Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Cooking Class!

Last week, my husband and I met a friend and took the bus downtown to attend a cooking class.  Cooking with Lucas was awesome. We learned about food, made delicious food, ate it, and met some great people. This one happened to be a tomato class.  So we made two types of tomato sauce for pasta, bruschetta (pronounced brusKetta), we learned about and tasted his sun-dried tomatoes (those take days, so we didn't make those), and the class favorite, Caprese salad with really, really good fresh mozzarella.  I'll just post a bunch of pics below for you to enjoy.

Chopping onions for the long-simmered tomato sauce; the copper pot is a great pot for simmering sauces; as the sauce doesn't jump out of it at all.  Lucas buys the pots locally.

A huge pan of fresh cherry tomatoes and olive oil, ready for roasting.  Above, the finished sauce on some good pasta with fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano on top.  So simple and good.
 Preparing the bread and tomato topping for a delicious bruschetta.
Lucas with his very good olive oil that he imports from another part of Italy.  Cool olive oil dispenser!  Three photos below are of the Caprese salad.  So delicious, flavorful, and fresh.  Really, really good.  Fun to photograph, too obvs. 



This is a painted fresco on Lucas's kitchen ceiling.  It was really awesome.  He lives in a historic downtown apartment building that used to be a castle and is nestled against the old city walls, right by the big archway into the "old" part of the city.  The whole experience was amazing and I really want to take more classes.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Hotel Eatin'

We're in the hotel still, but I when we first got here, I bought a small 220v crockpot so I could cook here if needed, and I knew I'd need a 220v one soon enough anyway.  (I had 3 110v, or "American" crock pots before moving from our last place, but I finally sold the one I bought in 2001.  Lol.  Still have the others, coming.)  Anyway, last Sunday I made this shredded taco beef for tacos in the crockpot.  (BTW; in lieu of the spices I don't have on hand right now, I used half a taco seasoning packet.)  Since the kids don't love eating this meat in tacos for some reason, we had a lot leftover.
The next day, I wanted to use the rest of the beef, so I made quick microwave nachos with it.  This isn't really a "recipe" fit for a food blog, but I really got nothin' else.  Lol.  If we do eat in the hotel, it's been bread & cheese, fruit salad, Frito Pies, toast, crackers & cheese, ice cream and hot fudge...... (there is a small stove and a small pan, so I did make homemade hot fudge recently).  Luckily there is a plethora of delicious Italian restaurants out there for us to explore, so we're not eating too poorly.  I do want my own, larger  kitchen though.

Anyway, I'll be posting this as a recipe.... I know you can figure it out yourself, but you're welcome anyway. And loooook!!!  My first microwave recipe!!!  I think.

Shredded Beef Microwave Nachos
from yours truly

leftover shredded beef from tacos
shredded sharp cheddar cheese
favorite tortilla chips
sour cream
pickled jalapeno peppers
any extras you like, like fresh tomatoes, veggies, garnishes, etc.

1.  First, you need to warm up the leftover beef and break it into small enough pieces.  Place it on a microwave-safe plate and warm up for 30 seconds or until warm.  Cut or shred into smaller pieces using 2 forks or a knife.

2.  Lay out chips in a mostly single layer on a larger micro-safe plate.  Lay on shredded cheese, as much or as little as you like.  Then, layer on the warmed shredded beef.  Microwave for 30-60 seconds, or until cheese is melted.  Top with sour cream, jalapenos, and anything else you like.  Eat.  :)

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **