I'm in my PJs already. It's cold outside and I'm glad to be in. I have a busy weekend coming up because it's my birthday on Sunday. I can make plans as they come, since I'm not bogged down with trying to fit a significant other into my plans.
Not that it would be TERRIBLE, I'm just glad I don't have to balance that at the moment. I'm sure my mood will change once I feel like I have more time on my hands.
Anyway, being single isn't as bad as I once thought it was.
I need a new recipe to try out. I feel stagnant. I also need to start planning my Christmas cards and my gifties. I already bought a few today off of Etsy. (Down and out Chic) I still have my dad to buy for, which will probably be the most difficult, considering he's into zero things that most dads are into (minus baseball, but I hate baseball with a fiery passion).
I wanted this Christmas to be a handmade Christmas. So I plan on making everything myself or shopping Etsy. That's why I have to plan so far in advance.
I work long days the next two days. And I can feel myself getting sick in the chest again. Maybe I need to take more meds. I hate medicating.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Simple sausage and potatoes.
Simple and tasty.
Simple sausage and potatoes
(My sister helped with this one, she suggested the addition of cumin and parsley.)
- 1 lb of hot or sweet italian sausage (turkey sausage works fine) cut into large bite-sized pieces
- 1.5 lbs small red potatoes (also cut into bite sized pieces)
- 2 red peppers (cut into thin strips)
- 1 large onion (cut into small wedges)
- drizzle of olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin
- handful of fresh chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
1. Cut everything up as directed. Place the veggies and potatoes in a bowl as you go.
2. Dump veggies and potatoes into a cake pan, toss with olive oil, cumin, pepper, salt and parsley. Place sausage pieces on top.
3. Bake at 450 for 45 minutes, stirring about halfway through. (It is important that your potatoes are bite sized so they cook all the way through.)
4. Stir, serve, enjoy.
Simple sausage and potatoes
(My sister helped with this one, she suggested the addition of cumin and parsley.)
- 1 lb of hot or sweet italian sausage (turkey sausage works fine) cut into large bite-sized pieces
- 1.5 lbs small red potatoes (also cut into bite sized pieces)
- 2 red peppers (cut into thin strips)
- 1 large onion (cut into small wedges)
- drizzle of olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin
- handful of fresh chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
1. Cut everything up as directed. Place the veggies and potatoes in a bowl as you go.
2. Dump veggies and potatoes into a cake pan, toss with olive oil, cumin, pepper, salt and parsley. Place sausage pieces on top.
3. Bake at 450 for 45 minutes, stirring about halfway through. (It is important that your potatoes are bite sized so they cook all the way through.)
4. Stir, serve, enjoy.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Chicken Noodle Soup
Yeah, I know... it seems really basic. But a good chicken noodle soup is a necessity.
Really Yummy Chicken Noodle Soup
(This is one of my more time consuming ones. It takes at least an hour and a half and that's if you're really skilled at tearing apart super hot chicken. I'd figure more like 2 hours.)
- 4 lbs of chicken drumsticks and thighs (skin on, bone in)
- two 32 oz boxes of chicken broth (I had this on hand, but I didn't use it all)
- 3-4 carrots
- 3-4 stalks of celery
- 1 onion
- 12 oz bag of egg noodles
- salt and pepper to taste
- love
Ok, so what you're going to do is this:
1 - Boil the chicken in water for 1 hour and 15 minutes (or until it's cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees -- meat thermometers rock). Just add enough water to cover the chicken... and part way through the boiling process, I'd recommend checking the water level. Add a cup or two halfway through the process if needed. This will create some broth. Really good broth that will be a base for the store bought stuff in boxes. Oh yeah, KEEP THE POT COVERED. Also, boiled chicken smells kind of weird when it first starts cooking.
1a - While the chicken is cooking... chop up the carrots, celery and onion. I hate chopping onion, but it must be done.
2 - When the chicken is done, remove it with a slotted spoon. Place it on a plate to cool and skim all the chicken skin/pieces out of the broth left in the pot (there will not be a LOT of liquid left and that's ok -- that's why you bought those extra boxes of broth anyway).
3 - Add about two cups of water and the store bought broth -- bring to a boil. I eyeballed it. I knew I was going to be adding the veggies and noodles, so I added enough liquid to cover all that. I don't like my soup brothy, so if you LOVE broth... add both boxes of broth.
4 - Start pulling the skin off the chicken and discard it. Your hands are about to get real greasy and disgusting. It's worth it, I promise. Pull all the chicken off the bones. This chicken will be going back in the soup in a few minutes. (Try not to cuss too much... the chicken will be hot.) Discard the bones as well, or give them to a happy puppy if you feel the need.
5 - When the broth is boiling, add the chopped up veggies. Simmer the veggies for 15 minutes. After those 15 minutes, add the noodles and cook according to package directions. Add chicken just before serving. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.
Really Yummy Chicken Noodle Soup
(This is one of my more time consuming ones. It takes at least an hour and a half and that's if you're really skilled at tearing apart super hot chicken. I'd figure more like 2 hours.)
- 4 lbs of chicken drumsticks and thighs (skin on, bone in)
- two 32 oz boxes of chicken broth (I had this on hand, but I didn't use it all)
- 3-4 carrots
- 3-4 stalks of celery
- 1 onion
- 12 oz bag of egg noodles
- salt and pepper to taste
- love
Ok, so what you're going to do is this:
1 - Boil the chicken in water for 1 hour and 15 minutes (or until it's cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees -- meat thermometers rock). Just add enough water to cover the chicken... and part way through the boiling process, I'd recommend checking the water level. Add a cup or two halfway through the process if needed. This will create some broth. Really good broth that will be a base for the store bought stuff in boxes. Oh yeah, KEEP THE POT COVERED. Also, boiled chicken smells kind of weird when it first starts cooking.
1a - While the chicken is cooking... chop up the carrots, celery and onion. I hate chopping onion, but it must be done.
2 - When the chicken is done, remove it with a slotted spoon. Place it on a plate to cool and skim all the chicken skin/pieces out of the broth left in the pot (there will not be a LOT of liquid left and that's ok -- that's why you bought those extra boxes of broth anyway).
3 - Add about two cups of water and the store bought broth -- bring to a boil. I eyeballed it. I knew I was going to be adding the veggies and noodles, so I added enough liquid to cover all that. I don't like my soup brothy, so if you LOVE broth... add both boxes of broth.
4 - Start pulling the skin off the chicken and discard it. Your hands are about to get real greasy and disgusting. It's worth it, I promise. Pull all the chicken off the bones. This chicken will be going back in the soup in a few minutes. (Try not to cuss too much... the chicken will be hot.) Discard the bones as well, or give them to a happy puppy if you feel the need.
5 - When the broth is boiling, add the chopped up veggies. Simmer the veggies for 15 minutes. After those 15 minutes, add the noodles and cook according to package directions. Add chicken just before serving. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Monday night's dinner.
Oh, yes. A food blog. Let me share this recipe with you because it's (1) easy and (2) quick.
Light and quick fettucine alfredo + marinated grilled chicken:
Light and quick fettucine alfredo
A slight variation of this recipe.
1 lb of linguine
1 1/2 cup of part skim ricotta
approximately 3/4 to 1 cup of fresh grated parmesan (I'm sure the store bought grated parmesan would work beautifully too.)
1 heaping tablespoon of dried basil
salt and pepper.
1) Cook the noodles according to package directions. Reserve one cup of pasta water and drain the noodles.
2) Combine ricotta, parmesan and pasta water. Mix in pasta and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I usually let the salt and pepper out, so every one can season to their personal preference.)
3) Have extra parmesan ready for serving. It tastes fabulous with extra cheese sprinkled on top.
Marinated grilled chicken
at least one chicken breast per person
Kraft light parmesan asiago balsamic vingarette
a grill
1) Marinate the chicken overnight in dressing.
2) Grill until cooked through.
3) Serve.
Adding this one to my arsenal forever. It was a breeze.
Light and quick fettucine alfredo + marinated grilled chicken:
Light and quick fettucine alfredo
A slight variation of this recipe.
1 lb of linguine
1 1/2 cup of part skim ricotta
approximately 3/4 to 1 cup of fresh grated parmesan (I'm sure the store bought grated parmesan would work beautifully too.)
1 heaping tablespoon of dried basil
salt and pepper.
1) Cook the noodles according to package directions. Reserve one cup of pasta water and drain the noodles.
2) Combine ricotta, parmesan and pasta water. Mix in pasta and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I usually let the salt and pepper out, so every one can season to their personal preference.)
3) Have extra parmesan ready for serving. It tastes fabulous with extra cheese sprinkled on top.
Marinated grilled chicken
at least one chicken breast per person
Kraft light parmesan asiago balsamic vingarette
a grill
1) Marinate the chicken overnight in dressing.
2) Grill until cooked through.
3) Serve.
Adding this one to my arsenal forever. It was a breeze.
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