Balsamic vinegar always leads to some form of yum. This particular pork preparation comes from Biggest Book of 30 Minute Meals with modifications from Joyful Abode. The sauce also went really well with the asparagus, a last-minute addition. The rice-tomato bit was an attempt at the rice cakes from Chocolate & Zucchini, but I ran out of oil before I could get some proper cakes going. There is plenty of the rice mixture left, however, so I will give it another shot soon.
In other news, I did some browsing at Vertigo Books (if you live in/near CP and have not gone there, please go) and found some good cookbooks on the sale shelves.
The first one is Essential Cook’s Hints & Tips: A Ready Reference at Your Fingertips. I wanted a quick reference instead of my usual mad dashes into the bedroom to look things up on the internet while cooking, so here it is. It’s well laid out with plenty of helpful (albeit small) pictures and such–this was also the cheapest of the three I purchased. I hope it’ll be handy during my frantic cooking nights.
The second is The Improvisational Cook. This looks very, very interesting–it’s a book that gives you basic recipes and then explains the logic behind the ingredients/methods used and then guides you along with substitutions and creating new ideas inspired by the given recipes. Though I have not looked at this in detail, I really like this idea–will be useful for leftover type things and being more efficient with groceries over all.
This last one is my favorite: A Baker’s Tour :) I should say that this is chef Nick Malgieri’s collection of dessert recipes from around the world, but the pictures should say the rest. That and I really want to at least look through his other books now.
A few shots of some pages:
So exciting :) This is only after a quick browse, so I’m sure more detailed reading will inspire more happiness/drooling. Experiments forthcoming!
November 2, 2007 at 11:29 am
Oh Crista, you give me food envy.
November 2, 2007 at 7:14 pm
Emily! I’m really glad you blog + cook also because who else will gush about Alton Brown and be insightful about cookies? I think the two of us should some day host a dinner party and cook and bake whatever we want. It would be amazing!
November 2, 2007 at 11:24 pm
I actually plan on abandoning violin for my career as a master chef. Then I will perform show pieces in my own restaurant. By restaurant I mean house, and by abandoning violin I mean cheating practicing to cook myself a tasty meal.
November 3, 2007 at 1:12 am
At the very least I’m glad that the deliciousness of food overcomes the guilt of eating large dinners and the guilt of cooking > practicing. Temporarily… :)
November 3, 2007 at 10:55 am
In my case, for money reasons I grocery shop and cook once a week and then eat the same stuff for a week, so it better be damn tasty. But I still manage to cook delicious healthy food on a budget of $100/month, so it can be done!
November 12, 2007 at 10:00 am
[...] at Make, Make, Make found Joyful Abode a little while ago, and now seems to be a die-hard fan. [...]