food

Cookbooks

I love cookbooks, but I rarely use them. I often read them to get new ideas and to learn new techniques, which I can use in my own kitchen.

My first cookbook was 'The Joy of Cooking' which I received for Christmas when I was 12 years old. My first creation from the book was croissants, a thank you for Lois who gave me the book. Despite my hard work, they didn't turn out well. Lois was kind and pretended to eat them anyway. Her advice: Start with the basics and work your way up. Why don't you try bisquits?

I did and they were great! To this day, I still use that recipe for bisquits...

My newest cookbook was an accident. I forgot to send in the card declining the editor's choice for my cookbook club. When it arrived, I kicked myself for not remembering and then opened it anyway. It was Tom Colicchio's Craft of Cooking.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised. It is based on his experience with craft, his restaurant in New York. Granted, I won't be trying a lot of the recipes at home. The first recipe in the book is Duck Ham, which has to cure for three weeks haning from a shelf in your refrigerator. Not realistic for me, but I enjoyed reading about it. And if I ever need to make Duck Ham, I will know where to go!

There are others that I will try, like Boulangere Potatoes All in all, it is a great read.

Curried Chicken

How lazy am I? I haven't posted in this for a while, but my kitchen hasn't exactly been cooking lately. During spring break, we took a lot of day trips and ended up eating out a lot. We are just now getting back into the swing of things. Tonight, I was at a loss. The pantry is bare and I had a poor cut up chicken to deal with. I don't think this would even count as a recipe, but all the kids ate it!

I dredged the chicken pieces in tons of curry powder. I sauteed them in a little oil in my new pot until lightly browned, but not cooked. After removing the chicken, I poured off the excess oil and added one finely minced onion and three stalks of celery, finely minced. I threw in a little garlic and a lot of ginger. When the vegetables were softened, I returned the chicken to the pan and covered with water. I simmered it until the meat was falling off the bones. After fishing out the pieces of chicken, I seperated the meat from the skin and bones. I added the meat back to the pan and threw in a handful or two of rice. I also added a little lemon and salt. In twenty minutes, the liquid was absorbed. Serve with side of veggies for kid friendly meal!