Even though I’ve never made a single crabcake, I’m positive my crabcakes would never measure up to Gordon Ramsay’s standards. Actually, I’m not even sure I’ve ever eaten a crabcake, so I wouldn’t know what a good crabcake tastes like. But that’s what Chef Ramsay seems to order first on the Kitchen Nightmares episodes I’ve seen. He never likes the crabcakes he orders. The show is named “Kitchen Nightmares” after all.
I don’t consider myself a great cook. I do my best. My husband loves my cooking, but my best dish is throwing ground beef, chili beans and diced tomatoes in the crock pot.
Tonight, I decided to make a new entree for dinner. I wanted to use our leftover turkey, and so I found a great turkey tetrazzini recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks. As usual, the recipe sounded easier than it was. Through experience, I started cooking by 4:00, since we try to eat dinner by 5:30. For some reason, prep work always takes me longer than the cookbook says. If the recipe says the prep is 15 minutes, count on me taking at least 45 minutes.
While the spaghetti was boiling on the stove, I was supposed to combine the turkey, ham and vegetables and then make the cream sauce. That’s right, I made a cream sauce without opening a can! However, I only had eleven minutes to get it all together. Not very much time for a slowpoke like me, especially since I needed to add the chicken broth and half and half to the sauce gradually.
My sauce wasn’t finished by the time the spaghetti was done; however, the recipe didn’t suffer. I managed to get my tetrazzini in the oven by quarter to five; perfect timing! And it also turned out to be a perfect turkey tetrazzini, if I do say so myself. I even managed to serve a nice, leafy green salad with dinner.
My daughters treated my delicious, made-from-scratch tetrazzini the way Chef Ramsay treats those crabcakes I’ve seen him eat…they ate one bite, and turned up their noses. *sigh*
So, what am I making for dinner tomorrow night, you ask? {insert evil cackle here} Leftovers!
Congratulations! What a great idea for the leftovers! I am also a very slow cook. I so envy those who can walk into the kitchen not knowing what they're going to make, throw some stuff together and come out with gourmet. I have to have a recipe. Which I follow. OCD-style. It always takes me twice as long as they say. =)
I am a slow cook also – even if I spent a lot of time in the kitchen I don't think I'd get any faster.That sounds delicious!
I love really good crabcakes, ones that have more crab than cake. For Christmas last year, our friends managed to get me the recipe to my all time favorite crabcakes I had in Maine. My husband doesn't like crabcakes so I haven't made them yet. Maybe I should send you the recipe & we can make them "together."
I'm slow in the kitchen too. I don't have a very good chopping technique and I tend to be completely unorganized… I love cooking though (just not every night). It's so frustrating when someone doesn't like what I've made and I think everyone should lie and say they love it!
Now I'm really in the mood for both crabcakes and turkey tetrazini!Too bad I don't know how to make either of them. 🙂
Chef Ramsay! I bet he's heavily beeped out, since he swears so so much on British television.
I am not a cook. When I make tetrazinni I always use cream of chicken soup, I just don't cook from scratch much. Maybe once or twice a year, so I admire those that do even if they consider themselves a slow cook.
You are so brave and it sounds like it was pretty good. Too bad the kids didn't like it.I love that your going to make leftovers!!