Marcella Cooking Stuff • May 24th - May 30th
May 24th - May - 30th
I used to always say "the one thing I learned in culinary school is that I don't want to work in a kitchen." It was very true. The intense hustle and bustle mixed with yelling and fire gave me anxiety. Well to be honest everything 10 years ago game me anxiety. Now I sometimes wish I worked in a restaurant because I wish I knew more.
When I moved home after my two years in San Francisco I fell into nannying. I hated the idea of a corporate job and I hated the idea of a restaurant job. So I jumped into the "domestic staff" industry (they need a better name for it).
When you tell someone you are a nanny there is a look they give you. You can see it in their eyes and hear it in the tone as they respond "oh...how fun."
It's the she's doing nothing with her life, she just plays with kids, and this isn't a real job look. Well as someone who worked 45+ hours a week on a payroll salary and made more money than my boyfriend's "real" job...I can tell you, it's a real job. All jobs are real jobs.
Anywho... I nannied some kids and then got asked the question "do you have any experience with personal assisting? Would you be willing to help me with household tasks, errands, and maybe a little of my business?"
Uh Huh! Yep! Absolutely! I'm more than comfortable for all of that!!!!!
*Que mini panic attack in my Volvo because I had ZERO experience with any of that.*
Like most of us do, I figured it out. I also happened to be quite good at all of it.
Google helped me a lot with the things I didn't know how to do. Writing a check was one.
After some experience doing freelance jobs here and there. I started working as a full-time employee. I developed into an Executive Household Manager (I made that up) or a Family Assistant (another title I gave myself). Both titles were just to make myself feel better when I told people what I did. But no matter what you called me, I ran people's lives. Raised their kids, ran their errands, oversaw their homes, scheduled appointments, organized pantries, met with contractors at their new home that was being renovated, picked them up, cared for them after surgeries, and..I cooked their food. Of course.
I have worked in 10+ homes and let me tell you, once people find out you can cook, they want food.
I cooked for kids, I cooked for adults, I prepped all their meals for the week, I cooked their meals to be reheated on holidays, and I cooked for their guests at parties.
Cooking in homes brought its own challenges. Sometimes I would get lucky and cook in kitchens with Viking stoves (sometimes two!), lots of counter space, and every cooking tool I would need. But often the people that want you to cook for them don't cook themselves and don't have the things you would "need."
Although I don't have the same knowledge as someone who worked in the restaurant, I have the ability to cook a meal in pretty much any conditions with anything. From kitchens with two pans and one rubber spatula only 😩, kitchens ovens that don't heat higher than 300 degrees, to Venice apartments with an inch of counter space. I would bring my knife and my apron and make it work.
My point of all this is that you don't need a lot of "stuff" to cook. I had a request to share links to all the "stuff" I use in my kitchen. I will do that, in today's newsletter, but I want to encourage everyone to cook in your kitchen just the way it is. It's always possible.
But it's also okay to buy yourself a madeleine pan, new whisk, set of bowls, or even a new Kitchen Aid mixer. Although not necessary...they make cooking a lot more fun 😉.
Sunday
Mediterranean Grilled Chicky Salad
Eggplant Dip - Sauce?
That little guy up there almost made it into our dinner. I snapped the pic before I washed those herbs from our garden. Why do herbs take so long to grow? We planted our garden a few weeks ago but I need herbs NOW!!
Confession: This Mediterranean Grilled Chicky Salad is exactly the same as my Mediterranean Grilled Meatball Salad. I swapped meatballs for Lemon Herb marinated grilled chicken and left out the mint. I think I liked this one more.
Ina Garten has an eggplant dip that is great. I fluffed it up a bit with some lemon juice, fresh oregano, and good olive oil. I took one bite of it and immediately though PASTA. Specifically Ratatouille Pasta.
My plan was to incorporate the dip into the grilled chicky salad but it was screaming "turn me into a pasta sauce." I let it cool and popped it in the fridge.
Sunday's item from my kitchen: Mini Food Processor. Normal size food processors are a royal pain in the ass. They are wonderful powerful machines but I dread every time I need to pull it out. Especially for small amounts of something. The mini-one I use every week.
I actually had an old one that I would bring in my bag to my client's homes when I knew I would need one 🙄.
Monday
Asparagus, Scallion, & Goat Cheese Quiche
Rack of Lamb + Roasted Cauliflower & Potatoes
When "eggs" and "to-go" are brought up what do you think of? Not soft scrambled, fried, or poached that's for sure. Everyones go to is hard-boiled. It was ours for a long time. Then I started making quiches.
Quiches are actually very easy to make. Crust, veggies, cheese, and custard made of eggs and some dairy. They are even easier when you buy pre-made gluten-free crusts like I often do. This is my favorite. It's a pie shell but same difference.
When Marco was going into the office I would make a quiche a week. I would pull out a GF pie shell, use any veggies that needed to be used, add whatever cheese I had on hand, whisk 5 eggs and 2/3 cup goat milk, add everything to the shell, and bake for 35 minutes. Some were better than others but all were better than boring hard-boiled eggs.
It was my way to meal prep. After it cooled I would cut it into 5 pieces, individually wrap them, and he would take one to work each day. Quiche is a great travel breakfast because it can be eaten warm or cold. Marco always ate it cold.
And to the people saying "it's so fattening." Yes, traditionally quiche is made with cream and lots of cheese. They don't make goat cream (that I know of) and milk has worked just fine. So let's all enjoy breakfast a little more and make a quiche.
I made an Asparagus, Scallion, & Goat Cheese Quiche because...that's what I had on hand. I made the crust because I have a new tart pan and because we didn't have any GF pie shells. They take up too much freezer space.
* I wrote this recipe on a flashcard and tossed it on accident 😞. Here is a similar recipe I found online but have not made yet.
My crust should have baked a little longer to get more color and it was too salty but the texture was great for gluten-free. I roasted the asparagus and scallions before adding them. This does two things. It removes some moisture which prevents your quiche from being a soupy mess and roasting gives the veggies some extra flavor. Don't skip this step!
Marco rated it 8.5/10.
"I never want a store-bought crust again."
While at the store I spotted a rack of lamb and thought why not, it could spice up our dinners. We don't cook a ton of lamb but I do enjoy it. My mom doesn't because...baby sheep.
I turned to Ina for this recipe. Dijon, rosemary, garlic, and balsamic. Sometimes simple recipes are best. I used shallot instead of garlic 🙄 and we cooked it to a smidge past medium-rare. Served on top of roasted potatoes and cauliflower. It was great and a nice way to spice up our dinners.
Monday's item from my kitchen: Sturdy whisks! You need three sizes. This small one for everyday use. A large one for when you are making a big batch of something. And a tiny one for your coffee or whisking a single egg.
Tuesday
Roasted Eggplant Pasta
Marinated Beets
How do we all feel about capers? I love them. They are salty little flavor bombs.
I dropped some of these into a pan with hot oil to give them a quick little fry before adding the Roasted Eggplant dip. Along with some parsley, basil, pecorino, and pasta water to thin out the sauce.
While that sauce was cooking some golden beets marinated in white wine vinegar and olive oil. I used what herbs we had on hand, dill, parsley, and chives, for some bright flavors. Toasted pistachios added some crunch.
I have been craving beets like crazy and Marco and I loved this dish. If you are on the fence about beets, maybe skip this recipe.
Any vinegar can be used here, depending on what flavors you like. As well as any herbs. This is a recipe you can play around with flavors or throw together with what you have on hand.
Tuesday's item from my kitchen: Immersion blender/hand blender/stick blender...what ever you want to call it, it's great.
I don't currently have a blender and haven't had one for over a year 🤷🏼♀️. I got rid of ours when it broke and haven't splurged for a Vitamix yet. Between my food processor and immersion blender, we have been fine without one. Plus immersion blenders are soo much easier to use and clean.
Wednesday
PB&J
Challah x2
Random Wednesday Salad
Lot's of PB&Js happen in our house. When they are requested I never mind because they take 2 minutes to make. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks PB&J is always acceptable. Even as an adult.
I made two more Challahs this week. One honey challah with poppy seeds and salt and one cinnamon raisin. I sprinkled a mixture of flakey salt, turbinado sugar, and cinnamon over the top. It looks nice with texture but didn't add much. I'll skip it next time.
I enjoy making challah so much because I have a lot of fun braiding. This week I made tapered strands and played around with tapered ends on my loaves. My six braid could have been more tapered but my seven braid I liked a lot!!
Our friend Alex (different Alex than the one who said it hurts her to think about how much cleaning I'm doing) wanted to try one of my challahs so I shipped half of each loaf off to Florida. He, his wife, and kids have been snacking on it and making french toast. Makes me happy to see.
Random Wednesday Salad:
Grilled bison meatballs
Quinoa
Arugula
Tomatoes
Avocado
Grilled onions
Grilled carrots
Grilled zucchini
Salsa verde
Bon Appetite has a recipe for Crispy Sheet Pan Meatballs. It's excellent and we have made it numerous times over the last few years. The recipe has influenced how I make all kinds of meatballs. This time I grilled them and put them in our salad. If you don't like raw garlic it is just as tasty with minced shallot.
Wednesday's item from my kitchen: Bowl scraper! If you bake and don't have a bowl scraper order one asap! It's a flexible little tool that gets every drop of batter or dough out from your bowl. I also use it when I'm too lazy to get my bench scraper.
Thursday
Clean Out The fridge Shakshouka-ish
Slow Cooker Thai Pork
I'm into the Shakshouka-ish meal. I used up leftover pizza sauce, 1/2 a can of tomatoes, 1/2 a leftover onion, some kale, and feta. I liked the beans I added last time. The added texture was nice and it made the dish a little more filling.
I think Shakshouka looks intimidating because of how it is served, but I don't think you should feel intimidated. It takes very little time and is a perfect way to use up veggies that are on their last leg. I will say I haven't been making a shakshouka with traditional spices and peppers but that's what I like about cooking. I have been using more Italian spices and making a different version. Your's at home will be different too.
Remember the 14 pounds of pork I bought a few weeks ago? Yeah, I forgot about it too. I saw it in the freezer and pulled some out to defrost.
This week is grocery shopping week and I had a TON of unused cilantro. I went to Google and stumbled upon this Melissa Clark recipe for Pressure Cooker Pork With Citrus and Mint.
I don't have a pressure cooker (Instapot) but I do have a Crock Pot!
I made some substitutions by leaving out the garlic, added ginger, and added a chili to the pot for cooking. I followed the recipe very loosely not really measuring ingredients and using quantities that I had.
It was tasty. We both felt like it needed a little more flavor. This could be from not browning the meat before it went into the crockpot. Or the recipe just needs a little more umph.
Overall we were happy and Marco rated it a 7/10.
"I would totally eat this again."
Thursday's item from my kitchen: A set of nesting bowls in more sizes than you thought you needed. These are the bowls in pretty much every picture. Even when I'm not posting I love these bowls. You might think you don't need a one ounce bowl but you do. It's the perfect size for holding a tablespoon of cumin waiting to be added to a dish. A bowl for every need.
Friday
PB&J
Butter Lettuce + Strawberry Salad
Lobster Pasta
More PB&J breakfasts. No complaints.
I spiced it up and picked up some lobster tails. I haven't made lobster for Marco and me ever. I think he was allergic...but now isn't allergic? I don't know but I just learned he can eat them.
I needed inspiration with what to make and turned to this Lobster Pasta recipe.
As I mentioned with the quiche, goat cream isn't a product accessible at the grocery store. I used goat milk which is lower fat. Lower fat = less creamy. Adding a little extra butter and cheese solved that problem.
The recipe was wonderful and we had a simple Butter Lettuce & Strawberry Salad with it.
I'm rating this meal a 10/10! I was very pleased with it.
Friday's item from my kitchen: A smaller set of bowls for when you are not ready to commit to the big set. I have these as well. They stack nicely for storage, are a good size to hold most ingredients, and don't break when you drop them.
Saturday
Sour Cream & Onion Savory Waffle With Smoked Salmon
Another ingredient I picked up this week to switch up our menu was smoked salmon. I may or may not be making bagels in the next week. Just incase, I wanted to have smoked salmon for them.
We went to the Farmers Market to grab mushrooms, masa & tortillas from Yoli, and some basil. On the way back I mentioned the smoked salmon to Marco. I entertained the idea of making gluten free bagels but we settled on my Sour Cream & Onion Waffles instead. They are much easier and faster.
We made a little savory waffle bar with all the traditional bagel toppings. Smoked salmon, cream cheese, goat cheese for Marco, capers, dill, red onion, green onions, and lemons.
Marco rating 10/10.
"The waffles were a little soggy but this is still a 10."
Saturday's item from my kitchen: Boo's Block cutting board. This is the hub of my kitchen. I do almost all my prep on it and can't live with out it. They take a little bit of matinence but are well worth it.
Random thing of the week:
More animals crossing the street in my neighborhood...Found this little dude while I was out walking Josie. I gave him a ride to the grass.
