So right now Jonathan and I are in Cork, which if you don't know is a city in the south of Ireland where my parents' house is. We are looking after my little sister Erika as my mom, my sister Emma and my brother Stefano are all in Italy at a conference in honour of my father. One of my biggest challenges this week is having to cook a meal everyday for Erika, Jonathan and me. I'll admit, I'm the possibly the worst cook in the world and when we're at home we normally either eat out or Jonathan and I will get separate and far too expensive pre-packaged meals. Terrible, right?
The big problem I have with cooking is also that Jonathan and I have very different tastes. I grew up eating pretty much only Italian food - so I am used to lots of pasta, olive oil, garlic and I prefer mostly vegetarian meals. Jonathan on the other hand, is 100% Irish and favours a more traditional Irish dinner with lots of meat and potatoes. He hates garlic, any kind of oil/butter and is not a fan of pasta. See my dilemma??
I want to change, I really do - so this week I have made a conscious effort and am sticking to the plan of cooking a proper meal every single evening. Erika is used to my mom's delicious home-made food and I don't have the heart to put her through anything pre-packaged! So this pretty much forces me to finally learn to cook!
Here's the low-down on the last few days...
Day 1
Jonathan cooked the frozen chicken Kievs...a bit of a fail, I know but it was late and we had just driven all the way from Dublin so none of us were in the mood for cooking. Still though, it could have been worse!
Day 2
I started to attempt making penne with pancetta and tomato sauce (something my parents make a lot but I can never recreate), when I was opening the packet of pancetta and a recipe caught my eye. So I ended up making the pasta with pancetta, mushrooms, onion, parmesan and cream. A bit too heavy and I picked out all the pancetta but hey, Jonathan appreciated the meat.
Day 3
We ate leftovers from Day 2. I had overcalculated and made far too much.
Day 4
(Today) I cooked again! I made penne with home made sun-blushed tomato pesto...sounds fancy, right?! I thought so too but it turned out to be SO easy and really good! Even Jonathan liked it which is weird because like I said, he's not a big fan of pasta.
Buon Appetito!
xoxo
Anna
holy crap i'm starving..I loved this post! Step by step with pics really makes reading easier for me. *sigh* I want someee
ReplyDeleteGood job! This is actually more down my alley, but I still like your fashion videos!!! I'm a cooking freak:D
ReplyDeleteI love Italian food. I hate cooking. Therefore I am really lucky to have a husband who enjoys cooking. He's a great cook.
ReplyDeleteYour pasta looks yummy. My favorite is pasta with green pesto :)
that looks sooooo good..making me hungry! don't listen to the 'anonymous' hater!! at least you cooked, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone! enjoyed looking at the photos, xxx ola
ReplyDeleteGood job Anna! I think all you have to do is master a few things and have a few "Anna specials" under your belt! Great effort. Looks yummy. Soon people will be asking for you to cook for them, and that makes a girl feel special inside.;-)
ReplyDeleteyieeee yummy! :) This is a great idea to put posts like this one on your blog, anna! Well done, I wish I was there to taste that too hehhehe
ReplyDeleteI liked this one =)
ReplyDeleteMmmmmmm...yummy. Really want to try that. Haters are so funny, that person obviously did not like the change to cookery blog post and yet they still took the time to read right through it and comment afterwards. Lol. Where is the sense in that?? If you dont like it just exit out of it, Anna isn't forcing you to read everything she writes, it is her blog though, she's entitled to write whatever she likes.
ReplyDeleteLol at the third comment. I'm assuming that person hate's the Food Network as well!
ReplyDeleteCooking can be fun when you start to learn different recipes! That penne looks yummy!
YUM!! I love basil pesto and usually hate sun dried tomatoes (I'm guessing those are the same things as what you used but called a different name) because of how chewy they are (I'm vegetarian and they taste to me like chewing on dried meat), but I'd probably like them chopped in the blender!
ReplyDeleteLove these glimpses into your daily life!
That pasta looks AMAZING!!!
ReplyDeletegood job! :)
ReplyDeletewould be great with some grilled vegetables! and a lot healthier :)
ReplyDeleteYou just forgot ONE thing: to call me, when dinner was ready. LOL YUM GREAT JOB! Erica is adorable!
ReplyDeleteI like this one Anna.. You can be a great cook.. Just practice and put your heart on it :) There's YT cooking tutorial videos where you can learn as well.
ReplyDeleteItadaikimasu !
It looks delicious, I'm really hungry now! Well done Anna :)
ReplyDeleteLooks yummy! Is it just me, or is there no place like mama's kitchen to cook a fantastic meal? :)
ReplyDeleteYou're a good girl Anna and so positive!
ReplyDeleteAnna, props for trying :)
ReplyDeleteHowever, there are plenty of Italian meat recipes you could try for Jonathan, and normally they are also quite easy. I would love to teach you some, in exchange for fashion advice, of course :)
Cooking is something which necessarily requires practice, burnt pans and a bit of patience; especially if you are interested in eating healthy you should really give it a try.
It is also a great way to always remember where you come from, and a way of sharing something you love with the people you love.
All my best wishes,
G.
i live in cork.are you gonna do meet up or something??
ReplyDeleteWOW, what a nice post. Like your style and the food. Nice work Italian food is by far my favorite>
ReplyDeletethis is the way a blog should be! thanks!
ReplyDelete