Some Things DO Belong Together.

Three Things. One, I really do a pretty terrible job at sticking to any sort of direction in recipes. Two, I most definitely created something last night that combined two of my favorite things: Italian and Mexican. Three, not sticking to directions… way better. The problem with sticking to directions…you have to make it twice to know how much more delicious it could have been. Why not just got for it round one? I think that may be just one of the things that actually drives my mother crazy about cooking with me. And this is one of my difficulties with Pinterest. I always think of ways I can make it better than whoever originally created it, normally I am not wrong (Ha!)

Besides that…let’s talk about Italian + Mexican = OMG deliciousness.

So what did I make? Mexican Pasta Bake. It ended up tasting like a Mexican Mac n Cheese.

Mexican Pasta Bake
1 to 1 ¼ lb of ground LEAN turkey
¼ yellow onion, chopped
1 package of taco seasoning (any type you like)
1 cup water
½ package of light cream cheese
1 box of rigatoni or medium shell pasta
2 ½ cups of shredded cheese (I used a mix of Colby Jack and Pepper Jack)
1 bundle of green onions

To create this wonderful concoction, begin by cooking up the pasta. While the pasta is cooking brown the ground turkey (you can also use ground beef, I was going for increasing the healthy factor) with the chopped yellow onion. Cook through, about 10 minutes. On the side, combine the package of taco seasoning with 1 cup of water in a bowl. When the meat is cooked, pour the taco seasoning and water mixture over the beef and allow the water to steam out (should take about 5 minutes). Once the water is steamed out…add ½ of the package of cream cheese into the meat mixture. Allow this to melt and stir in for even distribution.

In a 9×11 pan, first spray with Pam or coat with vegetable oil. Add a layer of pasta to the bottom of the pan, depending on how much pasta you want, you may have extra pasta. On top of the pasta add 1 and ½ cups of cheese (I mixed my cheese together and maybe added a little extra.. I LOVE cheese). On top of the cheese, add all of the meat in an even layer. Then… add the remaining cheese to the top of this.

Bake at 350* for 20 minutes. At 20 minutes, pull out the dish and sprinkle chopped green onions on top. Allow to cook for 10 more minutes. EAT!

<

So what did I add that was not on the original recipe? Yellow onion, turkey instead of beef, LIGHT cream cheese and the green onion. I think that these few little changes really helped to tie it all together perfectly.

I did feel bad though when I invited my Paleo friend for dinner… she proceeded to say, “You are pretty much the Devil.” And I responded, “I am really not that sorry.” The dish got some great reviews and I literally could have eaten the entire dish.

/

Shopping list: Package of ground beef or turkey (a pound to a pound and a quarter), yellow onion, package of taco seasoning, package of cream cheese, a box of pasta (rigatoni or medium shells), shredded cheese, and a bundle of green onions.

Buff Chick.

It may not be much of a secret, but I LOVE chicken wings. LOVE the flavor the most. However, I am much too lazy to actually figure out how to make the actual wings myself. To make up for my inabilities, I learned my favorite recipe from our Sorority cook. I can imagine that everyone in my sorority was rather irritated when I requested Buffalo Chicken Tacos every week for lunch… but, I.LOVE.THEM.

When I moved out of the sorority and could no longer ask for special lunches, I had to figure out myself how to create these delicious creations myself. I did watch our cook a few times… but the fact is, they are overly simple.

Buffalo Chicken Taco
3-4 chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
Franks Buffalo or Original Red Hot sauce
2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
3 Tbsp cornstarch
Pepper
Red Chili Flakes
Tortillas

Dress the Tacos with: Ranch dressing, cheddar cheese, lettuce, blue cheese, chopped tomato, avocado, Chalula (your favorite hot sauce), extra Frank’s sauce, basically…anything yummy on a taco!

Place a pan on the stove over medium heat and add 2 tbsp vegetable oil. Once oil is heated, add in the chicken, sprinkle in pepper and a few red chili flakes. Let the chicken cook for 3 minutes and then cover in the Frank’s sauce (either Buffalo or Original), probably ¼ cup of the sauce. Allow to cook in sauce, stirring occasionally. Once all chicken is partially cooked through, add 2 -3 tablespoons of cornstarch, this will help the sauce to “stick” to the chicken, as well as make it gooey and yummy (you may want to add more if you want it more gooey, your choice)! Continue to cook over medium heat until the chicken in thoroughly cooked through.

Once the chicken is cooked, prepare your taco to your liking and enjoy.

These are simple and a true crowd pleaser. You can easily increase the amount of chicken to feed a larger crowd.

And in honor of talking a little bit about my sorority… I HAVE to give a shout out to our sister Lindsay Yenter who makes her world debut on The Bachelor tonight! Probably could not be more excited for any other person to be on the show! Go Girl! #TeamYenter

Also, Frank’s Red Hot is PHENOMENAL on top of Pizza instead of, or with ranch dressing!

SHOUT OUT: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA!

At Least I Didn’t have to Kill the Chicken….

There is really something to say about a meal that is cooked in a mountainous valley, on a cattle ranch, by a good woman, for a whole bundle of people.  Some foods just seem to speak to you in a different way when you are out in the bitter cold, playing around on a ranch. This is especially true when it is a warm, spicy soup.  Not only is the food always fantastic, but the company is just as great!

Sometimes you can tell a lot about a person by their cooking.  Standing around a kitchen with women I don’t know and them teaching me how to make their recipes really means something.  Some women become frustrated and would rather just cook by themselves. These women… I do not understand quite as well.  But those willing to take the time and tell you not only the recipe and process, but a story behind the meal, are my kind of women. And for a gal like me.. it is a way of life for me to get to know someone working around a kitchen with them.  And holy COW (no pun intended) you can sure learn a whole lot listening and watching!

There really aren’t many things as beautiful as this view….

Miss Lorraine’s Chicken Tortilla Soup 

A whole rotisserie chicken (remove the skin and shred)

¼ Red Onion, chopped

1 can of Black Beans

1 can of Tomatoes (I used a “Mexican Cooking” type that had green chilies… for extra spice!)

1 bag of frozen Bell Peppers (WHO KNEW THESE EXISTED..OMG!)

1-2 cans or half to a whole box of Low Sodium Chicken Broth

2 large handfuls of CRUSHED tortilla chips

1 Avocado

1 bundle of Cilantro

Sour Cream

Cheese of your choice (I used shredded Pepper Jack)

The problem with watching and listening… you really cannot get exact directions or measurements.  This soup is a lot about cooking to your own taste.  Luckily, this evening my mother was not around for dinner, so my Dad and I were able to spice it up a bit!

Ingredients to consider adding:

Ground Cumin (a little goes a LONG way)

Red Pepper Flakes

Chilli Power

Salt & Pepper

Garlic Powder

Let’s be honest… I just started pulling anything out of my spice drawer that sounded like it could give it some good flavor. 

To Create:

In a LARGE pot, add about ¼ inch of chicken broth to begin.  Once slightly heated add the chopped red onion and the frozen bell peppers.  Cook for about 5 minutes and allow it to boil.  Then add the can of drained black beans.  Let cook for 3 minutes and then add the drained can of tomatoes. Stir together well and add the shredded chicken to the pot.  Let it cook like this for a minute or two and then pour in remaining chicken broth (again, I did not have any measurements… I just added broth until it looked deep enough and covered all of the goodies in the pot).

Now here is where it get tricky… those “ingredients to consider,” this is where you add them in.  Put as much or as little in as you like, but make sure to test it between each addition.  I ended up putting a lot of chili flakes and chili powder… Dad was the genius that thought of the Cumin.   Once you have gotten it to the flavor you like, put a lid on the pot, turn burner to low, and allow to simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

When you are ready to eat, placed sliced avocado, sour cream, chopped cilantro, and crushed chips on the table to garnish the soup! And Mangiare!!

Garnished Soup.. YUMMMM!

One of the best parts of this recipe…minimal clean up.  My dad sure appreciated that, especially considering that he always pokes fun at me for the plethora of dishes he has to wash when I cook at his house!

The best part of a recipe like this, things can be added and removed.  Next time (depending on if the mother is around, or not) I would definitely add in Jalapenos and maybe some canned corn.  But that is for a future attempt!

Big ‘Ol Pot-O-Soup

One of my favorite things about learning to cook from other people, is seeing how far a recipe can spread and all the different renditions that can be created from a basic, simple recipe.  I have always loved watching and sometimes I wonder if people ever notice how intensely I am watching them cook (you only have one chance to memorize a recipe when it is cooked in front of you)!  Luckily, this is only one of the MANY recipes I have gathered from the Ranch…so there may be many to follow this one, Bless Lorraine’s heart for teaching me things I never knew about cooking!

A day in the life

And you know… there REALLY is something to say about a good woman who can cook up a good meal! 

Domestication of the “Tomboy”

One of my very, very closest friends has recently moved away onto her grand-new adventure. Although i miss her dearly… I could not be more proud. First, that she moved away to pursue a new dream, but SECONDLY that she reports back to me all of the fancy concoctions she has been whipping up in the kitchen.  Last week she proudly texted me that she had cooked up Chicken Parmesan!  Wowwwwza!  Atta Girl!!

Me & Megan… We don’t look Italian, but we ARE!

Feeling motherly, and like I needed to share my most recently made recipe… I HAD to share with her a similar, Italian chicken recipe.  Not only simple, but a definite crowd pleaser.  This recipe is very easy… I found it on Pinterest and after cooking it to the recipe (or trying to stick to the recipe) I now have a delish new menu item to share.

Bruchetta Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used a whole pack of breasts and just upped the ingredients slightly)

2 eggs

¼ cup flour

¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

¼ cup crushed croutons (Garlic Texas Toast croutons = phenomenal)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tomatoes

2 tablespoons chopped basil

2 cloves garlic

Glass baking dish

To prepare:

Heat the oven to 375*

Crack 2 eggs and scramble in a bowl. And place ¼ cup flour (or a little more if you need it) in a separate bowl. Dip each breast first into egg and then into flour on each side. Place dipped breasts into a glass baking dish.

In a separate bowl, combine crushed croutons, parmesan cheese, and MELTED butter. Once mixed, place on top of each chicken breast. Once the oven is heated, place this dish in the oven for 45 minutes.

While the chicken cooks, in another bowl (I know…lots of bowls) add chopped tomato, basil, minced garlic, EVOO and salt and pepper to taste. After 45 minutes, pull out the baking dish and place this mixture on top of the almost-cooked chicken. Put back in the oven for another 7-10 minutes.

Fresh out of the Oven!

If you are worried about the chicken being fully cooked, the internal temperature of a breast should be 160*!

*** Our first attempt was VERY yummy! One improvement we thought of was to possibly pound the chicken to make it thinner. This may help it from getting dry and add to the flavor. But.. maybe that can be on your second try as well!

Mangiare!

WARNING: You WILL smell garlic-y!

YUMMMM-O Ready to GO!

So COOK ON MY FRIEND!  And I am sure that any time soon… I will be asking you for your recipes!

I Thought Jalapeños were…Spicey!?

I have a confession… I have been keeping to myself one of the easiest, yet most delicious recipes… EVER! The best part of this meal, it takes about 5 minutes to throw together and literally anyone can make it!

Jalapeño Chicken.

This is a seriously super simple recipe that will be a crowd pleaser.

What you need:

A package of FROZEN chicken thighs or chicken (boneless)

A jar of jalapenos

A yellow onion

Two limes

A Crockpot

In the Crockpot Ready to go!

What can go with the chicken:

Sour cream

Your favorite kind of “Mexican” cheese

Tortillas ( I usually go with a fancier variety, I love blue corn tortillas)

What you can add to the tacos:

A simple Mexican rice

Black beans

So right now it might seem like a lot… BUT, cooking this is SIMPLE.

This is a Crockpot recipe. About 6 hours before you want to eat, place the FROZEN chicken in the Crockpot, then pour the jar of jalapenos over the frozen chicken, slice up half of a yellow onion, and squeeze in a lime. With your hands, mix around the ingredients in the Crockpot, turn it on low and leave for 6 hours. If you are like me… you will return from work and your house will smell like a delicious taco!

Once it’s done cookin take a piece of chicken out one piece at a time and shred it with a fork… it should be nearly tender enough to just fall apart. You can shred it and then put it back into the crock pot to keep it warm! To serve… I just put the whole dang crock pot right on the dinner table!

YUMMMMMMY!!!

This really is as simple as it seems… and you can really add WHATEVER your favorite taco-related things are to go with it.

Lastly, DO NOT worry… the jalapeños lose their spice when they are cooked and the lime also helps to tame the heat. This is NOT a spicy recipe at all! If you want to spice it up.. save a few jalapeños and add them on top of the taco!

Enjoy!

There Really Is Nothing to It!

So… I am fully aware that I have been completely Missing In Action for a few months. I apologize. But boy, oh boy has life changed and taken me all sorts of places. I graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno in May. I also started a new job at a Health Care Consulting firm about 1 week after my graduation. Can’t complain there.. I sure am a LUCKY graduate who found a job!

Meanwhile I have completely neglected my baby… MY BLOG!!

The amount of food photos on my cell phone make me feel like I have been massively slacking, and I will be the first to admit that, yes, I have been massively slacking. What I really needed was some current inspiration to get my booty back in gear and give me something fun to write about.

On Friday, August 3rd, my mother, our two friends and me went to a cooking class. Now if that won’t give you some inspiration, I don’t know what will! Back in December there was a Groupon for a cooking Class at Nothing To It! And we all decided what a FUN thing for a group of cooking girls to go do. Yes, I said December, and yes it is now August, but… it wasn’t just us being slow, NothingToIt! Is so popular that their Italian cooking classes were full until August! Go them!

Me and My Momma!

When we arrived we were escorted through an adorable kitchen shop. They had some phenomenal kitchen ware… I purchased two egg poachers and a cook-your-potatoes-in-the-microwave bag! But they had all sorts of goodies, kitchen ware, cookbooks, and all sorts of cooking ingredients!

It was FINALLY time to see what we were actually cooking… it was Italian Summer Grill themed! When I read the line up… my taste buds came alive with excitement and I was instantly starving.

We made four different plates; Prosciutto with Grilled Figs, Tuscan Panzanella, Pork Tenderloin Wrapped in Prosciutto, and a Berry Biscotti Crisp. YUMMMMMMMMMMM!!

Although they were all DELISH! My two favorites were the Tuscan Panzanelle and the Verry Biscotti Crisp! Who would have though marinated bread would be so.. good? The Biscotti Crisp was simple, quick and delicious! Sooo.. Although they are not my personal recipes, I had to share them.

Tuscan Panzanella

For the salad:

1 small globe eggplant, sliced

2-3 slices of Italian bread

2 large ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

8 basil leaves, chopped

Salt & Peper

The happiest grilled eggplant EVER!

For the dressing:

1/2 cup evoo

3 T. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

– whisk together these six dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

–Lightly brush both sides of the eggplant and bread slices with some of the dressing. Grill eggplant over direct high heat for 3 minutes. After one of the eggplant is grilled, flip it and add the bread slices onto the grill. Allow the bread 1-2 minutes on each side to lightly toast each side. The eggplant should remain on the grill for a max of 3 minutes after its first turn. After grilling cut the grilled slices of bread and eggplant into 1/2 inch square peices. Place the cut bread and eggplant into a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, basil, and remianing dressing and toss to blend evenly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

YUMMMMY!!!

Berry Biscotti Crisp:

3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

2 cups fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries

2/3 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup almond biscotti, crumbled (beat in a Ziploc bag with a spoon, then measure)

1/2 chopped toasted almonds

salt

Mix together in a bowl all berries and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place into a 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish. In a large bowl combine flour, remains 1/3 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut butter into flour mixture until it makes small crumbles. Gently stir in crumbled cookies and almonds. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit mixture in the baking dish. Cook at 350* for 25-30 minutes, until the cookie crumble top is brown and crispy.

Both of these recipes are super easy and quick… AND DELICIOUS!

This cooking class was an amazingly fun experience. They also entertain and give you multiple, yes i said multiple glasses of wine. YUMM!

I encourage everyone to go check out Nothing To It! and support a local business that can teach you a TON!

Pop Pop Caprese Poppers!!

I am all about simple and delicious… well more about delicious than simple.  I am always trying to make new favorites out of my old favorites.  This generally involves something Italian being created in another way.  I shared with you previously the delicious Orzo Caprese Pasta, one of my all time favorites.  However, there is always a way to make something NEW out of something old.

Sooooo when challenged with creating a new Caprese recipe, I decided to cut the bread or the pasta (in an effort to make it “healthier”) and created Caprese Poppers!!

These delicious little things were rapidly consumed and highly praised.  Some people did miss the orzo and the bread though!  I was so pleased with the outcome that I would recommend these for any delightful party appetizer!!

Caprese Poppers

1 package cherry tomatoes

1 package fresh mozzarella

1 package or about 10 leaves of fresh basil

Balsamic Vinegar

EVOO

Salt & Pepper

Slice all tomatoes in half and place into a Tupperware or seal-able container.  Add about 3-4 tablespoons, or a good slathering of balsamic vinegar to the tomatoes.  Then, add about 2 tablespoons of EVOO to the mix.  Sprinkle two pinches of salt and grind pepper to taste.  Put the lid on the container and shake gently, to cover tomato in the dressing and evenly spread the salt and pepper.  Once coated in dressing, chop fresh mozzarella into small squares to fit on the sliced side of the tomato.  Cut basil into small squares as well.  To assemble, place tomato sliced side up, a piece of mozzarella and a square of basil and pierce through the middle with a toothpick.  Make a tomato sandwich by adding an additional tomato half on top of the mozzarella and place the basil on the top. Pour remaining dressing in Tupperware container over the tomato poppers on the bowl/dish for extra dressing and seasoning!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I HIGHLY recommend making atleast twice maybe three times this amount!!  People will POP these into their mouths with delight and they will QUICKLY disappear!!

Please your next crowd and make these DELICIOUS APPETIZERS!!