Yeah...

XKCD sums it up quite nicely:

www.xkcd.com/854

Attempt #6: Buffalo Chicken Dip

Hiyas!! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!! As I mentioned before, I planned on throwing in a couple of my dishes into our Christmas "dinner." First things first, here's the belated picture of my hummus. Doesn't that look yummy?

And now, down to business. The new recipe I tried yesterday was for Buffalo Chicken Dip. A friend of mine made it at her party, so naturally I stole the idea. Here's the recipe I got from Dr. Google:

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
1 (10 oz) can of chicken
1 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup red hot sauce (I used Frank's)
shredded cheddar cheese

Beat cream cheese, ranch, and hot sauce. Fold in chicken. Spread mixture into a greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cover top with shredded cheddar, then bake an additional 10 minutes.

This was a HIT. I was oh-so-happy about that. So of course, I found everyone there and informed them that I made it, just to make sure that they all knew of my awesomeness. Mine tasted a little different than the batch I had at my friend's party. I still found mine to be muy delicioso though, so I'm not disappointed at all in how mine turned out. Here's a picture of the finished dish:


Just looks like regular cheese business, eh? Underneath that cheesey layer is a creamy, saucey party though.

This one was a clear victory in my favor!

SCORE: KITCHEN - 2 KIM - 4

Attempt #5: Baked Spaghetti

I am glad to report that my little misadventure with the grilled cheese yesterday has not deterred me from continuing my kitchen experiments. For dinner tonight, I chose a simple recipe from my "I Don't Know How to Cook" Book: Baked Spaghetti.

10 oz spaghetti
1 lb ground beef
1/4 c milk
1 egg
28 oz jar of pasta sauce of choice
shredded mozzarella cheese

Boil the noodles until they are not quite completely tender. While that's
going, brown the beef. Drain your noodles and pour them into a greased 9 x 13
pan. In a separate bowl, mix the egg and milk until well-blended, then add to
the noodles. Stir until the noodles are completely coated. Drain beef, then add
to noodle mixture, and stir. Add your pasta sauce, then stir some more. Finally, cover mixture with the shredded mozzarella. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

I think it turned out rather nice. Not perfect, but still good. Some of the noodles on top got a little...done. But other than that, I think it ended up being pretty tasty. And nobody heckle me on using a jar of sauce. One of these days, I shall make my own sauce from scratch. But that day is not today.

While I really liked the recipe, I don't know if this is one that I'll reuse time and time again. Why? Not because it wasn't good. I thought it was yummy. It tasted like spaghetti with cheese on top. So...I can just make spaghetti and throw some cheese on top, and not have to wait the 30 minutes for it to bake in the oven. And since I'm lazy, that's probably what I'll do. Still, I'm glad I made it. I know it's nothing much, but I'm a novice here!

I declare this a victory.

SCORE: KITCHEN - 2 KIM - 3

Attempt #4: Grilled Cheese

So, as embarassing as it is, I'd never actually made a grilled cheese sandwich before today. I'm not gonna post a recipe cause HELLO, it's grilled cheese. I did take a picture though.

I burned it. Shit.

SCORE: KITCHEN - 2 KIM - 2

Attempt #3: Hummus Again...

Ah, now this one went muuuuuch better than my last try. The previous recipe, I found online. This one, I got from my dear friend Lisa. :) While it didn't turn out quite as magnificent as hers, it came pretty dang close. Sorry if you don't want your recipe plastered up here, but here's what I did this time:

1 can of drained chickpeas (leave a little bit of the liquid in)
3 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1 tsp ground cumin (ok, maybe a little more than that)
1 tsp ground red pepper
pinch of creole seasoning (wasn't gonna buy it, but we actually had
some in the cupboard)
pinch of salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Throw into food processor and blend for approximately 3 hours (ok, exaggerating there...)

The mixture was a little thick for our food processor to handle. I still can't get the texture quite right. Those chickpeas are pretty stubborn. Looking at my final result, I grabbed my first pita chip and dug in. This time, the hummus was a much more pleasant blend of flavors. Using more tahini and less lemon juice balanced out quite
nicely. The cumin added a LOT to the overall taste, as well. I know the creole
seasoning sounds a bit odd. Hummus is a Middle Eastern dish (or is it Mediterranean...?), and New Orleans is no where near that area. But I think Lisa added it for a bit of extra spicyness (right?), and since I liked hers so much, and had it on hand, I threw in a little bit, too.

Hopefully, I remembered her recipe correctly. Assuming I did, then why did it not quite turn out as perfect? Mine was just a teensy weensy bit more bland (but still quite good on the whole). I'm assuming I just need more of the spices. That's what they're for, right?

No picture today, simply because I'm lazy. I plan on making this for our Christmas grazing as well, so maybe I'll take a picture of it then, too.

Until my next kitchen adventure! Adieu!

SCORE: KITCHEN - 1 KIM - 2

P.S. Again, sorry for the layout issues. I've used blogger for over a year, and I have no idea why it's acting crazy. It indented more than I meant to, and now it won't let me un-indent...whoops.

Attempt #2: French Toast

Something a little more traditional today. I thought I would tinker around for breakfast, and after skimming through The "I Don't Know How to Cook" Book (I told you, I'm armed with beginner's stuff here!), I found a nice little French Toast recipe:

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
butter
bread

Crack eggs into a bowl and add milk. Stir with a fork until well blended.
Melt butter in frying pan over medium heat. Dip each slice of bread into the egg
mixture so it is coated on both sides. Place in the frying pan and heat until
each side is golden brown.

Aaaaannnnndddd.......

Taaa-daaaa!! French Toast!!

I dunno if it's pretty, but as far as I could tell, it tasted like french toast to me! And unless my taste-tester was lying, it tasted like it to him, too. It took me probably a little too long to make. All I could find was a small frying pan (borrowed kitchen, mind you), so I had to warm'em up one slice at a time (probably not a chef-approved method), but who cares? It worked, right? As you can see, I threw a bit of confectioner's sugar on top.

As I said before, it tasted like any french toast I remember tasting. I went back and sprinkled a little cinnamon on top, and I thought that was nice, too.

Until proven otherwise, I am declaring this one a victory for Kim (however small it is)!

SCORE: KITCHEN - 1 KIM - 1

(On a side note, I wanted to add that whenever I hear the words "french toast," I think of that scene in 40-Year-Old-Virgin where an inebriated Leslie Mann says she wants some Denny's FRAAIINCH TOAAAST.)

(On another side note, I have no idea why there are so many lay-out problems with this post. I can't figure out why blogger's doing that, much less how to fix them...)

Attempt #1: Hummus

Here's me in three words: I. Can't. Cook.

Beyond making scrambled eggs and heating frozen chicken in the oven, I am utterly and completely useless in the kitchen (did you know that I haven't ever made myself a grilled cheese sandwich?). I am attempting to change this. Armed with beginner's cookbooks and a spatula, I am marching into the kitchen, and I am declaring WAR. This blog shall host the details of my victories (and my inevitable losses) in the kitchen.

Round One: Kim vs. Hummus

I am bound and determined to be able to make this by Christmas, so I can have it out and available for the family's Christmas "dinner" (rather than a full-fledged meal, we stick to grazing on finger foods for Christmas). Here is the recipe I found and attempted:

1 can chickpeas (separate 1/4 cup of liquid from can)
3-5 tbsp lemon juice (I went in the middle and used 4)
1 1/2 tbsp tahini
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Throw everything into a food processor and blend until smooth.
Garnish with paprika.

I would have included a picture, but I'm having technical difficulties with my camera at the moment...but hopefully, each recipe I try will be accompanied by a picture of my final result (no matter how hideous it may turn out).

This recipe was close, but no cigar. I'm not sure if I didn't process long enough (it felt like it was forever though), but the texture just wouldn't smooth out quite right. Maybe my processor's shoddy, I don't know. The first thing I noticed when it hit my tongue (on some nice, warm pita bread) was GAH! Lemon juice! Note to self, four tablespoons is too much...

The next thing I noticed was the tahini. I had a hard time telling if I used too much or too little though because I was still battling the aftertaste of that excessive lemon juice. Actually, the aftertaste of the whole thing was pretty good though. It was pretty garlicky, but I think I like that. I have a different recipe to try now (and LESS LEMON JUICE), but I'll wait until all of this round is eaten before I attempt that.

The kitchen won this battle, but the war has only just begun! Until next time!


SCORE: KITCHEN - 1 KIM - 0