Tag: oregano

A Winner Dinner

A Winner Dinner

I’ve had so many things to do lately that I really didn’t even have time to explore my favorite world of food. But since I have my time off I could slow down and think what I want to make today. My inspiration comes from 

Unintended diletto

Unintended diletto

A couple weeks ago Cookies was moaning for pizza, but I just was a little tired of the same old ingredients over and over again. Standing over the cutting board with piece of bacon, onion and cheese I was thinking, what I can do… pizza 

100th post –  Mexican pork  with fresh salsa

100th post – Mexican pork with fresh salsa

100 mexican spiced tenderloin with fresh salsa

As the year 2013 ended Cookies was looking at all the stats on Magda Cooks and figured out that this is my 100th post – I honestly didn't know I hit that much, but as it is, lets now go for 200!

 

As I mentioned many times before in the Burrow we eat a lot of vegetables and there is no meal without some. It may be cooked carrots or just simple salad or even just both. Though lately I have an incredible problem with eating certain veggies which makes me unhappy. And also it is hard to understand as well, cos older I’m I like more and more kinds of foods. I think the only one will be forever excluded is canned peas… Damn I hate it 0_o. I even can eat cooked spinach in little tortellini but definitely no peas. So honestly there is not too many veggies I've ate in last few weeks and it doesn’t help with the variety of new meals I can make.

But, as always I found something 😀 and it’s so simple yet so spectacular in flavour that I decided I will be experimenting with this idea a lot.

I still can’t imagine that I didn't think about it earlier, especially since Cookies is preparing a lot of meals straight from mexican cuisine. Probably because he is considered Master of Tortilla and Taco and we usually don't step into each others zones of expertise. I was looking for new way to prepare pork tenderloin and that it didn't include grilling 0_o. Soon though I wont be able to grill a thing 0_o cos Cookies will be moaning like: WHAAAT? Grilled …. AGAIN??? PHHHLEEEAAASSSSEEEE! So as I was searching I found this one promising idea for a  very easy 0_o mexican spice marinade for pork and along side I found a recipe for simple fresh salsa.

When I asked Cookies why he never made salsa before, he said… “I simply didn't think about it”, well, thats kind of hard to believe because he OVER THINKS everything. Anyway…during the last couple weeks I utilized this idea twice, each time with a different piece of pork: tenderloin and neck, both according to you know WHO, found them to be awesome. The rub is easy and requires only 10-15 minutes rest before cooking. Both meats I prepared different way. I baked the tenderloin and grilled neck chops.

Stuffed Pepper Soup?

Stuffed Pepper Soup?

When Cookies made this dish for me the first time I was like wtf? Stuffed peppers I understand but as a soup? How the hell is he doing it to make it a soup? Then he served it and I found my second, okay third 

1st Anniversary of Magda Cooks

1st Anniversary of Magda Cooks

I just can’t believe how fast time flies… I just started blogging and now we have our 1st year behind us. I was thinking what to write about and while I was debating, I looked through my kitchen window and just knew my topic instantly. 

Beef-A-Roni

Beef-A-Roni

78 beeferoni

When I was kid, many MOONS ago, I enjoyed a lot of the Chef Boyardee products. I guess it added to my “mass”… HAHAHA, anyway, one day out of the blue I made for Magda a similar creation, of Beef-A-Roni… and its literally become one of her favorite meals. And its relatively easy and FAST to make… a key element in the Magda Cooks Project… lets do it!

Greek Style Salad With A Twist

Greek Style Salad With A Twist

I think I wanted to post a recipe of greek salad since I started blogging. I consider it one of the easiest, tastiest salads you can make at home. I didn’t post it, because the base one, I would like to think that everyone knows 

Cookies Shepherd’s Pie

Cookies Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd's Pie Sort of Meat Pie but with Potatoes. You could easily make this with pastry crust and it would be like a ground beef pot pie… sort of. Anyway, we like a lot of vegetables and I try to utilise as many as I 

Immigration Mess

Immigration Mess

Immigration Mess

Well, I was thinking what to write about this meal, but couldn’t get any idea. Then I was thinking of the origins of this meal and it happened that I found out about it in the Polish cooking magazine called Salt & Pepper. That thought brought me back to 2005 to the mad dash we had to do to travel 500 km to cross the border with Czech Republic so my at the time Cookies the Fiance could have a stamp in the passport. We went to my late Godfather living in the Kotlina Klodzka, who took us to the Czech… we stayed with him and his wife for few days between Christmas and New Years. And his wife was always collecting recipes, magazines being the DIY person she had plenty of different stuff and I found this Salt & Pepper cooking magazine on her table. I liked it so much, that I started collecting it and doing it until today. In one of the first ones I purchased I found this great recipe for penne rigate with broccoli, pepper, tomatoes and ground beef. I changed it a little bit and today I present my own version of it. Usually I make it with penne rigate but this time I had whole grain rotini.

Ingredients for 4-6 servings

500g whole grain penne rigate or rotini or other pasta of your choice
500g (1 lb) lean ground beef
1 medium onion
one whole head of broccoli
1 big red or yellow pepper
2 medium tomatoes
2 tbsp oil
5 tbsp light soy sauce
black pepper
pinch of oregano and basil
parsley
ketchup (optional)

Preparations:
Boil pasta along the users manual. 0_o Then prepare all the veggies. Chop onion into tiny cubes, divide broccoli into bite size florets, cut pepper into strips (if you know how to julienne it… good for you 0_o). Cut the skin on tomatoes cross way on top and put for 20s into water boiling for pasta, then peel the skin off (you can leave it but while cooking in the meal it will separate and make the dish yuckie). Cube tomatoes in just chunks.

Heat big pot on high fire, pour oil, and toss onion, fry fast for like 30s then toss meat in. Fry together until no longer pink. Add soy sauce and other spices, toss broccoli and pepper, cook for 5 minutes stirring often. If broccoli didn’t soften at this time, cook another 2-3 minutes. Then add tomatoes. Cook another 2-3 minutes until yummy juice shows. Toss pasta in and stirr good.

Serve good portions with chopped parsley on top. Optionally you can use ketchup already on the plate or add while cooking ;-). The dish tastes good also with mushrooms and different veggies.

Until next time, take care of yourself and each other 0_o

P.S. Cookies thoughts: I actually have to beg her to do it, cause, well, she despises anything that resembles “Stir Fry” and while this meal is NOT a traditional stir fry, PER SE, it does have some roots in it, regardless I absolutely love this, and really Magda Cooks… It Just Right!

 

I thought it wouldn’t be possible… This is POST #20!

I thought it wouldn’t be possible… This is POST #20!

I thought it wouldn’t be possible… This is POST #20! It’s no wonder nor a mystery that we like pizza. We ordered humongous 4 seasons pizza from Biesiadlowo and enjoyed every piece ;-). Since I don’t have oven at the moment I thought cooking a