Yesterday I watched Picnic at Hanging Rock. Made in 1975, this film helped put Australia on the international movie scene.
The premise is that on St. Valentine's Day, 1900, three school children and a teacher go missing while the school holds a picnic at the eponymous location.
Here is the trailer (which is a little misleading in terms of the plot, if you ask me):
It is available on Netflix and Netflix on Demand.
Here is the Criterion Collection edition of the DVD if you would like to add it to your library.
Enjoy!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Day 05: The easiest and quickest salmon recipe
I love salmon. I love it raw, I love it with herbs, and I love making my spicy orange salmon dish. It is quick and delicious!
What you will need:
1. Salmon - fresh if you are cooking it right away, frozen (but thawed) if you are not. (Figure 0.5 lb/person)
2. Plastic bag (i.e. Ziplock)
3. 1 can of frozen orange juice concentrate (thawed, and buy generic!)
4. Red pepper flakes
5. Rice (I prefer jasmine rice.)
The day before, place salmon in plastic bag, add orange juice concentrate and red pepper flakes. (I would recommend 1/4 tsp. You may use more or less, of course.)
Remove air and seal bag. Place bag in a bowl (in case there is a small hole in bag/leakage) and place in refrigerator. Marinate over night. (You may want to flip bag over so that the orange juice concentrate can coat both sides.)
To cook:
Cook rice as directed. (Usually this is the longest step.)
Remove salmon from bag and pour liquid contents into a large skillet. Heat liquid contents on medium-high to reduce to a thick sauce. (Stir often.)
When sauce is reduced, remove from heat and place salmon in an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. (You will thank me later when you have to clean up.) Place baking sheet under broiler and cook until the outer part is cooked but the inside is still moist (approximately 5-7 minutes). You don't want to overcook the salmon, so err on taking it out too early. Cut a salmon portion in half to check. If it is not done to your liking, place back in broiler.
When salmon is done, serve rice on plates, plate the salmon on top of rice and drizzle the orange glaze on top.
If you want to garnish, roasted peppers are a good addition or simply put freshly ground black pepper on top.
Enjoy!
What you will need:
1. Salmon - fresh if you are cooking it right away, frozen (but thawed) if you are not. (Figure 0.5 lb/person)
2. Plastic bag (i.e. Ziplock)
3. 1 can of frozen orange juice concentrate (thawed, and buy generic!)
4. Red pepper flakes
5. Rice (I prefer jasmine rice.)
The day before, place salmon in plastic bag, add orange juice concentrate and red pepper flakes. (I would recommend 1/4 tsp. You may use more or less, of course.)
Remove air and seal bag. Place bag in a bowl (in case there is a small hole in bag/leakage) and place in refrigerator. Marinate over night. (You may want to flip bag over so that the orange juice concentrate can coat both sides.)
To cook:
Cook rice as directed. (Usually this is the longest step.)
Remove salmon from bag and pour liquid contents into a large skillet. Heat liquid contents on medium-high to reduce to a thick sauce. (Stir often.)
When sauce is reduced, remove from heat and place salmon in an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. (You will thank me later when you have to clean up.) Place baking sheet under broiler and cook until the outer part is cooked but the inside is still moist (approximately 5-7 minutes). You don't want to overcook the salmon, so err on taking it out too early. Cut a salmon portion in half to check. If it is not done to your liking, place back in broiler.
When salmon is done, serve rice on plates, plate the salmon on top of rice and drizzle the orange glaze on top.
If you want to garnish, roasted peppers are a good addition or simply put freshly ground black pepper on top.
Enjoy!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Day 04: Food Tip of the Day (FTD)
I have to compose a quick entry, but remember how I sliced an onion yesterday for my poor man's Pad Thai? Well, I hoard the scraps so that later I can make chicken stock.
When I say "later," I mean in weeks or months. I may not own gold, but let me present to you my pot of gold that I keep in the freezer:
I keep a plastic bag in my freezer, and I store the scraps from anything I want the flavors to infuse into the chicken stock: white/sweet onions (but not red), carrot peelings/root ends, parsley (leaves and stems), stems from green onions/scallions, thyme (leaves and stems), etc.
When I have two chicken carcasses from roasting, I dump them in the largest pot I own and add a freezer bag of scraps. My philosophy is that you should never have to buy your own chicken stock (unless, of course, there is a chicken stock emergency. I don't know how that would come up either.).
Do you save your scraps? If so, why?
 |
| Onion scraps |
 | ||
| Leprechauns ain't got nothing on me! (I add this for the reader(s) who is(are) in Ireland. Welcome!) |
When I have two chicken carcasses from roasting, I dump them in the largest pot I own and add a freezer bag of scraps. My philosophy is that you should never have to buy your own chicken stock (unless, of course, there is a chicken stock emergency. I don't know how that would come up either.).
Do you save your scraps? If so, why?
Friday, June 24, 2011
Day 03: Poor Man's Pad Thai
Often I think myself as the poor man's Martha Stewart.
I am not rich like Martha, and I will never be. Yet, in the kitchen, my resourcefulness kicks into high gear, and I put myself through a mock Iron Chef competition. I refuse to starve, and I refuse to eat the same mundane things.
This summer, when I can work from home, I am attempting a (self-imposed) "Summer without Sandwiches" challenge. When I have to be in the office, I bring lunch from home (It's cheaper, easier and more convenient.). During the summer, the culinary world can be my proverbial oyster.
Since I don't want to waste time (or money) going to the supermarket for items that I don't have, I try to become creative and use what I have. Thus, this is why I employ the use of "poor man's."
The following is my photo attempt to illustrate what I am doing. The most important thing to remember about cooking - mise en place. (Make sure everything is prepped before starting to cook.)
A. Making the sauce
1. The candidates: I didn't have fish sauce, but I had rice vinegar, red curry paste and sriracha (hot sauce), for I love food spicy. Now I am not saying you need these specific items. The lesson here is an acid (a vinegar) and a spice (red curry paste and sriracha). The rice vinegar adds the vinegar, the paste adds a depth and heat, and the sriracha adds even more heat.
2. Soften the flavor with sugar. I have to confess that I don't measure but rather eyeball all ingredients. Yet, if you need suggestions - use 2 TBS of the vinegar, 1 tsp of paste, a "squirt" of sriracha, and 2 tsp of sugar. (The spicy aspect is your decision.)
B. Let's get chopping!
1. Normally I would add bean sprouts and green onions (aka scallions), but I had neither. So, I sliced an onion into thin arcs.
C. It's noodle time. Wouldn't it be great if I had thai-style noodles or rice noodles!
D. Heat up your wok or skillet with a little vegetable oil and add garlic and Thai peppers to cook for 30 seconds (or when the garlic starts turning a light brown). (There is no photo for this is a quick step. Remember, in cooking, time seems to be quicker than it is.) To not burn the garlic, add the chicken and cook until pieces are cooked through (7-11 minutes, depending on size of chicken).
Once the chicken is cooked, transfer to a bowl. If there is no more oil in wok, add a little more.
E. It's egg time!
Add egg, let it cook up (like sunny side up), but then scrabble egg.
Once eggs are almost cooked, add sliced onions and cook until soft. (Again, sorry, no picture.)
F. Let bring this baby home!
Once onions are soft (but not browned), add noodles and mix.
Add sauce (from Part A) and mix. Once mixed, add cooked garlic, Thai peppers and chicken. If I had roasted unsalted peanuts, I would have added them. But, alas, I don't have any. So, I got creative and used -
So, add the nuts and mix. Cook until everything is heated through (very quick step).
G. Plating.
Add the juice of one lime. (I squeeze directly into the wok.) Stir and transfer Pad Thai to plate or bowl. If I had cilantro, I would have added that herb chopped. But, alas, I did not have any.
Yet, this is what I had for dinner, what do you think (although it's screaming for a splash of green)?
Thus, this is my Poor Man's Pad Thai.
What would you have done differently? How can this be improved? What can be taken out? Do you have a poor man's recipe?
Any constructive criticism is welcomed!
I am not rich like Martha, and I will never be. Yet, in the kitchen, my resourcefulness kicks into high gear, and I put myself through a mock Iron Chef competition. I refuse to starve, and I refuse to eat the same mundane things.
This summer, when I can work from home, I am attempting a (self-imposed) "Summer without Sandwiches" challenge. When I have to be in the office, I bring lunch from home (It's cheaper, easier and more convenient.). During the summer, the culinary world can be my proverbial oyster.
Since I don't want to waste time (or money) going to the supermarket for items that I don't have, I try to become creative and use what I have. Thus, this is why I employ the use of "poor man's."
The following is my photo attempt to illustrate what I am doing. The most important thing to remember about cooking - mise en place. (Make sure everything is prepped before starting to cook.)
A. Making the sauce
1. The candidates: I didn't have fish sauce, but I had rice vinegar, red curry paste and sriracha (hot sauce), for I love food spicy. Now I am not saying you need these specific items. The lesson here is an acid (a vinegar) and a spice (red curry paste and sriracha). The rice vinegar adds the vinegar, the paste adds a depth and heat, and the sriracha adds even more heat.
2. Soften the flavor with sugar. I have to confess that I don't measure but rather eyeball all ingredients. Yet, if you need suggestions - use 2 TBS of the vinegar, 1 tsp of paste, a "squirt" of sriracha, and 2 tsp of sugar. (The spicy aspect is your decision.)
B. Let's get chopping!
1. Normally I would add bean sprouts and green onions (aka scallions), but I had neither. So, I sliced an onion into thin arcs.
 |
| Onion |
 |
| Sliced onion |
 |
| Garlic |
 |
| Minced garlic |
 |
| Chicken |
 |
| Chopped chicken |
 |
| For extra heat/flavor, add paprika or cayenne to chopped chicken |
 |
| For even more kick, I had these Thai peppers in my freezer |
C. It's noodle time. Wouldn't it be great if I had thai-style noodles or rice noodles!
 |
| NOPE! Let's try egg noodles! |
 |
| Get a pot |
 | ||
| Add water, boil, add noddles, cook according to directions, and drain |
Once the chicken is cooked, transfer to a bowl. If there is no more oil in wok, add a little more.
E. It's egg time!
 | |
| Egg |
 |
| Cracked egg |
 |
| Here is me adding the egg (My hand is not required.) |
F. Let bring this baby home!
Once onions are soft (but not browned), add noodles and mix.
 |
| It's almost time! |
Add sauce (from Part A) and mix. Once mixed, add cooked garlic, Thai peppers and chicken. If I had roasted unsalted peanuts, I would have added them. But, alas, I don't have any. So, I got creative and used -
 |
| PINE NUTS (WOOT, WOOT!) |
G. Plating.
Add the juice of one lime. (I squeeze directly into the wok.) Stir and transfer Pad Thai to plate or bowl. If I had cilantro, I would have added that herb chopped. But, alas, I did not have any.
Yet, this is what I had for dinner, what do you think (although it's screaming for a splash of green)?
 |
| It's lunch time! |
Thus, this is my Poor Man's Pad Thai.
What would you have done differently? How can this be improved? What can be taken out? Do you have a poor man's recipe?
Any constructive criticism is welcomed!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Day 02: Food Oddities
So, in addition to recipes, I would like to share "food oddities," or items that make you do a second glance and/or scratch your head.
Like most people, I have baking powder. What always gets me when I use it is what's on the label:
It proudly proclaims that it is "Aluminum Free." (Notice how proud the Argo company is with the use of the exclamation mark.)
This got me thinking - Why is not having aluminum in my baking ingredient a good thing? Have I've been baking with aluminum previously and not even realized it?
Well, if my students use Wikipedia as the one and only official database about everything, why can't I? Well, it seems that the consumption of aluminum may cause/contribute to Alzheimer's Disease! (Notice the use of the exclamation mark to express my shock.)
Thank you, Argo Company, for educating me about the dangers of aluminum consumption!
Now I give my aluminum foil the side eye; I don't trust it.
Were you aware of this? Do you bake with aluminum?
Like most people, I have baking powder. What always gets me when I use it is what's on the label:
It proudly proclaims that it is "Aluminum Free." (Notice how proud the Argo company is with the use of the exclamation mark.)
This got me thinking - Why is not having aluminum in my baking ingredient a good thing? Have I've been baking with aluminum previously and not even realized it?
Well, if my students use Wikipedia as the one and only official database about everything, why can't I? Well, it seems that the consumption of aluminum may cause/contribute to Alzheimer's Disease! (Notice the use of the exclamation mark to express my shock.)
Thank you, Argo Company, for educating me about the dangers of aluminum consumption!
Now I give my aluminum foil the side eye; I don't trust it.
Were you aware of this? Do you bake with aluminum?
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Day 01, Part 02
Guess how not to do a cooking blog! Don't start off with a non-cooking post!
So, I am not cooking tonight! My boyfriend-partner-fiance (I don't know what to call him in terms of today's standards; I feel that I will be upsetting someone for I am not promoting a way of life or I am repressing some group. Perhaps, I will call him the "Other," so we can go back to the 1990s of literary criticism. Yet, I digress.)
His specialty is making pasta, but the dry pasta and jar sauce kind.
Yeah.
I can't blame him. It's quick, easy and cheap. Sometimes, you cannot dine on all-day cooking (or your bank accounts will not allow it).
Okay, really, I am lazy. I made for him my seared tuna with mango salsa last night. (Recipe coming in a future blog entry.)
Yet, let me share with you some pearls of wisdom how to spruce up everyday pasta!
1. Use the rinds of old blocks of Parmesan cheese. If you buy your cheese pre-grated, shame on you! It's easy and quick to grate your own (and it doesn't dry out as fast). I save the rinds in the freezer. While the pasta sauce is heating up, I drop in one rind, and, violà, you have a creamier, cheesier sauce. (You might have to fish out the remaining rind before serving.)
2. We cannot have pasta without garlic bread. Vampires are not welcomed in my house, by the way. A good way to spruce up the same-old garlic bread is add chopped rosemary and/or thyme. It gives another dimension of flavor to the mundane expectation of garlic bread.
3. You cannot have enough green when you make pasta. Pasta for most Americans (By "Americans," I mean the inhabitants of the United States of America. I realize that people from Argentina to Canada are, by definition, "Americans" of some sort.) is a pale yellowish-white pasta with red sauce. You need a contrasting color. (I believe in the saying that "You eat with your eyes first.") If we look at the color wheel, red is an opposite of green. So, both colors will "pop." Use Italian parsley (or flat-leaf parsley) as a topping. It doesn't add much flavor, but it will give a more visually appealing aspect to the dish. (Curly-leaf parsley is just decoration and has even less flavor!)
So, I realize that my blog is new, and no one is reading it, but if you happen to come across this particular entry, I have a question for you!
Question: How do you make everyday pasta better/more exciting?
-Coquo ergo sum
So, I am not cooking tonight! My boyfriend-partner-fiance (I don't know what to call him in terms of today's standards; I feel that I will be upsetting someone for I am not promoting a way of life or I am repressing some group. Perhaps, I will call him the "Other," so we can go back to the 1990s of literary criticism. Yet, I digress.)
His specialty is making pasta, but the dry pasta and jar sauce kind.
Yeah.
I can't blame him. It's quick, easy and cheap. Sometimes, you cannot dine on all-day cooking (or your bank accounts will not allow it).
Okay, really, I am lazy. I made for him my seared tuna with mango salsa last night. (Recipe coming in a future blog entry.)
Yet, let me share with you some pearls of wisdom how to spruce up everyday pasta!
1. Use the rinds of old blocks of Parmesan cheese. If you buy your cheese pre-grated, shame on you! It's easy and quick to grate your own (and it doesn't dry out as fast). I save the rinds in the freezer. While the pasta sauce is heating up, I drop in one rind, and, violà, you have a creamier, cheesier sauce. (You might have to fish out the remaining rind before serving.)
2. We cannot have pasta without garlic bread. Vampires are not welcomed in my house, by the way. A good way to spruce up the same-old garlic bread is add chopped rosemary and/or thyme. It gives another dimension of flavor to the mundane expectation of garlic bread.
3. You cannot have enough green when you make pasta. Pasta for most Americans (By "Americans," I mean the inhabitants of the United States of America. I realize that people from Argentina to Canada are, by definition, "Americans" of some sort.) is a pale yellowish-white pasta with red sauce. You need a contrasting color. (I believe in the saying that "You eat with your eyes first.") If we look at the color wheel, red is an opposite of green. So, both colors will "pop." Use Italian parsley (or flat-leaf parsley) as a topping. It doesn't add much flavor, but it will give a more visually appealing aspect to the dish. (Curly-leaf parsley is just decoration and has even less flavor!)
So, I realize that my blog is new, and no one is reading it, but if you happen to come across this particular entry, I have a question for you!
Question: How do you make everyday pasta better/more exciting?
-Coquo ergo sum
Day 01
Coquo ergo sum / Cocino, luego existo / I cook, therefore I am
This is a blog about my cooking adventures. I promise that I won't attempt another "Julie & Julia Project." (I have better taste.)
-Coquo ergo sum
This is a blog about my cooking adventures. I promise that I won't attempt another "Julie & Julia Project." (I have better taste.)
-Coquo ergo sum
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