I have been cooking ever since my motor skills allowed me to grasp a fork or spoon, and I haven’t left the kitchen since. My mom, Madonna (no, not the singer), attended culinary school when she was my age and has spent the last twenty years passing on everything she learned there to me.
Here at Quinnipiac, I plan to become the best print journalist I can be, and I plan to go to the Culinary Institute of America after I graduate, so I can fuse my two loves, writing and food, into my life for the rest of time. My career aspirations include, but are not limited to: owning and operating my own bakery/café, writing a column for a metropolitan newspaper’s style section on the topic of food, editing cookbooks, being a Food Network test chef, writing my own books about food, and writing for one of the major food-themed magazines, like Cooks’ Illustrated, Food Network magazine, or Bon Appétit.
Every day, I try to incorporate food into a new facet of my life. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been attempting to accomplish homework assignments with food, even in classes like Statistics, American Art History, and this semester, Organized Crime. (It’s hard not to get a good grade with fresh, warm cinnamon buns.) I spend my free time, and I’ll admit it, some class time, shopping online for cute, vintage aprons, new cookbooks, and obscure ingredients.
I probably have the most stocked kitchen in the Crescent, food and appliance wise, for several reasons. The first is my mom. She spent several years working for the manufacturer of the French cookware brand, Le Creuset, and got ridiculous discounts. In high school, I would come home from school to find omelet pans and spatulas sitting on my bed as surprises from my mom. Also, I am never deterred by a new ingredient. If a recipe calls for something that I don’t already have, I’ll always go out and buy it even though I might not use it again for months. Santa brought me Williams Sonoma baking sheets and pans, pre-cut parchment paper, and various dessert decorating supplies this year. So if you’re ever in need of a Crock Pot, cornmeal, or a rolling pin, I’m your girl.
Whoever was the first to realize and share that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, was an absolute genius. Upon sharing with the opposite sex my affinity and talents in the kitchen, I’ve received marriage proposals, been threatened to be kidnapped and held hostage as a chef, and most often groveling for cookies. The loved or cursed day of February 14th is here, and if you want to impress your valentine with a romantic dinner, or are looking to entertain some friends with an anti-Valentine’s Day party, this is the menu for you. I’ve learned many times that it’s hard to cook for a date or dinner party, because you spend all your time cooking, and have to rush to get ready, or vice versa. These dishes sound a lot harder than they truly are, and can be made in stages.
This is my go-to menu when I need something simple and successful. Old faithful consists of a roasted lemon chicken upon a bed of homemade croutons, sautéed asparagus, herbed new potatoes, and red velvet cupcakes. Personally, I think there’s something almost sexy about red velvet, its dark and handsome and on the inside, but light and refreshing on the outside. And the good news is that none of these items will leave you with harsh onion and garlic breath, or pieces of green spinach or broccoli in your teeth.
(Note: I know a lot of students aren’t equipped to bake cakes or cookies from scratch, so if you prefer to use a mix, or to do something entirely different, go ahead. You have to do what’s going to be the easiest, and least stressful for you. The classic Valentine’s dessert is chocolate covered strawberries. They’re foolproof to make and always a success. Even ask your date or guests to bring dessert!)
The most basic staples of any kitchen are kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, unsalted butter (in stick form), and extra virgin olive oil. Here is the rest of your shopping list for this menu:
1 4-5 lb. roasting chicken
1 large yellow onion
5 lemons
1 lb. Baby Red or Yukon gold potatoes
1 bunch asparagus
Mixed fresh green herbs, I like to use parsley and chives
1 loaf of fresh Ciabatta bread
You will need a small roasting pan, a large sauté pan, and one medium size, heavy bottom pot with a secure, tight fitting lid. If you don’t own these, you can always borrow the pot and sauté pan, and get the aluminum, throw away roasting pan.
Both the Lemon Chicken with Croutons, and Herbed New Potatoes are recipes from Ina Garten, aka Food Network’s The Barefoot Contessa. Here are the links:
Lemon Chicken with Croutons
Herbed New Potatoes
The asparagus is very simple, and always successful.
1 bunch asparagus
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 lemon, halved
Coat your sauté pan with a light layer of oil, about 2 tablespoons on medium-high heat. Add half the asparagus and sauté, turning occasionally until the asparagus is a bit withered on the outside. Season with salt and pepper. Just before you take the first half of asparagus, squeeze half a lemon over the stalks and remove from the pan to a plate about 30 seconds later. Repeat with the second half the asparagus, adding a little oil if needed.
Like I said, this meal can be prepared in stages, with the first happening up to one day ahead of time.
• Make croutons, and a dessert if you choose.
• Two hours before meal time: Prep chicken and put in oven
• One hour and 15 minutes before: Put potatoes on the stove, then clean up your kitchen and set the table.
• Thirty minutes before: Sauté asparagus
• Fifteen minutes before: Take chicken out, cover with foil, and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Plate croutons, and garnish serving platter with lemon slices. Plate asparagus. Plate chicken atop the croutons, and enjoy!
Bon appétit!
Recipe Links:
Lemon Chicken
Herbed Potatoes