new things

Fact 1: rory got a new lens on his camera (our camera) and he recently purchased final cut pro

Fact 2: i love to cook.  you, obviously, know this already

Fact 3: i'm an actress (maybe you didn't know this.)

Fact 4: I've wanted to make a cooking thing/video/project ... something

If we mix all these facts together we come up with a video of me that rory made!  it was fun to do.  being our first one, i think there's places we could improve for next time.  i'm hoping there will be a next time. also - i hope you enjoy the video and seeing me in my kitchen. :)  really, it all comes down to making food for people you love.  that love comes through and you can taste it.

Here's the original recipe I was using for the pasta.  The ingredients in GREEN i didn't use, if I used a replacement it's in bold inside of ( ) next to what was supposed to be in the dish.

Greek Spinach-Salad Pasta with Feta, Olives, Artichokes, Tomatoes and Pepperoncini

Recipe adapted from "The Fresh & Green Table" by Susie Middleton (Chronicle Books)

Makes 4 to 6 servings, ~45 minutes

ingredients
¼ cup mild extra-virginolive oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (about 2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon black olive tapenade

1 teaspoon honey (raw honey)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small red onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and quartered lengthwise

8 ounces small grape tomatoes, halved (about 1¾ cups) (2 medium tomatoes, chopped)

½ cup pitted kalamata olives, quartered lengthwise

4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano, divided (dried oregano)

½ pound dried gemelli or other curly pasta

5 loosely packed cups baby spinach (a big bunch of arugula)

⅓ cup chopped toasted walnuts
12 small whole pepperoncini, drained

 

directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the olive oil with the vinegar, garlic, lemon zest, honey, ½ teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Add the onion, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, feta and 1 tablespoon of the oregano and toss well. Let sit for 20 minutes.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain well in a colander but do not rinse.
3. Transfer the warm pasta to the mixing bowl and season with ¼ teaspoon salt. Add the spinach, the remaining tablespoon oregano, walnuts and pepperoncini and toss well. (The feta will loosen up and coat the pasta.) Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.

For the fish, you can see i just gave it an egg bath, dipped it in bread crumbs and pan fried it w. a little salt and pepper.

Here's my kale salad...obviously be a little more careful then I was on the slicing of the cheese...i used to massage this salad by hand and get reeeaaal messy, then my friend kirstin suggested doing it in a ziploc bag - GENIUS!

Kale Salad

ingredients
1/2 bag chopped kale
a few glugs of extra virgin olive oil
juice of one lemon
salt & pepper
a few slices of parmesan (you can use crumbled feta or goat cheese if you'd like)


directions
1. put the kale in a ziploc bag. add the olive oil, salt, pepper and juice of the lemon.
2. seal the bag - get all the air out of there.  massage the crap out of that kale - for like 10 minutes.
3. let the kale sit until you're ready to eat, once you're ready to eat slice some parmesan over the whole salad and serve.