Cooking noobness

 Due to the overwhelming demand of my...reader... :) I am going to post another blog on... Da da da daaaaa!! Cooking. I realize that I am such a cooking noob. I really don't know what i'm doing, and I'm afraid to risk. It's probably because I'm afraid that all the money I spent on the cooking items will go to waste if I screw up. And If I'm under pressure, like if I am cooking for someone else, I feel like they will think I suck. So there are doubts all around. BUT I finally decided to buy my first cookbook at Anthropologie on Wednesday. Look at its glory:

I finally feel a touch of confidence. This book focuses mainly on chicken and egg recipes, but they are tasty. I figured that eggs are cheap, and chicken is healthy for you, so how could i go wrong? They also incorporate a variety of fresh herbs in their recipes, which I love. I've been cooking up a storm. My main problem though, is that the recipes are family size, and though I try to cut them in half...I still make too much for just me. My roommate doesn't eat much that I make, so my friend Jarod has been graciously taste-testing for me. Lol. Such a chore I know. Check out this amazing recipe I just made for brunch yesterday:

Greenmarket Scrambled Eggs in Ciabatta

Ingredients:

One 14 ounce loaf ciabatta bread, halved horizontally (I substituted a wheat loaf)

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

I medium onion , chopped

I small zucchini, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded, deveined, and chopped

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon

1/8 freshly ground pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon

8 eggs

1/2 cup fresh goat cheese, crumbled (my favorite part)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or chives

Preheat the oven to 350. Remove the bread from the inside of half of the ciabatta, making a shell for the eggs. Place the halves side by side on a baking sheet. Brush the inside of the loaf with 2 Tbsp of the olive oil.

Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion for 2 to 3 minutes or until it begins to soften. Stir in the zucchini and the red bell pepper and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp tender. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Remove the vegetables to a plate.

Beat the eggs with the 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large bowl or until frothy. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil to the same skillet and cook the eggs over medium heat, stirring consistently until until curds have formed but the eggs are still moist. Remove from heat and stir in the vegetables, cheese and basil.

Spoon the egg mixture into the bread shells and bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until the bread and vegetables are hot. To serve, cut each bread shell crosswise into thirds, for a total of six pieces.

So there you have it! Its pretty easy, and the goat cheese made it delicious. Jarod couldn't even tell it was in there. (For those of you who unfashionably dislike goat cheese. lol ) Try it yourself!