I always say I'm not a gourmet cook because I have never been properly trained to be one. I can take a recipe, follow it and tweak it, and I can make really good food. I know this, but there's just something about saying (out loud anyway) that I'm a gourmet that makes me feel really arrogant. I was, however, thinking it in my head just the other day when I went out to dinner with friends and spent far too much for far too little food and the quality was good but not brilliant. I was saying in my head and to myself, "You could have done that so much better". The thing is, I could, but is that the point? I mean, it could be the point if you're trying to compete, but I don't compete. I don't do the whole chef thing or the beat-them-at-their-own-game thing. I just cook really good food.
Today, I was interested in doing something a bit different, and I found a recipe for something that I hadn't tried before. It seemed extreme, and in the end, it has a bit of a kick to it, but not in a bad way. It's more of a zest than a hot, so I'm OK with it. I will survive. One thing I don't do is hot spicy food; sorry...just not gonna happen. I'll make it for someone else, but I can't taste it to see if it turned out or not. My belly says no, my bowels agree with my belly, and then I'm on the floor dying. It's not pretty, and no, it's just not gonna happen. Today's event was intriguing enough for me.
I made what Pinterest referred to as Italian Slow-cooked Chicken. It called for a full cup of zesty Italian dressing; I think I could have been OK with only 1/2 a cup. It called for a full bar of cream cheese. Again, I think I could have been OK with using only 1/2 of the bar for the four pieces of chicken breasts that I ended up cooking. I let them all heat and simmer together with another 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and onion spices before I added the celery and basil. It's really really good, I'm not going to lie, but next time (and there will be a next time) I will cut the ingredients in half. I did use some of the drippings in the rice cooker to make the rice, so we'll see how that turns out. I'm thinking it will be pretty great.
One thing about the slow cooker is that you can literally turn it on and leave it. You can simmer a brisket for 10-12 hours in the hickory and smoke sauce. You can cook your stews for 4-6 hours (don't forget a little baking soda to tenderize the meat). The chicken doesn't need any extra assistance, the heat and the vinegar in the dressing are enough to break it up sufficiently for your meal. After I eat this meal I'll take the leftover chicken, shred it, and use it in a chicken salad panini sandwich tomorrow. If that's not on Pinterest it should be. I may add it. I can you know, I'm not above that.
One of the reasons, in fact, the #1 reason why I tend to cook at home rather than go out to restaurants to get fine dining, is of course the cost. The chicken dinner I had with friends was over $27 for my meal, and when I say I was upset about it, you haven't seen me upset until you get me to pay $27 for 1/2 a breast of chicken and less than a 1/2 cup of rice with a few green and yellow vegetables adding up to maybe a 1/3 of a cup if stacked on top of each other. They didn't even include bread with the meal; it was an appetizer. They did drizzle the sauce on the plate, and add little dots to make it appear chic and edgy....yeah, not interested. The atmosphere was louder than it should be; I may as well have stayed home and listened to the dogs play, or kept the television on in the background. (For those of you who don't know me, I don't watch TV I may watch a show online, but the TV stays off most of the time unless the weatherman is really excited about something.)
Yeah, I'm not an official gourmet. I just have really good spices and good timing I guess. I was trained by the kids who were learning at Pratt's Culinary College back in 2003. I was their Gen. Ed teacher. I can say that! They trained the heck out of me for all the extra credit they could get. I know how to use the system!! I learned a great deal, they learned a great deal, and we all ate well. It's a win-win. I will say this: I won't go out with friends and spend $$$$ again. I'll invite them over and let them eat my food and we can spend the money going to the Oklahoma City Zoo and walking it off. That's a much better plan!!
Photo Credit: Electicrecipes.com (I don't have the best camera to take photos and my shadows were all over the place. Sorry)
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