Hey, everybody! I am so sorry that I haven't posted in over a month. I've been doing a lot of cooking, but they are all recipes that I cannot post on my blog. One of them will be my entry for the upcoming Red Robin Kids' Cook Off (and I don't think I'm allowed to post that online), and the others are recipes for my upcoming cooking class. I also made some halibut, but I still need to try putting them in fish tacos. I also made a potato salad (so good!) but I'm on the hunt for some teen cooking contests, and I'm saving that recipe for the contests since it was so delicious.
Anyway, my friend Hannah and I filmed a video where we parodied E.T. by Katy Perry. This is from two months ago. I had been trying to edit it on my computer, but no matter how much I overlapped the clips, there were very choppy transitions. Last night, I finally got the chance to use Movie Maker on my mom's computer and it worked! So enjoy the video! Please leave a comment and subscribe if you haven't already! I will be uploading another very, very soon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDgKLsX41w8
Thanks so much for watching my videos!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Delicious Deli Meat
Hey, everybody! I have a post on a super awesome sandwich that I ate a few minutes ago. I know the poll results aren't final, but it looks like Mediterranean Pita is the winner. Even so, I thought I'd post a recipe for a delicious deli meat sandwich. I've never been much of a fan of what most call "lunchmeat," but lately I've actually enjoyed ordering paninis with chicken "lunchmeat" on them. As I was thinking about ways to make my own deli meat sandwich (I prefer the term "deli meat" over "lunchmeat"), I decided I'd find random things in the fridge and turn it into a warm sandwich. I had apples, gouda cheese, lots of tarragon, and lettuce. These ingredients work beautifully with each other, so I figured I'd combine them in an amazing sandwich. My dog got to eat the leftovers, and she came back to me wanting more! This sandwich works very well with homemade bread, but you can definitely use storebought bread if that's all you have on hand.
Turkey and Apple Sandwich with Tarragon Butter
Serves 1
Ingredients
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 or 2 slices all natural turkey deli meat
1/4 of a cameo apple, thiny sliced
1/4 cup shredded gouda cheese
1 small leaf of lettuce
2 tbsp minced tarragon
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
Canola or olive oil spray
Preparation
1. Combine minced tarragon, butter and olive oil in a very small bowl or ramakin. Spread the tarragon butter on both slices of bread.
2. Heat a pan with a bit of canola or olive oil spray on medium heat. Place a slice of bread in the pan, tarragon butter side up. Layer with sliced apples, shredded gouda, slice(s) of turkey, lettuce and the other slice of bread. Spray the top slice of bread with oil spray. Check periodically to see if the bottom slice of bread is golden-brown and crispy, and when it is, flip over the sandwich with a large spatula (the kind that you would use to flip pancakes or a crepe). Once the other side is crispy and golden-brown, remove sandwich from eat and cut into 2 triangles. Serve with your choice of grapes or cherries on the side.
The winner of the poll will have a video made to demonstrate how to make it. The rest will get pictures and/or recipes posted. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel, follow this blog, and pass on this link to your friends that love to cook!
Turkey and Apple Sandwich with Tarragon Butter
Serves 1
Ingredients
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 or 2 slices all natural turkey deli meat
1/4 of a cameo apple, thiny sliced
1/4 cup shredded gouda cheese
1 small leaf of lettuce
2 tbsp minced tarragon
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
Canola or olive oil spray
Preparation
1. Combine minced tarragon, butter and olive oil in a very small bowl or ramakin. Spread the tarragon butter on both slices of bread.
2. Heat a pan with a bit of canola or olive oil spray on medium heat. Place a slice of bread in the pan, tarragon butter side up. Layer with sliced apples, shredded gouda, slice(s) of turkey, lettuce and the other slice of bread. Spray the top slice of bread with oil spray. Check periodically to see if the bottom slice of bread is golden-brown and crispy, and when it is, flip over the sandwich with a large spatula (the kind that you would use to flip pancakes or a crepe). Once the other side is crispy and golden-brown, remove sandwich from eat and cut into 2 triangles. Serve with your choice of grapes or cherries on the side.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Fourth of July and a Cooking Class
Hey, everybody! I had so much fun cooking a red, white and blue meal on the Fourth of July: Strawberry Melon Gazpacho, Chicken with Lemon Yogurt Sauce, and Blue "French Fries." The Strawberry Melon Gazpacho was a free recipe I picked up at Whole Foods, and it was interesting. The cucumber in it was weird, considering the other ingredients were strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe and lime juice. The chicken was my own recipe. It was simple and delicious! As for the "fries," I used beautiful blue potatoes and cut them into french fry shapes. I coated them in olive oil and spices, and roasted them in the oven. They were delicious!
Chicken with Lemon Yogurt Sauce
Serves 4-8
Ingredients
4 split (2 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, minced
Olive oil
1 cup plain yogurt
The zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation
1. Preheat grill. Put chicken in a glass dish. Toss with enough olive oil to coat the chicken. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and minced garlic.
2. Combine yogurt, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings if needed.
3. Grill the chicken for about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve chicken with yogurt sauce.
I have pictures of everything I made, but they're all terrible because we forgot to take pictures until halfway through dinner... oops. The chicken is half-eaten and the other dishes are almost gone from the bowl.
On July 9th, I taught a cooking class! A girl that's going into 5th grade at my school won it as an auction item. We made pizza, Italian Wedding Soup, Italian Salad, and appetizers with grape tomatoes, mozzarella balls, and basil. For a beverage, we made watermelon lemonade. Everything we ate was delicious! Here are some photos.
My blog link has now been posted on http://dinnertool.com/! http://dinnertool.com/ is an online meal planning website. I think that after you've planned a meal, they show you a list of great cooking blogs and websites. Mine is one of those! So make sure you check out http://dinnertool.com/ to support both of our websites.
Chicken with Lemon Yogurt Sauce
Serves 4-8
Ingredients
4 split (2 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, minced
Olive oil
1 cup plain yogurt
The zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation
1. Preheat grill. Put chicken in a glass dish. Toss with enough olive oil to coat the chicken. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and minced garlic.
2. Combine yogurt, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings if needed.
3. Grill the chicken for about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve chicken with yogurt sauce.
I have pictures of everything I made, but they're all terrible because we forgot to take pictures until halfway through dinner... oops. The chicken is half-eaten and the other dishes are almost gone from the bowl.
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| Blue: Blue Fries |
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| White: Chicken with Lemon Yogurt Sauce. |
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| Red: Strawberry Melon Gazpacho |
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| Slicing tomatoes |
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| We're ready to eat! |
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| The pizza. Yummmmm! |
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| Our salad |
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Mexican Wedding Soup: Revised
Hey, everybody! I apologize for not posting... I've been a little lazy in the blogging world these past few days. Fortunately, my work in the kitchen has not been lazy at all. After I made Salmon Salad, I had Honey Mustard Chicken and Veggie Kabobs, a great recipe I picked up for free at Whole Foods. The next day, I had a Greek Salad. It wasn't really that special, so I won't post it here because it was so ordinary. The day after that, I revised Mexican Wedding Soup to fit my newly discovered sensitivity/intolerance/allergy (it hasn't been looked at by a doctor, but I'm seeing signs of the beginning of an allergy) to carrots. To make the meatballs moist, I used grated zucchini and squeezed the water out of it. Instead of diced carrots, I made it with diced yams. My parents loved it, but I wasn't so sure. There was just something off about it (for me), but my parents totally disagreed. Weird. If you want to try this recipe and tell me what you think and how I can improve it, please email me at tweenchef123@gmail.com asking for the recipe. Here's a photo.
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| Anything you think I can improve? |
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Salmon Salad with Spicy Nuts and Cilantro Dressing
Hey, everybody! For my meal on Wednesday, I made a delicious and healthy salmon salad. On the weekend, my parents went to a restaurant and came home with glowing reviews of the food. My mom described her dinner: salmon served on a bed of field greens with a lime-cilantro dressing and spicy walnuts. I loved the idea of that so much that I recreated the dish.
Salmon Salad with Spicy Nuts and Cilantro Dressing
Serves 5
Ingredients
1.5 lbs wild salmon filet
1 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large head red-leaf lettuce
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 cup pecans
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder
For dressing:
3/4 a bunch cilantro
1/2 of a Granny Smith apple, seeds removed and core on
The juice of 1 1/2 lemons
1 1/2 jalapeño peppers
1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil (start with a 1/4, and adjust as needed)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation
1. Make a tray out of tin foil by folding over the sides and folding them up so they are rigid. Rub salmon with cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic. Then, drizzle 2 tbsp of the olive oil on top.
2. Thoroughly rinse the lettuce in a large bowl of cold water and dry with a salad spinner. Coarsley chop and make a bed of it on each plate. Sprinkle the chunks of pepper and tomato on the lettuce.
3. Heat a small skillet on medium heat with the remaining olive oil. Add nuts and spices and sautee for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Once the nuts have cooled, chop them just a little bit (you want them to be no smaller than your fingernail).
4. Remove the stem from the jalapeño. Half lengthwise and remove the seeds and most of the membrane. Combine all of the dressing ingredients the food processor. Process until it looks similar to pesto.
5. Top each bed of lettuce with a piece of salmon. Garnish with spicy nuts and pour dressing on top. Serve.
More recipes and pictures will be coming soon! I'll also share my 4th of July meals with you. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel, follow this blog, and spread the word!
Salmon Salad with Spicy Nuts and Cilantro Dressing
Serves 5
Ingredients
1.5 lbs wild salmon filet
1 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large head red-leaf lettuce
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 cup pecans
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder
For dressing:
3/4 a bunch cilantro
1/2 of a Granny Smith apple, seeds removed and core on
The juice of 1 1/2 lemons
1 1/2 jalapeño peppers
1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil (start with a 1/4, and adjust as needed)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation
1. Make a tray out of tin foil by folding over the sides and folding them up so they are rigid. Rub salmon with cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic. Then, drizzle 2 tbsp of the olive oil on top.
2. Thoroughly rinse the lettuce in a large bowl of cold water and dry with a salad spinner. Coarsley chop and make a bed of it on each plate. Sprinkle the chunks of pepper and tomato on the lettuce.
3. Heat a small skillet on medium heat with the remaining olive oil. Add nuts and spices and sautee for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Once the nuts have cooled, chop them just a little bit (you want them to be no smaller than your fingernail).
4. Remove the stem from the jalapeño. Half lengthwise and remove the seeds and most of the membrane. Combine all of the dressing ingredients the food processor. Process until it looks similar to pesto.
5. Top each bed of lettuce with a piece of salmon. Garnish with spicy nuts and pour dressing on top. Serve.
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| The final product! |
Monday, June 27, 2011
Summer So Far
Hey, everybody! Sorry I haven't posted in awhile; I haven't created any outstanding recipes lately, so there was no reason to post anything. However, I anticipate some super tasty dinners for the next week! I have recently been put in charge of planning my family's meals one week at a time. I'll post recipes of my upcoming dinners throughout this week, but for now, enjoy photos of my friend Hannah and I making homemade pizzas! And no, I do not have a recipe for pizza. I can't bake to save my life, so unfortunately I can't produce a pizza crust formula. Instead, I found a recipe for quick-rising pizza crust on http://allrecipes.com/. Everyone loved dinner that night.
Please stay tuned in the next week to see the results of the meals I have planned! One of them is a remake of Mexican Wedding Soup; I had to readjust it because I recently discovered that I'm intolerant to carrots, which was one of the main ingredients in it. Afterward, I will also share my 4th of July experience and pictures from my upcoming cooking classes that I'm instructing! Stay healthy!
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| My dad's pizza |
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| Grant (Hannah's brother) and his pepperoni pizza |
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| Hannah's pizza has a face! |
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| My mom's gluten-free pizza |
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| My pizza, made with tomato sauce, cheese, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, basil, and arugula |
Friday, June 10, 2011
Vegetarian Lasagna
Hey, everybody! Already I have a new recipe for something and summer break started ten hours ago. I made a spectacular vegetable lasagna. I layered lasgna noodles, homemade chunky marinara sauce, marscapone cheese (I don't like ricotta, and people that do like ricotta agree that marscapone is better), mozzarella cheese, zucchini, spinach, and basil. My parents said that my lasagna was the best lasagna they had ever eaten.
Vegetarian Lasagna
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 (16 oz) package lasagna noodles
1 medium-sized zucchini
1 (16 oz) package fresh baby spinach
1 (28 oz) can organic diced tomatoes
2 roma tomatoes, diced
2 egg-sized balls mozzarella cheese, packed in water
1 cup marscapone cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated asiago cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large handfuls basil, finely chopped
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once thoroughly heated, add the garlic and sautee for about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and wait until it simmers. Add a third of the basil and stir. Remove from heat.
2. While the marinara sauce is being prepared, boil some water for the pasta (make sure you have more water than you think you need). Add salt, a bit of olive oil, and the noodles. Stir well and cook according to the directions on the package. Drain noodles and rinse in cold water.
3. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, and each half in half lengthwise again. Cut each long strip of zucchini into thin chunks. Slice the mozzarella into thin slices. Using your hands, break apart the slices into thin strips. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the asiago cheese.
4. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and sautee for about 4 minutes. Add all of the spinach. Press it down to compress it as much as possible. As the spinach on the bottom begins to wilt, the mound on spinach will decrease in height until eventually, you can stir the spinach enough to wilt it evenly. Remove from heat.
5. In a 9x13 glass dish, use one third of the noodles to create an overlapping layer of pasta on the bottom of the dish. Spread a third of the marinara sauce on top of the noodles. Spread half of the marscapone on top of the marinara. If it doesn't spread well, that is okay. The marinara and marscapone can mingle together if needed, creating a layer of creamy marinara. Sprinkle the bottom layer with a third of the mozzarella. Add half of the zucchini and spinach. Cover with another layer of noodles, making sure that they are arranged in a different direction than the noodles on the bottom layer. For example, the bottom layer of noodles is going horizontally from your perspective. The next layer of noodles should be arranged vertically from your perspective. Repeat the filling process with the next layer. Put the remaining noodles on top. Spread marinara on top and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and asiago.
6. Bake lasagna for 45 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and mozzarella is melted. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining basil and serve.
Another thing I want to talk about is Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, a truly incredible show. Jamie Oliver is very dedicated to changing the food that this country eats. This show has impacted my motives so much that I posted the link to my speech on a Facebook page supporting the Food Revolution. You can make a difference by going to http://www.jamieoliver.com/ and getting involved. Stay healthy!
Vegetarian Lasagna
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 (16 oz) package lasagna noodles
1 medium-sized zucchini
1 (16 oz) package fresh baby spinach
1 (28 oz) can organic diced tomatoes
2 roma tomatoes, diced
2 egg-sized balls mozzarella cheese, packed in water
1 cup marscapone cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated asiago cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large handfuls basil, finely chopped
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once thoroughly heated, add the garlic and sautee for about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and wait until it simmers. Add a third of the basil and stir. Remove from heat.
2. While the marinara sauce is being prepared, boil some water for the pasta (make sure you have more water than you think you need). Add salt, a bit of olive oil, and the noodles. Stir well and cook according to the directions on the package. Drain noodles and rinse in cold water.
3. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, and each half in half lengthwise again. Cut each long strip of zucchini into thin chunks. Slice the mozzarella into thin slices. Using your hands, break apart the slices into thin strips. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the asiago cheese.
4. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and sautee for about 4 minutes. Add all of the spinach. Press it down to compress it as much as possible. As the spinach on the bottom begins to wilt, the mound on spinach will decrease in height until eventually, you can stir the spinach enough to wilt it evenly. Remove from heat.
5. In a 9x13 glass dish, use one third of the noodles to create an overlapping layer of pasta on the bottom of the dish. Spread a third of the marinara sauce on top of the noodles. Spread half of the marscapone on top of the marinara. If it doesn't spread well, that is okay. The marinara and marscapone can mingle together if needed, creating a layer of creamy marinara. Sprinkle the bottom layer with a third of the mozzarella. Add half of the zucchini and spinach. Cover with another layer of noodles, making sure that they are arranged in a different direction than the noodles on the bottom layer. For example, the bottom layer of noodles is going horizontally from your perspective. The next layer of noodles should be arranged vertically from your perspective. Repeat the filling process with the next layer. Put the remaining noodles on top. Spread marinara on top and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and asiago.
6. Bake lasagna for 45 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and mozzarella is melted. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining basil and serve.
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| The final product! |
Vista Speaks
Hey, everybody! I haven't posted in awhile because of my busy schedule and I'm so sorry! I figured that the end of the school year would free up more of my time, but apparently not. I had to write, memorize, and present a speech in Humanities. My speech was about... you guessed it... healthy eating and preventing obesity. I posted the link. Please look at all of my other videos if you haven't already! The best part about the speech is that I got 100% on it!
I'm on summer break now, so more videos and posts will definitely be coming because I'll have all day to goof around in the kitchen. I promise you ALMOST No-Bake Mac n' Cheese is coming this summer, and so is Gluten-Free Peach Crisp!
I'm on summer break now, so more videos and posts will definitely be coming because I'll have all day to goof around in the kitchen. I promise you ALMOST No-Bake Mac n' Cheese is coming this summer, and so is Gluten-Free Peach Crisp!
Please leave a comment either on the post or on YouTube! Subscribe to me or follow my blog if you have a Google account. I really appreciate your support! Please share this video with your friends; I'm really passionate about this topic and I want to spread the word!
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