which state "this mess brought to you buy allrecipes."  Who knew they would do so well?   I had personally thought the mugs and shirts would be the best sellers.

This is my first post, and I am interested in knowing what people want to hear about!  We have a line of great Cookbooks (http://shop.allrecipes.com/shop/tnt/allbooks.asp) as well as a weight management service (http://shop.allrecipes.com/np/npsell/content/front/weight.asp).