What's been cookin' this semester

Well summer is more than underway and I'm enjoying the friends and travel I've been experiencing these past few weeks. I've done a little bit of cooking, but I'm overdue in posting recipes that kept us kickin' during our second semester of business school. Admittedly, it was intense. I had three classes the first half, and seven the second. I probably averaged 10+ hours per day on campus including many weekends, and about 15+ hours per week on one particular class. I didn't spend much time with my husband because I can't study at home (which I tried the last few weeks of school to do more of, but unless the house is spotless, groceries bought and meals cooked, I just see things that need doing and I can't stand to leave them undone... so I do them instead of schoolwork!), but I did try to keep up a decent amount of cooking so he wasn't forced to gobble down easy mac even in my absence.

Here are some of the items I put together, usually on weekends, so they'd last us through the week. Favorites of this list were probably the quiche, the pot pie, and the honey balsamic chicken for time savings and flavor return on that effort :)


Apple Butter Pork Loin
I didn't have apple butter so I just used regular butter (I know, big difference!), and only half of what it calls for. I used apple juice from concentrate that was watered down. I only cooked for maybe 2 hours total, dropping the temp the second hour. Quite good, quite easy, the tiniest bit sweet, will definitely be repeated.

Summer Salad with Cumin-crusted Salmon
This was more than four servings, even as a meal. Don't prepare it until just before you want to serve it, as the beans and such will wilt the greens. I would also double the seasonings for the fish (and I used tuna), because I cut them into bite-size chunks and needed more. Pretty good, very fresh, and the dressing alone is worth using elsewhere to boot!

Easy Quiche
I used flour instead of biscuit baking mix, and if I had it to do again I'd probably use different greens and meat. I'd definitely use spinach, or cut up the broccoli even smaller. This was pretty good nonetheless, and I made two of them so it lasted for several breakfasts for two of us!

Cottage Cheese Spinach Chicken
Well the thought of cottage cheese usually grosses me out, so I replaced it with ricotta. You can definitely get more out of this than just 4 chicken breasts' worth-- at least 6. It was sort of weird to just lump it into chicken and attempt to hold it closed; I think I would chop up the chicken and put it in a tortilla or something else if I had to redo it. It tasted alright, but nothing to write home about. I also didn't drizzle it with butter at the end, as recommended, which I'm sure would've made it yummier!

Slow Cooker Roast Beef
I cooked this one overnight, refrigerated in the morning, and had it for dinner that night. Easy, squeezy, lemon peasy! It was pretty good, served over brown rice and with greens, and all was well. I'd be concerned about the sodium content given the soup mix ingredient, but it's definitely one to whip together when you don't have much time and need the protein!

Irish Lamb Stew
I made this for St. Patty's Day and boy was lamb expensive! I had no idea! I didn't use any bacon, and I used chicken stock instead of beef. It was good, but I'm not sure it was worth repeating if the expense doesn't drop.

Easiest Chicken Pot Pie
2 cans cream of potato soup
1 can mixed vegetables, drained
1lb cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
Dash of milk

Mix all, put in one pre-made pie crust. Cook 1 hour on 400 and voila! It's easy and tastes like you spent much more time on it.

Honey-Balsamic Glazed Chicken

1 1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp olive oil

4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp honey

Steps

1. Combine first three ingredients; sprinkle over both sides of chicken
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 7-8 minutes on each side or until chicken is done.
3. Transfer chicken to a platter; keep warm. Reduce heat to medium-low; add vinegar and honey to pan. Simmer 1 minute or until glaze thickens, stirring constantly. Pour glaze over chicken.

This is delicious! And so easy that even my husband could do it. Make a lot because you can put it in tortillas, on salad, next to sides, and more. It has a lot of yummy flavor!

Vegetarian Pasta

I'm not a vegetarian-- I tried once and realized how ever-present meat is and that I didn't think I had the willpower. I no longer want to be one, either-- too many of those I know seem to have simple injuries that wind up being a bigger deal, hair doesn't always look healthy, and just little things that may have nothing to do with their diet but I've connected them in my brain. I do, however, love vegetables and have made a decent effort to get 3-5 servings of them and/or fruits daily. All of this is unnecessary info to introduce a simple pasta one-dish meal I created tonight and thought the menu variety-seeker in you might enjoy. Add some sausage or chicken if you aren't a vegetarian and want that extra protein. It's delicious, needs no butter or extra anything, it tastes restaurant quality, and the hardest part was probably cutting the olives! More recent recipes coming soon, but in the meantime, enjoy :)

Penne, Tomato, Mozzarrella Salad (8 servings)
1 - 16oz pkg penne pasta
1/4 C olive oil (perhaps from the fresh olives you use later)
1 sm-med size bunch chopped green onions
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C quartered cherry tomatoes
salt, pepper, other seasoning to taste
5oz mozzarella cheese, diced pretty small (so they don't melt easily)
1/2 C grated Parmesan
4oz fresh basil
12 large black olives, quartered (halved if you like the salty taste)

Optional:
1 C zucchini, or other fresh green you like, quartered
1/2 C mushrooms

Cook pasta in large pot until just tender (put a hint of rosemary in for a fresher flavor). Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in small saucepan. Add green onions and cook, stir occasionally, 2-3 min. Stir in garlic and cook for 2 min. Add pasta, tomatoes, zucchini, and seasoning and cook over low heat to warm through. Stir in mozzarella and Parmesan (you probably want to turn off heat here so the mozzarella doesn't melt together into a blob :). Coarsely tear basil leaves and add to pasta with olives. Serve immediately. Wash it down with a nice pinot grigio, or a glass of milk.

376 calories, 15.3g fat, 15mg cholesterol per serving

Snow Day Scrumptiousness

Here are some recipes that kept our bellies full of warmth and happiness throughout the icky weather... and icky homework assignments ;)

White Cheese Chicken Lasagna
I definitely used half as much butter as this called for, and because I don't have a 9x13 pan, I put it in a larger pan, making fewer layers, and thus leaving me with extra lasagna noodles. I mixed the mozzarella, parmesan, and spinach and made that the top layer. I don't know why I fell in love with this recipe from first seeing the photo, but it looked and turned out delicious!

Beef and Mushroom Stew
You know, this one was pretty easy, but definitely made about half as much as I would've liked. My solution was to serve it over brown rice to make it go a little further. I used whatever random red wine we recently opened, and I used baby bella mushrooms.

Jerk Chicken
Dee-freakin-licious. These came out perfectly, they tasted good, and serving them with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli gave another thing or two to put additional sauce on. I didn't have thyme and I used a Cajun spice instead of the all-spice recommended. I was a huge fan of these and, though I doubled the recipe, wished I had made even more.

Potato and Bean Enchiladas
Easy squeasy. So easy, in fact, that my husband made them. Okay, maybe it wasn't that easy, because I changed up the recipe on him. I browned some ground meat and used some salsa and poured that over these. I didn't use anything to heat up the tortillas in.

Buffalo Chicken Sliders
I didn't cut my celery or carrots small enough. I also used goat cheese instead of blue. Very delicious! The rolls recommended weren't enough, but you can easily have it on crackers or even maybe as a topping for some other dish that needs more.

Thai Curry Chicken and Rice
This one was quite good. I didn't have green curry paste, so I just threw in about 2tbsp of curry powder. It was delicious, and then I realized I should've doubled the recipe. (It looked like plenty when I was planning it!) I would also probably add carrots and potatoes and celery, or other veggies. I served over brown rice... but only a few times, 'cause it was gone in a flash!

Curried Honey Mustard Chicken
Gah-lee this one smelled good! I could hardly wait for the marinade to finish so I could eat it. I wound up getting busy and letting it marinate for more than a day, but when we cooked it and put it over brown rice, it was still pretty yummy.

Winter warmup meals

Organic may be the "thing" that everyone wants to buy and eat, but it isn't always worth it. And the white wine you have with dinner? That may be just as likely to leave your teeth susceptible to stains as red wine. Whatever you eat, cook, or drink with your food, here are some recipes I've made recently that work either way!

Spicy Beef Vegetable Stew
Well... I think I missed the point of the "spicy" here. I somehow lost (didn't get home from the store with?!!) the can of tomatoes and chilies, so they just didn't get put in. If you don't add the water and bouillon cubes, this is definitely something you could serve over rice-- almost like a chili. I doubled the frozen mixed veggies and we enjoyed this one on cold winter nights.

Shrimp Etouffee
Dee-licious. A bit of home while I'm away from it! The recipe I've made before recommends cream of mushroom soup, but this was just fine. The cooking at a higher temp for a few minutes is key, otherwise it'll just be runny. Leave the tail shell part on the shrimp to keep more flavor in, serve over rice. It smells amazing and tastes quite good!

Chess Cake
I made this for a friend's dinner party and all really liked it. I certainly wouldn't make anything with this much butter regularly (and I used at least 1/3 less than recommended). You know that bite of peach cobbler you get sometimes that may or may not have any peaches in it, but is crispy, sweet, and just the right mix of flavors? That's what this whole cake tastes like. I might serve it with fruit or even cook some in if you like that kind of thing, just to mix it up a little!

BBQ Chicken
Now a lot of the comments on this one warned that it tastes too much like ketchup and that it's pretty likely to burn. So I used salsa instead, and basted about 30 minutes through. The edge of where the sauce was definitely browned, but the chicken itself didn't burn. Very good! I made it with both wings and tenders, which made it easy to put together nachos with cheese, avocado, tomatoes, sour cream- a fun treat! I also did some tenders in the same mix and then served them over rice for some variety. Pretty yummy!

Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas
These were surprisingly good. There was a little too much spinach-- you could probably make another one or two quesadillas instead of piling this all on just four tortillas (or maybe make 8 small tortillas). It could have had something to do with the mushroom caps being smaller than I would've liked, too. (Side note: Did you know that you aren't supposed to soak mushrooms? They absorb water so easily that you should wipe them clean with a damp cloth for cleaning). I would also probably add more cheese... but then again, I eyeballed what I thought was a half cup anyway. In fact, I think I would mix the cheese into the spinach and mushroom mixture so that it's spread throughout. I used about half the butter recommended, and when I heated each in the skillet, I didn't use anything. Overall, a great quick, hot meal.

Broccoli with Garlic Butter and Almonds
I thought this would taste much better after I refrigerated it overnight, and it was still good, but not as strong as I wanted the flavors. Also, I didn't have cashews, so I used sliced almonds. It was pretty good for several meals and I even sent it back to my cooking class coordinator as a suggestion for future options!

Chow down on chowda

I'd been wanting to make a corn chowder of some sort (hence this entry's title). Along the way, I tried a few other soups and various recipes. Here's my take on how or if I would redo them!

Italian Sausage Soup
Pretty good! It looked a little watery at first, but didn't taste that way. I used a spicy italian sausage which gave a pretty good amount of kick. Italian sausage grosses me out overall, but here it was fine. If I had this one to do over, I would go with a mild Italian sausage or maybe ground turkey.

Lemon Herb Chicken
I made this for a serving of 6 and it was ridiculously tasty and easy! I used lemon on each side as it instructs, but a Cajun seasoning on one side, and light salt and pepper on the other. Though the comments say the oregano didn't add much, I thought it made the final product look the way an herbed meat should.

Linguini with Broccoli and Red Peppers
Delicious! I didn't let the peppers get very soft because that's when the nutrients are gone and I just prefer them a little crispy. I cooked them in a stovetop grill pan so that may have helped. My broccoli was 1lb with the stems and extra stuff on it, so think about that when you weigh it. While the final product was delicious, I would definitely add more broccoli (at least another half pound) and maybe do two small red peppers rather than one medium to large sized one. Consider adding a little olive oil or other lubricant to the noodles; one pound is a lot to scoop through if cheese is holding it together.

Broccoli Cheese Soup
The processed cheese part of this is a little funky to me, so perhaps a block of your favorite cheddar or something else would be fine. The amount of broccoli and onions in this one was sufficient, even for me! I would use less chicken stock and a thicker-than-skim milk. The garlic powder is a really nice touch. I didn't see any difference after I added the cornstarch mixture. This was quite tasty and even though I made a double recipe so it would last longer, my husband ate double servings!

Chicken Pot Pie
We all know the toaster oven kind of pot pies we've had with delicious crusts but kind of funky veggies. We bought two ready-made crusts (see my previous note about being in finals); (I think of my sister-in-law telling me her story about avoiding pie crusts like the plague if they have trans fats here; ours was Pillsbury and had none, but also didn't have the dough for a lid) and two bags of different frozen vegetables. The result was pretty tasty, especially if you don't have much time! I'm not sure that going with fresh vegetables would be worth the trouble.

Cheesy Potato and Corn Chowder
The package of gravy mix we bought was- oops!- .75oz rather than 2.5. My husband thought the soup was too watery, so perhaps that's why (and also possibly because I used skim for the milk, as it's all we buy). Had we had a half pound of ham to add, I probably would've done that for protein's sake. As usual, I put double the celery, onions, and potatoes than the recipe called for because I like my soups hearty. I also added some true Creole seasoning (don't believe restaurants when they tell you it's Cajun or Creole seasoning if they aren't in Cajun country- this stuff is the real deal!) We didn't peel the potatoes-- the skin is the nutrients of 'em! It wasn't my greatest chowder, but it was pretty good overall and got better as the flavors made friends in the fridge.

Slow Cooker Cranberry Roast
Holy smokes- this was THE easiest tasty thing I've made in a while. I didn't make the gravy; there was plenty of juice in the crock pot after cooking, so I would just spoon that onto the brown rice served with the roast. Though the recipe didn't call for it, I browned the meat before slow cooking it because I find it looks more appetizing that way. I'm picky about cranberry flavor, but this was perfect-- the tiniest bit sweet, looked like a rich gravy, and after our first bites my husband and I looked at each other and said, "Wow." The meat was a little fatty, but because I would shred it as I prepared it over rice it was easy to toss out the white parts.

"The Most Delicious Soup" from my friend Becky.
The original recipe is here, but hers is:

• Pull all the meat off a grocery store rotisserie chicken and chop up. Throw away the leftover chicken parts and put the chopped chicken back into the leftover broth in the container and set aside.
• Chop up 1/2 cup onion. Chop up 1/2 cup celery. Chop up 1/2 cup carrot.
• Toss in a pot with 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil and cook over medium heat for about 8 - 10 min. until tender. Stirring frequently.
• Pour in one can of Petite Diced Tomatoes. Throw in 1 Bay Leaf. Pour in two 32 oz. cartons of chicken broth. Season with some sea salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil. Pour in 1 cup of Pastini pasta (the little tiny dot pastas). Reduce heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, throw in all the chopped up chicken and leftover broth. Throw in about a cup - 2 cups of chopped/pulled apart greens (I use kale, but swiss chard or mustard greens work too).
• Serve once the greens are tender. Top with Romano cheese and cracked pepper.

I used four of the frozen chicken breasts we buy in bulk. I doubled the veggies we put in and added carrots. I didn't have pastini, so i broke some rotini (spiral pasta) in half. I used regular diced tomatoes instead of petite. I didn't have any of the greens she mentioned so I threw in spinach and mixed other greens, but I imagine her suggestions would add extra flavor. Very good, ridiculously easy, and it only lasted a few meals in my house!

Corner View : Menu al día

Today's topic asks, "If you were to take us to a typical restaurant in your town, what would we find on the menu?"

Given that we are graduate students eating at home for most meals, I can't answer this accurately (see my Recipes tag for additional detail!). Our particular neighborhood has the world's largest magnet for attracting chains of all sorts-- restaurants, stores, hotels, you name it, there's hardly any character or distinguishing thing. However, I assume that in the rest of the area it isn't difficult to find partisan jokes in the menus, political innuendo, topical relevance to ongoing legislation discussion and the like, regardless of what the actual food item may be.

One of my favorite places so far, though, isn't really a restaurant. It's Georgetown Cupcake. At about $3/cupcake and typically about an hour in line, they'd better be good, better than New York's Magnolia Bakery, even. Let me tell you, they're worth twice the price! Imagine a moist pumpkin spice cupcake with smooth butter pecan flavored icing melting in your mouth. Dream of dozens of other equally delicious options, all very cutely decorated to reflect the season, flavor, or simple creativity of the baker. Now that's something to be thankful for!

TWO Recipes for Georgetown Cupcakes:

Chocolate Ganache Cupcake (with comments)
For the cupcakes

• 1 1/4 cups flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) European-style unsalted butter, such as Plugra brand, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract, preferably Madagascar bourbon
• 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup Valrhona cocoa powder, sifted (see headnote; may substitute another good-quality cocoa powder)

For the ganache frosting

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup Callebaut semisweet chocolate chips (6.4 ounces; see headnote; may substitute other good-quality semisweet chocolate chips)

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard cupcake pan with 12 baking cups, and a second pan with 6 baking cups.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt on a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper.

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until fluffy. Stop to add the sugar; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.

Combine the vanilla extract and milk in a large liquid measuring cup.

Reduce the speed to low. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then gradually add one-third of the milk mixture, beating until well incorporated. Add another one-third of the flour mixture, followed by one-third of the milk mixture. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining milk mixture, and beat just until combined.

Add the cocoa powder, beating (on low speed) just until incorporated.

Use a standard-size ice cream scoop to fill each cupcake paper with batter, so that the wells are two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes (start checking at 15 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the ganache frosting: Lay a large piece of wax paper on the work surface.

Combine the heavy cream and chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Fill a medium saucepan with an inch or two of water and place over medium-low heat. Place the bowl over the saucepan and let the mixture melt, stirring until it is shiny and smooth.

Remove the bowl of chocolate ganache from the saucepan; let it cool slightly, for 2 to 3 minutes. Working with 1 cupcake at a time, carefully dip each cupcake top in the warm ganache, twisting your wrist as needed to make sure the cupcake top gets completely coated. To prevent drips, quickly turn the cupcake right side up and place on the wax paper. Allow the ganache to set for 5 minutes before serving.

Chocolate cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting
Makes 1 dozen

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, preferably European-style, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 (24-ounce) package fondant
• Red or blue paste food coloring
• Silver edible glitter
• Red, white, and blue nonpareils

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, add milk and vanilla extract; stir to combine and set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low, add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk mixture; beat until just combined. Add cocoa powder and beat until just combined.
4. Fill each muffin cup two-thirds full with batter. Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool in pans for two minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Transfer frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a large 5/8-inch round tip (such as Ateco No. 808). Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and set aside.
6. Meanwhile, press your thumb into the center of the fondant to make a well. Place a small amount of food coloring (red for Republican, blue for Democrat) in the well and knead fondant until color is well blended. Continue to add more food coloring to fondant until desired color is achieved. Roll out into a 1/16-inch-thick sheet.
7. To make Republican elephants, cut out 12 elephant shapes using 2-inch elephant cutters. Sprinkle with edible glitter. To make Democrat donkeys, cut out 12 bear shapes using a 2-inch bear cutter. Using a 2-inch daisy cutter, cut out enough daisy shapes so that you have 36 petals; sprinkle bear shaped and daisy petal fondant with edible glitter. Top each cupcake with a fondant elephant or bear, using two daisy petals to make donkey ears on each bear and one petal to make the tail. Sprinkle cupcakes with nonpareils and serve.

Vanilla Frosting
Makes enough for 1 dozen cupcakes

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1. Place all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until well combined.

Easy Meals!

Here are a few treats as of late!

Spicy Chicken Soup
I completely forgot to add the sour cream until we were half done, so I just left it out. It's a tomato heavy recipe, so in order not to get too acidic, probably should be eaten quickly. That wasn't a problem in our house! I also didn't find it all that spicy. So if that's what you're looking for, add more!

Quick Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
These were definitely very easy. I usually make mashed potatoes with milk, butter, and cheese. I think these may be easier because they require less taste-testing for perfection. The quantities are accurate if you have big eaters at your table. I used about half of what is listed (though our potatoes were probably medium sized) and it made about 7 servings total.

Rosemary Pork Chops
I used a pork loin instead of chops. The rosemary flavor is interesting. The recipe doesn't call for browning the meat before putting it in the slow cooker, but I would recommend it just for looks. It made a lot of gravy, so I would also suggest putting other vegetables in with it to absorb that flavor and liquid.

Salad
One of my favorite things is to have a very colorful salad. I read about the variety of vitamins you need in your daily diet and it isn't always easy to get them all. Some favorite ingredients I've been including in our greens are tomatoes (red), carrots (orange), boiled egg (yellow yolk!), avocado (green), blueberries (blue) and I suppose you could also throw in grapes or beets for the purple or dark reds, or used the mixed greens with the deep purple leaves. I also add ham, walnuts, and usually my husband's homemade dressing, along with tortilla strips and a little cheese. It's a pretty hearty salad!

What's been cooking in our kitchen lately

I really do love to cook. I didn't know I liked it so much until I had to do it as much as I have in the past ~3 months. In the interest of studying and not cooking every night, I double recipes and make them large enough to last through the week. This way, I only cook once or twice a week max and we're fed sufficiently throughout. (Going bigger on the recipes and freezing is nice if you have the space!) The trick is holding my husband off from eating it all ahead of its target completion date!

Here are the recipes from our Pumpkin Carving Party* that haven't already been posted, as well as a few others!

Ham and Potato Soup
Potato soup is one of my favorites! (I'll have to tell the story of how I accidentally came to love it another time). I am always looking for a good recipe. For this one, I would put in way more ham than they recommend-- like a pound or so. Also, I found it needed more seasoning and I'm a fan of cheese as well.

Beef Stroganoff
This one was pretty good. I wasn't sure if cream of mushroom soup was close enough to condensed, but it did the trick! And if a 29-year-old male grad student can put this together, anyone can!

Haystacks*
My aunt used to make these for us over the summer, but I think she used pretzels rather than chow mein. Chow mein worked for me-- two guests were instantly obsessed!

Apple Cider*
This one was a hit, and had we not had a guest with child at our party, may've spiced it with triple sec and peach schnapps, or rum!

Bon appetit!

More yummies!

What's been cooking in our home!

Spicy Corn Chowder
I doubled everything in this recipe but the corn, and there was still enough that I don't think I'd do it any differently. It smells really delicious as you let it continue warming over the stove (be sure to stir it plenty- it loves the bottom of the pot!) It says to use a small saucepan, but go bigger instead; even without doubling the recipe, I had to switch mine to a bigger pot after the onions and red bell peppers were softened. Let the potatoes cook a little longer than the recipe says if you intend to eat it just after cooking (I usually refrigerate before eating so the flavors can mix)-- mine weren't soft enough soon enough. It tasted really, really good. So good that I only got a bowl of it-- my husband ate most of it before I could!

Chili for many!
This one was delicious! It was easy to cook everything and the adding each item in was gradual enough that I could keep up with it by just doing constant work, rather than having to slow down the cooking or hurry to get something in on time (don't you just hate that rush!). It also smells ridiculously good! I used 1lb ground beef, 1lb ground turkey, and 1lb sausage. I froze half of it. Serve over rice, with chips and cheese, or eat all by its lonesome.

Chicken Cacciatore
I should be ashamed at how easy this one was. What I love about crock pot recipes is that you often just toss everything in and get on about your business, but there are those that still take a lot of prep work. This one was pretty easy!

Banana Sour Cream Bread
I think I really botched this up by not adding in the flour when it said to-- I put it in at the end (skipped a line reading the recipe, realized it after all else was done) so we had to mix it in to the two separated pans. Doesn't seem like that would be that big of a deal, but it took more than two hours to cook. Sheesh! It's definitely moist, though, and I'd add more walnuts next time!

Yummies!

We have been students now for more than a month. Knowing that student loans are costing us what they are for the next ten years, it only makes sense to limit them as much as possible. And why not, when it means we can eat a little healthier at home? So I have cooked at least once a week a meal that will last us several days, and with enough variety and satisfaction that a sandwich everyday at lunch somehow hasn't gotten old. That actually says a lot because I get tired of food and leftovers after two or three eats. I have yet to cook the same thing more than once, and we've only gone out to eat a handful of times. Here are some of the things I've whipped up and the changes I would make next time. Most of them took a little longer to prep than the recipe says, but the more I'm in the kitchen, the better I get at it, so maybe your time will be a little more efficient and you'll be on target with the recipe's timing. Enjoy!

SIDES
Caprese!
This Italian salad is one of my favorites, and is ridiculously easy and tasty. You don't even need the drippings; just tomato, mozzarella, and basil is plenty good all on its own.

Green Pepper Tomato Salad
My husband really liked this one. It lasted us entirely too long, though. I liked it alright, but would've divided the recipe in half, at the very least.

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips
This is a great snack to just have on hand so you aren't over-eating queso from a jar. Ew. It's a lot easier to make than I thought it would be. If you can't find cannellini beans (which I usually have a hard time locating), use any other white bean; great northern works well. I also added a little vegetable seasoning from a packet-- the ones next to the spices. It was delicious! The only reason it lasted more than two days is because I told my husband it needed to refrigerate (though I bet it'd be delicious hot, too!). The chips would be good with hummus or other thick dips.

Superfast Asparagus
This one was perfectly crispy and easy. Worthy of a repeat! It doesn't store well, though, so I'd recommend this amount for 2-3 meals tops, or more eaters at one meal.

SOUPS
Chicken Tortilla Soup
My husband and a guest of ours really liked this one a lot. It was super easy, very hearty, and I never got around to putting the tortilla strips on it, ironically enough. It lasted us about 7 meals total.

Tomato Basil Soup
Hands down, probably my favorite thing that I've made. Quite possibly the least healthy (butter and cream? Oh geez!) but incredible. Be careful if you blend this while the ingredients are hot-- it gets messy, turns your blender orange, and the lid doesn't want to stay on. But it's SO worth it!

Chicken Veggie Soup
My husband got sick one week and needed a hearty soup. I didn't have broccoli or cauliflower so I used whatever other veggies I had in the fridge. You could also add noodles before serving.

ENTREES
Shepherd's Pie
Now shepherd's pie can be really good; my coworker used to make it and it always looked very colorful and smelled great. This one, however, lasted forever (I'd probably cut the recipe in half, but again, my husband liked it plenty) and I got tired of it, so if you want to make this much I'd add variety in the vegetables: corn, peas, squash, maybe beets, and really whatever you like.

Sour Cream Pork Chops
This turned out pretty well-- crock pot recipes are really the way to go! If I had to redo this one, though, you don't even need the sour cream part at all, but I would mix that part in a lot less juices so that it's a thicker gravy.

Honey Baked Chicken
Ridiculously easy and SO good. This one will get repeated when I run out of ideas and creativity. We also tried the sauce on salmon, and it was fine, but not nearly as yummy as the chicken. The sauce might even make a good salad dressing! Really, it was good and easy, and I added the chicken to sandwiches a few days. Come to think of it, my husband may have actually put this one all together after I found the recipe...

Turkey and Spinach Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce
This one took about a million years to make. Really-- my hair went white and everything. Our grocery didn't have the recommended pasta, so I used manicotti, which probably took a little longer. They also didn't have frozen artichoke hearts, so I used frozen spinach. It turned out really good and it lasted us about a week. You also didn't need the pancetta for the sauce-- it was good, but there's plenty of other meat and I used spaghetti sauce from a jar so that probably didn't allow for the pancetta flavor to really come through.

Pot Roast
Don't think I'd make a single change to this one! I served it over brown rice and added more seasonings later, but I don't think I'd added enough before I browned it.

BBQ Pork for Sandwiches
This made more than a week's worth of sandwich fillings. It was quite good; I used a hickory smoked BBQ sauce. I'd probably cut the recipe in half and you'd still have plenty!

FREEZE-FRIENDLY BREAKFAST
Zucchini Bread
Fabulous and freezable! Be sure to do the shredded thing. I tried chopping up extra zucchini because for some reason chunks sounded good later. Not so much. They're just kind of awkward-- go ahead and shred. I also added walnuts and chocolate chips, which I really liked. It makes a great breakfast if you don't have time to sit down for something more. I froze half after cooking and it was still just as good when I took it out later.

Banana Bread
Yes, I know the link is to muffins. I did everything they said except for put it into muffin cups. I put it into a pie pan and froze half of it after cooking. My husband is a big fan of this one.