Beans Beans the Magical Fruit...

2nd March 2011 - Matt’s Spicy Bean Fajitas.

The challenge moved to Orange this week. I’m out here for work and decided to cook something for Carly while I'm here. Since she’s decided to go vegetarian, we had Matt’s Spicy Bean Fajitas.

It was an interesting choice on my part, considering I don’t eat beans, but everyone says how nice it is so I thought we should give it a go. I was slightly sceptical about making it here with Carly, considering every time we hang out something weird happens, but it was ok. It’s crazy the weird shit that goes on, fire alarms randomly go off, we get stuck in blackouts, we get drugged in Bali, very strange. This time the TV got spooked and I broke the bed (the bed breaking is probably more to do with all the eating and drinking from last week, rather than the fact that we’re hanging out together).

Anyway, I messaged Matt in the morning and told him I was making his dish to which he got nervous and excited all at once! Carly has now bought a recipe book too and was keen to try this one and get to write it in.

We walked into town to get the ingredients which was fun. All went well and Carly swallowed a fly which was awesome.

We were all ready to start cooking when we realised I’d forgotten the crushed tomatoes, so we had to go back for them (I was already in my pyjamas so had to wait in the car). We had a hard time chopping stuff small enough, so Matt wouldn’t have been impressed but not to worry.

It all seemed to go pretty well. Got to use a wok again which was fun. Carly got too hungry to wait for it to reduce enough, so we just ate some anyway and left the rest on the stove. By the time we had seconds it was the perfect consistency.

We didn’t make the guacamole because I don’t like avocado and Carly couldn’t be bothered but everything else we did as directed. We added cheese to our wraps which was yum but highly unnecessary. I also added raw capsicum which was a good call I reckon. Next time I’ll cook the capsicum and maybe some beans to add to it.

I was worried it would be too spicy for me but it actually wasn’t hot at all. I’m still not a massive fan of beans, it’s the texture I think but after I got used to that I really enjoyed it.

Carly and I fought over the washing up (I’m such a good house guest) and I almost lost the plot when I saw the elastic bands she has at the sink to keep her sleeves out of the way. All in all, very enjoyable.

Tips: I didn’t know you needed drain the liquid out of the beans before you add them, so mine would have been VERY juicy had that not been Carly’s job.

Music: Little Birdy, Confetti

Kylie Kwong Beware!

26^th February – Sian's Best Noodles Yet

Still trying to make up for the time missed in Bali, is not that easy!

Did a spontaneous showcase for Heels who had come down from Newcastle.

I thought I’d better try something relatively easy so I went for Sian’s Best Noodles Yet which are deliciously yummy.

I was drinking for the 4^th night in a row so my concentration wasn’t as it could have been but I think I did relatively well – especially since I didn’t get any hangovers the whole time!

I had to ask Heels some questions about complex cooking things like ‘what do I do with the spring onions’ and ‘how much is a thumbs worth of ginger’ but that was ok. She just answered and we kept on chatting away.

I got to cook it in the wok which was good fun! And I used an egg flip to do the cooking which took me back to first year uni, when that was the only implement we had on campus so what we cooked every meal imaginable with!

I thought it turned out pretty good, but I’m not sure Heels liked it. We’ll see from her review what she really thinks! It was good fun eating with Heels and we ate about half the amount Sian and I would usually eat which is a good thing!

We headed out to a comedy show which was amazing. Drank myself an entire bottle of wine – not my classiest moment ever but it made for a good night. Sian sprouted a few tears when Hannah Gatsby showed up unexpectedly, was so exciting!

But, that’s about it really, nothing that exciting to report about the cooking – nothing TOO stupid or amazing, was just a good night.

Tips: I forgot to put the vegies on, so we didn’t have any. I like it better when they are included.

Music: Genius of Thirst Merc Mousetrap Heart.

Trust Me, I'm a Rat.

18^th February 2011 – Donna’s Easy Vegetable Ratatouille

I’m so busy and important that I am only just posting this now. My bad.

All the family were coming to Sancroft for dinner, so I manned up and decided to cook something. I wanted a no pressure dish so decided to cook Donna’s Easy Vegetable Ratatouille.

It was a pretty awesome cooking experience. Dad went to the shops and got all the stuff, and then as I was cooking he’d bring me the stuff I needed and do the shitty jobs. Not too shabby.

We talked about some interesting things – various ‘knobs’ in the kitchen and the “kitchen vibrator” as Dad refers to it. I was convinced the bench is the wrong height for me but Dad thinks I’m mad. We then made lots of jokes about being barefoot and in the kitchen where I belong.

He again questioned my sanity when I was talking about having a rat under my hat pulling my hair to tell me how to cook. Great movie (I think – I’ve only seen it on a plane and the sound wasn’t working so I’ve kinda just made up my own mind about what happened).

I added sweet potato (of course), I did less zucchini because I hate it and more carrot because I love it. I added an onion and a capsicum and would probably do more of both next time. It took a really long time to cook. I cooked it in the webber and after 1 hour and 15 minutes the potato was nowhere near cooked. I think it was closer to two hours by the time we actually ate it and everything seemed to be fine by then.

Everyone said it was nice, but to be honest I was getting a cold and couldn’t taste that well. I thought everything tasted like zucchini. I covered the whole thing in salt (as I do) but to be fair, before I even cooked it I said to Dad “pretty sure I’ll salt the shit out of this” so that’s not saying much.

Went to a “party” (aka was a 5^th wheel) which was fun. Got a new awesome recipe which was good.

Tips: There was probably enough to feed several armys which was unnecessary. Leave out zucchini, it’s disgusting and infests all the other yummy vegetables with its taste.

Music: Black Keys

The best kind of Spaghetti Arms

13^th February 2011 – Sian’s Perfect Spaggy Bol

February is going to be slightly challenging I think. Having an amazing holiday has really put me behind… woe is me! Bali was amazing, many hundreds of good times were had.

So I kicked off February with Sian’s Perfect Spaggy Bol. No trouble finding or pronouncing any of the ingredients this time which is handy! Alex was coming over to have dinner with me and watch Loser (still the best show in the history of television).

Turned the music up crazy loud and probably drove my neighbours mad as I have only five Yves songs and was listening to them on repeat (while singing loudly in jibberish as I am TERRIBLE at knowing what songs are saying).

Note to self: your chopping skills really aren’t good enough for you to dance while chopping – disaster waiting to happen.

Note to Sian: My stirring skills are greatly improved by my dancing – you’d probably be impressed.

Everything seemed to go smoothly – I didn’t use red wine as I had no money left to buy any (probably due to the rest of the weekend’s alcohol consumption) so used a combo of red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar instead.

Seemed to go OK. I got confused because I didn’t have my recipe and when Sian wrote a new one out, she forgot to put on the different heats so I didn’t know when I was on a high heat, low heat, simmering etc. Was v. confusing.

I didn’t know what to tie the herbs with and they fell apart so it ended up tasting very rosemary-y, but apart from that I thought it was delicious.

Al said it was nice but she didn’t know what it was meant to taste like, but Sian knows and she said it was yum so… SUCCESS!

Tips: I didn’t know what to tie the herbs together with, and they all fell apart. Purchase some string (not blue, learn from Bridget’s mistakes). Also, we like a high fibre non-wholemeal pasta – keeps everything working in order and tastes the same.

Music: Yves Klein Blue.

January Review - Ash Poole

January Review – 15^th January 2011

- Jo and Carly’s Portuguese chicken

- Cam’s Mediterranean Warm Veg Salad

- Sarah’s Mum’s Potato Salad

Jo invited me over for dinner and asked me to write a review for her. Have to say I was a little intrigued/apprehensive about the situation considering the last time I heard about her cooking was when she told me at Uni she needed help cooking a frozen lasagna and I didn't want to offend with a nasty review.

Luckily, Jo follows a recipe much better than she follows directions on the back of the lasagna packaging. Dinner was delicious.

To mark myself as the official reviewer I had to wear a hat that fit in with the dinner theme. As it was a BBQ, it was only appropriate that I wear the Aussie wide brimmed hat with the corks hanging off. Feeling the part, it was time for dinner to be served.

Jo made marinated chicken, mixed vegies and potato salad.
The chicken marinade was yummy and just the right amount of spice for me. The recipe sounded impressive, much classier than any marinade I had ever tried to put together.
The vegies were also barbecued and really nice. Jo had also included red onion, which as was pointed out to me, is the fancy kind.
The potato salad was excellent. Jo had used half potato and half sweet potato which I thought was a good additive. The potato salad also included prosciutto instead of bacon and it was awesome. Very generous portions of prosciutto too!

Overall I loved the dinner Jo, and I am definitely going to copy the vegies on the bbq idea.

I give your dish ********* (9 stars out of 10). Nice job Jojo!

That's one month down, eleven to go. Bring it on!

Will be in Bali for the first bit of February, but will make sure I catch up ASAP.

It's my party and I'll cook if I want to

15^th January 2011 – Showcase #1

- Jo and Carly's Portuguese Chicken
- Cam's Mediterranean Warm Veg Salad
- Sarah's Mum's Potato Salad (rehashed)

So, it was finally time for the very nerve-wracking experience of my first showcase. As Ash is going to Europe in a couple of weeks it was the last time we’d get to hang out. What better way to say goodbye than to force her to be my first reviewer, make her wear a silly hat as the judge and potentially give her food poisoning?

My sous chef (Carly) and I spent a rocking Friday night eating takeaway pizza and looking through recipe books. We eventually decided we'd have a BBQ. Since Sian and I loved Sarah’s Mum’s Potato Salad so much last time I thought I’d do that again. We found a recipe for Portuguese chicken and spent the afternoon making the marinade and getting everything prepared, we were feeling very cool! We forgot to buy oregano so used Italian herbs, used sweet paprika instead of hot paprika and chicken breast instead of thighs. Didn’t realise until the next day that we actually left the oil out of the mixture (quarter of a cup) - apparently we can’t even read a recipe!

My sous chef and I quite enjoyed all the cooking, even though she complained relentlessly about the heat. We discussed such fascinating topics as how many couples would have sex on their wedding night and if we’d prefer to be called Donka or Wee Ping Dong.

Had six people for the dinner and was feeling the pressure! Everything seemed to go down a treat. Sarah’s Mum’s Potato Salad was again amazing (was pretty much entirely sweet potato this time), Cam’s Mediterranean Veg Salad was good (perfectly charred by me and very well chopped by my sous chef) and the flavour of the chicken was really yum. Some of the pieces were perfectly cooked, some of them kinda overcooked, but no one mentioned it (Jen said “Oh, can you overcook chicken?”). The whole meal was pretty much a hit. Sian’s friends came over and polished the leftovers off – compliments all round!

Went out for a big night out with the girls which was cool. We complained about how old we are and ‘how can one vodka cost nine bucks, they used to only be three?!’ I fell down the stairs in a club, but you know, all in a day!

While dancing Ash accidentally elbowed a ‘little person’ in the head and then patted her on the head and said sorry. Brilliant.

Tips: Make sure you put all the ingredients in the chicken dish.

Music: The Wombats, Tales of Girls and Boys and Marsupials.

Jocelyn is Banana Man.

12^th January 2011 – Ann’s Banana Cake by Linda.

Back to work this week (eleven new recipes). It’s been a stressful time.

Did so many stupid things in one day I surprised even myself

1. Realised that I’d published my blog on the wrong address. ‘Coach potato baker’ will be my next blog about training potato bakes into fine athletes.
2. Was freezing in the office so went home to get a jacket, but forgot to take my keys and couldn’t get in so had to stay freezing all day.
3. Emailed Sian to tell her of stupidity and wrote ‘Oh know, how stupid’ in my email. New gramma low.

Made myself feel better by cooking Ann’s Banana Cake by Linda. I couldn’t be bothered cooking dinner so went for a treat instead. Not sure what I’ll do with it as we don’t really eat cake, but I’m pretty sure if I take it to work Sim will eat it.

I quite enjoyed cooking a dessert. There was lots of fun stuff to do! People who don’t eat eggs rarely get to play with them, so that was lots of fun. It took all my willpower to not squeeze it to crack it in my fist… by I resisted! I got to use my scales on the ‘ounce’ setting to measure out four ounces of butter, and now learnt how to spell ‘ounce’.

Sieving the flour was my favourite thing of all time and I got to practice a new stirring technique – folding. Was basically the same as all my other stirring techniques. Seemed to go well and I enjoyed doing it (while pretending the dishwasher wasn’t in fact flooding around my feet).

May be a brilliant chef, but definitely not a clean one!

Cake tipped out of the pan brilliantly and tastes really good. I think the edges are a bit tough, but the middle is delicious. Simone said it’s “wreally good” with a mouthful of cake, so that’s a good sign!

Going to Bali next week, so speeding it up a bit to make sure I still get enough done.

First showcase this weekend – Ash might be a tough judge so I’ll have to nail it!

Tips: I only cooked it for 43 minutes (don't know why, just thought it seemed like a good amount of time... worked a treat).

Music: Blues Traveler.