Sweet versus Savory

I think baking is more fun than cooking.

Heck, if I could live on pies and cookies alone, I probably would. I mean, then I'd weigh as much as a school bus and probably have 8 chins, but who cares.

Unfortunately, as I harp to my boyfriend all the time, we have to be somewhat healthy. This means that, as much as he may beg, we cannot have pizza rolls more than 3 nights a week for dinner. I kid, I kid!

I saw a recipe for a whole chicken that I modified for 2 servings of chicken breasts. So I put my big-girl britches on and carried out a meal that even the judges on Top Chef couldn't pick apart. Don't worry, its not fancy by any means, so you can do it too!




Rosemary chicken and potatoes
2 chicken breasts
Red/new potatoes for 2 people, washed and cut into bite-size pieces [I think I did 4]
2 tsp paprika
1.5 tsp rosemary
1 garlic clove, minced [could substitute garlic powder]
1/2 tsp black pepper
olive oil for coating

Mix all the spices and garlic together. Sprinkle over chicken on both sides, reserving spices for the potatoes. Place cut potatoes in gallon sized bag, pouring enough olive oil in to coat them, then the remaining spices. Feel free to sprinkle more in if you want, its not really an exact science. Shake the bag around a bit, then place chicken and potatoes on baking sheet/stone. Put in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, depending on how thick your chicken is.

As you can see in the picture, it goes great with a Caesar salad. And a bottle of white wine!

Fiesta Chicken! Its a party!

Sorry for all the delay over posting again; it has been a very hectic week. I guess that's how we know its finally the holidays. But hey, cooking and baking goes hand in hand with the holidays, and I am very excited to get to start making a lot of delicious things to put on here!

So, as a college student, I am prone to hitting slumps of not wanting to do anything. Sadly, this usually extends to cooking as well. All I want during these times is for someone to bring me food and drop it directly in my lap. This has yet to happen, but it doesn't diminish my hope.

Good thing I have a very hungry boyfriend who makes cute sad faces when he doesn't get food [he's 6'4, and can put away a serious amount of food!]. So I pulled myself out of my lethargy in order to throw a couple things in the Crock Pot and then take a nap. Honestly, that's what I did! That's my favorite thing about this recipe, which I am pretty sure is originally from some cooking posting board, but have absolutely no idea for sure...I doctored it up a little bit too. It's very simple, but filling. I don't often have an opportunity to use black beans [Stephen doesn't like them] but they are extremely good for you: they help lower cholesterol AND are virtually fat-free! Check out http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=2 for more health benefits of these great beans.

So if you've hit that same slump as me, don't be concerned, just make the easiest meal ever, take a nap, and feel very productive when people are amazed by the good food you put in front of them. Make sure to tell them that it took a lot of effort. And that they should be on hand for dropping food in your lap should you ever need it :)


Fiesta Chicken [I made this name up, it has no name, but I thought this could be fitting?]

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can black beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, mostly drained [but hey, if you want to dice fresh tomatoes, more power to you]
1/3 large onion, chopped into large slices
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp red pepper flakes
Tabasco/hot sauce
Rice

The ingredients listed above are for 2 people. However, it could serve 3 if you put in an extra chicken breast. Any more than 3 people and you will have to add extra of each ingredient. But don't be scared, it really can't go wrong, so you don't have to be exact with measurements.

Place sliced onion in bottom of Crock Pot. Put chicken breasts on top of onion slices [mine weren't even fully thawed!]. Sprinkle spices on top of chicken breasts. Pour tomatoes and black beans over the chicken. Make sure entire chicken breasts are covered, and mix the beans and tomatoes together slightly. Shake in Tabasco or hot sauce, using 1 tsp per chicken breast, unless you like things really hot, in which case go crazy. You can also add extra Tabasco at the very end of cooking, or on the individual plate.

Turn Crock Pot to High for 4.5 hours, or Low for 6 hours, depending on when you want to eat.

Serve over rice.



**The good thing about Crock Pots is that you really can't overcook something. So if you get home later than expected, or forget that you're cooking [unlikely, as the delicious smell of this fills the entire house] then you don't have to be concerned that you ruined dinner.

Comfort Food

Everyone who cooks regularly, and some who don't, probably know a recipe by heart.
I know TWO. [Yes, in some demented world, this does make me some kind of chef royalty.]

Baked ziti is something I've been eating since I was very young when we would go to visit my grandparents. My grandma was Italian, and made the BEST meatballs and sausage. Sadly, I have not attempted that yet.

I always try to keep the ingredients for this on hand, and its my go-to recipe if I need to feed a lot of people [I barely have enough money to buy meat for myself, much less buying the grocery store out of meat if my boyfriend ever has friends over].

The beauty of this dish is that you could mess it up, you could add things to it, you can halve it and double it, and it will still be delicious. This is an excellent meal for young kids to make as they start to learn to cook, because it uses very simple measurements and is a food they can recognize from any Italian restaurant. I'm all about success.

So tonight, I was starving, but I have a term paper due tomorrow [not something you normally hear in your average cooking blog] and I'm still struggling with my writing groove. I didn't have time for spending any time outside of the necessary in the kitchen.

As you'll notice from both pictures, disposable plates and pans are a college girl's best friend. So next time you're looking for a present for that college-aged individual that you know, I'd recommend a large package of Solo plates and plastic silverware. Or you know, cash :)


Baked Ziti/penne/mosticcioli/umm...I used some rotini too

Box of pasta
Half a jar of sauce [or if you use your own sauce it comes to about 1 and 3/4 cup]
1 or 2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
1 can of cheddar cheese soup
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Additional mozzarella cheese for topping
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta as required according to box, and drain. [I used whole wheat pasta to try and get all the health out of this dish as possible.]

Put hot pasta in casserole dish. Mix in cheddar cheese soup. Then mix in garlic and sauce. Mix in mozzarella cheese, and feel free to add more if you want. Top pasta with another layer of mozzarella cheese as desired. [Sometimes I add Parmesan cheese at this time as well.]

Cover pan with the lid or foil. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes. If you want the cheese to be browned on top you can take the foil off at 25 minutes and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired on individual plates.



**This makes great leftovers too; it heats up great in the microwave without needing additional liquid added to it.
***Recommendations for great things to add to this dish: fresh basil, pre-cooked shredded or cubed chicken, meat sauce, meatballs or Italian sausage, pepperoni. Be creative!