Italia at Home [Inspired by Gordon Ramsey]

 So lately I've been on a cooking kick. And because of this I have successfully devoured the 10 seasons of Hell's Kitchen I previous had not seen ( I watched 11 as it aired this year), and I also watched all of MasterChef this year. The one thing that Gordon seems to spend more time yelling about than anything else is Risotto.

Seriously, the man screams about it constantly. And I thought to myself "well, if he's so hell bent on everybody knowing how to make the shit, I will learn!"

Having NEVER attempted risotto in my life, and having only the brief knowledge of what I'd watched people cook on tv (and a glance at a few online recipes) I embarked on my risotto quest.

With this image firmly implanted in my mind:

I began

Mushroom Risotto with Caprese Salad

What you need:

Basmati Rice

Stock (chicken, vegetable, whatever)

Butter

Olive Oil

Mushrooms

Onions

Scallions

White Wine

Garlic

Salt

So I started with two pans the first with Basmati Rice (washed) and two ladles worth of vegetable stock. I then proceeded to add another ladle every time it didn't look 'wet' anymore while stirring.

In the other pan I sautéed olive oil, minced garlic, chopped onions, and scallions until they were caramelized.

I then put them in a separate container to the side.

In that same pan I then added 1/2 stick of butter, mushrooms (chopped) and sautéed

After they were cooked I then threw the onion/garlic/scallion mix back into the pan and stirred. I then topped it off with half a cup of white wine.

By this time my risotto finally looked fluffy (and didn't taste crunchy) 

I poured the contents of one pan into the other.

Stirred.

Vwallah!

It turned out PRETTY DAMN GOOD. I was proud.

Yes chef!

Fake-a-mole!

So normally if I were making guacamole where I'd go to the store and buy everything I needed it would include:
2-3 avocados
a jar of mild salsa (wouldn't use the whole jar, but you can't buy 1/4 jar)
lowfat sour cream
a lime
minced garlic
tube of cilantro paste
baked scoops

However, as I had two avocados in my fridge that I needed to use and was looking for a snack option I decided to take a stab at what i'm lovingly calling fake-a-mole.

2 Avocados peeled, sliced, and smashed with a potato smasher
1/2 cup of nonfat greek yogurt
1 lime (squeezed then pulp added to mix)
2 small onions (diced, sweated with garlic, and added to mixture)
1 tbsp minced garlic (which I cooked down with the onions)
a hearty sprinkle of seasoning salt
wheat thins

Without adding pre-made salsa it keeps that nice green color. The texture is amazing. The bite from the greek yogurt is exactly what the very mild avocados need. And guys, I've gotta be honest, this may be my new recipe for how I make guac. And I may never eat it with anything but wheat thins again.

This is SO much healthier than the way I normally make it. Everything is whole ingredients. Most of it is fresh. And it was SO easy. So, hooray for fake-a-mole!

Home Sweet Home

Pinterest DIY Home Board
http://pinterest.com/marlipaige/diy-home/


Bread
http://pinterest.com/pin/141089400797199938/

I used the "Amish White Bread" recipe. Super easy. But instead of using bread pans I used my baking stone I got for Christmas. They turned out as beautiful round white loaves.

Clean Microwave
http://pinterest.com/pin/141089400797137982/

So I did not take before and after pictures with mine, but I wasn't that impressed anyway. It was...a little dirty before. Some stuck on stuff because I had recently scrubbed it. And afterward it was...still a little dirty. I mean..it cleaned off SOME things, but not everything. And it certainly wasn't the MIRACULOUS solution pictured.



Clean House
http://pinterest.com/pin/141089400797128878/

I did indeed boil orange peels for an hour and the house did indeed smell pretty good. I harvested all the leftover juice and peels for cleaners.



DIY Pam / Cooking Spray
http://pinterest.com/pin/141089400797413489/

This absolutely works exactly the same. It's a 5:1 ratio. 5 water: 1 oil. Works JUST as well.

Trial and error PINTOPIA

So I heard the other day of a blogger who keeps track of everything that she pins on pinterest that she then tries out. She shows step by step how she followed the directions, and how it went. And I thought to myself "WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT!?!"So...we'll see how that goes. I will probably throw in individual projects that I didn't get off pinterest as well. I will probably just add those to pinterest for others.

So! Let the PINTOPIA begin!


http://pinterest.com/marlipaige/

New Year, New Hair, New Me

So I started 2011 off with a bang. I dyed my hair. You say, well that's not that weird, but for about 98% of my life i've been blonde. I took a brief stint as a redhead before which turned out disastrous and turned me into a brunette (which I am not). This time I put my trust in my friend Aliya, and it turned out wonderful, though.

My new obsession with cooking continues as I made up my own recipee for teriyaki chicken, and it actually turned out really freaking awesome. Tonight boyfriend and I are gonna make a stab at tempura and sushi. Pray for us that we don't burn ourselves or end up with food poisoning.

School starts on Monday. I don't want to go, not even a little bit. I know it'll be good for me. I know I should. It doesn't matter, I don't want to do it. I've enjoyed my break so much, and I dread going back. I'm so terrified that I'll do poorly this semester (as that seems to be the trend since coming to ksu that I can't do well) and lose hope. And i'm not losing hope. If I lose hope that means I have to take out loans or go home, neither of which I really want to do, but one or the other will have to be done.

Still debating unifides. I need to debate quicker as the deadline is fast approaching. Still need to figure out what i'm doing for my birthday...but it's really difficult to decide when A. I have no idea how many people will feel like showing up that day B. I want to have a good time. C. I need it to be somewhere people under 21 can get in so that Tina and Katie can come. D. most people won't show up if they can't drink. E. I don't want various groups from my life to come and me not be able to talk to them. F. I want it to be enjoyable for everyone, but mostly me because hey, it's my damn birthday.

Still debating making my own cake as well. I'd love to have it made, but I don't have the money...so....probably making my own. Debating the idea of cupcakes. Again, problem with not knowing how many people will be there. Aliya showed me a good, cheap fondant recipee so I may go with that and attempt my own cake. If I knew it wouldn't turn out horribly ugly then i'd be gung ho to do it myself. Oh well, guess we'll see.

Thanks to anyone who reads my ramblings.
Marli