{cook yourself sober: review} Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens

    Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens

Jennifer Schaertl

Published by http://www.hcibooks.com/, 2010 

It was really awesome of you guys to vote on the cookbook that JUST got moved to the clearance table and only cost me five bucks.  Seriously - thank you.

While I don't think my kitchen is necessarily "crappy", it may be just a tiiiiiiny bit on the .. well, tiny side.  Tiny may actually be using too big of a word, honestly.  It works because it's just me and because it has tons of storage space (in super tall cupboards that I can't even reach the top of with a stool), but counter space is at a minimum.

I didn't care too much about the kitchen when I was looking at this apartment, to be honest.  Everything else on my 'must have' list checked off (almost), and let's be real - as long as there's room to make margaritas, I'll probably make due.

This is a perfect choice to start off the {cook yourself sober} series.  I'm a decent cook, although I'm more the type that uses recipes as a guideline only, and tend to throw whatever I want into the mix and cross my fingers that it doesn't turn into a drunken mess.

I've chosen 5 recipes for both the Semi-BFF and I to cook seperately, as well as a full dinner for us to cook together.  We'll talk about how much it cost us, how difficult it is, and how realistic it is.  And of course, whether or not we like it and whether or not it actually turns out.  I like to drink while cooking, which makes reading directions ... interesting, to say the least.



What's on the menu?  My recipe for disaster includes:
*Great Guacamole, Batman!
*My Personal Wellington
*Tomato and Avocado Frittata with Crackin' Corn Bread
*Get Your Goat Cheese Souffle
*Bread Pudding with Bourbon Creme Anglaise

The Semi-BFF was away, so she had no say in what I chose for her:
*Look Like You Didn't Hurry Chicken Curry Salad
*Superlative Stuffed Chicken Breast
*Butternutty Squash Bread Pudding
*Swanky Strawberry Salsa
*Individual Sour Cherry Tiramisus

And our dinner together:
*The King of Caesar Salads
*Bring Your Own Margarita Mushroom Tamales
*Butterscotch Creme Brulee

How will it all turn out?  I'm a little scared, but it's nothing some Jack Daniels can't fix.  I'm most looking forward to the Cracklin' Corn Bread.

Which recipe are you most looking forward to seeing us butcher (get it? ha!)?



{Cook Yourself Sober} Time to Vote!

It's that time of the month!  

(BTW, cracked myself up with that one)

I'll be reviewing one cookbook in April, and it's time for you to choose which one.  Not only will I be cooking different recipes from the book you choose, but the Semi-BFF (who has less patience than I do, if you can imagine) will review one recipe as well.  At the end of the month, she and I will get together and cook an entire meal from the book - starter, main, dessert.  We'll take photos, maybe a little video, and a lot of whiskey while we rate the book you choose for us.

The Choices

The Food52 Cookbook: 140 Winning Recipes from Exceptional Home Cooks

Accomplished food writers and editors Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs had a mission: to discover and celebrate the best home cooks in the country. Each week for fifty-two weeks, they ran recipe contests on their website, Food52.com, and the 140 winning recipes make up this book. They include:

• Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies
• Secret Ingredient Beef Stew
• Simple Summer Peach Cake
• Wishbone Roast Chicken with Herb Butter

These recipes prove the truth that great home cooking doesn’t have to be complicated or precious to be memorable. This book captures the community spirit that has made Food52 a success. It features Amanda’s and Merrill’s thoughts and tips on every recipe, plus behind-the-scenes photos, reader comments, and portraits of the contributors—putting you right in the kitchen with America’s most talented cooks.

Jamie Oliver's Meals In Minutes: A Revolutionary Approach To Cooking Good food Fast

If, like me, you love food and have hungry mouths to feed when you get home after a long day, then allow me to let you in on a totally revolutionary new way of cooking. In this book I’m going to show you how to make a complete meal in the time you’d normally spend on one dish. What you’ll be able to achieve in 30 minutes or less will absolutely blow your mind. It’s certainly blown mine!

This is not about compromising on quality. It’s about being organized, working fast, and using shortcuts and clever tricks to put insanely delicious plates of food on the table in no time. Each of the 50 meals inside has been carefully written so there’s no messing about—just good, fast cooking. I’ve created complete menus of foods that go beautifully together and planned recipes in a really unique, easy-to-follow way. This kind of cooking is all about using every minute wisely, having fun, and reclaiming your kitchen for the job it was meant for.

Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens

If you think gourmet meals in crappy little kitchens is an oxymoron, think again! In her debut cookbook, Jennifer Schaertl tackles the myths about gourmet cooking (you don't need expensive cutlery and a gazillion ingredients!) and shows you how to make delectable meals despite the lack of counter space. Everything from appetizers and salads to soups and one-pot wonders to side dishes and entrees, and of course, dessert is included along with Jennifer's tried-and-true advice for working with limited space, appliances, cookware, and ingredients all on a limited budget. More than 130 Crappy Little Kitchen (CLK) recipes await you inside, plus: Why a CLK can actually be an asset, not a liability.

Voting starts TODAY and runs until March 29th.  Remember, only the votes on the poll on the right-hand side of this blog, or comments to this post count as votes.  That means if you feel REALLY strongly about one choice, you can vote twice ;)