#everydaycook

So, I'm reading Alton Brown's latest cookbook; EveryDayCook, and half way through there's a recipe for Fish Sticks and Custard, explicitly as a Doctor Who fan recipe. Just chilling, in the middle of a regular cookbook.

It was cold AF tonight, so we were justified in turning up the stove and oven to make two things: mushrooms (white button and hen of the woods) that are seasoned and dry-sauteed on medium-high heat and then finished with butter and paired with an egg yolk, and a one-pot chicken in which you bring your Dutch oven to 500-ish degrees in a regular oven and put a chicken that’s been brined all day in a salt water solution and then dried and rubbed down with oil in it and then it cooks first covered and then uncovered. You baste in the midst of cooking, but otherwise you let the blazing hot cast iron do its thing, and it’s so fucking good.

The mushroom and egg recipe comes courtesy of Mimi Thorrisson whose second cookbook is arguably better than the first, because stuff like this is seriously next level. She has you use fresh porcinis and chanterelles, but I used white button mushrooms and hen of the woods and it still worked out very, very well. I might try using tarragon the next time given how well it plays with both eggs and mushrooms.

No time to cook fancy? Ever cooked one of those 30 minute meals? That’s right, nobody has – because they don’t actually exist. The real cook takes approximately 2 hours to cook one of those simple creations. Not to mention the time it takes to shop for over 30 ingredients per recipe, prepare the meal and the clean up your right mess! Last time I checked I didn’t have curly kale, manchego cheese, semi-cured whole iberico chorizo hanging around in my kitchen anyway. By the time you get half way through your “30 minute meal”, an hour has passed and your stomach is rumbling. Your negative emotion & hunger pain has gotten in the way and you’ve over cooked your meat. You’re half way through the steps and need to start over. You’re too tired to eat so you eat the toothpaste of your toothbrush for dinner and call it a day.

No money to cook fancy? No shame in cooking on a budget! We have every night planned for you when you’re cooking at home. If there is one question every girl dreads it’s the famous, “what do you feel like eating tonight?” Truth is – it’s not that we don’t know what we feel like, it is a combination of things we weigh up when deciding, which doesn’t allow us to come to a conclusion in 10 seconds flat:

1. Time 2. What I can be bothered making / cleaning / shopping for ingredients. 3. What your partner / family will also want to eat. 4. Cost $$

Without further ado, let’s get to the daily meal plan:

Sunday: Spaghetti Bolognese – best part about this is if you make it like 99% of the population, you will also have lunch for the next two weeks. Beef mince too expensive? Swap out for an alternate meat or substitute half the mince with some mushrooms!

Monday: Steak & Salad – Quick and don’t be fooled into buying the most expensive cuts – get familiar with butcher’s cuts so you don’t need to break the budget for your iron hit for the week.

Tuesday: Sang Choy Bow – Do you know how to peel a lettuce leaf? The foundations are set for an authentic Asian crowd pleaser. Pork mince + soy + oyster sauce and the added inclusions are whatever is in your fridge.

Wednesday: Hump Day Jaffles. Get through the mid-week cooking crisis with some simple toasted sangas. From ham, cheese and tomato to cheese and vegemite. You’ll be able to please everyone in the team with their preferred option – won’t leave anyone’s stomach or wallet screaming.

Thursday: Roast Chook – At $4 a chook in most retailers it’s hard to look past the famous roast chicken during the week. Put your oven on timer and throw some cut veggies in the oven with a bit of olive oil and wooshka – you’ve got a baked dinner in the making.

Friday: Something to Taco’bout.  Get your burrito kits out and look like a masterchef with your creative taco creations. Guac, Sour cream, sweet chilli – there are no rules with your fillings. Guaranteed not to disappoint if you’ve got a few friends coming over on a Friday night.