Hey everyone! =) I know that I've been absent for a little while, but I've been busy with what else? School. Ha!
Today I have a recipe for you that sounded fun so I'm going to try it out today! I'm adding in the chicken. The original recipe is just for broccoli cheddar soup.
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Soup
You will need:
1 large head of broccoli, chopped or 1 20oz bag of chopped frozen broccoli
1/2 cup of unsalted butter or olive oil
1 medium cooking onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 cup of flour
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of milk
2 cans of chicken broth
1 1/2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
2 large boneless chicken breasts
1.) Start out by boiling the chicken breasts until they are cooked through. Cube the chicken. Simultaneously, cook your broccoli until it is tender, drain, and then set aside.
2.) In the pan you plan to make your soup in, saute your chopped onion, chopped garlic, and cubed chicken in the butter.
3.) Once the onions are transparent, stir in the 1/2 cup of flour into the mixture. Cook this for around 5 minutes.
4.) Next, add the 2 cups of milk into the mixture SLOWLY, constantly stirring.
5.) Once your milk is completely added, stir in the 1 1/2 cups of grated cheddar cheese. Blend the mixture until it is smooth.
6.) Once the mixture is smooth, slowly add in the 2 cans of chicken broth until it is blended in well with the rest of the mixture.
7.) Add the broccoli to the overall mixture and let this simmer for around 15 minutes. If you would like a thicker soup, let it simmer a little longer, or bring it to a boil and add an appropriate amount of cornstarch.
8.) Serve and enjoy! =)
I hope you guys like it! This is the first time I'm trying this out, so I'm not sure yet if this is a scrumptious dish, but it sure sounds like it might be! A nice bag roll would be good with a bowl of this!
Happy cooking!
EDIT::
This soup turned out GREAT! A little tip, though. When you get to step 6, go ahead and add 3/4 of a can of water as well if you'd like. I found that the soup was a LITTLE thick for my liking before I added the water =) Enjoy!
Let's face it. In college, we have enough stress without having to worry about whether or not we're going to get a good meal when we're hungry. As a college student, I understand the irritation and frustration that having to live on Ramen Noodles causes. Because of that, I started improvising and using different foods that I had laying around to make dishes that were not only easy, but tasted amazing. It is my pleasure to share these homemade dishes with you. I hope you enjoy my recipes.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Country Style Beef Stew + Garlic Parmesan Toast
Good morning, readers =)
Today's recipe is one that I recently started making and have far from perfected. The first batch I made was absolutely scrumptious and I've adored it every since. This is probably the meal that will take the very longest to cook on this site, but it is definitely worth the wait.
Country Style Beef Stew
You will need:
1 large beef roast (or deer roast, which I have used and thoroughly enjoyed)
1 clove of garlic, pealed and chopped
A touch of olive oil (enough to cover your roast before making the stew)
3 cans of beef broth or 1 1/2 boxes of beef stock (we use organic)
1 small bag of frozen peas OR 2 cans of canned peas (you can also use green beans, but we prefer peas)
1 small bag of frozen carrot slices OR 1 small bag of fresh baby carrots
4 large potatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Cornstarch to get your stew consistency
1.) In a large crock pot, preferably the night before you want your meal, place the large roast with just enough water to wet its whistle in the bottom. Turn the crock pot on high and leave it for the night. You can season it if you so choose. I've done everything from adding nothing at all to it to putting it in a crock pot with peppers and onions overnight.
2.) The next day/night, whenever you're choosing to make your meal, your roast should be just falling apart. Pull it apart or chop it to your liking and place it in the bottom of a large stewing pot with your touch of olive oil and garlic clove, chopped. Fry the meat and garlic in the bottom of the pan just until the flavors have come together. There is no need to try to "cook" the meat, as it is already cooked. You just want the flavors to marry in the pan.
3.) Once you've gotten the meat and garlic fried up a bit, add in all of your beef stock or beef broth with the proper amount of water for each. Beef stock doesn't generally call for any water as it is generally made with loads of water, but sometimes adding a little water helps make just a little more stew. Make sure to stir it up a bit after you've gotten the liquid in so there isn't any meat sticking to the bottom of the pan. Bring it to a boil, turn down to medium heat, and let that simmer for around 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4.) While your meat/beef broth or stock mixture is simmering, come to the side and clean and chop your potatoes and carrots (if you chose fresh carrots). You can also leave your carrots whole, which is what some prefer, but we like a bit of carrot in every bit, so I always chop them. Make sure to chop your potatoes small enough that they will cook in a desired amount of time. If they are took large, they will not be cooked through when your stew is ready.
5.) After 25-30 minutes, add all of your vegetables to your meat/beef broth/stock mixture and stir together. Let this all simmer together for around 15-20 more minutes. Add in salt and pepper or any other spices you choose to taste at this time. I promise, you're almost done!
6.) Once your potatoes are soft through, or cooked to a desired softness, turn your heat up enough to cause the soup to boil. You need it to be boiling for this next part. On the back of your cornstarch can, it should give you proper water to cornstarch parts in order to mix them correctly. I generally just eyeball it all, because I've used cornstarch before. If you have never used cornstarch, be sure to read the instructions on the can before using. Use the proper amount of water to cornstarch and mix them together in a bowl. If you've made a big pan of stew, be sure to use a lot of cornstarch, or your stew will be soup. Once you've mixed up enough water and cornstarch, take the mixture over to your BOILING soup and pour in it, stirring it all together constantly with a spoon. This will bring your stew to it's "stewy" consistency. If you've been stirring for around three minutes and it still isn't the desired thickness you would like, add more of a cornstarch and water mixture. Be wary, however, that adding too much cornstarch will cause your stew to gain a "chalky" sort of taste. Sometimes, in order to keep a desired flavor, you have to deal with a little bit of a runny stew.
I promise this is a lot easier than it sounds! It's a VERY yummy meal, especially in the winter time when it is cold and snowy outside. And here is the recipe for a great bread to have with the stew!
Garlic Parmesan Toast
You will need:
1 large loaf of French bread
1 large clove of garlic, chopped OR already chopped/minced garlic.
Half a stick of unsalted butter
A few pinches of parsley, fresh or from a spice bottle.
1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese
1.) Preheat your oven to around 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, throw together your garlic, butter, parsley, and Parmesan cheese until smooth and mixed well.
2.) Cut your French bread down the middle, long ways, so you have two halves of the whole to spread your butter/garlic mixture onto. Place onto a large baking sheet.
3.) Spread your butter, garlic, cheese mixture onto the French bread halves. Don't be hesitant about this spreading. Really glob it all on there. If there is some left in the bowl when you're done, you've used too little.
4.) After adding the spread to your bread, place the bread into the oven and bake until the spread is melted and the white sides of the bread are a pretty golden color.
5.) Slice and enjoy with your stew!
Hope you guys like this one!
Today's recipe is one that I recently started making and have far from perfected. The first batch I made was absolutely scrumptious and I've adored it every since. This is probably the meal that will take the very longest to cook on this site, but it is definitely worth the wait.
Country Style Beef Stew
You will need:
1 large beef roast (or deer roast, which I have used and thoroughly enjoyed)
1 clove of garlic, pealed and chopped
A touch of olive oil (enough to cover your roast before making the stew)
3 cans of beef broth or 1 1/2 boxes of beef stock (we use organic)
1 small bag of frozen peas OR 2 cans of canned peas (you can also use green beans, but we prefer peas)
1 small bag of frozen carrot slices OR 1 small bag of fresh baby carrots
4 large potatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Cornstarch to get your stew consistency
1.) In a large crock pot, preferably the night before you want your meal, place the large roast with just enough water to wet its whistle in the bottom. Turn the crock pot on high and leave it for the night. You can season it if you so choose. I've done everything from adding nothing at all to it to putting it in a crock pot with peppers and onions overnight.
2.) The next day/night, whenever you're choosing to make your meal, your roast should be just falling apart. Pull it apart or chop it to your liking and place it in the bottom of a large stewing pot with your touch of olive oil and garlic clove, chopped. Fry the meat and garlic in the bottom of the pan just until the flavors have come together. There is no need to try to "cook" the meat, as it is already cooked. You just want the flavors to marry in the pan.
3.) Once you've gotten the meat and garlic fried up a bit, add in all of your beef stock or beef broth with the proper amount of water for each. Beef stock doesn't generally call for any water as it is generally made with loads of water, but sometimes adding a little water helps make just a little more stew. Make sure to stir it up a bit after you've gotten the liquid in so there isn't any meat sticking to the bottom of the pan. Bring it to a boil, turn down to medium heat, and let that simmer for around 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4.) While your meat/beef broth or stock mixture is simmering, come to the side and clean and chop your potatoes and carrots (if you chose fresh carrots). You can also leave your carrots whole, which is what some prefer, but we like a bit of carrot in every bit, so I always chop them. Make sure to chop your potatoes small enough that they will cook in a desired amount of time. If they are took large, they will not be cooked through when your stew is ready.
5.) After 25-30 minutes, add all of your vegetables to your meat/beef broth/stock mixture and stir together. Let this all simmer together for around 15-20 more minutes. Add in salt and pepper or any other spices you choose to taste at this time. I promise, you're almost done!
6.) Once your potatoes are soft through, or cooked to a desired softness, turn your heat up enough to cause the soup to boil. You need it to be boiling for this next part. On the back of your cornstarch can, it should give you proper water to cornstarch parts in order to mix them correctly. I generally just eyeball it all, because I've used cornstarch before. If you have never used cornstarch, be sure to read the instructions on the can before using. Use the proper amount of water to cornstarch and mix them together in a bowl. If you've made a big pan of stew, be sure to use a lot of cornstarch, or your stew will be soup. Once you've mixed up enough water and cornstarch, take the mixture over to your BOILING soup and pour in it, stirring it all together constantly with a spoon. This will bring your stew to it's "stewy" consistency. If you've been stirring for around three minutes and it still isn't the desired thickness you would like, add more of a cornstarch and water mixture. Be wary, however, that adding too much cornstarch will cause your stew to gain a "chalky" sort of taste. Sometimes, in order to keep a desired flavor, you have to deal with a little bit of a runny stew.
I promise this is a lot easier than it sounds! It's a VERY yummy meal, especially in the winter time when it is cold and snowy outside. And here is the recipe for a great bread to have with the stew!
Garlic Parmesan Toast
You will need:
1 large loaf of French bread
1 large clove of garlic, chopped OR already chopped/minced garlic.
Half a stick of unsalted butter
A few pinches of parsley, fresh or from a spice bottle.
1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese
1.) Preheat your oven to around 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, throw together your garlic, butter, parsley, and Parmesan cheese until smooth and mixed well.
2.) Cut your French bread down the middle, long ways, so you have two halves of the whole to spread your butter/garlic mixture onto. Place onto a large baking sheet.
3.) Spread your butter, garlic, cheese mixture onto the French bread halves. Don't be hesitant about this spreading. Really glob it all on there. If there is some left in the bowl when you're done, you've used too little.
4.) After adding the spread to your bread, place the bread into the oven and bake until the spread is melted and the white sides of the bread are a pretty golden color.
5.) Slice and enjoy with your stew!
Hope you guys like this one!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Seafood Fettuccine
Hello again!
Today's recipe comes from a reader. It is a seafood fettuccine!
Seafood Fettuccine:
You will need:
Fettuccine noodles
Half and half (large carton for creamier sauce)
Your choice of seafood (we usually use baby shrimp and imitation crab)
Vegetable or Canola oil
1.) When boiling the noodles, make sure not to put too many in or get a larger pot. Fettuccine noodles have a tenancy to stick. You can also add a dab of oil (canola or vegetable, whichever you choose) to the water to keep them from sticking.
2.) The half and half makes a good sauce that thickens over time. You can add your own spices. I usually use a little bit of seasalt and pepper, sometimes onion or garlic powder. I usually warm up the sauce seperate too. Cold sauce on pasta will cause it to stick as well.
3.) I usually fry up the seafood mix in butter beforehand. And then mix everything toghether.
A good cheap meal that tastes just as good re-heated. If you have leftover half and half you can remix it with the leftovers if they are a little dry after being re-heated.
Thank you Darkally for the recipe! It sounds extra yummy and I think I will try it sometime!
Today's recipe comes from a reader. It is a seafood fettuccine!
Seafood Fettuccine:
You will need:
Fettuccine noodles
Half and half (large carton for creamier sauce)
Your choice of seafood (we usually use baby shrimp and imitation crab)
Vegetable or Canola oil
1.) When boiling the noodles, make sure not to put too many in or get a larger pot. Fettuccine noodles have a tenancy to stick. You can also add a dab of oil (canola or vegetable, whichever you choose) to the water to keep them from sticking.
2.) The half and half makes a good sauce that thickens over time. You can add your own spices. I usually use a little bit of seasalt and pepper, sometimes onion or garlic powder. I usually warm up the sauce seperate too. Cold sauce on pasta will cause it to stick as well.
3.) I usually fry up the seafood mix in butter beforehand. And then mix everything toghether.
A good cheap meal that tastes just as good re-heated. If you have leftover half and half you can remix it with the leftovers if they are a little dry after being re-heated.
Thank you Darkally for the recipe! It sounds extra yummy and I think I will try it sometime!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Welcome + Stuffed Chicken Shells Casserole
I first decided that I wanted to stop living on just Ramen Noodles and Macaroni & Cheese around my second semester of college. It was sickening and tiring to always have to wake up and wonder, "Hmm..what flavor of noodles today?" Besides that, it just isn't healthy to live on food like that, especially for young adults that are in college, running on little sleep, and exposed to ridiculous illnesses that everyone is catching. I've always just sort of thrown ingredients together and hoped it turned out well, but I've recently gotten a hold on what is good when put together and what isn't. Here on my blog, you will find all new, never-seen-before recipes as well as variations on some of your old favorites. I truly do hope that you like my dishes, and if not, there is always room for feedback! I've not yet perfected any of these recipes and changes can always be made based on suggestions from people like all of you!
With that being said, I would like to give you my first recipe:
Stuffed Chicken Shells Casserole
This casserole isn't necessarily the quickest meal to cook, but it has quickly become one of my favorites.
You will need:
3 boneless chicken breasts (2 of they are large)
1 package of Lipton chicken flavored rice
1 package of chicken flavored stuffing
1 box of jumbo shell noodles
2 jars of your favorite brand of Alfredo sauce
1 package of your favorite brand of provolone and/or mozzarella cheese
1 aluminum casserole pan
Cooking instructions:
1.) Start out by either baking or boiling your chicken breasts (whichever you choose, though I find boiling to be faster). Once the chicken is done, let it cool, then shred it into small pieces. Think of something along the lines of chicken shredded for chicken salad. Set it aside.
2.) Preheat your oven to around 350 degrees. Depending your oven, you can go between 325 and 375. Never go over or under, unless, for some reason, your oven is extremely high powered.
3.) Boil the jumbo shell noodles and set aside. Cook both the chicken flavored rice and the chicken flavored stuffing according to the instructions on both packages. After both are done, mix them together in a LARGE mixing bowl (I say large, because the ingredients tend to overflow in just a medium bowl). Add in shredded chicken and mix all well.
4.) Take one of the jars of Alfredo sauce and pour into the rice/stuffing/chicken mixture and then mix well. Use the second jar of Alfredo sauce to coat the bottom of the aluminum casserole dish.
5.) Take your boiled jumbo shell noodles one-by-one and fill them with the rice/stuffing/chicken/Alfredo mixture, setting them into the casserole dish, over the Alfredo sauce in the bottom. Do this until you run out of shells. KEEP THE LEFT OVER MIXTURE.
6.) Once your pan is full, or you've run out of shells, cover the top of the the stuffed shell mixture with your slices of provolone and/or mozzarella cheese. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.
7.) Place the casserole into the oven and back for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese on top is bubbly and stringy.
8.) Serve and enjoy! =) This should serve between 3 and 4 people, depending on how big you would like your serving sizes to be. We like our portions to be rather large, around 4 or 5 shells a person; but some people like only 2 shells.
A great alternative to jumbo shell noodles are just medium shells, like the kind used in macaroni and cheese shells. Instead of filling the shells with the mixture, you can mix the smaller shells into the mixture itself and then spread it into the pan over the Alfredo sauce. Place cheese on top and bake as normal! =)
I hope you enjoy!
With that being said, I would like to give you my first recipe:
Stuffed Chicken Shells Casserole
This casserole isn't necessarily the quickest meal to cook, but it has quickly become one of my favorites.
You will need:
3 boneless chicken breasts (2 of they are large)
1 package of Lipton chicken flavored rice
1 package of chicken flavored stuffing
1 box of jumbo shell noodles
2 jars of your favorite brand of Alfredo sauce
1 package of your favorite brand of provolone and/or mozzarella cheese
1 aluminum casserole pan
Cooking instructions:
1.) Start out by either baking or boiling your chicken breasts (whichever you choose, though I find boiling to be faster). Once the chicken is done, let it cool, then shred it into small pieces. Think of something along the lines of chicken shredded for chicken salad. Set it aside.
2.) Preheat your oven to around 350 degrees. Depending your oven, you can go between 325 and 375. Never go over or under, unless, for some reason, your oven is extremely high powered.
3.) Boil the jumbo shell noodles and set aside. Cook both the chicken flavored rice and the chicken flavored stuffing according to the instructions on both packages. After both are done, mix them together in a LARGE mixing bowl (I say large, because the ingredients tend to overflow in just a medium bowl). Add in shredded chicken and mix all well.
4.) Take one of the jars of Alfredo sauce and pour into the rice/stuffing/chicken mixture and then mix well. Use the second jar of Alfredo sauce to coat the bottom of the aluminum casserole dish.
5.) Take your boiled jumbo shell noodles one-by-one and fill them with the rice/stuffing/chicken/Alfredo mixture, setting them into the casserole dish, over the Alfredo sauce in the bottom. Do this until you run out of shells. KEEP THE LEFT OVER MIXTURE.
6.) Once your pan is full, or you've run out of shells, cover the top of the the stuffed shell mixture with your slices of provolone and/or mozzarella cheese. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.
7.) Place the casserole into the oven and back for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese on top is bubbly and stringy.
8.) Serve and enjoy! =) This should serve between 3 and 4 people, depending on how big you would like your serving sizes to be. We like our portions to be rather large, around 4 or 5 shells a person; but some people like only 2 shells.
A great alternative to jumbo shell noodles are just medium shells, like the kind used in macaroni and cheese shells. Instead of filling the shells with the mixture, you can mix the smaller shells into the mixture itself and then spread it into the pan over the Alfredo sauce. Place cheese on top and bake as normal! =)
I hope you enjoy!
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