Tag: Cooking

Ratatouille

As a chef, ratatouille is probably one of those dishes that looks simple on the plate but actually takes a lot of effort behind the scenes. People think it’s “just vegetables,” but that’s exactly why it’s tricky—you don’t have anything to hide behind. Every single ingredient has to be fresh, balanced, and cooked just right. First, it’s all about prep. You spend a ton of time slicing zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, and peppers into perfect, even rounds. That’s the not-so-glamorous part, but it matters. If one slice is too thick, it won’t cook evenly. If it’s too thin, it might burn. Chefs are kind of obsessive about stuff like that. Then there’s layering. You can’t just throw the vegetables into a pan. They have to be arranged in this spiral pattern that makes the dish look gorgeous before it even goes into the oven. Honestly, it takes patience, steady hands, and an eye for color. A real chef would see it like painting—zucchini green next to tomato red, eggplant purple blending with yellow pepper. It’s art, but edible. Finally, the cooking. Ratatouille has to bake slowly so the vegetables soften without turning into mush. The olive oil, garlic, and herbs infuse everything, so when it comes out, it smells amazing. The end result isn’t just food—it’s proof of discipline, timing, and respect for ingredients. That’s what makes ratatouille so “chef-y.” It’s humble but elevated, simple but technical. To pull it off, you need patience, precision, and a love for vegetables. Honestly, I admire chefs who make it look effortless, because behind that perfect plate is a ton of practice and care.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

By: Lottie Bynum

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe on TikTok listed as “The Best Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Of All Time” and this is my version and experience of making them!

The ingredients needed are:

  • ¾ cup of butter
  • 1 cup of light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup of white sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla
  • 1 ¾ cups of all purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips

The way I bake these cookies differs slightly from the original recipe.

Steps

  • To brown butter you can either brown it in a pot, double boiler, or put it in the microwave; I put mine in the microwave for 1-3 minutes depending on how long it takes it to brown. If you do it in the microwave like I do then make sure to check it every 15 seconds or so after the first minute to avoid it burning(I’ve burned the butter before!).
  • After that, add your brown and white sugars to the browned butter and mix. I usually do this while the butter is being browned in the microwave. I usually don’t bother measuring the exact amount because sometimes there’s a little extra sugar on the top of the cup that I don’t dust off for added sweetness!
  • Then, add the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla! Yes it is important to add just the yolk because the cookies end up kind of lumpy if you just add an entire other egg. Yes the amount of vanilla is important too if you add more than you should of that then it’s fine everyone loves baking with vanilla.
  • After that add your flour, baking soda and salt and mix. Salt is the one ingredient I never measure because it’s honestly what you feel deep in your baking soul to add. I usually add quite a bit because it enhances the sweet flavor in my opinion. I use sea salt in the larger chunkier flakes for the vibes but also because it tastes better that way in my opinion.
  • Here is where my version of the recipe differs. My dough is still warm at this point so I usually put it in the fridge to cool for around 15 minutes before mixing in the chocolate chips, however this step is always being changed for me. Last time I added in a handful(or a few, measure with your sweet tooth!) and mixed them in while the dough is still warm and let them melt to add chocolate streaks in the dough and then refrigerated them and added the other chocolate chips afterwards! Another thought is melting some in the microwave and mixing in pre-melted chocolate chips into the dough and seeing if the taste differs any from the ones melted in the dough. Also when adding chocolate chips or whatever chocolate you add try a few different types of chocolate chips at the same time! I usually add semi-sweet and dark!
  • After mixing the chocolate chips, put them back in the fridge so that they can firm up a bit and deepen in flavor. In the original recipe you put the dough in for 30 minutes but the way I do it I put them in for another 15 or if I have the time 30 like the recipe said. I do this because they already went in the fridge to cool before adding the chocolate chips, but do whatever you would like in this step! Also note to self turn on the oven to 350 degrees during this to give it time to heat up instead of waiting for a while when you take your cookies out of the fridge.
  • After the fridge, roll the dough into balls whatever shape or size you think is right(the original recipe said 2 oz balls but I never measure!). Place the balls on a baking sheet in a pan and place them in the oven at 350 degrees and wait for around 18 minutes depending on how crispy you want them and how large or small the cookies are.
  • Now you have cookies! This recipe usually makes around 24 cookies but you can stretch them depending on how small you roll them out to be.

Cooking with Luke B: Orange Chicken

By: Luke Banar

How to make Orange Chicken. 

  • 2 Eggs
  • ¼ cup of Flower
  • ½  cup of Cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
  • 2 lb of chicken breasts
  • Oil
  • 2 Cloves of Garlic cut up
  • ½ teaspoon of Ginger 
  • ½ crushed red pepper
  • ⅔ cup of orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar 
  • 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
  • Juice of half of a lemon 

In a small bowl add the eggs and beat them until they are blended and in another bowl add the ¼ cup of flower,½ cup of cornstarch,salt, and pepper. Put the chicken into the egg bowl first then take it out and cover it in the flower mixture. In a pan add some oil and heat it up to cook the chicken. After cooking place the chicken on for a couple of minutes until the chicken is light brown. After taking the chicken out, place it on a plate with paper towels to remove any excess oil. After cooking the chicken start to make the sauce. In a small pot add oil and heat it until medium. Then add garlic,ginger, and red pepper and cook it for about 2 minutes. After add orange juice, soy sauce, chili sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and lemon juice, and bring down the heat a little bit. While it is cooking add the rest of the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Slowly add into the sauce and stir for about 5 minutes. Then add the sauce onto the chicken and have it with rice. 

How to make Stuffed Shells 

By: Luke Banar

Ingredients 

  • 5 Ounces of Spinach 
  • 2 Cups of Ricotta cheese 
  • ¼ cup of Pecorino cheese
  • 2 Garlic cloves or garlic salt
  • 20 Jumbo Shells
  • 1 cup of Mozzarella 

This recipe will make up to 20 pasta shells filled with a cheese mixture. First you need to start by cooking the jumbo pasta shells in salted water. Make sure that the pasta is still firm and not overcooked so it can hold the filling. While the shells are cooking, make the filling by adding ricotta, pecorino, garlic, and cut up steamed spinach and mix all of these ingredients until it is fully incorporated. Once the shells are cooked you need to fill them using the cheese from earlier. Use a spoon to scoop some of the filling into each shell. Place the shells in the pan and add the tomato sauce into the bottom of the pan making sure that it is evenly spread throughout. Then add 1 cup of mozzarella cheese on the top and bake at 375 F for 30 minutes while covered with tinfoil. If you want you can move the pan onto the top row of the oven to broil for 2-4 minutes after taking off the tinfoil. This dish is good to have with garlic bread or whatever other dish you would like. 

Cooking with Luke B

By: Luke Banar

How to make my favorite homemade chicken Alfredo. 

Ingredients:

  • Pasta 
  • Chicken thighs or breasts
  • A big pot
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Half and Half creamer

First take the chicken breasts or thighs and cut the excess fat off of them. You can use as much or little chicken as you like. Take a large pot and bring it to a boil. Once the water is boiling add the chicken and cook until 180 degrees.  Then take out the chicken and cut it up using a knife and put your pasta in the same pot that your chicken was in and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. After the pasta is cooked you strain the water out of the pot and turn the heat down and add in your pasta and cut up chicken. Add your half and half gradually to thicken up the sauce. Then add the  Parmesan cheese and stir constantly to keep it from burning, after the Alfredo has thickened up and turn off the heat. Finally grab a bowl to fill with the delicious chicken Alfredo and if you are feeling fancy some parsley on the top will do the trick.