Cooking experiments!!

Carrot Soup:
A few weeks ago, I had a TON of carrots (courtesy of Aaron & Megan). Not knowing what to do with ENORMOUS (offensive-looking {that's my Aunt's description ) carrots, I decided to make carrot soup. My Aunt and I also had a spaghetti squash to use, and we added it to the soup. Best I've ever made. Boom.

I based the recipe on one I got from one of my brother's roommates, Kristin. Cut up onions, let them cook until transparent, add water, butter, flavors, etc... Then put the carrots in and hold it on high heat, and covered until they're soft. We used the totally awesome Emerson Stick (I call it a puree blender stick of magic) to get it into soup form. This is completely and entirely not accurate, but I do not have the recipe handy that we used, nor do I have the memory of this (as it was almost two weeks ago now.. or more), sorry!! We also added spaghetti squash!! Because we had some and needed to use it!


Parmesan chicken and mashed potatoes:
I have a 'before' picture which I will include, but I forgot to take an 'after' picture because I was so hungry. I should also note, I went to the store looking for these ingredients with no idea of what was called for (cooking fail).  Needless to say, I did not properly make either dishes; though they were decent tries.

As for the potatoes? Four is too many for one person. Three garlic pieces is too many for four potatoes. Please add more herbs and spices than what (none) I did.

I didn't take another picture even for the leftovers, because it didn't look good as leftovers. :(


Apple and Cranberry stuffed Pork Roast and Puppy Chow:
I wanted to give something back to my Aunt and Uncle who have been putting me up in the Twin Cities for next-to-nothing. They were both having a busy/preoccupied Sunday, so I offered, with help from my friend Jenni, to make them a surprise dinner. Little did they know what they were about to be in for...

My Aunt is gluten-free and dairy-free, so naturally I went to Pinterest to find a solution. Apple and cranberry stuffed pork roast was my final decision. The puppy chow became more of my own personal craving (too good to resist), and we ended up throwing in steamed broccoli for a side. YUM.

Best decision ever. If you click the link above, you'll have the recipe. It. was. fantastic. Even as left overs!! Jenni and I followed the recipe (almost) word-for-word. Our biggest difference was we had more meat than it asked for, but not by much. We also needed some cooking assistance from my Uncle for cutting the meat. Double butterflying your pork roast is actually INCREDIBLY difficult. Don't judge.

If your mouth is watering, it is because these pictures are only doing partial-justice. Please, try this yourself. It is, hands down, the best meal I've ever made. HUGE CREDIT GOES TO JENNI. She is a spice master.

As we waited for the pork roast to cook, we indulged in the puppy chow creation and eating. Best. Life. Choices.


Until next time on Cooke's Cooking. :)
Sarah Marsh