Membership

Hey everyone. So I'm starting to get curious how many people actually read this thing. I'm hoping you guys will join the site and sign up for a membership. I know it's a pain in the butt and I'm sorry I'm asking. If you don't want to join could you just at least comment on this post with a present or here like attendance in school. I'd greatly appreciate it.

I'm excited because I found out I might have helped my first stranger with this blog. Renee had a friend who needed something to cook and Renee suggested she read this. To who ever used this, if they did, I hope it helped!

Chicken Tenders and Fries

This one is for Kevin. Almost everytime I've ever gone to get fast food with him (which has been a lot of times over the past 13 years) he's gotten this meal. I wanted to make it healthier by baking the chicken and fries instead of frying them.

about 1 lb. Chicken tender pieces or breast cut into tender shapes
1 cup panko bread crumbs (you can use any breadcrumbs but panko makes it really crunchy)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup buttermilk
olive oil
package of frozen french fries
salt and pepper

Directions
1. preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with a light coat of olive oil.

2. Pour buttermillk into a plastic bag and place chicken into it. Allow to meld for 15 to 30 minutes.

3. Place breadcrumbs and cheese onto a plate with a pinch of salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in this mixture and tap off extra. You want a thin coating.

4. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with a little more olive oil and place in oven. Cook for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Cook fries according to package directions. Sprinkle fries with salt right after cooking so it sticks better to the fries.

I just eat mine with a lot of ketchup but feel free to use ranch or any dipping sauce of your choice.

Beef Stew

This is one of my all time favorite meals. It just screams homey and the warm and comforting taste is like a big hug on a bad day. And I'm not even overstating this. I really like beef stew haha. I made this because while visiting my cousin Alexa in boulder we talked about food and this meal came up. My other cousin, Jenna, wanted it too and since I was home this past weekend I decided to make it for her and some other friends who were over. The pressure was on this time though because two friends who hadn't tasted my food before were trying it and I wanted to impress. I believe I was successful at this since there wasn't any stew left after the meal and I made a double portion!

I love this dish because it's cheap but filling. You buy cheap meat, add lots of veggies, and then rice which is just dirt cheap. Feel free to add more veggies if you want to stretch the amount of beef stew. You can add zucchini (cut into half moons), green beans, or broccoli florets. Just add these in the last 5 minutes of cooking so they don't get soggy.

Ingredients:

olive oil
1 pound of beef stew (it may also be called beef for stewing, it'll be cut into chunks)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2-5 cloves of roughly chopped garlic (2 if you like garlic, 5 cloves if you LOVE garlic!)
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 32 oz box of beef stock (the box is best because you can reseal it if you don't use all the stock but if you want to buy cans go for it, you'll prob need 2 14 oz cans and if it's not enough to cover beef, add some water)
3 medium size russet potatoes, cut into bite size chunks
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds/half moons

Directions:

1. Brown beef in olive oil in a large, deep pan, over medium high heat. You want the outside to be really caramelized and this will take some time. As you brown beef, liquid will come out. allow this to evaporate and keep cooking until all sides of beef chunks are deep golden brown. Stir every minute or 2 so sides don't burn.

2. Slice onions and garlic while beef browns and when beef has enough color, add both to pan. Allow onions to caramelize down for about 5-10 minutes, this adds more flavor to the sauce.

3. Add can of tomatoes and allow to cook for a minute.

4. Add beef stock. You want all the beef to be covered with liquid. (that last sentence is basically the definition of a stew). Allow liquid to come to a simmer then cover and lower heat to low.

5.Let the beef cook for a minimum of 1 and ½ hour. The longer the better. You want the meat to be really tender, falling apart even. If beef becomes uncovered with liquid, add more stock or water until beef is totally submerged again.

6. After your happy with doneness of beef, add potatoes and carrots. Allow these to cook for about a half hour. Once you add the potatoes and carrots, start making the rice. This way they should both be done about the same time.

7. Once potatoes and carrots are tender, add extra veggies (see above note) if your going to and cook an extra 5 minutes.

8. Serve by putting a good amount of rice into a bowl, season with salt, then spoon beef stew over top. Make sure to add lots of the stewing liquid because rice will soak it up and this adds more flavor.

Fried Egg Sandwich

I love a fried egg sandwich. It's definitely a special breakfast treat cuz it's not the healthiest way to start the day but it's just so good! To balance this one out I think I'll do some sit up because I'll be cooking for friends most of the weekend so I'll probably eat a lot of it haha. It's also a relatively quick breakfast which is nice. and a tip for any hung over fans out there, it's a great hangover fix!

Ingredients:
1 egg
2 pieces of bread
2 slices bacon
1 slice american cheese

This makes one sandwich so multiply by number of sandwiches you want to make.


Directions:

1. Toast bread and butter. set aside.

2. Crisp bacon in a dry saute pan until done to your liking. Drain on paper towels

3. Empty pan of most of bacon fat leaving about a teaspoon in the pan. Crack an egg into the pan and season with salt and pepper.

4. Let cook for 1 minute on medium low heat. Flip egg over and place cheese on top. Cover pan with lid and steam cheese and egg for about 2 minutes for runny yolks and 4 minutes for hard set.

5. to build sandwich: place egg onto one piece of toast. Place bacon on top, you usually need to break it in half to fit on sandwich. Put the other piece of toast on top and cut sandwich. Try to cut sandwich in middle of yolk so it runs into sandwich and you can dip it and it makes it extra yummy.

Weiner Schnitzel with Mashed Potatoes

This meal is a family tradition. We usually eat it on holidays like christmas or thanksgiving if we don't make duck and dumplings (coming soon). It's best to use veal for this dish because it's really tender but if you have issues with using veal or simply can't find it (in most stores you need to order veal ahead) You can use thinly sliced beef. Make sure to tenderize it by hitting it with a mallet to thin out. You want the meat, veal or beef, to be about smaller then a 1/4 inch thick but bigger then an 1/8th inch thick.

To make the mashed potatoes extra delicious, you can add some sour cream while mashing or heavy whipping cream for a creamier mouth feel. You can add fresh herbs like chives or scallions if you have them. Roasted Garlic is a great addition and so is some crispy bacon and some shredded cheese (coming soon) . I'm sure i'll come up with some more interesting things to do with mashed potatoes as time goes on.

Ingredients:
veal cutlets (2-3 per person depending on size and appetite)
flour
egg
bread crumbs
salt and pepper
canola oil
russet potatoes (1 medium size per person)
milk
butter
LEMON

Directions:

1. peel potatoes, cut into chunks, and place in a pot of cold salty water. Bring water and potatoes to a boil together for more even cooking of potatoes.

2. Bread veal while cooking potatoes. Set up a type of assembly line. One plate for flour, one for eggs (beaten with a fork), one for bread crumbs. Season each of these plates with salt and pepper because this will season the crust and make sure to season the meat itself before breading!

3. Coat veal on flour plate and shake off excess. Place into egg plate and lightly coat. Place into bread crumbs and lightly coat. Make sure coats aren't too thick or crust will come off when frying. Also make sure to get every where on meat so every bit has a bit of delicious crust.

4. Heat oil in a medium sauce pan that will fit 2 -3 veal cutlets to medium high heat. you want the oil about 1/8th inch up the side of the pan. Place breaded veal into pan and cook about 2 minutes on each side or until crust is golden brown. Put finished fried pieces on a plate with paper towels.

5. While frying up veal mash the potatoes. Time it so the potatoes have finished cooking (takes about 20 minutes till fork tender) while your frying. Add a splash of milk and a few pats of butter and lots of salt. Mash everything together and add more milk to change consistency or more butter and salt to your taste.

6. Serve weiner schnitzel and mashed potatoes on big platters with a lot of fresh lemon wedges. Squeezing the fresh lemon over the schnitzel makes it like 10 times more delicious so try this!

Leftover Green Tacos

So I know the name sounds gross, but it's near Halloween and gross food is in order! haha. It may sound weird but it tastes delicious. Almost all the ingredients in here are green. There's a distinct sweetness to this taco so if you like spicier food feel free to add some spice (you'll see where below)

For the meat I used some leftover pot roast that needed to be used. Tacos are a great way to use leftover meat of any kind. I've made tacos from chicken and pot roast to deer. I made this recipe for me and it made 4 tacos with a little extra of the avocado crema. (my attempt to use spanish) so multiply the recipe to serve as many people that your feeding.

I put everything, all the sides, inside a taco but feel free to mix and match flavors. If you want a healthier taco, serve as a soft taco but I figured since there are so many veggies in this that the hard shell would balance it out.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup leftover pot roast (at room temp)
4 corn tortillas (wrapped in a dish towel and heated in microwave for 30 seconds to make pliable)
1 cup canola oil for frying ( you want about a 1/4 inch layer of oil in pan)

For sides:
1/2 onion, sliced thin
1 green bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced into thin strips
1 cup grated cheese (your choice here, you can go mexican or use any cheese you have. Iused pecorino)
sliced romaine lettuce
lime wedges

For Avocado Crema:
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup of light sour cream
1 lime, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
about a tbs. of finely chopped onion
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. rec chili flake ( add more for spicier taste in taco)

Directions:
1. Make Avocado Crema by combining all ingredients in a bowl and stir together. Allow the flavors to meld in the fridge while mixture is covered in plastic wrap. (have plastic wrap lay right on top of mixture so avocado doesn't turn brown.

2. Grate cheese, slice lettuce and cut limes into wedges and set aside. I use paper plates for less clean-up later.

3. Heat 2 tsp. of canola oil in a pan and add thinly sliced onions and bell pepper. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Allow to caramelize over medium heat until everything is browned.

4. Heat up oil in a sauce pan to fry tacos. You'll need about a 1/4 inch of oil up the side of a large saute pan. Place leftover pot roast in middle of heated tortillas. When placing into oil, fold in half and put into pan. Fry for about a minute on each side or until tortilla is crisp and golden brown. Allow tacos to dry on paper towels and cover with a dish towel to keep warm.

5. When tacos are finished serve with all the sides.

Eggs Over Easy, Hash Browns, and Bacon

The best start to the day is a big breakfast. It just makes you feel good and happy when your full plus it gives you a ton of energy and you burn it off throughout the whole day. I usually start off my busy days with just a scrambled egg since that takes about 2 minutes but since I have some time on the first day of my weekend, I wanted to cook something special.

For the hashbrowns, you can use potatos you grate yourself. I used a half potato from another recipe that was in my fridge. If your going to grate it yourself, you need a grater with large holes! You want the potatoes to be long thin strips and this can only happen with large holes. I suggest getting a box grater and sticking some needle nose pliers into each hole to make them just slightly bigger.

Ingredients:
2 pieces of bacon per person your serving
1 egg per person your serving
1 cup frozen hash browns per person your serving (in freezer section of grocery store) You'll have hash browns for weeks or you can add it to soups as a quick veggie.
pat of butter

Directions:
1. Cook bacon on medium high heat in a saute pan. Keep turning so bacon doesn't burn. Cook to desired crispness. (I like mine almost burnt. crispy and salty, yum!)

2. Put hashbrowns in a paper towel and wring out any excess water. Put in saute pan with about a teaspoon of bacon fat. Allow to cook for 5 minutes, moving around just a little. Then try to flip all the hashbrowns over at once like a pancake and let cook another 5 minutes

3. While hashbrowns are cooking go ahead and make the eggs. Put the butter in a smaller saute pan and allow to melt over medium low heat. Crack eggs into pan and season with a pinch of salt. Allow to cook for about a minute then cover pan with a lid and turn heat to low. Let egg finish cooking with steam until it's done to your liking. ABout 2 minutes for runny yolks and 4 for hard set.

4. Serve everything together on a plate so when your eating eggs, the yolks run into the hashbrowns and make everything delicious. You can eat it with a little ketchup, salsa, or hot sauce, pretty much anything you'd eat with eggs or hashbrowns can go on here.

Fried Ravioli with Marinara Sauce

This is a great appetizer for company since who doesn't like dipping fried food into marinara sauce? haha. It's best to fry them right when people arrive so they're fresh and hot. I love making this when I know there will be a hockey game or other sporting event since it's reminiscent of man food or bar food (or what I think bar food is since I haven't been to one, only 103 days left! Then the blog will be klein, wine and dine haha!) You can pick any flavor of ravioli you like or that's available at the store, I suggest cheese or mushroom.

Ingredients:
Package of store bought ravioli (as many as you want-smaller sized ravioli is better)
2 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
salt and pepper
Jar of marinara sauce or tomato sauce
Basil (optional for garnish)
Olive or Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:
1. Make sure ravioli are at room temp (in case you bought some frozen large ones at costco like I did)

2. Crack both eggs into a bowl and whisk. Pour bread crumbs and cheese onto a plate. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to both. These will be used in the breading process. This gives the ravioli a great outer crust thats crunchy when fried.

3. Coat ravioli in egg then breadcrumbs. Your hands are the best tool for this job. Just roll ravioli around until everything is covered in egg and then breadcrumbs. Try not to get either of the layers too thick on the ravioli otherwise the crust will fall off later.

4. Fry in a saucepan with about a 1/4-1/2 inch of oil at medium low heat. Fry each ravioli for 1-2 minutes or until one side is golden brown. Flip ravioli over with tongs and fry another minute.

5. While ravioli fry, go ahead and heat up marinara sauce. You can do this in the microwave or saucepan. If microwaving, use a cover otherwise tomato will be everywhere!

6. Serve marinara in a small dipping bowl or in the middle of a large bowl filled with ravioli. For a nice garnish shave parmesan cheese on top and a little chopped basil.

Alfredo Sauce

When I first made my hand-made ravioli I used a jarred alfredo sauce. Since the ravioli are now frozen and I have a lot more time to make other parts of the dinner, I made the alfredo sauce. In my opinion the homemade sauce makes the dish better but the jarred was still really good. It only took me about 10 minutes to make this sauce so now I have lots of time to keep studying for midterms. Cooking is just so much more fun than studying I'm surprised I haven't been cooking a ton to avoid studying haha.

Ingredients:
1 tbs. butter
1 tbs. flour
1-2 cups of milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
pinch of salt and pepper
1 tsp fresh ground nutmeg (optional)

Directions:
1. Put butter in a saucepan and allow to melt. Add flour and whisk until all the flour is combined. you want equal parts of butter to flour for this (called a rue). Let this cook for a few minutes so the flour taste is gone but don't let the rue get too dark.

2. Pour milk into saucepan and whisk vigorously so there are no clumps in sauce. Add 3/4 of cheese and ground nutmeg if you have it. Allow to thicken until it's at a little more watery of a consistency you like. It'll thicken in the bowl with the pasta and it can get just too thick.

3. Add rest of cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

4. Put aldente pasta and any other parts of the dish into the sauce and finish cooking for about a minute. Serve family style or individually.

Caesar Salad

This is a classic that can be really good or just plain awful and we all have a memory attached to it. Mine includes mimi's cafe, free bread and Renee haha. This is a great salad to serve since almost everyone likes it, well except renee hahaha!

Serve with a good green lettuce, especially romaine, but feel free to make some other additions. You can add some roasted chicken or shrimp into your salad. You can even put it into a large warm tortilla and take it on the road for a portable and healthy lunch/snack. This recipe will make 2-3 servings so put into a squeeze bottle, old dressing bottle, or even tuperware and keep in the fridge. It'll last about a week or two.

Ingredients:
4tbs reduced fat mayonnaise
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons anchovy paste, this sounds gross but trust me, it's delicious and if you've had caesar salad before like in a restaurant, then you've already had some so try it!
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a few handfuls
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, pour to the count of 4

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients, except oil, into a blender and mix for 3o seconds or until really well combined.

2. With the mixer on, slowly pour in the oil until dressing is consistency you like.

3. Pour and toss onto romaine. For a tradional caesar, add some extra grated parmesan on top and some croutons.

Birthday Cake

I really like making something special like a birthday cake. I make my own every year! I made these 2 because some friends of mine just had their b-day. Since I needed to make 2 cakes I decided to make them both a single layer but it's great to stack the layers on top of each other for more height. This may sound strange but boxed cake mix is you best friend. The chemical make-up of the cake mix makes a perfect cake every time and it's cheaper then buying all the ingredients. It also saves time and is just a lot easier. But for the best flavor, you should make your frosting from scratch. You can use the jarred stuff in a pinch but the from scratch frosting makes it just delicious!

Ingredients:
1 box of cake mix (flavor of your choice, I used devil's food)
3 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbs. butter, melted in microwave
3 to 8 tbs milk
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp. canola or vegetable oil
food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook cake according to package directions and baking times. After removing from oven allow to sit in pan for 5 minutes then remove from pan and place on a rack of cutting board to cool.

2. Combine butter and sugar together with a hand or stand mixer until it resembles chalky beads.

3. Add the vanilla and milk, 1 tbs at a time until mixture is a spreadable frosting consistency.

4. To make Writing Chocolate: Melt chocolate chips in a bowl with the oil mixed in for 20 seconds in the microwave. stir chips and microwave longer if not a smooth consistency. Transfer chocolate to a plastic bag and press to one corner. Cut a small part of corner off and use this to write on cake. This takes a little practice but is a simple and nice customizing touch.

Other ways to decorate the cake is to add food coloring to the frosting for the whole cake while setting some aside for a different color to add words or designs on the top. Feel free to get creative by adding textures to the sides, sliced and toasted nuts, even coconut. Don't get frustrated if your first cake isn't a masterpiece because it takes lots of practice to learn the techniques. I hope to go to a cake decorating class soon because I want to make some beautiful cakes.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is my attempt to recreate the delicious muffins at costco in this same flavor. I just can't buy 12 giant muffins and expect to eat them before they go bad. So I decided to make a smaller dozen of muffins. I'm going to use these as a quick breakfast or snack to take to class and make all the other students jealous. haha

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
2 tbs. cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chip, plus 1/2 c to sprinkle on top
1 t salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup plus 2 t vegetable oil
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.Get a muffin pan and fill each cup with a paper muffin/cupcake cup.

2. Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, sugar, and 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips into a large bowl.

3. Pour all the liquid ingredients into a measuring cup.

4. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, remembering that a lumpy batter makes the best muffins. Stir only 15 times maximum. The more you stir, the tougher the muffins will turn out.

5. Spoon into the prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips on top and then bake for 20 minutes or until when you insert a toothpick into the middle of the muffin, it comes out clean.

6. Remove from tin and allow to cool on the counter for awhile before storing.

Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry

This is another Susan inspiration. This is great because it's quick so if your tired you can get this dinner done fast. You can use the base of the stir fry sauce for pretty much any stir-fry. Feel free to add your choice of meat and vegetables. All you need to do is cook meat, set aside then cook vegetables till bright colored, set aside then add sauce, thicken and add meat and veggies back in and poof, your done! If you want a spicier stir fry add more red chili flake into the sauce or add a spicier chili to the veggies.

Ingredients:
about 1 lb Chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite size pieces
2 cloves Garlic
grated Ginger
soy sauce
hoisin sauce
white wine/sherry
green onions sliced
long red chinese chili pepper, seeds removed and sliced very thin
pinch red pepper flakes
1 tbs sugar
cornstarch
water
white rice


Directions:

1. marinate meat in garlic, ginger, about 2 tbs soy, about 1 tbs hoisin, and about 1 tbs white wine for 20-30 minutes. This doesn't need to be exact so just eyeball it.

2. cook white rice according to package directions.

3. Sauce: 3 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs hoisin, 1 tbs red pepper flakes, 2 tbs cornstrach, splash white wine, 1tbs. sugar and about 1/4 cup of water.

4. saute chicken in a hot fry pan. cook until outside is brown about 5-8 minutes. set aside

5. saute green onions, garlic, and pepper. cook until onion is bright green-not mushy or soggy. set aside with chicken

6. pour sauce into pan and thicken slightly. If sauce gets too thick, add a little more water into the pan. Return chicken and veggies to pan. Stir everything to coat with sauce then remove from heat.

7. Serve chicken stir-fry over a bed of white rice. This is a great family style meal so I say serve it all up on a big platter and let people help themselves.

Good Eating!

Pork Pot Stickers with Dippin Sauce

I made these and the next recipe with my chef friend, Susan. We had to spend our night hanging out cooking a delicious meal. I don't know why we went asian, but we did and it was fun since I haven't made either of these things before. I love cooking because you can always learn or try something new.

These are great because they stretch a little meat a long way. You can make these as an appetizer or as the main course. If you make more than you can eat, which you probably will, you can freeze them for later. Put them on a flat baking sheet and freeze until pot stickers are hard. Then put into a plastic bag, label with the date, and put back into the freezer. Cook them frozen the same way you cooked them fresh. It'll just take longer to steam.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground pork
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs hoisin sauce
1 bunch of scallions 8-10
1 inch of ginger, peeled and grated fine
2 cloves of garlic
1 egg beaten
1 package wonton or potsticker skins

dipping sauce
6 tbs. soy sauce
2 tbs. rice wine vinegar
finely minced ginger
1 clove minced garlic
8-10 minced green onions
1/2 t sesame oil
1 t of white wine or sherry
1 tbs. sugar

Directions:
1. Cut up garlic and scallions and grate ginger. Add to a bowl

2. Add pork, soy sauce, and hoisin sauce to bowl. Stir to combine.

3. Beat the egg in a separate bowl and add to pork. Stir well to combine

4. On a baking sheet place a piece of sarran warp with some corn starch sprinkled on top.

5. Take a wonton skin and place it in you hand. Put a teaspoon to 1 1/2 t of the mix in the middle of the pot sticker. With a finger, run the outside edge of the wonton with water to seal. Fold in half. Make sure to seal tightly and get all the air out of the wonton. You can add some crimps to the outer edges to make it more decorative.

6. Repeat this last step for the rest of the filing and wonton skins. There should be just enough filling compared to wonton skins.

To make Dipping Sauce: (I suggest making this before cooking the pot stickers since they cook really quickly!)

1. Add all ingredients together in a small bowl and allow some time to sit so the flavors can meld together, like 20 to 30 minutes.

To cook Potstickers:

1. Heat up a pan with a little oil. (use peanut, canola, or vegetable not olive oil!)

2. Place pot stickers on bottom of pan and allow to brown for 3 to 4 minutes. Move the pot stickers a little bit so they don't stick to the pan (haha).

3. Once pot stickers are brown. Add 1/2 -3/4 cup of water and cover so pot stickers steam. Do this until pot stickers look transclucent.

4. Take lid off pan and allow to cook until water is gone and pot stickers are slightly crunchy on the bottom.

Cookie Dough Ice Cream

For this one you need an ice cream maker. You could build one out of a can and crank and use ice like the old days if you really want to make it but that's pretty difficult. I decided to make this because I have the ice cream maker and this is my favorite ice cream. I used my homemade chocolate chip cookie dough but you could use store bought dough.

Ingredients:
3 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
9 ounces vanilla sugar (or plain granulated sugar)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup worth of cookie dough in small balls
a handful of semi sweet or milk chocolate chunks

Directions

Place the half-and-half and the heavy cream into a medium saucepan, over medium heat. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about a third of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F. Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below.

Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. At the end of the freezing process stir in the cookie dough and chocolate chunks. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.

Beef and Cheese Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce

I decided to throw this recipe together because I wanted to find a way to use the left over pot roast and make it taste like something completely different. I love getting a few dinners out of one meal. Another great thing to do with left over pot roast? Shredded beef tacos! Either hard or soft, and some great garnishes are a cabbage slaw and pickled radishes.

I can't figure out how to add a video right onto here so I put it on my facebook page. If your not my facebook friend add me, I'm very nice haha and if you are already my friend just look for the video with the title "how to make ravioli" on the video page of my profile. Ravioli is a thing that's taught much easier through video then writing. Here's the link http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/video/video.php?v=147598006332

Ingredients:
1-2 pieces of left over pot roast, shredded
3 tbs. pot roast gravy
1 cups ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan (plus more for top of pasta)
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano
1/2 lemon, zest and juice
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. cumin
a triple batch of pasta dough (look at homemade pasta entry in my blog for this recipe but triple the ingredients)
1 egg
jar of alfredo sauce

Directions:

1. Combine pot roast, gravy, cheeses, lemon, herbs and spices in a bowl. Set aside. (for the cheeses, these are just the three I had. You only really need the ricotta but the blend of cheeses creates a slightly more complex flavor. If you have italian cheese like mozzarella, fontina, or gruyere feel free to add or substitute those.)

2. Roll out the pasta dough like other recipe, trying to get it nice and thin. When rolling out you want the pasta to have about a 2-3 inch width in a long sheet.

3. time to make the egg wash. This is basically culinary glue. Crack an egg in a bowl and whisk with one tablespoon of water. You'll apply this to seal the ravioli.

4. Take a small amount of the filling (about a teaspoon, too much and pasta will explode when cooking) and place it on one side of the dough. remember your going to fold the dough in half length wise to form ravioli so place filling in the middle of one half. space filling about a half inch from the outer sides and about 1 inch away from eachother.

5. Using egg wash, brush down filling side of dough on the outer edge and down the middle of the dough. Then use egg wash in between filling.

6. Fold over dough and press shut around filling. It's really important to get the air out from around the filling or the dough will explode while coooking. And don't get any filling into the seal of the edges either for the same reason.

7. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, separate ravioli from each other. Using a fork, crimp edges shut. this makes it look nice and provides a better seal.

8. Repeat this process for the rest of the sheets of dough. To make this faster go ahead and work like a production line. First roll out all the dough, then do all the filling, then all the egg wash, then all the sealing.

9. If you want to store these go ahead! They'll last for a week in the fridge in a plastic bag and if you want to freeze it, lay them out flat on a sheet pan and let them freeze. then when rock hard put in a bag, they should last up to a month.

10. When your ready to cook them heat some water to boiling, salt, and cook ravioli for 4-5 minutes. In a separate pan, heat up alfredo sauce at a low simmer. When ravioli are done, strain and put into sauce and allow to cook for another minute or 2.

11. Serve with garlic bread and chopped chives or parsley to garnish.

For my dinner I decided to saute some shrimp and boil some broccoli to serve with it. Throw broccoli into boiling pasta pot. Broccoli will take about 2 minutes. Saute the shrimp 1 minute per side then Pour sauce into shrimp pan. Add broccoli and ravioli when done and cook together for 1 to 2 minutes. Then plate, grate on some extra parmesan cheese and your ready to eat.

May the Food be with you!

Pot Roast with Roasted Potatos, Carrots, and Onions

A few "fans" of this blog (kevin and pauline, hey guys! hahah) have asked for cheaper meals and being a fellow college student I completely understand. What's great about this meal is that the chuck roast is an extremely cheap piece of meat and if you cook it right it can have a ton of flavor. I bought all the ingredients for this dish and it cost 16$ and can easily serve 4 people. This is a great meal to make when it's cold outside because the oven throws off a good amount of heat which is nice in the cold. And since some of my "fans" are back east, I suggest you make this soon because I hear it's freezing already. haha I'm also really excited to use the leftovers in some other dishes that will come up soon!

Ingredients:
2 pound chuck roast
1 large onion
1 head of garlic, divided
Large can of crushed tomatoes
1-2 cups beef broth
1 tsp. dry thyme
1 tsp. dry rosemary
2 large russet potatos, washed
3 carrots, washed and outer skin peeled off ( 2 for side, 1 for sauce)

Directions:

preheat oven to 300

1. Pull roast out of fridge and allow to come to room temp for about 20 minutes. you don't want to shock the meat from really cold to really hot.

2. Season all sides of roast with salt and pepper, and I mean a lot of salt and pepper cuz it's a big piece of meat you're seasoning. In a cast iron, stainless steel or dutch oven brown meat about 4-6 minutes on each side. this seals in flavor and makes a nice crust on the beef. You can use a nonstick pan for this but the crust and sauce just won't be as flavorful.

3. Take roast out of pan and set aside. Thinly slice half of onion and put into hot pan. Allow to caramelize for a few minutes then add 3 garlic cloves, large chopped and chopped carrot and let saute for 3 minutes.

4. Pour beef stock into pan. Scrap up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan, this adds a lot of flavor to the braising liquid (pot roast is a braise FYI ). be careful when pouring the stock because it steams and I burnt myself really badly so heads up everyone! haha

5. let the beef broth reduce for about 5 minutes then add crushed tomatoes. Leave room for the liquid the beef will displace when you put it into pan. You may need to add more tomatoes later after adding beef because you want liquid to come up about 3/4 height of beef.

6. Add dry herbs to sauce and allow to simmer 5 minutes.

7. Add beef to pan and cover top with liquid. Cover pan with double layer of foil and place into oven for 30 minutes. After this, take pan out and flip beef over so other side is in liquid. Recover top with liquid and place into over for another 45 minutes.

Side Dish:
Make this while pot roast is in oven for first time.

1. Wash potatos and chop into medium size chunks. Cut carrots into chunks, rest of onion into quarters, and take rest of garlic cloves, separated but still in paper, and toss all these ingredients onto a foil lined sheet pan. Toss in everything in olive oil, salt and pepper and throw into oven.

tip: You want to cut the vegetables into sizes that will be done around the same time. ex: potatoes take longer to cook then carrots so make carrot chunks bigger then potatoes.

2. When flipping the pot roast, take the time to mix up the vegetables.

3. after the first 30 minutes, turn pot roast and vegetables and continue to cook another 45 minutes. Toss veggies and turn pot roast again, covering with sauce, and cook another 45 minutes. Cooking is finished when pot roast and vegetables are fork tender.

4. This step is probably the hardest.... you have to let the meat rest. Pull meat out of pan and put onto a plate. Spoon some of the cooking liquid on top. Now, I know your house smells really good and you've been waiting a long time for that pot roast to be done, but you got to wait. trust me, you will be rewarded. Plus you can make the gravy while you wait haha.

Gravy: This is pretty simple. Puree the braising sauce in a blender (especially carrots). If you want a thicker gravy add a few of the cooked potatoes and carrots and puree with the liquid.

To serve pot roast you must slice across the grain. Look at the meat. There are natural lines that run through it, you want to cut PERPENDICULAR to these. The shorter the meat fibers the less chewing is needed and it is a more tender meat (applies to all beef) Serve with the roasted vegetables and gravy.

Pound Cake

This is a recipe straight from food network. I saw pound cake in the grocery store and got a craving and decided to make some. It would be great to serve this with whipped cream, berries, and/or ice cream for a really decadent dessert. This recipe makes a whole lot of pound cake, like a giant bundt cake's worth or 2 loafs. Be prepared to give some away (a lucky class gets mine soon) or make for a large party.

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 8 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs yolks, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
• 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups unsalted butter (4 sticks), at room temperature, plus more for the pan
• 2 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon lightly packed finely grated lemon zest
• Equipment: A 10 by 4 1/2-inch tube pan, 12-cup Bundt pan, or two 9 by 5-inch loaf pans

Directions

Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour the pan of your choice.(this is important so you can turn out the whole thing in one piece, mine wasn't so lucky)

Sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. Whisk the whole eggs, yolks, milk, and the vanilla together in a 4-cup measuring cup or bowl, and set aside.

In a heavy duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at a medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually pour in the sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, to cream and lighten the butter. (This should take about 3 minutes.) Once all the sugar is added, turn the machine off and scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula. Continue to beat the butter mixture until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the lemon zest and beat for 30 seconds more. Turn the machine off and scrape the sides of the bowl again to assure even incorporation of the ingredients.

Turn the mixer to its lowest setting. Gradually pour in the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, and beat the batter for 30 seconds. Gradually add the egg mixture. (It should take about a minute to pour all of it into the batter.) Remove the bowl from the mixer, scrape any batter off the paddle, and finish stirring the egg mixture into the batter with a rubber spatula. Take care not to over mix the batter, but make sure that you scrape the bottom of the bowl to evenly incorporate all of the ingredients.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth over the top with a spatula. Put the cake in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and the top springs back when lightly pressed, about 1 hour and 30 minutes, for the tube or Bundt pans; and 50 minutes to 1 hour for loaf pans.

Cool the cake, in the pan, on a rack, for 10 to 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a flat plate or cardboard. Re-invert the cake and set it right side up on the rack to cool completely. If not serving the same day, wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature, for 4 to 5 days or freeze for 1 month.

Homemade Pasta with Shrimp, Chicken and Green Beans with Marinara Sauce

There's no picture today because I'm an idiot and forgot to take one. It looked really good too and it was delicious so there aren't even any leftovers to take a picture of. woe is me. This pasta is a great way to use up leftovers ( I had chicken), frozen veggies (I had green beans) and anything else that sounds good to you. I also just used a jarred sauce to make it really simple and quick.

Making the pasta is a little over the top but it's a great skill to have because it only takes a few simple ingredients and it tastes better then store bought. I think I'm going to start making it for special occasions to impress my guests! haha

Serves 2

For the Pasta:
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
salt and pepper

1. Place flour on a large cutting board and make a well in the middle.

2. In a small bowl whisk the egg with a fork and season with a pinch each of black pepper and salt.

3. Pour egg into flour well/hole and slowly incorporate egg into flour. Keep combining flour until dough is no longer really moist and sticky

4. Knead dough for a few minutes (5-9 min)

5. Cut dough into 4 pieces. Take one piece and squash it into a flat disk on a well floured board. Using a rolling pin, roll very thin....pretty much as thin as you can get it. Try to roll it into a long rectangle so you can cut it in a spaghetti shape and keep moving the dough so it doesn't stick to the board.

6. Once all the dough is rolled out very thin it's time to cut. The best thing about homemade pasta is that you can make it any shape you want. For this dish I cut it into fettuccine (medium width long noodles) but cut however you please. (using a pizza slicer makes this really easy)

7. Cook in salted boiling water in a large pot for 4-5 minutes.

How to put the dish together:

raw, peeled and deveined shrimp
precooked chicken
thawed green beans

1. cook pasta

2. While pasta cooks, saute shrimp. Cook on each side, in melted butter, for about 1 minute then flip. cook another 30 seconds and add 1-1 1/2 cups of sauce.

3. Add cooked chicken and green beans to sauce. When pasta is finished drain well and throw into sauce. Add some Parmesan cheese and allow everything to cook for another minute.

4. Serve with garlic bread and extra cheese.

Feel free to make something similar to this with store bought pasta. The thing that'll take the longest is just trying to get the water to boil. Some other variations to try- sauce: pesto or alfredo sauce. Veggies: broccoli, bell peppers, olives, tomatos. Meats: pork, sausage, bacon bits, beef. Just try to put together things that sounds like they go well to you. One of the most fun parts of cooking is getting to experiment.

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