On the First Day of Christmas my true love gave to me….

Four really expensive steaks to cook! Talk about pressure! Oh, and it was Christmas dinner! Oh, and it was my one hundredth recipe!

But, you know what….I did it! I cooked Grilled Filet Mignon with Horseradish Sauce (pg. 232 and 210) on my amazing grill pan and it was delicious. I mean really, really good! I didn't over cook them. The timing for the meal went well (we also had peas, potatoes, rolls). Now, my pan was a little too hot in the beginning and I had a scary moment there where the smoke detectors might go off but husband opened the back door, we turned on the vent and in a few minutes everything was okay.

I did it! I got to 100 recipes by Christmas Day. In total, I cooked 12 recipes the week of Christmas! I think I'll take tomorrow off.

Recipes cooked: 101
Recipes left: 72
Days left: 70

On Christmas Eve Morning, I made Jamie's Healthier Full Monty (pg. 298). The title of this recipe of course makes me think of the naked men in the 90's English movie by the same name. And that then makes me remember that Jamie Oliver's nickname is the Naked Chef. Ha! Ha! Too funny. Now what naked men and breakfast have in common I'm not quite sure so I do a little googling to find out that Full Monty is English slang for "the whole lot" or "complete" (as in completely nude). An American equivalent might be the phrase "the whole nine yards" or "the whole ball of wax" or "the whole enchilada." You get the idea. So, now I understand. He means the complete English breakfast, not naked guys in a calendar. :)
So, Jamie's breakfast consists of poached eggs, bacon, sausage, tomatoes, portobello mushrooms, baked beans, and toast. The bacon, sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms he does under the broiler (healthier than the traditional method of frying). I confess, on this particular morning I skipped the baked beans because I knew on one would eat them with me. My poached eggs still need work but I'm getting better. I really want to master this because they are very tasty. It was good and reminded husband and I of the hotel and B&B breakfasts during our first anniversary trip to London many moons ago.
Recipes cooked: 99
Recipes left: 74
Days left: 71

December 23rd. Two more days before my deadline. I decided to make Super Quick Salmon Stir-Fry (pg. 70) and Lemon, Ginger and Turmeric Rice (pg. 96). Jamie says that this is one of the fastest suppers ever and warns that you need to get everything ready before starting. So, I got the water for the rice going first and then did all the chopping for both recipes. The stir fry part did only take about 10 minutes from start to finish. The rice had really good flavor but wasn't too over powering. It is a great, quick meal that I know we'll make again!

Jamie's Super-Quick Salmon Stir Fry
Food Revolution (pg. 70)

3/4 lb of salmon fillet, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup of raw shelled peanuts (crush with a pestle and mortar or in a plastic bag with a rolling pin)
2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
a thumb size of ginger (finely chopped)
1 fresh red chile (I skipped this to make it less spicy for the kids)
Small bunch of fresh cilantro (separate the leaves from stalk, and finely chop stalks)
peanut or vegetable oil (I used peanut, it gives more flavor)
1 heaping TBS of tandoori or mild curry paste
large handful of snow peas
7 oz. of coconut milk
handful of beans prouts
1 lime

Heat wok on high add two lugs of oil. Add garlic, ginger, chile, and cilantro stalks. Stir 30 seconds add curry paste cook for another 30 seconds. Add salmon, cook for another minute then add coconut milk and peas. Cook for another minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice, garnish with bean sprouts, cilantro leaves, peanuts, and squeeze of lime.

Recipes cooked: 98
Recipes left: 75
Days left: 72

Last summer, while talking to some friends about my blog, I mentioned that one thing Jamie suggests is a cooking party where you teach people to make one of the recipes. I think I also posted something about it on here too. I got such a great response it got me thinking about how I would possibly fit everyone that wanted to come into my kitchen. I thought maybe I needed to do some research about places where I could have it. During my search, I called our local Whole Foods to see if they would rent me their culinary center for my dinner. She really liked the idea of my blog and asked if I'd be willing to teach a class instead. Me? Teach a cooking class? How exciting! So, last month we met and now I'll be teaching a class on January 25! I hope you'll join me...


http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/annapolisculinary/store-calendar/

It was December 21, my Christmas shopping wasn't done, I hadn't finished sending out my Christmas cards, I hadn't bought any food for the big day or baked a single cookie but I was determined to make recipe #96, Granola (pg. 316). Kid had her Christmas Concert at school that night, it was 8 p.m. and we were just getting started and I was beginning to think that my priorities were a little screwed up. Okay they were really twisted.

Let's back up a minute. December 1st I had the BRILLIANT idea that it would be great if I could get to 100 recipes by Christmas. The only problem was that I was only on #83 and I had a very busy 24 days coming up. By Dec. 12, I had only progressed to #89 and the following weekend was a loss since we would be visiting relatives the next state over on Saturday, and on Sunday the kid's Brownie troop was going to see the Nutcracker. The Sunday night and Monday night before Christmas I got a lot done but I still had 5 recipes to complete before Dec. 25. Tuesday I was watching my applesauce loving niece and that night was the Christmas Concert I mentioned above (she plays the violin). There was much to cook and very little time to do it in.

So, with my family looking at me from across the kitchen island like I had really lost my mind, I pulled out the ingredients for the granola. Even though they thought I was nuts, I do think they had fun helping me make it. We took turns dumping the ingredients onto a cookie sheet (the kind with sides): 2 cups of quick cook oats, 3/4 cup shredded coconut, 1 heaped cup of mixed nuts (I used a mixture of walnuts and almonds), 1/4 cup of mixed seeds (all I had was sunflower), 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Then Kid and I drizzled 5 tablespoons of maple syrup and 5 tablespoons of olive oil on top. Gave it a good stir and popped in the oven (preheated to 350). The Granola does require a bit of babysitting, you're suppose to stir every 5 minutes or so and cook for a total of 25 to 30 minutes. So we stuck close by the kitchen, I actually worked on writing blog entries in between hopping up and stirring the granola. When it was nice and golden, we let it cool and then added 1 1/2 cups of dried fruit (I used raisins and Craisins which were very festive).

We made 3 batches that night then packaged them in pretty little jars, tied ribbons around them and delivered them to neighbors and friends the next day.

So, do you think I reached my goal? Stay tuned….

Merry Christmas everyone!
Love,
Amy

Recipes cooked: 96
Recipes left: 77
Days left: 74

I have lofty goals for this busy time of year (be sure to read my next entry) and I really just need to check these off my list. I have no exciting story, I can't say that either one was the best or worst recipe I've cooked. I really just need to check them off the list…

Recipe #94: Hardly Any Prep Shrimp Stir Fry on page pg. 66
A key ingredient to this recipe is Five Spice Powder and I couldn't find any anywhere so ours was a bit bland. The kid seemed to like it a bit so that was good but all of us agreed that it was not very memorable.

Recipe #95: Banana and dulce de leche with vanilla ice cream pg. 326
Just like the other ice cream recipes I knew no one would eat this but me so I made a small bowl just to check it off the list. It was yummy but don't know if it will be one to repeat.

Recipes cooked: 95
Recipes left: 78
Days left: 74

Monday night I made Vegetable Jalfrezi (pg. 77), Jamie's Light and Fluffy Rice (pg. 95) and turned that into Cilantro and Lime rice on page 96.

Now, if you've been reading my blog for awhile you know I have talked about rice a lot. So much that I was convinced I had already tried Jamie's Fluffy Rice recipe but my very diligent notes (there are spreadsheets and calendars, people!) indicate that I have not. I was super excited to check three things off my list.

Rice: I can't believe I'm going to say this but it went off without a hitch! Shocking!
Here's how Jamie does it….

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/rice-recipes/light-and-fluffy-rice


Cilantro & Lime add-ons:
Once the rice was done I added a mixture of lime zest, chopped cilantro and lime juice and gave it a good stir. Drizzle over a bit of olive oil, sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste and give it another stir. It was tasty!

Curry: This curry was fun to make and tasted really good. It has butternut squash, cauliflower, red peppers, tomatoes and garbanzo beans as the main ingredients. Its a great vegetarian dish and I was very surprised how filling the squash and beans could be. Even your meat-loving friends will enjoy it. I couldn't get the kids to try it but I think I'd still make it again. Here's the link:

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/curry-recipes/vegetable-jelfrazi

Now this recipe makes a TON of curry. We had so much left over that I texted my neighbor to see if she wanted some too….

Me: have u eaten yet & do u like curry? hav some veggie jalfrezi leftover
Neighbor: No and yes!
She was so excited she called to confirm the pick up details. She was on her way home from work and would be pulling into the neighborhood in a few minutes. She pulled into my driveway and when she gave the signal, I ran out with a to-go bag (complete with plain yogurt, cilantro and lemon on the side) in my fuzzy lavender slippers.

Sharing is fun!

Recipes cooked: 93
Recipes left: 80
Days left: 75

Simple being the key word here, I whipped this up earlier this week.

Simple Pan-Fried Trout
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution pg. 254

2 Chunky trout fillets, skin on, scaled and bones removed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive Oil
a pat of butter
a few big handfuls of fresh spinach
1 lemon

Rub the fillets with salt, pepper and oil

Get a non-stick frying pan nice and hot on a medium to high heat.

Add the fillets, skin down and cook for 3 minutes until crisp.

While cooking, shake the pan around a little.

When the heat has crept up nearly to the top of the fish, flip them over and cook for another 30 seconds.

Remove from heat and place on the serving plates, skin side up.

Add the butter and spinach to the pan with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and place back on the heat.
Keep moving the spinach around for just a minute and after its wilted take it off the heat.
Serve your fillets with the spinach and lemon wedges on the side.

Recipes cooked: 90
Recipes left: 83
Days left: 76

One Sunday in December, I decided to tackle another Roast Dinner recipe. I picked the Pork Roast (pg. 195) and I decided to make the applesauce (pg. 210) to go with it. I was super excited about making the applesauce. The recipe seemed so easy!

The pork roast turned out awesome! It was moist and delicious. I tend to be a bit overly cautious when cooking meat and it ends up being over cooked. So, I decided to stick to Jamie's recipe to the letter. This is cooked much like the Roast Chicken I did. It seems the two tricks are making a "rack" of veggies below the meat and also preheating your oven to the highest it will go and then cranking it down a bit (400 degrees) when you put the meat it. I even forgot to baste it until the very end and it was still moist and great.

The applesauce (recipe below) was so good. It smelled good while it was cooking and it tasted delicious on its own and also with the pork. My family wasn't as excited about the applesauce as I was and I was a bit bummed. I really needed someone to get as giddy as I was about this yummy treat. Hmmmm. Who could that be? My niece! Of course! Let's call her Si-Wy (see-wee). She is almost 16 months and the girl loves good food. She and my sister were coming over the very next day and I knew I had to make a second batch. Now remember, I have a thing with repeating Jamie recipes. Husband and Kid have both asked for repeats and I always say no because why should I make it again when I need to check something new off the list? But I needed an enthusiastic response to my new discovery and I knew Si-Wy would not disappoint me. So the next day, I picked up the few ingredients again before they came over. Now, my sister and I are trying to make lunch with both toddlers. My son adores his little cousin. She can get away with quite a lot with him. She drags him around wherever she wants him, hugs him, kisses him, takes what he's playing with and he just looks up at us and smiles. For some reason, on this particular day, he was not his normal easy-going self. She seemed to be stressing him out. Needless to say, they both needed a bit of referee-ing and the applesauce ended up being more for lunchtime dessert than actually part of lunch. By the time it was ready, both babies had had enough and were ready for naps so I sent the applesauce home with Si-Wy for a treat later. I got a text later from my sister and just as I thought, she loved it! My sister asked for the recipe so they could make it AGAIN! Thanks Si-Wy!

Recipes cooked: 89
Recipes left: 84
Days left: 83

Here's the Applesauce Recipe, I really hope you'll try it:

Jamie Oliver's Applesauce
serves 4-6

3 good eating apples such as Macintosh
1/2 an orange
1 pat of butter
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 of a nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Peel and core your apples and chop them into roughly 1 inch pieces
Zest your orange half over a small saucepan and squeeze in the juice
Add the butter, sugar, and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves)
Put the pan over a low heat and let the butter gently melt
Stir until the butter looks all foamy, then stir in all the apple pieces
Place a lid on the pan and cook for 20-25 minutes on a medium to low heat
Stir occasionally until you have a soft, chunky sauce
Taste and add a bit more sugar if you think it needs it

If you read my last post you would understand why I had delirious visions of cooking another peaceful meal. If yesterday I was Snow White floating around my kitchen, having nostalgic visions of comforting meals of the past, than today I was a Desperate Housewife.

Husband and kid were at running club and I was trying to pull together the Ground Beef Wellington (pg. 156) with a needy toddler under foot. Keep in mind that this involves raw eggs and raw meat smooshed between my fingers, something I needed to prepare for mentally.

I was able to finish most of the chopping (onions, carrots, celery, potatoes and mushrooms and garlic) during the toddler's nap time. The next step, saute the chopped ingredients in a pan with some olive oil, I was able to do while toddler was eating his snack. Before the pretzels were gone, I picked the rosemary leaves, chopped them up and added them to the pan. It smelled great, by the way! While they cooked for about 8 minutes I put Max and Ruby on TV, ran back to the kitchen, added my frozen peas, stirred them in for about a minute and then put the mixture in a bowl to cool. Beat an egg. Put the ground beef in the bowl with half the egg and that's about when he decided to come bug me. Max and Ruby was over. The smooshing and delicate preparation of the dough and meat together was done with lots of fussing and whining by the toddler and growling by me. Of course my hands were nasty, I couldn't help him stick the Little People into the bus. Now this child is awesome at playing by himself ALL day…until now. I let him watch me roll out the dough and that kept him interested for a little while. I poured out my beef mixture, shaped it into a log and wrapped it in the pastry. One more episode of Max and Ruby and I was able to get it in the oven. No sooner had the oven door shut than husband and kid walked in. Of course, toddler was sitting angelically playing with his blocks by this point.
"How's it going?" husband said.
"Oh, fine," I said with a sigh.


Recipes cooked: 87
Recipes left: 86
Days left: 87
(Oh no, that's about one a day! Yikes!)

Last Tuesday, while husband was at work, kid was in school and the baby was down for a nap, I made Leek and Potato soup on page 130. It was actually quiet in my kitchen and I was able to think, which never happens. As I made the good hearty soup, I couldn't help but think of my adorable host mother from my semester in London. My two best friends and I shared a room in her house on Colney Hatch Lane (my favorite address ever) in north London. Mrs. K was a spunky Irish woman who always wore a housecoat and a white bun perched on top of her head. She called us "dear" and buzzed around the house, all four feet ten inches of her, like a little bee. She cooked the most amazing comfort food ever including remarkable mashed potatoes and this to-die-for apple crumble thing. We lived in London during the cold, rainy and dark winter months. After a day of battling with the unfamiliar culture, getting lost on the Tube and dealing with cranky professors who gave us too much work, there was nothing like coming home to her cooking. As soon as our cold wet selves turned the skeleton key and opened the big red door, we could smell that dinner. The first course was always our favorite, a good Irish soup, similar to Jamie's Leek and Potato. It always warmed our souls as we sipped the hot soup, discussing the details of our day. We all love our own mothers' cooking but nothing was as comforting and nourishing to mind, body and spirit as that amazing and magical soup. If you were able to catch a glimpse into her kitchen before she shooed you away, you may have caught Mrs. K throwing toast out of the second floor window to the birds in the garden below or heaving a bag of trash out of that same window! She never accepted our offer to dine with us but you could taste every morsel of love that she put into her cooking.

Recipes cooked: 86
Recipes left: 87
Days left: 88

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegeterian-recipes/leek-and-potato-soup-usa-version-imperia

That title doesn't even make any sense, does it? How can someone not look forward to ice cream? I love, love, love i-c-e-c-r-e-a-m (as we sometimes call it when my toddler is around). I have never met an ice cream I didn't like but two of Jamie's ice cream concoctions (pg.326) I knew I wouldn't be able to sell to the family, let alone myself. So, while husband was on his business trip, I put them together one night. I knew no one would eat them but a deal's a deal right? They had to get made at some point. So, here they are along with a short review.

Rum and raisins with vanilla ice cream: On low heat, you warm a good "lug" of rum with a handful of raisins. You put this mixture in the bottom of a bowl and then put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and then sprinkle some chocolate shavings on top of that.

Review: This one wasn't too bad but I'm just not that keen on "hot raisins" (unless they are in muffins or some other delicious baked good.)

Sliced orange and malt with chocolate ice cream: Peel an orange and slice it into rounds. Place these in the bottom of a serving bowl. Melt a pat of butter in a pan on the stove and add one tablespoon of quick cook oats to it. Stir this mixture occasionally until it is nice and crunchy and then remove the pan from the heat. Dust a plate with a tablespoon of malted milk powder (I actually just used some mashed up Whoppers that were left over from Halloween) and quickly roll a scoop of chocolate ice cream in it until lightly coated. Place the ice cream on top of the oranges and top with the crunchy oats.

Review: I think I've said before that I just have never liked the orange and chocolate combo so I knew I was just making this to check it off my list. The ice cream rolled in the mashed up Whoppers looked very nice and tasted good with the oat topping but I just couldn't eat the oranges with it. I'm sure if you like the chocolate and orange thing, you'd like it a lot.

Recipes cooked: 85
Recipes left: 88
Days left: 92

Husband was out of town last week and I was still frantically catching up on some cooking. My Dad came to help with the kids and keep me company so I tried to find a recipe that I knew husband wouldn't miss eating. Since he isn't a huge mushroom fan, I first looked for something with mushrooms and came up with a recipe in the Twenty-Minute meal chapter, Chicken and Leek Stroganoff on page 34. I really had a great time cooking with my Dad. He was an excellent sous chef once again. I really loved having someone to do the chopping since its never my favorite part. This is really yummy and I think it will become a staple in my house despite the mushrooms!
Recipes cooked: 83
Recipes left: 90
Days left: 95



Here's the recipe. Give it a try.

Chicken and Leek Stroganoff
from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution pg. 34

Ingredients
sea salt
1/4 cup long grain or basmati rice 
1 large leek
a big handful of crimini or oyster mushrooms 
2 chicken breasts 
olive oil
a pat of butter
a glass of white wine
freshly ground black pepper
a bunch of fresh parsley
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
1 lemon
Method
Pour boiling water from the kettle into a 2 quart saucepan, place on a high heat and add a pinch of sea salt. Add your rice, bring back to a boil, then turn the heat down slightly. Cook for the length of time given in the instructions on the package.
Cut both ends off the leek, quarter lengthways, slice across thinly, then wash well under running water. Slice the mushrooms. Slice the chicken breasts into little finger-size pieces.
Put a large frying pan on a high heat and add a good lug of olive oil and a pat of butter. Add the leek to the pan with the white wine, a small glass of water, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Let it bubble away for 5 minutes, covered loosely with a piece of aluminum foil. Meanwhile, finely chop the parsley, stalks and all. Remove the foil and add the chicken strips, most of the parsley, the cream, and the mushrooms. Stir, bring back to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain your rice. Just before serving, cut your lemon in half and squeeze the juice of one half into the stroganoff. Season to taste.
Spoon some rice onto each plate and top with the stroganoff. Scatter with the rest of the chopped parsley. Serve with the other lemon half, cut into wedges.

For Thanksgiving this year we were at my mom and dad's house. I was put in charge of coming up with a green veggie for Wednesday night's dinner and one for The Big Feast on Thursday. Wednesday I made Dressed Asparagus on page 215. It came out great and everyone really liked it. The sauce was light and delicious and not too overpowering. Of course on Thursday the kitchen was super busy so finding room for everyone to work on their portion of the dinner was challenging. For Thanksgiving I chose Minted Peas on page 221. Just like the asparagus, with just a few easy ingredients, these veggies go from boring and bland to special and interesting. I ended up burning my first batch of minted peas because I didn't have all of my ingredients together and I was running around too much. I started over and they were done just as the turkey was heading to the table. Speaking of the turkey, my mom used some tips from the Roast Dinners section of the cook book and we all agreed it was one of the best birds we've ever had.
Recipes cooked: 82
Recipes left: 91
Days left: 100 (YIKES!)

If you'd like to try the asparagus here's a short version of the recipe:
Trim your asparagus to get ready to cook.
Whisk together:
• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbs red wine vinegar
• a pinch of minced fresh parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
Cook your asparagus on the stovetop in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, depending on thickness. Mine was sort of a medium thickness and it took about 2 minutes. Put in a serving dish and drizzle the vinaigrette over it.

My sweet daughter had been asking to help me with a recipe and one night while husband was at a meeting I thought she and I could make Quick Steamed Microwave Pudding Cakes on page 333. We were leaving the next day for a surprise trip that she didn't know about and I was very anxious to get another recipe done before we left. I was a tad stressed and feeling a bit under the gun to get the long list of things done before we left the next day. Oh, its important to know that I would be picking her up early from school the next day, taking her to the airport and then we were going to Disney World! Just the two of us and she had no idea! Aren't I an awesome mom? I had it in my head that I needed to get this done that night. I had bought the ingredients early in the week and I knew I had everything. We started to measuring and mixing and the third ingredient was baking soda. Well, doesn't everyone have baking soda in their cabinet? Not me. I searched high and low but all I could find was baking powder. After a bit of googling I found that you can triple the amount of baking soda with baking powder and that would work. The next ingredient was eggs. I went to get them and they were…gone. Crap! What happened to the eggs? Right…we had breakfast for dinner and husband must have used them all. Oh, and I guess I used them too (see previous entry on poached eggs). So now I'm very mad and am back at the computer googling for what I can substitute for eggs. Turns out that you can sub bananas for eggs. Who knew? I'm thinking this entire time that Jamie Oliver would not recognize this recipe when I'm done with it. Its now past her bedtime, the mini cakes must be destroyed and I'm banging things around the kitchen and cursing under my breath. Isn't this fun? Aren't I an awesome mom?

Lesson: Triple check your ingredients before beginning!

By the way, the mini cakes actually turned out pretty good, a bit banana-y but tasty. Oh, and we had an awesome girl trip to Disney World.
Recipes cooked: 80
Recipes left: 93
Days left: 108

I finished up the last of the egg recipes...poached eggs (pg. 311) and the last omelet recipe, Mushroom Omelet (pg. 314). All of this egg tasting has been reminding me of the movie, Runaway Bride. If you've seen this movie, you'll know why. It just so happens that it was filmed in my hometown.
So, the poached egg turned out pretty good. I'd never made them before and I think it might take a bit more practice, mine kept falling apart around the edges. I tried it twice with the same results. The mushroom omelet I made with portobello mushrooms and had for dinner one night. Mushrooms aren't my favorite thing but for some reason I really like portobello ones. They were a great hearty addition to your omelet and perfect for dinner.
Recipes cooked: 79
Recipes left: 94
Days left: 108

On page 276 of Jamie's Food Revolution, he talks about flavored oils. There are four oils on this page that Jamie says can be knocked out in minutes and are perfect with any type of meat, shellfish or over a salad. After a quick calculation and a little panicking about my progress, I knew I needed to work on getting a few more recipes done before I left on vacation last week. I had the ingredients for the Basil and Lemon Oil and thought it would be nice and easy thing to whip up and put on our salad one night. I used a little food processor but you can also use a pestle and mortar or a blender. Eight tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of one lemon, a few springs of fresh basil, some salt and pepper and its done!
Recipes cooked: 77
Recipes left: 96
Days left: 109

Now my mom always made really good meatloaf and it wasn't something she served us every week, so we didn't get tired of it.
But when I think of meatloaf, I think of little brother Randy in Christmas Story, "Meatloaf, smeatloaf, double-beatloaf. I hate meatloaf!"
You know, meatloaf gets a bad rap. Well, I think this recipe might start a do-over, a second chance, a comeback for the middle of the week standby.

You MUST try it….it's easy, great comfort food and a huge hit at the dinner table. The kid even liked it and she doesn't eat red meat. That's huge!

Recipes cooked: 76
Recipes left: 97
Days left: 111


An outstanding recipe! A work of art. I present to you, Jamie Oliver's Pot Roast Meatloaf from page 161 in Food Revolution...

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/pot-roast-meatloaf-usa-version-imperial

Since I started this adventure eight months ago, many people have asked me if I was dreading a particular recipe or if there were any I was going to "skip." the answer to the latter is definitely not! I am determined and very serious about my mission to cook every recipe in this book. Now, regarding a recipe that I was dreading, my answer has been, "Are you kidding? I'm dreading a whole chapter!" And that dreaded chapter is roast dinners. There isn't a more perfect time to tackle these recipes than Thanksgiving so I decided a couple weeks before the big day I would make my first roast dinner with all the trimmings. This meant making four recipes at once; the Perfect Roast Chicken (pg. 196), Roasted Potatoes, Carrots and Parsnips (pg. 202), Delicious Sage and Onion Stuffing (pg. 205) and Consistently Good Gravy (pg. 205).
First of all, in addition to already thinking this was a daunting task, the names of these recipes made me nervous too. Perfect Chicken? Delicious Stuffing? Consistently Good Gravy? The pressure was on as I did the shopping and planned when I was going to tackle this bird. I got my chicken from a local organic market that carries very, very fresh products. Fresh in the sense that it is a documented fact that this happy chicken was eating grass and bugs on Wednesday and I bought him in the refrigerated section on Thursday. Jamie often reminds his reader about the importance of fresh and organic ingredients but I'll admit due to time I don't always follow this advice when shopping. Our football team had the week off so I knew if we made a traditional Sunday dinner, I'd actually have some help in the kitchen this week. And I really did! Both Husband and Kid both hung out with me and helped in the preparation making this a really fun event in our house. We cranked up the tunes and they helped peel veggies, pick rosemary and tear bread for stuffing. I didn't get the heebie-jeebies when I got the bird ready for the oven and Jamie's book helped guide me step by step. It was a very smooth operation and I really think a lot of that had to do with how the book is written. Jamie talks you through the whole process, even telling you in some recipes when to start the others. He doesn't leave a thing out. I am completely shocked at how easy this was especially after being intimidated for so long. I am so proud of myself and a huge thanks goes out to my great helpers! Nothing was burned. Nothing exploded. No one was injured. It really was the Perfect Dinner.
Recipes cooked: 75
Recipes left: 98
Days left: 118


The Perfect Roast Chicken
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/perfect-roast-chicken

The Perfect Roasted Potatoes, Carrots and Parsnips
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetarian-recipes/roast-potatoes-parsnips-and-carrots

Consistently Good Gravy
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/other-recipes/consistently-good-gravy

I have two great kids. The six-year age difference gives way to low sibling rivalry and minimum squabbles over toys, etc. But, if they are going to have at it, it will be between the hours of 4p.m. and 6 p.m., usually when dinner is being prepared.
The evening started off decent enough. The big kid even helped peel carrots for recipe #1, Baked Carrots in a Bag on page 214 before causing her brother bodily harm resulting in the....oh, wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Back to the carrots: As long as you can plan ahead for their hour cooking time, they are kind of fun to pull together, especially if you have kids to help. Like I said, the older kid helped peel the carrots and put all of the other ingredients into a tin foil made bag. To go with our carrots, I bought some cod fillets and decided to make a Simple Cheesy Mustard Sauce (pg.266) to go with it. It seemed that with minimal effort I could knock out two recipes on a weeknight. The sauce is simple and easy to make and requires just a few ingredients: parsley, mustard, brandy, heavy cream and Parmesan or Cheddar Cheese. However it does require a bit of babysitting, which meant that I didn't have time to watch my own kids who were wrestling in the living room. (Note: I left out the brandy and "catching fire" part of the recipe due to a friend's escapade with the fire department and some beef bourguignon. If she can't do it, not sure I can.) So I added some olive oil and the English mustard to a hot pan. After it got nice and hot I added the parsley and the cream and brought it to a boil. I'm skeptical of boiling cream so I'm watching it very carefully at this point. The sauce is almost done and the buzzer is going off for the carrots and cod.
This is when all hell broke loose in the other room. I hear the two year old SCREAMING and the big sister yelling, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Apparently she wanted him to come to her, he wouldn't, and as he was walking away she grabbed his ankles and naturally he fell and face planted, knocking his head on the step on the way down. Husband and I run into the room and I yell at her to go to her room. Instantly, a large goose egg is appearing on his forehead and I'm sure the sauce is totally ruined by this point. Husband tries to bribe the baby to put ice on his bump and I try to salvage the sauce, add the cheese but I know it must be ruined. I serve dinner to a whimpering kid who has come down from her room with her tail between her legs and a baby boy that looks like he's grown a horn and his face is red from crying so hard. He's still doing that thing where they are trying to catch their breath after crying so much. We put a bit of the sauce over the cod and I think how impressive and fancy it looks. It would be a good thing to have when company is over. But still I'm convinced it must not have survived the nights’ events. Husband tastes it first. "Wow! This is really good!"
THANK YOU JAMIE!!! Your recipe withstood family trauma.
Recipes cooked: 71
Recipes left: 102
Days left: 123

Checked two off my list tonight! Baked Camembert Pasta (pg.44) and Buttered Spinach (pg.219).
The Spinach was delicious! I didn't make a lot because I thought I'd be the only one eating it but we ran out! I should have made more.
Below is the recipe for the pasta dish. It is really simple to make but very impressive on the table. Your friends will think you're a master chef when you serve them this!
Recipes cooked: 69
Recipes left: 104
Days left: 128

Baked Camembert Pasta (pg.44)
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
Ingredients
(serves 4-6)
a 8 oz. box of Camembert Cheese 

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

1 sprig of fresh rosemary
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

4 oz. grated Parmesan cheese

1 lb. dried rigatoni

6 cups (approx. 6 oz) fresh spinach leaves

To prepare your pasta
Preheat your oven to 350F. Open the box of cheese and unwrap it. Place it back to the wooden container. Score a circle into the top of the skin, then lift it off and discard.
 Peel and finely slice the garlic. Pick the rosemary leaves off the woody stalk. Lay the garlic slices on top of the cheese, sprinkle some pepper and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil.
 Scatter the rosemary leaves over the top and gently pat with your fingers to coat them in the oil.
 Grate the Parmesan.

To cook your pasta
Place the box of cheese on a cookie sheet and put it into the preheated oven for 25 minutes, until golden and melted. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. When the cheese has 10 minutes left to cook, add the pasta to a pot of boiling water and cook according to package instructions.
 When the pasta is cooked, add the spinach to the pan – it only needs cooking for 10 seconds or so.
 Drain the pasta and spinach in a colander over a large bowl, reserving some of the cooking water. Return the pasta and spinach to the pan and let it wilt. 
Drizzle with a couple of good lugs of extra virgin olive oil and add the grated Parmesan. If the sauce is too thick for you, add a splash of reserved cooking water to thin out a bit. Season with salt and pepper and give it a good stir.
10. Remove the cheese from the oven.

To serve your pasta
Divide the pasta between your serving bowls. Either drizzle the melted Camembert on top or pop cheese on the table and let everyone help themselves to a lovely, gooey spoonful.

At the beginning of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution there is an Essentials list for what items you should have in your kitchen. When I started this project seven months ago, I looked the list over carefully and noted which of his "essentials" I didn't have in my cabinets. One of these, a grill pan, I asked for when my birthday came around in August. This pan is now one of my favorite things to use in the kitchen. I used it to make the Chicken Fajitas last week and I used it to make the Butterflied Steak Sarnie on page 25 this week. This is a really special recipe for two reasons. It happens to be the first recipe in the book, which means it must be special to Jamie Oliver and its special to me because it was the first time I had ever cooked a steak. I've prepared steaks and handed them off to my husband to cook on the grill many, many times but I'd never made one myself until now. And I must say, now that I have my new grill pan I know it won't be the last!
It was a night of firsts in Amy's Kitchen and instead of being stressed I had lots and lots of fun!
Recipes cooked: 67
Recipes left: 106
Days left: 130

I'm not crazy about dealing with raw meat. It's one of those weird things, kind of like how I used to gag while washing dishes because I couldn't take the cold bits of someone else's uneaten congealed food on the plates. Motherhood cured me of that fear. I actually think my mom thought it was an act to get out of washing dishes but I tell you now, Mom, that was no act! I totally would have lost my pot roast in your Dawn dishwashing bubbly sink if you had made me do it. Thanks for not making me, love you mom. (xoxo) Note to kids: I emptied the dishwasher everyday instead.

So, birthing babies cures you of many of your irrational childlike fears (and sometimes makes new ones) but it did not cure me of my irrational fear of touching, smelling and dealing with raw meat. If I wasn't so lazy, I may have been a vegetarian. Raw chicken is the worst for me and I make my husband cut it. Always. I have probably had to deal with the stuff five times in our ten years of marriage. (love you too, honey...xoxo).

Last week I made two chicken recipes, Chicken Korma (pg.74) and Chicken Fajitas (pg. 38) For the Korma, I suffered through it, and it took forever. For the Fajitas, I made husband cut up the chicken. While standing at the island prepping for the fajitas, husband confesses that he had really hoped this little project would cure me of my fear of raw meat.

I hate to say it but, no such luck just yet.

That being said both the Chicken Korma and the Chicken Fajitas (recipe below) were fabulous!

Promise me you'll try it?

Recipes cooked: 66
Recipes left: 107
Days left: 137

Chicken Fajitas
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
page 38

Ingredients
For the Fajitas:
-1 red pepper
-1 medium red onion
-2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
-1 teaspoon smoked paprika
-1 small pinch of ground cumin
-2 limes
-olive oil
-sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
-4 flour tortillas
-1/2 c sour cream or natural yogurt
-4 oz. cheddar cheese

For the Salsa:
-½ to 1 fresh red chili, to your taste
-15 ripe grape or cherry tomatoes
-1 small bunch fresh cilantro
-sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
-1 lime
-extra virgin olive oil


Directions

Put your grill pan on a high heat.

Halve and deseed your pepper and cut it into thin strips. Peel, halve and finely slice your onion. Slice your chicken lengthwise into long strips roughly the same size as your pepper strips.

Put the peppers, onion and chicken into a bowl with the paprika and cumin. Squeeze over the juice of half a lime, drizzle over a lug of olive oil, season with a good pinch of salt and pepper and mix well. Put it to one side to marinade for 5 minutes or so while you make your salsa.

Make the Salsa: Finely chop your chili. Roughly chop your tomatoes and the cilantro, stalks and all.

Put the chili and tomatoes into a second bowl with a good pinch of salt and pepper and the juice of 1 lime. Add a good lug of extra virgin olive oil, and then stir in your chopped cilantro. Set aside to use when the fajitas are done.

Use a pair of tongs to put all the pieces of pepper, onion and chicken into your preheated pan to cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the chicken is golden and cooked through. As the pan will be really hot, keep turning the pieces of chicken and vegetables so they don't burn - you just want them to lightly chargrill to give you a lovely flavor. Give the pan a little love and attention and you'll be laughing. Halve your remaining lime and squeeze the juices over the sizzling pan.

Warm your tortillas in up the microwave or in a warm dry pan. Divide your warmed tortillas between your serving plates.

At the table, carefully help yourselves to the chicken and vegetables straight from the hot griddle pan. Just be sure to put it down on top of something that won’t burn, like a chopping board.

Serve with bowls of sour cream and guacamole alongside your cheddar and your lovely fresh salsa.

I was happy to whip these up one night when we had several places to be at once. Don't you love those nights? They truly test your mommy and daddy patience so there is no need to add unnecessary stress of something bubbling over on the stove. I must say I'm getting pretty good at these. Below is the great video again. This time I did the basic omelette and the hangover omelette (assume what you will) on pages 313 and 314, respectively, of Food Revolution.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/about/jamie-oliver-videos/ministry-of-food-omelettes

Recipes cooked: 64
Recipes left: 109
Days left: 145

You thought I gave up, didn't you? Nope! I'm still here. Just busy. Not too busy to cook, I've just been too busy to write.
So, let's get on with it.

Apples.
My last roommate before married life (let's call her JJ) and I would get serious apple cravings around this time of year. What was funny is that we never talked to the other one about the craving. Yet we would find ourselves in our oh-so-tiny kitchen after work with grocery bags full of red apples, green apples, apple cider, apple juice, caramel dip, anything to do with apples. Now this was normally a kitchen with no food in it. We were two girls working crazy hours, hardly ever home and living steps away from some of the city's best food. Not to mention that you could barely move in this remarkably small galley kitchen, so food preparation was very difficult. So each year we'd unknowingly both stop at the store on the way home from work, load up on apples and bump (literally) into each other in the kitchen at home. Then we'd feast on apples for days, probably only apples since funds were low. Still, every year at this time, I get that same apple craving and think of JJ. So, in honor of those days, I dedicate this recipe to her.

Baked Apples, page 343 of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/home-cooking-skills/baked-apples

Recipes cooked: 62
Recipes left: 111
Days left: 146

Asian-Style Steamed Salmon. MMMMMmmmmm! I've been dying to try this one folks! It looked so good in the book its been on my "must-cook soon" list for awhile. It turned out great except next time I would definitely put the salmon on bottom (maybe sitting on the water chestnuts) and the veggies on top. The veggies got a bit too done for me and the rest of the family. This dressing is tasty and I think I'd make this to go with other things too.
Recipes cooked: 61
Recipes left: 112
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Jamie Oliver's Asian-style Steamed Salmon
Food Revolution pg. 250

serves 2
a large handful of broccolini or broccoli rabe
1 x 8-oz can of water chestnuts
a large handful of sugar snap peas
2 salmon fillets, skin on, scaled and bones removed (about 7-oz each, though I used more vegetables and only about 100 g fish)

a thumb-sized piece of ginger root
1 clove of garlic
1/2 a fresh red chile
1 scallion
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon

To prepare the salmon:
If you have a steamer basket, add water to a saucepan just below the level of the basket. If you don't but have a metal colander, add water about half way up a saucepan that will hold it. Put water on high heat to boil. Trim the ends off the broccolini. Drain water chestnuts in a colander or through the steamer basket. Add washed sugar snap peas. Lay the salmon fillets, skin side down, on top of them, then scatter the broccoli over. Cover the colander with aluminum foil and scrunch tightly around the edges to seal the steam in.

To cook your salmon and make your dressing:
Put the colander or steamer basket (with lid) over your pan of boiling water and let it steam for 8 to 10 minutes. While that's happening, peel and grate the ginger and half the clove of garlic into a small bowl. Finely slice your chile and scallion and add them to the bowl with the soy sauce and olive oil. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the bowl. Mix together with a spoon and set aside. After your salmon and vegetables have been steaming for 8 minutes, peel back the foil to check the fish it cooked through, it should flake apart.

To serve your salmon:
Divide the salmon, water chestnuts, and veggies between your plates or bowls. Give the dressing a quick stir and drizzle it over. Serve with the remaining lemon half, cut into wedges, for squeezing over.

Its kind of funny that my LAST "summer" ingredient is my FIRST "fall" ingredient! If someone had told me a year ago, when I was buying my favorite Trader Joe's Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato soup, that this year I would be making tomato soup (pg.133) I would have said you were crazy! Now this doesn't mean that I haven't already stocked up on one of my favorites at TJ's but I was really nervous to try to make one of my fall favorites. Who can resist hot tomato soup on a chilly fall day? So, I picked up the ingredients at the store without thinking about how intimidated I felt and got to work. Could I really make a smooth flavorful soup? Now when you put all of the ingredients in the pot (pre-mashing) it looks like the Stone Soup my daughter made it kindergarten. It smelled great but it looked awful! I also thought this was going to be one of those time consuming recipes that would take all day but it was ready in about a half hour. Baby boy was all situated in his chair with his hands over his ears humming a few rounds of Old MacDonald while I blended it with gadget #4 (really just an attachment to my hand mixer) and to my amazement tomato soup, hot creamy soup just as I imagined, appeared before my very eyes!
Victory!
Recipes cooked: 60
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Days left: 158

Okay. I can fry an egg. I may not have been a genius in the kitchen and I may not have been able to successfully boil water or make rice before this began but I could fry an egg. Now I was a bit out of practice since our kids were born and husband took over breakfast making duties about 8 years ago but I can still fry a good egg. I thought this recipe would be a walk in the park, a piece of cake and frankly an easy check off my list...And then I read Jamie's recipe (pg.309). Jamie's preferred method of frying eggs is to do so in 1/2 inch of olive oil on a medium-low heat. Huh? I must have reread this recipe a dozen times. And I put it off for quite a while but one day last week, when we had some very fresh eggs in the fridge, I decided to give it a go. I would say I was not terribly confident going into this but got less and less so as I went. So, I got my olive oil and panicked a bit as I poured the very expensive stuff into my pan. The next thing you're suppose to do is put all 4 eggs in together. I was chicken (ha! ha! Get it?) and only put in two. Now the eggs did what he said they'd do and they changed color to white and when this happened I spooned some oil on top. Here's where I screwed up. I just couldn't imagine how they could possible cooking in all of that oil on medium/low heat and I tried to flip one over. It broke apart into what seemed like a million pieces so I decided to stick with the directions on the second one. Then came the hard part, you take them out of the oil with a slotted spoon. Well, I completely destroyed the second one then! I saved the pieces so we could taste test but I knew I needed to start over and the troops were getting restless so I did them MY way. But wouldn't you know, when we tasted the failed egg, it was quite good! Maybe some day (when I have an abundance of olive oil) I'll try this again!
Recipes cooked: 59
Recipes left: 114
Days left: 160

Evolution Tomato Salad pg. 113
Let's say good bye to another summer friend. Tomatoes. I was excited to do this recipe because I've loved all of the other Evolution recipes, have I mentioned that before? I love that the base ingredients are very simple and I can count on having most of them on hand in my kitchen which makes me feel very smart and like a savvy chef. I can see all of the Evolution recipes helping me in a pinch to get something together quick for a potluck, picnic or a spontaneous dinner at a friends house. This one didn't disappoint me. I bought one of those cute little containers of tomato "medley" where they have all different sizes, shapes and colors. Beginning to end it took five minutes to make. Starting with about one and a half pounds of tomatoes, I cut the larger ones and then put them in a bowl. Next I added 6 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Tossed everything to coat and then scattered some basil leaves on top. Seasoned with salt and pepper. And I was done! You could also add black olives, white beans or tuna.
Recipes cooked: 58
Recipes left: 115
Days left: 164

As the days have gotten a bit shorter and the nights a bit chillier, I've frantically been going through "Jamie's Food Revolution" trying to squeeze in all of the "summer" recipes as one hot summer draws to a close. For my final summer recipe I finally settled on Paella (pg. 292). What I love about Jamie's write-up is that he encourages you to be creative and select your own ingredients. The prep on this one was a bit of work and a football game was calling to us in the background so both the husband and I chopped away to get it done…chicken, chorizo sausage, bacon, onions, parsley, TOUCHDOWN! Just another sign that fall is on the horizon. Once this is done, it really was a matter of throwing everything into the pot with some rice and letting it simmer. In the last few minutes I added frozen peas, fresh lemon juice, mussels, shrimp and scallops. My pot was a bit full and the kid gave me some advice on how to distribute the mussels (her favorite part) into the overflowing pot, comparing it to one of her science experiments. School. Summer really is over, isn't it? As I buried the mussels, my mind wandered to a nice summer evening with friends on the patio, this would be a great recipe for a night like that! The dish also had a "throw it together" feel to it, even if I had planned it out the night before.
For our "say goodbye to summer" dessert, I made Strawberries and ginger snaps with vanilla ice cream (pg. 326.) As I assembled them, I thought about what a great treat it would be at a 4th of July party. Thinking back, 4th of July seems like a long time ago. Goodbye Summer 2010.
Recipes cooked: 57
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Broccoli and Pesto Tagliatelle (pg. 46)
Another win! Great! I thought this dinner was a great reminder that dinner doesn't have to be complicated and can still be placed on the table with no mommy guilt and make everyone happy. I imagine you could replace the broccoli with another green veggie if you wanted too.
Recipes cooked: 55
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Ingredients
serves 4 to 6
• 1 medium potato
• 1 head broccoli
• A large bunch of fresh basil
• Sea salt
• 1 pound dried tagliatelle
• 1/4 cup green pesto
• 3 ounces Parmesan cheese

Wash and peel the potato and cut it into very thin shavings using a speed peeler.
Cut little broccoli florets off the head and put them to one side.
Halve the thin stalk lengthwise, then slice thinly. Pick the basil leaves and discard the stalks.

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the tagliatelle and broccoli stalks and cook according to the tagliatelle package instructions.
Two minutes before the the tagliatelle is cooked, add the broccoli and potato slices. Drain everything in a colander over a large bowl, reserving some of the cooking water, and return to the pan.
Roughly chop half of your basil leaves and add to the pan with the pesto and half of the Parmesan.
Give it all a good stir and if the sauce is too thick for you, add a splash of the cooking water to thin it out a bit.

Divide the pasta between your serving bowls. Sprinkle over the rest of the Parmesan and the remaining basil leaves. Serve it a lovely big bowl of salad.


Yummy! Finally! I felt like I was on a losing streak and then I threw together this easy potato salad, Jamie's "Evolution Potato Salad" on page 111. Now I've never made potato salad but it conjures up images of a huge sack of potatoes and me peeling, peeling, peeling. Labor. Lots of Labor. "Easy" and "potato salad" are not two words I would have put together in the same sentence. The perfect recipe for a Labor Day cookout, right? The recipe calls for those baby potatoes and I picked up some nice red ones at our produce stand. I asked if anyone minded if I kept the skin on, they said no. After throwing my baby potatoes into a pot of salted water I got my dressing ready by mixing olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper. Easy! The little potatoes just needed about 15 minutes to cook then I drained them, tossed them with the dressing and added the rest of the ingredients: chives, lemon zest, plain yogurt and cut up bacon. This was so good and went great with our burgers from the grill. Best of all, no labor! I don't think the kid has ever tried potato salad but she loved this and scarfed it up!
Recipes cooked: 54
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Days left: 180

I knew the "Pineapple and Chile with Chocolate Ice Cream" on page 326 was something no one else would try with me and I was right. But, I made it anyway when I realized one day that I had all three ingredients in the house at the same time. Interesting. Easy to make. Checked it off the list too. Not sure I'll ever make it again. And that's pretty much all I have to say about that one.
Recipes cooked: 53
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August 30, 2010

Dear Jamie,
Thanks so much for encouraging me to make my own oatmeal. I just made the last oatmeal recipe today--Banana, Whiskey and Nutmeg Oatmeal (pg. 300). Jamie, maybe when I'm a Rock Star Celebrity Chef or at least my kids are grown and out of the house will I be able to have whiskey for breakfast, but at this stage of my life, I call "Uncle."

Your Revolutionary Pupil,
Amy

Recipes cooked: 52
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One of the reasons that I started this Food Revolution in my kitchen was to learn to be a better cook. Part of my definition of a good cook is someone that can, on occasion, improvise and come up with something without necessarily having to look up a recipe, right down the ingredients and make a special trip to the store. One night, last Wednesday to be exact, I needed a veggie dish to go with dinner. I looked around and basically came up with a bag of broccoli in the freezer. As I started to steam it on the stove, I thought, "What can I do with this broccoli?" Since I'm still trying to catch up from my summer hiatus I tried to think of a recipe in Jamie's book that I could check off of my list and I remembered the Broccoli with Asian Dressing recipe. I looked it up (pg. 220) and glanced down the ingredient list. It looked like I had everything, another first! My kitchen was finally showing signs of being "well-stocked." But it called for a pound of broccoli and we definitely didn't need that much so I was going to have to do a bit of math, and some taste testing. When I set the finished product on the table, it looked like the picture and tasted great. I was so proud of myself!
Recipes cooked: 51
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The same day I made the cookies, I needed a salad to go with our dinner. I love these Evolution recipes and decided to try the Evolution Green salad (pg. 108). It was simple and delicious and once again reminded me that making your own dressing is easy, better for you and really yummy. I started with lettuce and added parmesan cheese, bacon and Jamie's lemon dressing. That's it!
Recipes cooked: 50
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I can't tell you how many cookie recipes I've tried looking for the one that would be my go-to recipe. This Jamie recipe on page 336 might be the one. On kid's first day back to school I thought it might be motherly of me to make some cookies for after school.
It also seemed like a great opportunity to have a first cooking experience with the little guy. I measured out all of the ingredients so he'd just need to hop up on his stool and pour them in.
One of the reasons I really like this recipe is that you can whip up the dough in the food processor in no time. But, as soon as I pulled out the food processor, the baby freaked (even though we were no where near an outlet) and I found myself alone in the kitchen while he sang to himself with his hands over his ears in a distant room far from my pre-measured ingredients.
Me, myself and I poured the pre-measured ingredients into the food processor, whizzed it around for a minute and I had my dough. It chilled in the freezer for 30 minutes and then I sliced it and stuck it in the oven. It was so easy! For this one I mixed in lemon and orange zest but I will definitely try it again with another mix in. Everyone loved the cookies and they were a big hit at the school lunch table the next day too.
Recipes cooked: 49
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The neighbors that live two doors down started a garden this summer. "Help yourself!," my friend told me. Well, when it comes to garden fresh, convenient veggies you don't have to ask me twice. We helped take care of the garden for two weeks earlier this summer while they were away which was lots of fun and great for the kids. I had high hopes that this was going to "sell" the baby on the idea of eating his veggies but no such luck. I've always wanted a garden of our own but our yard is not particularly friendly to the idea. It’s too shady in one spot, and too wet in another. I've never even been able to find a good spot to plant even a single tomato so our neighbors garden has been a real treat.
We've enjoyed lots of yummy tomatoes, squash, red hot chili peppers (funny!) and my favorite, lots of great herbs such as basil, sage, oregano and cilantro. I hate buying a whole package of a particular herb for a recipe, only to use a little bit and then eventually throw the rest away. So this summer it was so great to walk down the sidewalk, grab a small bunch of whatever the recipe called for and walk home to make it. This perk came in SUPER handy on Sunday when I totally screwed up and had to make a second basil run. While making the dressing for Grilled Tuna and Asparagus, pg. 261, I added too much chili and burned my mouth off when I tasted it. Thank goodness I tasted it before putting it on our dinner plates! I put husband on clean-up and kitchen re-prep duty while I jogged down the sidewalk, grabbed another handful of basil and returned home to whip up a second batch of dressing. This one turned out great and I definitely think it could be used on top of a lot of other dishes.
A huge thanks to my neighbors for their contribution to my Food Revolution this summer.

Grilled Tuna and Asparagus – Serves 2
from Food Revolution by: Jamie Oliver, pg. 261
A bunch of asparagus

Olive oil

2 tuna steaks (about 7oz each, ½ inch thick)
Dressing

A small bunch of fresh basil

½ a fresh red chili

A small handful of sun-dried tomatoes (the type packed in oil)

1 lemon

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Put a large grill pan (or BBQ) on a high heat and let it get screaming hot. Finely chop the basil, the sun-dried tomatoes and put them into a bowl. Add the chili which has been seeded and finely chopped. Halve the lemon and squeeze all the juice into the bowl. Add a splash of extra virgin olive oil and mix together. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and put to one side.
Bend the asparagus gently until the woody bottoms of the stalks break off. Discard these woody ends. Drizzle a little olive oil over the tuna steaks and then season with salt and pepper and rub into the fish. Place the asparagus tips on the hot, dry grill pan. Turn them every minute or two, letting them char a little but not burn.
After a few minutes, push the asparagus to one side and add the tuna to the pan. You will be able to see the heat cooking up the tuna from the bottom. After a minute or so, when the tuna has cooked halfway through, flip both steaks over and cook for another minute or two. The tuna should be “blushing” inside – still slightly pink in the middle.
Pile a few asparagus spears on each plate and spoon some of the tangy dressing over them. Lay the tuna fillets over the asparagus and spoon another dollop of the dressing on top. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive before serving. Ta-da!!
Recipes cooked: 48
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Yesterday was my birthday! What better way to celebrate my summer birthday than by making Jamie's "Cheat's Sponge Cake with Summer Berries and Cream" on page 340 of Food Revolution. The recipe looked really simple since its just assembling some ready made ingredients into a sort of strawberry shortcake layer cake. The cake he calls for is panettone, the Italian bread that comes in the pretty box. I was pretty sure I could find one of these at a local Italian specialty store and if worst came to worst, I'd drive to Trader Joe's in the next town over since I know I've seen them there. So the day before my birthday, while out running errands with the kids, I stopped at the aforementioned Italian specialty store 3 minutes up the road from me. The shelves were very bare but I asked anyway and she said "No, we usually just have panettone around the holidays." I decided before dragging the kids around I'd make some calls during naptime. So, later that afternoon I started by calling our local, favorite Italian specialty store (the one with everything you'd ever need) and the lady said, "Oh no, we only have that at the holidays." It wasn't looking good but I kept searching and called two grocery stores, three more Italian specialty stores, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. I got the same answer from everyone. When I told the nice lady at Whole Foods that I needed it for a recipe she said I should try Challah since it has a similar consistency and she knew they had that. Phew! What a relief! I had the rest of the ingredients on hand: sweet dessert wine, strawberries, raspberries, sugar, vanilla extract and some sliced almonds so all I really needed was heavy cream and this panettone. Since, I had a busy night I decided these main ingredients could wait until the next day, my birthday. I woke up to torrential rain outside and weathermen warning that there was no end in sight. If you didn't need to go out, don't, they said. Well, I couldn't risk the lives of my two kids for my birthday cake so I waited until late afternoon when husband got home and the rain had subsided to head to Whole Foods. I picked up the heavy cream I needed and a Dagoba chocolate bar (garnish for the top) and headed to the Bakery. Now, the directions and photos show Jamie cutting a round cake-bread thing and then layering the homemade whipped cream and strawberries in between. The only Challah that the Bakery had was the twisty kind…not going to work! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!? I tried to remain calm but the truth was that I really wanted to yell. "I CAME OUT IN THIS AWFUL WEATHER….ITS MY BIRTHDAY AND THIS IS NOT, I REPEAT, NOT WHAT I WANTED. AS FOR YOU JAMIE OLIVER, WHY THE H--- ARE YOU MAKING A SUMMER BERRY CAKE WITH A STUPID BREAD THAT ONLY COMES OUT AT CHRISTMAS!"
Then, remembering it was my birthday and I was suppose to be another year older and wiser, I pulled it together, grabbed a ready made angel food cake and headed for the Express Check out.
After dinner, my sweet family worked together to assemble my yummy birthday cake, sang happy birthday and it turned out to be one of the best birthday cakes I've ever had. And I'm sure one I'll never forget.

Cheat’s Sponge Cake with Summer Berries and Cream

from “Jamie’s Food Revolution” by Jamie Oliver
What you’ll need:
(serves 10-12)

1 cup sliced almonds

Vin Santo or sweet dessert wine

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tbsp superfine sugar

1 vanilla bean OR 1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 x 16oz container of strawberries

1 medium or large panettone

1 x 6oz container of raspberries

1 x 4oz bar of good quality dark chocolate
To prepare your cake:

Put a small dry frying pan on a low heat and add the almonds. Shake the pan around every now and then to toast the nuts, making sure they don’t burn. Once they start to turn darker, take the pan off the heat and put them aside to cool. Pour about 1/3 cup of Vin Santo or sweet dessert wine into a wineglass. Pour the cream into a mixing bowl and add the sugar. If using the vanilla bean, halve it lengthways and drag the blade of your knife along the inside of the bean to scrape all the vanilla seeds out. Add the seeds or the vanilla extract to the bowl, and whisk until the cream is thick and forms peaks. Slice the strawberries, removing any stalks.
To make your cake:

Peel any paper off your panettone and carefully cut it across into 3 round slices, each about 3/4 inch thick. Put a slice on a serving plate and spoon a few tbsp of the Vin Santo or sweet dessert wine over it (there’s no need to soak the panettone: you just need enough to flavor it). Spoon a good dollop of the cream on to the panettone slice and smooth it out to the edges, using a metal spatula or similar. Lay over half your sliced strawberries and top with a second slice of panettone. Repeat the wine, cream and berry steps until you get to the top layer. Pat this down gently, spoon over the remaining wine, and top it off with the rest of the cream, smoothing it over the top and sides of the cake so it’s completely covered – don’t worry about getting it all perfect, as it c an look messy and still taste delicious! Squeeze a handful of your toasted nuts to crumble them up, then gently pat them against the side of the cake until all the sides are covered.
To serve your cake:

Pile the raspberries on top of the cake and sprinkle with some chocolate shavings (simply use a vegetable peeler or a knife and drag it across the bar of the chocolate)

Recipes cooked: 47
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Days left: 199

During my Revolution hiatus I think I mentioned that we watched a lot of Jamie Oliver Cooking shows. In addition to reruns on the Cooking Channel I also checked Netflix. The only Jamie Oliver thing on Netflix is something called "Jamie Oliver: Happy Days Live." Its like a live Jamie "concert." Husband and I were shocked that there were cooking concerts. On stage was a full set of his apartment with a kitchen and sitting area. Guests were called up to help cook and there were a few videos too. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? Some of the story lines were a bit silly but I enjoyed every minute of Jamie. As always he was charming, funny and great with his audience. One of the meals he makes is a meal in a bag for his wife and this recipe is a bit like that one, Salmon Baked in a Foil Parcel with Green Beans and Pesto, pg. 248. It was simple, good for you and it was such a big hit I didn't make enough! I was sure my daughter wasn't going to go for it. She loves seafood and all kinds of fish but salmon has never been her favorite so I just made two parcels. She loved it and we had to share with her. I hope you'll give this one a try too. You won't be disappointed. Just a quick note, I had to stick one of them back in the oven twice for about 10 extra minutes, probably because it was pretty thick. Jamie says cook for 15 minutes but allow extra time in case you need to stick them back in the oven.
I was really bummed to see that this one wasn't on the website for me to link to, luckily Sky TV in England has it on their website. Here's conversion info:
2x 7 oz salmon fillets
oven temp: 400F

http://www.skytv.co.nz/Default.aspx?tabid=615&art_id=19138
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This is a great recipe! So simple, easy and great flavor. You can probably substitute any kind of pasta but I liked trying the lasagna noodles not in lasagna. Its so great I'm even going to post the recipe AND skip the commentary AND tell you to get to the store and give it a try tonight! I know you'll add it to your "favorites" list.
Cherry Tomato Sauce With Cheat's Fresh Pasta
by: Jamie Oliver
Food Revolution pg. 55
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 Pints ripe grape or cherry tomatoes
• 4 Cloves of garlic
• A small bunch of fresh basil
• 1 lb of fresh lasagne
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
• Olive oil
• 2 Pats of butter
• 1/4 C Balsamic Vinegar
• 4 Oz Parmesan cheese
Method
1. Cut the tomatoes into halves
2. Peel and slice the garlic
3. Pick the basil leaves off the stalks and put them to the side
4. Finely chop the stalks
5. Grate the Parmesan
6. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil
7. Put a large frying pan over medium heat
8. Add a couple Tbs of olive oil and the garlic
9. Add the butter
10. When the garlic browns add the tomatoes
11. Add the basil stalks and half the leaves
12. Add the vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste
13. Break your sheets into strips and drop them into the boiling water and cook for 3 min.
14. Drain the pasta and reserve some of the cooking water
15. Add the pasta to the frying pan w/ a splash of the cooking water and half the Parmesan
16. Add the rest of the Basil and Parmesan right before serving
Recipes cooked: 45
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Jamie's Pan-Fried Glazed Pork Chop recipe (pg. 230) totally freaked me out when I first read it. Jamie hardly ever gives "warnings" or "hang in there" advice and he did on this one which made me quite leery. He also has you make crackling. Really? Crackling? It reminds me of a Little House book I read when I was eight where they eat every part of the pig and the fat is like a "treat" to the prairie girls. Doesn't sound appetizing, Jamie.
But, its in the book and I have to make it, so with some reluctance, the fam sets out to do the grocery shopping together. We got our pork chops from Whole Foods along with some applesauce to serve as the glaze. The other ingredients are easy: olive oil, sea salt, pepper, lemon and a bit of fresh sage.
I did a terrible job trimming the edges so my crackling didn't start off on the right fat, I mean foot. (sorry, bad joke.) So, I added the strips to a pan over high heat. They sizzled and crackled and spit at me and it was totally not worth it and I took those suckers out of the pan and threw in the pork chops. So you cook the chops for about 5 minutes on each side and then put a large dollop of applesauce on top and then keep turning so they are nicely coated. Here's where he says, "Have the confidence to cook them until almost a dark reddy-golden color and wonderfully thick and sticky." Why do I need to be confident? Sounds like I'm doing battle and need to stand my ground. After the crackling spit and burned me I'm really not sure how this is going to end up but I get the fire extinguisher and aloe plant handy and hold tight just like Jamie says. They do turn a pretty golden color and I serve them with more applesauce on the side.
Not our favorite recipe but after my first reaction, they were better than expected. And most importantly, neither the fire extinguisher nor the aloe plant needed to be used. (not for this recipe anyway!)
Recipes cooked: 44
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It's really hard to have a Revolution in the summer. It is such a hot, lazy time of the year. The thought of "revolutionizing" makes me want to take a nap. But I guess many Revolutions have actually taken place in the heat of the summer months like, oh, our own 4th of July as well as Bastille Day (July 14) and Canada Day (July 1). So maybe it's just cooking revolutions and the thought of turning on the oven or stove that make me want to curl up with a good book. Honestly, many dinners during the summer for us consist of a trip to the local produce stand and then coming home to cook a great meal of red tomatoes, corn on the cob, zucchini and squash. Yum! So, over the last month the revolution hasn't been so, um, revolting. But I have been watching reruns of Jamie's Home Series on the new Cooking Channel and we have cooked up a few yummy dinners that I can't wait to tell you about. As we have shopped for school supplies, registered for fall activities and life has slowly begun to turn back to the calendar, my gusto for my kitchen makeover has come back. I'm ready to go and boy do I have some catching up to do! So, clean the cobwebs out of the Kitchenaid, it's go time!

This is the second summer that I've hosted a book club for my daughter and some of her classmates. For each book, we discuss it, do a craft and have a snack that goes along with the book. For example, last summer we read The Mouse and the Motorcycle and had apples and cheese for snack. Then we read Felicity about the Colonial American Girl Doll and we made butter and ate it on scones. The first book for this summer was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory so of course I knew I had to make Jamie's Mega Chocolate Fudge Cake (pg. 339).
Once the baby was down for his nap, the kid chef and I got to work. We only had a couple of hours until book club started. I love to bake and I'm pretty good at it but I wouldn't say cakes are my specialty. This recipe seemed so easy though, I was hoping for a "best seller."
We pulled out the food processor, put in all of the ingredients, whizzed it around, threw it into a baking pan. It really is that easy, the kid could have made it herself! (By the way, she wants me to tell you that she's quite good at cracking eggs!)
The recipe calls for 1/4 pound of soft fudge that you stick into the batter and this sort of threw me. Like real fudge, Jamie? How odd. Besides a candy store, where would one by such a thing? I quickly looked at my Canadian counterparts blog to see if she had made this recipe yet for some advice. She had! Thank goodness (the kid says) and we read that she had left out the fudge and reported that the cake was rich enough without it. So, we leave out the fudge too. Now Jamie says that the cake is "squidgy" and a bit moist inside but kid and I maybe cook it a little too long. If this happens to you, serve with extra ice cream and you'll be all set. For the record, the book club meeting was a hit and I'd like to think it had a little to do with the chocolate cake!

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chocolate-recipes/mega-chocolate-fudge-cake

Recipes cooked: 43
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After a few long weeks at work, I retreated to my parents house for a nice relaxing mini-vacation with the kids. We had steamed crabs and corn from the veggie stand, went to the local dairy for ice cream and spent time at the beach enjoying the salt air and sound of the surf. For the last night, I thought I'd cook dinner for everyone. I picked out "Baked Cod wrapped in Bacon with Rosemary" (pg. 256) and Mexican-Style Corn (pg. 227.) After a late afternoon trip to the beach, Grandma played with the kids outside and I started dinner. My dad loves to cook. As I've mentioned, I didn't help much in the kitchen growing up and now that I have my own family I make frequent calls home with cooking emergencies. Dad is often on the other end of the call helping me make a pot roast or some other recipe that I'm craving. He very excitedly asked if he could be my sous chef for the night and we got going on the chopping and cutting. They didn't have cod at the store so we used halibut which worked great as a replacement. First, we chopped up our rosemary on the cutting board, added olive oil, salt and pepper and rolled the fish around in it coating it in the mixture. In the meantime, we preheated the oven and searched for the perfect pan. I always change my mind at least three times on what pan/pot/baking dish I'm going to use (dirtying way more than necessary) and this night was no different. My dad seemed to have the same trouble so maybe that's where I get it from. We finally settled on a broiler pan and after wrapping the coated halibut in bacon and putting one last stem of rosemary on top, we stuck it in the oven. The fish just needed 10 minutes and the corn was ready by the time the fish was done. It looked great, just like the picture. We carefully placed it on everyone's plate and rolled the corn around in butter and some grated parmesan cheese for our Mexican corn and put that on their plates too. I think my dad got a huge kick out of being MY helper for once. It was lots of fun!
Recipes cooked: 42
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Fruit Platter (pg.320)
Oh my gosh! So easy and I got to check something off my recipe list. Hey, its in the book so it counts!
1. Take any fruit, I just took any and everything I had in the house.
2. Cut it up.
3. Arrange it nicely on a special plate, one you don't use every day.
4. Add to that a pretty bowl with some vanilla yogurt.
5. Present to your children.
6. They will be so impressed with the presentation, they'll eat every last bit!
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Also while the kids were away, I made two more oatmeal recipes. The one I was most excited about was the "Dark Chocolate and Seville Orange Marmalade." (pg.300)Yum! Who wouldn't like chocolate for breakfast, right? I started with the same quick cooking oats I had been using for the others and was quite proud of myself when I succeeded in whipping it up with no boil overs, no charred bottom! Success! In the last minute of cooking I added a 1/2 ounce of chocolate and a few tablespoons of orange marmalade. It smelled great, looked great but I was not a fan when I tasted it. Now, I've never liked chocolate and orange together so I think maybe next time I'd try it with another kind of preserves.
The next morning, I made just the basic oatmeal (pg. 300) and put some yummy blueberries and strawberries on top. Again, success in cooking it with no boil overs and no sticky bottoms.
Tasty!
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While the kids were at Grandma's for their annual Grandma Vacation a couple of weeks ago, we took the opportunity to whip up another yummy curry dish. Jamie says Vindaloo is a childhood favorite of his and that its the dish that made him a chile lover. I kind of wimped out in the chile department but I would definitely make this again and maybe be a bit braver next time. I was a tad skeptical about adding the large pieces of tomato but they cooked down great and were really, really yummy. It was so nice to make it together with hubby in a nice quiet kitchen with no time table or hungry bellies fussing in the background. We took our time cooking and finally wandered outside with our vindaloo close to nine o'clock that night. The two of us ate outside, in the dark, and washed it down with a cold beer. Outstanding!
Recipes cooked: 37
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A few weeks ago, husband had some co-workers and their families over before we all went to the company picnic. Since we were going to eat, I wanted to offer everyone a light appetizer. Normally, I would head to Trader Joe's and grab some stuff to pass off as my own but this time, I decided to tackle the task myself. I made Jamie's tomato salsa (pg. 273). Now there was a lot of chopping involved and it took two of us to do it in a reasonable amount of time but 6 tomatoes, 1 clove of garlic, 2 scallions, a tad of red chili, a small handful of cilantro, later and it was a bright colorful bowl of delicious chopped salsa-ness. Squeeze in a lime, about the same amount of olive oil, salt and pepper and give it a good stir. It was a huge hit and even kicked off a conversation about Amy's Food Revolution. Enjoy!
Recipes cooked: 36
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Even though I haven't been writing, I've been cooking! Stay tuned for my write ups of more oatmeal recipes, salsa and a new curry dish!
Happy cooking,
Amy

Now if those camp ladies had made oatmeal like this, I may have eaten it! This was so easy and speedy. If you use the quick cooking oats it really doesn't take much more time then one of those microwave packets. Really, give it a try! My sister LOVES oatmeal and different ways to doctor it up. I sent this recipe to her before I had even finished eating it, it was that good! This week I'm hoping to work through the other two oatmeal recipes but it will be hard to beat this one. Next up…Dark Chocolate and Orange Marmalade. Sounds more like dessert than breakfast…stay tuned!
Blackberry and Apple Oatmeal
for one serving...
One serving of quick cooking oats
cored and diced small apple
1/2 tbsp butter
small extra handful of uncooked quick oats
1 tbsp honey
handful of fresh blackberries

while cooking a serving of oatmeal according to package directions…

fry the apples in a pan with the butter until soft and golden while making your oatmeal in separate pot
add the uncooked oatmeal and honey to the apples and cook for 1 min, stirring and mixing
squash the blackberries into the cooked oatmeal
serve with the apple mixture on top

Recipes cooked: 35
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Operation Catch up continues...
Last night I made "Shrimp and Avocado with an Old-School Marie Rose Sauce" (pg. 31). This great dinner ranks among our top 3 of Jamie recipes now along with the Salmon Tikka and the Beef & Ale stew. Its a great thing to make for a light dinner on a busy summer night. It took about 15 minutes to make, start to finish. Jamie says it should take 12 minutes. I had a few set backs which could explain the extra 3 minutes. Note to fellow cooks…when Jamie says "high heat and hot pan" he doesn't mean super hot. I had to open the windows, turn on the vent over the oven and fan the smoke detector after I charred my first batch of garlic in about 2 seconds. I threw it in the sink (much to the dismay of my dish-washing husband) and started over in a new pan for a quick recovery.

Shrimp and avocado with an old-school Marie Rose sauce

From Jamie's Food Revolution

Serves 2

1 or 2 ripe avocados

1 or 2 large handfuls of sprouted cress or alfalfa

all-purpose flour

1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and cleaned

olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

1 heaped teaspoon paprika

extra virgin olive oil

For the Marie Rose sauce:
1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons tomato ketchup

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon whiskey

1 lemon

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Carefully cut into your avocado until you hit the pit, then run the knife around it to halve it. Gently twist the two halves and pull them apart. Carefully remove the pit and discard, then peel the skin off and discard that too. Cut the cress or alfalfa.
2. Put a handful or two of flour into a bowl. Drop your shrimp into the bowl of flour and toss until they're completely coated.
3. To make your sauce, put your mayonnaise into a bowl with the ketchup, a small splash of Worcestershire sauce and the booze. Halve the lemon and squeeze in the juice from one of the halves. Cut the remaining half into wedges for serving. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and mix well. Give it a taste and add a touch more salt, pepper and lemon juice if you think it needs it.
4. Get yourself a large pan and place it on a high heat. When the pan is hot, pour in 2 good lugs of olive oil. Bash and break up your garlic cloves with your hand and add these to the pan, immediately followed by your flour-dusted shrimp. Toss them well to coat them in the hot oil. Count to ten, then add a pinch of salt and pepper, and the paprika for flavor and color. Keep tossing your shrimp, trying to keep them in a single layer in the pan, so they cook evenly, for about 3 to 4 minutes, until crisp and golden.
5. Divide your avocado halves between your plates. Divide the cress or alfalfa over the avocados and place the shrimp next to them. Drizzle a few good spoonfuls of your Marie Rose sauce over the avocados. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika. Serve with wedges of lemon for squeezing over. Fantastic!

Recipes cooked: 34
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"Mom, if we don't like something its just because kids can taste better than grown ups." Really? Is this really what she's using as an excuse tonight? Its Sunday night, my dinner is beautiful! Picture perfect. It went off without a hitch (if you don't count the minor squabble with the plastic wrap)...until it got on the table. Its ham and cheese over chicken. What's not to like?!!?
So here's the scoop on "Parmesan Chicken Breasts with Crispy Posh Ham" (pg. 242). I think I spotted Jamie making this recipe in one of the Food Revolution episodes. I watched the you tube video, had most of the ingredients on hand and pulled this together pretty quickly. Its a great recipe to try and I think MOST kids would really like it. I may try it again using a little less thyme on the kids' pieces, I think this is what she wasn't crazy about.
Here's the you tube video. I love watching the video on my laptop while I cook. It feels like he's right there!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2SWnvRiXO0
Here's the recipe.
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/parmesan-chicken-breasts-with-crispy-pos_1
Let me know what you think!
Recipes cooked: 33
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Okay. I'm a bit stressed. My Food Revolution has come to a screeching halt in recent weeks. As work got busy the first thing to go was the cooking. I figured out last night that I'm behind by about fifteen recipes. Yes, 1-5. I knew I was behind but I would have guessed six or so, not fifteen.
Now, even though work is about to get even busier and school let out yesterday, I need to increase speed and catch up even if it means doing the "easy" recipes. So, for some encouragement and momentum I'm going to watch some Jamie cooking shows tonight and get a game plan together! Rally the troops!

We all scream for Fresh raspberry sauce with vanilla ice cream! (pg. 326) Well, don't you? Doesn't everyone love ice cream?
We had some fresh raspberries on hand and I thought this would be an easy dessert to whip up for an after dinner treat. Just raspberries, a tablespoon of sugar (to taste depending on how sweet your raspberries are) and a bit of mashing. I ended up using a mini processor but you could use a potato masher or your hands. The sauce was so pretty and looked kind of fancy despite its easy ingredients. I even had it on hand to put over Belgian waffles the next morning.
Recipes cooked: 32
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Jamie says Leftover Curry Biriani is like an Indian lasagne. I used our leftover chicken tikka masala but you can really use any type of leftover curry. Be sure its something you've made though and not leftover take-out since you don't know how many times that curry has been reheated.
In this Indian lasagne, you layer your leftover curry with an onion mixture, almonds and rice. Oh no! I have to make rice!?!?
I carefully measured the water and rice and stood over the pot. Maybe neglect is why I have such a hard time with rice. The next thing I knew the rice was boiling over! And I was still standing right there! I turned down the heat quick and was able to salvage it. To everyone's amazement, it turned out nice and fluffy. A step in the right direction in my battle with rice.
This is such a great recipe! With this we were able to get three dinners out of the curry dish. This recipe isn't on Jamie's website so I can't link to it. If you STILL haven't gone out to buy the book, maybe this big thumbs up will carry you to the bookstore today :)

Recipes cooked: 31
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Before my Food Revolution we had a handful of dinners that we made over and over again. One of them was Chicken Tikka Masala made with a jar of Trader Joe's Masala Simmer Sauce. It was a real stand by and we usually kept a jar on hand for a night when we just didn't know what else to cook.
So, I was excited to try Jamie's Chicken Tikka Masala (pg. 82) to see how it compared and also just to say that I made it from scratch. Also, since making the last curry dish, husband has been begging for another curry recipe so I knew this would make him really happy too!
The nice thing about this recipe is that its pretty much a one pot thing which is great for clean up. In a large pan you first saute some onions, chile, ginger and cilantro stalks for about ten minutes in some peanut oil. Then you add the curry paste and chicken strips. This Patak's mild curry paste might be one of my new favorite things since it makes making curry so simple, anyone (even me) can do it. After coating everything really good in the paste you add tomatoes and coconut milk and some water and then it just cooks on the stove. So simple!
Husband and I both thought it tasted exactly like the simmer sauce from Trader Joe's. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. For a novice cook, I was quite impressed with myself that it tasted that good but at the same time it sure is a lot of work to taste like something that I could have just poured out of a jar.
Recipes cooked: 30
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My dad's cheeseburgers are famous. They are rumored to have magical powers. One friend "wooed" a guy by inviting him to my house for my dad's amazing hamburgers. They are delicious and I've never been able to duplicate them. When tackling Jamie's Cracking Burger recipe (pg. 146) this week I was hoping they would be different enough as to not compete with the Master!
I made them ahead of time while the baby was napping and the kid was still at school. They were so easy and everyone loved them! Now I'm not sure they possess magical powers like my dad's burgers but just like I'd hoped, they were different enough from my dad's that I didn't feel guilty liking them too!

Check out the link below and give them a try tomorrow for your Memorial Day BBQ.
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/a-cracking-burger

Recipes cooked: 29
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Last week was not a good week for Amy's Food Revolution. It was super busy and I barely had time to think let alone figure out a recipe. I definitely regressed to my old ways and dinners were pretty lame. So, after my unplanned hiatus, I thought I needed a good boost to get things rolling again and decided to make one of Jamie's oatmeal recipes, Banana and Cinnamon Oatmeal (pg. 300).

Now, oatmeal and I have a complicated past. I am sure that I ate it when I was a baby but by the time I was school age I couldn't stand the stuff. I think I was a pretty good eater as a kid and fairly easy going. There were only three things that I refused to eat and oatmeal was one of them.

When I was nine, I went to Ranger Rick camp. There was a rule in the mess hall that you had to eat everything they gave you and gave an epic "starving children in China" speech every day and if that didn't work, they weighed all of the leftover food. It was pretty ruthless. Well, wouldn't you know it, one day they served oatmeal. Sitting there for an hour not eating it after everyone had left was probably one of my only acts of defiance as a kid.

It took me about 20 years to get over that experience and by then oatmeal was the "in" thing. All the food gurus talked about it and you hear about it everywhere. Steel Cut Oats of course are suppose to be the best and with all of this talk I honestly did want to like the stuff.

What brought me and oatmeal to our new relationship was a yoga retreat to an awesome B&B where they made oatmeal in a crock pot overnight. The next morning, it smelled so good I just had to try it. It was piping hot and amazing and after that I couldn't get enough of the stuff.

Still, I was making instant oatmeal in the microwave. The one or two times I tried to make oatmeal on the stove it kind of turned out like my rice. A big pile of glop and a mess all over the stove. Also, no one else in the house will eat it so the little packets of instant have been working fine for me.

So, this was a big deal. I followed Jamie's directions, putting the oats, a pinch of sea salt and water on the stove and put it on medium heat. I stirred often and kept a close eye on it. In just 5 minutes I had great, perfect oatmeal that seemed to taste better than the microwaved stuff. No boil overs! No sticky mess! No leftovers! No "starving kid in China" speech!

Recipes cooked: 28
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Days left: 285

Mother's Day was great this year. I got a beautiful apron from my husband and kids, complete with breakfast in bed, handmade cards and lots of hugs and kisses. Husband asked what I wanted to do for the rest of the day. "Plant flowers with my mom and the kids." And I think my next request put him into a bit of shock. "Cook dinner," I said. This obviously is not the woman he was married to two months ago! This is not something that I would have requested any other Mother's Day!

I picked Jamie's "Good Old Chili Con Carne" (pg. 172) to make for Mother's Day dinner. The great thing about this chili recipe is that there are LOADS of veggies in it. Its got onions, carrots, celery, red peppers, diced tomatoes and two kinds of beans. As far spices, here's the shocker. Jamie calls for equal amounts of chili powder, ground cumin and ground cinnamon. I was a bit skeptical about the cinnamon and did put just a little less in than the rest.

Now there is a lot of chopping and dicing. Its good to have some help or even just someone else to keep you company while you do it. I had lots of help between my husband and my mini chopping gadget. After lots of chopping and dicing it really is just a matter of throwing everything in the pan and letting it simmer on the stove. If I can do it, anyone can!

The chili turned out great and it tasted even better the second night as leftovers. We had it over pasta although Jamie suggests rice with some plain yogurt and guacamole on the side. The cinnamon was interesting and we ended up agreeing that it worked in there better than we thought it would.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/good-old-chilli-con-carne

Recipes cooked: 27
Recipes left: 146
Days left: 300