White Chocolate Baba Ghannouj

Ingredients:

• 8 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
• 4 medium eggplants, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2/3 cup tahini
• 4 oz white chocolate, melted and cooled
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley 
• 1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tbs paprika
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Heat oven broiler on high
• Place garlic and eggplants, skin side up, on a foil-lined bakng sheet
• Broil until tender and charred all over (about 40 minutes) 
• Peel garlic and peel and seed eggplants and scoop out flesh from eggplant and transfer to a food processor 
• Add lemon juice, tahini, chocolate, parsley, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper
• Puree until smooth

Results: 

This was honestly my least favorite dish, and I ended up not eating any of it (after tasting).  I'm not a fan of any of the ingredients, so it makes sense that I didn't enjoy the recipe. 

Green Beans with Bacon

Introduction:
Not all green beans are alike. The longer the bean was on the vine, the tougher it can be. Fresh, young beans should be able to cook up perfectly well in less than 6 minutes. Tough old beans, you'll have to cook a lot longer to get them tender. Look for beans that easily snap in half when you bend them.
Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh green beans, ends snipped off and discarded
• Salt
• 2-3 slices of bacon 
• Black pepper
• 1 tbsp lemon juice or cider or red wine vinegar

Steps:

• Heat a pot of salted water to a rolling boil (1 Tbsp salt for 2 quarts of water). Add the green beans and boil them for 4-5 minutes, until just tender enough to eat (you may have to cook longer depending on the particular green beans you have). Drain and set aside.
• While the water is heating up to boil the beans, slowly cook the bacon until crispy in a large sauté pan set over medium-low heat. Use a slotted spoon or a fork to remove the bacon from the pan. Set the bacon on paper towels to sop up the excess fat. You should have about one tablespoon of fat left in the pan. Pour off any fat beyond 1 tablespoon. (Do not pour the fat down the drain or you'll stop up your drain.) If you have much less fat than a tablespoon left in the pan, add a little olive oil or butter to the pan.
• Once the green beans are cooked, sauté them over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes in the bacon fat. Dice the bacon and add to the pan and sauté another minute. Put the beans and bacon into a large serving bowl and sprinkle generously with freshly ground black pepper. Toss with lemon juice or vinegar and serve at once. 

Results: 

I could have done without the bacon, to be honest.  They were a little too fatty for my liking.  

Source: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/green_beans_with_bacon/

Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Introduction:
Olive oil and vinegar don't mix because they are opposite substances.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup olive oil 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions: 

• Beat the vinegar in a bowl with the sugar, garlic, pepper, and salt until the sugar dissolves 

Results: 

This recipe was probably too easy, but was really good.  The sugar made it a little guilty though as I felt weird putting sugar on a salad.  Either way, the dressing was really good. 

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/simple-balsamic-vinaigrette-recipe.html

Garlic Butter Broccoli

Introduction:
The science of cooking broccoli is all in the heat and color.  The heat will still drive out the air bubbles to give the bright green color, and overcooking will still break down the chlorophyl to give the dull green color.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch broccoli, cut into small pieces, stalked peeled and thinly slices
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper 

Steps: 

• Cook broccoli in lightly salted boiling water until crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes 
• Add the butter and garlic to the saucepan and cook until the garlic is soften, 1 to 2 minutes
• Toss wit the salt and a few grinds of pepper

Results: 

This was so yummy!!  The heads of the broccoli got so soaked in butter, which made this dish really, really good. The broccoli was pretty easy to over cook, especially since it cooks itself a little when it's sitting there waiting to be eaten.  

Source: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/garlic-butter-broccoli-10000001044810/

Simple Bolognese Recipe

Introduction:
Because the main part of this recipe is meat, it should be noted that there is science behind how meat is cooked. Cooking time is affected by the meat’s starting temperature, the true temperatures of frying pans and ovens, and the number of times the meat is flipped or the oven door opened. The meat’s fat content matters, because fat is less conductive than the muscle fibers: fatty cuts cook more slowly than lean ones. Bones make a difference too.  Because the meat is ground, and broken up, the cooking time very short.


Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
• 1 carrot, coarsely chopped
• 1 pound ground chuck beef
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (28 ounces) 
• 1/4 cup flat leaf italian parsley, chopped
• 8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

Steps: 

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil
• Once the oil is almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until the onion softens (about 8 minutes) 
• Add the celery and cook for another 5 minutes
• Raise the heat to high and add the ground beef
• Stir frequently and break up the large lumps and cook until the meat is no longer pink (about 10 minutes) 
• Add the tomatoes, parsley, and basil and cook over medium low heat until the sauce thickens (about 30 minutes, but the longer, the better)
• Season with salt and pepper
• Finish bolognese with Pecorino Romano. 

Results: 

This was by far one of my favorite recipes.  I absolutely loved it, and it was really easy.  I didn't drain the meat, so it was a little oily.  Maybe next time I'll use a lower fat content.  For this recipe I used 85/15.

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/simple-bolognese-recipe2.html

Buttery Cooked Carrots

Introduction:
Did you know that a carrot is actually a type of root?

Pre-peeled “baby” carrots (like the ones that this recipe calls for) actually cut from mature ones, often have a harmless white fuzz on their surface due to damaged outer cell layers that dehydrate within hours of processing.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound carrots (baby or regular sized) 
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar

Steps:

• Cooks carrots in a large pot of boiling water until tender
• Drain out most of the liquid, but make sure to leave the bottom of the pan covered with water
• Set the carrots aside
• Stir in the butter and brown sugar into the water
• Simmer and stir until the butter melts
• Return the carrots to the pot, and toss to coat
• Cover and let sit for a few minutes to let the flavors mingle

Results: 

I absolutely hated this recipe.  Never again will I add sugar to my vegetables!!! Too sweet. 

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/buttery-cooked-carrots/

Breakfast Burritos

Introduction:
This is another egg recipe.  We want to make sure that we do not over cook the eggs to avoid the rubbery texture that comes with overcooked eggs.  The rubbery texture comes from the proteins bonding too exclusively with each other, which squeezes out the water from the protein network (remember: eggs are made of 'basically' water and protein, but more water THAN protein).   The best temperature too cook eggs at is the temperature well below that of when their proteins coagulate, which is well below the boiling point (212 degrees Fahrenheit).

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive or canola oil 
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1 cup rinsed black beans
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup cheese
• 4 tortillas (corn)
• 1 small avocado 

Steps: 

• Head canola oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat
• Cook the onions until they are softened (about 8 minutes) 
• Add black beans and cook until warmed through (another 3 minutes) 
• Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a dish 
• Whisk together the eggs and then stir in the cheese
• Spray the pan or add butter to the bottom of the pan prior to putting in the eggs
• On low heat, add the eggs, scrambling until cooked through (about 3 minutes) 
• Spread each tortilla on a baking sheet and put in oven on 475 until crispy
• Add the eggs, beans, and onions to the tortillas, and top with avocado

Results: 

These breakfast burritos were really easy to cook and gave me lot of energy throughout the day since they are so high in protein.  I'd definitely cook again. 

Scrambled Eggs

Introduction:
The raw eggs begin as a liquid because the yolk and whites are essentially just water containing dispersed protein molecules (more water molecules than protein).  When we heat the egg, the molecules move faster and collide with each other and eventually begin to break down the protein chains which make up their shape.  The liquid egg thus becomes a solid, and the large protein molecules cluster together densely enough to deflect light rays, making the egg no opaque (instead of transparent).

Making the perfect scrambled eggs is far from difficult; however, they can be very easily messed up if they aren't wisked enough, or if the heat is too high.  Remember: the key to the perfect eggs is low heat and patience!

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Salt and ground white pepper, to taste

Steps: 

• Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat them until they are  a pale yellow color
• Heat a pan over medium-low heat and add the butter to it so that the butter melts
• Add the milk to the eggs (in the bowl) and season to taste with salt and pepper
• Whisk the eggs (like crazy).  Try and beat as much air as possible into the eggs (to make them fluffy) 
• When the butter in the pan is hot enough to make a drop of water hiss, pour in the eggs--do not stir! 
• Let the eggs cup for up to a minute or until the bottom begins to set
• With a heat resistant spatula, gently push one edge of the egg into the center of the pan while tiling the pan to allow the still liquid egg to flow in underneath 
• Repeat with the other edges until there is no liquid left
• Turn off the heat and continue gently stirring and turning the egg until all the uncooked parts become firm 
• Try not to break the egg and keep the curds as large as possible 
• Transfer to  a plate when the eggs are set but still moist and soft. 

Results: 

Well, I think I had my pan too hot as I wasn't able to get quite the results I was intending.  My curds ended up pretty small (although, I did do only 1/2 the recipe and used 1/2 the ingredients).  Also, I think I used too large of a pan because when I was pushing the eggs to the center of the pan, the middle ended up getting burnt.  Oh well, better luck next time. 

Source: http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/eggsdairy/r/scrambled.htm

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Introduction:
Chocolate can be molded into any shape.  To make sure the chocolate have a good appearance and consistency, chefs temper the melted chocolate (or prime it with the desirable stable crystals of cocoa fat).  To temper chocolate, one must: (1) heat the chocolate thoroughly to melt all of it's fat crystals (2) cool it to somewhat form a new set of starter crystals and (3) carefully heat it again to melt the unstable crystals so that only the desirable crystals remain.  The stable starter crystals will direct the development of the dense, hard crystal network when the chocolate finally cools and solidifies.

The key to the best cookies is to let the dough sit for a while before it's baked.  By resting the dough, you can give the dough a reconstruction phase before it starts baking.  In doing this, the dough becomes "whole" in that all the ingredients come together as one.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups unsifted flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs 
• 2 cups Chocolate chips

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir flour with baking soda and salt, and set aside
• Beat the butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy
• Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated
• Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture
• Stir in chocolate chips
• Let the dough sit for a while (60 - 90 minutes) and preheat oven 
• On a large cookie sheet, drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet
• Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown 

Results: 

The cookies were amazing!! The dough got a little harder consistency while sitting for the 75 minutes, which made it really easy to put them on the cookie sheet.  Also, after the cookies came out of the oven, I added a little sea salt to the top, which made them absolutely amazing! 

Huevos Rancheros

Introduction:
The raw eggs begin as a liquid because the yolk and whites are essentially just water containing dispersed protein molecules (more water molecules than protein).  When we heat the egg, the molecules move faster and collide with each other and eventually begin to break down the protein chains which make up their shape.  The liquid egg thus becomes a solid, and the large protein molecules cluster together densely enough to deflect light rays, making the egg no opaque (instead of transparent).

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup fresh salsa
• 4 corn tortillas 
• oil
• 1/2 cup of cheese 
• salt to taste

Steps: 

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees
• Coat each tortilla in oil, and place on a cookie sheet
• cook the tortillas in the oven for 5-10 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your tortillas
• Heat oil in small frying pan
• Cook each egg slowly on one side until whites are firm and yolks are runny
• Add cheese to the eggs in the pan
• Salt to taste
• Place an egg on each tortilla 
• Heat salsa in another pan on high heat for about 2 minutes
• Pour 1/4 cup over the top of each egg
• Let it sit for about 1 minute before serving

Results: 

The results were good, although instead of using salsa, I used black beans (when I opened the can of salsa, it smelled sour, so I thought it might be bad).  Either way, it tasted really yummy and was really easy and quick to cook. I also added avocado to the tops. 

Source: http://mexicanfood.about.com/od/breakfastanyone/r/huevosrancheros.htm

Baked Teriyaki Chicken

Introduction :

Ingredients: 

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch 
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 12 skinless chicken thighs

Steps: 

• In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the corn starch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper
• Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
• Place chicken thighs in a lightly greased baking dish 
• Pour sauce over the chicken 
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes
• Turn pieces over after 30 minutes
• Bake for another 30 minutes until no longer pink and juices run clear 

Results: 

The chicken was really good, although, not something I'd probably ever make again.  I prefer the teriyaki to be spicier, and I think I like what comes out of a bottle better. 

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-teriyaki-chicken/

Guacamole

Introduction:
Avocados don’t begin to ripen until after they’ve been picked, so they’re stored on the tree. All types ripen from the broad end toward the stem within about a week of harvest, and develop the best quality at temperatures between 60– 75 ° F/ 15– 24 ° C. Ripening can be accelerated by enclosing the fruit in a paper bag with an ethylene-emitting banana. If these warm-climate fruits are refrigerated while unripe, their cellular machinery is damaged and they will never ripen; once ripe, however, they can be refrigerated for several days and retain their quality. The aroma of avocado comes mainly from a group of mildly spicy terpenes including woody caryophyllene, as well as unusual 10- and 7-carbon fragments of fatty acids.

Ingredients:

• 3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 roma tomatos, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Steps: 

• In a large bowl, mix the lime juice and avocado until it is mixed together 
• Add the salt, cumin, cayenne and continue to mash 
• Then, add the onions, tomatoes, cilantro and garlic 
• Let sit at room temperature, then serve

Results: 

The original recipe actually called for jalapenos, but I'm allergic, so I skipped out on those.  Also, when making the recipe, my tomatoes weren't too ripe, so I didn't add them to the recipe, which made it taste better in my opinion.  All in all, an easy recipe!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/guacamole-recipe.html?utm_content=buffer2fd9d&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=google&utm_campaign=Buffer

Ground Beef Taco Recipe

Intro:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup canola oil 
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 16 ounces ground sirloin
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2teaspoon pepper

Steps: 

1. Heat the canola oil and chopped onion in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes
2. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat into smaller chunks 
3. Optional: drain the grease from the meat
4. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper.  Cook for 1 minute
5. Add the tomato sauce
6. Turn the heat to low and simmer the meat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
7. Serve in taco shells with your choice of toppings

Results: 

This was really good, although, once I was done I realized that I forgot to put in the coriander.  It was still tasty though.  I served it with yellow corn tacos and home made guacamole :) 

Source: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2008/04/tacos-supreme.html

Japanese Cucumber Salad

Introduction
The vinegar in this recipe acts as a marinade in that it does weaken muscle tissue and increase its ability to retain moisture keeping the cucumbers very moist and crisp.

Ingredients

• 2 medium cucumbers
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Steps: 

• Cut cucumbers into very thin slices
• Pat them with a paper towel to remove any excess water
• Combine vinegar, sugar, an salt into a medium bowl
• Stir to dissolve
• Add the cucumbers and sesame seeds to the bowl 
• Toss well to combine

Results: 

This is a recipe that my dad has been doing since I was very little.  I love this as an appetizer or even between meals.  It's really good and even better the next day after the vinegar and salt has had time to really make the cucumbers sour. 

Source: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/japanese_cucumber_salad.html

Hot and Sour Soup

Introduction:
Bamboo shoots are the very young stems of several tropical Asian bamboos (species of Phyllostachys and others), which are woody members of the grass family. As the new shoots begin to break the soil surface, additional soil is heaped on to minimize their exposure to light and thereby their production of bitter cyanide-generating compounds (p. 258). Cooks and food manufacturers then eliminate all cyanide compounds from the fresh shoots by boiling them in water until they’re no longer bitter. Along with Chinese water chestnuts and lotus root, bamboo shoots are valued for the ability to retain their firm, crisp, meaty texture during and after cooking, and even after the extreme heat treatment of canning (p. 283). Their flavor has an unusual medicinal or barnyard note thanks to cresol, as well as more common bready and brothy aromas from simple sulfur compounds (methional, dimethyl sulfide).

Ingredients:

• 4 dried Chinese fungi
• 2 tablespoons canola oil 
• 1 tablespoon red chile paste
• 1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots, sliced
• 1/4 cup barbecued pork shredded
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• Pinch sugar
• 2 quarts chicken stock 
• 1 square firm tofu, drained and sliced
• 3 tablespoon corn starch mixed with 1/4 cup water
• 1 large egg lightly beaten 
• Chopped green onions (for garnish) 

Steps: 

• Put the fungi in a small bowl and cover with boiling water
• Let stand for 30 minutes
• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium flame
• Add the ginger, chili paste, fungi, bamboo shoots, and pork 
• Cook and stir for 1 minute 
• Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar in a small bowl 
• Pour it into the pot and toss everything together
• Pour in the chicken stock and bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes
• Add the tofu and cook for 3 minutes
• Dissolve the cornstarch in water and stir until smooth 
• Mix into soup and continue to simmer until the soup thickens 
• Stir the soup in 1 direction to get a current going, then stop stirring. 
• Slowly pour the beaten egg into the current (it should cook almost immediately) 
• Garnish the hot and sour soup with chopped green onions before serving

Results: 

The end result was REALLY tasty, but it took me two tries to get it right.  At first I put too little corn starch in, so I figured I could just add more to the hot water--wrong! It ended up really clumpy, so I had to pour it all out and start over.  

Also, the recipe says this is for beginners, but it was pretty hard, and I feel like it's a recipe that gets easier with practice. 

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/hot-and-sour-soup-recipe.html

Whipped Cream

1. Introduction

• Over-whipped whipped cream will become lumpy and buttery like if it's over whipped. 
• Like foamed milk, whipped cream is an intimate intermingling of liquid and air, with the air divided into tiny bubbles and the cream spread out and immobilized in the microscopically thin bubble walls.
• The key to a stable foam of the whole mass of cream is enough fat globules to hold all the fluid and air together, and naturally separated cream seldom reaches that fat concentration, which is about 30%.

2. Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

3. Steps: 

• In a large bowl, whip cream until it's about to foam 
• Beat in the vanilla and sugar until peaks form 
• Make sure to not over beat.

4. Reflection 

When I tried this, I didn't have a hand mixer, like I've used in the past.  At first I thought it was going to make it harder to do, but I actually liked hand-whipping the cream more than when I use the mixer.  Also, I was told when I was younger to put both the whisk and the bowl (metal) into the freezer for an hour or so prior to making the whipping cream for better results. 

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/whipped-cream/

Buttermilk Biscuits

Introduction
Yeast cells produce carbon dioxide slowly, over the course of an hour or more, so the material surrounding them must be elastic enough to contain it for that much time. Weak doughs and runny batters can’t hold gas bubbles for more than a few minutes, and are therefore usually raised with a faster-acting gas source. This is why we use baking soda.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 sticks (1 cup) of butter, unsalted, cold, and cut into pieces
• 1 3/4 cups of buttermilk, plus more for brushing

Steps: 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, and sugar.
• Work the contents until there are crumbs at the bottom of the bowl, and until the dough just comes together. 
• The dough will be slightly sticky, do not over-mix. 
• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface.  
• With flowered fingers, gently pat the dough into a round about 1 inch thick and 3 inches round, pressing any loose bits. 
• Place the biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart on an unlined baking sheet
• Generously brush the tops of biscuits with buttermilk 
• Bake, rotating sheet halfway through until the biscuits are golden and flecked with brown spots (18 - 20 minutes) 
• Transfer biscuites to a wire rack to cool. 

Simple Strawberry Sauce

1. Introduction

2. Ingredients:

• 2 quarts fresh strawberries, sliced. 
• 1/2 cup white powdered sugar

3. Steps:

• Place sliced strawberries into a large bowl 
• Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the strawberries (make sure to coat all the fruit) 
• Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes and stir occasionally
• Cover and chill until ready to serve.

4. Reflection 

This recipe is extremely easy and tastes great!! I ended up putting it over gelato with my home made whipped cream--yum!  There isn't anything that I would change to this recipe. 

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/simple-strawberry-sauce/

Talapia Fish Tacos

Introduction: 

With fish, the fat in fish comes from the oils distributed throughout their flesh.  With beef and pork, the fat is stored in pockets. These oils have subtle flavors in and of themselves, and they contribute to the flavor of the fish.

Materials Needed: 

• 4 talapia fillets 
• Olive oil 
• 3 cloves of garlic (minced) 
• 1 lemon (squeezed into juice) 
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cucumber chopped
• 1/4 cabbage chopped
• 8 corn tortillas 
• minced onion 

Instructions: 

• In a large skillet, add oil until the bottom is covered 
• Once the oil has heated, add the fish to the pan
• Season with the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and minced garlic 
• Once one side of the fish is cooked, flip (about 2 minutes on each side) 
• Once the fish is done, add the tortillas to a pan and heat
• Fill each tortilla with fish, cabbage, cucumber, and serve. 

Reflection: 

This recipe was "okay".  The fish could have had more flavor, and was really hard to keep the fillets from breaking into little pieces.  In addition, I also would have liked to add some salsa and avocados to the top of the tacos for flavor. 

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Introduction:


Ingredients:

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon rosemary (fresh) 
• 1 lemon sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Steps: 

• Preheat oven to 350 
• Place chicken into a dish and drizzle with olive oil 
• Cut the lemon in half
• Slice one half of the lemon into thin slices
• Squeeze the juice from the other half of the lemon over the chicken 
• Add rosemary to the top of the chicken 
• Add the lemon slices to the top of the chicken 
• Add salt and pepper to taste 
• Preheat a pan on the stove over medium heat
• Place each chicken in the pan until the tops are golden brown (about 4 minutes per side) 
• After the tops are brown, put the chicken back into the dish and bake in the oven for 20 minutes 

Homemade Icecream

Introduction:
Ice cream involves a lot of chemical reactions when made.  For ice to melt, it has to absorb energy, which causes the change from ice to water (solid to liquid).  Because ice is used to cool the liquids/ingredients in ice cream, we add salt (NaCl) to lower the freezing point of the ice cream.  Now more energy has to be consumed to melt the ice.  The ice becomes cooler when it's freezing point is lowered, and thus freezes.

Materials:

• Ice cubes (enough to fill a gallon sized bag about half full)
• 1 cup of half and half 
• 1/2 Cup of salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 gallon sized ziplock bag
• 1 pint sized ziplock bag

Steps: 

• Combine the sugar, half and half, and vanilla extract into the pint sized bag and seal it
• Place salt and ice in the gallon sized bag and seal 
• Shake the bag until the contents of the pint sized bag harden

Results: 

The ice cream turned out great.  However, I think that we either needed more ice or bigger salt crystals since it took forever to get it to the right consistency.  Also, gloves would have been nice since my hands were frozen afterwards. 

Sun-Dried Tomato Frittata

About: The key to making the perfect frittata is patience.  Remember: low heat for the best eggs!

Ingredients: Sun dried tomatoes, red pepper, eggs, cheese, and spinach.

Lemon Salmon

About: This lemon salmon dish is a great beginners dish as it involves very little efforts.  Simply slice the lemons, add the olive oil and salt as desired to the salmon, and let it sit in the oven for 20 minutes on 400 (Fahrenheit).

Ingredients: 2 salmon filets, 1 lemon (1/2 sliced, 1/2 juiced), 5 tablespoons olive oil, salt & pepper as desired. (You can also add a sauce for taste)

Beef & Veggie Stir Fry

About: Stir Fry's are extremely easy as they require very little work and cooking time.  The hardest part is really just prepping the veggies.

Ingredients: Baby bok choy, stir fry meat (beef), carrots, snap peas, olive oil, chicken broth, and teriyaki sauce.