MMmmm Cookie(s)

Wow, It sure has been a while. Sorry for the delay guys, I have been trying to re-acclimate to school after being on break for two weeks and I have constantly been forgetting to take pictures (like my current enchilada recipe...which I have now made two times, both of which I didn't take pictures of anything but the finished product). Anyway I wanted to open up with some baking and show you how to make a delicious giant cookie.

Ingredients:
2 & 1/4 cups Flour
3/4 cup Brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12oz. package) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter

Look at all those ingredients

Prep:

So first step is to whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla extract.

If I could remember to take pictures like this every time i make something that would be awesome!

As you can see this is easier said than done. I highly recommend a stand mixer to do all the work for you. Too bad I don't have one of these :(

This took forever to mix by hand. So thick

After it is all mixed together add the eggs in 1 egg at a time. Then mix the salt, flour, and baking soda together and add them in a little at a time while mixing.

After the flour is all mixed in stir in the chocolate chips. This makes enough cookie dough to fill a 7-cup Tupperware container.

So much cookie dough

Now to make the cookie.

Preheat oven to 375 F. After you finish that put half of the dough into an 8-inch cast iron skillet. press it until it there is a layer reaching the edges of the skillet. Keep in mind the dough will expand while cooking so only fill the skillet up about halfway. Then bake for 18-20 minutes. Be aware that over baking will make the edges harder.  After baking let it rest for 5 minutes and throw some vanilla ice cream on top and go nuts.

Perfect for 2-4 people. 

Hopefully I can get some more posts going soon. I don't want to leave you waiting for 3 weeks for a post again.

Until Next time!

Portabella Patties done easy

Sometimes you just don't have the time, or just simply aren't in the mood to prepare a meal. Just like everyone else there are days when I get home and have absolutely no interest in getting out my knife and cutting board, chopping up the ingredients, and making something to eat. So to avoid this I have a few things sitting in the freezer that I prepared previously. This one is portabella mushroom burgers.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

2 large portabella mushroom caps

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Prep:

So to start I get two large portabella mushroom caps. I have found that two caps is just about the perfect amount of mushrooms for one pound of ground beef. I first dice the mushrooms up. This time i used my food processor to save on work, unfortunately I just about turned the mushrooms into a puree. I just need to find the correct sized pieced of mushroom and settings on my food processor to get proper dicing.

Mushroom puree :(

I then throw on my mix of spices. While making this recipe I really did not have many options for spices. In the future I hope to have more to experiment with as the original portabella patty recipe calls for thyme and onion powder, both of which I had to make do without. After putting on the spices I combined it all together.

Look at all those spices

Doesn't that look appealing

After combining it all together I formed it into individual patties. I have noticed that I prefer my patties on the slightly smaller side, so I made six of them. If you want them bigger then by all means make only four or five patties. After making them wrap in aluminum foil and store in the freezer for that rainy day.

Six in the freezer :) (dont look at all the pizza I have stored away)

When I want to eat one I just heat up a pan on medium heat and start grilling away. I recommend serving on a garlic and butter toasted bun with grilled onions and cheddar cheese (which I'll post another day).

Until next time!

BBQ? Barbecue

When I was home over Thanksgiving I made some delicious BBQ pulled pork for my family and I want to share this recipe with all of you!

Ingredients:
Pork Shoulder (also known as Boston Butt, Pork Shoulder Picnic, etc.)
1/2 Yellow Onion
1/2 tbsp Garlic Salt
Barbecue Sauce
20Oz. Doctor Pepper

Prep
So to start I took my onion and quartered it. I laid down the quarters in the bottom of my crock pot as a bed for the pork shoulder. I want to try this with a whole onion as a bed. I think that would add to the flavor.

Speaking of beds, I am totally taking a nap after I post this. 

I then took my pork and set it on top of the onions. I did use some garlic salt to rub onto the pork. Not a for a whole lot mind you, but a little. I plan on using some ground mustard with the next pulled pork I make for a little more flavor.

$9.09 for 6 lbs of pork. I would say that's a good deal.

So after I placed the pork in the crock pot I poured in the 20oz. of Dr. Pepper and set my crock pot on low for 8 hours.

I know, Marinating the pork isn't the healthiest but it is just too darn convenient. I suppose I could use a diet beverage or spend the time on a dry rub.

So here is where difficulties can arise. The first time I made the pulled pork the crock pot was set on high for 3 hours. After those 3 I noticed it was set wrong and turned it down to low. When I finished cooking the pork the meat fell off the bone. However, the second time I made pulled pork I set it on low for 9 hours. When I tried to get the meat off the bone it was pretty difficult. This was done with very similar weights of pork. So here is my solution. Set on low for 5-6 hours, then set on high for 2-3 hours. If you are gone longer (like at work) then let it cook for 10-11 hours instead of just 8.

So 8-ish hours later...

Ding!

Alright. So the first order of business is take the pork out of the pot and start pulling it (after removing the bone).

To pull the pork I took two forks and just start pulling the meat with them. It is a fairly simple process. This will take more work depending on how well done the pork is.

Then when done drain the crock pot of Dr. Pepper and put the pulled pork back in the pot (be sure to turn the crock pot off).

My bed of onions (the rest of them stuck to the pork when I lifted it out)

Pulled and put back in the pot

 Then add in about half your bottle of barbecue sauce (I prefer brands made with molasses and not high fructose corn syrup). Then I stir up my pulled pork and set to low for 1 hour and then it is time to eat!

om nom nom

Some people like to add the barbecue sauce to their pulled pork when it is on the bun, which is why I only put half a bottle in. This is great and it fed my whole family when I made it at home. When I made it up at school It fed me, two friends, and then I even used the leftovers for enchiladas. All in all a great cost effective meal.

Until next time!

Dr. Pizza

When I was at a friends house one time her dad told me how he made his pizzas. He would take a store bought pizza, like a $3 pepperoni pizza, and add ingredients on top of the pizza effectively doctoring it. Since then I have always spruced up my pizza with little zing, a little something extra. This turns my normal pizza into something special like what one would order from an actual pizza place. So here is how this works.

Ingredients:
Frozen Pizza
Green Bell Pepper
Roma Tomatoes
Sweet Yellow Onion
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Oregano
Basil

Prep
So I like to chop the tomatoes into big chunks, about the same size as on the quesadilla. I tried whole tomatoes once but it didn't turn out as planned...they were like the pepperoni's...but much worse...

Then I like to put on onion and green pepper slices. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of the onions :(

Shhh...I'm not reusing pictures, I swear.

So I preheat the oven to the requested 425F and put on the pizza toppings.

After this I shake on the oregano and then take a pinch of basil sprinkled over the pizza. I finally top it off with some nice Parmesan and mozzarella. And throw it in there for 15 to 20 minutes.

And there you have it. Might have well been delivered...and only cost me like 5 bucks total. Yum!

Easy Peasy Quesadillas (dont worry, its pea free)

One of my go to meals is a chicken quesadilla. It tastes delicious and fills me up. So here is my recipe for a quick tasty treat! The only real time sink is boiling the chicken and baking the quesadilla, but you can always go without chicken, or even without chicken or vegi's for a nice snack

Ingredients:
Chicken Breast
Green Bell Pepper
Yellow Onion
Roma Tomato
Tortilla shells
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Butter

Prep

Chicken
So to start I boil some frozen chicken breast. It leaves the chicken moist and warm. This ends up being a relatively quick no fuss way to cook the chicken. I start the boiling first and then I go on to prepare the ingredients. After the fresh ingredients are prepped I pull out the chicken and check to see if it is white all the way through by cutting the breast in half. If not back into the pot it goes!

Unfortunately for me the frozen chicken I had left was two breasts fused together, so I had way more chicken then I needed, well that allowed for easy prep food in the future.

So while the chicken boils I start prepping the vegi's.

Onion

I first slice off two ends of the onion and peel off the top two layers. Then I rinse the onion.

After that I slice off two slices and dice them which can be seen below.

diced and happy!

Green Bell Pepper

I first need to cut the peppers in half and remove the pepper seeds. After that I quarter the peppers and turn then into slim slices.

Now you see the seeds!

Now you dont!

Cut into quarters

And then sliced perfectly...too bad all mine dont look like this

Then I go and chop these into smaller pieces :)

Tomatoes!

I wash these bad boys off and slice them just like I did the onion...but bigger chunks!

look at those chunks!

Now that I have all my vegi's together I throw them in a bowl and mix em up!

Yummy Vegi's!

So now I chop up the chicken and start throwing together my quesadilla

chop chop!

I hate cleaning the pan as much as everyone else, so I was shown this handy trick by my friend. The aluminum foil still transmits the heat effectively and then can be taken off and throw away when really dirty!

Here is the pan

clean disposable cover

I start the quesadilla by buttering the outsides of both my tortillas. Then I lay a cheese base and stack on vegi's and chicken and more cheese.

Cheese Base

Vegi's next

throw on some chicken

Top with cheese to adhere the top tortilla to the chicken and vegi's

Now I have the quesadilla in the oven set to 300F and I wait 15 to 25 minutes... Bon Appetit! (wrong language, I know :/  )

The flavor works really well without adding unnecessary spices, but sometimes when I want a little kick I will add some Red Cayenne Pepper or some Chipotle seasoning mix. Usually I don't think of this until after the quesadilla is in the oven though and I still love the taste of what comes out.

I found that the biggest problem with making this blog work is going to be the pictures...I seem to forget to take any until after I am halfway done with prep, and now that I see some of the ones that come out I find the quality of some quite questionable. Ill just have to pay more attention to lighting and blur as I continue to cook.

Until next time!

My Personal Kitchen Ingredient Staples

So over the summer I really realized what sort of ingredients I need to have in my kitchen. To the kind of dishes I make these ingredients find themselves being thrown in over and over again. So I'll just start this right from the beginning with the fresh produce. Honestly though, this is more like my personal kitchen staples. All the things I try to keep in my kitchen at all times

Sweet Yellow Onion
I use onions in so many things. Sometimes the white ones are a little overpowering, but the yellow ones are sweet and add to the flavor instead of taking it over.

Roma Tomatoes
Almost every time I make a pasta dish I throw tomatoes in to thicken it in up some.

Green Bell Peppers
I really like the green bell peppers. They have the slightest bite to them that adds a crispness to what I cook


Cold ingredients:

Milk

Cheddar Cheese

Bread 

Buns

Eggs


Ranch Dressing
This is a situation item. I can throw it on leftover pizza, in salads


Shredded Mozzerella and Shredded Cheddar Cheese
I store this in the freezer and it ends up keeping fresh for a long time.

Tortillas
I store these in the freezer as well. They are good for

Chicken Breast
I freeze this to store it and then move it from there to the the refrigerator before I cook it.

Frozen Pizza
I think paying more than 3.50 for pizza is ridiculous. So wait until large pizza goes on sale and add ingredients and spices to them. it makes great pizza

Cupboard Ingredients:

Pasta
I like to use the round pastas, Penne, Rigatoni, shells, corkscrew pasta, etc.

Rice
I prefer brown rice!

Pasta Sauce
I prefer a plain pasta sauce and I like to add other ingredients and spices to make it delicious.

Cream of Mushroom Soup
This can be added in to make a sauce different than the tomato pasta sauce.

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Salt
I use garlic salt in tons of recipes even more than just regular salt

With all of these ingredients in mind I tend to try and buy 2 or 3 of each thing when it goes on sale. This keeps my fridge full and running efficiently. Next post will be about a recipe and cooking, I Swear!

First Post, the Basics in your Kitchen

Hi, I would just like to welcome everyone to this blog. Since last summer I have been cooking for myself while i lived on my own. I discovered over the summer how much I actually love cooking. I love how I can take the individual ingredients to create something different. That feeling of completion and of accomplishment I felt after making a delicious dish is something enjoy and want to share. So with that in mind I want to take you guys through my cooking experience one discovery at a time. To start us off here is a list of what I feel are kitchen essentials.

Santoku Knife

First and foremost you need a good knife. With this you can start off chopping vegetables, fruit, cheese, meat, etc. This is an excellent tool for starting your cooking adventure. In the future you can buy a food processor and other kinds of cutting tools to make your life easier, but for now the Santoku knife fits the bill. Be sure to grab a good cutting board as well.

Pot

You need a pot with a lid. It is important to have the lid because you can use it to strain noodles. The lid also allows you to make rice as well! I would say having 2 pots total is definitely necessary. One to cook noodles, and the other to heat the sauce. Or rice and whatever you want to top it with.

  Pan

This can be used to make breakfast, cook burgers, sauces, grilled cheese, chicken, eggplant, etc.! One pan should really be all you need!

Some would place a set of measuring cups and spoons here, but I actually dont use them. I will approximate how much of an ingredient I put into my dish to tell you all about how much to use

Other small things will help, a big stirring spoon, butter knife, can opener, and such are good to have as well.