Nicole Cooks

Welcome To My Weblog!

Nicole — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 00:39:54 +0000

Hello, my name is Nicole. I am 12 years old and I love to cook. I started cooking with my dad at the age of 6 years old. My dad loves to cook too. He inspires me and teaches me many home recipes, techniques, and cooking methods. I enjoy cooking with him very much. I also watch cooking/food shows on TV as much as I can to learn different styles. My favorite are shows from the Food Network, Travel Channel, and Bravo. I especially enjoy the shows of celebrity chefs and food personalities such as Giada de Laurentiis, Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, Rachel Ray, Alton Brown, Iron Chef Morimoto, Tyler Florence, Wolfgang Puck, Anthony Bourdain, Tom Colicchio, and Andrew Zimmern, etc.. I usually watch the shows or read recipes online or in magazines. I then try to recreate the dishes and ask for help when needed. Often I will create my own spin on the dishes. This is my journey to expand my learning and passion for cooking. Please Enjoy!

Clarify

Nicole — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:45:39 +0000

Clarify - To make a liquid clear, as with butter. Unsalted butter is melted over low heat until the milk solids come to the top. They are then removed. Without the milk solids, the butter may be used in recipes in which you don’t want it to brown.

Source: http://teriskitchen.com/glossary-a.html#B

Snickerdoodle Screw-Up

Nicole — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:39:41 +0000

From snowy Denver, Colorado, family friends of our’s came over for a visit to sunny California. During their week here, they decided to tour around and go to Legoland. Coming back knowing I like to bake and cook, they gave me a Lego Rolling Cooking Cutter. Because of this, I decided to bake them my favorite cookie for the first time… Snickerdoodles! At first I rolled the dough out and imprinted rows of legos. When it was time to cut the legos out, I found it was difficult to have it uniform size and have a lego on each cookie without making it melt and get all sticky. I then decided to just make it in balls, and just roll the cookie cutter over it. This was the day of their leaving back to Denver, so I was in such a rush, that I did not have time to use a cookie scooper to make each cookie uniform size. Right out of the oven, I saw that the cookies were pretty big, it grew so much that some of the cookies collided with each other. The taste was exactly like a plain ole’ sugar cookie; I did not taste much of the cinnamon. Texture was actually the way I wanted it; firm and cake-like. There was many goods and bads, but at the end I realize this was just one of those dry-runs, and there’s always a way to improve this “real tough cookie”.

Chop

Nicole — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:35:21 +0000

Chop - To cut foods into small pieces. Sizes vary from fine (approximately 1/4-inch pieces) to coarse (approximately 3/4-inch pieces). In most recipes, precision is not necessary.

Source: http://teriskitchen.com/glossary-a.html#B

Mushroom Cream Pasta

Nicole — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:32:09 +0000

Dinner was coming up. It was pretty early for it. But it was best to be prepared. Spotting some mushrooms and pasta, I decided to incorporate the two into a pasta I call Mushroom Cream Pasta.

12 oz of any Pasta
Olive Olil
1 pound Mushrooms, wiped clean, and thinly sliced
1/2 Onion, diced
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
Dash of Dried Thyme
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black pepper
2 c. Milk
1/2 c. finely grated Parmesan

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and run cool water over pasta to stop the cooking. Place pasta back in the same pot.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until soft; 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the cream, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon; about 5 minutes. Add the Parmesan and adjust the seasoning, to taste.

Add the pasta, stir to coat with the sauce, and cook until the pasta is heated through, 1 minute.

Asian Fried Rice

Nicole — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:26:24 +0000

It’s the first day of cooking. It’s lunch time and I have to fix up something fast. So with leftover rice, I’ve decided to cook-up some fried rice.

Vegetable Oil
4 Garlic Cloves (minced)
Steamed White Rice
1 Egg
Thinly Sliced Carrots
Rice Vinegar
Sesame Oil
Soy Sauce
Pepper
Thinly Sliced Green Onions (Garnish)
Sesame Seeds (Garnish)

Coat a hot pan with vegetable oil. Saute the minced garlic then add the steamed rice. Crack the egg over rice, and saute until egg is cooked. Mix in the carrots. Drizzle some rice vinegar and sesame oil. Saute some more until vinegar and sesame oil are incorporated. Drizzle in soy sauce to taste and season with pepper. Turn of heat. Serve with a garnish of green onions and sesame seeds.

Chiffonade

Nicole — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 02:23:54 +0000

Chiffonade - Finely shredded vegetables, usually herbs, most often to be used as a garnish.

Source: http://teriskitchen.com/glossary-a.html#B

Kalbi Beef

Nicole — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:54:42 +0000

Galbi or kalbi generally refers to a variety of gui or grilled dishes in Korean cuisine that is made with marinated beef short ribs in a ganjang-based sauce (Korean soy sauce). In Korean language, galbi literally means “rib” and can often indicate uncooked ribs. In addition, the dish’s full name is galbi gui, although “gui” (grilling) is commonly excluded to refer to it. Galbi is a versatile dish, from chicken to pork, to the authentic beef short ribs, this recipe can be made with various meats. In this case, I’m using skirt steaks

5 pounds Korean style beef short ribs
1 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Mirin (rice wine)
1 small Onion, peeled and finely grated
1 small Asian pear, peeled and finely grated (w/ juices)
4 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons Dark Sesame Oil
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
2 Green Onions, thinly sliced (optional)
Sesame Seeds (for garnish)

Sprinkle brown sugar over beef and mix well to evenly coat. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes while preparing marinade. In a bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Transfer beef into a large sealable freezer bag (you may need 2). Add marinade, press out excess air from bags, and seal. Turn bag over several times to ensure beef is evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.

Heat grill to medium-hot. Remove meat from bag, and discard the marinade. Grill meat, turning once, to desired doneness, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Garnish with thinly sliced green onions and/or sesame seeds, if desired.

Carmelize

Nicole — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:13:35 +0000

Caramelize - The process through which natural sugars in foods become browned and flavorful while cooking. This is usually done over a constant heat of low to medium-low. Caramelization can be quickened with the addition of a little sugar. Either way, be careful not to burn.

Source: http://teriskitchen.com/glossary-a.html#B

Roasted Garlic Pasta

Nicole — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 19:25:13 +0000

Roasting garlic at the right temperature, in the right time, will make the strong garlic tender and surprisingly sweet! My Roasted Garlic Pasta is a healthy and comforting meal for the whole family.

16 oz. Penne Pasta

4 qt. Water

Salt and Pepper

4 Heads of Garlic

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 c. Parmigiano Reggiano

Italian Seasoning

1/4 c. Italian Parsley, chopped

Preheat oven for 400 degrees. Maintaining cloves in head, peel skin of garlic heads. Then cut tops of garlic heads. Place each garlic head in foil, drizzle Extra-Virgin Olive in each, and wrap foil, just grasping it, leaving a hole at the top. Put on a baking pan, and roast for 30 min. Right after, bring water to a boil over medium low heat in a large pot. Add a handful of salt and the pasta. Boil for 10-12 min. or until al dente. If pasta is done, reserve some pasta water and put aside, then drain the rest of the water. Put drained pasta under cold running water, until pasta cools down. Put pasta in same pot. When garlic is tender, place the cloves in a bowl. With a fork smash it until it forms a paste. Add paste to pasta. Thin paste out with a little of reserved pasta water. When paste is smooth, and distributed throughout pasta, add parmigiano reggiano. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste. Then scatter chopped parsley.