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