Hot Plate! I judge books by its cover

I initially did not plan on cooking this weekend because two days ago, I went to my dad and stepmom's house for dinner and as always brought back bags of leftovers. Whenever they cook for the family, they make dinner for 50 people instead of 14. The meal is comprised of three main dishes and rice. I, of course feel guilty for not eating each dish because they went through the trouble of preparing the food so I end up consuming more than I should. They really are holding me back from my dream of becoming a Victoria's Secret model. Who knows, I could have had my own version of Project Runway by now. Better yet, I could have been Padma Lakshmi and host Top Chef-- lookin' hot and eating for a living. Can you imagine being Padma? Having guys salivate over you instead of repulsed by you when you lick a heaping spoon of chocolate ice cream, or when you consume an entire container of sour cream? At least that's what I would do if I were Padma.

Enough about my delusions and more about cooking. I purchased a new book over the weekend, Jamie Oliver's Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life. This is an instance in which I judged the book by its cover. I spent almost $40 on a book I did not need, but liked how it looked... why? I guess because I'm shallow like that.

I tested out two recipes from this book.

WARM CONCERTINA SQUID WITH GRILLED LEEKS AND A WARM CHORIZO DRESSING
I drove around town just to make this salad. The produce isle at Safeway is quite pathetic-- plus they did not have any squid. Not even the frozen kind. So, I went to Whole Foods in search of baby leeks, squid and different colored carrots. I never knew that carrots came in a different color other than orange! (The carrots are for a different dish I haven't made yet). Once I had gotten to Whole Foods a.k.a Whole Paycheck, I figured I'd buy the rest of the items there. Unfortunately for my wallet, I had to buy everything organic because they only sell organic (although I think they hide the non-organic produce to trick you), so I ended up spending twice as much!

This dish is found in the "Winter" section of Jaime at Home. I chose to make this dish because it seemed simple and healthy -- but the dressing was made from chorizo and chorizo grease, so I guess that just cancelled it all out.

I had some doubts about this dish, especially the dressing. The dressing is made of chorizo, balsamic vinegar, garlic and rosemary. I wasn't sure how the combination of chorizo and balsamic would taste-- but it was fantastic! I guess I shouldn't question Jaime, just do as he says. There were, however, some cons to this dish as well -- radicchio. I am declaring that I do not like this read leafy cabbage because it is too bitter. I can never understand people who like the taste of bitter (bitter melon for instance). It's just wrong.

Radicchio: Bitter like an ex-wife or ex-husband.

A side-by-side comparison. To the right is what my dish SHOULD have looked like. I couldn't find baby leeks anywhere.

I would definitely make this dish again minus the radicchios. Radicchios are now next to cilantro and parsley in foods I hate.

I don't know if it's because I'm new to cooking, but dishes like this one, seem too laborious for the end result.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH MUFFINS WITH A FROSTY TOP

These muffins are a lot like carrot cake-- in fact I think if no one told me it was butternut squash, I would think they were carrot cake. This recipe was pretty simple. I also had some doubts about this dish because the frosting called for half a cup of sour cream! Sour cream in a frosting sounded strange to me. Then I thought, who knows, these Brits come up with weird stuff. The cakes were tasty, the frosting however, was a bit too sour for me. The recipe called for two big table spoons of confectioner's sugar-- but I must've used 2 cups because I had difficulty balancing the sweetness and sourness of the frosting. I made these muffins for my co-workers.

As you can see, my sad little muffin looks nothing like the picture next to it. Instead of putting dried lavender on top, I put chopped walnuts. Let's face it, where am I going to get dried lavender besides a potpouri mix?

I used Valentine's paper I got for Christmas :)

Now I'm off to plan my meal for company on Thursday.

Happy cooking!

P.S... Prior to my cooking craze, I spent way below $100 a month for groceries... but I also age eggs and noodles a lot for dinner. Now, I'm spending almost $50 a week!

P.S.S... Salads do NOT make good lunches the next day.