So I went to have dessert at my favorite restaurant (it could not have anything to do with the fact that I work there), and had dessert with some of my favorite girls in the whole world. We have been trying to have a girls night and since the semester is not in full swing yet, I figured last night would be good, and it worked out for a few of us. So dessert was good, coffee was good, catching up with these ladies was amazing! And then I woke up this morning.....and couldn't talk....And since I was supposed to work a double today at work, that wasn't a very good thing. I don't feel sick, I just cant talk. I mean my throat is killing me, but other than that I feel fine. So I got sent home from work this morning, and am hoping that this is like a 12 hour virus or something so that I can go to work tonight. I can not afford to just be randomly voiceless.
Enough about being sick....Enchiladas last night were soooo good! There were no leftovers at all, which is always a good sign in my book. People can be polite and eat the first helping and then use the "I'm full" excuse to get out of suffering through a second helping. But when they willingly go back for more and don't leave any behind, I think you know you have had a successful evening in the kitchen. Even the kids of the family I live with were telling me that they really liked it.
If you know me, then you know that I am very nervous and quite anal when it comes to other people besides my mom trying my food. I always want constructive criticism about my cooking, but typically the response I get is...."It's really good". Don't get me wrong, I love getting that response, but that doesn't really help me when trying to improve the dish, nor does it tell me if it is a repeatable dish. I am always terrified that people will tell me that something is good and that they like it, and then I keep making it because I think it was a success, and then you know about the 10th time or so that you make someone finally can't take it anymore and just tells you flat out that they hate it. That has never happened to me, but nonetheless I am afraid of it happening because all of my friends are so kind.
I love my job, I love the people I work with, and I am absolutely in love with the Tomato Basil soup that they make. My mission is to replicate that recipe exactly. It is without a doubt the best tomato basil soup I have ever had in my life! Eat the soup with the Jalepeno Cheddar rolls that are homemade there as well, and it is like heaven in a bowl. This is another thing you will quickly learn about me, I love bread! I really wish that there was a way to get all of the nutrients you need on a daily basis out of bread and potatoes. I could eat those everyday and never get tired of them. Throw in Mexican food and Chinese every once in a while and I could be happy forever!
Well I probably won't cook tonight, but the next thing on my list is cheese straws. Phyllo dough is one of my favorite things to work with in the kitchen. I got this recipe from Semi-homemade with Sandra Lee. I really like her show, and she always has the cutest table setups and is always so color coordinated. If you have never worked with Phyllo dough before, you need to be very relaxed the first time you try it, because it is such a thin dough that it can get very frustrating very quickly. So go into it expecting to mess up a few times when trying to separate the sheets of dough.
Phyllo Cheese Straws:
8oz of cream cheese softened
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
a pinch of salt
1 egg
1 pkg of phyllo dough (in the box there are 2 pkgs)
1/2 cup of melted butter
1 gallon freezer ziploc bag
Store bought Pesto (I use the regular basil pesto, and a sundried tomato pesto)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
In a medium size bowl with a fork mix together the cream cheese, parmesan chees, salt, and the egg. Once it is well mixed, transfer mixture into the ziploc bag and push towards one corner. Cut the tip off the corner of the ziploc bag to make a pastry bag, and set aside. On a flat lightly floured surface, lay out one sheet of phyllo dough, and brush on a light coat of melted butter. Pipe a thin strip of the mixture down the middle of the dough (top to bottom on the width of the dough). Fold in half lengthwise, and roll into a straw. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture and dough. Coat the tops of the straws with the remaining melted butter right before you put it into the oven so the tops get a nice golden color. Bake at 425 for about 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool slightly and enjoy! To make more manageable straws, before you bake them, cut the straws in half.
These are one of my sister's favorites that I cook, and I hope that you enjoy them as well.
Until next time, happy cooking!
