Kitchen Obsession

When you love to cook, but live in a condo with a kitchen the size of a closet, all you can do is obsess over beautiful photos and dream....

Keeping Parsley and Cilantro Fresh...For Weeks!!

I can not believe I didn't know about this simple trick years ago!  I have only done this on parsley and cilantro, so I can not recommend anything else. 

Take your herbs, and place them in a cup with about 3 inches of water, cover with a plastic bag and place in the refrigerator. I've seen a lot of posts about clipping the stems and making sure the leaves are dry, but I have never gone that far. Lazy maybe? No joke, they will last a month and still be fragrant and healthy. Talk about never throwing out molded greens again! 

Orange Vinegar Spray

Obviously, I did not come up with this brilliant idea, but I do want to rave about it! If you eat oranges and like all natural cleaners, this is simply the easiest thing to do. Simply throw your orange peels in a jar with white distilled vinegar and let it sit for at least 2 weeks. *The longer you keep it "brewing," the stronger the citrus scent will be. 

Transfer the scented vinegar to a spray bottle. I personally buy the oh so stylish Cassabella line, b/c I'm classy like that. You can buy them here.

Perfect Pan Seared Fish...Every Time!

I know so many people that stress out over cooking fish, but I promise you, it is one of the easiest things to cook once you get the hang out it. Here is a step by step guide to perfect fish EVERY TIME!! 

• Preheat the oven to 400°

• Make sure that your fish is at room temperature and completely dry (extract any moisture with a paper towel)

• Take an oven safe frying pan (no rubber handles!) and heat up 2 TBS of olive oil on medium until it is slightly smokey

• Either season (salt & pepper) your fish or go the Julia Child route and season the pan on top of the oil

• Once you see a bit of smoke, place the fish presentation side down in the pan

• After about a minute or two, gently shake the pan - dry fish + smoking hot pan = a sexy sear that should not stick to the pan - I like the shake just to make sure it's not sticking before flipping

• Your nice golden sear should take about 3 min ( I always give it a look) before I flip

• Flip fish with a spatula (if you are cooking cod, tilapia, or any other flakey, delicate fish, I highly recommend buying a fish spatula) It looks like this:

You can buy one here.

• Once you have turned the fish, "finish it off in the oven

• Depending on the thickness of the fish, you should allow it to cook in the oven for about 3-4 minutes 

• Take the fish out of the oven and gently squeeze the sides of the meat to check and see if it's done, if  it feels soggy or too soft, it needs a few more minutes in the oven

• Always, always finish it off with some fresh lemon/lime/grapefruit juice or something acidic! Dig in!