Medicore Meals

A medicore cook, reviewing recipies.

[medicoremeals]

a little about me

hey guys! I go by KJ, 20yo college student, and i’m a (very) mediocre cook, and an even worse photographer who decided to review recipes since I own an obscene amount of cook books. 

shoot me an ask if you have any questions, or want to see me try out a specific recipe :)

[corvophobia]

whoa look who just appeared in my hades 2 playthrough... crazy

[naomistares]

you looked like you wanted to be kissed, that’s all.

ive had this drawing done since april. im dead .

[theriverbeyond]

tamsyn muir will throw in random funny lines like "they would have given [Gideon] an interesting array of new air holes for speed" or "I’ll mix bone meal in with your breakfast and punch my way through your gut" and then deliver on them several books/several hundred pages later with the force of artillery

[medicoremeals]

Cookbook: The Peaky Blinders Cookbook

Recipie: Steak & Ale Pie with Mash

Not the most stunning of photos but the pie was definitely one of the nicest pies I've ever had, to be a bit cocky for a moment. Honestly it was a bit of a pain to put together - the cookbook says 2hrs and 15mins but i was definitely working on it for longer than 3hrs. Could have just been my pace though.

It's a deceptively easy recipie for it's length however! The pie crust really doesn't want to come together, and rolled out a bit shit, but it cooked to this wonderfully biscuity consistency thats very reminiscent of a proper old fashioned pie. And it did taste a bit strongly of ale, but that cpuld have been because I used some obscenely strong brew 😔😔💅🏻

Overall though this was a pretty straightforward and decently written recipie! And the pie was *chefs kiss*.

[medicoremeals]

Cookbook: 'Make Bake Love' by Lilly Higgins

Recipie: Oat and Honey Bread

So this bread was both incredibly easy to make and tasted amazing!! The dough feels a little dry when you're kneading it but don't do as I did and overwork it lol as it turns out grand in the end. It's a lovely, sweet wholewheat loaf that lends itself very well to being toasted and spread with butter.

Also, if you don't eat bread much during the week don't worry about it going stale as it lasts an impressively long time if you put it in a sealable bag - this loaf did me for 2 weeks!

[medicoremeals]

Cookbook: Student Eats

Ingredients: sliced bread - milk - cheese - salt & pepper - Worcester sauce - English mustard powder

Did it work? Yes! And it looked fantastic too.

Final Comments: This was really quick and easy to make, with clear instructions - a pretty perfect brunch/lunch meal, which is what I had it for. The bread comes out so crunchy underneath the cheese, and the addition of the worcester sauce and mustard powder means it has more of a kick than your run-of-the-mill cheese toastie. 10/10 will definitely make again.

[medicoremeals]

Cookbook: Made In India

Recipe: Fennel Seed Shortbread (Valiary nankatai)

Ingredients: fennel seeds - plain flour - cold, unsalted butter - caster sugar

Did it work? This was the sexiest short bread I’ve ever had

Final Comments: I literally can’t overstate how good these are, all like 16 sticks were eaten in under an hour between 3 of us. The dough feels very crumbly when you’re kneading it together, but don’t get spooked because it will cook just fine! I accidentally made it took thick so I just left it in for an extra 20 minutes and it was perfect. This is a wonderful, and very beginner friendly recipe that’s forgiving of small errors :) 

[medicoremeals]

Cookbook: Student Eats

Recipe: Good Green Couscous

Ingredients: extra virgin olive oil * salt and pepper * 125g couscous * ¼ cucumber, peeled and cubed finely * 4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced * 2 large handfuls of sugar snap peas, sliced * a large handful of finely chopped coriander * juice of ½ lemon

Did it work? Oh, extremely well.

Final comments: I am so impressed by this recipe oh my god. Technically it made enough of this good green couscous to feed two people but it was genuinely so fucking good that I shovelled every last crumb of couscous into my mouth like some sort of fervent animal. From the walk up to my local Lidl for a cucumber to the awe of watching my couscous absorb the water like my cactus’ after I remember to water them, every part of this recipe scratched some sort of primal itch in my brain. The ease and simplicity it took to pull together this utter godlike creation feels almost criminal in the aftermath. I am pulling on every last ounce of english purple prose I’m capable of just to do this ambrosia-on-earth justice, and still falling short. 10/10 go eat this. 

[medicoremeals]

Indian Spiced Potatoes

Cookbook: Student Eats

Recipe: Indian Spiced Potatoes

Ingredients: sea salt * 1 tablespoon light oil * ¼ teaspoon ground cumin * ¼ teaspoon chili powder * 1 large baking potato * ½ teaspoon ground turmeric * large pinch of ground coriander * squeeze of lemon juice [portion for one]

Did it work? Yeah! A little tricky but that was due to my equipment. 

Comments: Either use a very good non-stick pan or much more oil than specified in the recipe. I had neither the good equipment or the forethought to use more oil so mine came out not as nice looking or as crunchy as the picture in the book, typically, but still tasted good! I also used baby potatoes instead of one cooking potato which may have affected some things but - the baby potatoes just boiled tasted really good on their own :) possibly even boil the [baby] potatoes for like 7 minutes if you’re going to fry them in the spices for a less sort of mushy meal - i put my potatoes in the oven for about ~10 minutes to crisp them a little since my frying was a bit of a fail re: less oil than needed. 

Rating: 9/10 for the taste, well worth the mild frustration! Addictive, especially as my cooking skill improves. As for the ease in making them, I’d give them like an 7/10. It’s a little more effort than say, the Klah, and the frying portion can be a little tricky and frustrating unless you use a good amount of oil/have good equipment, so there’s that to just keep in your mind. For tidy-up afterwards: 9/10. I think I had like, 4 dirty crockery total and i just stuck it in the dishwasher so. 

[medicoremeals]

Klah

Cookbook: The Geeky Chef Cookbook

Recipe: Klah

Ingredients: 235ml of brewed coffee * 28g bittersweet dark chocolate * pinch cayenne pepper * pinch allspice * 1 cinnamon stick * splash of cream and/or liquor 

Did it work? Yes! Quick and simple to cook. 

Comments: Substituted paprika for cayenne as I didn’t have any - so i’ll probably have to make again with the original recipe to see if it’s any different. It seemed to work just fine though! And it turned out really lovely - like caffeinated hot chocolate or a mocha, except cheaper than going to a cafe and made in the comfort of your kitchen. Will definitely be making this again, and for some of my coffee loving friends if they come over. 

Rating: A solid 8/10 overall for taste, ease in making it, and clean up after.