Tea Is For Tuesday

Today at work I got a surprise! One of my co-worker's brought me some tea from China! Her husband travels all over the world and recently they went on a trip together to China and she brought be back some Chinese Tea! It is so adorable! I love tea :-)

The Herbs!

I love love LOVE to use fresh herbs when I cook. I think it makes everything taste fresher and more delicious! However, whenever I buy herbs from the grocery store they usually come in those little plastic bags and I only use a little bit of them and then the rest goes bad in my refrigerator. And they're pretty expensive! So now I'm trying something new and going to grow my own little herb pots. So far I have 5-Mint, Chives, Basil, Parsley, and Cilantro. I still want to get some Thyme and Rosemary. Oh and I also have an aloe plant that I inherited from one of my guy friends...Aloe is great for kitchen burns, or sunburns! When I was growing up my mom always had an aloe plant and she would break off the tip of one whenever we burned ourselves. Does anyone know of anything special I should do for the aloe plant or the herbs?

What A Weekend!!

This weekend was definitely a whirlwind! Saturday I worked in the morning and then went on a 10-mile bike ride. I also started my own little herb "garden" (and by garden I mean 5 small plastic dollar-store pots each with a different herb in them placed outside on my porch, heh), and did some cleaning up. Sunday was my day to relax...and to go to the farmer's market of course! Three weeks til moving day!! Starting to empty out the pantry...And today, Monday, one of my very best friends just gave birth to her very first baby!! A girl named Mackenzie Analeigh. She is SO PRETTY for a newborn baby!! So anyways, now you know why this recipe that I actually made on Saturday has taken so long to make it on here.

This is just one of those recipes that popped into my head out of nowhere and I was really surprised at how yummy it turned out to be! I don't know what to classify it as-breakfast? a hearty snack? I'm not sure! Now, I love the flavor of pomegranate (and it's very good for you-lots of antioxidants) but if you've ever tried to eat a whole one, it's very messy and time-consuming! So I usually try to use the juice instead, that way I can still get the benefits of the "super-fruit" without purple fingers and all those seeds. The quinoa absorbs all the juice and becomes almost chewy, and the sweet yet tartness of the pomegranate juice combined with the creamy slightly salty taste of the goat cheese is a perfect combo! Also, when I made this I used 2 cups of pomegranate juice to 1 cup quinoa but the pomegranate juice does thicken a little and become sweeter and more syrupy sooo next time I might use 1 cup water and 1 cup pomegranate. Just use whatever combination you prefer!

Recipe: Pomegranate Quinoa With Goat Cheese And Honey

2 cups pomegranate juice

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

2 0z. goat cheese

honey

mint to garnish

1. Rinse the quinoa and place in a small pot with the 2 cups of juice (or half juice, half water if you decide to go that route). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 20-30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

2. Dish up some of the quinoa in a bowl and top with a big round slice of goat cheese. Drizzle with honey and garnish with mint.

Recipe: Spinach Salad With Apples, Gouda, Chicken And Homemade Croutons

I love fresh (uncooked) baby spinach. It's more tender than lettuce, but still has a nice crunch. Plus it is so much better for you than regular iceberg lettuce! I make most of my salads with spinach or at least a half-n-half mixture of baby spinach and romaine lettuce. It's a good way to sneak in some extra nutritional value.

Spinach Salad With Apples, Gouda, Chicken and Homemade Croutons

One 6 oz. bag of fresh baby spinach
3/4 Gala apple, sliced (or any sweet variety of apple)
1 container of grape tomatoes
2 to 4 oz. of Gouda cheese, diced (I used the goat gouda I got from the Farmer's market)
Handful of raisins (optional)
Grilled chicken (see recipe to follow)
Croutons (see recipe to follow)

Combine all above ingredients and drizzle with dressing. Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 Gala apple, finely grated (I use my zester)
Salt and pepper

1. Combine all ingredients and let chicken marinate for atleast 20 minutes.
2. Grill or saute chicken 6-8 minutes per side. Remove from pan/grill and let sit for 5 minutes. Slice and place on top of salad.

Homemade Croutons

Rosemary Foccaccia bread (Or whatever bread you have on hand)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

1. Set oven to broil and cover a cookie sheet with tinfoil. Cut bread into large cubes and place on cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Place under broiler until bread is brown and toasty.

Summer Dressing

2 TBSP white wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp honey
dash of salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Combine the first four ingredients and then whisk in the olive oil slowly. Drizzle over salad.

Farmer's Market Recipe!

Ok. So my first visit to the Farmer's Market in my area was AWESOME! I'm going to make this part of the post short because I realized that most Farmer's Markets are basically the same so if you've been to one, you know what it's all about. I did visit one when I was in San Francisco last year but had never thought to find one in my area (I do have a lot of pics from the San Francisco one, so maybe I'll post those later). If you can, I would absolutely recommend trying it out. The fruits and vegetables are so fresh and a lot less expensive than grocery stores. There is also sometimes cheeses, breads, pasta etc. When I went I bought a lot of produce, and then since it was my first time I had to try out a cheese (Goat Gouda), a loaf of bread (Rosemary and Olive Oil Foccaccia), and some dried pasta (Lemon Garlic Orzo). Now, those things were not exactly cheap, but like I said, it was my first time and I was excited to try everything! Also, the people are very friendly and much more knowledgeable about their products than at most chain grocery stores. Anyways, the pasta came with a recipe for Lemon Garlic Linguine that I made last night with a few of my own alterations/additions. It's both spicy and creamy at the same time, and while I'm not one for very spicy foods, I really enjoyed this!!


Recipe: Spicy Creamy Shrimp over Lemon Garlic Pasta
(Makes 4-6 servings)

1 lb. Pappardelle's Lemon Garlic Pasta*
1/4 cup olive oil (I always use extra-virgin olive oil)
1 Large yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 tsp paprika and cayenne pepper
1 tsp fresh oregano and thyme, chopped **
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups half-n-half (or heavy cream)
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice plus zest
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used frozen)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta 8-10 minutes in boiling salted water; reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. After draining, return pasta to pot and add reserved cooking water plus olive oil. (Note: if your pasta was unflavored to begin with, this is where you would add the lemon/garlic). Cover to keep warm.

2. In large pan, heat olive oil and then add the onions, cook about 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, paprika, cayenne, oregano, thyme and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Add the white wine and lemon juice and cook over high heat until the alcohol has evaporated. Add the cream and cook until slightly reduced, stirring occasionally. Add the shrimp and cook until nearly pink (Note: if using frozen, pre-cooked shrimp, make sure it's thawed and only put it in at the very last minute so it doesn't become over-cooked). Add the green onions, parsley and tarragon and cook for 1 minute.

3. Add the cooked pasta to above mixture and toss to coat. Heat through and serve with parmesan cheese and a wedge of toasted foccaccia.

*If you can't find this flavor or brand, you can always use plain orzo and flavor it yourself with lemon juice/zest and some garlic-infused olive oil after cooking.
**I used dried herbs instead of fresh, just remember if you're using dried, use less because their flavor is stronger.


Recipe: Toasted Foccaccia Wedges
(this is my own simple creation so I don't waste my freshly-baked Foccaccia bread!)

-Foccaccia bread (I'm using my Rosemary Olive-Oil bread from the Farmer's Market)
-1 whole Garlic clove, peeled
-Cheese of your choice-make sure it's a good melting cheese (I used Havarti)
-Salt and Pepper and Any other spices your heart desires (i.e. cayenne pepper for spiciness, thyme for earthiness, oregano and basil for italian-style...)

1. Turn oven to broil. Slice foccaccia into long slices, then slice again diagonally so you get crescent-shaped wedges.

2. Rub garlic clove on each slice, and place on baking sheet lined with tinfoil.

3. Top wedges with a good-melting cheese, salt, pepper, and any spices and place under broiler until cheese turns bubbly.

Enjoy! This is a very hearty meal that I know is very high in carbs, but every once in a while some comfort food just hits the spot!

Welcome!!

Welcome to the first posting of Too Poor For Cooking School! My main goal for creating this blog is because, while I cannot afford to pay for cooking school, I still love to cook and share my food with others! I was inspired to write this after reading a blog I came across in an article on cnn.com which featured the Poor Girl Eats Well (http://www.poorgirleatswell.com/). I'm always looking for new recipes and new ideas so I was excited when I visited her blog and found some really cool recipes-try the spicy shrimp quesadillas!! Yum! Plus I love the idea of her $25 shopping cart and I really wish there was a Trader Joe's store in my area. Please note, this is not an attempt to copy her blog in any way and while I have definitely gotten some great ideas from her blog (Farmer's market!) and will continue to read it faithfully, I will not be posting any prices or anything of that kind unless of course I happen to come across something so cheap I just have to tell someone about it. I am more interested in just trying out different recipes and also making up my own and sharing them with you from my point of view! Writing is my second passion (the first is, duh, cooking/food!) so I figured this blog would be a nice pairing of the two.

Let me tell you a little bit about myself. First of all, the title is true, I really am Too Poor For Cooking School. I have applied, and gone through all the motions, but I am very hesitant about taking out a loan for $27,000 for one year of schooling. My name is Raya, I am 26 years old and living in Orlando, FL. I have a Bachelor's degree in Business-Marketing from the University of Central Florida (Go Knights!) and I already have enough student loans to last me quite some time (and now u can see my hesitation at getting myself MORE into debt!). I have a job that has nothing to do with my degree, and nothing to do with what I want to do in life but the money is O.K. and it allows me to at least pay all my bills with a little bit left over for fun and food. I live in a 2-bedroom apartment with one roommate who has become my guinea pig for trying all of my creations, good and bad! Note: we are moving soon so be prepared for some "clearing out the pantry" recipes! I have a dog and she has a cat and together they are like Bonnie And Clyde, always causing mischief! I think my next post will be about my visit to my local Farmer's Market, which I just went to for the first time with a friend on sunday. I thought I was in heaven, it was so cool...(if you love to cook, you will understand this). Welcome and stay tuned!