in the kitchen with betsy

I like to cook (sometimes). And I like to bake (when it doesn't burn). Recently, I have been doing quite a bit of cooking.... all in an effort to eat out less and consume more healthy foods. So far, so good. We have been dining on baked sweet potatoes, oven roasted asparagus, talapia, turbot, salad, pita sandwiches, and lots of fruit. The reward is a little more $$ in the bank and a little less, eh hem, "extra" around our waists.

The other night I whipped an easy, delish dinner. Here we have oven roasted asparagus, white rice (slightly salted/peppered, but not buttered), and broiled turbot fillets. I would have preferred brown rice, but at the moment, I couldn't find any in the cave I call my pantry. So, white sufficed. The turbot is pre-seasoned and I found it in the freezer section of our local Trader Joe's. Very good indeed. I didn't follow the package instructions because I wasn't smart enough to defrost the fillets ahead of time. SO I just brushed them with a teency bit of olive oil, put them in the oven (frozen solid) on broil, and kept a close eye on them. They turned out perfect... very moist and yummy. The asparagus is a new favorite. And it's so simple. See below:

Oven Roasted Asparagus. by Betsy
Buy a bundle of asparagus. Preheat oven to about 400. Rinse asparagus. Cut off ends (not the pretty end, the already cut end. Give it a fresh chop). Place asparagus in pan. I use a 9x13 cuz they fit very nicely. Add 1 tbs olive oil. Swish around so it coats the asparagus. Season. My favorites are pepper and seasoned salt. Zack has used a powered steak seasoning, which sounds very strange, but it was absolutely tasty. Any seasoning will do. Place in oven near top. Bake until they're done. About 15 minutes. Maybe? I just watch them 'till they are done. When they're done, they start to look shrively, but they still have a certain moistness to them. If they start to look dry, they're overcooked. Once they're done... serve them up and enjoy!

I also like to bake. Except when I burn things. Which is more often than I would like to admit. Initially, I was able to blame it all on my faulty oven. The thing was circa 1960 and it was clearly not functioning well. The thermostat was way off and I found myself cooking things in half the recommended time. That is, if they didn't burn first... which resulted in much frustration and an overall feeling of failure. Then, on a bright and shiny day, our landlords bought us a new oven and all my problems were solved! No more burning things in the oven! Everything went along beautifully for quite some time. Until... something inevitably burned. I couldn't blame it on the oven anymore. So in vain, I searched high and low for an excuse or a reason. At last... I came to the conclusion that I tend to burn things because I am just so darn productive. See, I am never just cooking. Inevitably, I am cooking, doing the laundry, watching the puppy, talking on the phone, washing the dishes, typing an email, and balancing a spoon on my nose. All of which leads to many things getting done, but not very well. Sigh. I am learning.

Here is a carrot cake that I baked yesterday (Zacky shredded most of the carrots for me :). I used a modified recipe from my fave cookbook, Betty Crocker's Cookbook: Bridal Edition. I got it for our wedding and it's my "go to" book for just about everything (although I love cookbooks and have many, this one takes the cake). The carrot cake turned out beautifully, and it is rich and moist. It is the perfect golden brown and I didn't burn it one bit (although... admittedly, I burned a batch of cookies that I was working on simultaneously). The cream cheese frosting is thick and smooth. Tonight I will share it with friends and indulge in dessert #1 of the week (I'm cutting back on sweets). Mmmmm.

Sidenote: Here is a sweet little story about the name "Betsy". My name is Bethany... Beth for short. But from the time I was a wee little one, my dear mother has called me Betsy. She is the only one to have done so, and secretly, I have always loved that nickname. It's not sugary, but it has a certain charm to it, and it brings me back to days of golden curls, sticky fingers, and puppy dogs. The shortened version of Bets came along as I grew up. But still, on certain days, in certain circumstances, I get called Betsy by my mum, and I always love it. ;)