Cooking extravaganza

So last night I made a real dinner for myself and a friend.  And I did it all by myself.

Originally, I was just going to make the dinner, and then take a picture of the result.  But as I started slicing and dicing and frying and cooking, I realized that I needed to document the whole process!  Obviously!

So here goes a whirlwind account of my cooking experience:

First, I wrote up my recipe plan for the chicken dish I was going to make.  I posted this on my fridge for easy-reading.

Simple, but delicious recipe

(And by the way, the plumber magnet is unrelated to the recipe.)

Then I proceeded to slice the chicken, and I didn't cut myself!  Yay, go me!

Yum, raw chicken breasts.

Then I threw some sweet potatoes in the microwave for 10 minutes.  These are going to be my secret side-dish.

Then I seared the chicken breasts.  Searing is my favorite thing to do with all things chicken and beef.  It's easy and makes things delicious.

Sear in hot pan for awesomeness.

Then I sauced and onioned the seared chicken in an aluminum pan.  This is the heart of my recipe cuz you get to do whatever you want.  BBQ sauce, teriyaki, duck sauce, whatever.  Everything goes.  I even put some sliced onions and some avocado on one of the chicken breasts.

(are you getting hungry yet?)

Then I sliced up the cooked sweet potatoes, put them in the chicken pan, and baked the whole lot for 15 minutes.

In the words of my dinnermate Shanna, "This picture does not do justice to this chicken."

(She also said the chicken was inappropriately delicious. Does that make sense?)

In the end, the food turned out really really good.  The chicken was super moist (as a result of the searing I think.)  The onions were delicious, and the avocado was also super tasty.  And the sweet potatoes turned out hot and slightly crispy (as intended), but still very melt-in-your-mouth-ish.

I will definitely be making this recipe more often.  It's easy and fun to make, and it turns out damn good every time (almost).

Bon Appetite!

My own kitchen - uh oh

One major difference between living in a dorm/frat, and living in my own apartment is the kitchen.

I am definitely NOT a chef. I like simple-to-make foods, that involve easy cleanup. But I like foods that make me THINK I'm doing advanced cooking. For example, my friend Stephen Fried (edit: who originally learned this recipe from Sara Segal) taught me a great way of making mac-and-cheese using a ChefMate hot-water pot. It doesn't involve EasyMac or powdered cheese, but it's pretty simple and tastes good.

1. boil water

2. add pasta

3. when pasta is done, drain water

4. add cheese, mix

5. eat

I don't know why I am so obsessed with this recipe. It's stupidly simple, but it makes me feel like I'm doing real cooking. And I'm excited to try a few different variations, like adding salsa or marinara or BBQ sauce. Or mixing in some broccoli or tuna. The possibilities are endless, and it's so gourmet!!

Anyway, I also have a toaster oven, a microwave, and a frying pan. When I start to use these things, I will have to find some new simple, "gourmet" recipes to try. If you have any suggestions, please share!