Laura Vegas

ok … rachael ray talk. i got one of her cookbooks for christmas from my dad … but i also had another one i had bought a while back and had never even looked at it. i’m not one to really use cookbooks … i like to see pictures to know how it’s supposed to look.

let me start with the fact that i don’t cook. ours meals were always the same old thing. any time we cooked meat, it was on the bbq … i had never cooked chicken or steak on the stovetop. had never used my broiler for anything. usual meals were some sort of meat that joe would try and kill on the bbq (he seems to think you have to grill things for about an hour before it’s done) … and usually steamed rice, mashed potatoes, or some easy noodles. nothing fancy. i also can’t remember ever buying actual onions or garlic … isn’t that what onion powder and garlic powder are for? lol!

i actually started by watching some of rachael’s 30-minute meal shows. they’re on a few times a day on the food network. i have it set up to record all of them … and then i just watch the ones that sound like we’d eat them. i’ve made quite a few things after watching her make them. i have a bunch of episodes still on my DVR … have to check and see if they’re in the cookbooks before i delete them. i’ve been known to rewatch a show right before i start cooking … to make sure i got it all down.

i have picked up some tips and tricks just from watching her cook.

• EVOO is used all the time. even for browning up meat and bacon. to measure … once around the pan is about a tablespoon … twice around is two tablespoons … etc.
• you don’t have to actually measure most stuff … just takes extra time and makes for more dishes. eyeball everything. for spices and dry seasonings … a palm-full is about a tablespoon.
• always let your meat sit out for a bit before throwing in on the heat. you don’t want to add cold meat to a hot grill or pan … so let it sit to take the chill off. also when you’re done cooking the meat … let it rest before cutting into it. that way the juices have time to redistribute so you don’t lose them.
• never rinse mushrooms under the faucet … it toughens them up. just get a towel damp and give the top of the mushrooms a quick wipe. we don’t eat mushrooms … but i still remember this.
• since i now do a lot of chopping of onions and garlic i have put my pampered chef chopper to good use. i’m not a very good chopper. plus as soon as i cut into an onion i’m already in tears. and we also don’t like big pieces on onion in our foods … so if it’s cut smaller we don’t notice it as much. i use my chopper all the time when doing the onions and garlic.
• when you stick bread under the broiler … and a dish with cheese that you just want to melt … don’t forget about it. lol! i’ve burned up my cheese many times already. just a few minutes is all it takes.
• for some dishes (and i’m not sure what ones of the top of my head) it’s helpful to pour some beer or wine in the pan to deglaze the pan and get all the good flavor off the bottom of the pan. the alchohol with cook down and you can scrape up all the tidbits off the bottom.
• grill seasoning … another big one. put it in anything you’re going to grill up. also good for meatloaf and even in hashbrowns.

and most of these meals are really quick to make. i’m actually surprised some days how quick i can make dinner. they say 30-minutes meals … mine are more like 40-minutes. but i figure i do all my cleaning while i’m cooking … hate having tons of dishes at the end.

as for recipes … i tried to find some of the ones i’ve made on her website. there are tons of recipes on there … but not the ones i made (figures). i don’t know if it’s right to post her recipes on here … never know these days. but i have 3 of her 30-minutes cookbooks and they’re all in there. here’s a few ideas that i can think of that i’ve tried:

• "cowboy spaghetti" … oh, this was my first one and boy was it good. basically ground beef, bacon, worchester sauce, tomatoes and some other basics like onion and garlic.
• "chili-dog nachos" … just made this one. ground beef, beef hot dogs, onions, worchester sauce, tomato sauce, and seasonings … all served over tortilla chips, with chedder cheese on top and stuck under the broiler to melt.
• "taco bowls" … ground beef seasoned up like taco meat. layered with crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and lots of guacamole on top. i left the tomatoes out, but that would probably be good if you like them.
• "london broil" … i’ve done this one several ways. a quick marinade and then throw in under the broiler for a few minutes. once i just added worchester sauce to the meat … but i think once it involved some grill seasoning, EVOO, some tamari soy sauce. also learned that london broil is a way of cooking, not a cut of meat. thinnly slice the meat at an angle … the thinner the better.
• "teriyaki chicken" … just threw some chicken fillets in a marinade of EVOO, teriyaki sauce, some grill seasoning. put in on the grill for about 5 minutes and it was perfect.
• "italian sausage and pasta" … got some bulk sweet italian sausage and added all the fixins like onions, garlic, and seasonings. then added some broccoli, cheese, and cooked noodles. i’m not a big broccoli person … but everyone else liked it.
• "ham, pasta, spinach" … the family did not like this one. but i did. the spinach turend them off right away … i should have used a lot less. but it was a cheesy noodle based dish … with frozen spinach and lots of ham. then stuck in under the broiler with lots of cheesy bread crumbs on top to add that extra crunch. it really was good.
• "pizza twists" … made these for super bowl. so easy to make. took a tube of pizza dough and unrolled it. added some pepperoni and cheese to just half the dough … then folded it over and cut into strips with my pizza cutter. twisted them and placed them on the cookie sheet … baked for about 15 minutes and served with marinara sauce. super easy and good.

that’s all i can think of right now. check out her books or her site for more recipes. i’ve actually been cooking most nights … usually 5 or so nights a week. so far there’s only been one thing that didn’t go over to well … and that was the "sweddish meatballs". not bad … just not for us.

hope i was able to share a trick or two that you can find useful. let me know if you have any good recipes to share! tonights menu … london broil and roasted potatoes with a little salad on the side. as rachael would say … "yum-o"!!!