It's May 5th....

So, let's be frank. My last few posts have been boring and I've been close to pressing the delete button since I wrote them. However, I'll leave them of evidence of my lazy, pathetic cooking for another day.

TODAY IS TACO DAY! So, let's get started.

The key to any good taco, in my opinion, is amazing guacamole. Of course I come home from work and realize I have none of the ingredients I need - off to the grocery store I go. Here is the complete list of items you will need:

-lettuce
-tomato
-avocado
-ground beef
-salt
-pepper
-red chili flakes
-powdered chili
-onion


Chop up some onion nice and small.
Chop up some tomato so they are in relatively small pieces.
Cut open your avocado - Don't know how? Slice all the way around from top to bottom (not side to side). Peel the sides apart, remove the center, and scrape out the avocado with a spoon.
Then add your onion and tomato to the avocado - salt and pepper to taste, as well as throw some chili flakes for some kick (if you buy jalapenos, I wish you the best of luck).

Throw it in the fridge, and lets get cooking some tacos!

Throw the ground beef into a pan - break it up so it won't stick together. Throw some onions in. Cook on medium-high heat until brown. Strain out the juice leftover, and throw in a bowl for tacos.

Warm up some flour tortilla (No, I'm not a machine - I bought these). Approximately 1:00 minute per 2 tortilla in the microwave. If you have a grill top stove (I'm beyond lucky, I do). Heat it up and throw those suckers on there until they are warm enough for your liking.

Get out your preferred cheese, the guacamole, some sour cream, salsa - and whatever else you would like to add.


Throw it all in a tortilla and you have yourself a DAMN GOOD TACO.

I also threw some refried beans from a can into a pot and warmed those up for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat to add some more to the meal.


Tres Leches cake is in the oven! I will post all the details later when it's finished. :-)

And so the lion fell in love with the lamb

Yet again, another evening - another opportunity to grill some meat!

On tonights menu: lamb.

To start, I needed a vegetable. Originally I wanted to make a salad, but my organic lettuce went bad as did my mushrooms. All I had left in my veggie stash was carrots, celery, and tofu. So, I decided to experiment. Cut all of them up and threw them in a wok - salt, pepper, and some garlic.

Cover it to let the steam penetrate the vegetables to soften them. And you have yourself a vegetable to go with your meat.



As for the lamb, some salt & pepper & some parsley - throw it on the grill with some cleaned potatoes in aluminum foil. Medium heat - Once you see the stripes stain your lamb, flip. Then keep them off the heat but in the grill for warmth and move your potatoes to the bottom level to finish cooking.



And, (this might become habit because I find myself thinking in French more often) - VOILA! C'eat fini. Bon Appetit. Amusez-vous!

For when you're feeling lazy....

I had a busy day, come home and the question remains, "What to make for dinner?" When you're cooking for multiple people and you have to make sure your cooking satisfies their needs.... sometimes its okay to run for the cans.

So for a simple, quick, easy, meal listen up.

Defrost some chicken - could be thighs, wings, whatever you have.
Throw in some Frank's Red Hot sauce and some BBQ sauce (I currently have five different kinds in my fridge, so I decided on Emeril for this evening). Mix it up - and start your grill. The beer is for your own personal enjoyment and does not come with this recipe.

As your grill is heating up. Grab a can of baked beans. Throw it in a pot on low heat - stirring occasionally. Now to finish this canned bbq party, grab a can of creamed corn and whatever vegetable you desire (I chose asparagus), and put them in separate microwavable containers.



Once you have the chicken on the grill - pop the veggies in the microwave for a few minutes. (Creamed Corn approximately 3-4 minutes and the Asparagus approximately 4-5 minutes depending on your microwave).

And Voila! C'est fini!



Bon appetit!

April Showers Bring Meaty Lasagna

Yesterday, I decided to indulge in some of my lasagna cooking. I'm not Italian by any means, but I've learned from others the best pasta sauce is homemade. Every month I'll make a batch of sauce that I will then refrigerate and/or freeze to use for the remainder of the month. Here is my sauce recipe from this past adventure:
Please note, I try to buy organic as possible & as I've noted previously, I eyeball all my recipes - there is no such thing as perfection in my cooking.

*One Package Sausage (I used hot sausage - and it came with ~8 three inch sausages)
*1-2 Pounds of Ground Beef
*6 Medium Sized Carrots
*1 Celery Heart
*1 Whole Zucchini
*1/2 a batch of mushrooms (you can choose which kind you prefer - approximately 6 mushrooms total)
*1 medium sized onion
*2 tablespoons minced garlic
*Parsley
*Two Large Cans of Whole Peeled Tomatoes (I get Cento usually, but always the kind without any flavoring already - so no bay leaves - its my personal choice)
*Two Small or One Large Can of Tomato Paste
*Salt
*Pepper

Poke a hole in the sausage. Place the sausage in a pan and add a bit of water (just enough to cover half-3/4 of the sausage). Turn the heat up, and cook them. Turning occasionally. Should take 7-10 minutes. You will be able to know when they are done. When they are cooked - take out a cutting board, and cut them into thick pieces. Place to the side. Keep the juice/water from the pan!

Take the ground beef & if frozen, defrost. Place it in a pan and begin to cook it. Make sure to break it apart often so the beef is separate. Once cooked, place off to the side.

Cut up all the vegetables - celery, carrots, onion, garlic (if you choose to use fresh garlic), parsley (if you choose to use fresh parsley), zucchini, mushrooms. Cut as you desire - but make sure none are too thick or large of pieces. Put them in a pot and add some olive oil and some of the leftover water/juice from the sausage. Cook on medium heat until the smell begins to perforate the room. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Open up your cans of tomatoes. Release some of the juices into your sink (I do not like a soggy sauce). Go through the tomatoes and take out the heart, otherwise as you are eating your sauce you will bite into hard bits of the tomato pieces. Break apart lightly with your hands.

Take a slotted spoon and spoon the vegetables into pan your tomatoes are in. We want to keep the juices to a minimum. When you have all the vegetables in with the tomatoes - stir them up and mix in the ground beef & sausage. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, two basil leaves, and you are all set. Let simmer on low heat for approximately 3+ hours stirring occasionally.

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Yesterday after I made the sauce, I created lasagna with it. My father knows the owners of Biazzo Dairy Products (out of Ridgefield, NJ), so we use their dairy products.

First things first, create your Ricotta Cheese layer - Mix 16 ounces of Ricotta cheese with 1 egg, salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix in some soft cream cheese to make sure you have a creamy layer.



Second, get your pan ready - pick a pan - it can be any size. I tend to use a larger size pan so there's leftovers that will last all week.

Now to the layers:
*Pasta Sauce
*Lasagna Noodles (I use pre-cooked, but up to you as to how you want to do it)
*Cheese Layer
*Slices of Mozzarella Cheese

Continue this from Pasta Sauce - Mozzarella Layers until you have reached the top of your pan. Then add more Mozzarella Cheese on top and top with grated cheese.

Cover with tin foil & stick it in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Take the foil off & cook for additional 15 minutes.

Let cool for 15 minutes, then serve!

About the Pretend-Chef

Hello non-existent readers,

I am Amy. I have begun cooking/baking so much that I decided I would share my kitchen adventures. Most of these recipes are taken from others. I will broadly read recipes and take bits & pieces from them for my own. More often than not, I do not use measuring cups - I go by taste, and if it tastes bad - I throw it out and start over.

Want to know more about me personally? I'm a 23 year old who works in an office all day dealing with solar energy installation, engineering, and construction management. When I get home, cooking is the most relaxing thing I can think of doing most days. There is no better way to relieve a days stress, make others smile, and feel like an artist.

So, join me on my adventure of pretending I know what I'm doing and hopefully we can learn from each other, as well as have some fun (safely of course).