Wednesday, 13-August-2025
Regardless of job hunt stress, general frustration, or chaos… it’s important to get dressed up for date nights and cook a fancy meal. At least every so often… such as monthly, when Andrea and I celebrate our month-versary.
Spring, 2025 – Throughout the beginning of the year
I love cooking. Andrea loves cooking. Our classmates and friends love cooking.
And so, to the surprise of no one… we did a lot of cooking. Even as the MBA wore on, time grew short, and deadlines loomed high… we cooked. Here’s a few quick glimpses into some of the more photogenic dishes:
Banitsa! Andrea cooked this quite a few times, and even taught me how to cook it! It’s a Bulgarian dish, made with Filo dough, Bulgarian cheese, spinach, and scrambled eggs – all wrapped up, and baked in the oven. It’s amazing, and I’m continually astounded at how incredible it tastes.
Steak! I cooked steak quite a few times – even a prime rib one evening! I haven’t learned any new tricks, truth be told, but neither have I lost any of my edge on cooking an excellent meal. Seared, with veggies and bread on the side… it’s simple, but excellent.
One advancement I did make… I tried cooking Beef Wellington once! Now, granted, I did buy it pre-made… but hey. I was able to cook it right, so… that’s a partial win, right?
Vegan Bolognese! This is Andrea’s signature dish, alongside the banitsa, and ohh my god. I can’t wax poetic enough about how good this is, and how amazing the whole floor smells when it’s simmering.
Dinners out happened as well – some traditional American breakfasts, and even an evening out at a nearby Japanese restaurant. Fun, and a lovely chance to get out of the house and away from the various papers.
I made sliders! The old recipe that I adore from Boston, I’ve made this quite a few times – it’s simple and elegant, with just grilled burgers and a quail egg on top, but… mm. Simple is good.
I adore fried chicken, and Chicken Katsu is pretty close… so I was very happy to make a full meal of it with some stir fried veggies and bok-choi alongside. The rice… well, I don’t cook rice often, so thankfully I had some help with getting that part right.
Now, you can’t have busy university days without pasta. But… We don’t do boring pasta here. Combined with a nice sauce, maybe some asparagus or Soppressata or mushrooms… a burrata ball… It’s not so bad.
Last, but not least, we have my old-fashioned slow cooked recipe. Babyback ribs, mac and cheese, and some roasted root veggies… It had been a rough week, and I was feeling a bit homesick, so this was a perfect pick-me-up to restart the day. An American friend even joined me, which added that perfect extra bit of positivity into the evening.
Wednesday, 10-July-2024
I really am starting to love tortellini, you know that?
Okay, hear me out. It’s simple, it’s got all your major macros, it doesn’t really need many spices, and the Tortellini in Europe is shelf-stable. It’s a really good meal base to pick up while travelling long-term, when you don’t want to buy spices and such but do want to cook a meal at home every once in a while.
I first found them in Iceland, rocked ’em in Warsaw… and now, my Mom, Steve, and I rocked them in Cassis too!
Steve was our hunter – braving the French grocery store in order to return the required parts of the meal. I was the chef, combining them and plating everything. My Mom was the sous chef, assisting and helping me keep everything on-time and in order. Together, we made a rather excellent meal!
Was it complicated? Well… no. Not at all.
Was it delicious, though? Well, I’ll post some photos here so you can see… but yes. Yes it was, and I was very proud of that fact. Huzza!
Now, a quick recipe, for those travelling who may enjoy a simple meal that can be procured pretty much everywhere in Europe, and requires only a single pot (though I also used a skillet):
Directions:
Cook the tortellini per instructions, taking it off the boil about 3min early. (Optional: fry up the Prosciutto in a pan, removing it once it’s crispy but leaving the rendered grease in the pan to season the broccoli.) Steam the broccoli with some of the leftover water from the tortellini, and make sure to strain out the rest of the tortellini. Don’t leave it to soak in the water! Toss in the Tortellini, tomatoes, and Parm cheese if you’re using it, and once the broccoli is firm but cooked then serve!
And, uhh… if you don’t have a bowl big enough, don’t be afraid to get creative. Like putting the broccoli in a flower vase.
Not that I’d know.