Tag Archives: Cooking

Once Again, I Rock In The Kitchen

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So, I have been craving pizza this week and although I’d prefer to order it, we’re trying to save money so I decided to make my own.

I did some research on pizza dough and this recipe by Jamie Oliver came highly recommended.

So I bought some 00 flour and some semolina flour and some toppings and got to work.

Adam was my helper. Sort of.

So I weighed my flour and sifted it onto my board. There are no pictures, BTW. Get over it. 🙂

Then I made a well in the middle.

Then I poured the liquid in the well.

And then I made what might have been a fatal error. The well was not big enough.

At this point I should have started mixing and added in the rest of the liquid as I could. Instead? I tried to make the well bigger. And broke the well.

Usually my son saying “Oh no! What happened!” makes me smile. This time I just stood there as liquid flowed off the board, down the counter, over the washing machine to the floor. What happened? Mummy messed up!

So I stood there, trying to decide if I had a total disaster on my hands. How could I salvage this? I had no idea how much liquid I had lost.

I started to mix the flour into the liquid that was there. And decided to make half again as much liquid.

So I added about half of that amount in and kept mixing. And realized it just might be fine.

It went to smooth elastic form fairly quickly and I left it to rise, fingers crossed there was enough yeast.

And there was.

Disaster averted. Pizza currently in the oven. Mess cleaned up.

The part Adam helped with?

Wiping the kitchen floor. 🙂

I Am Wondering Where It Was

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I learned to cook.

I honestly have no idea.

I was thinking about this tonight as I put meatballs together for dinner. I know where the recipe is from (The Silver Spoon). I even know what changes I have made from that recipe to get to the meatballs I am serving tonight.

But where did I learn how to finely mince garlic with a knife? How to chop an onion in pieces using the shape of it to help?

I know some of it was from watching cooks on TV, Jeff Smith, the Frugal Gourmet for one. I had no idea he died. RIP. Or that he was accused of sexually abusing young boys. But I did like watching his show. Especially when Elmo was on.

But the rest of it? Knowing how to change a recipe to suit my (and now my family’s taste)? I have no memory.

I suppose my mom taught me some of it. She’s a very good cook. And my brother, he cooks gourmet and is fussy to the point of throwing things away if he thinks they aren’t up to his standards. I often think he should have opened a restaurant.

I do love to cook. From recipes. From memory. From cookbooks and TV shows and, now, the internet and my iPhone.

With my mother visiting what to cook is in my head. She will make chicken soup with matzoh balls at least once. And I’ll get her to make a meatloaf (Simon likes hers more than mine. Fact.) one night. But what else shall we have?

For her first night I am making my ‘dinner party’ meal of Chicken Casserole (also from Silver Spoon), stuffed courgette (a recipe I actually got from her and tweaked) and garlic mashed potatoes. However, my mother cannot have alcohol of any sort since her pancreas attack of a year ago June so Chicken Casserole will be made with stock rather than wine. I hope it’s as good. I’ll let you know.

She has requested my Shepherd’s Pie and my Paella, so I’ll make both of those, with an alternate for Adam on Paella night. He hates Paella. Fact.

I wonder what else I should cook…