Slow Cooker Attempt #1

I finally did it. I busted out the slow cooker and made my first CrockPot meal.

I used Real Simple's Slow Cooker Chicken and Pasta Soup, and I would have to say that it was (mostly) a success!

I tried to be as efficient as possible with this meal, so the night before I chopped the carrots and celery. I just used what I had in the firdge, so I ended up using a mix of regular carrots and baby carrots. I also used more than the recommended amount of celery because, hey, I like celery!

The next morning, I added the chicken, carrots, celery, halved onion, water, and spices to the crock pot and turned it on low. Easy as pie. 

After about seven hours, I removed the onion and chicken. The recipe told me to discard the onion, but I thought it would make a fine addition to the soup, so I cut it up and put it back in the CrockPot. Note to self: cut up the onion before-hand next time. Chopping an onion that's been in a slow cooker all day is not an easy feat! 

I added the alphabet pasta to the slow cooker while I shredded the chicken. I added the chicken back to the pot, added some parsley, and voila, dinner is served. 

As you can see from this picture, it's pretty hard to find the alphabet pasta. The recipe only called for half a cup, so next time, I think I would double that to get a little more carbs into the meal. There was also something missing. I think I would have added a sweet spice, such as rosemary, to the mix to give it an alternative to the very savory taste. 

Cheesy Baked "Shells" and Broccoli

Tonight I made Real Simple's Cheesy Baked Shells and Broccoli...except even after specifically buying pasta shells, I accidentally used elbow macaroni! It didn't make a difference, but still. Oops!

The comments on the recipe had a lot of different suggestions, so I took a few of them and made my own variation. Besides using elbow macaroni instead of shells, I also decided to add some diced onions. I softened them in a skillet on medium heat and added them to the mixture. 

I also used fresh broccoli instead of frozen. The reason I chose the recipe was because I wanted to use ingredients that I already had in the house. First, I boiled the broccoli. Instead of draining it, I used a slotted spoon to remove it and then used the same water to cook the pasta to get as much of the broccoli flavor as possible. 

The final change I made was baking it at the end instead of broiling it. A lot of the comments suggested baking it at 450 for 20 minutes, so I chose to do that and it turned out so well!

I was really concerned after I put the pasta in the oven because I halved the recipe, but then added more pasta than I meant to. I was worried there wouldn't be enough cheese to add enough flavor, but I think the onions really cancelled out the lack of cheese. 

Added to the wish list: a dry pasta measurer! I am terrible at judging how much pasta to use. 

A Meal Made with LOVE

Nothing says love like some pink mashed potatoes! For Valentine's Day, I decided to go all out when making dinner for a group of four friends.

On the menu: 

Steak with RED cherry tomatoes

Roasted onions and artichoke HEARTS

PINK mashed potatoes

Olive Oil and ROSEmary bread

Champagne!

To make the Steak with Skillet Tomatoes, I used a Real Simple recipe. Before cooking the steak, I brushed on a bit of Dale's Steak Seasoning and poured some into the skillet as it cooked. I cooked the steak medium rare, and I thought it turned out really well! 

For the Roasted Onion and Artichoke Hearts, I used a Martha Stewart recipe, but tweaked it big time. The recipe calls for fennel, not onions. Now, here's the thing: I'm really adventurous about food, but for some reason I do not want to taste licorice as I eat my meal! Instead, I used sweet onions and they tasted great with the artichoke hearts. 

We used an easy Bob Evans ready-made mashed potatoes (2 for 1 at Publix!) and added some pink food coloring. We all felt a little uneasy eating it, thinking it should taste sugary, but I still enjoyed it. 

I put the loaf of bread in the oven to warm it and served it with butter. To top it all off, we popped open some bubbly and had a perfectly lovely Valentine's Day treat 

P.S. Second on my most wanted list is champagne flutes!

Breakfast Tacos!

I didn't have a recipe for this, but I was inspired by the breakfast tacos I had in Austin, Texas last summer (TexMex central!). I had a few raw baby potatoes left, and a couple of soft taco shells in the fridge, so I made my own breakfast tacos. 

I cut the potatoes into very small pieces and sauteed them in a skillet on medium heat. I simply flavored them with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, I scrambled some eggs and heated the taco shells.

SIDENOTE on the soft tacos. I usually heat them in the oven in tin foil, but I wanted a quick fix, so I heated them in the microwave. The directions told me to cook them on wax paper, but I couldn't understand why, so I cooked them on a paper towel and covered in a paper towel. Big mistake! I guess the reason is that the paper towel absorbs all the moisture, making the soft taco shells seem more like tortilla chips! Luckily, I still had two shells left. For some reason I still couldn't wrap my head around the wax paper, so I just cooked it in the microwave on a plastic plate, and they turned out fine!

I layered the potatoes and eggs on the shells, then added some salsa and a splash of hot sauce. The only thing they could have used was a little sour cream, but alas, I was out of it!

No photo =(

I made turkey burgers! Sadly, we sat down and ate them up without taking a picture first. Oh well.

Two nights ago, I mixed and formed the turkey patties, which are made with some garlic and shredded swiss cheese. I put three of the patties in the fridge for tonight, but I left one out to make myself a solo dinner. I'm sure glad I did because I learned that turkey is much tougher to cook than ground beef!

Growing up, I learned that a burger was ruined if it was cooked anything more than medium rare. I figured turkey meat would be the same, right? Wrong! Without a cooking thermometer, we tend to cut into our meat often to check the center. After seeing that the inside of the burger was still pink, I thought it was good to go. It was not good to go. After taking a bite, I popped that baby right back in the skillet and cooked it until it was cooked all the way through-- which I think may have been a little too done.

That's another thing. The recipe calls for them to be grilled, but we don't own a grill, so I just went with a skillet with olive oil and medium heat.

After doing a little research for last nights meal (where I would be cooking for my roommates), I found that with turkey, you are supposed to cook it until it is white in the middle. It's actually supposed to be 160 degrees, but again, no meat thermometer!

I was definitely more careful this time with the meat. Then I made the Caesar spread which is so good and too easy! I add a little more dijon mustard than the recipe calls for, but that's just my taste.

I sliced hamburger rolls, and sliced an avocado for topping. I also made cauliflower (ignore the pork loin recipe...that's next week!). Instead of adding the Peppadews, I just added more capers because I am the Queen of Capers!

Overall, it turned out to be a delicious, healthy meal. Now I just have to remember to take pictures! And number one on my wish list: a meat thermometer.

Chihuahua in Distress

Now, this blog was intended to be just about my cooking adventures, but this story is too good to pass up:

Yesterday, I headed on over to Williston, Fla., to conduct an interview with an occupational therapist who uses horses as her medium (very cool). This interview took place at the woman's farm, and as you can imagine, was out in the country.

While driving home on County Road 346A, I saw a little something moving in the road in front of me. I slowed down to let whatever it was pass, but even as I got very close to it, it wouldn't budge! That was when I noticed it was a little chihuahua. She looked up at me trembling as if to say "What am I doing here?"

I pulled right on over and coaxed the little thing out of the road. She was wearing a purple collar, but her hair was missing in places and she seemed so dirty and scared. She didn't have a name tag, but she had a rabies tag, so I called the phone number on it. It was the Alachua County animal control, who gave me two phone numbers to call and to ask for Steve or Sandy.

The first number I called had no answer, so I left a voicemail. With the second number, someone picked up: "Hi, thank you for calling Kmart; how can I help you?" I was perplexed, but proceeded to tell the person my story and to ask for Steve or Sandy. The woman told me a Sandy worked for them, but that she wasn't in today. I left my contact information, and she said she would try to get in touch with Sandy and would have her call me.

At this point, I wasn't sure what to do next, so I called animal control again. They told me that since I wasn't technically in Alachua County anymore, I would have to call Levy County animal control. Good thing I had charged my phone that morning! I'm not sure what Levy County expects one to do in an emergency situation, but I called twice with no answer.

So, I decided there was nothing left to do except to sit on the side of the road with the dog, whom I had taken to calling 'Tinkerbell' in my head. We sat and I petted her until finally my cell rang. As I was answering, I noticed that the area code was actually that of my home town in Panama City, Fla., but answered anyway: "You have a collect call from an inmate at Bay County Jail or Correctional Facility." WHAT?!

I had no idea who could be calling, so I opted for the "Press 2 if you would like to find out who's calling you" choice. Just as I was giving the operator my phone number so she could trace the call, a car pulled up behind me. I looked at Tink. Who could it be?

At first I thought it might be someone thinking I was broken down and offering help, but then an older man got out. "Well there she is, thank God! We have no idea how she got outta the gate, but here she is!" he yelled in a southern country accent. This must be Steve.

I asked the operator to hold on a second, and began to explain to the man that I had called a few numbers looking for the owner. He asked if I called his wife at work. I told him that yes, I had, but since she wasn't at work today--

"Whadya mean not at work?! She's supposed to be there 'til five!"

I stammered that I didn't know, and that's just what the people at Kmart told me.

Then he said, "Do me a favor, will ya? Call them back at my wife's work and tell them the dog has been found. You just call them back, now."

Sure, I could do that. "You just saved me a divorce!"

You're welcome.

Meanwhile, the operator was still on the phone, so I talked to her again and explained my crazy day. She told me I was a good person (but I would like to argue who WOULDN'T stop and help the crazy dog you almost hit in the middle of the road??). There was no way she could trace the phone call, so now I'll never know who wanted to speak to me from the Bay County jail...

Last thing, on the way home, I called my Dad to ask if we knew anyone in jail. Then I looked over and saw an Oscar Mayer Weiner truck. What a weird day.

Third Time's NOT a Charm?

For the third time, I made one of my favorite Real Simple Meals: Chicken with Creamy Mushrooms

The only part I changed from the original was adding sliced scallions to the mushrooms as they cooked. The only reason I can give for this was that I had scallions in the fridge and I didn't want them to go bad! 

Because I was making the meal for 2 people instead of 4 and didn't adjust the recipe, I had a TON of sauce left, so the chicken was left swimming in cream sauce.

Although I've always loved this meal, I was not as impressed this time. After a little bit of taste tasting, we figured out that I had cooked my piece of chicken entirely too much, but my roommate (below) was perfectly happy with hers! 

Ahh well, maybe next time!