It has been a while since I last posted anything... honestly, I haven't been cooking much. So I will just make one post with everything I can remember I have cooked lately!
My sister came to visit from Rhode Island around the 4th of July and I cooked dinner while she was here. We had Crock Pot Enchilada inspired chicken breasts. I put 4 frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot, topped them with some seasoning, salsa, and 1 can of green chile enchilada sauce. I let them cook on high for about 5 hours, and they were perfectly tender. I served them with yellow rice (which I cooked in the broth from the chicken) and some Bush's Best Grillin Beans (Texas Ranchero). Dinner was pretty tasty!
Since then, I haven't cooked much, I have been super busy with work and school this week. I have been feeling under the weather as well. Within the last couple of days, the boyfriend and I decided we have to get serious about our budget and our eating habits. We would like to lose some weight! Cooking at home should help with that, if I can actually commit to doing it.
Last night's dinner consisted of some kielbasa, sliced into "coins" and cooked in the skillet with cubed red potatoes and a can of corn. I topped it off with some cajun seasoning for the perfect kick. There was some left over, so I used the hash and added it to some scrambled eggs for breakfast. For lunch, we had spicy tuna sandwiches. I used 2 cans of tuna, 1 Tbs of lite mayo, 1 Tbs of spicy brown mustard, and about 2 Tbs of Sriacha sauce. We don't use traditional bread anymore, so they were served on Sandwich Thins. Pretty tasty for a hot day. A VERY hot day, since our AC has decided to stop working all together. Like I said, it has been one busy week (from HELL!)
Tonight's dinner is baby back ribs, with a dry rub I concocted. I found a good sale on the ribs at Target and bought 2 racks after the 4th. I like to buy meat in bulk and freeze it until I need it, that way I don't feel like I am ever out of groceries completely. For the dry rub I combined some brown sugar, garlic salt, cumin, chili powder, adobo, cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes. I covered the meat liberally with the mixture, wrapped the rack of ribs in foil, and put them on the grill. They are cooking now, so I hope they turn out well! Not planning any sides with this tonight, mostly because we are happy with just having ribs, but also because the heat is making me lazy.
I planned on making some banana bread, but with as warm as it is in the house, I am not turning the oven on to add to it. Maybe that will happen later this week, once the air is fixed. We plan on just getting a whole new unit to resolve these ongoing issues.
Until then, it just may be a lot of sandwiches!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
White Chicken Chili
It has been raining here, nonstop, thanks to Tropical Storm Debby. We are under tornado watches, flood watches, severe thunderstorm watches... all kinds of fun stuff. I was supposed to have class tonight, but it was cancelled because my professor is unable to get out of her neighborhood due to flooding.
I had no plan for dinner. I still hadn't made a menu, or a grocery list. Now I plan on getting hurricane supplies to get us through the season the next time I go to the store.
When I got home this afternoon, I thought that comfort food would be a good thing for dinner. Something warm and tasty would be perfect this rainy evening. I decided on white chicken chili in the crockpot since it is super simple to make. I use a prepackaged seasoning mix made by McCormick for "White Chicken Chili". The only thing I had to cook was the chicken before putting it all in the crockpot.
Here is what I did:
Cubed 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, sautéed until cooked
1/2 red onion, diced and sautéed
1 Tbs minced garlic sautéed
1 cup of water
1 envelope McCormick's White Chicken Chili seasoning
1 can Rotel tomatoes
2 cans white Northern beans
Salt/Pepper to taste
I browned the chicken, onion and garlic in a skillet until it was cooked, mixed all other ingredients in the crockpot, and added the chicken mixture. I cooked this on high for 2 1/2 hours until it was bubbly goodness.
So, now the only thing I have left to do this evening is homework for my class tomorrow evening. It is good to have dinner out of the way, especially since I didn't cook one thing all weekend. Well, with the exception of an omelette on Saturday morning. I have to get back into the swing of things!
I had no plan for dinner. I still hadn't made a menu, or a grocery list. Now I plan on getting hurricane supplies to get us through the season the next time I go to the store.
When I got home this afternoon, I thought that comfort food would be a good thing for dinner. Something warm and tasty would be perfect this rainy evening. I decided on white chicken chili in the crockpot since it is super simple to make. I use a prepackaged seasoning mix made by McCormick for "White Chicken Chili". The only thing I had to cook was the chicken before putting it all in the crockpot.
Here is what I did:
Cubed 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, sautéed until cooked
1/2 red onion, diced and sautéed
1 Tbs minced garlic sautéed
1 cup of water
1 envelope McCormick's White Chicken Chili seasoning
1 can Rotel tomatoes
2 cans white Northern beans
Salt/Pepper to taste
I browned the chicken, onion and garlic in a skillet until it was cooked, mixed all other ingredients in the crockpot, and added the chicken mixture. I cooked this on high for 2 1/2 hours until it was bubbly goodness.
So, now the only thing I have left to do this evening is homework for my class tomorrow evening. It is good to have dinner out of the way, especially since I didn't cook one thing all weekend. Well, with the exception of an omelette on Saturday morning. I have to get back into the swing of things!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
What do you call homemade takeout? Stay-in?
Tonight we had homemade Chinese takeout. Kinda. Years ago my mom used to make Beef and Broccoli, which then turned into me making it. I had the method down to make the sauce just right. We had a wok that was electric, since all the cool gadgets were those days. I have used that recipe time and time again, with chicken and beef and used a skillet to make it since I didn't have a wok. I do have a wok now though! Thankfully, there is an IKEA nearby. They have woks for a ridiculous deal around $7. It sits on the stove like a skillet and works great!
So, tonights dinner was chicken and broccoli, with jasmine rice and egg rolls. Don't be too impressed, the egg rolls were straight from the grocer's freezer case.
On to the ingredients needed:
1 large chicken breast, cubed
1/2 onion chopped
1 pkg frozen broccoli florets
1 can chicken broth (low sodium)
2 Tbs cornstarch
2 Tbs soy sauce (low sodium)
1-2 Tbs canola or sesame oil
Heat the oil in your wok, or skillet. Brown the chicken until cooked through, seasoning as you like. I used garlic powder, cracked pepper and soy sauce. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the broccoli, stirring until it seems it has thawed. Add the can of chicken broth, bring mixture to a low boil. Combine the soy sauce, corn starch and some water in a cup until it is the consistency of milk. Pour this mixture into the wok and let boil. As it boils, the sauce will thicken, keep stirring. If you prefer the sauce thicker, just add more cornstarch and water (less water this time!) I then turned the heat down and let it simmer to ensure the broccoli was heated all the way through. (It was, I burnt my tongue on dinner.)
I serve this over jasmine rice, but you could easily make some homemade fried rice, or just eat it on its own.
It was pretty yummy, plus it was cheaper than takeout. It also filled my craving for Chinese food. (Another plus, the boyfriend approved!)
I have been slacking with my menu planning... I hope to get a menu made this weekend to carry me through the next couple of weeks. I need to inventory what is in my pantry, so I can use up those items we are trying to get away from. There isn't much in there that is bad, or "processed", but it may take some creative planning. Stay tuned to see what concoctions I come up with next.
So, tonights dinner was chicken and broccoli, with jasmine rice and egg rolls. Don't be too impressed, the egg rolls were straight from the grocer's freezer case.
On to the ingredients needed:
1 large chicken breast, cubed
1/2 onion chopped
1 pkg frozen broccoli florets
1 can chicken broth (low sodium)
2 Tbs cornstarch
2 Tbs soy sauce (low sodium)
1-2 Tbs canola or sesame oil
Heat the oil in your wok, or skillet. Brown the chicken until cooked through, seasoning as you like. I used garlic powder, cracked pepper and soy sauce. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the broccoli, stirring until it seems it has thawed. Add the can of chicken broth, bring mixture to a low boil. Combine the soy sauce, corn starch and some water in a cup until it is the consistency of milk. Pour this mixture into the wok and let boil. As it boils, the sauce will thicken, keep stirring. If you prefer the sauce thicker, just add more cornstarch and water (less water this time!) I then turned the heat down and let it simmer to ensure the broccoli was heated all the way through. (It was, I burnt my tongue on dinner.)
I serve this over jasmine rice, but you could easily make some homemade fried rice, or just eat it on its own.
It was pretty yummy, plus it was cheaper than takeout. It also filled my craving for Chinese food. (Another plus, the boyfriend approved!)
I have been slacking with my menu planning... I hope to get a menu made this weekend to carry me through the next couple of weeks. I need to inventory what is in my pantry, so I can use up those items we are trying to get away from. There isn't much in there that is bad, or "processed", but it may take some creative planning. Stay tuned to see what concoctions I come up with next.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Dinner for four... and then some
Yesterday was Father's Day. I finally made a decision on what to make for lunch, since the boyfriend's parents were coming over. It was going to be their first meal at our house, and I wanted it to be nice, I wanted it to be tasty, I wanted it to be impressive. (Do you understand why I had such a dilemma coming up with something?)
I'm lazy. I admit it, so I wanted to make something easy, yet delicious. I didn't want to be stuck in a hot kitchen all morning. I made crock pot lasagna, and I think it was a success. I usually have all of the ingredients on hand, so it is a quick meal to throw together.
Here is what you need:
1lb ground beef, browned and seasoned (I sauté diced onion with my ground beef)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can sliced mushrooms (optional)
1-2 jars of pre-made spaghetti sauce of your choice
6-9 uncooked lasagna noodles
grated parmesan cheese
1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese
Brown the ground beef. Drain 1 can of diced tomatoes and add to the ground beef. Stir to mix evenly. Spray the crockpot with pam on the bottom and all sides. Pour a little of the sauce in the bottom. Add a layer of beef mixture, layer of mushrooms, layer of sauce, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, layer of mozzarella, layer of noodles. Repeat layers until crockpot is full. Your last layer should end with mozzarella cheese as the top layer. I usually use 3 lasagna noodles per layer. Cook on high for 4 hours. This lasagna will come out bubbly, noodles perfectly cooked and have the perfect browned cheese edges we all like from pan lasagna.
I served this with a simple side salad and garlic bread. I think we were all pretty full after lunch.
Lucky for me, I didn't have to make dessert! His parents brought banana pudding, which was the perfect ending to lunch! Father's Day was great, good company, good food, good times.
After they went home, the boyfriend and I geeked it out on the couch with a Firefly marathon, topped off with the movie Serenity.
Saturday I took my dad out for Father's Day breakfast at a local favorite of ours. I had a delicious omelette and he enjoyed a waffle topped with fresh strawberries and bananas. It kind of inspired me to want to cook breakfast more on the weekends. I don't even think I cooked on Saturday night, instead we picked and snacked on stuff we had. Probably not the healthiest weekend food wise, but it was enjoyable overall!
Tonight was easy... you see, the crockpot I make the lasagna in is a large one. I only fed four people yesterday... so we have a lot of leftovers, lasagna was for dinner again tonight. I think it may make it one more day before we get too sick of it. OH! I even managed to take a picture this time... maybe I should try to remember to do that more often.
I'm lazy. I admit it, so I wanted to make something easy, yet delicious. I didn't want to be stuck in a hot kitchen all morning. I made crock pot lasagna, and I think it was a success. I usually have all of the ingredients on hand, so it is a quick meal to throw together.
Here is what you need:
1lb ground beef, browned and seasoned (I sauté diced onion with my ground beef)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can sliced mushrooms (optional)
1-2 jars of pre-made spaghetti sauce of your choice
6-9 uncooked lasagna noodles
grated parmesan cheese
1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese
Brown the ground beef. Drain 1 can of diced tomatoes and add to the ground beef. Stir to mix evenly. Spray the crockpot with pam on the bottom and all sides. Pour a little of the sauce in the bottom. Add a layer of beef mixture, layer of mushrooms, layer of sauce, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, layer of mozzarella, layer of noodles. Repeat layers until crockpot is full. Your last layer should end with mozzarella cheese as the top layer. I usually use 3 lasagna noodles per layer. Cook on high for 4 hours. This lasagna will come out bubbly, noodles perfectly cooked and have the perfect browned cheese edges we all like from pan lasagna.
I served this with a simple side salad and garlic bread. I think we were all pretty full after lunch.
Lucky for me, I didn't have to make dessert! His parents brought banana pudding, which was the perfect ending to lunch! Father's Day was great, good company, good food, good times.
After they went home, the boyfriend and I geeked it out on the couch with a Firefly marathon, topped off with the movie Serenity.
Saturday I took my dad out for Father's Day breakfast at a local favorite of ours. I had a delicious omelette and he enjoyed a waffle topped with fresh strawberries and bananas. It kind of inspired me to want to cook breakfast more on the weekends. I don't even think I cooked on Saturday night, instead we picked and snacked on stuff we had. Probably not the healthiest weekend food wise, but it was enjoyable overall!
Tonight was easy... you see, the crockpot I make the lasagna in is a large one. I only fed four people yesterday... so we have a lot of leftovers, lasagna was for dinner again tonight. I think it may make it one more day before we get too sick of it. OH! I even managed to take a picture this time... maybe I should try to remember to do that more often.
Friday, June 15, 2012
I'm on a roll...
For two nights in a row, I have stuck to my plan of cooking dinner. Last night we had blackened salmon with Jasmine rice and sugar snap peas. The boyfriend hadn't had salmon before, and it was a hit! He really liked it, even if I was trying to feed him a "healthy" dinner.
Tonight we are having boneless pork ribs that have been cooking in the crockpot all day. I sprayed the bottom of the crock pot with Pam and covered the bottom with sliced red onions. I then put the frozen pork ribs on top of the onions and seasoned them. I used Lawry's season salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and brown sugar. I then covered the ribs in BBQ sauce (just the Publix Original kind) and added about 1/4 cup of water to the bottom. It has been cooking on low since about 5:30 this morning, and the ribs are falling apart. It smells great and looks delicious! For a side, we are having oven roasted potatoes. I washed and quartered a couple of potatoes and put them into a baking dish. They are seasoned with salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder and some red pepper flakes. (We like spicy.) Should be a filling dinner, it is raining out and this fits the comfort food cravings.
Im still clueless as to what to make on Sunday. Well, kinda. I am leaning towards making my Cuban pork roast with black beans and yellow rice... but I am not really sure. Going to think about it some more and decide, soon!
Tonight we are having boneless pork ribs that have been cooking in the crockpot all day. I sprayed the bottom of the crock pot with Pam and covered the bottom with sliced red onions. I then put the frozen pork ribs on top of the onions and seasoned them. I used Lawry's season salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and brown sugar. I then covered the ribs in BBQ sauce (just the Publix Original kind) and added about 1/4 cup of water to the bottom. It has been cooking on low since about 5:30 this morning, and the ribs are falling apart. It smells great and looks delicious! For a side, we are having oven roasted potatoes. I washed and quartered a couple of potatoes and put them into a baking dish. They are seasoned with salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder and some red pepper flakes. (We like spicy.) Should be a filling dinner, it is raining out and this fits the comfort food cravings.
Im still clueless as to what to make on Sunday. Well, kinda. I am leaning towards making my Cuban pork roast with black beans and yellow rice... but I am not really sure. Going to think about it some more and decide, soon!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
The Road to Hell
They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. In that case, I should have a smooth trip along a superhighway of good intentions. My plan with this blog was to update it daily, sharing what was for dinner, the ease of recipe to create the meal and to hold myself accountable for eating at home more often.
That didn't go so well.
I have slacked, we have eaten out, I haven't stuck to the menu, I have just thrown a few things together here and there... it has been one big disorganized mess. If you know me, you know I am not one for disorganization. Somehow, though, that is what my life seems to be as of late.
Tonight's dinner was a ham and cheese omelette, at the request of the boyfriend. Honestly, I was relieved because that was a super simple and quick meal that I could make happen. I made some home fries, or skillet potatoes, or hash browns... whatever you want to call them based on where you are from. (I cut up some potatoes and cooked them in a small amount of canola oil in a skillet.)
What else have I made since my last post? Chicken tacos, chicken quesadillas with the leftover chicken, homemade meatballs and marinara sauce, and a meal or two outside of the house.
Tomorrow I plan on making blackened salmon. Should be easy enough, as they are already portioned and seasoned and all I need to do is bake them and make a side. Im thinking snap peas and jasmine rice would be yummy. Friday's dinner may be BBQ Pork Ribs in the crockpot with sweet potato fries. Saturday, we have plans to take my dad out for breakfast to celebrate Father's Day ahead of the crowds. Sunday I am cooking for the "in-laws", as a Father's Day celebration... but I have no idea what to make. This will be the first time they have come over for a meal I have cooked.
I used to cook for my friends and family ALL the time. I never knew how to cook in small portions, so I always just invited people over to eat in order to limit the leftovers. I miss that. A lot. I need to get back to doing something like that again, I feel creative in the kitchen when I am cooking for others and entertaining.
So this post did not revolve around a menu, or a recipe, or even a meal... but I feel like it was productive in the fact that I owned up to my slacking. Now, if only I could find that ambition and motivation that I so desperately need.
That didn't go so well.
I have slacked, we have eaten out, I haven't stuck to the menu, I have just thrown a few things together here and there... it has been one big disorganized mess. If you know me, you know I am not one for disorganization. Somehow, though, that is what my life seems to be as of late.
Tonight's dinner was a ham and cheese omelette, at the request of the boyfriend. Honestly, I was relieved because that was a super simple and quick meal that I could make happen. I made some home fries, or skillet potatoes, or hash browns... whatever you want to call them based on where you are from. (I cut up some potatoes and cooked them in a small amount of canola oil in a skillet.)
What else have I made since my last post? Chicken tacos, chicken quesadillas with the leftover chicken, homemade meatballs and marinara sauce, and a meal or two outside of the house.
Tomorrow I plan on making blackened salmon. Should be easy enough, as they are already portioned and seasoned and all I need to do is bake them and make a side. Im thinking snap peas and jasmine rice would be yummy. Friday's dinner may be BBQ Pork Ribs in the crockpot with sweet potato fries. Saturday, we have plans to take my dad out for breakfast to celebrate Father's Day ahead of the crowds. Sunday I am cooking for the "in-laws", as a Father's Day celebration... but I have no idea what to make. This will be the first time they have come over for a meal I have cooked.
I used to cook for my friends and family ALL the time. I never knew how to cook in small portions, so I always just invited people over to eat in order to limit the leftovers. I miss that. A lot. I need to get back to doing something like that again, I feel creative in the kitchen when I am cooking for others and entertaining.
So this post did not revolve around a menu, or a recipe, or even a meal... but I feel like it was productive in the fact that I owned up to my slacking. Now, if only I could find that ambition and motivation that I so desperately need.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Saved by the Crock-Pot
So the last couple of days have been lazy as far as cooking goes. On Sunday we ate out, had a fabulous meal for lunch at Brandon Ale House. Sunday night we continued our eating out trend and had Burger King for dinner. That meal was not so fabulous. We had a horrible experience, the order was all wrong, and we waited forever in the drive-thru. I actually complained and filled out their survey. Their solution? A coupon for a free Whopper. Yeah, let me jump all over that.
Yesterday, we had a gourmet meal of frozen corn dogs. (I told you I had been lazy.) Monday night was filled with homework for a project that was due tonight (Tuesday) in my class. Needless to say, that is where my focus was rather than in the kitchen. I did, however, manage to prep my crock-pot meal last night so that it could cook on low all day today.
Tuesdays are my long days. I leave my house for work around 6:15am and get home from class around 8:15pm. (Come this Fall, I will be longing for those hours when I have classes until after 9:00pm.) I knew that if we were going to have something other than fast food for dinner tonight, I had to be prepared. Last night I threw together a concoction that sounded good in theory, and tasted better than I expected.
Here is what I used:
1lb Beef Stew meat (frozen)
3 medium red potatoes, cut in quarters
1 red onion, cut into large chunks
1 1/2 cups baby carrots
1 can of sliced mushrooms (do not drain)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 packet of beef stew seasoning
1 1/2 cup of water
I sprayed the crock-pot with pam, and put the frozen beef in the bottom. I seasoned with garlic salt, onion powder and pepper. I then sprinkled the package of beef stew seasoning over the meat. I added the potatoes, onions, carrots and can of mushrooms. I spread the cream of mushroom soup over the top of everything, and poured the water over the entire mess. This sat in the fridge overnight, and I set it on low before I left for work. This cooked ALL DAY LONG, and turned out great. The beef was super tender, as well as everything else.
I need lots of simple crock-pot ideas for the nights I have class. I tend to just throw together things that I think will taste good together.
Yesterday, we had a gourmet meal of frozen corn dogs. (I told you I had been lazy.) Monday night was filled with homework for a project that was due tonight (Tuesday) in my class. Needless to say, that is where my focus was rather than in the kitchen. I did, however, manage to prep my crock-pot meal last night so that it could cook on low all day today.
Tuesdays are my long days. I leave my house for work around 6:15am and get home from class around 8:15pm. (Come this Fall, I will be longing for those hours when I have classes until after 9:00pm.) I knew that if we were going to have something other than fast food for dinner tonight, I had to be prepared. Last night I threw together a concoction that sounded good in theory, and tasted better than I expected.
Here is what I used:
1lb Beef Stew meat (frozen)
3 medium red potatoes, cut in quarters
1 red onion, cut into large chunks
1 1/2 cups baby carrots
1 can of sliced mushrooms (do not drain)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 packet of beef stew seasoning
1 1/2 cup of water
I sprayed the crock-pot with pam, and put the frozen beef in the bottom. I seasoned with garlic salt, onion powder and pepper. I then sprinkled the package of beef stew seasoning over the meat. I added the potatoes, onions, carrots and can of mushrooms. I spread the cream of mushroom soup over the top of everything, and poured the water over the entire mess. This sat in the fridge overnight, and I set it on low before I left for work. This cooked ALL DAY LONG, and turned out great. The beef was super tender, as well as everything else.
I need lots of simple crock-pot ideas for the nights I have class. I tend to just throw together things that I think will taste good together.
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