What's Cookin' Good Lookin'?

I have amassed a rather hefty collection of cookbooks for someone who really only started having a use for them two months ago. Let's face it, there aren't tons of cookbooks targeted towards the same audience as this blog is, so I thought it would be useful to show you which ones I've been turning to for inspiration and guidance.
1. College Cooking by Megan and Jill Carle was the first cookbook I could ever claim as my own. I like this one because it was written by two college students (obviously for college students) so they really stick to the tastes and budget that I'm looking for. There are some classics like baked ziti, mac n' cheese and chicken and rice, but they also cater to the more adventurous like crab cakes and Thai chicken. Their instructions are easy to follow (but not condicentingly so) and the accompanying photos are lovely. There are also a few party menus interspersed between each chapter. Also, there are little bits of trivia and tricks to turning their recipes into vegetarian options littered throughout. If you like this book but feel it's a bit too meat-heavy for your tastes, these ladies are coming out with Vegetarian College Cooking soon which had some very tasty looking recipes.
2. I was very excited to finally have an excuse to get I Like You by Amy Sedaris . This book did not disappoint. I had always assumed it was more for the sake of humor than actual recipes and advice, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was heavily packed with both! I kid you not, I actually sat down and read this from cover to cover and had to stop every now and then to remind myself that, yes, I am indeed reading a cookbook. While certainly entertaining, it is a bit difficult to actually put to use since the recipes are arranged so haphazardly (tell me, Amy, what do you cook for a lumberjack lunch?). With that said, this book is an absolute must in your kitchen library.3. Memorable Recipes to Share With Family and Friends doesn't, I admit, look terribly exciting at first glance, but once you pay a bit of attention you'll see that there are some very tempting recipes throughout. There is also a wealth of entertaining advice (although not as amusing as Mr. Sedaris teaches us). The recipes in this book are a bit more adult (read: more sophisticated and intricate) than, say, the ones found in College Cooking, but they all seem perfectly doable (read: relatively inexpensive and easy). If they aren't enough to get your mouth watering, the gorgeous photographs certainly will. Warning: a bit of math will be involved, assuming you won't be serving over 6 people with each meal.

4. Honestly, I got The New Basics Cookbook because it was on one of those $1 book carts outside of The Strand, but it really is very good for- surprise! - the basics. It's organized in a way that makes more sense than all the other books on this list: the vegetables are listed with the vegetables, chicken with the chicken, desserts with the desserts etc. Is The New Basics terribly thrilling? No. But is it full of useful and tasty recipes? Definitely.
5. I don't keep kosher, but according to Hip Kosher: 175 Easy-to-Prepare Recipes For Today's Kosher Cooks it's the next big culinary trend. After looking at the recipes in this book I, admittedly, picked up with trepidation, I believe it. They look absolutely delicious, the soups especially. It's trying to be chi chi, but definitely the kind of chi chi that can be recreated in your own kitchen.
6. I got Nadia G's Bitchin' Kitchen Cookbook for my birthday in January and then it promptly disappeared. This dearly departed friend was full of sass and wit and, oh yeah, occasionally a good recipe thrown in. From what I remember, not many of the recipes jumped out as something I could see myself cooking on an average night but I could always see myself eating if it just so happened to be served to me. Everything's very Italian, even most of the instructions (don't worry, there's an Italian slang glossary in the back). Like Amy's book, you may not be turning to Bitchin' Kitchen on the regular, but it's an excellent book to have in your toolbox.

Summer Smoothies

Today, as I was pouring yet another glass of water to try to stay hydrated through the summer heat, I realized that I didn't have to torture myself any longer. I remembered that I have a blender & fruit. I remembered that I can make smoothies.

As silly as this sounds, I think that most of us tend to reach for the things that are readily available like water, juice, or any other drink lying around the house. Usually, unless you're unusually health conscious, these drinks are full of sugar & artificial things (or just plain boring). Depending, of course, on what you put in them, smoothies are a tasty & healthy alternative. Here's how to make your own! :)

I didn't go out & buy things specifically for my smoothies, I just used things that were already in my kitchen & pantry, so keep that in mind. Typically, smoothies contain fruit, some kind of dairy, & juice. They can have other things, however, like ice, honey, ice cream, or even instant chocolate milk powder.

After looking around my kitchen, I find the following for my smoothies: one banana, one can of pineapple chunks in natural juices, one container of light raspberry yogurt, & a container of sugar free pomegranate juice. I combine all in a blender, with the exception of only using 1/3-1/2 cup of the juice.

I taste it, but it's not quite right. I add four ice cubes & two scoops of light peach ice cream & blend again. Perfect. (Remember to put the smoothies in the fridge to keep them nice & cold.)

I encourage everyone to raid their kitchens and make smoothies. They're particularly good for slightly overripe fruit that you might not want to eat on their own anymore. All you have to do is pick some of your favorite fruits (almost any fruit goes with another) and other things that you like. If you're nervous, search here for a few more recipes. But don't be afraid to experiment!

Home Sweet...

I love love LOVE the handmade block printed textiles that Home Sweet creates for the home. She makes plain fabrics, pillowcases, table linens and lampshades. And, as is almost always the case with Etsy sellers, if you don't see something exactly matching your tastes, she offers custom work.

What I'm Cooking: Vegetarian Week

Each week, my meal planning tends to naturally fall into a theme to make the most of the ingredients I'm buying. This week, it's vegetarian week. While I'm nowhere near a full time vegetarian, I like to designate a few days now and again to being one. If there's one thing I sympathize with vegetarianism, it's the added struggle of finding new, exciting, varied recipes to try. Here are two of my favorites, one that I've made for years and one that I just created, well, today.

The first is Spinach and Mushroom Fritters


For one person, you'll need:

-about a half a pound of spinach
-three or four white mushrooms
-a pat of butter
-canola oil
-a half of an onion or shallot
-1/4 c bread crumbs with herbs (or an equivalent amount of fresh chopped herbs like parsley, basil, thyme etc)
-an egg
-1/4 cup of flour
-1 tbsp Parmesan (can be more)

1. Melt butter in frying pan over low heat. Chop onion and toss in pan, cook until translucent. Then add spinach and chopped mushrooms and cook down.
2. In a bowl, whisk egg, then whisk in flour, cheese, salt and pepper and breadcrumbs or herbs.
3. Chop spinach and fold into batter.
4. Heat oil in same pan and drop spoonfulls of batter into pan (I got three fritters with these amounts). Fry on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

The next, which I unfortunately don't have a picture for, is Zucchini Stuffed With Couscous

This recipe is perfect for playing around with, I've never made it the same way twice, but here are the basic ingredients for one or two servings (depending on how hungry you are):

-a fairly hefty zucchini with as even of a shape as you can find
-1/3 cup couscous
- 1 tbsp olive oil
-1 clove garlic
-1/4 cup chopped onions
- 3/4 cup chicken stock*

I usually add some chopped mushrooms, if I have some. This week, I'll probably add some chopped spinach that's leftover from the fritters. I also might try to shred some cheese over the boats. You can also add green peppers, cinnamon, breadcrumbs, chickpeas, feta...use your imagination.

*It was brought to my attention that chicken stock is, in fact, not a vegetarian ingredient. I've been pretty out of it lately and when I included that I stopped to think "oh, well, I guess it just won't be a vegan week then." Oops. The easy fix: substitute it with veggie broth and you're good to go.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly oil a baking dish
2. Half the zucchini lengthwise and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake cut side down for 10-12 minutes, then reduce heat to 350.
3. Scoop out the centers and chop pulp.
4. Heat the oil over medium heat in the pan and brown the onion.
5. Next, add the chopped zucchini, couscous, garlic and any other bigger ingredients you've chosen. Then add the chicken stock and chosen spices. Bring to a boil and cook covered for five minutes.
6. Uncover, let cool. Spoon the mixture into the zucchini boats. Put them back in the pan, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
   

Drumroll Please

After careful consideration, I have finally come up with a theme to base my decorating on for my room. Now it seems so obvious that I don't know why I didn't come up with it sooner: the sky. Yeah, I've been doing the celestial theme for a while now, but it's always been focused on night. I want my room to be much more inspired by the daytime. I want it to feel like I'm summering in my little house in the South of France instead of trudging through another Boston winter. The room is already painted a light blue with white moldings, so I'm going to carry the color theme over to white and blue, and then add a bird motif for the details. If you decide to follow a similar course, never fear, birds seem to be everywhere in home decor these days.


I started with the basics of furniture. This corner desk from Overstock.com opens up the space nicely and isn't too clunky. The dresser from Target is simple, clean and has enough room (maybe) for my clothes. And I love this sophisticated side table from Amazon. Obviously I'm missing a bed at the moment, but I plan on getting just a simple frame, nothing too exciting there.

Next were the accents. This clock from Etsy matches my color scheme and style perfectly. These sheets from Target aren't terribly thrilling, but I love the color and subtle embroidery detailing. If I wanted to go for the more artistic version of a clock, I'd go for this version from Urban Outfitters.

Then, the finishing touches. There were so many pieces of art featuring birds it was hard to choose. I like the idea of these wall decals , but I feel like I might be more comfortable with a lovely painting . This pretty hook is a must-have for keeping my bags and coats in order. I love that vintage birdcage look (I had to stop myself from looking through Ebay for actual vintage birdcages by reminding myself I'd have nowhere to put it).

It feels nice to have a real image and plan, like it's all really happening.

Decorating for Less... Way Less

Recently, I've been seriously thinking about how I want my new room to look & what I'd like to put in it. I've gone through several floor plans, but I still wasn't sure exactly how to get everything I needed on a tight budget. I considered various options (mostly including Target and IKEA), but I knew that even their prices might push me too far.

I know that there must be others like me, so I thought I'd share my solutions.

1. Do It Yourself.
Instead of buying things already made, take the time to do it yourself. Not only is this usually a cheaper & more satisfying route, but it is also a way to ensure you get exactly what you want. For example, I found an interesting picture frame consisting of four different black frames glued together at Target. It would be perfect for my room, but I thought that it would be a fun (& cheaper) project to do myself. I'm also considering sewing my own duvet cover & curtains as well. Obviously these projects take a bit more time than driving to a store & laying out the cash, but they'll be well worth it.

2. Yard Sales.
They're not always a guarantee, but if you plan ahead & wake up early, you might be able to grab a few deals. I tried for the first time this past Saturday & despite the fact that I didn't have much time, I still managed to find a few things. A large picnic basket for my sewing supplies & a single serve George Foreman grill, each for two dollars. I used Craigslist's Garage & Moving Sales section with Google Maps to help plan my route. You can also check out your local paper's classified sections.

3. Freecycle.
A few days ago, I was encouraged to check out the Freecycle groups on Yahoo! Groups. The groups are created by area and are a way to find things you need or give things you don't need away for free. The Freecycle mission statement: "Our mission is to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community." I ended up joining three in my area & on the very same day, I found a bedroom set. I only ended up taking a dresser & mirror, but both are real wood & will look incredible after a bit of fixing up. I've also seen offers for things like televisions, DVD players, & other useful items.

4. eBay.
I know that I've mentioned eBay before, but it really is a great way to decorate (or find just about anything). I want to fill my room with red votive candle holders next fall & eBay has plenty of deals. Make sure to check here for things you might need before splurging, especially if you need to buy several of something.

5. Craigslist.
Many people post things that they'd like to sell on Craigslist. Even though they're not free like Freecycle, it's definitely worth a look.

6. RetailMeNot.com.
If you're set on purchasing something from a store, however, make sure to check out this website. It's full of coupons, offers, & promotions that will help your wallet.

Good luck & happy hunting! :)