Not Particularly Exciting...But I Baked 2:50 PM

Don't get too excited. It wasn't dessert.

For the first time ever, I actually baked a non-dessert in the oven. And it was really really good!

It all started with my friends Chicken & Diced Tomato recipe from Ehow.com

But then the adventure continued. Today I made Baked Farfalle with Chicken Sausage, Green Peppers and Mushrooms. I think I put too much tomato sauce in but overall it's very good and I have enough portions for a couple more dinners.

See ->> Too much sauce.

But it's good to keep trying these things. Cooking is really time consuming, even simple things like this. I've also started slicing and dicing my own vegetables instead of buying pre-sliced greens. It's good that I start doing these simple culinary things because it gives me confidence to try new things (like baked chicken!)

In other news, I've decided I'm going to start blogging about other post-graduate things including but not limited to: personal finance and health (including fitness).

Set backs and getting back on course 5:50 PM

My cooking adventures have reached a temporary halt due to illness and lack of time. It's a bit of a set-up back but it's one I could expect. One of the number one reasons to get take out or eat out is that's it's quick and easy.

I'm pretty proud of myself. I haven't cooking anything complicated and worth blogging about but I've still been packing lunch regularly.

But the theme of this blog post, I'm looking to get back on course. I have a couple new recipes I want to try, including a baked chicken. Other things to get on track: my french language skills. Hello meetup.com

How to Save Your Roommate's Pan You Accidentally Burned 7:04 PM

It's Thursday Night and after a long claustrophobic day at work (it was the weather I swear), you go home to make yourself some tofu stir-fry. Except you turn away for a split second to long (damn you crackberry and your bbming) and "EPG, what's that burning smell?"

This was me last Thursday. I burnt rice in my roommate's pot and I couldn't for the life of me get the stains off the bottom. I ruined her perfectly food pot.

But thanks to the internet, I discovered this neat little trick.

When you burn a pot, pan, etc. fill it with cold water and dump a TON of salt into the water. Let the salt water sit overnight and the next day, burn marks come right off.

I don't know what chemically happens overnight but this tip saved me a trip to the Red Hook Ikea to replace her pot.

Hope it helps you out some day.

This week's Cooking: Peanut Chicken & Tofu Stir-fry 4:54 PM

Woah the first week of the semester was difficult. But I'm really proud of myself for not slipping into my old habits and eating our too much.

Last Monday my best friend from home taught me how to make Peanut Chicken with Vegetables and Rice. I've always been intimidated by cooking raw meet and I tend to burn rice so it was scary.

But actually, it turned out pretty good and I was able to grill the chicken we didn't use. With some rosemary, it's perfect for a salad. No photo though.

The second dish of the week was tofu and snow pea stir-fry. I didn't have a great tofu grilling strategy to start off but when I was finished I had delicious food for the next few days. One thing for the next round, I would love Teriyaki sauce. I made do with soy sauce and salt this time but it needed a little more flavor.



Overall, I'm missing a little bit on the flavor levels so far in my cooking adventures. The first round things have been a little on the bland side, but well cooked and balanced meals. I'm really excited to keep cooking and blogging about what I make.

Next up: Lessons from Kitchen Disasters: Saving your burnt pan.

10 New Brownbag Recipes I'm Going To Try 11:19 PM

Since I live in New York City, I tend to go on several smaller grocery trips. After all I can only carry so many environmentally friendly tote-bags filled with groceries down 14th street. Therefore, my next grocery trip is tomorrow. I'm going to buy more lunch foods and some new dinner foods. My friend is coming out of town and it actually might be fun to try to cook dinner for someone. Or it could be a disaster.

But in my quest to make yummy brown bag lunches and stick to brown-bagging, I've decided to browse some recipes in hopes of variety.

1) Martha's Favorite Tuna Salad Sandwich
2) Grilled Chicken and Escarole Sandwich with White-Bean Spread
3) Chicken Wraps with Mango, Basil and Mint
4) Baby Spinach Salad with Tuna
5) Tangy Tabbouleh Salad
6) Waldorf Salad
7) Lentil Soup
8) Chicken Pesto Sandwiches
9) Turkey Cobb Salad Wraps
10) Salmon Cucumber Sandwiches


I'm still on the hunt for a great chili recipe though.

Cool Opp: Ms. Career Girl's College Senior Series 1:09 PM

Through some link-hopping I stumbled on Ms. Career Girl's website (now in my links I love). In exploring the website, I found this really awesome opportunity for college seniors transitioning into the real world.

Though I will not be signing up (because then this blog would have no purpose), it seems like a really nice opportunity to re-evaluate your career strategy, and increase your Google factor as your enter the real world.

Check it out here at Ms. Career Girl

Friday Reader Poll: What is your favorite brown bag lunch? 8:02 PM

I decided I'm going to try to post a question for the reader's every Friday. Since I just blogged about why to pack your lunch, I want to know your favorite brown bag lunch recipe!

So far this week, I've made two delicious turkey, hummus sandwiches. It's actually pretty flavorful and probably healthier because there is no cheese or condiments.

Can't wait to try your suggestions.