Breakfast Burrito

So this breakfast burrito kind of came by mistake. I saw Kristin make this yummy ground turkey potato hash type of thing and asked for the recipe. She said it was spanish inspired (even though the original recipe is with ground beef and french fries) haha. So, as I started to make it, I just thought it would be so good as a breakfast item. I didn't take exact measurements, but I can kind of make an educated guess. I had it for breakfast this morning and it was good! Here's what I did.

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 wheat tortilla
half a potato
1/8 lb ground turkey
ketchup
pepper
Shredded cheese

Instructions:

1. Steam the potato.
2. Then, cut up the potato in pieces.
3. Fry half of it on a frying pan with oil. Set aside.
4. Cook the egg. Set aside.
5. Cook the ground turkey.
6. Add egg and potato to the ground turkey.
7. Mix in ketchup and pepper (your desired amount of each).
8. Put in the tortilla with cheese.
9. Toast in the toaster oven to make crispy.
10. Serve!

I'll have to add a picture of the actual mixture when I get a chance. Now, I will have to warn you that I probably will not be posting for a while, unless I can invent some dish with what I have. I've vowed to myself that I'm not spending any money from Monday (yesterday) through Thursday. Then Friday, I leave to visit Jess up at Stanford. But I WILL try to get some inspiration for food up there...I know it'll be tough, but hang in there. I'll be back! ;)

Spicy yogurt Chicken and Tofu

So this recipe was just ok. I can tell why others might like it a lot, but it's not at the top of my list. I just think the Frank's hot sauce was a little overpowering and you know me with my low tolerance for spicy...I just couldn't taste the spices that I put in the marinade, especially cumin which I was super excited for. However, if you're looking for that buffalo wing type sauce, this is definitely where to look. I made broccoli with this dish as well and I didn't realize how much I missed it! Cooked broccoli is soo yummy; I must find a good recipe to use it in, where broccoli is the star. I'll quit rambling and tell you how this was made.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup of yogurt (The recipe called for 1 cup but I added half a cup because I'm a wuss)
1 cup of Frank's hot sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 large chicken breast (cut in 1 inch cubes)
1 package of medium firm tofu

Instructions:

1. Mix yogurt, hot sauce, cumin, coriander, chili powder, oregano, and black pepper together.
2. Pour over the cut up chicken and tofu as a marinade. (I used separate bowls just in case the raw chicken got to the tofu)
3. Let marinade overnight.
4. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 450 degrees.

So, I want to make so many more recipes; particularly one with broccoli in it and another with eggplant but I can't seem to find good recipes so I will keep looking! Next? I have a breakfast burrito that I made, even though it was supposed to be something completely different. ;)

White wine pasta with Clams

Want something light and tasty? Try MY ORIGINAL recipe! haha, so I was supposed to go to the store last night to get groceries but I got lazy because it was raining and I didn't want to leave Cooper in the car, then I remembered I had clams and figured I'd try to make white wine pasta with clams. I looked up a few recipes and decided that I was going to try to invent something on my own and it actually turned out pretty good! Although, I must say that I kind of cheated because I used the frozen food called Steamers, which comes with 1 pound of clams in this garlic butter parsley sauce and I added that juice from the clams into the sauce that I made. Kristin says it's still considered made from scratch, but I know better. ;)

I wanted to post this last night but I drank two glass of the white wine I was using and passed out at around 9:00pm. haha, but here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Pasta (I used farfalle)

5 sundried tomatoes

1 Steamers from the frozen food section

1 cup white wine

2 teaspoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon chicken stock

1 tablespoon milk or cream

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped mushroom

1 teaspoon pepper


Instructions:

1. Melt the butter in a skillet, then add the white wine.
2. Let that reduce a little bit while putting the Steamers in the microwave (only takes 5 minutes!)
3. Add chicken stock, milk, and flour to the skillet and let that all mix in together for a few minutes.
4. Then, add the juice from the Steamers to the skillet; let reduce.
5. Add Onions,mushrooms, and pepper to the pan.
6. Cook the pasta. (I made enough for about 4 servings)
7. Once pasta is done, the sauce should be done..mix together!
8. Add sundried tomatoes and clams, then mix again.
9. Serve!

So now that I am an acclaimed chef (haha jk...), but really...the only reason I think it turned out ok was because I took a tip from the show "Worst Cooks of America" which was to continue to taste the sauce as I was adding stuff to make sure that it was going in the right direction. I'll have to try to do this more often. =) Next? I want to make this spicy yogurt chicken recipe I got from hecookshecookswecook.com...except I am going to try a batch with tofu!

Spiced chicken with fried rice

Hey! The picture turned out pretty good this time. This chicken was DELISH as was the fried rice. I honestly just did the fried rice because I have a ton of vegetables that are going to go bad soon....haha that is my secret; when vegetables are going bad, make fried rice! ;) Anyway, I got the chicken recipe from Jake, who got it from allrecipe.com. It is super flavorful and has a great kick to it. I'm pretty sure Cooper liked the smell of it too; he kept jumping up on me as the food was cooking. I will definitely be making it again...

Ingredients:

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

2 chicken breasts


Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, mix salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, thyme, and dried parsley.
2. Cut up chicken in small chunks.
3. Sprinkle spice mixture onto raw chicken.
4. Put some oil and butter in the pan and saute chicken until golden brown. (I learned on food network that using oil and butter somehow balances each other out temperature-wise...Ok I don't exactly remember the details, but it probably doesn't make that big of a difference)
5. Serve!

I won't give the instructions for the fried rice because I didn't measure anything. I basically threw cut up vegetables with rice and egg and added soy sauce. haha. But as I look back on my blog, I'm really glad I did it. I'm trying so many new recipes and actually get excited about writing in my blog. I hope I can keep this up. ;)

P.S. I know the periods up top look retarded (before Ingredients and Instructions) but blogspot will not let me put enters in between them and that was the only way to do it. Sorry readers! 1/22/10 - FYI, I totally fixed this problem by playing around with the "edit html" formatting. You can call me a programmer now.

Cod crusted in breadcrumbs, garlic, and lemon zest

So this picture really doesn't do the dish justice...I would have liked the cod to turn out more golden brown, but I must have went wrong somewhere, but it still tasted good! I probably should have either put more oil in the pan or baked the fish, but I wasn't sure how long to bake it so I pan-fried it instead. Anyway, the crispy outside and the flaky inside made it quite enjoyable, but I have a feeling there are better fish recipes out there, not to bash on this dish or anything. ;) Here is what I did...

Ingredients:
2 cod fillets
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/8 cup chopped garlic
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 egg


Instructions:

1. Mix bread crumbs, garlic, and lemon zest together.
2. Brush the cod in egg wash.
3. Coat the fish in the bread crumb mixture.
4. Put oil in the pan and fry the fish for about 3 minutes on each side.
5. Serve!

So, tomorrow night I'm going to be making this spice-rubbed chicken that's supposed to be pretty spicy. We'll see how I do since I can't handle spicy!!

French Toast

What a perfect way to start the day!! So I got this recipe from Jess Yang and it was soo delicious to have for breakfast. I cut the recipe in half because I was only making it for me and Nate but if you're making it for more people, adjust accordingly. I used whole grain bread to give the bread a little texture and whole wheat flavor and it was yummy! And ok, I know I probably should have known this, but I had NO idea that hard bread could be so soft after you soak it in some stuff. I always throw away my french bread after it's hard but now I know to just make french toast! Gosh, you learn something new everyday!

On the other hand, I think I messed up on a few things. I put cinnamon in the batter itself thinking that was what I was supposed to do...then when I re-read the recipe, I realized I think I was supposed to put the cinnamon on top of the french toast itself...oh well! I'll know better for next time. So here's the recipe...

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar (the recipe calls for super fine sugar, but I didn't have any and sugar seemed to work pretty well)

1 egg

1/2 stick butter

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 loaf of one to two day old whole grain bread (I got mine from Trader Joe's; when prepared, it should be pretty hard)

Instructions:

1. Whisk the milk, sugar, egg and vanilla (and cinnamon if you like to mess up like me) together.


2. Soak slices of bread in the mixture.


3. Put about a tablespoon of butter in the pan for each batch and let it melt before adding the bread.


4. Fry the bread on both sides until it is golden brown


5. Serve with either sprinkled cinnamon or powdered sugar.

I used strawberries and bananas to accompany the french toast and it was completely sweet enough to eat so I did not need maple syrup. However, Nate put maple syrup on the french toast and liked it that way, so it's up to you! Oh, this post reminds me that I want a griddle! Adding that to my very long kitchen wish list. ;)

Butternut Squash Soup

Yummy!!! So here is an AWESOME recipe for butternut squash soup. I combined two recipes; one from Jason and another from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa). This soup was good because it was sweet, spicy, and very hearty. Here's what I did...

Ingredients:

Butternut squash (About 12 ounces)

1 apple (I chose a Gala apple)

1/2 tablespoon of curry powder

1 teaspoon of thyme

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

chicken stock

1 medium onion

butter

Instructions:

1. I put some butter in a pot and added the butternut squash, apple, and onions. (I bought a 12 ounce bag of butternut squash from Trader Joe's already cut up for only $1.99!)


2. Saute these up for a little bit, then add the salt, pepper, thyme, and curry powder.


3. Let the vegetables and apple soften a bit, then add chicken stock until it is barely covering all of the vegetables (+apple).


4. After you can basically break up the butternut squash (only took me about 15 minutes), puree all of it together.


5. Serve!

I used my handy dandy Magic Bullet to puree the soup and the consistency was perfect! I gotta say, I LOVE kitchen gadgets. ;)

Anyway, in the picture, you'll see a little bit of avocado as garnish, but it really didn't add or take away from the dish much so you probably don't need it. Gosh, I wish I had a better camera so that you could see how pretty the soup was, but I guess this will have to do for now. I'm making Jessica's french toast tomorrow morning!! Wait for the update.

Honey-Orange Chicken with green beans and rice

Now, I don't think I can eat chili again for at least a couple months since I ate it literally 5 or 6 meals in a row...and that doesn't even count the 10 total times I probably had it this week. It doesn't mean that it wasn't delicious though!. However, my next venture was a...

GREAT SUCCESS! So, I modified a recipe from delish.com and really wasn't expecting much. I just wanted something that didn't require a bunch of ingredients and was fairly quick. Well, it actually turned out to be quite tasty!! I would still make a few changes if I am to make it again, but not bad for the first try! Here goes...

Ingredients:
3/4 cup orange juice

1/3 cup clover honey

1 teaspoon of grated ginger

2 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon of orange zest

1 teaspoon of salt

1/8 teaspoon of black pepper

4 skinless chicken thighs

1 teaspoon of vegetable oil

Instructions:

1. Combine juice, honey, ginger, garlic, zest, salt and pepper in a bowl. (What I did was take the zest of the orange, juice the orange, then fill up the remaining 3/4 cup amount with orange juice)
2. Add chicken and stir to coat. The recipe actually called for chicken breast, but I prefer chicken thighs since they are juicier!
3. Refrigerate the chicken in the marinade for 30 minutes.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with vegetable oil. Take the chicken out of the marinade, but let the excess drip back into the bowl. Put chicken into skillet.
5. Cook over medium heat 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
6. Add reserve marinade into skillet with chicken until it is reduced by half. Add a little flour to thicken the sauce (a handy trick I learned from Ms. Rachel Ray).
7. Serve!

**Now, the thing I probably will change for next time is not serve the sauce on top of the chicken. Since the chicken cooks in the skillet with the sauce for quite some time, there is already a ton of flavor in the chicken. Adding the sauce kind of makes the dish too sweet.

**Also, the original recipe called for sesame seeds on top of the served chicken and some sesame oil in the sauce. However, I do not like sesame so I discarded them. If you do, just add a teaspoon of sesame oil in the suace and a teaspoon of sesame seeds on top of the chicken.

I served the chicken with green beans (just cooked with butter, salt, and pepper) and rice. The thing about this dish that I like is that it's super easy and doesn't take very long.

Chili!!

So, here's a recipe for chili. You can totally make adjustments to how spicy you want it, or how much beans you want to put, but here is what I've got: courtesy of Nate's dad and Jake.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of ground beef
a little less than 1/2 a cup of chili powder

a tablespoon of cayenne pepper

half a large onion

a full bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange)

3 sticks of celery

1 jalapeno (with seeds)

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 small can of tomato paste

3 cans of kidney beans

Instructions:

1. Brown the meat. Drain the fat afterwards so the fat doesn't settle at the top of the chili.

2. Dice all the vegetables.

3. In a large pot, mix in the meat, chili powder, cayenne pepper, onion, bell pepper, celery, jalapeno, canned tomatoes, and tomato paste.

4. Fill the small can of tomato paste with water about 3/4 of the way, then add to the pot.

5. Stir it all up and bring to a boil.

6. Reduce to a simmer and cover the lid.

7. Stir every 10-15 minutes for about an hour.

8. Mix in the beans with juice until they are hot.

9. Serve with cheese, crackers and/or sour cream

I made two huge pots of these and basically have food for the next few weeks so I'm not sure when my next update will be, but hopefully soon!!

Filet Mignon, Potatoes, and Mushrooms

On December 27, 2009, Nate and I cooked a fantastic steak dinner. The occasion? I guess it was a few things. Nate had gotten a nice bottle of 2002 Syrah from his boss who said that it went really well with a nice piece of steak and it was the first night Nate and I had after Christmas (since he was with his family and I was with mine) so we wanted to celebrate just the two of us...and Cooper of course.

This dinner was so easy and I felt like it tasted better than the steak we've had at Ruth's Chris (which is pretty amazing). Nate was in charge of the steak while I was in charge of the sides. We went to Whole Foods to get two 10 ounce pieces of filet mignon. They were having a sale so it came out to only about $30 for both pieces. Then my shopping list for the sides were red potatoes, parsley, butter, baby bella mushrooms, white wine, green onions, and garlic.

STEAK:

Now, I've never exactly cooked a steak, but every home-cooked steak I've had has been pretty well-done, when I like it medium-rare. And Nate looked online to find the best way to cook it. It turns out that the steak really has to be on the pan for about 5 minutes total. Crazy! So here goes:

1. Oil both sides of the steak.

2. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Get the pan hot and put a few tablespoons of butter as well as a little bit of oil.

4. Chop some parsley and add that in the pan as well.

5. Once the pan is sizzling, leave the steak on the pan for 3 minutes on one side.

6. Flip it over and leave on the other side for 2 minutes.

7. They're done!

MUSHROOMS:

Now, I've been trying to perfect the mushrooms for a while and I think I've got it. Unfortunately, I never really measure out exactly how much I put of each ingredient, but you can always add different ingredients if it does not taste right.

1. Chop up garlic and put in pan with some olive oil.

2. Add the mushrooms.

3. Put about 2 to 1 ratio of white wine to chicken broth. (I'd guess about 1 cup of white wine and half a cup of chicken broth)

4. Let mushrooms sit until all the liquid is gone.

5. Serve!

POTATOES:

1. Cut the potatoes into fours.

2. Boil them in hot water.

3. Drain.

4. Cook potatoes in pot with some butter.

5. Add salt and pepper.

6. Add green onions and serve.

Honestly, how easy does that sound? I think Nate and I are going to make this meal again for Valentine's day unless we find an even easier recipe that tastes just as good. ;).