Flashback to Peanut Stew

It's been a bit since I last posted. I toyed around with the idea of quitting my attempt at blogging. No one is reading it, so really I'm just writing to myself. But then again, I am sort of enjoying writing it. Maybe someday someone else will read it, and hopefully enjoy it or at least be amused. If not, well at least it's a way I can look back at some things I've cooked and found interesting. After all, remembering a good meal is always a pleasant experience.

Today I was trying to decide what to do with the "value-pack" of chicken that was left over after I took out two legs to cook for dinner the other night. Nothing had been inspiring me and I wanted something new. So as usual in these situations, I found myself on Google.

A quick search, a few uninspired ideas, and then there it was.... African Chicken Peanut Stew. This dish was basically college in a nutshell for me. Wow how a meal can bring back memories. I did a quick scan, and yep, all the ingredients were in my pantry. So chop, sizzle, stir, I'm on my way to some West African yum yum grub and some fun early 20's flashbacks.

The recipe I found online at simplyrecipes.com follows pretty true to how my college boyfriend always made this soup. His version had a few minor variations. Sometimes he would make it with chicken, but he preferred beef and sometimes added shrimp if we were feeling rich that week. He never used ginger, which this recipe calls for quite a bit of, but I think it will be a tasty addition.

The stew as I remember it is spicy and full of flavor. It's served over white rice, which is simmering on my stove as I type. Waiting for everything to finish simmering is pure agony at the moment. It all smells so good!

If you'd like to try the recipe here is the link  http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/african_chicken_peanut_stew/
If it's your first time, you might want to cut down the portion size a bit because it will make A LOT. But once you've tried it you'll probably want a lot more, so a few extra servings may not be a bad thing after all.

Chicken Adventures

A little while ago a friend of mine made a whole chicken for a dinner party she had at her house. It was absolutely delicious. Of course, said friend is also extremely talented in the kitchen, so I naturally assumed it was something too grand for me to take on. But I kept thinking about that delicious chicken, and well I've become a bit obsessed with the thought of trying it. I asked my friend about cooking chicken and she said it's super easy. She was even kind enough to tell me the recipe for how she made hers, but I have to admit that it went in one ear and out the other.

Nonetheless, I found myself in the meat aisle of my neighborhood grocery store staring down a 5lb chicken. I can do this.... right? Well I think I can. So here we go. I'm a bit too embarrassed to tell my friend I forgot all the chicken wisdom she passed on to me, so I looked up a few recipes online. I went with a recipe for herb roasted chicken based on nothing really more than the fact that I had all the necessary herbs in my house already and it was the lowest calories per serving. Hey, a cooking girl's gotta watch her figure!

Operation chicken commence in One, Two, Three GO!!!

Here is the finished product. I have to say, coming out of the oven it was lookin' mighty fine. Taste-wise it was pretty good too, but I think it could have been a bit more moist and maybe had some more flavor. 

The next time I decide to make a chicken I think I will try adding some garlic. I've made Cornish game hens before, and they were basted with a mix of chicken broth and a little bit of olive oil. That might work for a whole chicken to keep it more moist.

If you'd like to try the recipe for yourself, it's on spark recipes under "Whole Herb Roasted Chicken". Here is the link: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=177658

First Day

I've never really thought of keeping a blog before. I have friends who keep them, but for me... well I've never really felt as I had anything all that important to say. But recently it seems I've been asked by about a million and a half people (ok maybe not that many, but at least pretty much every guy I've gone on a date with as well as a few friends) whether or not I can cook.

Hmmm.... that's an interesting thought. Can I cook? Sure I can throw together the occasional meal. I've even had some fairly wowzer successes in the kitchen. But would I say, "Yes, I can cook!" I'm not so sure. Don't get me wrong, I'm not thinking of cooking to impress some guy. Psssshhhhh I can think of way better things to do than try to impress someone, but cooking is a skill that is so close to our daily lives. And that got me to thinking.

The ability to cook and cook well can have so many benefits. Of course, there are health benefits from learning how to make fresh meals from fresh products and avoid all the overly-processed non-sense that's put in front of us day after day by restaurants and the giant food corporations. Then there's the ol' pocketbook benefits. If I can whip up a filet mignot  at home I'm going to pay far less for it and, if I'm good, enjoy it just as much, as at an expensive restaurant.

Then there's bragging rights. Ah bragging rights. What can I say, I want to be able to say, "I'm an awesome cook." And I want to be able to back it up. Not that I'm necessarily going to cook a meal for any guy, maybe he should be cooking for me, but if I do happen to feel like impressing in the kitchen, I want to be able to do it.

So here we go, day one of Kitchen Kindergarten. Time to let go of the to-go box and pick up a spatula!