Hello friends!
It's been a super long time but now I'm back to blog about a very upsetting weekend in the kitchen. I had been planning this meal for about a week and I was prepared and ready to make this delicious meal and even prepped everything the night before. I decided to make 2 batches in case 1 batch wasn't enough.
I was making Garlicky Mushroom and Spinach Fettuccine and it was going to be good. Friday evening I started out making my Garlic Confit and my Garlic Sauce. The sauce was a very time consuming process which involved a head of garlic peeled. I had to boil and drain the garlic 4 times. On the fourth time, I added my So Delicious Coconut Creamer and simmered for about a 1/2 hour until the garlic was fork tender. While I was doing that, I was making the Confit which I had to boil another head of garlic in olive oil until tender. This took about a half hour as well. Once that was done, I de-stemmed my crimini mushrooms and sliced in about 1 inch slices. I covered the mushrooms with water and cooked them over low heat for an hour; adding a dash of salt and pepper. This process made my mushroom broth. I, also, decided that I was going to make my own spinach pasta so I set out to do that and it was a total fail. To me it tasted just like flour, was too thick and just simply gross! Once that was out of the way, it was time to take my garlic sauce to the blender and add a pinch of kosher salt and blend until smooth. I packed everything away and put it in the fridge for the next day.
After running around taking care of business and having a Saturday, it was now time to start making the dinner. I took my mushrooms and cut them into 1 inch pieces and seered each side in a skillet on medium high heat. Once they were browned on both sides, I added my green onion slices, my broth and let cook for a few minutes. I then added my garlic confit and Garlic Sauce and let the liquid reduce about a quarter. At this time, I noticed that it wasn't turning out the way that it was supposed to and started getting extremely angry. But I moved forward and heated a pan with garlic oil and added my fresh spinach and shallots. The spinach was wilted and it, again, was not coming together the way that it was supposed to come together. All the while, the homemade noodles were boiling and after looking at how they were turning out, I decided I was not going to continue with it. However, Sheri, added some cornstarch to it so it thickened up a little but was still like soup. I went outside and decided I was not going to eat. She said it was really good and I took her word for it but for me, I made chili bowties cuz I didn't have any spaghetti. That was my first failed meal of the weekend.
I woke up the next day and ran to the store to get a package of Spinach Fettucine and picked up more crimini shrooms and fresh spinach and once I returned, decided that I was going to make a second batch. So that's what I did. I was not going to let that mistake beat me. This time I took care into what I was doing. The key was to not add so much broth. Being that the second time for this meal, it was spectacular and will be enjoyed this evening. However, I was not fond of the spinach at the bottom of the dish and it just added too much sweetness to it. It is delicious by itself.
So, being happy with how that turned out, my confidence was again boosted as I enjoyed a small portion. I had saved all the mushrooms from the broth that I made so I decided I was going to make a soup. I took the leftover broth, the leftover mushrooms and a handful of diced white onion and let them simmer for about 2 hours. The house was smelling delightful and the soup was tasting amazing. So much so that I called my parents to see if they wanted any.
While I was letting the soup do it's thing, I made pizza dough because I was going to do either Calzones or make a pizza. I was tired of red sauce so I made a White Garlic Sauce. I used Tofutti Sour Cream and about a 1/2 cup So Delicious Coconut Creamer. Processed my garlic the same way as I made the Garlic Sauce from the Pasta. Blended until smooth and creamy and back on the heat to thicken up.
I marinated some Smart Bacon in a mesquite liquid smoke, diced some red onions, sliced some mushrooms and got out the black olives.
I was having a great day and was anticipating a nice bowl of soup with my individual pizza. I prepped the dough, which was amazing, and filled 2 pie pans and set in the refrigerator.
Now, it was time to revisit the soup and at this point is when I added the fresh spinach and let simmer for another 15 minutes. I went in for a taste and it was heaven except it was missing a little pepper. I grabbed my bottle and went for a small shake and that's when it happened!!!! THE LID FELL OFF OF THE PEPPER, INTO THE SOUP ALONG WITH 75% OF THE BOTTLE. I rushed to remove as much as possible but to no avail... It. was. ruined. Into the disposal it went and my spirits that were once lifted were again crushed. UGH! FAIL # 2
But, had to move on for dinner. I dressed the pizza up and they were turning out lovely. When they were done, all I could taste was mesquite liquid srmoke. Another Fail in my book but to my roommate, he loved it and ate the entire thing.
Lessons I've learned... always make sure the lid is securely on your spices... take your time and love the process and I learned how to make an incredible garlic sauce. Always pick yourself and move on when there is a fail because the odds are, if you replicate it, you will achieve the desired outcome!
Stay tuned for more pasta meals and other catch up meals...
No comments:
Post a Comment