Crispy Red Potato Wedges

Crispy Red Potato Wedges

This side is so easy I hardly use a recipe for it! It's great for making as little or as much as you want. Try it with Parsley Sauce!

The "recipe"

• Red potatoes (I'll use about 2 medium-sized ones for myself. This gets me through a meal with a few leftovers)
• Olive oil (2-3 tbsp, divided)
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Cut potatoes into 1-inch wedge slices. This part is harder to figure out than it seems, but as long as most of them are about the same size you should be okay. Start by cutting the potato in half and then cut each half at a diagonal in about 1-inch slices. 

Place potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl or container. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on some salt and pepper to taste. Toss with your hands. Loosely cover with container lid or paper towel.

Microwave for about 6 minutes, stirring halfway through. 

Meanwhile, heat up about a tablespoon or two of olive oil in large skillet. The oil is heated enough when just smoking, or when a drop of water splashed on it lightly sizzles. Once potatoes are finished microwaving, stir, and place in skillet in one even layer. If you're making a lot of potatoes you may have to do this in batches. 

Leave potatoes on skillet without stirring for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Gently flip and leave without stirring for another 3-4 minutes, until other side is also golden brown. Transfer to dry paper towel and serve warm. These are amazing with a steak and Parsley Sauce!

Making Half a Recipe

I always find that I'm cutting recipes in half (or in quarters) because most recipes are designed for a 4-person family. I can't eat that much food, even if I share some with the rats (pet rats) and save it for leftovers! Here's a nice cheat sheet I found on pinterest:

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Filling

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Filling

Let me just repeat the name of this cake one more time so it really sinks in. Chocolate. Cake. with Hazelnut. Mousse. Filling. All I can say about this is wow! If I had one more day to live and I had to choose my last meal, I'd have a steak and then eat that mousse until my heart stopped.

I made this cake for my lovely cousin Emili's 23rd birthday! This is us showing our cousinly love... after some bonding over tequila...

The recipe is a lot of work and took me almost the whole day to prepare it, with a couple hour break for yoga/lunch/shower while the cakes cooled. Part of it was because I forgot a step and my first cake was destroyed when I tried to take it out of the pan.... BUT it was definitely worth it. You always have the option of substituting boxed chocolate cake mix for the cake part of the recipe, but I think it's much more rewarding and delicious if you make it yourself.

See the Original Recipe here

The recipe:

Cake:

1 3/4 cups flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk (Vitamin D milk)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup hot water

Filling:
8 oz heavy whipping cream
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (a.k.a. Nutella)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
Leftover Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Chocolate Hazelnut Candy (Ferrero Rocher is the best) - a 12 pack gets you enough for the topping plus a couple to snack on as you're baking :)

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 9" round cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment circles, cut to fit pan. Spray pan again, coating the parchment paper. Seriously. Use the parchment paper. I forgot the parchment paper the first time and my cake turned out looking like this:

Combine flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

Add in eggs, whole milk, vegetable oil, vanilla, and water. Once all ingredients are mixed together turn mixer speed up to medium low and mix for 2 minutes.

Divide batter evenly among 2 cake pans - or if you only have one pan like me, fill pan about halfway and save the rest for after the first one is done. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until center is set and toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes and then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
With whisk attachment, beat your heavy cream until stiff peaks form, 1-2 minutes. Transfer to another bowl and place in refrigerator until ready to use.

Beat cream cheese and chocolate hazelnut spread until smooth. Slowly add in powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and incorporated.

Fold in reserved whipped cream.

           

Level one of the cakes, so it isn't domed. One of my cakes was already pretty flat, so I skipped this step. Spread Chocolate Hazelnut Spread on top of cake.

Spread half of the Filling mixture on top, spreading out to 1 inch away from edge of cake. Top with the other cake. 

 Place remaining filling mixture on top.

Top with Chocolate Hazelnut Candy. 

Microwave remaining chocolate hazelnut spread for 30-45 seconds until pourable consistency and drizzle over top. I found this step really difficult so I treated the spread like splatter paint....

Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Enjoy!! Happy Birthday Emili!

Burger for One

Burger for One

These burgers are juicy, flavorful, and so quick and easy you could make these any night you want! I got so excited to start cooking that I forgot to take pictures of the first couple steps! This is another one borrowed from the amazing America's Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook. Adjust as you'd like to make more burgers!

The recipe:

1/4 lb ground beef

1/2 tbsp whole milk (Vitamin D milk in the store for some reason)

1/4 slice white sandwich bread (I use an extra burger bun so I don't have to buy a whole extra loaf of bread)

1/4 tsp steak sauce

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper 

1/2 tbsp vegetable oil

Hamburger bun 

Slice of cheese (I like white American from the deli at the grocery store)

Toppings of your choice

(optional)

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes if you like a little spice

Mash milk and sandwich bread with a fork until it forms a paste. Mix in ground beef, steak sauce, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes using your hands. Toss the meat between your hands to form a loose ball and then pat down lightly to form a 1/2-inch thick patty.

Heat oil in small non-stick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Lay burger in skillet and cook

until browned on first side, about 4 minutes.

Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Turn off heat but leave burger and skillet on warm burner. Top burger with cheese and continue cooking until cheese is slightly melted. Put burger on bun and top with your favorite toppings - I chose ketchup, ranch, and tomato! OR try topping it with my delicious Spinach Artichoke Dip!

With a side order of Mac & Cheese for One please!

Enjoy!

Parsley Sauce

Parsley Sauce

This stuff is awesome! It's quick, simple, and makes a bunch so you can freeze some and store it for later. You can use it for so many different things and it's so tasty. I've used this as salad dressing, as a steak sauce, a dip for french fries, as a replacement for mayo on sandwiches, and I'm sure there are a thousand other things you could pair this with. 

The recipe:

1 cup fresh parsley leaves

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2-4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

(optional)

1 tsp-2 tbsp water

Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until well combined, about 20 seconds.

I left water as optional, depending on what you're using the sauce for. If you want it thicker and more spreadable for sandwiches or like a dip, omit the water entirely. If you want a vinaigrette-like sauce, add as much as 2 tbsp water, and for anything in between start at 1 tsp and add until you reach the desired thickness. For the batch in the picture I used 1 tsp of water.

Enjoy!

Melt-in-your-mouth Pumpkin Cookies

 These cookies are honestly the best things I've ever baked. The original recipe makes way too much so I've cut it in half. Unless you're baking for a crowd, I'd recommend leaving this cut in half. I baked the full recipe for my family on Thanksgiving (there are 11 of us and we gave away 2 plates of them) and there were still leftovers! These cookies are soft, gooey, and literally melt in your mouth. I've added a few ingredients from the original, and added a step to incorporate the flavors of the spices into the pumpkin and to get rid of the slight tinny taste of the canned pumpkin. I've also developed my own frosting recipe, or you could simplify it and use my Cream Cheese Frosting recipe (I'd cut the full version in half).

Original Recipe

The recipe:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/8 tsp allspice

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 15-oz can pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

2 cups all-purpose flour

Frosting:

4 tbsp butter

4 oz cream cheese

1/8 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3/4-1 cup powdered sugar

Splash of milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Heat an empty skillet over medium-low heat. Add canned pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, and allspice. Stir until combined and just heated through. This gets rid of the tin flavor of the pumpkin and brings out the flavors of all the spices.

In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in pumpkin/spice mixture. Slowly beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer and stir in remaining flour with a wooden spoon.

Drop by heaping teaspoons 2 in apart on ungreased cookie sheet, or on parchment paper if you want to skip cleaning the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until tops are set. Let sit on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting: melt butter, cream cheese, and brown sugar in saucepan or microwave and combine until melted and smooth. Stir in milk and vanilla. Beat in 3/4 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Add more powdered sugar if you like a thicker, sweeter frosting. Spread frosting on cookies and sprinkle with additional cinnamon.

Enjoy!!

Bluephie's Carrot Cake

Bluephie's Carrot Cake

If you haven't been to Bluephie's on Monroe Street, you're definitely missing out. Go with an empty stomach because you have to get dessert after your enormous entree after the greatest bread roll appetizers with sun dried tomato butter.

So I got a Bluephie's cookbook for my birthday a few years ago and this carrot cake is to die for. It's moist, creamy, flavorful, and the restaurant boasts that it sells seven 18-pound cakes to their customers each week. This recipe is for a smaller cake (two layers as opposed to six layers).

The recipe:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup (one 8 oz can) crushed pineapple 

See Cream Cheese Frosting recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Cover bottom of pan with round piece of parchment paper.

Mix oil, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. Slowly add sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir in coconut, carrots and pineapple until just incorporated, Spread mixture in prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour  or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Check at 5 minute intervals if toothpick does not come out clean.

Cool completely on wire rack, cut into two layers and frost center layer and outside with cream cheese frosting. Optional: cover with more shredded coconut. Try not to eat the entire cake at once (it's that good).

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting

I always find that recipes put in WAY too much powdered sugar, so I've adapted my recipe from the Bluephie's Carrot Cake recipe!

The recipe:

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick (1/4 lb) butter

1 cup powdered sugar

Blend butter and cream cheese until all lumps are gone, then add sugar and blend until smooth.

This recipe will cover a 10-inch round cake (enough for 10-14 servings). If I'm using this recipe for Pillsbury crescent rolls (either making cinnamon rolls or chocolate crescent rolls), I cut it in 1/4 - 2 oz cream cheese, 2 tbsp butter, and 1/4 cup powdered sugar.

Spicy Shrimp with Fettuccine and a White Wine Sauce

Spicy Shrimp with Fettuccine and a White Wine Sauce

This one is a treat! If you have some time on your hands and some fast-paced kitchen skills, this recipe isn't too hard. One time I made this one I almost burnt down my kitchen and my arm. I wasn't paying attention and left my burner too hot for too long before putting oil in. The oil jumped back out of the pan onto my arm (and all over my cookbook, but I think the sign of a good cook is a messy cookbook). And since this recipe calls for your oven rack to be super close to the broiler, I got my nice white towel a little too close as I put the shrimp in and now it has a nice singe mark across the top. My smoke alarm (which is up a flight of stairs in my bedroom) started to go off and I was basically a crazy person running around my apartment with alarms going off and oil burning my arm.

But the result was fantastic so I think it was worth it :)

This recipe is a combination of two recipes from the America's Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook. They guard their recipes like they're gold (which most of them are) so I have adjusted the recipes just a little bit. The first is Broiled Shrimp Cocktail [the original recipe makes this with a Creamy Tarragon Sauce, but since I'm using the shrimp in pasta, I won't make the sauce], and the second is Shrimp Fra Diavolo with Linguine (I use Fettuccine and replaced this shrimp recipe with the first one).

Double the recipe if you're making for more than one person - this one got me two small meals.

The recipe:

Shrimp:

1/2 pound large shrimp, uncooked, peeled, and deveined

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground coriander

A pinch of pepper [less than 1/8 tsp]

A pinch of sugar [less than 1/8 tsp]

A pinch of cayenne [less than 1/8 tsp]

A pinch of crushed red pepper [less than 1/8 tsp]

1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Sauce:

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio was a bit too sweet so I tried Chardonnay and it was much better!)

1/4 tsp sugar (I would omit this next time I made it - too sweet for me!)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (omit if you don't like too much spice)

Pasta:

Fettuccine - as much as you want to make, I used a handful about half an inch in diameter.

Salt

Boil some water for your pasta and cook according to box directions. Add salt to the boiling water to flavor the pasta. 

To prepare the shrimp: peel the shrimp by pulling off the outer shell, starting at the head, and pull the tail off by pinching at the top of the tail and pulling straight down. I've never deveined shrimp so if you're doing that yourself, Google is a better source than me. Lay on paper towel and pat dry. Combine salt, coriander, pepper, sugar, and cayenne into a small bowl. Add shrimp, then oil and toss with your hands until all shrimp have an even coating. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to cook them. (They cook REALLY fast so save it for the end).

For the sauce: heat up oil in large skillet over low heat and add garlic until garlic foams and is sticky and straw-colored. Stir in tomatoes, wine, [sugar], salt, and pepper flakes. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer until thickened, about 8 minutes. When I made this with Chardonnay, it was very good! I used Quinton estates 2012, from Brennans Market (and drank some while cooking!). Your sauce will be thick enough when you can run your spoon across the skillet and see the bottom of your pan.

If your pasta is almost done and you've started simmering your sauce, cook the shrimp. Adjust your top oven rack so that it's 3 inches from the broiler and turn broiler on to high. If your top rack doesn't get that high, place a rimmed baking sheet upside down on your oven rack to get it closer. Spread shrimp in a single layer on baking sheet (line with aluminum foil if you don't want to wash it). Broil shrimp until opaque and edges begin to brown. The original recipe says 6 minutes, but I've found that they finish up in about 4 minutes. These shrimp are so tasty that I never get all of them to the plate... They're so good to just eat as a snack! Especially if you like drinking wine while you cook, it's a nice combination.

After everything is done, combine pasta and shrimp into skillet with sauce and stir until just combined. Transfer to bowl and serve. I think I'm going to make this one tonight, so I'll post pictures later if I don't burn down my apartment!(Update: this went much smoother this time and nothing burned)

Coming Soon!

Coming soon:

Bluephie's Carrot Cake
See Recipe Here! 

Pumpkin Cookies

See Recipe Here!

Homemade Mac & Cheese for One

Homemade Mac & Cheese for One

I know this one seems a little silly, but I honestly make it all the time. It's my comfort food that requires almost no effort and that's nice to have after a long day. Sorry dad, I haven't eaten Kraft Mac & Cheese from the box for about 2 years now! (For those of you who don't know, my dad works for Kraft). 

Every recipe online is so complicated with so many different types of cheese so I experimented for awhile to use the fewest ingredients to get the best taste. I also really hate bread crumbs on my mac & cheese and all the recipes I find always use them. So I'm going against the norm and I'm not including bread crumbs!

The recipe:

Elbow noodles

Shredded cheddar cheese

Shredded Mexican blend cheese

Butter

Milk

Salt and pepper

I really don't have a true "recipe" for this one - I just throw stuff in until it looks good! 

Cook the pasta according to the box instructions, drain, and add to bowl with some butter in the bottom (maybe about a tablespoon or less?). Stir the pasta around until the butter is melted and the pasta has a nice buttery coating. Add a couple pinches of both cheeses (maybe enough so that it just covers the top of the pasta).

Add a splash or two of milk - maybe a tablespoon if you're measuring. Stir in cheese until melted and combined with the milk. You might have to microwave for about 15 seconds to heat it up again to melt the cheese enough. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Some optional additions I've used every once and awhile - add some diced tomatoes or pieces of chicken! Throwing some paprika in there is also nice sometimes.

Enjoy!

Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I actually just made these today and I honestly don't know if I'd make them again. They sound amazing and look delicious, but I feel like I just ended up with a big, heavy, thick cookie. I might try making these into cookies instead of bars so they're not so heavy. 

Another problem I had with this recipe is that the topping called for 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (which is a lot of chocolate!) I found I hardly used any of it so I've reduced it in this recipe

Looks good, right? Looks can be very deceiving. Sure, it tastes good but it's not anything special and I can only eat a very small slice at a time or else it's too much.

Original Recipe

The recipe:

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips plus about an extra 2 tablespoons for topping

1 cup crushed salted pretzels, divided

1/4-1/2 tsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing it to hang over two sides. Coat the paper with cooking spray.

Whisk together melted butter with granulated sugar and light brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.

Stir in flour and salt just until incorporated. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup crushed pretzels.

Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing the top, then sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup crushed pretzels on top, pressing them lightly into the batter.

Bake for about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. While the cookie bars are baking, melt 2 tbsp chocolate chips with the vegetable oil in a double boiler or in the microwave.

Remove the cookie bars from the oven, cool completely in the pan, then remove cookies using parchment paper overhang. Drizzle the cookie bars with the melted chocolate and allow them to cool until the chocolate hardens. Cut the cookie bars into 16 squares and serve.

Beef Ranch Enchiladas

Beef Ranch Enchiladas

This recipe is one I use all the time! The original recipe is called Ranch Chicken Enchiladas, but I tend to use ground beef more often because it's much quicker. I've changed a lot from the original recipe, but I'll include it anyways!

Original Recipe

The recipe:

1 lb ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning (or make your own using this recipe)

1/2 cup ranch dressing (hidden valley is the way to go)

1/2 cup salsa (my personal favorite is Tostito's Mild Chunky salsa)

Shredded Mexican blend cheese

1 package white flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown beef, drain, add taco seasoning and about 1/3-1/2 cup water (even though the packet always calls for 3/4 I find that's too much and it gets soupy) and simmer for another couple of minutes (~5).

Mix the ranch and the salsa - I felt obligated to put amounts on there but honestly I never measure it. Just try to keep it at about equal amounts.

Spread a spoonful or two of this mixture on the bottom of a glass baking dish. Or omit this and just spray with cooking spray.

Assembly:

Start with one tortilla, add a spoonful of the ranch/salsa mixture and spread it around. Add some beef and sprinkle with cheese. Roll up the tortilla any way you'd like - I fold in the top and bottom to about the middle. Then fold one of the sides in and overlap the other side on top. If it doesn't stay together I'll hold it with a toothpick or two. 

Place in baking dish and repeat for as many enchiladas as you'd like to make. Spread some more ranch/salsa mix on top of your enchiladas and sprinkle the top with some more cheese. 

Bake until cheese is melted and enchiladas are heated through - about 15-20 minutes.

Serve hot and enjoy! 

Taco Seasoning

Taco Seasoning

Do you ever wonder what exactly they put in those taco seasoning packets? If you have some time, mix together some of your own!

This recipe can be found pretty much anywhere so I won't include an original source this time!

The recipe:

1 tbsp chili powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

Mix it all up and store extras in an airtight container. For 1 lb browned ground beef, add about 2-3 tbsp of your final mixture and stir in with 1/3-1/2 cup water. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Brown Sugar Baked Peaches

Brown Sugar Baked Peaches

These make a really great snack when you're craving something sweet and hot. They're so simple to make and taste sooo good.

Original Recipe

The recipe:

Peach(es)

Brown sugar

Butter

Cinnamon

(optional)

Nutmeg 

Allspice

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Halve the peaches and remove the pit. Place in a baking dish, skin side down. Place 1/2 tsp butter in the center of each peach half. Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of brown sugar to each peach half. Sprinkle with cinnamon, and if you're feeling extra spicy, sprinkle with some allspice and nutmeg as well.

Bake about 30 minutes, until peaches are tender. Serve warm and enjoy!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Spinach Artichoke Dip

I've made this for parties and people go CRAZY over it! It makes a ton so if you're making it just for yourself I'd suggest cutting the recipe in half.

Original Recipe

The recipe:

8 oz cream cheese

16 oz sour cream

1 stick (8 tbsp) butter (the original recipe says unsalted, I use salted and it tastes great so use whatever you'd like!)

1 1/2-2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese

14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

10 oz frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, pressed

(optional)

4 oz can diced jalapenos, drained

[I'm not a huge fan of jalapenos so I always leave these out)

In a medium pot over medium heat, melt together cream cheese, sour cream, butter, and Parmesan cheese until melted and bubbly.

Stir in chopped artichoke hearts, spinach, and garlic. 

Serve hot with chips, crackers, toasted bread slices, etc. My personal favorite are those pretzel crisps that come in the big blue bag!

Tomato Basil Chicken

Tomato Basil Chicken

I make this recipe ALL the time! It's easy, fast, and tastes amazing. 

Original Recipe

My modifications bring this down to 1 serving.

The recipe:

1 chicken breast (I use chicken breast tenderloins so they're even smaller)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 roma tomato

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp cold butter

1-2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Fettuccine pasta

Salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese

Start by boiling water for the pasta and start cooking the pasta whenever it's ready - I hate how recipes always say this at the end of the recipe - I always forget and then I'm stuck waiting for my pasta to finish while everything else is getting cold!

Heat oil in a skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Once oil is hot, add chicken breasts. If the oil doesn't begin to sizzle, it's not hot enough! Cook chicken on first side for 4-5 minutes, and then flip. If you're using chicken breast tenderloins like I do, reduce cooking time by about a minute.

After you've flipped your chicken, add the tomato, basil, butter, and garlic to your skillet. Season with salt and pepper - I always forget this step and I'm disappointed by the lack of flavor. The salt and pepper really bring out all of the best flavors in this dish. 

Stir everything together (without flipping the chicken back) and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Again, adjust cooking time by how big or small your chicken breasts are. Once chicken is done cooking, reduce heat to low and wait for pasta to finish cooking. 

Add everything to a bowl, sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

2AM Chili

2AM Chili

Original source: http://www.cookingcomically.com/?page_id=33 <- check out this site, the comic that goes along with this recipe is awesome.

I've made this recipe twice now and I absolutely LOVE it! It makes enough where I can freeze a bunch and I get about 20 meals from it.

A little about me - I live by myself and I'm a pretty small person so I usually have to modify recipes  "for one" so the leftovers don't go bad before I get a chance to eat them! But this recipe is great to freeze and save for later.

So the chili. I modified this recipe a bit from the original depending on what I had available in the kitchen.

The grocery list:
 1 29 oz can of tomato sauce
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce (try a flavored sauce if you're feeling adventurous!)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (again, try some flavor in there! I like the chili ones)
1 can of light red kidney beans
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of corn
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow onion
1 zucchini
3-4 cloves of garlic
1.5 lbs ground beef (or any substitute you choose)
1 tsp-1 tbsp Brown sugar
~2 tbsp Cooking oil
1/4 bottle or can of your favorite beer

Seasoning:
2 tbsp All purpose flour
2 tsp Sugar
1 tbsp Garlic powder
1 tbsp Onion powder
1 tbsp Ground red pepper (Cayenne)
4 tsp Chili powder
2 tsp Ground cumin
1 tsp Basil leaves (dried)
Ground black pepper

Toppings (optional):
Crackers (I love either Saltines or Fritos)
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream


Start by browning a pound and a half of ground beef. I think ground pork would also be great - or for you vegetarians out there, try brown rice or quinoa (or both!).

Meanwhile, chop about 1/2-3/4 of the red pepper, green pepper, zucchini and the onion. You can also mince the garlic cloves now, but I use a garlic press to bring out all the flavor the garlic has to offer.

While the beef is finishing up, open all the cans and combine in a big pot. Be sure to drain the beans and the corn or else it'll water down your chili.

Once the beef is done, drain the grease and add it to your pot.

Add a couple tablespoons of any cooking oil to your now empty skillet. The original recipe uses coconut oil and I love the grapeseed oils from WildTree (http://shop.wildtree.com/catalog/cfCatalog.cfm?c=109). My favorite is the roasted garlic, but I recently ran out and I've been using the basil pesto. Then add your veggies and saute. I usually let the garlic sizzle in the oil until it's fragrant and a lovely pale-brown color and then add the rest of the veggies and saute for a few minutes. To keep the veggies crisp, make sure your pan and oil are HOT!

Add the veggies to your pot. Then, combine all seasoning ingredients, mix, and add it to your pot. For some reason, the last time I made the seasoning, something just didn't turn out right. It was a little too sweet for my liking and I like my chili a little spicier. I can't quite remember exactly how I made it the first time (when it turned out amazing) but I'm pretty sure my seasonings consisted of: flour, crushed red pepper, paprika, ground cumin, basil leaves, and black pepper. I'll experiment next time and let you know how it turns out.

Finally, add a couple shots of whatever beer you have in the fridge! Since I live in Wisconsin and beer is awesome here, my favorite is New Glarus Two Women. To find one comparable: the description from the New Glarus Brewing website says it's a classic country lager with a crisp, well balanced, and satisfying flavor. It pairs well with pan fried trout, pork chops, steak, goulash, pasta salad; and gruyere, provolone, and colby cheeses.

Bring the pot to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for as many hours as you'd like (I usually do 4 but if I'm impatient I'll sneak a bowl out after about an hour), stirring occasionally. Finish that beer, relax, and enjoy the amazing aromas!

Finally, serve yourself a generous helping and top with cheese, sour cream, and crackers.

Welcome!

Hello!

Welcome to my kitchen! I'm going to use this space to post recipes I love and use frequently. I've actually found most of my recipes on Pinterest and modified them to my liking. I'm going to start by making a bunch of posts with my favorite recipes and as I make them again I'll post pictures! Enjoy!