Let me introduce myself

I'm Amanda.   Okay, introduction completed.

Actually, let me take a step back.   My name is Amanda, I'm 22, venturing in that land heretofore known as adulthood.  For as long as I can recall, I have been absolutely in love with food and cooking.   I usually don't follow the recipes, but I follow my senses and build flavors that suit me (which is just a snooty way of saying, I am a big fan of the taste-things-while-you-cook-them method of cooking).  I was the primary chef with my family, I'm the primary chef with my friends, and I really and truly love to experiment while cooking.  I like the cooking almost more than the eating... almost.

I will be doing my best in the coming posts to follow the guidelines that Margaret has set up.  When I have the time to go the extra mile, I'm going to attempt to cost out how much the meals I make will set you back.  And, when I'm feeling uber-ambitious, I might even be able to tell you the total nutrition of the meals I create.

As a side note.  In the coming months I am planing to attempt a radical change to my current diet.  I have a number of friends with food intolerance, allergies, etc.   Through a very long process (and I mean months) the goal is to eliminate five major things from my diet: gluten, corn, dairy, soy, and peanuts.  That will most likely be chronicled on some other corner of the web, but it will definitely end up affecting the things that I cook for this blog.   I needed to let y'all know that up front.

I look forward to your input, suggestions, feedback (are you getting the hint?  This is a collab experiment people). Until next time --which will be soon.  My new housemate just taught me the most amazing recipe for enchiladas which will be shared ASAIBI.*

до свидания
-Amanda


*As.  Soon.  As.  I.  Buy.  Ingredients

First Poached Egg!

So, I finally poached an egg.

I knew that poaching is better for me than frying, for example, and that it would be the adult thing to do to try and make it work. I didn't want to start with a fish, and an egg seemed relatively harmless and cheap in comparison. However, it was a process that I had been avoiding for some time, as I was sure that I would mess it up, and make an icky water-based egg-drop soup. It also doesn't help that eggs are a food that I normally avoid, due to gastric upset resulting from them as a child, and then being offered only powdered scrambled eggs in dining halls at college.

But today, due to influence from Julia Child and lots and lots of youtube videos on the subject, I bit the bullet and cooked one. And you know what?

It was AMAZING.

It was soft and tasty and rich as all get out.

The major tricks I learned via the internet and Ms. Child were vinegar is essential, as it helps the eggs coagulate properly over the yoke; don't let the water boil, but only "shiver"; ice baths are a good idea; and don't crack the egg *into* the water, but crack it into a receptacle to slip into the water instead.




How I managed to poach an egg:

Fill a saucepan with enough water to cover the egg if it were still in the shell (about 3 inches.)

Add one tablespoon of vinegar for each egg to be poached, and let simmer.

Crack your eggs individually into small dishes (ramekins, for example), and when the water is simmering, slip the egg into the water as gently as you can. If necessary, check that the white is covered by tapping the surface of the water with a slotted spoon.

Let cook for 2 to 6 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. Test them by picking the egg up in the slotted spoon, and jiggling it. The whites should be firm to the touch.

Take the egg out of the water with the slotted spoon, and drain it on a paper towel to get the water off.

Adorn with a little salt and pepper, and be prepared for glory on a plate.

Also be prepared for it to be gone in about two minutes.

Success!

Why Now?

Because I just graduated and am feeling a bit at sea.

Because I have a new kitchen, and want to learn how to cook beyond my limited repertoire.

Because my friends are hither and yon, and in general they all like food porn.


I know that there are other food blogs out there, but this will be a nice place for me to gather and keep track of what I have done, if I write in a regular basis. If you would like to follow, welcome.

A few ground rules:
I will do my best to use fresh foods and healthy cooking techniques.
I will do my best to make the meals cheap. (I don't have the budget for steak and lobster, though I love them oh so much.)
I will always try to make the food delicious. (That just makes my job easier.)
I will try to always include photos, if not of the process, then of the finished dish.
And last but not at all least:
I will try and make foods that people normally buy ready made, to see if making them from scratch is really as hard as we all think.

Bon Appetite!