College Food Experiments

Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms

2011-03-18T13:52:00.000-04:00

Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms

So this was a fun little experiment with my husband. Since he's been back from japan, he hasn't has much time to cook, with being in the barracks and all. So we decided to cook together at least one night a week. Last night we tried out hand at balsamic chicken, completely from scratch (no recipe being followed)

2 chicken breasts (or 4 chicken cutlets)
bread crumbs
1 cup wine
1.5 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 button mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup balsamic salad dressing
3 tbsp italian seasoning
1 tsp flour
2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 lemon, juice and zested
1 tbsp olive oil

1. Run the chicken through breadcrumbs to get it nicely coated
2. in a 10 inch skillet, add 1tbsp olive oil and cook the chicken til its no longer pink in the middle (about 4 minutes each side, but depends on thickness)
3. remove chicken and dry on paper towl
4. Add the white wine to the pan, then the chicken broth, balsamic dressing, seasonings, lemon juice, lemon zest. Let it come to a boil.
5. OPTIONAL: Depending on how thick you want your sauce you can add the right amount of flour. For a less thick sauce add about 1 tsp flour, 2 tsp for a more thick. Let the flour dissolve, constantly stirring so there aren't any clumps.
6. Turn the heat to low and add the mushrooms + chicken. Cover the skillet and cook for 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are done.

Right before the lid went on.

Dinner time =)

Now, we thought the flavor of the chicken was a little bland and the sauce was too thin. I would have added more balsamic dressing (or balsamic vinegar but we didn't have any) to intensify the flavor. I also probably would have cut down the amount of wine and added more chicken broth. The mushrooms were delicious though.

Roasted Vegetables

2011-03-16T14:20:00.000-04:00

I am amazed sometimes at what I discover. How have I missed out on roasted vegetables this long? Roasted carrots are almost my favorite thing ever! Last night, Husband and I were watching T.V. and didn't want to eat frozen foods, but at the same time we didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen with skillets and 10 minute times... because let's face it, sometimes being stuck in the kitchen while preparing a meal sucks. So thats when we decided to just throw some potatoes and carrots in the oven and let them cook for an hour, then we would work on meat.

This is something every college student (and newlywed!) should learn to do. It's not hard at all, just you have to think ahead.

Roasted Potatoes and Carrots

5 medium red potatoes

6 medium carrots

Olive oil

2 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried parsley

1. Pre-heat oven to 375

2. Cut potatoes into 1 inch slices.

3. Peel and cut carrots to 3-4 in pieces, remembering that thicker sections should be shorter than thinner for even cooking time.

4. Toss all cut ingredients into a shallow roasting pan. Coat with olive oil and toss in the dried herbs. Make sure you toss everything so it's nice and coated before putting it in the over

5. Cook for about 1 hr - 1 hr 10 minutes. Around 35-40 minutes just make sure to take out the pan and shake up the potatoes and carrots so they don't stick.

Now this isn't a hard dish at all. In fact you can add sweet onions as well (just quartering them) or even something fancy like fennel. It's a pretty standard roasting idea that gives you 10 minutes of prep and an hour to unwind before reheating left over meat or just sauteing some chicken, pork, beef, tofu, whatever your choice. The only thing I wouldn't deviate from is the dried herbs and olive oil.

Updates

2011-03-12T12:37:00.000-05:00

I am alive everyone I promise!

I am hoping to get started blogging Bout my awesome food adventurers soon, especially since now I am married (yay) and now living with my husband, not in a kitchen I share with roommates. Also a benefit of getting married is we have an awesome kitchen set up right now,

A lot of friends have been on my back and trying to get me to start blogging again. I suppose I have gotten out of the habit of taking pictures and remember what I cook, but my husband has been encouraging me and last night at dinner, which was an amazing lemon thyme chicken my husband made, I decided to give it a go. I haven't decided if I want to make a new blog, but I know I would lose the few readers I have.

Any who I will be updating soon. You can follow me on twitter (_pathologie)

Apricot Rum Cookies

2010-09-23T23:19:00.000-04:00


Yummy =)

So I made these for gameday (UF vs Tennessee!) And they were wonderful

1 package sugar cookie mix
10-12 dried apricots
3tsp dark rum
1/2 cup margarine
1 egg

1. Follow instructions on cookie mix. Add in apricots and rum. Enjoy =)

What wonderful & fluffy cookies

Crostata two ways

2010-09-18T12:09:00.001-04:00

"A crostata is an Italian baked dessert tart, and a form of pie. It is traditionally prepared by folding the edges of the dough over the top of the jam/marmalade filling, creating a more "rough" look, rather than a uniform, circular shape" - Wikipedia


Before Baking =)

So we made these for girls night. It was experiment inspired by a few of Giada's recipes.

Apricot

1/4 cup apricot preserves
1/2 cup marscapone cheese
handful of dried apricots, diced.
1 refrigerated pie crust
sliced almonds for garnish

Pear

2 pears, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tbsp cream cheese
1/4 cup marscapone cheese
1/2 lemon zest
squeeze of lemon juice
sliced almonds as garnish
Cinnamon, Nutmeg

They were alright. Nothing special. The apricot one was a lot better than the pear one. Probably should have used apples since they are a sturdier fruit.

Yum.

BBQ Pulled chicken

2010-09-16T18:54:00.001-04:00

adapted from this recipe.

BBQ Pulled chicken

3 Chicken breasts
1/2 cup Honey Dijon dressing
12 oz Honey BBQ sauce
1 8 oz can pineapple tidbits
2 tbsp Worcester sauce
hot sauce to taste
1 sweet onion

1) Put everything (minus onion) in crockpot on low for 6 hours.
2) About 10 minute before you are ready to eat, sautee onion =)

This was so good. Sadly my camera skills suck hardcore. But It was delicious =)

Update

2010-09-08T20:11:00.001-04:00

I haven't forgotten about you. My new apartment has a horrible kitchen and I'm not really motivated to cook much.

Maple- Mustard Chicken Thighs

2010-06-20T22:44:00.003-04:00

Maple- Mustard Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

4 large bone-in chicken thighs, skins removed (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons grainy French mustard
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Combine mustard, garlic, marjoram and maple syrup in a small bowl. Spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons mustard mixture evenly on top of each chicken thigh, being careful to cover as much of the surface as possible to form a "crust." Arrange chicken in a glass baking dish. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until mustard mixture has formed a crust and is slightly hardened, and juices run clear when the chicken is pierced.

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The flavor was awesome, I'm just not a fan of thighs.

Roasted Pork Shoulder with Citrus and Garlic

2010-03-17T19:42:00.000-04:00

Slow Roasted Pork with Citrus and Garlic

Recipe can be found Here

Ingredients

10 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fresh oregano
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 bay leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 6-to-8-pound Boston butt pork shoulder
Juice of 6 oranges, peels reserved
Juice of 4 lemons, peels reserved
Juice of 4 limes
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 white onions, thinly sliced

Directions

Pulse the garlic, oregano, thyme, coriander and cumin seeds, bay leaves, 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a food processor to make a thick paste. Trim off all but a thin layer of fat from the pork, then make deep slits all over the roast (about every 2 inches) with a paring knife. Rub the spice paste over the pork and into the slits.

Mix the citrus juices, Worcestershire sauce and olive oil in a large glass bowl. Submerge the pork in the marinade and top with the onions and reserved orange and lemon peels. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature 1 hour before roasting.

Preheat the oven to 450. Remove the citrus peels from the bowl and refrigerate. Place the pork on a rack in a large roasting pan (reserve the marinade and onions); roast, uncovered, about 1 hour. Add the marinade to the pan and pile the onions on top of the meat. Cover with foil, lower the oven temperature to 350 and roast 2 more hours. Uncover, place the citrus peels around the pork and continue to roast, basting occasionally, until the meat browns and a thermometer inserted into the bottom half registers 190, 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, skim any excess fat from the pan juices. Slice the pork and serve with the onion and pan juices. Garnish with citrus peels.

So we tried this at girls night and I really did not like pork shoulder being roasted, I prefer it to be slow cooked I guess. But The flavors were awesome and I would totally replicate the flavors with maybe a pork tenderloin.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2010-03-15T19:46:00.001-04:00

My attempt at chicken noodle soup. I really don't like soup. I don't remember the ingredients or recipe because I made it back in January. Sorry. It wasn't that good anyways.

Homemade Salsa

2010-03-15T19:35:00.004-04:00

4 large ripe tomates
1/2 white onion (finely chopped)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
2 green onions thinly sliced
2 chipolte peppers in adobe sauce
1 red jalapeno seeded & finely chopped
1 garlic clove
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Roast the tomatoes in the oven at 450 for 10 minutes
2. Remove seeds and skin from tomatoes.
3. Add Tomatoes, onion, cilantro, green onion, chipotle chilies, lime juice, vinegar, olive oil, and garlic to a food processor and pulse a few time ( you can pulse more if you like a less chunky salsa)

So this recipe was found by my roommate on AOL food (I can't find the link to link it). It's what we did since the original recipe called for a handheld blow torch (?) and some other kitchen goodies we don't have. It turned out wonderfully.

Magic Cookie Bars

2009-12-07T15:36:00.001-05:00

Magic Cookie Bars

1 stick of butter
1 1/2 cups of crushed graham cracker
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup coconut
1 can swetened condensed milk

Directions:

1. Preheat to 350.
2. Melt the stick of butter in a 13x9 pan, making sure it's evenly distributed.
3. Add the graham crackers, making a traditional crust.
4. Add the following ingredients in a layer on top of the crust; walnuts, chocolate chips, coconut.
5. drizzle the condensed milk on top.
6. bake for 20-30 minutes.

Overall: These might have been my favorite cookies of the night. They were made by alli's roommate and when we walked into the apartment, these were in to oven baking. They are so good =) I asked for the recipe so I could try and replicate. Super awesome.

Christmas Cookies!

2009-12-06T15:22:00.005-05:00

Let me explain:

Hope that was good enough... ONTO COOKIES

Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 (14oz) can condensed milk
6 tablespoons crushed peppermint candies
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or peppermint)
1 large egg
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:
1. preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Melt 1 cup of chocolate chips, over a double boiler or carefully in the microwave.
3. Combine the melted chocolate chips with 1 can condensed milk. Mix thoroughly.
4. Add the egg, vanilla, melted butter, and about half the crushed peppermint. Stir to combine.
5. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa.
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
7. Once combined, add the remining chocolate chips.
8. Cook for 7-10 minutes. Remove and sprinkle some peppermint on each cookie. Finish cooking for about 2 minutes.

Overall: So since the semester is almost over, the regular girls night crew, plus some new awesome faces, decided to go out with a bang. Cookie style. These cookie's were found by Alli. These were awesome. Love! Be warned, they are very very chocolaty, so make sure you have a cup of milk handy with each cookie.

Turkey day

2009-11-26T13:13:00.001-05:00

Happy Turkey day to everyone celebrating.

This is Halloween

2009-11-01T13:27:00.005-05:00

So my eyeballs were a hit last night. They were gone within 15 minutes of me being there and they weren't even on the main display table!

Scary Eyeballs-
1 box doughnut holes
2 bags white chocolate
1 bag lifesaver gummies
1 bag mini m&ms

Directions
1. Melt chocolate over a double boiler, add about 1 tbsp of whole milk and mix together. It should be a bit runnier than normal melted chocolate.
2. Remove from heat. Dip doughnut holes in white chocolate
3. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once all doughnuts dipped, refrigerate for about 30 minutes...
4. Take them out, assemble eyes as shown...

OVERALL:

Oh boy the fiasco of dealing with melted chocolate. I ruined 2 batches of white chocolate because I didn't know I was suppose to add milk for dipping. Once I added the milk we had, which was NOT whole milk and was a bit runnier than I would have liked. See how the chocolate looks more like a glaze? But anyways, That worked well and my roommate mentioned we could also use Oil instead of work. So thinking that I might as well see which one is better, we do the oil for the last batch... and it turns out horrible. It did not coat as evenly as the chocolate with the milk did. But everyone liked them... For added effect I got raspberry jelly doughnut holes. Yeah it's not accurate but it's awesome!

Vitamins

2009-10-26T00:00:00.003-04:00

It's interesting being a science major. After semester of calculating velocities and memorizing mechanisms in organic chemistry, I've stumbled across a class that actually has some practical applications... you know if you aren't going to graduate school for physics or chemistry... which I'm not.

Biochemistry. Yes it sounds intimidating, but I assure you there are hidden interesting nuggets to be found. After our second exam memorizing tons of pathways (can I get a Kreb's Cycle Woot Woot!) our professor lectured on something I found to be extremely interesting.

Vitamins!

Yes, remember those things that your mother made you take every morning? Maybe that was just mine... But here are some that I though would be applicable to the college student... or anyone for that matter:

Vitamin B1 (the one I found most important...)

According to our professor, almost 60% of the population has a vitamin B1 deficiency. Vitamin B1 (or Thiamine) is critical in energy pathways of the body. Mild cases of vitamin B1 deficiency present as fatigue and depression. Ringing any bells among college students? Not even kidding, I've been taking a regular old multivitamin and I've been less tired since I've started taking them... Thank you biochemistry! Here's some more tidbits you might like to know!

For the record, Most daily vitamin pills contain a Vitamin B complex, which contains a whole slew of vitamin B's for your body's pleasure. See:

B vitamins are found in all whole, unprocessed foods. Processing, as with sugar and white flour, tends to significantly reduce B vitamin content. B vitamins are particularly concentrated in meat, and other good sources are potatoes, bananas, lentils, chile peppers, tempeh, beans, liver oil, liver, turkey, tuna, nutritional yeast, brewer's yeast, and molasses.

300-calorie dinners

2009-10-18T15:36:00.001-04:00

Almond-Crusted Pork with Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)—Sliced almonds add a delectable, almost-like-fried-chicken crunch to the breading for these tender pieces of pork. We slice the pork thinly to keep the cooking time quick. The resulting pork “fingers” are great dipped in this surprisingly simple, delicious honey, soy and mustard sauce.

Catfish & Potato Hash—Hash isn’t just for corned beef. It’s also great made with catfish—or other flaky white fish. Any ham adds flavor to the hash, but we think a higher-quality smoked ham will give you the biggest flavor-bang for your buck. Serve with a poached egg on top and a green salad.

Sweet Potato-Peanut Bisque—This satisfying vegetarian sweet potato soup is inspired by the flavors of West African peanut soup. We like the added zip of hot green chiles, but they can sometimes be very spicy. It’s best to take a small bite first and add them to taste. Try chopped peanuts and scallions for a different garnish. Serve with a mixed green salad with vinaigrette.

Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry—Spiked with lots of zesty lemon, this delectable chicken stir-fry has a colorful mix of snow peas, carrots and scallions. But feel free to substitute other thinly sliced vegetables, such as bell peppers or zucchini. Serve with: Rice noodles or brown rice.

Almond-Crusted Pork with Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce

1 cup coarse dry breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat (see Note)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 large egg white, beaten
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices

Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and coat it with cooking spray.
2. Place breadcrumbs, almonds, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a food processor; pulse until the almonds are coarsely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish.
3. Place egg white in another shallow dish. Dip both sides of each pork slice in egg white, then evenly coat with the almond mixture. (Discard any remaining egg white and almond mixture.) Place the pork on the prepared rack and coat on both sides with cooking spray.
4. Bake the pork until golden brown and no longer pink in the center, 16 to 18 minutes.
5. Meanwhile/, whisk honey, soy sauce and mustard in a small bowl. Serve the pork with the honey-mustard sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 299 calories; 7 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono); 74 mg cholesterol; 30 g carbohydrate; 29 g protein; 3 g fiber; 561 mg sodium; 562 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Potassium & Zinc (16% daily value).

Note: We like Ian’s brand of coarse dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs, labeled “Panko breadcrumbs.” Find them in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets. To make your own breadcrumbs, trim crusts from firm sandwich bread. Tear the bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Spread the breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and bake at 250°F until dry and crispy, about 15 minutes. One slice of bread makes about 1/3 cup dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs.

- from yahoo (Carolyn Malcoun)

Tapa: Crema de Cabrales (sorta...)

2009-10-12T15:51:00.001-04:00

¼ pound blue cheese (the Spanish variety is cabrales, but gorgonzola or roquefort may be used)
2 teaspoons raisins
1 Tablespoon white grape juice or cider
1 Tablespoon cream
2 Tablespoons apple, finely chopped (about half a peeled apple)
2 Tablespoons walnuts, finely chopped
⅛ teaspoon dried thyme

Procedure

Remove blue cheese from refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature (let it sit on the counter for an hour or more).
Soak the raisins in the fruit juice for 20 minutes.
Using a spoon, remove the raisins from the juice and set aside.
When the cheese has reached room temperature, place it in a small mixing bowl.
Add the cream and fruit juice.
Using a fork or wooden spoon, combine ingredients until smooth.
Stir in raisins, apple, walnuts, and thyme.
Serve with crackers.

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Found this on the internet while searching for spanish foods. Okay, so the ONLY thing I did differently was use goat cheese instead of bleu cheese, mainly because a few of my friends don't like bleu cheese. But this came out wonderfully! It's a little rich with the goat cheese, but well worth every bite.

Girls Night:: Spanish/Latin food

2009-10-11T13:35:00.002-04:00

Another great night getting together with my favorite girls. We tried to do a latin/spanish inspired dinner. We ended up with Quesadillas and Paella, both which were awesome. Sadly, the picture of the quesadillas came out poorly, so I omitted that. I'll also post the recipe for the paella once I get it :)

Stop Overeating?

2009-10-09T16:17:00.001-04:00

Interesting article on a new drug to stop over eating using real science?

yeah right....

Balsamic Chicken

2009-10-09T10:03:00.000-04:00

Balsamic Chicken
[from Giada De Laurentiis]

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (giblets, neck and backbone reserved for another use)
1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

Whisk the vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend. Combine the vinaigrette and chicken pieces in a large resealable plastic bag; seal the bag and toss to coat. Refrigerate, turning the chicken pieces occasionally, for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove chicken from the bag and arrange the chicken pieces on a large greased baking dish. Roast until the chicken is just cooked through, about 1 hour. If your chicken browns too quickly, cover it with foil for the remaining cooking time. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Place the baking dish on a burner over medium-low heat. Whisk the chicken broth into the pan drippings, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the baking sheet with a wooden spoon and mixing them into the broth and pan drippings. Drizzle the pan drippings over the chicken. Sprinkle the lemon zest and parsley over the chicken, and serve.

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So I've had this bookmarked for a while and I FINALLY had the time to make this recipe. The ONLY modification I used was using chicken breast instead of a whole chicken. And honestly, the flavors were very good, brought me back to working at Big Tomato and enjoying their own balsamic chicken. The only problem I had was the stupid chicken texture was horrible. I'm not buying perdue anymore... I think I've stated that fact before... it's terrible...

Article: Dangerous Foods?

2009-10-09T00:27:00.000-04:00

Leafy greens -- including lettuce and spinach -- top the list of the 10 riskiest foods, according to a study from a nutrition advocacy group released Tuesday.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest listed the following foods, in descending order, as the most risky in terms of outbreaks: leafy greens, eggs, tuna, oysters, potatoes, cheese, ice cream, tomatoes, sprouts and berries.

The scientists rated these foods, all of them regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, by the number of outbreaks associated with them since 1990, and also provided the number of recorded illnesses.

The severity of the illnesses ranged from minor stomach aches to death, the center said. With leafy greens such as lettuce, the top cause of illness were pathogens like E. coli, Norovirus and Salmonella in foods that were not properly washed.

Over the past 20 years, leafy greens caused 363 outbreaks, resulting in 13,568 reported illnesses, the center said. That's compared to berries, No. 10 on the list, which were associated with 25 outbreaks totaling 3,397 reported illnesses.

"Leafy greens are a healthy home run, but unfortunately they're associated with food-borne illness," said Sarah Klein, a staff lawyer with the center who helped prepared the study.

In all, the Top 10 resulted in more than 1,500 outbreaks, totaling nearly 50,000 reported illnesses, according to the center, which added that most food-related illnesses don't get treated or reported, so the real total is likely much larger.

"Millions of consumers are being made ill, hundreds of thousands hospitalized and thousands are dying each year from preventable foodborne illnesses," the study said. "Unfortunately, the FDA is saddled with outdated laws, and lacks the authority, tools and resources to fight unsafe food."

Food producers, including the Western Growers Association, released statements criticizing the report.

"Farmers are consumers, too," the association said, in a release from spokesman Paul Simonds. "They eat the fresh produce they grow as do the members of their families, and have invested millions of dollars enhancing food safety practices in the last few years. Scaring people away from eating some of the healthiest foods on the planet, like fresh produce, does not serve consumers."

Salmonella was also a chief culprit in egg, cheese and tomato-related illnesses, the study said, in cases when eggs are undercooked and when cheese is not processed properly.

Salmonella can be difficult to remove from raw tomatoes without cooking, according to the study.

The study also associated Salmonella and E. coli with potatoes. Klein said this generally happens when cold-prepared potato items, such as potato salad, are mixed with other contaminated ingredients.

Unrefrigerated fresh tuna deteriorates quickly, the study said, releasing harmful toxins, and canned tuna gets dragged into the picture because of mixed-in ingredients such as mayonnaise. Improperly washed oysters are at risk of Norovirus.

Rich Ruais, executive director of the Blue Water Fisherman Association and the American Blue Fin Tuna Association in Salem, N.H., disagreed with the study's "bad rap" on tuna.

"Tuna? I beg to differ," he said. "Tuna is one of the healthiest foods on the Earth. It's life sustaining; it's life prolonging."

Ruais said the tuna-based diet of Japanese citizens plays a big part in their high average longevity. He also said the FDA strictly mandates that tuna is gutted and stuffed with ice immediately after it's caught by commercial fisherman, and submerged in slush once it gets to shore, to prevent risk of pathogens.

More surprisingly, bacteria can also survive in ice cream, primarily from the Salmonella contamination of eggs, an important ingredient that is sometimes undercooked, the study said. Much of the study's blame goes to a 1994 outbreak that sickened thousands of ice cream lovers in 41 states.

The National Milk Producers Federation released a statement criticizing the report as "based on outdated information."

"Cheese and ice cream products are among the safest, most stringently regulated foods in this country," said the federation, in its release. "The cheese examples in this report mostly concern consumption of raw milk products, which neither [the] FDA nor the dairy industry recommends. The ice cream example is 15 years old and was an isolated incident."

-By Aaron Smith, CNNMoney.com staff writer On 2:07 pm EDT, Tuesday October 6, 2009

Chicken Egg Roll Wraps

2009-10-07T00:30:00.000-04:00

As I was perusing the new "organic" publix that opened up here in Gainesville, I came across egg roll wrappers. I'm not sure if the regular publix carried these (they probably do...) but I was so excited to finally find some. I've seen a lot of recipes using egg roll wraps or wonton wraps that I've been dying to try. And here's my first attempt...

Chicken Egg Roll Wraps

1/2 pound already cooked chicken
1 bag coleslaw mix
Teriyaki sauce
1 package egg roll wraps.
1 egg (or water)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Shred the cooked chicken and toss in a little bit of teriyaki sauce.
3. Combine in a bowl with about half a bag of coleslaw mix
4. To make the egg roll: "Take the bottom point of your wrap and fold it over top of the filling. Fold the sides in towards the middle and roll the filling towards the top point of the wrapper." - Thank you wiki how for putting it in words!. Also The Hungry Housewife has some lovely pictures explaining, not to mention a kick ass south western recipe..
5. Add a LITTLE bit of the filling to the center of the roll and fold as described above.
6. To seal the egg roll, brush the edges with a little bit of egg or water (this acts as a glue)
7. Once all the rolls are assembled, brush the tops with the egg (optional... makes it look prettier..)
8. bake at 350 for 7 minutes, flipping over, then 7 minutes.

OVERALL: Yeah, so this was a fun dinner. Making the egg rolls was the longest part. Perhaps the saddest thing was that I had to bake them instead of fry them... simply because we don't have a deep fryer or a thermometer to safely heat oil... maybe one day. These didn't turn out too bad though. Just like with the Buffalo Chicken Empanadas I overstuff too much, which you can see in some of the egg rolls. Again, I would modify this recipe a bit before I served it too friends...

Chicken Salad Revistited...

2009-09-28T19:27:00.000-04:00

A while ago I posted about a chicken salad recipe I made, mentioning that I heard variations of chicken salad using yogurt instead of mayo. I now must say:

Best. Idea. Ever.

The yogurt based chicken salad is a bit sweeter but that's pretty much the only difference. I added walnuts and celery. It was awesome.

Just thought I'd share

Buffalo Chicken Empanadas

2009-09-28T14:50:00.002-04:00

Buffalo Chicken Empanadas

1 cooked chicken breast cut finely (leftovers are awesome I found out)
1/4 cup cream cheese
2 tbsp buffalo sauce
2 tbsp finely diced celery
2 tbsp finely diced onion
1 refrigerated pie crust

Instructions:

Mix cream cheese, chicken, celery, and onions in a bowl.
roll out the thawed pie crust. Cut into 3 by 3 inch squares.
add a SMALL amount of the mixture on the pie crust. Seriously, overstuffing is bad...
before folding, dip your finger in water and trace along the edges, this acts as a glue for the pie crust
fold over and seal edges with a fork.
bake for 8 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

OVERALL: This recipe was inspired by One of Paula Deen's and an early afternoon due to a canceled biochemistry class (canceled meaning there was a review Q&A session...). So I got home, having leftover chicken and half a pie crust left to use. Since the original recipe had some ingredients that my fridge lacked, I changed the idea around, playing with my favorite flavors.

It was very good. The only off putting thing was the pie crust was a little heavy. Maybe using wonton wrappers or egg roll wrappers would be better, but the whole ratio of filling to bread was off... Also, I made this mean for just me, it was very simply to make, the most time consuming thing being assembling the empanadas. Also, I forgot to add cheese... i might do that next time=)

Look at that overflowing filling.... Need to be more conservative!

Berry Muffins =)

2009-09-26T19:13:00.000-04:00

Mixed Berry Muffin

1 box muffin mix (I used blueberry since the blueberries come separate)
1/2 cup thawed frozen berries
1/4 cup strawberry jelly
1/3 cup milk

1. Combine muffin mix, milk and jelly... don't worry it's not going to look smooth because of the jelly.

2. Slowly fold in the berries.

3. Bake in a 425 oven for 16 minutes.

Overall: These were really good. I was trying to substitute the vegetable oil for something else. Normally I resort to applesauce but since I was sans applesauce, I opted for trying Strawberry jelly. It worked nice, but as the muffins cooled they got a bit stickier. But I loved adding the frozen fruit instead of using the prepackaged blueberries that came with the muffin mix. It was awesome. That being said I'm going to stick with substituting applesauce for oil when I feel the need to be health(ier)...

Soups! (21-40)

2009-09-25T22:43:00.002-04:00

21. Fish Chowder Make Potato Chowder (No. 16) with just 2 ounces bacon. Omit sage; swap the cream with half-and-half. Add 1 pound white fish chunks and 1/2 pound flaked smoked trout during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
22. Pistou Make Minestrone (No. 20); add 1 sliced zucchini and 1 cup diced butternut squash with the vegetables. Swirl in pesto.
23. Tortellini Make Minestrone (No. 20); substitute 1 cup tortellini for the ditalini.
24. Sweet Potato Sweat 2 chopped onions, 4 chopped garlic cloves, 3 peeled and cubed sweet potatoes, and 1 teaspoon coriander in olive oil. Simmer with 6 cups chicken broth until soft. Puree; top with salsa.
25. Curried Sweet Potato Make Sweet Potato Soup (No. 24); use butter instead of oil and add 1 tablespoon curry powder with the potatoes. Top with chutney.
26. Curried Red Lentil Cook 3 chopped garlic cloves, 1 each chopped onion and carrot, 1/2 tablespoon chopped ginger and a pinch of cayenne in oil. Add 6 cups water, 1 can coconut milk, 1 cup red lentils and 1/2 cup rice; simmer 20 minutes. Garnish with lime, cilantro and scallions.
27. Split Pea Simmer 1/2 pound split peas with 1 each chopped celery stalk, onion and carrot, a ham hock and a bundle of fresh herbs in 5 cups water until tender. Remove ham and bone; pull off the meat. Puree the soup; stir in ham.
28. Vegetarian Pea Make Split Pea Soup (No. 27); omit the ham hock. Puree just half of the soup and mix it back in; add 1 cup diced carrot. Top with croutons.

29. Cheddar-Horseradish Sweat 2 each diced carrots and leeks in butter. Add cayenne, salt, 3 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons dry mustard; cook 2 minutes. Add 1 bottle beer, 1/4 cup horseradish, 3 cups water and a dash of Worcestershire; simmer until thick. Whisk in 2 cups half-and-half and 1 1/2 cups cheddar.

30. French Onion Cook 4 sliced onions and 2 thyme sprigs in butter, covered, 20 minutes. Uncover; cook 1 hour, or until caramelized, stirring occasionally. Add 6 cups beef broth; simmer 10 minutes. Add cognac, salt and pepper. Top with gruyère toasts.

31. Tomato Alphabet Boil 3 cups chicken broth, 2 cups tomato juice and a pinch of dried oregano. Add 1/2 cup alphabet pasta, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender. Stir in grated parmesan.
32. Tomato Orzo Make Tomato Alphabet Soup (No. 31) with orzo instead of alphabet pasta. Omit parmesan; top with feta and dill.
33. Carrot-Ginger Sweat 2 sliced shallots and 3 tablespoons minced ginger in butter; season with salt and pepper. Add 1 pound sliced carrots, 2 tablespoons rice, 2 cups chicken broth and 3 cups water. Simmer until the rice is tender, then puree.
34. Carrot-Dill Make Carrot-Ginger Soup (No. 33); omit the ginger and add chopped dill. Garnish with sour cream.
35. Pappa al Pomodoro Sauté 1 chopped onion in oil until tender; add 3 chopped garlic cloves, some red pepper flakes, 1 large can chopped tomatoes, 1 cup water and a basil sprig. Add 2 cups stale bread cubes; simmer 20 minutes.

36. Thai Coconut Sauté 3 sliced garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons grated ginger, 1/4 cup chopped lemongrass, 1 teaspoon each cumin and coriander, and a Thai chile in oil. Add 1 sliced raw chicken breast and 1 sliced onion; cook 5 minutes. Add shredded bok choy, 4 cups water, 1 can coconut milk, cilantro and 2 tablespoons fish sauce; simmer 8 minutes.

37. Black Bean Soak 1/2 pound dried black beans overnight; drain. Sauté 1 each chopped celery stalk, onion and carrot and 2 smashed garlic cloves in oil. Add beans, thyme, a bay leaf, a ham hock and 5 cups water; simmer 40 minutes. Remove ham and bone; pull off the meat. Puree the soup; stir in the ham.
38. Mexican Bean Make Black Bean Soup (No. 37); omit thyme and add 1 teaspoon each chipotle chili powder and cumin. Puree just half of the soup and mix it back in. Mix in the juice of 1 lime; top with sour cream, cilantro and salsa.
39. Curried Cauliflower Cook 4 sliced leeks with 1 tablespoon curry powder in butter. Add 1 head chopped cauliflower and 1 garlic clove; cook 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add 5 cups chicken broth; boil until soft, then puree. Simmer with 1 cup cream.
40. Thai Shrimp Make Thai Coconut Soup (No. 36); omit the chicken and add 1/2 pound peeled small shrimp during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Also from Food Network

Soups! (1-20)

2009-09-24T22:42:00.002-04:00

1. Basic Chicken Chop 1 onion, 1 celery stalk, 2 carrots and 1 tablespoon thyme; sauté in butter until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add 6 cups chicken broth; simmer 20 minutes. Add 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, 1/3 cup mixed chopped dill and parsley, and some lemon juice.
2. Chicken Rice Make Basic Chicken Soup (No. 1); omit dill and add chives, chervil and tarragon. Stir in 1/3 cup cooked basmati rice.
3. Italian Wedding Make Basic Chicken Soup (No. 1) with a rind of parmesan in the broth. Add 1 pound mini meatballs, 1 cup orzo and 3 cups torn escarole; simmer until the orzo is tender.
4. Chicken Dumpling Mix 2 tablespoons softened butter, 1 beaten egg, 1/2 cup farina cereal and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Drop half-teaspoonfuls into simmering chicken broth; cook for 3 minutes after the dumplings float.
5. Escarole and White Bean Cook 3 chopped garlic cloves and some red pepper flakes in olive oil. Add 3 cups chicken broth, 1 head chopped escarole and a parmesan rind; simmer 15 minutes. Add 1 can white beans, parmesan and salt.
6. Butternut Squash Sauté 1/2 sliced onion with a pinch of thyme in butter until soft. Add salt, pepper, 2 pounds diced butternut squash and 5 cups chicken broth. Simmer until tender, then puree.
7. Squash and Sage Make Butternut Squash Soup (No. 6) using 2 shallots instead of onion. Fry sage leaves in the butter. Replace 1 1/2 cups of the broth with apple cider; add nutmeg. Top with crème fraîche and the fried sage.

8. Parsnip-Bacon Make Butternut Squash Soup (No. 6); substitute 2 pounds parsnips for the squash. Top with crumbled bacon and crème fraîche.
9. Asian Chicken Puree 2 garlic cloves with a 2-inch piece peeled ginger; fry in oil with 1 bunch sliced scallions. Add 3 cups each chicken broth and water, 1 tablespoon each soy sauce and sherry, and a pinch of sugar; boil. Add shredded cooked chicken, sliced carrots and snow peas; drizzle with sesame oil.
10. Spicy Dumpling Make Asian Chicken Soup (No. 9); add frozen dumplings instead of chicken. Top with Asian chili sauce.
11. Spicy Tortilla Puree 2 seeded, soaked ancho chiles, 1 onion, 2 tomatoes and 2 garlic cloves; fry in oil. Add 6 cups chicken broth, 4 torn corn tortillas, some shredded cooked chicken and 1/2 cup cilantro; simmer until thick. Add salt; garnish with crisp tortilla strips, Mexican cheese, avocado, cilantro and lime juice. (I sorta made this?)

12. Stracciatella Beat 2 eggs with 1/3 cup grated parmesan. Drizzle into 6 cups simmering chicken broth; cook 2 minutes.
13. Egg Drop Cook 1 tablespoon chopped ginger and 3 chopped scallions in sesame oil. Add 6 cups chicken broth and 2 tablespoons each soy sauce and sherry; bring to a simmer. Slowly pour in 2 beaten eggs and cook 2 minutes.
14. Sausage-Bean Make Escarole and White Bean Soup (No. 5); sauté 4 chopped sweet Italian sausages with the garlic.

15. Egg-Lemon Cook 1/2 cup pastina in 6 cups simmering chicken broth with 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Beat 2 eggs, 2 yolks and 3 tablespoons lemon juice; whisk in a little hot broth, then stir the mixture into the soup. Cook over low heat until thick.
16. Potato Chowder Sauté 4 ounces chopped bacon; add 2 tablespoons butter, 2 sliced leeks and 2 teaspoons each sage and thyme. Add 4 cups chicken broth, 1 1/2 cups cream, a bay leaf and 3 chopped potatoes. Simmer until tender; top with chives.
17. Potato Cheese Make Potato Chowder (No. 16); stir in 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar.
18. Clam Chowder Make Potato Chowder (No. 16); omit sage and use 2 cups each clam juice and water in place of broth. Season with cayenne. Add 2 cups clams during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
19. Corn Chowder Make Potato Chowder (No. 16); omit sage. Stir in 2 cups corn during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Garnish with diced roasted red peppers.
20. Minestrone Chop 3 garlic cloves, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 celery stalk and 1/4 head cabbage; sauté in oil. Add 1 can each white beans and diced tomatoes, 4 cups chicken broth and a parmesan rind; simmer 20 minutes. Add 1 cup ditalini pasta and simmer until tender. Add salt and pepper.

Courtesy of Food Network

Girls Night Part 2

2009-09-22T22:31:00.005-04:00

I mentioned in another post the awesome-ness that is Girls night. Every so often a group of my girlfriends and I decide on a theme and do dinner and a movie/TV show. Over summer it was True Blood...but now since that's over we must come up with either new show addictions or new ideas for dinner. For the record, it's a great way to de-stress from exams and homework and catch up with friends you might not see that often. I can't tell you how many friends I've lost to the library come mid-october (I may or may not be including myself)

This most recent night was favorite kids foods & movie. We had awesome mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, pizza rolls, and a killer veggie cassorole covered in cheese and goodness. We also watched the Little Mermaid, one of the classics of our childhood...

So I was wondering if any of the readers I may have (I know you are out there somewhere!) Have ideas for themed dinners aside from Mexican & Italian....

Pumpkin Waffles with Maple Cream Cheese

2009-09-17T18:03:00.001-04:00

Ingredients

1/2 cup cream cheese (rm temp)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs, separated
4 tbsp melted butter

Directions

whisk cream cheese and maple syrup together until blended
heat pumpkin on a small sauce pan, about 5 minutes
combine all dry ingredients into large bowl
in a seperate bowl, combine milk and eggs
stir the pumpkin and butter to wet ingredients
Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and heat.
Stir wet ingredients into dry. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form
fold egg whites into batter. ]
ladle into waffle iron. enjoy =)

Overall: So for the record, these were made by my roommate and his awesome vegetarian cookbook/dictionary... Came home from shopping to this being made. Super awesome flavors and just a great treat. So good, they barely made it to a plate....

Cupcakes

2009-09-10T10:50:00.001-04:00

Hope they make your day better =)

Best Ice Cream Sandwich

2009-09-10T00:00:00.002-04:00

From Here
Best Overall

Epi Top Pick: Turkey Hill Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Sandwich ($3.99 for a box of six)

Pros: The creamy ice cream with real vanilla flavor and the moist, spongy cakelike cookie won raves from the testers. "The ice cream is so fluffy and smooth!" said one editor. "The vanilla specks are not just for show, the ice cream tastes like it's made with a real vanilla pod; very natural," said another.

Cons: Thin in comparison to other competitors.

First Runner-Up: Nestle Super Sandwich ($2.50 per bar)

Pros: All editors agreed that this ice cream sandwich's 2:1 ice cream–to-cookie ratio was just right. Tasters also loved the incredibly creamy, milky ice cream and the coffee bean color and cocoa flavor of the cookie. "A masterpiece," commented one editor.

Cons: Cookie is a bit dry, according to several judges.

Best Nondairy: Organic So-Delicious Nondairy Frozen Dessert ($ 5.49 for a box of six)

Pros: This nondairy option was far more engaging than the other soy-based competitors. In addition to having a firm and dense filling, it actually tasted milky. The bars are also marketed as low-fat. "This one is my new go-to, even though I can eat dairy!" said one taster.

Cons: It's the most expensive of the winner's circle entries, and the filling has a slight eggnoglike taste.

The Other Contenders: The Bottom Three

Two out of the three nondairy varieties were voted the least favorite of all the sandwiches we tested. Soy Dream Lil' Dreamers had a grainy texture and tasted like edamame (soy beans). Tofutti Cuties' filling appeared foamy and had an off-putting orange tint.

Among the classic sandwiches, Dolly Madison's fared the worst: The ice cream was foamy and tasted artificial. The cookie was unimpressive—it tasted minty and like fake chocolate.

Kit Kat Ice Cream

2009-09-09T10:22:00.000-04:00

Ingredients

4 kit-kat bars
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract.

Directions
1. Cut kit kats into 1/2 inch pieces.
2. Combine sugar and egg until creamy
3. Slowly heat milk on stove.
4. Add the milk to the egg/sugar mixture SLOWLY and whisk while adding. (This prevents scrambled eggs...)
5. Return the egg/milk/sugar mixture to stove top and cook on low heat until heavy cream like consistency (coats the back of spoon)
6. In a separate bowl whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.
7. Add the vanilla and fold in.
8. In the ice cream mixer combine the egg/sugar/milk mixture and the heavy cream into the ice mixture.
9. spin for 30 minutes. (add kit-kats about 5 minutes before ice cream is done.)

Overall: I made this with my new roomie and his ice cream maker. This was very creamy ice cream. We were using the good old Ben & Jerrys recipe book... from the 1980s. It said to use raw egg, so we modified the recipe and tempered the egg... (not even sure if I spelt that right). The recipe book called for 1/2 inch kit-kat bits but I would have cut them smaller. Also, roommate suggested that the ice cream was 'eggy' but in the same moment, other roommate didn't realize that egg was in the mixture but I would try to modify that because I did taste it. Not to mention there was a weird coating on the roof of your mouth when you ate this. Not sure what, but I would restructure this recipe before making again....

Happy Labor Day!

2009-09-07T22:47:00.000-04:00

Chocolate, Coffee, and... Peanut butter milkshake?

2009-09-02T14:44:00.001-04:00

Yes, so this was an entry sitting in my "drafts" for a while simply because I made this way back in may with my sister and haven't even looked at posting this... but I should.

3 scoops Vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup brewed coffee
handful of chocolate chips
2 tbsp peanut butter

You should know my measurements are never exact and I think playing with what is available is always fun. We happened to have a smidgen of vanilla ice cream left and used the rest of the ingredients because they were almost empty and taking up space in the fridge. Always fun. But this is a very nice, smooth, and a tab rich for a milkshake. Not healthy by any means =)

Girls Night: True Blood

2009-08-30T22:46:00.007-04:00

So over the summer, while I was ignoring this poor blog, I got into the habit of going to the gym with a group of wonderful women. We were awesome. We went 4x a week and actually worked out... until the second half of summer came with all the freshmen came and filled up the gym. Instead of waiting in lines that only frusterated us, we made a girls night. A night dedicated to catching up, eating great food, and watching some sort of TV show/movie. Sadly I haven't written about the wonderful chicken parm that was made or the phenomanal enchiladas... but we're going to start now.

Tonight was dedicated to True Blood (as probably the next girls night, seeing as the Season finale is in 2 weeks). For those NOT on the band wagon, true blood is an HBO show about vampires coming out of the coffin and integrating into socitey. It's pretty much a guilty pleasure with bad dialouge, crazy storylines, and hot vampire sex.

So onto the food part. I was the main entree (I made Buffalo chicken and the bleu cheese dressing that goes along with it. What we do is one person normally makes the dinner, one side, and dessert. Tonight was great.

Above: My entry

Above: All our food with my horrible camera!
Please note french fries were not present in this picture.

This is probably the highlight of my week with getting together, getting to cook. It's wonderful and I suggest to every college student if you can do something like this it's wonderful!

Eat this...

2009-08-23T23:33:00.001-04:00

Interesting article found on Yahoo! which gives some helpful tidbits on food substitutions:

Substitute Yogurt for Mayo
“When making tuna salad, use 2-percent Greek yogurt, about 75 calories for half a cup, instead of mayonnaise, about 450 calories for half a cup. Greek yogurt has the same texture and creaminess as mayonnaise but far less fat and calories. I use the tangy Greek yogurt as a lower-cal replacement anywhere I’d regularly use sour cream or mayo.”
— Leah Sipher-Mann,

Skip the Cheese

“Build a healthier sandwich: Hold the cheese because two slices can add up to well over 200 calories. Load your sammie with low-calorie veggies or go gourmet with slices of apple and pear.”
—Susi May, FitSugar

Make Over Your Milkshake

“I love milk shakes, but at 420 calories for a small strawberry fast-food shake, they can be a real diet breaker. So when I’m in the mood for one, I blend a cup of 1-percent milk with a cup of unthawed, unsweetened frozen strawberries and a teaspoon of agave nectar for a delicious and satisfying cold treat. It’s only about 170 calories, which is a savings of 240 calories.”
—Diana Swallow, Scale Junkie

Save Your Salad with Salsa

“When ordering salad out, ask for salsa or pico de gallo instead of dressing. Many restaurant-size servings of dressing have around 300 to 500 calories. Using salsa, even half a cup of it, will likely save you hundreds of calories and dozens of fat grams—half a cup has 35 calories and almost no fat. And salsa rocks on salads.”
—Lisa Lillien, HungryGirl
Beware the evil salad! Don't make these salad mistake!
Beat the Office Munchies

“Every afternoon at work, I tend to want a snack. With small chocolates in my coworker’s nearby office—five mini chocolate bars are 210 calories!—and a vending machine down the hall that’s calling my name, I avoid the temptation by chewing a piece of fruit-flavored sugar-free gum. Sugar-free gum comes in all kinds of fun, tropical flavors these days like sangria and pina colada, so I feel like I’m indulging even though I’m not.”
—Jenn, Fit Bottomed Girls

Embrace Water

“Many people forget that calories you drink count too, so I try to be aware of what I consume in liquid form and drink as much zero-calorie water as possible. Simply cutting out a 20-ounce bottle of regular soda saves more than 200 calories. Plus, when I’m hydrated, I can more accurately tell whether I’m actually hungry.”
—Erin, Fit Bottomed Girls

Pop Your Own Corn

“Next time you go to the movies, bring your own popcorn. Microwave kernels in a brown paper bag and use a little nonstick spray. Season them to suit your mood: savory with garlic powder and sea salt, sweet with cinnamon and a few dark chocolate chips, or ‘cheesy’ with sea salt, chili powder and nutritional yeast. It’s delicious and tastes just like cheese with fewer calories!”
—Gina Harney, Fitnessista
Here's exactly what to eat at the movies!
A Breakfast of Champions

“Instead of the average 450-calorie cream-cheese bagel, I have a Thomas’ English muffin with two tablespoons of fat-free cream cheese for a similar taste that saves about 300 calories.”
—Karolina Starczak, NeverSayDiet

Invest in a Steamer

“Food steamers save calories and your time. Before I got my steamer, which has multiple layers, so you can cook your entire meal at once, I would usually pan-fry salmon in oil or butter or cover it in sugary teriyaki sauce and bake it. Both of those methods add so many unnecessary calories. Now when I get home from work, I throw veggies, brown rice and salmon with a lemon slice and some fresh parsley in the steamer. It absorbs all the flavor, and it tastes so fresh that way. It takes 15 minutes, so I avoid fatty takeout.”
—Lara Baldwin, Thinspired

Slim Down Your Strawberry Shortcake

“In the summer, I particularly love strawberry shortcake at a barbecue. I bake my own angel-food cake, slice it thin and throw it on the grill for a few minutes instead of using a biscuit—that cuts about 100 calories right there. Then I use a balsamic reduction—cook the vinegar down slowly until it’s about half the volume it was originally—and drizzle it over the strawberries and cake. The flavors are so elegant, and no one misses the whipped cream, which would usually tack another 100 calories onto the dessert.”
—Katherine Tweed, That’s Fit

Check out these summer dessert dos and don’ts!

Give Mashed Potatoes a Healthy Twist

“For me, mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. To make your potatoes healthier, try using equal amounts of potato and another mashable vegetable, like cauliflower or turnips. Not only is this reducing the calorie content, but you’re also adding extra nutrients to your plate. To add even more flavor, replace butter and whole milk with a small amount of tahini and some fat-free yogurt.”
—Melanie Thomassian, Dietriffic

Create Your Own Chips

“Instead of snacking on tortilla chips and salsa, I make my own pita chips in the toaster oven. I cut a whole-wheat pita into small triangles, spray them with no-calorie cooking spray, sprinkle with salt and toast for about two minutes. They taste just as good as regular tortilla chips but without the added calories and fat. You can even add garlic salt, cinnamon or paprika to jazz them up.”
—Tina Haupert, Carrots ‘N’ Cake

Coffee, Hold the Milk

“Instead of a latte, order your coffee drink Americano style, which is espresso with water instead of milk. A 12-ouce Americano is 10 calories versus the same-size latte made with whole milk, which comes in at 180 calories. Nix the sugar—two packets are 30 calories—and you’ve saved yourself 200 calories.”
—Stephanie Quilao, Noshtopia

Asian Salad

2009-08-19T22:06:00.001-04:00

Ingredients
1 bag coleslaw
1 cucumber
toasted pine nuts
Cooked chicken

Dressing
2/3 rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp oil
2 tsp soy sauce

Overall:
This was a really easy salad to put together. The longest part was cooking the chicken. It was good. I didn't like the dressing too much, I would have prefered a ginger dressing or something with a little more umph. But overall I very much enjoyed the coleslaw salad.

P.S. Pardon the picture it's from my cell phone.

More Ice Cream!?!

2009-08-16T22:59:00.001-04:00

Interesting tibit I found on TV

E-Creamery

Basically you can make ANY flavor you want of ice cream. The show I saw mentioned Avacado ice cream, green tea ice cream, and many more. Just thought it's be worth sharing =)

Oreo Ice Cream

2009-08-12T22:36:00.006-04:00

Cookies N Cream
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
Smashed up favorite cookies.

Directions:
1. Combine eggs & sugar, whisking until combines.
2. Heat milk and vanilla in a sauce pan til just before boiling.
3. Add to egg mixture SLOWLY! and continuously whisking (this prevents scrambled eggs)
4. Heat milk/egg mixture until thick & custard-y
5. While milk/egg is thickening whip the heavy cream until light and fluffy
6. pour custard into whipping cream and fold gently
7. pour into ice cream makerfor 30 minutes. About 20 minutes in add your favorite crushed cookies

Overall: So this is most certainly NOT how my sister and I made it. The book we were reading from had an akward layout in the directions for the ice cream so we completely missed the whipping cream step, instead assuming the "milk" meant cream + milk mixture. Because of this the custard was not very thick and our ice cream was more of an Iced milk. Also, we added the oreos (our cookie of choice) before the putting the mixture in the ice cream maker. The only down side to that step was turning the ice cream an ugly unappetizing gray color.

That all being said, it tasted fine. I would more or less start with a vanilla base and add cookies at the end next time. Also, the whole cooking eggs is different from the last ice cream we made. I won't really try this recipe again...

Kitchen First! Fish Dinner

2009-08-07T12:08:00.000-04:00

So walking through the grocery store I noticed that Tilapia was on sale, and it looked pretty good. I figured it was time for me to break outta my comfort zone and try something new. I've had tilapia before & I enjoy it. But my dad always made the best fish and I'm hesitant to try others...

But I decided on a nice tilapia franchese dinner since my uncle had given me a recipe that Dad use to make. On my way home, I decide that I'm just going for a cajiun style fish and deal with the franchese later. So I start cooking....

Ingredients:
1 Filet of fish (I, of course, had tilapia)
Some Cajiun seasonings (I used a combination of paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder, red pepper flakes, S&P)

Directions:
1. Rub the fish with the dry rub.
2. In a heated sautee pan, cook the fish (presentation side down) for about 3 minutes.
3. Flip fish and let it cook about 2 minute
4. Set the oven to "broil" and drop the pan in for about 1~2 minutes depending on the strength of the broiler.
5. Take out & enjoy

Overall:
Mmm... So I totally overcooked the fish. It was alright, but I didn't enjoy eating it. Not to mention the rub I used was full of fail. Next time I'll combine with flour and dredge with egg and that jazz. But It was my first attempt by myself without a recipe to go off of, so I'm not too heartbroken.

One Year =)

2009-08-05T13:04:00.003-04:00

I Am very upset that I missed my first Blogiversary (July 4th)... but better late than never. Here are some links to my favorite posts:

Rice Pudding

2009-08-04T20:09:00.003-04:00

I am alive, I know!

Quick explanation: Old apartment was a mess and I hated cooking because it meant that I not only had to clean my mess but I also had to clean up the mess my roommates left. I got tired. But I did recently make Rice pudding.

Ingredients

1 cup cooked rice
2 1/2 cups milk
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch glass baking dish.

In a large bowl, stir together first 7 ingredients. Spoon into prepared baking dish. Place baking dish in a large pan; pour water into the pan to a depth of 1-inch. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until lightly browned and set. Combine cinnamon and nutmeg; sift over top of pudding. Cool slightly and cut into squares to serve.

OVERALL:Hmm. So I've never had rice pudding and this was the first time I've made/tried it. Not a fan. The texture freaks me out a little. But the taste was wonderful. I would suggest mixing it up before you serve it though lol.

Updates

2009-06-19T23:23:00.000-04:00

I am alive. I have been fueling my gaming addiction by not eating so much.

That's not really true. I have no inspriation to cook. The kitchen and apartment is ALWAYs a mess and i'm over being the once to clean up all the time. So I just don't cook anymore. Hopefully this will change in the new apartment...

College Tip

2009-05-16T11:49:00.000-04:00

A wonderful way to enjoy fresh Corn on the cobb- microwave the corn IN IT'S HUSK for 4-5 minutes depending on your microwave.

Fried Noodles with Chicken

2009-05-13T19:43:00.006-04:00

Ingredients

1 chicken breast
1/2 cup szechuan sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 onion chopped
2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne
1 cup cooked angel hair pasta
1/2 cup corn

Directions:
1. Slice the chicken into long strips, maybe about 1/2- 1 inch in thickness. Place in a plastic bag with about 2/3 of the szechuan sauce. Marinade for about an hour (Although I only did about 20 minutes and it was fine).

2. Diced the onion. Add to an already heated saute pan. Once the onions have cooked (they will become almost translucent), add the garlic as well as the spices.

3. Add chicken to the pan. Add to the pan and wait for them to cook.

4. Once the chicken is cooked (about 6-7 minutes) add in noodles. add the remainder of the szechuan sauce. Let the noodles brown. Then add corn and mix together.

Overall: Yeah this was really good. In my picture I forgot to mix the corn in the pan, which is why it's not incorporated well, but I mixed as I ate. If I planned this meal out, I would have added some snow peas and maybe some carrots, but it was a spontaneous idea. I very much enjoy fried noodles.

Brain Food!

2009-05-08T16:32:00.000-04:00

So found this article on yahoo!, here's the text:)

---------------------

If you want to make the right decisions in confusing times—Time to refinance? Explore a different career? Root for the singing spinster or the 12-year-old?—you need to pay special attention to what you eat. That’s right: Your grocery list can help with your to-do list. That’s because the right foods are a kind of clean-burning fuel for your body’s biggest energy hog: Your brain. A study in the Journal of Physiology makes the point that, though your brain represents only 2 percent of your body weight, it makes 20 percent of the energy demands on your resting metabolism.

On our new Eat This, Not That! Web site, we rounded up the best foods to munch on when you need a mental boost—and found studies that show, in fact, that you can be up to 200 percent more productive if you make the right eating choices. Stock up on these items to halt mental decline, jog your memory, sharpen your senses, improve your performance, activate your feel-good hormones, and protect your quick-witted sharpness, whether you’re 15, 40—or not admitting to any age whatsoever!

FOR SHORT-TERM MEMORY
Drink This!: COFFEE

Fresh-brewed joe is the ultimate brain fuel. Caffeine has been shown to retard the aging process and enhance short-term memory performance. In one study, British researchers found that just one cup of coffee helps improve attention and problem-solving skills.

Not That!: ENERGY DRINKS/TOO MUCH COFFEE

Ever heard of the concept “too much of a good thing”? If you OD on caffeine—too many cups, a jolt of caf from the late afternoon onward, a Red Bull cocktail—it can mess with your shuteye schedule. Sleep is reboot time for your mental computer, and you don’t want to mess with it.

FOR LONG-TERM MEMORY
Eat This!: BLUEBERRIES

Antioxidants in blueberries help protect the brain from free-radical damage and cut your risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. They can also improve cognitive processing (translation: thinking). Wild blueberries, if you can find them, have even more brain-boosting antioxidants than the cultivated variety, so book that vacation in Maine now. The berries will ripen in July.

Not That!: THE UNRIPE AND UNREADY

Here’s a cool tip: if your favorite berries are out of season, buy them frozen. The freezer locks in peak flavor and nutrients, so the berries’ antioxidant capacity is maxed out. Those pale, tough, and expensive off-season berries usually ripen on a truck, rather than on the bush, so they’re nutritional imposters compared to the real thing.

For more smart shopping tips, point your grocery cart to THIS story and learn how to pick the most delicious and nutritious while controlling your waistline!

TO THINK FASTER
Eat This!: SALMON OR MACKEREL

If the Internal Revenue Service picks you for some up-close-and-personal auditing, you’ll want to be on your toes when they vet your deductions list. So put salmon or mackerel on the grocery list. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fishes are a primary building block of brain tissue, so they’ll amp up your thinking power. Salmon is also rich in niacin, which can help ward off Alzheimer’s disease and slow the rate of cognitive decline.

Not That!: FULL-FAT ICE CREAM

Not all fats are created equal: Beware foods high in saturated fats, which can clog blood vessels and prevent the flow of nutrients and blood to the brain. Ice cream is not a brain-health food.

TO ENERGIZE:
Eat This!: HIGH-PROTEIN SALAD WITH VINAIGRETTE

The oil in the dressing will help slow down digestion of protein and carbs in the salad, stabilizing blood-sugar levels and keeping energy levels high. Build your salad on a bed of romaine and spinach for an added boost in riboflavin, and add chicken and a hard-boiled egg for more energizing protein.

For other tips on how to build the perfect salad, check out the Eat This, Not That! ultimate salad selector.

Not That!: PANCAKES OR BAGELS

MIT researchers analyzed blood samples from a group of people who had eaten either a high-protein or a high-carbohydrate breakfast. Two hours after eating, the carb eaters had tryptophan levels four times higher than those of the people who had eaten protein. The tryptophan in turkey is one of the reasons you crawl off for an afternoon nap after Thanksgiving dinner. So watch what you gobble.

TO CALM DOWN
Eat This!: LOW-FAT YOGURT OR MIXED NUTS

Scientists in Slovakia gave people 3 grams each of two amino acids—lysine and arginine—or a placebo, and asked them to deliver a speech. Blood measurements of stress hormones revealed that the amino acid-fortified guys were half as anxious during and after the speech as those who took the placebo. Yogurt is one of the best food sources of lysine; nuts pack loads of arginine.

Not That!: SODA

A study from the American Journal of Public Health found that people who drink 2½ cans of soda daily are three times more likely to be depressed and anxious, compared with those who drink fewer. So Mountain Dew is a Mental Don’t.

TO CONCENTRATE
Eat This!: PEPPERMINT TEA

The scent of peppermint helps you focus and boosts performance, according to researchers. Need to reach Chicago before nightfall, and you’re stuck in traffic around Cleveland? One study found that peppermint makes drivers more alert and less anxious.

Not That!: CANDY

Sugary foods incite sudden surges of glucose that, in the long term, cause sugar highs and lows, leading to a fuzzy state of mind. So you’ll need to avoid all the attention-busting sugar bombs on this list of the 20 most sugar-packed foods in America.

FOR GOOD MOODS AND GRINS
Eat This! ARUGULA OR SPINACH SALAD

Leafy greens—arugula, chard, spinach—are rich sources of B vitamins, which are key components on the assembly line that manufactures feel-good hormones such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. According to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, a lack of B6 can cause nervousness, irritability, and even depression.

Not That!: WHITE CHOCOLATE

White chocolate isn’t chocolate at all, since it contains no cocoa solids. So it won’t stimulate the euphoria-inducing mood boosters like serotonin, as real chocolate does. Grab the real thing, the darker the better. More cacao means more happy chemicals and less sugar, which will eventually pull you down.

FOR SHARPER SENSES
Eat This!: 1 TBSP OF GROUND FLAXSEED DAILY

Flax is the best source of alphalinoleic, or ALA—a healthy fat that improves the workings of the cerebral cortex, the area of the brain that processes sensory information, including that of pleasure. To meet your quota, sprinkle it on salads or mix it into a smoothie or shake.

Not That!: ALCOHOL

This one’s obvious, but worth mentioning anyway. A drink or two can increase arousal signals, but more than that will actually depress your nervous system. This makes you sloppy, not sharp.

Want more of all of the best and worst foods in America? Click here for the complete list of drinks, snacks, drive-thru foods, burgers, salads and everything else under the sun!

Finally, get your FREE Eat This, Not That! newsletter so you can have smart shopping and eating tips, tricks and tactics delivered straight to your inbox three times a week!

Kiwi Cake

2009-05-04T13:19:00.009-04:00

Kiwi Cake

1.5 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1.5 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1/4 stick butter
2 kiwis, pureed and strained.
1 drop green food coloring

1) Puree and strain 2 peeled kiwis
2) combine dry ingredients. Mix in eggs, melted butter, food coloring.
3) Put in a 9x13 pan in a 350 oven for 20 minutes.

Overall: So this is what happens when I'm bored at home. The idea started when I wanted to make strawberry cupcakes . Then I realized we have a LOT of kiwi's that need to be eaten. Strawberry + Kiwi = YUMMY. So then it turned into kiwi cupcakes with strawberry frosting. I'm not sure why I switched to a 9x13 pan, but these probably would have been better as cupcakes.

While the cupcakes were baking, I went to make the strawberry frosting which was an EPIC FAIL. Not sure why, it just was.

But the cake was alright, I would add more kiwi to the mixture. My cake was a little on the dense side but I might have used the bread flour instead of the all purpose flour because nothing is labeled here. But I would love to play more with these flavors :) So I just added a bit of chocolate frosting on top of mine for kicks.

Toffee Cheesecake

2009-04-28T11:15:00.001-04:00

Gingersnap crust:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 cups ground gingersnap cookies (about 7 1/4 ounces)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

Cheesecake:

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel topping

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy whipping cream

4 1.4-ounce English toffee candy bars (such as Heath or Skor), chopped

For gingersnap crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom of 9-inch springform pan with 2 1/2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Stir ground cookies, butter, and sugar in medium bowl until moist clumps form. Press cookie mixture firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Wrap outside of pan with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil. Bake crust until firm and beginning to darken, about 14 minutes. Cool crust. Maintain oven temperature.

For cheesecake:
Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Beat in butter, then eggs, 1 at a time, until just blended. Beat in vanilla. Pour batter over crust in pan. Place springform pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake cake uncovered until filling is puffed around edges and moves slightly in center when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove pan from water; remove foil. Place hot cheesecake uncovered in refrigerator overnight.

For caramel topping:
Stir sugar, water, and lemon juice in large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until mixture turns deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 9 minutes. Add cream (mixture will bubble). Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Chill until thickened but still pourable, about 15 minutes.

Spoon caramel over top of cake just to edges (do not allow caramel to drip down sides). Garnish top edges with chopped English toffee. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.

OVERALL: Okay so, No I did not make the caramel topping, instead I added about 1/2 cup of chopped toffee candy. It turned out really good. It was not as smooth as I wanted, probably because I forgot to add the butter (oops), but my friend who I gave it too as a birthday cake enjoyed it. Next time I would add more toffee to the cheesecake and probably just buy some caramel to melt and pour on top... But it was very good.

Also, no pictures because I fail, so the photo is the stock photo from the original recipe.

Restaurant Watch: Designer Greens

2009-04-27T11:20:00.000-04:00

So the really cute thing about this place is the "design your own salad" option. I really enjoy this option since I am a bit of a picky eater. But for $4.99 you can get a half salad (which is a lot).

I ordered a Waldorf Salad - spring mix letuce, granny smith apples, gala apples, candied pecans, and goat cheese with a dijon balsamic dressing. It was FABULOUS!

I am going here again whenever I crave a salad, which is more often than you think...

My favorite Visitor :P

2009-04-24T21:44:00.002-04:00

So my Fiance was in town this week, which meant some cooking in, eating out, and forgetting meals because we're busy catching up.

Monday night we made Jerked Chicken and Cucumber Salsa. It was alright, the Salsa was the best part for me. I have no pictures but I wanted to share this awesome recipe...

Mango Salsa:

2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 mango, diced
1 English cucumber, diced
2 green onions, diced

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, lime juice, hot sauce, and ginger. Mix thoroughly and add the remaining ingredients. Toss and refrigerate for 1 hour.

5-Minute Slim Down Meals

2009-04-20T15:10:00.000-04:00

Found Here by Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief

BODY-SLIMMING BREAKFASTS
RICOTTA WRAP (350 calories): 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp nonfat ricotta, 2 tbsp slivered almonds, 1/2 cup berries and 2 tsp honey in 1 whole-grain wrap such as Flatout multigrain flatbread

YOGURT CRUNCH (350 calories): 5 oz plain yogurt, 4 walnut halves, 3 tbsp All-Bran, 1/4 cup granola and 3/4 cup cubed melon

BACON, EGG AND CHEESE MUFFIN (500 calories): Scramble 1 large egg in 1 tsp margarine and place on a toasted whole-grain English muffin spread with 1 tsp margarine. Top with 1 slice cooked turkey bacon and 2 tbsp shredded reduced-fat cheddar. Serve with 3/4 cup berries, 1/4 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt and 12 oz skim latte. Try this blogger's tips to cut the cooking time.

LEAN AND LUSCIOUS LUNCHES
SHRIMP SALAD (400 calories): 10 cooked shrimp, 1/3 avocado, sliced, 1 tbsp slivered almonds, 2 tbsp each diced red onion and carrot, 1 tbsp prepared sesame dressing, tossed with 2 cups greens; 3 whole-grain crispbreads

TANGY TURKEY PITA (550 calories): 3 oz turkey breast, 5 olives, 3 tbsp feta, 2 tbsp each diced cucumber and tomato, 6 spinach leaves, 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tsp balsamic vinegar in 1 whole-wheat pita; 1 large orange

PEAR ‘WICH (650 calories): 3 tbsp almond butter, 1/2 large pear, sliced, 1/8 tsp cinnamon on 2 slices whole-wheat bread. Serve with the other half of the pear.

DELICIOUS, TRIM-DOWN DINNERS
FISH AND FRIES (400 calories): 4 oz cod rubbed with 1 tsp olive oil, seared (2 to
3 minutes per side); 12 Alexia Sweet Potato Fries, baked as directed on package; 1 1/2 cups sliced cabbage tossed with 2 tbsp reduced-fat dressing

CHICKPEA PASTA (550 calories): 1/3 cup chopped onion, 2 cups chopped zucchini, 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped, and 1/2 cup chickpeas sautéed in 1 tbsp olive oil. Mix with 1 cup cooked ziti, 2 tbsp Parmesan.

CHICKEN PILAF (600 calories): 3/4 cup cubed, cooked, skinless chicken mixed with 1 1/2 cups cooked Near East Whole Grain Wheat Pilaf drizzled with 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 cup steamed cauliflower with 1 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp fresh parsley

SATISFYING SNACKS
Turkey and cheese roll-up (100 calories): 1 oz sliced turkey breast, 1 oz sliced reduced-fat cheddar rolled up

Chocolate milk with nuts (150 calories): 1 cup light chocolate soymilk, 13 pistachios

Orange spritzer and almonds (150 calories): 8 oz orange juice mixed with 4 oz sparkling water; 7 almonds

~~~~~~~~

For the record, I would really only eat like 2 things on here. Chocolate Milk with nuts? No freaking way.

New Show Addiction

2009-04-16T19:32:00.001-04:00

So I've been watching Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern as my mind numbing weekending from my week of exams.

Damn this show is interesting, but I would never in my life eat anything featured on this show.

Teryaki Pork

2009-04-14T17:29:00.000-04:00

Pork Shoulder
teryaki marinade
2 tsbp Worcestershire sauce
paprika
cumin
salt & pepper
half diced red onion
2 chopped scallions

1. Rub pork with Paprika, cumin, salt, pepper.
2. Put in crock pot. Add Teryaki until pork is coated.
3. add onions, Worcestershire sauce, scallion.
4. Low for 8-9 hrs

Overall: YUMMY! No pictures because I was lazy, but I was REALLY suprised because I was just throwing stuff together. lol... I'll revisit once I make again.

Frozen Pizza's

2009-04-12T22:41:00.000-04:00

Every college student stacks up on frozen pizza. It's a necessity when you have a late night exam (as I'm writing this at 10:41 pm after a grueling physics exam) and you don't feel like cooking. Through my college experience, I have always had mini pizza in my freezer. Some hits, some misses.

You should note that I'm rating these pizza based on how well they microwave & how good they taste.

My Personal Favorite pizza is DiGorno Pizza's.

I love the traditional crust. It's a thick delicious pizza crust. One of the best things is that you can microwave and it's ACTUALLY decent pizza. The crust is crispy yet still fluffy. Also comes in Garlic Crust (greasy, not very good) and Thin crust (I'm not a thin crust girl)

Sadly, these are expensive. Normally about $3.50-$4.00 and SOMETIMES will go on sale for like 2 for $6.

Celesta Pizza

So I just picked up this brand to try something new. I always see it in our freezer from one my my roommates. Honestly, I probably won't by again. There is no where near enough cheese (I counted like 8 shredded mozzarella bits disbursed across the 8 inch pizza). The sauce had a bit of a peppery taste and overall did not cook well in the microwave.

The good news? 3 for $5!

Stouffer's French Bread Pizza

I stocked up on these when I was in my dorm with my mini fridge, because they are individually packaged and don't take up a lot of room. They are alright. I mostly cooked them in the oven because I don't remember if there were microwave instruction or if the microwaved pizza was crap. But the bread gets hard & crispy throughout. It feels like you are eating stale bread with pizza toppings.

These are expensive as well, running about $4. They are occasionally on sale here.

Red Barron Singles

Alright. Good thing is they have lots of cheese. They microwave alright. Although you should eat fast because after a while the cheese gets kinda gross.

I haven't bought these in a while I think because for the size and amount you get it's cheaper to just get another pizza.

Easter Presents :P

2009-04-12T19:27:00.001-04:00

Happy Easter!
Wonderful present from my mom :)

Chocolate Chili Cookies

2009-04-10T09:33:00.002-04:00

Chocolate Chili Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup coco
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder

1. Combine dry ingredient in bowl.
2. Add butter & chocolate chips make sure butter is cooled so it doesn't melt the chocolate
3. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 14 minutes.

OVERALL: So these were suppose to be chocolate chip cookies. Then one ingredient led to another and before you know it, these babies were born. These were so freaking good. I brought them to my study group the following day and were gone within 10 minutes of me getting there. The only thing I would do differently is play with the amount of chili powder, maybe adding some more because you couldn't taste it. But over all these were wonderful

Now I leave you with Cookie Porn...

Marinades

2009-04-08T11:09:00.001-04:00

Just an update through exams.

I tried Lawry's 30 Minute Marinades

Gross.

I bought Lemon & herbs, and Tequila & Lime.

Haven't tried the Tequila one yet, but I'm not holding my breath since the Lemon one was not very good.

happy times

2009-04-07T17:38:00.002-04:00

This post brought to you by my hectic exam week and this delicious cream cheese & strawberry jelly sandwich...

Another Article:

2009-04-03T10:30:00.000-04:00

Best Foods for a Flat Belly
SELF.com
By Lucy Danziger

What if someone told you that the way you eat could whittle your waistline? Sure, you'd think. Give up carbs and rely on rabbit food. Not true! I'm happy to tell you that there are other, yummier ways to go. Certain foods and styles of eating can indeed help flatten your belly (and everywhere else, for that matter). Try these tips and you'll uncover an amazing middle in no time.

Gimme a C: I love pink grapefruit and that's a good thing, since research has found that foods that are naturally rich in vitamin C—think citrus fruit, cantaloupe and red peppers—can help reduce fat absorption. In fact, skip it and you may see your middle expand, since diets low in vitamin C have been linked to bigger waistlines. Meet your daily goal of 75 milligrams by snacking on an orange or a cup of strawberries. See how these small changes can add up to big results.

Tea up: Women with the highest consumption of catechins, the plant-based antioxidants in tea that may boost fat burn, put on fewer pounds over 14 years than those who drank less tea, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals. Try to choose green or white varieties, which contain the most catechins. Learn how to maximize the benefits of tea and other superfoods.

Peel it off: Reach for a banana and you'll banish bloat faster than you can say Buddha belly. The fruit contains 422 mg of potassium, which controls the amount of puff-producing sodium in your system. Toss a banana in your bag for a fabulous ab-flattening snack. Try our Flat Abs Fast plan for more bloat-reducing tips and tricks.

Go low: Consuming just one meal of low-glycemic-index foods, those that your body digests slowly, can help you feel fuller all day so you're less likely to pack your tummy with treats, a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition reports. Low-GI foods include oatmeal and vegetables (sorry, not potatoes), as well as some fruit like grapefruit and blueberries. Oatmeal Meatballs are a tasty way to curb cravings.

Stroll away your sweet craving: Loco for cocoa? Me, too. A little dark chocolate is fine, but if you've already hit your limit, try lacing up your sneakers! Chocolate lovers who walked for 15 minutes reported reduced hankerings during the walk and even afterward, according to a study in the journal Appetite.

Ditch high-fructose corn syrup: Scan labels and you're likely to see high-fructose corn syrup on many ingredient lists...even on things like tomato sauce! When you do, put down that jar and look for something else. Why? High-fructose corn syrup can cause a surge in your blood sugar, and some research suggests it messes up your hunger and satiety signals, like leptin, leaving you less satisfied and causing you to eat more. When leptin responses fail, it's tougher to control appetite. The result: Extra calories get deposited as fat. To prevent this, trade packaged foods with high-fructose corn syrup for ones with healthy fats and fiber—think veggies, hummus, nuts or sunflower seeds.

Snap your snack: Taking a photo of your plateful of food can keep you slim. People who took pictures of everything they ate for five days reported consuming fewer snacks and being less likely to go back for seconds than during a week-long period in which they kept a written food diary, a study from the University of Wisconsin at Madison finds. Try capturing your meals for a week to help eyeball portion sizes as well as color variety—aim for more green, less white (unless it's cauliflower). See an example of this, and get ideas for healthy, photo-worthy meals of your own, at Eat Like Me.

Caprese Chicken Rollatini

2009-03-29T21:00:00.001-04:00

Caprese Chicken Rollatini

For the Chicken Rollatini:

2 chicken breasts
2 tbsp pesto sauce
A few slices of Mozzarella cheese
Balsamic Vinegar
cooking twine.

Recipe for the tomato Bruschetta can be found here

Directions:

1. You need to pound the chicken to about 1/8-1/4 thickness. The best way to do this either a)wrap your butting board in plastic wrap. Place one chicken breast in the center. Cover the chicken with an additional piece. or B) place chicken in a gallon sized ziploc bag and zip up. To evenly pound the chicken, start from the center of the chicken and work your way out. Repeat for 2nd breast.*note- if you are using a ziploc bag this can be tricky when the chicken becomes too big for the bag.

2. Take the tbsp of pesto sauce and spread on the chicken.

3. Add a slice of the mozzarella cheese. If you are slicing cheese by hand, try to make it as thin as possible. Don't add too much or it becomes impossible to roll.

4. Tie with cooking twine.

Chicken should look like this. I added too much cheese so it was coming out.

5. Put both chicken breasts on a baking sheet lined with tin foil (I sprayed with Pam for good measure). In a 350 degree oven let the chicken cook for about 40-45 minutes.

6. When ready to serve garnish with Bruschetta and a drizzle of Balsamic vinegar.

Been playing with photoshop. Which image is more appealing to you?

OVERALL: For my first attempt in a while at making an original dish I was really happy with this one. Originally I wanted to add the tomato into the rollatini as well, but decided that I'm not a fan of warm tomatoes.

My chicken was not thin enough. I spent probably 30 minutes pounding chicken with a frying pan (I don't have a meat pounder) while my roommate was watching T.V. So I probably should have gone a bit longer on both. My other mistake was using fresh Buffalo mozzarella cheese. When I checked up on the chicken, most of the cheese had melted out because it's like 80% water. I would used a sturdier mozzarella for this or perhaps skips the cheese in the middle and add it ontop halfway through cooking.

Also, the bruschetta was very good! It will probably be my go to recipe.

I was very happy with this meal and I'll keep working on perfecting it.

Merlion

2009-03-27T23:14:00.000-04:00

So one of the great things about being away from home in a semi-large city is the non chain restaurants you can find.

Merlion is suppose to be a Singapore cuisine restaurant, but to me it looks more oriental/American fusion of eastern food.

There were so many choices I wanted to try! I had:

Walnut Chicken
Crab Wonton Appetizer things (WHICH WERE AMAZING)

Their menu was extensive, even including a vegan menu. They also have a huge assortment of Teas. Most of all, the prices were fair, I think my bill was $12 with tip.

I'm mainly writing this (and I have a few other restaurants that I want to write up) because whenever friends/family are like "where should we go to dinner", we always end up at TGIFridays, Hops, Olive Garden, and other restaurants that you can basically go anywhere in the country.

This place gets my thumbs up!

New Banner :)

2009-03-27T17:34:00.002-04:00

Made a new banner to fit the chocolate-y theme.

Image if from Pistacho Cake I made last year.

Oil for Beginners.

2009-03-26T10:25:00.009-04:00

Cooking with oil for the first time is kinda scary. What is even more intimidating is going to grocery stores and seeing just HOW many variety of oils there are. What if you are trying to eat healthy, aren't oils and fats bad for you?

No. There are bad kinds of oils and fats that you should limit, but oils and fats are important in diets, in small amounts. The molecules that compose of oils and fats are necessary for normal body processes.

The Bad Fats
Saturated Fats	Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol).
Trans Fats	Trans fats raise LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and lower HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).
The Good Fats
Monounsaturated Fats	Monounsaturated fats lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and increase the HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).
Polyunsaturated Fats	Polyunsaturated fats also lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Omega 3 fatty acids belong to this group.

(Source)

So which oils should you buy?

Good Cooking Oils:

canola oil
flax seed oil
peanut oil
olive oil
non-hydrogenated soft margarine
safflower oil
sunflower oil
corn oil

Apparently Veggie oil isn't that good for cooking with from what I've seen!

The bolded oils are oils that I use often. When you are on a budget, there is no need to get ALL of these unless a specific recipe calls for, say, peanut oil. But chances are most of your cooking can be done using Canola oil & Olive oil.

Cooking with Oil

Probably the most intimidating cooking material to work with is oil. Working with oil your first time, you aren't sure when the pan is hot, what to do and what not to do, how high to turn the stove up. Most of my friends are scared because oil will spit and while the spitting rarely causes burns, it certainly makes you fearful of going near the pan. It's okay! Cooking with oil doesn't have to be scary. Let's talk about some basics:

All oils have a "smoke point"

Smoke Point- the temperature at which a cooking fat or oil begins to break down. The substance smokes or burns, and gives food an unpleasant taste. Therefore, the smoke point of a given fat is a key consideration in frying, with the smoke point of the oil dictating what temperatures and therefore what purposes a particular fat may be used for (for instance, deep frying is a very high-temperature process and requires a fat with a high smoke point). Beyond the smoke point is the flash point, the point at which combustion occurs.

The smoke point of an oil lets you know how hot the oil to get before cooking with it becomes very dangerous. Olive oils are best for medium heat. Olive oils are not good for frying because their smoke point is often too low for adequate frying. If you need high heat for frying, it's better to use " refined safflower and sunflower oils, peanut, safflower and soy oils. Refined almond, avocado and cottonseed oil are also great if you can find and afford them, and canola oil is usually not a problem either." (Source)

When do I know when oil is ready?
When sauteing, using a small amount of oil, you do not need to coat the entire bottom, a dime-quarter size will be enough. Notice when you pour the oil out, the oil moves slowly (Faster than syrup but slower than water) Turn the stove on medium heat. When the oil moves around the pan with the consistency of water (meaning easily:P), the oil is ready for cooking.

Why does my oil always spit?
Spitting oil is normally caused by 2 things: A) The temperature is too high or B) What you are cooking has a high percentage of water. If you are cooking meat, chances are you have your temperature too high and the oil isn't happy. Turn the heat down slightly. My mom has a wonderful screen that fits over a 10 in saute pan to temper oil spitting. If you are on Medium heat, chances are the oil is fine and what you are COOKING has a high percentage of water (such as veggies). Oil and water do not mix. This is why when using a deep fryer for a thanksgiving turkey YOU NEED TO THAW THE TURKEY! Oil and water leads to fires if precautions aren't taken when using the deep fryer. Another note, when you are done cooking with the pan, let the oil cool before you decide to clean the pan, otherwise the hot oil will react with the water and potentially cause damage to you or your home.

Storytime: So this entry is more or less dedicated to my roommate, who refuses to cook with oil after a bad experience. She put some oil in a pan, heated in, added pork chops to the pan when the oil was ready. Well, the oil was too hot and started to smoke. I'm really not sure where my roommate was at this point or if she thought it was the meat cooking. Anyways, the pan caught on fire. On fire people. She screamed and her Chinese roommate came out and took the pan off the heat and dropped it on the tile floor. The picture on the left is the result. I don't know why they didn't reach for the fire extinguisher, it's in the kitchen.

I'm still scared of using Oil to cook with!
It's alright. Having a bad experience when cooking with oil will make most people nervous before doing it again. If you can get yourself a saute pan screen to reduce any oil spitting. If you can't afford, don't want to spend money until you know you can cook with oil, cover the pan with a normal lid. When you need to stir the contents to the pan, remove the pan from heat for about 30 seconds or until you don't hear the oil sizzling anymore.

When can I use butter?
If you want some light sauteing, butter is fine. My mom would normally melt a tsp of butter in a pan and throw some chicken in the pan. The chicken would lightly brown. Water can be added to this method of cooking. Butter has a low smoke point so you can easily burn butter. You won't fry anything with butter. I prefer using butter with more sweet dishes, like peaches I made a few weeks back.

More questions/answers can be found Here including the differences in the various Olive Oils, How to store oils, how long you should keep oils. Another great website more in detail about EVOO here

-------------------------------------------------
If I've forgotten anything or have anything incorrect up here, let me know! Most of this information comes from my own experience cooking and maybe I'm doing things incorrectly!

Unhealthiest Restaurants

2009-03-25T20:31:00.003-04:00

Thought this article would be important for college kids, mostly because your first year, you WILL eat out a lot!

America's Unhealthiest Restaurants

My notables on that list:

Baskin-Robbins
Denny's (so many midnight dinners)
Dairy Queen
Ruby Tuesday
Chilis
Macaroni Grill
Applebees
IHOP (Mmm, this is where we went after Gators won nationals!.. at 2 in the AM)
TGIFridays

My Own List:

Chipolte
Moe's
Coldstone

Mac and Cheese gone wrong

2009-03-23T18:00:00.003-04:00

Mac and Cheese. Let's not kid ourselves, how many times do you open up a box of Kraft Mac N Cheese, or Easy Mac, or whatever store bought cheese powder is your preference. For me, Mac N Cheese was my staple freshman year. It was easy to make, hard to screw up, and about $0.80 a box. Now that I've grown out of "the cheesiest" Mac N Cheese, I've been looking for some more sophisticated takes on my childhood favorite. Here's an article I thought interesting, followed by my own attempts to spruce up this dish:

Norma Jean Darden, the owner of Miss Maude's and Miss Mamie's soul food restaurants and Spoonbread Catering in New York City makes the best mac 'n' cheese I've ever tasted. She was kind enough to share her recipe in The Magical Melting Pot cookbook. What makes it so delicious is the cheesy custard surrounding the macaroni, and all the cheese on top which gives it a beautiful, golden appearance.

You can easily create international versions of this mac n' cheese recipe by using foreign cheeses and adding locally popular proteins such as salami, ham, or shrimp, and seasonings such as dill or chili peppers. Here are four recipes that shed a whole new light on what mac 'n' cheese can be! Proudly serve them for lunch or dinner, along with a nice, big salad tossed in vinaigrette dressing. Enjoy!
Norma Jean Darden's Basic Mac 'n' Cheese Recipe
(makes approximately 6 servings)
2 cups dry macaroni, or other shape pasta
2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs beaten
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9" X 13" baking dish.
3. Cook the pasta in boiling water with the two teaspoons salt, until al dente. Drain and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and whisk in the evaporated milk until well blended. Add 2 cups of the the cheese, the 1/2 teaspoon salt, melted butter, and cooked pasta.
5. Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Top it evenly with the remaining cup of cheddar cheese.
6. Bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until the custard has set and the cheese on top turns golden brown.

"ITALIAN" MAC 'N' CHEESE
Proceed as above, but add:
4 ounces dry salami (hot or regular), thinly sliced and cut int 1/4" pieces. This should be approximately 3/4-cup, firmly packed.
1 cup sun dried tomatoes, cut in 1/4" pieces or shredded. If you use the kind that are packed in oil, drain the oil.
Substitute 3 cups of shredded Italian blend cheese (Quattro Formaggio with Parmesan, Asiago, Fontina, and mild Provolone) instead of the Cheddar. If you can't find the Italian Blend, use any of these cheeses, or some combination.

"MEXICAN" MAC 'N' CHEESE
Proceed as above, but add:
1 4-oz. can chopped chilis (mild or hot)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Substitute 3 cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese (sharp Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Asadero, queso blanco) instead of all Cheddar. If you can't find the Mexican Blend, use any of these cheeses, or some combination.

"SWISS" MAC 'N' CHEESE
Proceed as above, but add:
6 ounces sliced, cooked ham, cut in 1/4" pieces (approximately 1 cup, firmly packed)
Substitute 3 cups of Swiss cheese, shredded, or sliced and cut in 1/4" pieces.

"DANISH" MAC 'N' CHEESE
Proceed as above, but add:
2 cups shrimp (baby shrimp or any size, cut in 1/4" pieces)
1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped (or more if you love dill)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Substitute 3 cups of Havarti cheese (plain or with dill), shredded, or sliced and cut in 1/4" pieces.
Source

So In my attempts to spruce up the mac and cheese I made my own...

Mac N Cheese with Pepperjack...in the crockpot?

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked elbow macoroni (no, I had penne)
4 oz light cheese, cubed
1 cup shredded mild chedder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1.5 cup skim milk

Directions:

Combine ingredients together in crock pot. cook on low for 3-3.5 hours. Stir after 20-30 minutes.

OVERALL: Sounds good right? I followed everything, the only substitution I made was using pepperjack cheese cubes. When it came time for me to stir the dinner, I noticed that my pasta was burning. WTF, how do you burn food in a crock pot? I stirred and added a bit more milk. Now, I was growing concerned. I double checked and I added everything in the right amounts. But I noticed it was for a 3-4 quart crock pot. I have a 6 qt crock pot. Damn. Ultimately IF I was to try this again, I would double all quantities. But I prefer the stove top way 100 fold!

Blog Feature Recipe!

2009-03-22T15:06:00.002-04:00

This is actually a note to myself:

I just made Joy the Baker's Chocolate Banana Bread and it turned out wonderfully! Must make again, but I would add a bit more banana to mine.

Raisin granola muffins

2009-03-21T08:45:00.000-04:00

Raisin Granola Muffins

Ingredients:

1.75 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp salt
1.5 cup granola
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 egg whites
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp veggie oil
1/4 cup raisins (my add in)

Directions: Mix dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl mix wet ingredients. Fold in dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Mix. Spoon into cupcake tray. Cook for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

OVERALL: So I rarely make things from stratch. Not because I don't like it, but it's always time consuming for me and I don't have enough bowls to mix things separately and I generally make a mess. Plus, I feel like I have less ability to use my creative energy to modify the recipe! But I was staring at my box of granola, which had this lovely recipe on the side. It looked simple enough, and I HAD all the ingredients to make (minus the vanilla). So I decided to make them.

They tasted very good when they came out of the oven. There was only a hint of sweetness, no where near what I'm use to when buying muffins from Starbucks, but they were still good.

I have no idea what happened overnight. I put them in the fridge, covered and all, and they turned to rock hard muffins. They were almost painful to eat. I ended up throwing about half away after I couldn't eat anymore. So I'm not sure if I would make again, maybe some weird planet alignment caused the muffins to turn on me.

Peaches Gone Wild

2009-03-20T18:18:00.003-04:00

Oh baby baby!

So I was craving sweets the other night. I've been trying to limit the amount of sugar I eat because trust me, it's a lot. So I threw out my sweets and decided cold turkey was the best option.

Lies.

Just like any drug user, I need to wean myself off the drug. So, in an attempt to cure my aching for sweets, I sauteed some peaches:

Sweet Peaches

2 sliced peaches
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp butter
Optional: 1 tbsp good rum, vanilla ice cream

1. Add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg (and rum if you chose) to sliced peaches. Let them "marinade" for about 20 minutes. I had fresh peaches that were about to go bad, so I used them. I suppose canned would work, but fresh is best!
2. Melt the butter in a saute pan.
3. Add peaches to pan.
4. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until they are soft.

Overall: Yeah, it cured my sweet tooth. I wish I was 21 so I could go get some rum to cook with. Or I had some vanilla ice cream to top. Or had some flour and other ingredients to make like a cobbler. But it was yummy, and I had the rest the next morning in some yogurt and granola.

On another note, I'm TRYING to work on my photographing of pictures. The next few posts are actually scheduled so they don't reflect my attempts at taking pretty pictures.

Interesting Article: Easy Dinners

2009-03-19T23:10:00.001-04:00

t’s 6 p.m. and the family wants to know “What’s for dinner?”

Why not look in your pantry, root through your freezer and search the refrigerator to come up with some short-cut meals? People ask me if I cook and I say yes, but I also do a lot of meal assembly when time is tight. Here are some meals in minutes that will please the family and the cook.

Have a question of general interest? E-mail Chris Rosenbloom

Fit to Eat columns

More Fit to Eat

• Chris Rosenbloom, Ph.D., R.D., is a member of the nutrition faculty in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Georgia State University

Related:
• Carolyn O'Neil:

Eat healthy snacks to stay alert in seminars

Good links:
• Evening Edge
• AJC Food & Drink
• AJC Health Channel
• Diet and Nutrition headlines, resources
• Atlanta Restaurant reviews and search
• Low fat/ heart healthy recipes
• Search recipes

• Brown, black and red burritos. Use a bag of ready rice (brown rice is best) and cook in microwave according to package directions. Pour the rice in a bowl and mix in a can of drained black beans and some jarred salsa to taste. Wrap in tortillas or stuff in pita bread and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Serve with a side of baked tortilla chips and salsa.

• Chicken soup meal. Take a couple of cans of chicken soup (or any broth-based soup) and add a can of mixed, drained vegetables and a can of drained garbanzo beans (chickpeas). Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve with whole-grain bread.

• Pasta in a hurry. Cook any type of pasta in your pantry according to package directions (spaghetti, fettuccine, etc.). Heat olive oil in frying pan and toss in bite-size pieces of vegetables (broccoli, bell peppers, onions, carrots, etc.). Serve over pasta with drizzle of olive oil. Serve with side salad and bread sticks.

• Tuna toast. Drain a can or two of tuna and add finely chopped celery, onions, olives and raisins and mix with reduced-fat mayonnaise. Spread over thick slices of whole-wheat bread or any bread in your freezer. Place under broiler to heat through. Serve with baby carrots and apple wedges.

• Tortellini soup. Cook a package of refrigerated or dried tortellini (any kind will do). Drain. Mix one can of chicken broth with one can diced tomatoes. Add chopped garlic and dried basil. Mix in tortellini. Serve with green salad or steamed vegetables.

• Chicken nuggets. Using boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thaw in microwave if frozen), slice into strips. Dredge in an egg white (give the yolk to your dog) and dredge in panko (bread crumbs). Bake on cookie sheet (covered in foil for easy clean up); add slices of potato drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkle of dried rosemary on the same baking sheet and cook until the chicken and potatoes are done, about 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with cooked frozen or canned green vegetable.

TOP 10 PANTRY ITEMS FOR SHORT-CUT MEALS

• Cans of beans (keep a variety on hand: black, kidney, garbanzo, cannellini and pinto)

• Bags of ready rice (brown is preferred)

• High-protein whole-grain pastas

• Cans of broth-based soup

• Oatmeal

• Olive oil

• Couscous, bulgur or millet

• Light chunk tuna canned in water

• Low-fat microwave popcorn

• Nuts

TOP 10 FREEZER ITEMS FOR SHORT-CUT MEALS

• Whole-grain breads

• Chicken breast or chicken thighs

• Whole-wheat tortillas

• Vegetables (buy bags of veggies for easy storage)

• Turkey or black bean burgers

• Frozen fruit (for out-of-season use)

• Whole-wheat pitas

• Whole-grain waffles

• Ground turkey breast

• Frozen boneless fish fillets

Weeknight dinners :)

2009-03-18T23:14:00.000-04:00

Doesn't that look appetizing? Yeah it was just that good.

So a lot of my friends wonder how I can cook myself dinner. Dinners for one are never really fun. A lot of work for just eating alone and then mounds on pots and pans to clean up.

This is what I pretty much make when I'm too tired to cook and don't want to clean a sink full of pots.

Potatoes & Onions
Ingredients:

2 small-medium potatoes (depending on how hungry I am)
1/4 white onion
garlic
Seasonings I vary between (I only use one): Paprika, chives, rosemary
Salt & Peppa (:P)

Pretty much throw in a pan with a little bit of oil. Add potatoes first. When the potatoes are almost done, add the onions. If you add everything at the same time onions will burn. Season to taste. If you want some hot potatoes use cayenne, red pepper flakes, and/or chili powder.

Honestly, I throw this together in about 15 minutes. And I only have one pot to clean. It's fab. Yeah, I know it's starchy. Add what you want to make you feel better about eating it. More veggies & leftover meats would allow you to cut back on using so many potatoes. You can add in bacon, top with cheese & sour cream, whatever. I'll eat about half and then store the rest for another night.

2009-03-15T21:01:00.001-04:00

*facelift*

Now I just need a new banner :)

I've died and gone to heaven

2009-03-15T18:56:00.002-04:00

Cappuccino Hazelnut Cheesecake $52.00

Candy Crazy Sampler Reg Price $44.00 on sale for $30.80

Heath Bar Cheesecake Price $35.00

Chocolate Lover's Sampler Reg Price $40.00 On Sale $28.00

Oh god. Saw this on Unwrapped.

Eli's Cheesecake

Oh. My. God. I don't think there is one cheesecake there I would not try. They have Cheesecake Couture!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2009-03-14T16:34:00.000-04:00

Mmm, another application of the wonderful Shredded Chicken Recipe I posted a few posts back. Leftovers are wonderful for me because I can spend sunday cooking and procrastinating on my homework and make lotsa food for me to eat throughout the week, but something different all the time!

Chicken Tortilla Soup:
Ingredients:

10 oz Master Recipe Shredded Chicken
1 can canned tomatoes with green chili peppers
28 oz chicken broth
1 package frozen peppers
1 can corn (or frozen I suppose, we used canned)
Tortilla chips
Optional: Jalapeno pepper, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in your crock pot.
2. If you want the jalapeno, seed and dice the pepper. BE CAREFUL! Jalapenos are wicked painful to the eyes if you touch your eyes after working with the peppers. Best option is to work with plastic glove. If your hands are going naked, make sure to wash REALLY well. I've made the mistake of NOT washing my hands well enough. It hurts. Real bad.
3. Cook on low for 5-6 hrs or on high for 3.5-4 hrs.
4. Garnish with Tortilla chips (we had pita chips), cheese, sour cream, or whatever else you like in your soup
OVERALL: It was good. Honestly though, I am not a fan of soups. My entire family, who is not as finicky as I am, loved the soup and it was gone within a day. That must say something about it right? But I probably won't make again because I don't like soups. Unless it's cold. Then I would.

Kitchen Social Experiment

2009-03-14T13:13:00.005-04:00

This post isn't really about food. But it's about a college experience nonethenless. Unless you've grown up in a house where you make your own dinner or you have a fair amount of siblings, it comes as a shock when you move out on your own and face sharing a kitchen.

My first year at college was spent in a dorm. I shared a room with a girl. We never became friends really. I had 2 pots, one chefs knife, one paring knife, a small plastic cutting board, and a community kitchen. Now, I'm pretty sure my experience was abnormal compared to others who have shared the joys of dorm life, but I didn't like living in a dorm. Next year I moved into an apartment with friends, thinking it would be a huge change from the constantly dirty pots and pans piled in the sink for days.

I was wrong.

Right now there are only 2 of the 4 girls in my apartment that *know* how to work a dishwasher apparently. Myself and a graduate research student from germany.

The hardest thing you will have to content with when living with others, is people using your stuff and not cleaning it. I can't tell you how upset I was when I saw my new chefs knife I got for christmas sitting in the dirty sink water. It now has little rust stains on it. It was brand new. Roommates cut meat on my wooden cutting board and LEAVE PIECES OF MEAT OVERNIGHT on my cutting board. Roommates use my teflon pans and use shiny metal tongs or forks to stir, scrathing the coating. Roommates leave food overnight in my pans. Like, right now, theres a pot of rice that has been on the stove since thursday night. One roommate lives by the motto "out of sight out of mind", which is evident in her forgetting that meats and vegetables have a shelf life. I cleaned the fridge this weekend and threw out rotten tomatoes and marinating pork chops that were in the fridge since mid week february.

The worst part was the dishes in the sink. I would put away dishes every night and unload the dishwasher every other morning. They weren't even my dishes. It just got to me.

I told me roommates they can't use my stuff anymore, and they need to do their own dishes. So far it's worked out alright but there are dishes in the sink this morning from 2 days ago.

Not really sure why I'm posting this. I just am at a loss of what to do.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

2009-03-10T13:25:00.005-04:00

This recipe uses the Master Shredded Chicken recipe!

So I love anything buffalo really. This was really easy to make and tasted great:

Buffalo Chicken sandwich

Ingredients:

1 cup of Master Sheredded Chicken Recipe
Hot sauce to taste
1/4 up sour cream
3 tbsp crumbled blue cheese
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Bun!

Directions:
1. Combine the chicken and as much hot sauce as you want. Buffalo marinade/sauce would also work, but I didn't have any so I just used hot sauce, tasted good.
2. Heat the chicken
3. In a separate bowl combine sour cream, blue cheese, cayenne pepper. Mix well.
4. Cut your bun, add a piece of lettuce, pile chicken on. Top with blue cheese sauce.
5. Enjoy:

So I made 2 and had already ate one before I realized I should take a picture!

OVERALL: Simple easy snack using leftovers and easy/cheap ingredients. Also can be scaled up to feed a large group! I'm sure you can use the same concept with BBQ sauce and coleslaw for a BBQ chicken sandwich.

Master Recipes

2009-03-09T13:36:00.006-04:00

So my mom got this AWESOME crock pot magazine and here are 2 recipes which will be critical for future recipes I'm going to post/try. No pictures this time.

Shredded Chicken:

4 to 5 lbs of chicken thighs, skinned.
4 thyme springs
4 parsley stems
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, halved
1 32 oz chicken broth

1. Combine in crock pot, cook on low for 7 to 8 hrs or high 3.5-4 hrs.

Shredded Pork

3-3.5 lbs pork shoulder
1 cup chopped sweet onion
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 20 oz bottle chili sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp cidear vinegar
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
0.5 tsp salt
0.5 tsp pepper

1. Combine in slow cooker. cook for 10 to 11 hrs on low or 5 to 6 hrs on high.

The idea is the meat to have a mild flavor so it can be easily combine with other sauces for other dishes!

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice cream

2009-03-06T20:46:00.007-05:00

So for Christmas my grandma got our family an ice cream maker:

Behold! The wonderful ice cream maker. Sadly, I don't live at home so I haven't gotten to use it since Christmas because I haven't been home. What a waste of a beautiful machine too. My mom and sister don't eat sweets and my step dad will have a sweet tooth once in a blue moon. But I wasn't allowed to bring it home.

So my first experience with an ice cream maker was a blast. My mom and I spent the time catching up and having a great time. We made Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

4 oz egg beater
2 cup heavy cream
1 cup pureed strawberries
8 oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar

Optional: So if you want some texture in your ice cream you can add chocolate chips, quartered strawberries, whatever you would like in your strawberry ice cream.

Directions:

Note: You have to put the metal canister in the freezer for a LONG time, we left it in for like 24 hours so it was nice and cold.

1. Cream together egg beaters and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add in cream, cream cheese, pureed strawberries, and vanilla.
3. Mix thoroughly.
4. Once everything is mixed, set up the ice cream machine and have everything ready to pour into canister. Once you take the canister out of the freezer it starts to thaw, which is bad because the cold canister is what freezes the ice cream.
5. turn on machine. leave for 30 minutes.
6. Ice cream is going to be custard-y once done. Put in a container and freeze for a few hours if you want it harder.

Overall: Honestly, this was just as fun for me to make as it was to eat. The ice cream was creamy and had nice flavor. I would have loved some chocolate chips. But it was fun. Wish I had this to play with. Do you know HOW many flavors of ice cream you can make?

Chinese... part duex

2009-02-27T15:55:00.004-05:00

There is nothing more annoying to me than ordering food because I'm super tired and don't feel like cooking, realizing I ordered too much, having to refrigerate half of my food, only to throw it away the next day because left over Chinese sucks when you try to warm it up. Honestly, it's like eating a tire. So I tried a new method:

reheating via saute pan.

Basically, I have General Tso chicken, and dumped everything into a saute pan. Added about 1/4 cup water and let the chicken heat on medium for about 10 minutes.

Great way to reheat if you have the time. Tastes just like you ordered it that day :)

Looking for more...

2009-02-26T12:53:00.002-05:00

So if any of my friends have recipes or ideas for a blog post I don't mind featuring a blog post by anyone.

Just Sayin :)

Double Delights

2009-02-25T08:56:00.004-05:00

So I feel like I haven't made food in forever!

That's actually not true, I've just gotten in a routines of making potatoes for dinner, maybe with a side of chicken. I should remember to make a post about my awesome potatoes. But for now, a bit of story time and two wonderful sweet treats.

One of the best things I can advise any new college student is to get into a routine or habit of hanging out with friends. Whether that's going out to dinner on saturday nights or having late night study groups, it's important to remember that socializing is a good thing. For me, I (normally) get together with friends Monday nights to watch House MD. We often have dinner, either I bring dinnner or some appetizers are already made. Lately we've had to put our weekly meetings on hold because of school conflicts. But the last week we met I brought along some Ginger Cookies:

Ginger Cookies:

Box of Gingerbread cake mix
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp melted butter
Optional: Butter cream frosting

Directions/Overall: BASICALLY on side of the gingerbread cake mix tells you how to make ginger cookies (soft) or gingersnap cookies (hard). I opted for the middle ground using only 1 tbsp flour instead of 2 tbsp, which would have given some crisy cookies. They were crisp enough that they didn't fall apart when you picked them up, but soft enough that they didn't break your teeth.

So my gimick was melting a little butter cream frosting and spreading a thin layer on top. Best to do this when the cookies are cooled. And then refridgerate. You only need a thin layer otherwise it's very overpowering.

Cut to Valentines day:

So my Valentine is across the world for the military. Instead of staying at home moping I decided to hang out with my friend, Tiffany and have a lovely smorgasbord of desserts. Honestly this girl bought chocolate cake, 5 different cookies, cupcakes, and strawberries. It was awesome. I decide to bring brownies (because I did not know the extent of her sweet tooth!) Here are my mint chocolate brownies (inspired by Sandra Lees Slow Cooker Mint Brownies)

Mint Chocolate Brownies

Package of brownie mix
8oz cream cheese
1 cup confectionary sugar
Andes chocolate mint candies
2 tsp mint extract (she used Creme de Menthe, which is fine but I don't know where to get that)
1/4 cup water

Directions:
1) Mix the brownie mix as the directions say.
2) Add in chopped Andes chocolates (it's okay you can sneak one :) )
3) add in mint extract (truth be told I don't remember if I added 1 tsp or 2. I would start with one, taste the batter, and if you want more of a minty flavor add one more tsp)
4) pour in 13x9 pan
5) In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, confectionery sugar, and 1 tsp mint. Use a hand mixer/whisk to beat together until smooth.
6) Add cream cheese mixture on top of brownie mixture. Using a tooth pick or a knife, draw in vertical lines to give it a marbleized look.
7) Bake at 350 (or whatever temp on the box) for the time needed for the pan size.

Overall: Yeah these were awesome. I very much enjoyed the cream cheese layer. Yummy.

Freshman 15?

2009-02-17T21:16:00.003-05:00

This article offers suggestions on avoiding the dreaded freshman 15. And it amuses me because it left out the number one weight-gaining activity for all college freshman:

Drinking.

I have a fair amount of friends that packed on the pounds because of weekend pAArtying the entire semester.

But most of this stuff doesn't explicitly apply to college. Just helpful hints on good eating habits. Although the mini fridge suggestion is brilliant. Honestly, you will be amazed how few items you can fit, it really causes you to prioritize.

Chicken Salad

2009-02-15T12:30:00.000-05:00

Over the summer my sister and I made this chicken salad, the exact way Tyler Florence describes it, with the whole chicken and everything. 6 months later, my friends and I started monday night Dinner & House MD. The first night, I decided to make this chicken salad, with a few adjustments.

Chicken Salad

3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded.
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
Kosher salt
About 1 cup mayonnaise
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 celery stalks, small diced
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves plus sprigs, for garnish
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Boil the chicken so it's been throughly cooked and shred the chicken. for me it was easiest using 2 forks to pull the chicken.
2. Add all ingredients in a big bowl and mix together.

OVERALL: So I cut back on the mayo because the first time we made this it seemed the chicken is swimming in Mayo, which is nasty as hell. Next time I'll probably use chicken thigh or some more tender meat because the chicken seemed to be a little on the dry side. Very good though. Made me happy.

Last night at a friends house her roommate was making chicken salad, and instead of using Mayo, celery, and walnuts, used yogurt, grapes and apple. Sounds very interesting and I think I might have to try.

Easy Crispy Chicken

2009-02-12T18:02:00.003-05:00

Lately I haven't had time to make time consuming dinners. Mostly, It's been a piece of chicken, some potatoes, and corn/carrots/peas. I did find a nifty way of making crispy chicken.

So you know when you are trying to make breaded chicken? Normally (at least how my mom does it) you dip the chicken in some combination of eggs, flour, and breadcrumbs. You get a nice crust on the chicken, but instantly breaks away the moment you cut into that wonderful chicken and are left eating sauteed chicken and the crust separately.

INSTANT SOLUTION!

In a small glad bag, pour in bread crumbs and seasonings. Lately I've been favoring a paprika/Cayenne pepper flavor. Throw your chicken in the bag. Shake well. And gently put into a medium sized pan already heated with a little bit of oil. Let the chicken cook for about 3-4 minutes per side.

The result is nice and crispy chicken without the crust falling off.

Also makes clean up WAY easier, which when you are trying to minimize dish time, is very important-o.

2009-01-26T22:56:00.004-05:00

I suppose monday nights are my nights for making food. A few friends and I have been getting together for dinners the past week for watching House M.D. (Which is the greatest show ever). Last week I made some chicken salad, which I haven't written about yet because I've been lazy. This week my two friends brought the main dish (Nummy Sandwiches) and I brought this:

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for preparing the pan
1 cup sugar
3 very ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed with a fork (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup toasted walnut pieces

Directions:
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, set aside. (No I didn't...) Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, set aside (No...). Lightly brush a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter (I had a 8x8 pan that I sprayed with Pam. Also, Instead of using 0.5 cup of butter I might have used 0.33 cup of butter and added one of those to-go apple sauce containers). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand-held mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing until incorporated. Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled, so don't worry), and remove the bowl from the mixer.
With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the nuts and transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean (This was ~40 minutes for an 8x8). Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack. Wrap in plastic wrap. The banana bread is best if served the next day.

Overall: So this bread was a hit at the little House party. The roomates devoured the bread, which is cool because I still have 3 more bananas that need to be made into something delicious. The bread was moist, a few people described it as "buttery", which maybe a compliment but I cut back on the butter a little bit so maybe it was the applesauce?

Some people don't know but subsituting applesauce (normally for oil & especially in cake mixes) is healthier and doesn't taste different at all. It worked great in this recipe.

Sandy's Buffalo Dip

2009-01-22T23:09:00.008-05:00

Sandy's Spicy Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients:

2 Packages of Cream cheese
1 bottle hot sauce (not sure on size of bottle)
1 bottle Ranch dressing
2 cups Shredded chicken
Shredded chedder cheese

Directions:
1. Put all ingredients into a pot. Stir until melted.
2. Spread the mixture into a 13x9 baking dish or split between a 13x9 and 8x8 if you have extra
3. Add the chedder cheese on top.
4. Heat in the over at 350 until cheese is melted.

OVERALL: So this dip is absolutely amazing. I asked her for the recipe because I know I am FOR SURE making this. I would recommend "scoop-able" chips to get all the yummy goodness. Sandy also told me that celery in this dish is optional if anyone was looking for an extra crunch. This dip can get a little hot, so if you are concerned with heat add hot sauce in intermittent amounts until you get the right heat. This is great for football games & general party appetizer.

Favorite Food Network Shows

2009-01-17T17:28:00.001-05:00

So some friends have asked me where I get my ideas for cooking food. No surprise, I watch T.V. But Food Network doesn't always have hit shows. Sometimes that chef on the show talks too much (Rachel Ray), not interesting enough (Alton Brown), uses too many expensive and hard to find ingredients for me (Emeril Lagasse), or are just plain annoying (The Neeley's). I've made a list of some of my favorite shows and where I most get my recipes from.

Tyler's Ultimate
Saturdays at 9am/8c and Weekdays at 3:30pm/2:30c

The idea of this show is to make one meal as "ultimate" as it can get. He's done so many meals that I have bookmarked. The ingredients are not that hard to find, and if he goes for something extravagant, he normally tells you a more affordable or easily found alternative. The downside to this show is sometimes the cooking is intense, meaning you have to watch the food & stay in the kitchen. Not always that good for a college student. But for weekend meals or having friends over for a nice dinner, this guy is awesome.

Barefoot Contessa with Ina Garten
Saturdays at 1:30pm/12:30c and Sundays at 10am/9c

My sister doesn't like this show much because Ina Garten tends to have a monotone voice, which puts my sister to sleep, but I really enjoy her recipes. The ingredients for the majority of the recipes of this store can be found easily and aren't expensive. Plus she makes goodies like homemade jams & hot chocolate, things that are extra special when you make them at home. However, some of her recipes are a bit on the rich side.

Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee
Sundays at 12pm/11c and Weekdays at 4pm/3c

The premise of the show uses store bought ingredients & some fresh ingredients to make a dish all your own. This is honestly my favorite food network show because everything is easy to find and easy to put together! I've made some recipes from her before and it turned out wonderful!

At Home with Paula Deen

The Queen of the south. God knows most of her recipes aren't for the health conscious, but many of them look & taste amazing. She has about 3 shows on food network. Not going to lie, sometimes her southern accent is a bit grating, but she's much more entertaining to watch than Rachel Ray. I haven't tried any of her recipes, although I have a few bookmarked. I'm very scared of the calories! She has done some wonderful episodes for budget oriented families and quite a bit on leftovers.

Everyday Italian
Saturdays at 7am/6c and Tuesday thru Friday at 4:30pm/3:30c

I'll admit sometimes her show is just a little too Italian-- using meats I've never heard of and ingredients I would have to go to a little Italian store to get. But, she has some fabulous ideas for something different and fun for the family. The homemade Gnocchi I made was inspired by her recipe. I also have about 10 recipes saved from her that I'm waiting to do.

Other Mentions: I don't really look for these shows. Sometimes I'll watch if the food looks interesting, other times I'll just change the channel

Guy Fieri of Guy's Big Bite, Diners & Drives, And some new show... I very much enjoy him but he cooks a lot of red meat and has a large Mexican influence in his cooking. Not a problem with me, but if the entire episode is skirt steak and sides I don't eat--no thanks.
Robin Cook of 15 minute meals. She's alright. Kinda plain and boring. The one recipe I made from her was really bland and boring (was suppose to be buffalo chicken). But she caters to people who don't have/want a lot of cooking time.

Orange Carrots

2009-01-14T18:27:00.005-05:00

Orange Carrots
Tyler Florence

1 bunch young carrots, with tops (Baby carrots worked fine. I used enough so no carrots were overlapping. I was only cooking for one)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 orange, zested and halved (I used1/4 cup Orange Juice because I didn't have any oranges!)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions: Cut off all but 1-inch of the carrot tops, leaving a little green. Put the carrots in a large shallow pan, add the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Turn to coat the carrots. Stick them in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, until the carrots are fork-tender.
In the meantime, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Swirl the pan around and cook until the butter begins to become brown and nutty. Squeeze in the juice from the orange halves, add the zest, brown sugar, cumin and cinnamon and continue to cook for 2 minutes or until syrupy.
Remove the carrots from the oven, drizzle the orange brown butter over the carrots and serve.

OVERALL: Damn these were good. I might have used a bit too much Orange Juice, but still I loved using the Cumin & Cinnamon together. These aren't too sweet. My only complain was that I might have used too much OJ & therefore the butter was a little on that watery (or OJ-y) side. I will definitely make this for friends and family. Plus the baby carrots are so damn cute!

Featured Blog

2009-01-10T15:50:00.002-05:00

So my very good friend down home decided to venture out on her own and start cooking for herself.

The New Inexperienced aspiring cook! is her first food blog. I have no idea what this blog will become, but I'm excited to see.

Cajun Chicken

2009-01-06T19:01:00.004-05:00

Cajun Chicken

1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning (I used Seasoning Salt from my new spice rack, same amount)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 Boneless Skinless chicken cutlet
2 tbsp veggie oil

1. In a large plastic bag combine all dry ingredients. Add chicken. Shake it!
2. Before you put your chicken in the pan, make sure the oil is ready to cook, adds to the crispiness.
3. Cook for 6-8 Minutes.

cooking away....

Finished Product.

OVERALL: This was a recipe I found in a magazine my grandma gave me over winter break. The flavor was really good, not too hot. If you like spicy food you might want to add a slight bit more Cayenne pepper, but I was fine with the amount recommended. I very much enjoyed the crispiness of the chicken. Very good. Also, this recipe was for chicken breasts, but lately I've preferred the chicken cutlets because they are thinner & cheaper.

Guess who's back..

2008-12-31T22:32:00.001-05:00

So I would like to apologize for vanishing from the blogsphere for a while. I had no money for experimenting on food and lacked motivation to try new things.

BUT

I got a really nice knife set and spice rack for christmas! I know that I'll be making some wonderful food once the new year starts

Italian Dressing, Old School...

2008-11-16T18:25:00.004-05:00

So I haven't actually made this yet, but it is sitting on a post it in my room, and no doubt going to be lost soon.

Dad's Italian Dressing

2 cups good quality extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 shallots, finely diced
1 head of garlic, finely minced (salt on garlic)
Bunch of basil
bunch of thyme
1/2 bunch Italian parsley

1. Sautee Shallots and Garlic in medium pan until translucent. Add Herbs. Cook for 5 minutes. Let Cool. Add Salt & pepper to taste. Add herbs to balsamic vinegar. whisk vinegar and herbs while adding olive oil slowly.

If this is the recipe my dad use to make it is literally the best italian dressing EVER. I'm hoping when I go home over winter break or when my financial situation is more lucrative I can make this.

Apologies & Gnocchi

2008-11-11T18:23:00.008-05:00

Sorry I haven't been around. With the Fiance leaving for Japan and now closing in on the last month of school things have gotten busy. Tonight I decided to break away from Statistics and make some Gnocchi

Gnocchi with Butter Thyme Sauce

For Butter Sauce
1.5 cup butter
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

For Gnocchi
1 Russet 1 lb potato (I only had Yukon Gold)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup shaved Pecorino Romano (I had Parmesan romano)

DIRECTIONS
Cook the butter in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the thyme leaves. Set aside.
Pierce the potato all over with a fork. Microwave the potato until tender, turning once, about 12 minutes. Cut the potato in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; discard the skin. Using a fork, mash the potato well. Mash in the salt and pepper. Mix in 3 tablespoons of the egg; discard the remaining egg. Sift the flour over the potato mixture and knead just until blended.
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece between your palms and the work surface into a 1/2-inch-diameter rope (about 20 inches long). Cut the dough into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece of dough over a wooden paddle with ridges or over the tines of a fork to form grooves in the dough. For whatever reasom my Gnocchi was really sticky so they did not turn out as nicely as Gianda's did.

Cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water until the gnocchi rise to the surface, about 1 minute. Continue cooking until the gnocchi are tender, about 4 minutes longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the hot thyme-butter in the skillet. Toss to coat.
Spoon the gnocchi and butter sauce into shallow bowls. Top with the Pecorino and serve.

OVERALL: Very good. I had some problems with the dough. Gnocchi is VERY filling. It's not my favorite thing to eat either, but I was in the mood. Good flavor and great recipe.

Early Thanksgiving

2008-10-30T18:40:00.006-04:00

So this past Sunday, I decided to have a little thanksgiving Dinner with the boyfriend, since He'll be in Japan for the actual thanksgiving.

Maple Walnut Turkey

Turkey Breast
1/2 cup Maple syrup
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup Walnuts
Package of Rice

1. Use Uncle Ben's Long Grained Rice (I used a package of white I had) combine with the water, and pour into the bottom of the crock pot.
2. Place the turkey in skin side up.
3. Pour maple syrup & walnuts in.
4. Set on low & cook for 5 hours.

OUTCOME: Um, so the store didn't have turkey breast, they had turkey cutlets. AND I put it on high instead of low. So they were dry. Like Saharan Africa dry. I didn't even eat the turkey, although it did taste good. Next time I won't be so absent minded.

--------------------------------------------------------------

The Success of the night:

Green Beans & Carrots

1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp Mrs. Dash Seasoning
Chopped Basil (about 3 leaves)

1. Cook green beans in carrots until tender. We did this by microwave for about 12 minutes.
2. Melt butter and combine seasoning and basil. Mix. Our over Veggies.
3. Enjoy

OVERALL: So honestly (and my boyfriend will agree) these were so fucking good. I actually went back for seconds BEFORE I went back for more sweet potato pie *gasp* He is the one who actually made them, so all credit goes towards him!

His Plate: In a clockwise direction, The overdone Turkey, Green Beans & Carrots, Sweet potato Pie, Mashes Potatoes

My Plate: Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Pie, Chicken from the night before, Green Beans & Carrots, Cranberry

Grandpa' Joe's Cheesecake

2008-10-26T12:21:00.005-04:00

Sorry I've been gone for a while. My boyfriend is in town and I'm spending as much time with him as I can before he leaves for Japan for 2 years. I've been bragging about a cheesecake my grandpa made when I was little. We just called it Italian Cheesecake.

Grandpa Joe's "Italian" Cheesecake

3lbs of Ricotta Cheese
8 eggs (I did 2 eggs and 6 egg yolks)
1.5 cups sugar
0.5 cup flour
0.5 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
Graham Cracker crumbs.

Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 425.

2. In a VERY large bowl beat the Ricotta until smooth. gradually add in the eggs, beating after every addition. Once the mixture is smooth, add the sugar and flour. Beat. Add the Lemon zest, vanilla, and heavy cream. The mixture should be smooth, no lumps.

3. Butter the sides of a large spring pan. Sprinkle the graham crackers over, making sure they stick. For a thicker crust, add more crumbs but make sure to press them down.

4. Pour in the batter. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes. Then turn the oven temp down to 350 degrees and cook for an hour. After the hour, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool for about 10 minutes.

5. Refrigerate for about 3 hours before serving.

OVERALL: This is honestly my FAVORITE cheesecake ever. It's not nearly as sweet as cream cheese based cheesecakes, but is still smooth and rich. It would go great with any type of topping be it fruit, chocolate, or even a base for a pumpkin pie cheesecake. My boyfriend really like it, never having a ricotta cheesecake. But watch out, it's really not that healthy for you, so make this when you are having company over or giving some away because, trust me, you WILL eat it all if precautions aren't taking.

This recipe is very near and dear to my heart. I hope you guys try it and love it as much as I do :)

Acorn Squash

2008-10-11T11:20:00.006-04:00

Inspired by Tyler Florence's recipe for roasted Acorn Squash, I went out to try one. Believe it or not the store didn't have any, so instead i got Golden Acorn Squash- not REALLY sure of the difference...

Yesterday, I noticed this months food challenge was acorn squash, orange, and sage. So I decided to play along with that, as well as making the original recipe I saw. Funnily enough, we didn't have oranges.

Roasted (Golden) Acorn Squash

1/2 Acorn Squash
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar

1. I par boiled the squash for about 8 minutes so it softened up.
2. Melt the butter, adding in the sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
3. Heat the oven to 400. Paint the squash with the butter mixture.
4. Cook for 20 minutes, until tender.

Roasted Acorn Squash Version 2
1/2 Acorn squash
1/2 stick melted butter
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 tbsp sage
I'm pretty sure you could add some orange zest/orange concentrate for flavor. About 1/2 orange zested or 2 tbsp orange concentrate. You might wanna 86 the garlic then.

1. Same procedure as above, only combine sage and orange zest/concentrate to the butter.

Overall: SO I've never had squash before and I probably won't have it again. The sage one was really bad. Never make that. The first one wasn't bad, but being that I never had squash, the texture really threw me off. Very stringy and the strings were hard. Maybe I didn't cook it enough? It seriously needs to be like pureed for me to try this again.

Catalina Chicken

2008-10-08T16:22:00.007-04:00

So this is a recipe my mom made for my sister and I when we were little.

Catalina Chicken

3 Frozen Chicken Breast (You could use split breast or thighs as well, I just don't like the dark meat)
1 cup Catalina Dressing
1 cup Apricot Preservatives
1 package French Onion Soup Mix

OPTIONAL
1/2 thinly sliced potatoes (i'd suggest Yukon gold potatoes)
1/2 cup sweet onion/pearl onions

1. Now there are 2 options to prepare this meal. I remember my mom would bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. I opted for the slow cooker.

2. Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker/crock pot. Set on Low and cook for 12 hours OR you can do what I did and set on low for about 6 hours, then switched to high for about 3 hours.

OVERALL: Well, I stupidly added water to the mixture, completely forgetting that the water from the frozen chicken would add to the sauce. So mine came out kinda soupy. Next time I'll add maybe a little bit of water. (I added about 2/3 cup, D'oh!)

But the flavor is awesome and the chicken shreds apart, and it's so yummy. Brings back childhood memories. I should warn that the chicken comes out a bit dry, but it doesn't bother me too much, it might turn out moister with dark meat. But my picky roommate liked it so that has to mean something.

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Pumpkin Bread Pudding

2008-10-05T15:42:00.007-04:00

My favorite thing about autumn is Pumpkin. I love the smell, taste, texture, and color. Pumpkin Lattes, Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin soups, so good. I've been saving this recipe for a while...

Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Recipe provided by Skinny Chef

5 cups day-old cubed challah, brioche or whole-wheat baguette (I used Challah)
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar, light or dark
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon ground clove (I didn't have clove so I added some cinnamon. I have no idea clove was so expensive either...)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
Non-stick cooking spray

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk the milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, spices and salt. Add the bread cubes and stir. Set aside and allow to soak for 4-5 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed by the bread.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F and coat an 8-inch square baking dish or 5-quart round Dutch oven with cooking spray.
Gently fold in the pumpkin and chocolate chips. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and cover with foil. Bake 35 minutes or until mixture is slightly firm. Remove foil and continue to bake an additional 10-15 minutes until the chips are melted and the top has darkened slightly.

OVERALL: Pretty good. This is my first time making any type of bread pudding. Its not as sweet as you might think, since there is no white sugar. But it is pretty good. I Love the little chocolate chips, I think that adds a much needed texture. Do not confuse this with the taste of pumpkin pie. So many people think pumpkin is normally sweet-- it's not.

Pumpkin itself is pretty healthy for you, Skinny Chef explains "Pumpkin has tons of beta carotene, an important antioxidant..." It's a shame the most people only experience pumpkin in sweet foods. It's actually part of the squash family and can be cooked in the same way as a zucchini most of the time. Only reason I haven't bought a fresh pumpkin is because they are expensive & heavy.. which comes into play up 3 flights of stairs!

I will definitely make this dish for an upcoming Halloween party and for SURE on thanksgiving.

Kitchen Needs

2008-10-04T17:23:00.010-04:00

This semester I moved into a apartment for the first time. Last year I lived in a dorm and was limited in my kitchen supplies. Basically all I had was Cuisinart Grill/griddle, a small cutting board, an old chefs knife, and a plate or two from target. Not that I don't love my Griddle (I do! I just made pancakes this morning), but I needed to expand my kitchen goodies. Granted, I have no job and no income, so this was going to be tough.

What every (poverty stricken college student's) kitchen needs:

Pot & Pans

Most mainstream stores like Target and Wal-Mart have some pots and pans
geared to college kids. I bought a set similar to this one. Granted, they aren't anywhere near the best quality. They are very light and made of aluminum. But, that doesn't mean they don't work as well. They still boil my water and cook the chicken.

If You would rather limit your pot collection (really, I think this is the minimum number of pans you need) because of space issues, or maybe you'd rather by nicer quality pans instead, a large sautee pan and a medium sized pot is all you really need. However, if you do start exploring cooking, you'll find that you do need a couple more pans.

So where can you keep your eye out? Head to Bed, Bath & Beyond, or Linens and Things. I picked up at $60 sautee pan for $5.50. It was slightly bent on the rim, but works just fine! Clearance centers are your friend :)

Knives

My favorite thing about cooking is cutting. As weird as that sounds, I like the sounds of a knife on a cutting board. Maybe that's a childhood noise I grew up with, my dad being a chef and all, but for me, it's comforting.

All you REALLY need is a good chefs knife and a paring knife in college. When I went to go buy some knives I was shocked at how expensive they were. $16 for a bread knife? $25 for a chefs knife? And I was at T.J. Maxx! I know thats good quality but I am jobless! Anways, I bought some cheap 41 piece set from target, which included a wooden block and a variety of knives. Granted they suck hardcore.

So really, feel free to splurge on a chefs knife, you can use it for just about anything. My roommate has a really nice one, and we all just use hers.

Bakeware

The question is how much do you like to bake? The absolute necessity is a baking sheet. They are used for so many things: Pizza, cresent rolls, cookies, bread sticks, even toast...I bought a really nice Cuisinart pan at T.J.Maxx for $9.

Everything else is depends on how much you want to bake. Many stores off disposable cake tins, or fancy ones to make someone a cake for their birthday.

Again, these can be found mostly anywhere, Instead of going to cheap shops like walmart and target, search instead for nicer items that are discounted. That is if you enjoy the hunt :)

Miscellaneous

Cutting Board- Just get the large one. Theres nothing more annoying that trying to trim chicken on a tiny cutting board. I was always taught only cut meat on plastic cutting boards. A helpful note (which I thought was common knowledge) DO NOT USE WOODEN CUTTING BOARDS FOR CUTTING MEATS OF ANY KIND. As Enghorn put it:
"I know you can't put everything in it, but at least mention the difference between plastic and wooden cutting boards. GUH.

That was joking, by the way. Honestly though, don't want readers getting salmonella because they have raw chicken stuff stuck in their cutting board
."

I do enjoy the sturdiness of a wooden cutting board so I got one too. But the wood absorbs the juices of the meats, especially chicken. Wood absorbing salmonella is not cool!
Just a helpful note, if you are using a cutting board and it's moving around, put a wet paper towel underneath, it will stop moving :)
Measuring cups/spoons- If you plan on cooking a lot it's a good idea to invest.

So why am I writing this? Because A) my sister is going to college next year and probably will be wondering what to get, so this might come in handy B) I see a lot of people buying what they don't need, when they don't cook. That's just wasted money to me.

Still not right :(

2008-10-03T17:45:00.004-04:00

So I loved the cheesecake cupcakes I made a while back, I've tried on multiple occasions to make ricotta based cheesecake cupcakes.

Now I have a super awesome cheesecake recipe my grandpa made when I was little waiting in line to be made. But at the time I started fiddling around with this idea, I didn't have the recipe.

I don't remember the exact recipe, but I know I wasn't happy. I used a combination of Ricotta cheese, some cream cheese for the creaminess & stiffness, vanilla extract, and some sugar. As well as Resee Cup topping :)

I found that they weren't sweet enough for me and were lacking some serious flavor. Next time I'll try to mimic this lemon tart recipe from one of my favorite bloggers.

Trust me, they look better than they taste. Very bland. Any suggestions on how I could spruce this up?

I've got about 4 posts in the making this week. I went out today and got all but 2 of the ingredients. Go figure I forget something. Anyways, since exams are done (for about 2 weeks) I have time to play around.