AKA Comfort Food 101!
I had actually never had this, and when I made it, I will say that I used the recipe more like a starting point. I altered it drastically!
I did not use instant potatoes. I love my red potatoes mashed way too much to trade in for instant.
As for the meat, I did brown the ground beef BUT I put some garlic powder and worcestershire sauce in with the meat and onions. I had 2.25 lb. ground beef bc it was just what I could find when I went shopping, and a medium-sized onion. Next time I plan on adding a little jar of sliced mushrooms in there too. And I didn't drain my meat. That would have washed away all my yummy garlic and worcestershire!
And the gravy, I have no idea where in the store jars of gravy are supposed to be, so I made my own with the brown gravy packet. I used one, but I think next time I will make two and probably use about a packet and a half overall.
Then I assembled ground beef/ gravy mix on the bottom and mashed potatoes on top and dotted with butter. Yumm-o for reals. And I'm making some crescent rolls to go with it because what comfort food isn't even better with those things? Seriously.
Cottage Pie starting point via EatatHomeCooks.com
I'll be back tonight to add my pic since it looks nothing like the other! (Ok, it's similar, but not the same. Heh.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Panko Mozzarella Sticks
Well, I should know better than to try to fry something. If it's not veggies, I can't fry it. So these cheese sticks I made last night were good, but they were definitely not my specialty.
My advice would be make sure your grease is *really* hot (I had mine on medium-high, medium heat was WAY too low) and don't buy cheap cheese like I did. I figured the marinara sauce and bread crumb edging would hide the fact that I bought cheap cheese, but it didn't. It still tasted like cheap cheese.
Panko Mozzarella Sticks via Pioneer Woman
My advice would be make sure your grease is *really* hot (I had mine on medium-high, medium heat was WAY too low) and don't buy cheap cheese like I did. I figured the marinara sauce and bread crumb edging would hide the fact that I bought cheap cheese, but it didn't. It still tasted like cheap cheese.
Panko Mozzarella Sticks via Pioneer Woman
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Extra Special Banana Bread
This stuff is SO good. Seriously. And I didn't even have one of the ingredients - nutmeg. I could have sworn there was some in my kitchen at some point, but I don't know where it went, and I keep forgetting to restock it. So I just left it out and who knew? I made 2 loaves on Thursday night and the bigger one was gone by midday Friday. My non-sweet-eating husband loved it, and of course my banana fiend toddler gobbled it down as well.
And the topping? Oh gosh. I had to stop myself from eating it out of the bowl! But really, I have to stop myself from eating anything with a good concentration of brown sugar straight from a bowl.
I love brown sugar. If I was stranded on an island with milk, brown sugar, and fruit, I would be a happy woman. And my kid, of course. I can't live without him either.
Mine was much darker than this by the way, and I'm not really sure why. Maybe I overdid the cinnamon or something. Who knows. But it is so good and moist that I don't even care what color it is. It doesn't matter anyway - it's all gone now!
Extra Special Banana Bread via Tasty Kitchen
And the topping? Oh gosh. I had to stop myself from eating it out of the bowl! But really, I have to stop myself from eating anything with a good concentration of brown sugar straight from a bowl.
I love brown sugar. If I was stranded on an island with milk, brown sugar, and fruit, I would be a happy woman. And my kid, of course. I can't live without him either.
Mine was much darker than this by the way, and I'm not really sure why. Maybe I overdid the cinnamon or something. Who knows. But it is so good and moist that I don't even care what color it is. It doesn't matter anyway - it's all gone now!
Extra Special Banana Bread via Tasty Kitchen
Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimp
These are so good. I had to make my husband a second batch because I ate all of the first batch while waiting on my potatoes to boil. You know, because boiling water takes SO long. Yeah. That's my excuse!
Now of course mine didn't look like this. I used minced garlic from the fridge instead of cloves. And because I am an enormous slacker I somehow forgot to restock the Old Bay I took to the in-laws a while back, so I substituted Lawry's seasoning salt because, well, it was the closest thing I had to Old Bay. It was gooood. And I only used a pinch of the pepper because neither of us is into spicy foods.
I never gave any to the kiddo. He's been a little under the weather all weekend and I didn't want to subject him to cayenne pepper too. It's just wrong.
Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimp via Pioneer Woman via Pastor Ryan (whew)
Now of course mine didn't look like this. I used minced garlic from the fridge instead of cloves. And because I am an enormous slacker I somehow forgot to restock the Old Bay I took to the in-laws a while back, so I substituted Lawry's seasoning salt because, well, it was the closest thing I had to Old Bay. It was gooood. And I only used a pinch of the pepper because neither of us is into spicy foods.
I never gave any to the kiddo. He's been a little under the weather all weekend and I didn't want to subject him to cayenne pepper too. It's just wrong.
Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimp via Pioneer Woman via Pastor Ryan (whew)
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Italian Beef Sandwiches
I've been meaning to cook this for, well, like 2 weeks or more. Thank goodness for the freezer where this big piece of meat has just been waiting on me to get ready to cook it! I can't say how good it tastes since it's only been in the crock pot about 3 hours so far and the meat's got a ways to go still, but it sure smells good!
Ok, actually, it just smells a lot like the pepperoncinis that I put in. And I'm not exactly sure what those even are, but I figured the recipe calls for them so I used them. I added an onion too because everything that has a bell pepper should have an onion too!
Italian Beef Sandwiches in the Slow Cooker via EatatHomeCooks.com
Uh once again, not my photo since mine are still cooking :P
Ok, it's now 10:15 and dinner is over and banana bread is in the oven! I'll be posting that recipe soon enough :) It smells divine. The sandwiches were pretty good. My crockpot is on steroids so even though I told it to go to the 10 hr (lowest) setting, the meat was falling apart from being so tender by about 5 hours. So just know your crockpot. It was far from all the liquid evaporating though so don't worry about that.
The meat was a little spicy when I tasted it out of the crockpot, but once it got on the rolls (I used plain sandwich buns and put mayo on mine) you couldn't tell it was spicy. Neither my husband or I dipped it in anything, but you certainly could, especially if you want more of the Italian taste.
Ok, actually, it just smells a lot like the pepperoncinis that I put in. And I'm not exactly sure what those even are, but I figured the recipe calls for them so I used them. I added an onion too because everything that has a bell pepper should have an onion too!
Italian Beef Sandwiches in the Slow Cooker via EatatHomeCooks.com
Uh once again, not my photo since mine are still cooking :P
Ok, it's now 10:15 and dinner is over and banana bread is in the oven! I'll be posting that recipe soon enough :) It smells divine. The sandwiches were pretty good. My crockpot is on steroids so even though I told it to go to the 10 hr (lowest) setting, the meat was falling apart from being so tender by about 5 hours. So just know your crockpot. It was far from all the liquid evaporating though so don't worry about that.
The meat was a little spicy when I tasted it out of the crockpot, but once it got on the rolls (I used plain sandwich buns and put mayo on mine) you couldn't tell it was spicy. Neither my husband or I dipped it in anything, but you certainly could, especially if you want more of the Italian taste.
Oven Ham Sandwiches
I'm sorry, but I just can't bring myself to use the word "sammies." It makes me think of my friend's dog Sammy. But these little sandwiches are to die for, and they're so easy. I made a couple without the topping in case my husband or son didn't like it, but they both ate them either way so next time, I may just make them all with the topping. Here's the recipe and :gasp: a few of my own photos!
Oven Ham Sandwiches via Dine & Dish
This is a before shot so you can see what the sauce will look like before you cook it. When it comes out of the oven, it will be more liquid and just soak into the bread.
And here's an inside shot for good measure. I used two pieces of deli ham on each sandwich and a little square of Swiss cheese in between each piece of meat. I was a little worried after I made them that the square wouldn't be enough, but it was just right! This would make a great little party food as well as an easy weeknight dinner.
Oven Ham Sandwiches via Dine & Dish
This is a before shot so you can see what the sauce will look like before you cook it. When it comes out of the oven, it will be more liquid and just soak into the bread.
And here's an inside shot for good measure. I used two pieces of deli ham on each sandwich and a little square of Swiss cheese in between each piece of meat. I was a little worried after I made them that the square wouldn't be enough, but it was just right! This would make a great little party food as well as an easy weeknight dinner.
Lemony Goodness
Ok, I won't lie. The photo on her website is what peaked my interest in this. Plus, well, it has cream and what can't be good when it has so much cream? Now, I'll just make a note here about this. There definitely IS a lot of tasting and tweaking at the end of this sauce, but it is so worth it. I could have done a little less tweaking because when you put the sauce over the chicken and the pasta, it mellows it out more than I thought it would.
And, well, we were in a hurry and too hungry to get a good photo so I'll use hers. I foresee this becoming a bad trend.
My Chicken Piccata via Pioneer Woman
And, well, we were in a hurry and too hungry to get a good photo so I'll use hers. I foresee this becoming a bad trend.
My Chicken Piccata via Pioneer Woman
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Recent Recipes
I'm ex.hau.sted. So I'll just post links to stuff I've made lately and a little note. I've been too hungry to take pictures of anything I've cooked, but it's probably for the best, since the original pics are probably better anyway :)
Homemade Chicken Strips via Pioneer Woman
Here was dinner tonight, sort of. I had some lettuce I needed to use up so I made fried chicken salads, and yes, they were yuuuummy. They were pretty gorgeous too, but yeah, I was too hungry, heh. Hey I'm 6 months pregnant, give me a break!
Waldorf Salad via SimplyRecipes.com
I've been craving a Waldorf salad so I figured I'd just make one at home. I went with this recipe because it seemed the most basic, but I ended up throwing it all out. It was bad. I got braeburn apples, which I LOVE (and I don't even like apples), but I think the mayonnaise mixture needed some sugar. So even after coating the salad in a ton of sugar, it was still awful. I threw it in the yard tonight before my husband could try it and tell me how bad it was. He normally eats anything without complaint, but this, ugh, I don't even think a food dispenser thing would eat without complaining. Anyway, here is the recipe.
The next recipes I made for dinner last week from one of my favorite recently found websites. I suck at meal planning, and this blog makes it easy. Definitely check it out!
Bowtie Pasta with Feta and Lemon Pepper Chicken via eatathomecooks.com
Mine admittedly did not look like that because I cheated and used canned chicken. I have a mild aversion to cooking chicken. During my earlier days there were a few times the chicken just didn't get cooked through and it kind of scarred me for life. So mine was like shredded chicken, but it's actually really good. Now be aware, if you leave this pasta in a pot all mixed in with the broccoli and cauliflower, the pasta, and the chicken, it will NOT smell good when you open that pot. But it will taste good.
Stuffed Shells with Garlic Bread via eatathomecooks.com
Ok, now this, I've always wanted to try making because, well, it's cheese and spaghetti sauce! And really, what's better than cheese and tomatoes? But do yourself a favor and don't cook it for 45 minutes. I had planned on checking mine around 30, but then a census worker showed up at my door and my poor shells overcooked the full 45 minutes. And you know what, I had to call and request my census form, and I mailed it right back the day after I got it. Lame!
Granny's Chocolate Cobbler via TastyKitchen.com
I'm not so much a chocolate fan, but after you look there and at PW's post about it, I had to try it. After all, when I run across a recipe, especially a dessert, with things that I already have in my house, I'm pretty much going to make it right then and there! My husband is not a big sweets fan so we never did eat all of this, but it was sooo good the first night. I mean, it was good the other nights too, but nothing compared to the first when it was really hot and gooey.
No-Bake Cookies via eatathomecooks.com
No real purpose for this one, just I saw it and had the ingredients! They were pretty good, although believe it or not, my almost 18 month old son would not eat them. But he devoured a pint of blueberries while going through the grocery store today. Go figure. I like these cookies, but like rice krispie treats, they're just not as good when they get cool and hard :/
Okay, now goodnight :)
Homemade Chicken Strips via Pioneer Woman
Here was dinner tonight, sort of. I had some lettuce I needed to use up so I made fried chicken salads, and yes, they were yuuuummy. They were pretty gorgeous too, but yeah, I was too hungry, heh. Hey I'm 6 months pregnant, give me a break!
Waldorf Salad via SimplyRecipes.com
I've been craving a Waldorf salad so I figured I'd just make one at home. I went with this recipe because it seemed the most basic, but I ended up throwing it all out. It was bad. I got braeburn apples, which I LOVE (and I don't even like apples), but I think the mayonnaise mixture needed some sugar. So even after coating the salad in a ton of sugar, it was still awful. I threw it in the yard tonight before my husband could try it and tell me how bad it was. He normally eats anything without complaint, but this, ugh, I don't even think a food dispenser thing would eat without complaining. Anyway, here is the recipe.
The next recipes I made for dinner last week from one of my favorite recently found websites. I suck at meal planning, and this blog makes it easy. Definitely check it out!
Bowtie Pasta with Feta and Lemon Pepper Chicken via eatathomecooks.com
Mine admittedly did not look like that because I cheated and used canned chicken. I have a mild aversion to cooking chicken. During my earlier days there were a few times the chicken just didn't get cooked through and it kind of scarred me for life. So mine was like shredded chicken, but it's actually really good. Now be aware, if you leave this pasta in a pot all mixed in with the broccoli and cauliflower, the pasta, and the chicken, it will NOT smell good when you open that pot. But it will taste good.
Stuffed Shells with Garlic Bread via eatathomecooks.com
Ok, now this, I've always wanted to try making because, well, it's cheese and spaghetti sauce! And really, what's better than cheese and tomatoes? But do yourself a favor and don't cook it for 45 minutes. I had planned on checking mine around 30, but then a census worker showed up at my door and my poor shells overcooked the full 45 minutes. And you know what, I had to call and request my census form, and I mailed it right back the day after I got it. Lame!
Granny's Chocolate Cobbler via TastyKitchen.com
I'm not so much a chocolate fan, but after you look there and at PW's post about it, I had to try it. After all, when I run across a recipe, especially a dessert, with things that I already have in my house, I'm pretty much going to make it right then and there! My husband is not a big sweets fan so we never did eat all of this, but it was sooo good the first night. I mean, it was good the other nights too, but nothing compared to the first when it was really hot and gooey.
No-Bake Cookies via eatathomecooks.com
No real purpose for this one, just I saw it and had the ingredients! They were pretty good, although believe it or not, my almost 18 month old son would not eat them. But he devoured a pint of blueberries while going through the grocery store today. Go figure. I like these cookies, but like rice krispie treats, they're just not as good when they get cool and hard :/
Okay, now goodnight :)
Intro!
Heya! I have recipes laying everywhere. They're all over my computer desk, all over the drawer they're supposed to be in, and scattered in emails and favorite links on all my computers. I needed a place to keep track of everything, so a blog it is! I mean, what else would I do?
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