Cuisine way or mommy's way?--Ravioli ,Sauted Salmon and Parsley with Creamy Tomato Sauce

----If I told you, "you are doing great", you probably wouldn't be convinced but just feel grateful, since I am encouraging you all the time, But what if , I told you a lot of your friends agreed with me and it was just they hadn't got chance to tell you, I guess you are smiling at this moment. So , thank you for passing on the 'complements' from *my* friends, it is really a wise way to show kindness, very SPECIAL...

This is a ravioli topped with sauted salmon and parsely with some garlice and tomato paste,  underneath is creamy tomato sauce, which is made from tomato paste and cream.

What I really want to show here is the magic combination of salmon parsley and tomato paste. And I just used canned salmon here. I used to cook them as a fried rice or mix them with one kind of pasta, and parsley here is not a garnish , but a major ingredient here, so don't worry about using too much.

I really like the plating work from those talented chefs, and admire, also with a little bit jealous, their genius that they are able to come up with beautiful patterns in such a short time, so a good chef has to be an artist as well!

I can always get inspiration from watching those shows, and I also got another funny rule: if something is usually served as a mixture, you can often make it prettier by separating them before serving, like a minestrone soup, in’the next iron chef’, he plated all the ingredients and put the broth on the side, not pour the broth until served, I think it is something creative that I would never thought of.

But sometimes, when something traditional shows up in a very unconventional way, it will appear a little ironical, I read about some adult made Mac&Cheese with some fancy truffle oil , and I drew it here to  show you how to serve a Mac&Cheese in a fancy restaurant way:

           Step1: Take the macaroni on the left

           Step 2: Dip into the creamy sauce in the middle

           Step3: Dip into the Cheddar cheese on the right

There is no Mac&Cheese in my childhood, but I am pretty sure it is definitely not the Mac&Cheese that has fed most of people here in their childhood. In your memory, isn’t it supposed to be a big bowl of hot and squabby mararoni covered with melt lovely yellow cheddar?

Legend of Fall Series II (Squash)-- it snows, (frustrated by unsatisfying pics)

Ravioli with Orange Scent Carnival Squash Sauce

It really surprised everyone, by the greeting from big pieces of snowflakes. I guess most people are cuddling at home watching this show offered by fall. When I caught the first sight of those big snowflakes, just rushed to facebook to broadcast this significant event. But after I published my excitement,  realized I was almost the last one to see it, > <
Well it starts snowing, which means it's time for gaogao to go out to start her snowbuddy projects, this winter, keep an eye on it, don't miss a signle one, I promise it will please you and help you to fight the winter despression, aza za fighting!

In my imagination, the winter squash should go perfectly with bacon, I was going to make bacon cup filled with squash hash, but I don't have two small muffin pans to make bacon cups, so I came up with some pasta dishes. I looked up online and found very interesting butternut squash filling ravioli with orange butter, I believe the winter squash sauce will amaze me by orange flavor. Since I am not ready to make my own pasta, so I used something from store, the filling was actually doesn;t go well with orange scent squash sauce, but the sauce itself is really wonderful, further, it can become a soup or a pasta filling.

And I also found sage loves bacon, so I pan fried the sage leaves in bacon grease, then sauté squash and onion, besides chicken broth, I added orange juice and orange scent oil( the one I got from Seattle) , then suddenly, the orange scent diffused around the house, felt like in the heaven with lovely oranges. After squash got cooked, I added a little bit cream and maple syrup, then used blender to make it into a sauce.

Without beans, it is hard to get that creamy texture. But maybe for the orange flavor, it is better to go light? Anyway the orange sent sweetness combine with bacon flakes and those barriers, it is a hit for sure !

<---Squash report--->

Canival squash

More creamy than butternut squash, after baked, the skin tastes good as well

The 5th class, Dream can really come true -- Tuna, Sundried tomato Bruschetta Fusilli

I found a very cool place from my friend's blog, it is http://rouxbe.com/cooking-school and it has the partnership with Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver, I think it should be famous :)

I did a quiz about steak there, but it turned out I only got 14/24, very disappointing > < . So I made a decision, I am going to watch the videos there from the most basic. So it becomes my 5th class for this semester , 8-)

Besides Jule and Julia, there are actually many inspiring stories about cooking. Shari , the host of http://www.whiskblog.com/, started working through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home cookbook from Jan/2008, and she never expected that after 20 months, her lifelong dream about attending a culinary school came true ! Of course , she was admitted by Le Cordon Bleu at Ottawa.

It is another dreams-come-true story, I am so happy for her and I understand the excitement about attending a real culinary school for an avid foodie. And I admire all the people that make their own dreams come true.

There is only one step away from 'thinking about it' to 'starting doing it', but it usually takes a lot of determination and is such a tough decision, but aware, once we start it, there is going to be some day when dreams come true, never doubt your decision when you get frustrated, you are doing S&S great ; )

This is my quick past salad. It is just tuna, tomato, sweet corn, basil, Trader Joe's sundied tomato bruschetta( it is one of my Trader joe's starts), some lemon juice, olive oil, with whole wheat fusilli. Super quick and delicious!

I was so surprised that H started to cook and do bakery, but after I got to know she moved in with her bf, I just smiled ... most chefs started cooking on love

Legend of Fall( Apple seriers)---'Just do your best and that is what matters'

Curry, Apple, Andouille,Raisin,Pecan, Spinach Couscous

Someone that I admire and regard as 'rock' told me, he also got frustrated sometimes, it was kinda unexpected, I thought only the little me that often gets shocked. Think about it in another way, in fact all of us have something to be bothered by, and it is good because this makes us feel like part of something, being responsible for something, and we are so important :)

And only when we are busy, those little surprises, brought by a cute flower on the sidewalk or a glance at the sky that is so bright , would be able to brighten our day. It is going to be sunny on Sunday, I think that is a reward for the hard-working of all of us so far , we know we did our best, and that is what matters, I wish you a super relax for the coming long weekend.

My apple:

This is an apple , chicken andouille, raisin, pecan and spinach couscous with curry flavor.Andouille is a kind of cajun flavor sausage. I used the prepared Trader joe's Chicken andouille. it is a little spicy , good match with curry flavor.

I like couscous for the two reasons:
1. it is a kind of pasta( actually there is some debate here), which means PROTEIN
2. it is super quick
So for me, it is like a busy-person's rice.

I kinda made it in risotto's way.
1. saute curry powder and a little bit cumin first-- this kind of spices needs to be heated to let the aroma come out.
2. same pan, brown sausage, saute onion, mushroom,
3. add couscous, brown it
4. add wine
5. chicken stock and raisin,
6. when couscous is almost done( the stock is almost gone), add apple, and pecan. spinach
7 . at the most end, add half tsp of butter OR olive oil. (it is a french way :)
Move the pan from the heat, stir it HARD to prevent it from binding together( the last butter also helps in this way)

Oh, I also find my new favorite apple flavor: Ambrosia, it is so sweet and
I can't believe it is apple!

What did you cook for Friday night?-- Homemade tomato meat sauce pasta

You like to go to Bertucci's on Friday night in the fall, and you call that as comfort food. I thought comfort food was just something that can make you feel warm, but today, after I carefully cooked this pasta , I got to know what comfort food means, at least for me, I it is something simple, ordinary, familiar, no question mark, no expectation since you just know it is good as itself, something that you are always comfortable with and relaxed with.

What did you cook for Friday night? Comfort food?

1. Cook the bacon, I find it is a better way to cook it in the oven /toast oven, 400F, 10-12min , it can't be dried out and remains lovely baby pink :) cut into small pieces.

2. Brown ground beef: I added Chinese five-spicy and ginger powder, garlic powder ( of course, preferable fresh one) , some wine, it already smelt good. Drain the fat

3. Saute garlic, onion, mushroom,until they are soft, add drained ground beef, bacon, canned diced tomato. I also pureed another canned peeled whole tomato to get a tomato puree ,and use it as well, so more juicy.

4. Add red wine, sherry vinegar (Alton's advice), tomato paste, ketchup, bay leaves, oregano, basil, hot pepper flakes, covered for about 20mins.

5. Add Parmesans.

Put a cheesy bread on the side. For you, hope you are going to have a relax weeked or you already had one

Asparagus, smoke salmon with creamy horseradish and dill sauce

People often asked me do you cook seafood. well, I actuall didn't cook it very often. Because during each period of my life, the one for me was not a big fan of seafood, so I just didn't do it. Well, I am cooking for my friends now, so it's time to pick up seafood, which I love so .

Pretty simple one, the sauce is supposed to be;

heavy cream, horseradish, dill.

but I don't have heavy cream on hand, so i used creamy cheesy( weird? but it works :)

I think I should have used some white pepper though

Compete with the Whole Foods: Cranberries, pecan, sweet pea. israel couscous

I have been loving the cranberries, pecan couscous in Whole foods and have planned to make it for long and today it finally comes true :)

The way to cook is kinda like risotto, but no wine here
1. Heat olive oil, add minced garlic, shallot, couscous , turmeric ( it is where the YELLOW color comes from !) until couscous becomes a little brown

2. Add water cranberries, pecan, tarragon, orange juice, boil it, until it is done

3. I would like to mix some dried cranberries too, because after boiled, the cranberries lose their beautiful color.

4. Usually we want to stir the cooked couscous, let it cool down soon. Or use ice water.
But for efficiency, I just add frozen sweet peas , and I think it also works :)

Now squeeze some lemon juice, and mince fresh basil. I want to say my Basil-Lemon is super magic and it very highlights the couscous

sK admitted he likes couscous too, so I do hope he likes this version.( it has orange flavor, sK!)

Lovely 'green': Pesto (basil garlic) pasta with shrimp and fried Basil-Lemon

Warmed pasta served with pesto, sK calls it as comfort food.In the winter, it is really something you want. (right, sK? :)

I will skip the steps for cooking pasta.

Heat olive oil, medium-low heat, cook minced garlice, after you can smell garlic, put in basil-lemon leaves, until basil leaves become clear.

Pick those basil leaves out, adjust to high heat, put in shrimp( use paper towel absolve the water on the surface), cook until it starts to be a little curve, pour into some White Wine, you will get an incredible smell( actually I used cooked shrimp, but still good)

At last, mix into shrimp, pesto sauce, parmesan if you want, with pasta, topped with fried basil leave, drop some lemon juice.

It's done :) See, fried basil leaves, this is special very lemon Basil-Lemon