Yesterday was my one year anniversary of being married to my sweeeeetttt billy! I woke up early and made him breakfast to start the celebration. He doesn't really like pancakes or waffles (my favs) but he does love eggs, so I made him a farmer's omelet with bacon and biscuits for breakfast.
I just made canned biscuits! eassssyyyyyy!
For the bacon, I made it in the oven so it was nice and flat. 400 degrees for 15 minutes on a cookie sheet, done!
The omelet starts with sauteing some veggies-- 1/2 a bellpepper, 1 medium tomato, 1 jalapeno, 5 mini-potatoes with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook until they are tender.
Remove the veggies to a plate and crack 3 eggs into a bowl with a little heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Beat the eggs together and then put into the hot skillet. Lift and turn the skillet and make sure that the eggs distribute evenly. After about a minute or so flip the whole thing over. Cook for another 30-45 seconds and then remove to a plate. Put the veggies in the middle of the omelet and then close!
Billy really liked his omelet! I like the bacon in the oven because more of the fat runs off, and it also stays flat so its easier to put into a biscuit!
We had a really good day and a really good anniversary. We just spent the whole day together... ahhh!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
cook-less
This week has been a cook-less week. I only cooked one time- tilipia crusted with parmasan and lemon pepper- and haven't cooked since. Billy's brother, Ben, is in town and we have also been out all week looking for a new car for Bill. Ah, life gets in the way sometimes!!
Friday, August 19, 2011
nEW
Oh, yes, that EW is capital in the title! For this weeks "new" dinner, Bill grabbed a package of frozen seafood. There were mussels, clams, octopi, cuttlefish, small peices of cod, and shrimp. And it was all already cooked. And it smelled bad before the bag was open. (not like it had gone bad, but like it was already overcooked) I encouraged him to change his mind, but he said it was either the bag of seafood "stuff" or the $17 and pound frozen crayfish that they had at the seafood counter. Being the cheap girl that I am, I decided to go for the seafood stuff..... MISTAKE!!!
I also got a half pound of shrimp becuase it was on sale, and I figured that it would be ok with the bag-o-seafood.
I started by defrosting the bag-o-stuff and shelling the shrimp. They went in the fridge while I made the base for what I am calling my seafood stEW.
I used:
1 package of frozen corn
1 regular sized can of tomaotes
2 Onions, diced
2 tablespoons of basil, minced garlic, parsley and oregano
2 tablespoons of butter and EVOO
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup chicken or seafood stock
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white wine
1 packaged cooked bag-o-seafood, thawed
1/2 lb of shrimp, shelled and chopped in half
2 cups cooked rice
I started by heating the oil and butter in a large pot, and added the onion and garlic. Cook for until the onions are soft and add everything except the seafood and the shrimp. Put a lid on your pot, bring to a boil, and then reduce to simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the seafood and cook until the raw shrimp is cooked (4-5 minutes). Serve over the rice.
If I would have had all fresh ingrediants I think this would have been pretty good. I tried the sauce before I put the seafood in, and it was quite flavorful! The bag of stuff was just not good....I should have used fresh stuff.... I am not a huge fan of mussles or clams, so I may not have used them, but Billy likes them. I have to say it again, the bag-o-stuff was just not good! Billy pretended to like it for a little bit, but then even gave up.
Oh well, not everything can be great! All that matters is that I'm still trying to make new things and that I am working towards becoming a better cook!
Eat something good for me-- just don't eat that bag-o-seafood! yuck!
I also got a half pound of shrimp becuase it was on sale, and I figured that it would be ok with the bag-o-seafood.
I started by defrosting the bag-o-stuff and shelling the shrimp. They went in the fridge while I made the base for what I am calling my seafood stEW.
I used:
1 package of frozen corn
1 regular sized can of tomaotes
2 Onions, diced
2 tablespoons of basil, minced garlic, parsley and oregano
2 tablespoons of butter and EVOO
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup chicken or seafood stock
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white wine
1 packaged cooked bag-o-seafood, thawed
1/2 lb of shrimp, shelled and chopped in half
2 cups cooked rice
I started by heating the oil and butter in a large pot, and added the onion and garlic. Cook for until the onions are soft and add everything except the seafood and the shrimp. Put a lid on your pot, bring to a boil, and then reduce to simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the seafood and cook until the raw shrimp is cooked (4-5 minutes). Serve over the rice.
If I would have had all fresh ingrediants I think this would have been pretty good. I tried the sauce before I put the seafood in, and it was quite flavorful! The bag of stuff was just not good....I should have used fresh stuff.... I am not a huge fan of mussles or clams, so I may not have used them, but Billy likes them. I have to say it again, the bag-o-stuff was just not good! Billy pretended to like it for a little bit, but then even gave up.
Oh well, not everything can be great! All that matters is that I'm still trying to make new things and that I am working towards becoming a better cook!
Eat something good for me-- just don't eat that bag-o-seafood! yuck!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
A little bit Italian...
When I want something REALLY easy to make for dinner I boil some pasta and thaw out some of my home-made marinara sauce! The process to make the marinara takes a good long while, but it is mainly just simmer time on the stove! I use this sauce for just regular spaghetti, baked penne pasta, and for pizza sauce... it could just as easily be adapted for anything where you need a tomato sauce.
To make my marinara you need:
1 BIG can of crushed tomatoes (I usually get the kind with basil already in it)
1 BIG can of diced tomatoes
1 regular can of diced tomatoes (or whole if you like your sauce a little chunkier)
1 small can of tomato paste
2 onions, diced
2 tablespoons EVOO
3 tablespoons of minced garlic
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons parsley
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 1/2 tablespoons dried granulated garlic
1/2 tablespoon pepper
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1/2 tablespoon garlic salt
2-3 bay leaves
Start by heating the oil in a big pot. Saute the onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes. Add ALL the spices and saute for a few more minutes. Add all the cans of tomatoes and stir so that all the spices are pretty incorporated with the tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Taste your sauce and this point and see if you need more salt, garlic, or basil. The three flavors should be there when you taste your sauce. I usually end up adding more garlic and basil. Simmer on the stove for AT LEAST 2 hours, but I usually do a minimum of 3, and stir every 10-15 minutes. Taste as you go! Sometimes you need more seasoning- don't be afraid to add more seasoning!! If you think your sauce is getting a little too thick, add a little bit of chicken broth or another can of diced tomatoes. This makes 4 different meals worth of sauce for Billy and I. I just put the sauce into zip lock bags and then freeze.
I ALWAYS have this in my freezer! When I open my last bag, I make sure that I make more that day, or the next weekend.
When I am ready to eat, I just take the sauce out and defrost it in some warm water. Last night I cooked some turkey meat with garlic, parsley, basil, and salt and then added the defrosted sauce for a few minutes before draining and adding the pasta.
The process of making the sauce, not so fast... the process of eating it once defrosted? SUPER fast! (and good!) Yum!
To make my marinara you need:
1 BIG can of crushed tomatoes (I usually get the kind with basil already in it)
1 BIG can of diced tomatoes
1 regular can of diced tomatoes (or whole if you like your sauce a little chunkier)
1 small can of tomato paste
2 onions, diced
2 tablespoons EVOO
3 tablespoons of minced garlic
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons parsley
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 1/2 tablespoons dried granulated garlic
1/2 tablespoon pepper
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1/2 tablespoon garlic salt
2-3 bay leaves
Start by heating the oil in a big pot. Saute the onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes. Add ALL the spices and saute for a few more minutes. Add all the cans of tomatoes and stir so that all the spices are pretty incorporated with the tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Taste your sauce and this point and see if you need more salt, garlic, or basil. The three flavors should be there when you taste your sauce. I usually end up adding more garlic and basil. Simmer on the stove for AT LEAST 2 hours, but I usually do a minimum of 3, and stir every 10-15 minutes. Taste as you go! Sometimes you need more seasoning- don't be afraid to add more seasoning!! If you think your sauce is getting a little too thick, add a little bit of chicken broth or another can of diced tomatoes. This makes 4 different meals worth of sauce for Billy and I. I just put the sauce into zip lock bags and then freeze.
I ALWAYS have this in my freezer! When I open my last bag, I make sure that I make more that day, or the next weekend.
When I am ready to eat, I just take the sauce out and defrost it in some warm water. Last night I cooked some turkey meat with garlic, parsley, basil, and salt and then added the defrosted sauce for a few minutes before draining and adding the pasta.
The process of making the sauce, not so fast... the process of eating it once defrosted? SUPER fast! (and good!) Yum!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
New meal!
For my weekly never before meal Billy grabbed Chicken wings, mini potatoes, and a shallot. I grabbed artichokes, a bottle of white wine, and lemons. I decided to make lemon, oregano and thyme chicken with mini potatoes and artichokes.
I grow a lot of my own herbs- thyme and oregano being two of the varieties I currently have.... trust me, I do NOT have a green thumb! In fact, I am pretty good at killing plants.... I just grow my own stuff because 1) I'm cheap! and 2) this way I know I'll have it when I need it! I just used the last of my oregano, so I need to find another plant. I also grow basil, tomatoes, jalapenos, and parsley. We had an explosion of tomatoes getting ripe this week, and I need to either make a LOT of salsa or find something to make them with! I think salsa may be in the cards!!:)
The chicken turned out reallllllyyyyy good, but I think I would use either a chicken breast next time, or maybe drumsticks..... the darker meat just stays so flavorful!! Chicken wings are just hard to eat if they aren't fried!!!
Here's what I used:
1 very juicy lemon, zested and juiced- use 1 1/2 if your lemon is not so juicy
1/4 cup of white wine
1/2 tablespoon oregano if fresh- less if dried
1 teaspoon fresh thyme.
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons lemon pepper
1 tablespoon EVOO
1 shallot, minced
one package of chicken wings or breasts or drumsticks
Combine all the ingrediants in a plastic bag and then add the chicken. Marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours.
When ready to cook, preheat the over to 400. Put the chicken and the marinade in a 13X9 baking dish. cover pretty tightly with foil and cook for about 40 minutes. Take the foil off and turn the broiler on, broil for about 5 minutes so the top gets a little crispy! Remove the chicken from the pan, then pour the juices in a little pot and reduce on the stove by about half.
While the chicken is working, you can make a marinade for the artichokes.
You'll need:
1 lemon
1/4 cup white wine
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon EVOO
2 teaspoons thyme
2 cleaned artichokes
Combine the marinade ingredients in another bag. Add the artichokes. Marinade the artichokes on the counter for a few minutes-- until the chicken has about 30 minutes to go.
Pour the artichokes and about half of the marinade in a baking dish. Cover with tinfoil, but make a small vent in the foil. Cook for about 25-30 minutes.
And, last but defiantly not least were the potatoes! I am not a huge potato fan unless they are fried into french fries, but these were EXCELLENT!!
For the potatoes:
1 bag of mini potatoes
2 tablespoons EVOO
salt
pepper
garlic powder
toss the potatoes in the evoo and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bake in the oven with the chicken and aritchokes for about 20-25 minutes. While the chicken is broiling, broil the potatoes too!! They get even crispier!!
Oh, and that sauce you reduced? Use it on the chicken, and then dip the potatoes in it while you are eating! They are SOOOOOO good! I think they may have been my favorite thing last night.
If you want, you can make a simple butter sauce for the artichokes, but I thought they were fine without it and actually mixed some of the butter sauce with the chicken sauce for an even better dipping sauce for the potatoes!
This one is defiantly a keeper!!
Picture courtesy of my sweet husband, Billy!
I grow a lot of my own herbs- thyme and oregano being two of the varieties I currently have.... trust me, I do NOT have a green thumb! In fact, I am pretty good at killing plants.... I just grow my own stuff because 1) I'm cheap! and 2) this way I know I'll have it when I need it! I just used the last of my oregano, so I need to find another plant. I also grow basil, tomatoes, jalapenos, and parsley. We had an explosion of tomatoes getting ripe this week, and I need to either make a LOT of salsa or find something to make them with! I think salsa may be in the cards!!:)
The chicken turned out reallllllyyyyy good, but I think I would use either a chicken breast next time, or maybe drumsticks..... the darker meat just stays so flavorful!! Chicken wings are just hard to eat if they aren't fried!!!
Here's what I used:
1 very juicy lemon, zested and juiced- use 1 1/2 if your lemon is not so juicy
1/4 cup of white wine
1/2 tablespoon oregano if fresh- less if dried
1 teaspoon fresh thyme.
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons lemon pepper
1 tablespoon EVOO
1 shallot, minced
one package of chicken wings or breasts or drumsticks
Combine all the ingrediants in a plastic bag and then add the chicken. Marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours.
When ready to cook, preheat the over to 400. Put the chicken and the marinade in a 13X9 baking dish. cover pretty tightly with foil and cook for about 40 minutes. Take the foil off and turn the broiler on, broil for about 5 minutes so the top gets a little crispy! Remove the chicken from the pan, then pour the juices in a little pot and reduce on the stove by about half.
While the chicken is working, you can make a marinade for the artichokes.
You'll need:
1 lemon
1/4 cup white wine
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon EVOO
2 teaspoons thyme
2 cleaned artichokes
Combine the marinade ingredients in another bag. Add the artichokes. Marinade the artichokes on the counter for a few minutes-- until the chicken has about 30 minutes to go.
Pour the artichokes and about half of the marinade in a baking dish. Cover with tinfoil, but make a small vent in the foil. Cook for about 25-30 minutes.
And, last but defiantly not least were the potatoes! I am not a huge potato fan unless they are fried into french fries, but these were EXCELLENT!!
For the potatoes:
1 bag of mini potatoes
2 tablespoons EVOO
salt
pepper
garlic powder
toss the potatoes in the evoo and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bake in the oven with the chicken and aritchokes for about 20-25 minutes. While the chicken is broiling, broil the potatoes too!! They get even crispier!!
Oh, and that sauce you reduced? Use it on the chicken, and then dip the potatoes in it while you are eating! They are SOOOOOO good! I think they may have been my favorite thing last night.
If you want, you can make a simple butter sauce for the artichokes, but I thought they were fine without it and actually mixed some of the butter sauce with the chicken sauce for an even better dipping sauce for the potatoes!
This one is defiantly a keeper!!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Feasting on sweets!
Last night was a treat! Billy and I were invited to our friend Kyle's house for dinner. Two of our really good friends, Garrett and Jessica, along with their sweet baby girl, Dylan, were there too! Garrett and Kyle manned the grill and made some delicious chicken thighs. Garrett wanted me to take pictures of him in his grill-mastery best, but I was too lazy to go get my camera. :)
For my contribution to dinner, I made cookies! Kyle loves a good cookie, and I haven't made any from scratch in a while, so I figured I'd give it a go. These cookies are HUGE and soft.... I LOVE them!
You'll need:
2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
one pinch of salt
1 1/2 sticks of butter softened
1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
Chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 325. Cream the butter and sugars in a large bowl together. Add the vanilla, egg and egg yolk. Mix. Put the flour, baking soda, and salt in a little at a time and mix on low. Don't mix too much or the cookies will be tough. Add as many or as few chocolate chips as you'd like. (This recipe is also good with butterscotch or peanut butter chips.) Use parchment paper on your cookie sheets if you have it-- it just helps with clean up and removing the cookies from the pan. I use a 1/4 measurer to divide out my cookies. If you use the 1/4 cup measure this recipe should make about 16 cookies. I also have to use 3 cookie sheets when I use the 1/4 measure. These really get BIG! Cook for about 15 minutes, give or take a minute or two. Rotate the racks halfway through if you are using 3 cookie sheets or the ones on the bottom rack will get too brown.
I have to admit that I didn't make this recipe....The only things I changed are having the butter just softened and not melted and the amount of chocolate chips. The original recipe wants WAY too many (and I love chocolate!). You can melt the butter if you don't have time for it to soften on the counter ( I did yesterday), but the times that I have made this when the butter was just melted, the cookies have been a little flat. I know this is supposed to be my ideas for cooking, but my theory is if it aint broke, don't fix it! These cookies are awesome!! Plus, it's hard to create baking recipes! Cooking can just be thrown together, baking has to be too precise to just throw stuff in!
I did have pictures of these right after I pulled them out of the oven, but I think my phone ate them because I can't find them anywhere.... weird!!!!!
For my contribution to dinner, I made cookies! Kyle loves a good cookie, and I haven't made any from scratch in a while, so I figured I'd give it a go. These cookies are HUGE and soft.... I LOVE them!
You'll need:
2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
one pinch of salt
1 1/2 sticks of butter softened
1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
Chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 325. Cream the butter and sugars in a large bowl together. Add the vanilla, egg and egg yolk. Mix. Put the flour, baking soda, and salt in a little at a time and mix on low. Don't mix too much or the cookies will be tough. Add as many or as few chocolate chips as you'd like. (This recipe is also good with butterscotch or peanut butter chips.) Use parchment paper on your cookie sheets if you have it-- it just helps with clean up and removing the cookies from the pan. I use a 1/4 measurer to divide out my cookies. If you use the 1/4 cup measure this recipe should make about 16 cookies. I also have to use 3 cookie sheets when I use the 1/4 measure. These really get BIG! Cook for about 15 minutes, give or take a minute or two. Rotate the racks halfway through if you are using 3 cookie sheets or the ones on the bottom rack will get too brown.
I have to admit that I didn't make this recipe....The only things I changed are having the butter just softened and not melted and the amount of chocolate chips. The original recipe wants WAY too many (and I love chocolate!). You can melt the butter if you don't have time for it to soften on the counter ( I did yesterday), but the times that I have made this when the butter was just melted, the cookies have been a little flat. I know this is supposed to be my ideas for cooking, but my theory is if it aint broke, don't fix it! These cookies are awesome!! Plus, it's hard to create baking recipes! Cooking can just be thrown together, baking has to be too precise to just throw stuff in!
I did have pictures of these right after I pulled them out of the oven, but I think my phone ate them because I can't find them anywhere.... weird!!!!!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
FEC Pesto
I have another FEC meal! Today was LONG.... School starts tomorrow and I am overwhelmed. I got to work at 7:25 and got home at 5:10.... it was a very long day, complete with breaking down into tears over a very frustrating set of computer wires that took an hour to de-tangle. Whew!
When I got home, it had just stopped raining and the basil that I have growing in my backyard smelled a.maz.ing. I decided right when I smelled that sweet, wonderful basil that I was making pesto in some way for dinner tonight. I always have at least one basil plant growing, but during the summer I grown tons of the stuff! Right now, I have little mini basil plants growing wild all over my backyard. Basil is one of those things that can be expensive if you buy just a bag of the leaves (and it doesn't last long either), but if you buy a plant it ends up saving tons of money. Right now, Publix has their live herb plants at 2 for 4 dollars. Two bucks for something that will continue to reproduce over and over again, yes please!!
Pesto is super simple to make, and its pretty dang cheap, too! (and it's about 2 WW points for 1/4 cup of the recipe!)
You'll need:
20ish basil leaves
1/4 cup EVOO
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
a couple of pinches of salt
1 1/2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic (or less if you don't like garlic as much as I do!)
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts or pistachios-- I like using pistachios because I think it gives the pesto more flavor, but pine nuts are traditional. * Keep your pine nuts in the freezer! They last forever that way!*
Put everything in a food processor and then blend until it becomes a paste-like consistency. Taste and add ingredients as needed. Sometimes depending on your Parm, you'll need more salt. If you think your pesto is a little too salty, add a little EVOO and a couple of basil leaves. I don't really measure anything when I make pesto, I just eyeball it! It is so easy to fix, there's no problem! This recipe makes about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup. Easy, right!?!
I just toss the pesto with hot pasta and serve with sauteed shrimp! YUM! This whole meal can be made in the time it takes to cook the pasta-- 8-10 minutes! Fast! Just process the pesto and saute the shrimp with salt, pepper, and garlic powder for about two minutes on each side while the pasta is boiling!
Cheap, too! 1/2 a lb of shrimp costs about 4 bucks, the pasta I bought (and use three separate times!) for 79 cent as a BOGO at Publix, the Pesto can be made for about a buck if you take into account how many times you can use the ingredients that you buy for the pesto (especially if you buy a basil plant!)
*****Just a warning! The pine nuts are kind of expensive, BUT I have had the same container of pine nuts in my freezer for like 6 months. And, I make pesto a lot!****
Look at all that stuff!! The basil has gotten SO big this year! I have another pot of it in another container too!
Look at that wild growing stuff!! (along with all the weeds! lol!)
Go make some pesto! It's really good!!
When I got home, it had just stopped raining and the basil that I have growing in my backyard smelled a.maz.ing. I decided right when I smelled that sweet, wonderful basil that I was making pesto in some way for dinner tonight. I always have at least one basil plant growing, but during the summer I grown tons of the stuff! Right now, I have little mini basil plants growing wild all over my backyard. Basil is one of those things that can be expensive if you buy just a bag of the leaves (and it doesn't last long either), but if you buy a plant it ends up saving tons of money. Right now, Publix has their live herb plants at 2 for 4 dollars. Two bucks for something that will continue to reproduce over and over again, yes please!!
Pesto is super simple to make, and its pretty dang cheap, too! (and it's about 2 WW points for 1/4 cup of the recipe!)
You'll need:
20ish basil leaves
1/4 cup EVOO
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
a couple of pinches of salt
1 1/2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic (or less if you don't like garlic as much as I do!)
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts or pistachios-- I like using pistachios because I think it gives the pesto more flavor, but pine nuts are traditional. * Keep your pine nuts in the freezer! They last forever that way!*
Put everything in a food processor and then blend until it becomes a paste-like consistency. Taste and add ingredients as needed. Sometimes depending on your Parm, you'll need more salt. If you think your pesto is a little too salty, add a little EVOO and a couple of basil leaves. I don't really measure anything when I make pesto, I just eyeball it! It is so easy to fix, there's no problem! This recipe makes about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup. Easy, right!?!
I just toss the pesto with hot pasta and serve with sauteed shrimp! YUM! This whole meal can be made in the time it takes to cook the pasta-- 8-10 minutes! Fast! Just process the pesto and saute the shrimp with salt, pepper, and garlic powder for about two minutes on each side while the pasta is boiling!
Cheap, too! 1/2 a lb of shrimp costs about 4 bucks, the pasta I bought (and use three separate times!) for 79 cent as a BOGO at Publix, the Pesto can be made for about a buck if you take into account how many times you can use the ingredients that you buy for the pesto (especially if you buy a basil plant!)
*****Just a warning! The pine nuts are kind of expensive, BUT I have had the same container of pine nuts in my freezer for like 6 months. And, I make pesto a lot!****
Go make some pesto! It's really good!!
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