Happy New Year!

I can't believe it is already 2012!

I'm so glad that I started this blog this past year, it has been a really nice outlet away from all things science.

This is what science does to you!

I'm also so grateful for you readers that take the time to even glance at my blog. I had no idea I would get so many people from so many different countries reading about the food I cook and my thoughts on all things food. Thank you!

I have many new additions I want to incorporate into this blog this new year:
1. Making my own title and background wallpaper. I really need to learn more about digital art/graphics and Photoshop and all of that computer stuff!
2. Reorganizing the text and photos.
3. Making Chicken a la King! This is only one example of many new things on my list that I want to try and cook in the future.
4. Remembering to take pictures of what I take to work for lunch and posting about them.
5. Baking more cheesecakes, which I don't do as often as I used to because I don't need entire cheesecakes floating around in my fridge. 
6. Starting another blog in addition to this one about nail polish, fashion, makeup, and all things girly. (I'm a science nerd who cares about that fact that I'm a female in a male dominated industry, is a bit really obsessed with nail polish, and would one day like to work in the cosmetics industry as a scientist.)
7. Possibly attempting to film myself cooking. I'm still not sure about this only because I don't have the right equipment to have a good setup to film. I only have a digital camera and not a camcorder or tripod.

Anyone have any interesting new years resolutions for 2012?

What I Got For Christmas

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I sure did since it was a white one! I got a few food related items for Christmas that I will definitely put to good use in the kitchen.

Look how cute the Piggy Wiggy kitchen timer is by Joie! It even has a curly tail in the back. Thank you J & S! The Chef'n flexible kitchen prep bowls (link will take you to the product on Amazon) are not just ordinary bowls, they're flexible (keeps me from making a mess when pouring things!) and have measurements inside each one. I am most excited about the cookbook 1001 cupcakes, cookies & other tempting treats (you can find it at Barnes and Noble online) because there are sooo many awesome and interesting recipes that I have to try. Plus, who doesn't love desserts and sweet things?! I also really like it because every single recipe in this book has a mouthwatering photo for it. Thanks Em for the bowls and cookbook!

I guess it is time to start baking like crazy!

Ugly Looking Potato Soup

I realize this potato soup looks kind of gross, but trust me, it was good. I made the mistake of letting the soup come back to a high boil after I added the cheese, which in many instances will start to separate and turn out looking like my ugly soup. When making macaroni and cheese, you should always add the cheese at the end when the pot is off of the burner so nothing ends up boiling and separating...I guess I should have followed this same method with the soup.

The bacon I added made up for the lack of presentation with this soup though. Good and unhealthy!


Ingredients
1/4 - 1/3 of an onion, chopped
3 slices of thick bacon
3 - 4 russet potatoes (medium to large sized)
half and half
chicken broth
shredded cheddar cheese
salt
pepper

The ingredients list is not specific with the volumes of the liquids used since I rarely follow a specific recipe when making soups, so it is more of a rough estimate that I have written above of all of the ingredients.

Directions
Roughly chop the bacon, then using a large soup pot, saute the onions and the bacon until the onions start browning. Oil does not have to be added because of the bacon.
As the onions and bacon are browning, chop up the potatoes into about 1-2 inch chunks. Before chopping the potatoes, you can bake them first in the oven (or microwave like my lazy self) first until they are almost tender. I like to do this to speed up the cooking process of this soup. Also, you can peel the potatoes if you do not like the skin, but I rarely ever do this step.
Incorporate the potatoes into the pot with the onions and bacon and brown the potatoes a little bit before adding the half and half and chicken broth. I realize I do not have specific measurements above for these two liquid ingredients, but I usually prefer using more half and half then chicken stock depending on how salty the chicken stock is. Just make sure your liquid covers all of the potatoes in the pot. Then add salt and paper to taste, but keep in mind that the bacon is salty as well.
Bring the soup to a boil and then lower the temperature so that the soup is simmering, stirring every so often.
When the potatoes are tender, turn off the heat and add the shredded cheddar cheese. I recommend adding about a half cup of cheese and using extra cheese at the end as a topping.
Other toppings could be chopped green onions, crispy bacon, sour cream, etc! I even like to add steamed broccoli to it sometimes.

This soup keeps really well when frozen, so feel free to double or even triple the recipe and freeze away!

Merry Christmas: Cherry Cheese Pie

Merry Christmas!

I am celebrating a WHITE Christmas with my family today. I think I've only experienced one other white Christmas before, that I can remember anyways.

Even though it was cold, my mom's dog even liked the snow. She kept eating it.

Now onto the food. I made a cherry cheese pie for Christmas. The inspiration for this was whatever I could find in my mom's fridge and pantry, heh.

Ingredients
Store bought pie crust (if y'all have been following my blog for a while, you have probably noticed that I'm not a big fan of making dough from scratch, much less dealing with it in general)
1 can of cherry pie filling
1 package (8 oz) of cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 teaspoon vanilla extract
(I pretty much just cut the recipe for the base of my cheesecake fillings that I typically use for all cheesecake recipes into a third)

Directions 
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Roll the crust out into a 9 inch pie pan/dish. The reason this is the first step is that I like to let dough come to room temperature before baking it.
Prepare the cheese filling by creaming the sugar and vanilla extract into the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Then beat the egg into the mixture until everything is combined and smooth.
Pour the cherry pie filling into the crust first, then layer the cream cheese filling on top. You can also combine the cherry and cream cheese fillings together for a different taste and effect.
Bake for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees F, then lower the temperature to 350-375 degrees F and bake until the center is almost set (approximately 20-30 minutes). To check if the center is set, I always jiggle the pie and see if the center still moves, like jello or not. Remember that typically baked desserts like pies and cheesecakes continue to bake when taken out of the oven, so it's good to take it out when the center is ALMOST set, but not completely.

Don't be afraid to experiment with recipes you already know by creating new recipes from what you have already available in your kitchen. Especially if you're snowed in or can't bare to be out in the cold to go to the grocery store. You never know when something will turn out horrible great!

New goal for the next year: start trying to make dough for these kind of recipes from scratch!

Broke Person's Caprese Sandwich

I've been on a sandwich and soup kick lately. In this case, here's a simple recipe to make a caprese sandwich...though I wouldn't necessarily call it a recipe. It's more of a how to of putting it together using ingredients you probably have in your fridge already.

This is exactly the same way grilled cheese is made, except with different ingredients! I used two slices of organic white bread with a little butter on the outside on each slice (this can be omitted if you're worried about extra fat). I spread pesto on one side of a piece of bread, then put it buttered side down into a nonstick skillet on medium-low. On top of the pesto, thinly sliced Roma tomatoes were layered on it, then shredded mozzarella cheese before the second piece of bread made it onto the pile. To speed up the melting time of the cheese, you can cover the skillet, but make sure to not steam the sandwich since condensation and moisture can form inside. Flip the sandwich and toast each side making sure the cheese melts, and there you have it...A broke person's caprese sandwich!

Weird Food of the Day

I know, I know...I've been really behind on posting lately. I'm finally back though!

In the spirit of Christmas (I can't believe it's already next weekend! Where did the time go?) here are some Snowman Doo, Moo Doo (I guess this one doesn't have anything to do with Christmas), and Yellow Snow. 

I always find the oddest things at World Market. These would be great stocking stuffers. I don't think anyone can say no to candy, even if it is DOOOO, heh.

Salmon Patty Sandwich

I really like salmon and recently stumbled upon breaded salmon patties in the frozen food section of the grocery store. They're really healthy and are really easy to make. You can either bake the patties in the oven or pan fry them in a pan using less than a tablespoon of olive oil.

I sandwiched them between two slices of organic white bread with some green lettuce leaves and tartar sauce (I made my own tartar sauce by mixing mayonnaise and pickled relish together).

Easy, healthy, light...yet satisfying.