Ok, so I know I promised you an oven baked fish recipe and a lower calorie mac and cheese recipe. Here’s what happened, it didn’t happen. Friday, the day I had planned to make these delicacies, was A. much to hot for extended oven baking and B. Tyler was supposed to be home at 6pm and he was, but then there was catastrophic failure at work and he had to go back in. So, we had pigs in a blanket because they were fast and didn’t require extended oven usage. Then this weekend was super busy, and it really didn’t happen. What can I say, life happens.
Oh by the way, a shout out to all mothers… Happy Mother’s Day! I would especially like to thank my mother. If you want to know where my love for cooking and creativity in the kitchen comes from, it is most definitely from my mother.
Speaking of life happens, I’m still out of work. Bah humbug. My parents are redoing their kitchen and wanted to repaint… basically the whole house. The problem, dad decided he really didn’t want to paint it himself. So, he asked me if I wanted to paint for a little extra cash. Ok… I’m not sure if I ever mentioned that I do not paint for a living and have never painted for a living. As a matter of fact, I’ve only ever had a few major home décor painting projects and I’ve never painted crown molding (eek, a ladder!). Perhaps I should also mention that my dad is a paint perfectionist. (Perhaps being a second generation in the paint industry has something to do with it). So to say that I was a little nervous getting started today is an understatement. While I don’t mind painting, I think I’d like a real job. Preferably not one an hour an a half away (the commute to my parent’s). Not that I'm not grateful to my excellent parents for enabling me to pay the rent... I'm just fairly sure that I want a real job at a desk not on top of a tall ladder painting crown molding.
The good news is I did come up with a new recipe this weekend. I made some Chicken Fajita Quesadillas. They turned out fabulous. I made them in the oven, which I think is an ingenious way to make quesadillas especially when you want to make several. They crisp up nicely and you only have to turn them once so there’s no worry about everything falling out. There’s also no need to get a silly quesadilla machine. Serve these with a little sour cream, guacamole and a margarita.
Chicken Fajita Quesadillas
Serves 4
1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, cut into thin strips
3 cups Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese, divided
8-10 6-inch Tortillas
1 cup Bell Pepper (any color or a mix of colors) cut into strips
1 cup Onion, cut into thin strips
1 medium Tomato, cut into thin wedges
Fajita Mix (use store bought or you can make your own with the recipe below)
Vegetable Oil
Cooking Spray
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbs of oil over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and onions and sauté until onion is tender. Remove the vegetables from skillet and add a little extra oil. Brown chicken until cooked through. Add vegetables back into the pan along with the fajita mix and 3 tbs of water. Add in tomato wedges and simmer, uncovered for 3-5 minutes or until water is mostly evaporated. Spray the one side of each of the tortillas with cooking spray and arrange half of them, sprayed side down, on a greased cookie sheet. Using half of the cheese, spread equal amounts of cheese on each of the tortillas. Arrange a layer of chicken and vegetables on each tortilla (try to keep the layers as flat as possible to make for easier handling). Sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top of the chicken and vegetables and top with the remaining tortillas, sprayed side up. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, turning once halfway through.
Fajita Seasoning Mix
Note: I never seem to have a packet of taco or fajita seasoning on hand when I want it. But with the help of a little internet research, I found that I usually have all the ingredients I need for a good seasoning mix already in my cupboard, plus then I can control how spicy or salty the mix is.
This mix is the equivalent of one spice packet… seasons one pound of meat
1 ½ tsp Chili Powder (I used Chipotle Chili Powder for a smoky kick)
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Ground Cumin
¼ tsp Onion Powder
½ tsp Garlic Powder
¼ tsp Black Pepper
A pinch of Ground Cayenne Pepper (Optional)
1 tbs Cornstarch
Mix ingredients together and use as you would a packet of fajita seasoning
Showing posts with label Sandwiches. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sandwiches. Show all posts
Monday, May 10, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Shredded
Lunch: Shredded Beef Sandwiches and Chips
Dinner: Pulled Pork Tacos, Rice and Corn
Dessert: Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Bah! The grocery thieves strike again! There is no cheese left for tacos tonight… literally no cheese. They stole the last of it last night. Oh well, I don’t feel bad. I’m fairly sure the brothers will ferret out who these cheese weasels are and make them pay. Luckily the pulled pork turned out excellent, so it doesn’t really need cheese. I would be perfectly happy to sit there and eat it with tortillas… although if I were to serve it to guests, I would serve it with queso fresco, fresh cilantro, black beans and lime wedges, but that’s just me. Mmmm… sounds good. Apparently it smelled really good, because the brothers kept coming down and commenting on how delicious it smelled. I love comments like that. I rewarded one of the boys with a bite of the pork (I was shredding it at the time).
I didn’t realize, but today was unintentionally shredded meat day. I made shredded beef sandwiches for lunch and there was shredded pork tacos for dinner. Oops! I generally try to keep things mixed up, but sometimes it’s all I can do just to keep from having chicken for lunch and for dinner. The shredded beef sandwiches I made for lunch were a bit of an experiment. I have seen other recipes for shredded beef, but I wanted something simple with a little kick. I really like how it turned out. They are excellent served on toasted buns with swiss or provolone cheese and the sauce on the side to dip it.
Shredded Beef Sandwiches
Serves 10
4-5 lb Beef Roast
4 cups Beef Broth
2 tsp oregano
1 tbs Hot Sauce (optional)
1 bay leaf
Salt and Pepper
Salt and Pepper the roast and put it in the crockpot. Mix together the beef broth, oregano, hot sauce and bay leaf and pour over the roast. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours. Remove the roast and siphon as much fat as possible from the liquid *. Shred the beef with two forks.
* If you’re making this ahead of time (like I did) leave the roast whole and put the roast and the liquid in the fridge. Then when you’re ready to warm it up, you can remove the hardened fat with a spoon and then shred the beef.
Dinner: Pulled Pork Tacos, Rice and Corn
Dessert: Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Bah! The grocery thieves strike again! There is no cheese left for tacos tonight… literally no cheese. They stole the last of it last night. Oh well, I don’t feel bad. I’m fairly sure the brothers will ferret out who these cheese weasels are and make them pay. Luckily the pulled pork turned out excellent, so it doesn’t really need cheese. I would be perfectly happy to sit there and eat it with tortillas… although if I were to serve it to guests, I would serve it with queso fresco, fresh cilantro, black beans and lime wedges, but that’s just me. Mmmm… sounds good. Apparently it smelled really good, because the brothers kept coming down and commenting on how delicious it smelled. I love comments like that. I rewarded one of the boys with a bite of the pork (I was shredding it at the time).
I didn’t realize, but today was unintentionally shredded meat day. I made shredded beef sandwiches for lunch and there was shredded pork tacos for dinner. Oops! I generally try to keep things mixed up, but sometimes it’s all I can do just to keep from having chicken for lunch and for dinner. The shredded beef sandwiches I made for lunch were a bit of an experiment. I have seen other recipes for shredded beef, but I wanted something simple with a little kick. I really like how it turned out. They are excellent served on toasted buns with swiss or provolone cheese and the sauce on the side to dip it.
Shredded Beef Sandwiches
Serves 10
4-5 lb Beef Roast
4 cups Beef Broth
2 tsp oregano
1 tbs Hot Sauce (optional)
1 bay leaf
Salt and Pepper
Salt and Pepper the roast and put it in the crockpot. Mix together the beef broth, oregano, hot sauce and bay leaf and pour over the roast. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours. Remove the roast and siphon as much fat as possible from the liquid *. Shred the beef with two forks.
* If you’re making this ahead of time (like I did) leave the roast whole and put the roast and the liquid in the fridge. Then when you’re ready to warm it up, you can remove the hardened fat with a spoon and then shred the beef.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Bus Battle
Lunch: Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches
Dinner: Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes and Green Beans
Today may very well be one of the most beautiful days of the year. It was a balmy 68 and sunny today. Days like this are rare in good ol’ Georgia. Generally it goes from being relatively cold to being really hot in a matter of days. Therefore, you can’t take days like today for granted. Back in my college days, on beautiful days like today, I would cut class and find a grassy spot to stretch out on and revel in the beautiful weather. It seems the students at Tech decided to follow my lead. While out for my daily walk, 5 of the 8 frat houses I passed had moved their living rooms out onto the front lawn. I’m not kidding either; they dragged chairs and couches and coffee tables out onto their lawns and were lounging (many of them, rather unfortunately, shirtless… Not a thing you want to see on a bunch of pale Tech boys). There were countless games of Frisbee and random lounging in the sun on every available grassy spot. There was also the usual contingent of boys in hats playing guitar. You can’t walk across a college campus on a sunny day and not find a boy in a hat playing guitar for the ladies. I’m fairly sure it’s written in some international college guideline that you can’t be an accredited college without at least one guitar-playing-hat-wearing guy.
While the day was beautiful, it didn’t start off so pretty for me. Usually my morning bus ride is uneventful. People either sleep, read or fiddle with some electronic device for an hour. Rarely is there any talking or noise of any kind aside from the occasional clack of keys. In the afternoons, a few people might chat or talk on the phone, but in general people respect each other’s right to not be bothered. This morning however a man and a woman broke the silence. The man was texting and had his ringer on (quite possibly the world’s most annoying ringer too, it was some stupid rap song) so every minute or so, it went off. The woman sitting next to him asked him to turn the sound off. Rather than acquiesce to this simple request, he shouted at the top of his lungs “I can text if I want b*tch!”. Now, the woman could have changed seats and moved away from him or she could have kept her trap shut and left him alone. Of course, she didn’t do either. No, she started shouting back at him at the top of her lungs. They yelled at each other like a couple of crude children letting each other know where they could stick what and what they thought of the other’s mother. I plugged in my headphones and turned them up, but, unfortunately, they were right behind me and there was no escaping it. The rest of the bus patrons were looking back and shaking there heads; it being rather obvious that there was no shutting the two of them up. Finally, the woman moved to the front of the bus, but the guy didn’t shut up for the entire bus ride. I would have given anything for a tranquilizer gun. I will never understand some people and how they can behave so poorly. My 2 year old nephew has better manners and he still poops in his pants.
After such an eventful and stressful bus ride (I kept waiting for someone to throw a punch) I was really glad I’d planned an easy meal to start the week off. I like to plan something simple for Monday mornings to ease me into the work week. Today’s lunch was barbecue chicken sandwiches, and there are few things simpler. Although you could make it really easy on yourself and just used canned chicken, but I think canned chicken tastes a little like canned tuna which does not strike me as something I want to put barbeque sauce on… But, that’s just me. You can go ahead and do whatever floats your boat (how well would a boat float in canned chicken?)
Barbeque Chicken Sandwiches
serves 12
6 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Your Favorite BBQ Rub (See mine below*)
2-4 cups Barbeque Sauce
Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a large baking pan with cooking spray. Rub with plenty of BBQ rub . Place in baking dish, cover and bake for 20-25 minutes cooked throughout. Allow the breasts to cool enough so you can handle them. When they are cool, shred them. You can shred them with 2 forks, but I find that it works best just to pull them apart with your fingers. Place shredded chicken into a saucepan and cover with just enough ;barbeque sauce to coat chicken pieces. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally. Serve on hamburger buns with pickle slices.
*My Favorite BBQ Rub
Note: I don’t have measurements for this because I tend to just dump stuff together until it tastes right to me that day. I promise sometime in the future I’ll figure out the right measurements.
Chili Powder
A Pinch of Cumin
A Dash of Cayenne Pepper
Brown Sugar
Garlic Powder
A Dash of Onion Powder
Salt
Black Pepper or a medley of different peppers (I have a grinder with pink, black, green and white pepper corns)
Dinner: Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes and Green Beans
Today may very well be one of the most beautiful days of the year. It was a balmy 68 and sunny today. Days like this are rare in good ol’ Georgia. Generally it goes from being relatively cold to being really hot in a matter of days. Therefore, you can’t take days like today for granted. Back in my college days, on beautiful days like today, I would cut class and find a grassy spot to stretch out on and revel in the beautiful weather. It seems the students at Tech decided to follow my lead. While out for my daily walk, 5 of the 8 frat houses I passed had moved their living rooms out onto the front lawn. I’m not kidding either; they dragged chairs and couches and coffee tables out onto their lawns and were lounging (many of them, rather unfortunately, shirtless… Not a thing you want to see on a bunch of pale Tech boys). There were countless games of Frisbee and random lounging in the sun on every available grassy spot. There was also the usual contingent of boys in hats playing guitar. You can’t walk across a college campus on a sunny day and not find a boy in a hat playing guitar for the ladies. I’m fairly sure it’s written in some international college guideline that you can’t be an accredited college without at least one guitar-playing-hat-wearing guy.
While the day was beautiful, it didn’t start off so pretty for me. Usually my morning bus ride is uneventful. People either sleep, read or fiddle with some electronic device for an hour. Rarely is there any talking or noise of any kind aside from the occasional clack of keys. In the afternoons, a few people might chat or talk on the phone, but in general people respect each other’s right to not be bothered. This morning however a man and a woman broke the silence. The man was texting and had his ringer on (quite possibly the world’s most annoying ringer too, it was some stupid rap song) so every minute or so, it went off. The woman sitting next to him asked him to turn the sound off. Rather than acquiesce to this simple request, he shouted at the top of his lungs “I can text if I want b*tch!”. Now, the woman could have changed seats and moved away from him or she could have kept her trap shut and left him alone. Of course, she didn’t do either. No, she started shouting back at him at the top of her lungs. They yelled at each other like a couple of crude children letting each other know where they could stick what and what they thought of the other’s mother. I plugged in my headphones and turned them up, but, unfortunately, they were right behind me and there was no escaping it. The rest of the bus patrons were looking back and shaking there heads; it being rather obvious that there was no shutting the two of them up. Finally, the woman moved to the front of the bus, but the guy didn’t shut up for the entire bus ride. I would have given anything for a tranquilizer gun. I will never understand some people and how they can behave so poorly. My 2 year old nephew has better manners and he still poops in his pants.
After such an eventful and stressful bus ride (I kept waiting for someone to throw a punch) I was really glad I’d planned an easy meal to start the week off. I like to plan something simple for Monday mornings to ease me into the work week. Today’s lunch was barbecue chicken sandwiches, and there are few things simpler. Although you could make it really easy on yourself and just used canned chicken, but I think canned chicken tastes a little like canned tuna which does not strike me as something I want to put barbeque sauce on… But, that’s just me. You can go ahead and do whatever floats your boat (how well would a boat float in canned chicken?)
Barbeque Chicken Sandwiches
serves 12
6 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Your Favorite BBQ Rub (See mine below*)
2-4 cups Barbeque Sauce
Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a large baking pan with cooking spray. Rub with plenty of BBQ rub . Place in baking dish, cover and bake for 20-25 minutes cooked throughout. Allow the breasts to cool enough so you can handle them. When they are cool, shred them. You can shred them with 2 forks, but I find that it works best just to pull them apart with your fingers. Place shredded chicken into a saucepan and cover with just enough ;barbeque sauce to coat chicken pieces. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally. Serve on hamburger buns with pickle slices.
*My Favorite BBQ Rub
Note: I don’t have measurements for this because I tend to just dump stuff together until it tastes right to me that day. I promise sometime in the future I’ll figure out the right measurements.
Chili Powder
A Pinch of Cumin
A Dash of Cayenne Pepper
Brown Sugar
Garlic Powder
A Dash of Onion Powder
Salt
Black Pepper or a medley of different peppers (I have a grinder with pink, black, green and white pepper corns)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Beware of Chef
Lunch: BLT’s and French Fries
Dinner: Oven-baked Chicken Strips, Butter and Herb Boiled Potatoes and Corn
The kitchen has been infiltrated, repeat: the kitchen has been infiltrated! I don’t know if I’ve ever explained that I’m really a one person per kitchen kind of gal. When I’m cooking, I don’t really like people getting in my way or making unnecessary comments about how they think things should be done (“backseat driving” I call it). Oh, I don’t mind people coming and chatting, and on occasion I can even cook with other people (so long as we all have designated jobs and space). But when they invade the kitchen unwanted and unannounced, it drives me batty. It’s like someone coming in to your office, plunking their butt down at your computer and playing games when you’re in the middle of trying to finish a project on deadline. Ok, that might be a little extreme, but that’s what it feels like. One of the brothers came in just after I served lunch and started making his lunch. Ok, usually I don’t mind that. Then his girlfriend came in and they turned the radio on loud. Ok… getting a little annoyed. Then they started using the dishes I laid out. He was cutting raw meat on the cutting board I laid out for cutting the vegetables with the knife I’d laid out, and they were moving around all the spices I’d laid out. Ok… I’m really really annoyed now. Just as he was finishing, another brother came in and made eggs and left a huge eggy mess all over my clean work surface, and if that weren’t bad enough the steward came in with no other design than to bother me. That’s it, I have to leave the kitchen or people will get hurt!
I can’t help it, I’m territorial. I have my kitchen just so, and I have it that way for a reason. When cooking for a large group you have to have a game plan (and contingency plans for when you find some little “mousy” has gone and eaten all of the cheese you put aside). You can’t just go into the kitchen and see what you can find and start throwing things together because things won’t turn out. Before I start cooking, I get out everything I’m going to need, ingredients, pots, pans, knives etc. I lay them all out so A. I know I have them and B. So I’m not scrambling for an ingredient while I’m in the middle of trying to keep my roux from burning and C. So everything will be done when I need it to be done. Plus, I have limited resources. I only have 1 large cutting board and 2 really sharp knives. So, I have to plan carefully to avoid contamination etc. My path to kitchen enlightenment is organization. (Remember my dream kitchen? That’s kitchen nirvana). When someone goes and messes with it, it can throw me off. I have to stop and redo everything, wash the cutting board, wipe down the counters and realign my ingredients. People who know me may find this rather strange. I am not what you might call a “neat” person nor am I particularly organized. I am not a type A personality, at least not until you cross the threshold of my kitchen. Then… well perhaps the guys should get a sign “Beware of Chef, Enter at Your Own Risk".
For a quick and delicious lunch, try these chicken melts… they have a kick. They guys loved them.
Spicy Chicken Melts
Serves 12
24 slices Toast, good with whole wheat or 7 grain bread
5 cups Canned Chicken
3 tbs Hot Sauce (more or less depending on how hot you like it)
2 cups Miracle Whip
1/3 cup Sweet Pickle Relish
3 tbs Dijon Mustard
¼ cup Red Onion, diced fine
½ cup Celery, diced fine
A couple pinches of Cayenne Pepper, if you dare
Tomatoes, sliced
12 slices Provolone Cheese
Mix together chicken, celery, red onion, hot sauce, sweet pickle relish, Miracle Whip, and Dijon mustard until well mixed. Arrange ½ of the toast on a baking sheet and top with a generous scoop of chicken mixture. Top with tomato slices and cheese. Place pan under a hot broiler until cheese is just melted, 3-5 minutes. Top with the rest of the toast and serve immediately.
Dinner: Oven-baked Chicken Strips, Butter and Herb Boiled Potatoes and Corn
The kitchen has been infiltrated, repeat: the kitchen has been infiltrated! I don’t know if I’ve ever explained that I’m really a one person per kitchen kind of gal. When I’m cooking, I don’t really like people getting in my way or making unnecessary comments about how they think things should be done (“backseat driving” I call it). Oh, I don’t mind people coming and chatting, and on occasion I can even cook with other people (so long as we all have designated jobs and space). But when they invade the kitchen unwanted and unannounced, it drives me batty. It’s like someone coming in to your office, plunking their butt down at your computer and playing games when you’re in the middle of trying to finish a project on deadline. Ok, that might be a little extreme, but that’s what it feels like. One of the brothers came in just after I served lunch and started making his lunch. Ok, usually I don’t mind that. Then his girlfriend came in and they turned the radio on loud. Ok… getting a little annoyed. Then they started using the dishes I laid out. He was cutting raw meat on the cutting board I laid out for cutting the vegetables with the knife I’d laid out, and they were moving around all the spices I’d laid out. Ok… I’m really really annoyed now. Just as he was finishing, another brother came in and made eggs and left a huge eggy mess all over my clean work surface, and if that weren’t bad enough the steward came in with no other design than to bother me. That’s it, I have to leave the kitchen or people will get hurt!
I can’t help it, I’m territorial. I have my kitchen just so, and I have it that way for a reason. When cooking for a large group you have to have a game plan (and contingency plans for when you find some little “mousy” has gone and eaten all of the cheese you put aside). You can’t just go into the kitchen and see what you can find and start throwing things together because things won’t turn out. Before I start cooking, I get out everything I’m going to need, ingredients, pots, pans, knives etc. I lay them all out so A. I know I have them and B. So I’m not scrambling for an ingredient while I’m in the middle of trying to keep my roux from burning and C. So everything will be done when I need it to be done. Plus, I have limited resources. I only have 1 large cutting board and 2 really sharp knives. So, I have to plan carefully to avoid contamination etc. My path to kitchen enlightenment is organization. (Remember my dream kitchen? That’s kitchen nirvana). When someone goes and messes with it, it can throw me off. I have to stop and redo everything, wash the cutting board, wipe down the counters and realign my ingredients. People who know me may find this rather strange. I am not what you might call a “neat” person nor am I particularly organized. I am not a type A personality, at least not until you cross the threshold of my kitchen. Then… well perhaps the guys should get a sign “Beware of Chef, Enter at Your Own Risk".
For a quick and delicious lunch, try these chicken melts… they have a kick. They guys loved them.
Spicy Chicken Melts
Serves 12
24 slices Toast, good with whole wheat or 7 grain bread
5 cups Canned Chicken
3 tbs Hot Sauce (more or less depending on how hot you like it)
2 cups Miracle Whip
1/3 cup Sweet Pickle Relish
3 tbs Dijon Mustard
¼ cup Red Onion, diced fine
½ cup Celery, diced fine
A couple pinches of Cayenne Pepper, if you dare
Tomatoes, sliced
12 slices Provolone Cheese
Mix together chicken, celery, red onion, hot sauce, sweet pickle relish, Miracle Whip, and Dijon mustard until well mixed. Arrange ½ of the toast on a baking sheet and top with a generous scoop of chicken mixture. Top with tomato slices and cheese. Place pan under a hot broiler until cheese is just melted, 3-5 minutes. Top with the rest of the toast and serve immediately.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Because I Didn't Want To
Brunch: Raisin Walnut Monkey Bread, Sausage and Fruit
Friday is typically grocery day. But, I decided to postpone grocery day. Here are my reasons:
1. When I woke up this morning, the cat was cuddled up next to me under the blanket, and I didn’t have the heart to move him so I slept in a little longer.
2. It’s raining. It rained all night; it rained all morning; it’s still raining.
3. It’s Friday before the Super Bowl, and Sam’s club would be packed.
4. Traffic on a rainy Friday is usually abysmal.
5. I’m lazy and wanted to go home and cuddle my cat some more.
Speaking of abysmal traffic, I was late getting in this morning because of the rain-related back up. When I got in, I got straight to business. Not 5 minutes after I got there, one of the brothers came down. He poked his head in and said, “Oh good, you’re here.” Apparently some of the brothers were worried because I wasn’t there yet. They weren’t concerned about my safety on a wet dismal day where the roads were slick. They were concerned they wouldn’t get their monkey bread on time. They didn’t, it was 15 minutes late getting out, but no one came down to check on it in that 15 minutes so I don’t think it really mattered. Although, I’ve come to realize that you don’t get between these boys and their monkey bread. When I first started here, none of them even knew what monkey bread was (clearly not a lot of boy scouts in the lot). But they realized they really really love it, and I have heard a boy who was not on the meal plan attempt to trade one of the boys who was on the plan beer for his plate of monkey bread. That’s a pretty serious trade there. Frat boys take their beer seriously.
As it is Super Bowl weekend, I thought I might give you a meal idea that is easy, cheap to make in bulk and delicious. I made this for the guys and it was a huge success, and if it passes frat boy standards, it’s certainly worthy of football fare. It’s Jerk Pulled Pork. You can fix it ahead of time and just reheat it for game time. It also freezes well in case you want to make a big batch just to have some on hand.
Jerk Pulled Pork
Serves 28
10 lbs Pork Shoulder (boneless is good, but I couldn’t find it at Sam’s so I used bone-in, and it worked just fine. You can also use pork roast)
2 liters Coke or Dr Pepper (I like using Dr. Pepper because it lends a little something-something to the mix)
1 bottle Jamaican Jerk Rub or Dry Seasoning Blend (approx 1/3 cup)
2 quarts BBQ Sauce
Rub the meat down with the Jerk spices until it’s seasoned on all sides. Place in a slow cooker and add coke. Put on low and cook for 8 hours. After 8 hours, pork should be falling apart. Remove the roast(s) from the slow cooker and discard all but 2 cups of juice. Using 2 forks, shred the pork. Return the pork to the slow cooker and add reserved juice and BBQ sauce and stir until pork is coated. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Serve on buns or garlic toast with pickled pepperoncini slices.
Note: You can also make this in the oven, it just takes a while. You’ll want to use a heavy duty casserole with high sides like a cast-iron dutch oven or an oven-proof ceramic crock. It needs to be tightly covered with foil or a lid. Bake for 6-7 hours on 200.
Friday is typically grocery day. But, I decided to postpone grocery day. Here are my reasons:
1. When I woke up this morning, the cat was cuddled up next to me under the blanket, and I didn’t have the heart to move him so I slept in a little longer.
2. It’s raining. It rained all night; it rained all morning; it’s still raining.
3. It’s Friday before the Super Bowl, and Sam’s club would be packed.
4. Traffic on a rainy Friday is usually abysmal.
5. I’m lazy and wanted to go home and cuddle my cat some more.
Speaking of abysmal traffic, I was late getting in this morning because of the rain-related back up. When I got in, I got straight to business. Not 5 minutes after I got there, one of the brothers came down. He poked his head in and said, “Oh good, you’re here.” Apparently some of the brothers were worried because I wasn’t there yet. They weren’t concerned about my safety on a wet dismal day where the roads were slick. They were concerned they wouldn’t get their monkey bread on time. They didn’t, it was 15 minutes late getting out, but no one came down to check on it in that 15 minutes so I don’t think it really mattered. Although, I’ve come to realize that you don’t get between these boys and their monkey bread. When I first started here, none of them even knew what monkey bread was (clearly not a lot of boy scouts in the lot). But they realized they really really love it, and I have heard a boy who was not on the meal plan attempt to trade one of the boys who was on the plan beer for his plate of monkey bread. That’s a pretty serious trade there. Frat boys take their beer seriously.
As it is Super Bowl weekend, I thought I might give you a meal idea that is easy, cheap to make in bulk and delicious. I made this for the guys and it was a huge success, and if it passes frat boy standards, it’s certainly worthy of football fare. It’s Jerk Pulled Pork. You can fix it ahead of time and just reheat it for game time. It also freezes well in case you want to make a big batch just to have some on hand.
Jerk Pulled Pork
Serves 28
10 lbs Pork Shoulder (boneless is good, but I couldn’t find it at Sam’s so I used bone-in, and it worked just fine. You can also use pork roast)
2 liters Coke or Dr Pepper (I like using Dr. Pepper because it lends a little something-something to the mix)
1 bottle Jamaican Jerk Rub or Dry Seasoning Blend (approx 1/3 cup)
2 quarts BBQ Sauce
Rub the meat down with the Jerk spices until it’s seasoned on all sides. Place in a slow cooker and add coke. Put on low and cook for 8 hours. After 8 hours, pork should be falling apart. Remove the roast(s) from the slow cooker and discard all but 2 cups of juice. Using 2 forks, shred the pork. Return the pork to the slow cooker and add reserved juice and BBQ sauce and stir until pork is coated. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Serve on buns or garlic toast with pickled pepperoncini slices.
Note: You can also make this in the oven, it just takes a while. You’ll want to use a heavy duty casserole with high sides like a cast-iron dutch oven or an oven-proof ceramic crock. It needs to be tightly covered with foil or a lid. Bake for 6-7 hours on 200.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Pamplemousse
Lunch: Pepperoni and Cheese Calzones with Marinara and Strawberry JELLO
Dinner: Chicken and Dumplings (with veggies!), Rice and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Today is adventure Thursday. Getting off the MARTA train this morning I suddenly felt this déjà vu/ nostalgia for France. Maybe it’s because I’m wearing my Pumas. So, I decided to go on an adventure between making lunch and dinner. I had a lot of time on my hands in France, I often spent my afternoons going on adventures. I decided I wanted to see how far it was to walk to Piedmont Park from the frat. It was a decidedly beautiful day for a walk; Sunny, low 60’s with a cool breeze. So, I strapped on my book bag (which contains my laptop and everything I might need throughout the day and weighs in at around 20-25 pounds) and headed out. I did not look up how to get there; I just headed in the general direction. On the way, I saw the Margret Mitchell house, outside of which there were a couple tourists snapping pictures. I saw a picket line of construction workers in front of a tall building (très français!). I petted a very cute Dalmatian who reminded me of Indie (most likely stupid). I saw a fountain outside of a spa that I really wanted to take my shoes off and walk around in. I did find the park although it turns out I went a rather round-about way which is fine as I was out for adventure. I found a much quicker way back. I also had to stop at Publix on the way back to get some milk as some little thief got into it and I needed milk for the chicken and dumplings as well as the French toast tomorrow. While at Publix, I found some grapefruit Perrier. I decided it was a sign that I had a good adventure because a. I love Perrier b. I love anything grapefruit c. grapefruit flavored Perrier is very hard to find stateside and most importantly c. grapefruit is my favorite word in French (pamplemousse pronounced pomplemousse) also puma is my favorite word in English. (Seriously, say puma a few times and see if it doesn’t make you smile.) I also found out that next time I go on an adventure, I should probably leave my pumas at home or at least wear better socks. (I hate it when your shoes wear the back of your ankles!)
Interesting fact: There was nearly 30 degrees difference between when I got on the bus this morning and when I got on the bus to go home.
About the following recipe:
The boys really love calzones; I also really love calzones. I love calzones because they are disgustingly easy to make and very versatile. I am rather hesitant to put this recipe up because it almost isn’t even a recipe. It’s more like a moment where you say “duh!” and then smack your forehead. But in the interest of keeping it real, I’m going to give it to you. It is honestly very hard to come up with ideas for lunch because they have to be quick (remember I’m cooking for 15-20 in only an hour) and they have to be fairly cheap but they guys also want a hot lunch. That makes variety rather difficult as you can only do so many hot sandwiches in a week, and the guys are rather leery of casseroles. The great thing about these calzones is that it meets all the criteria and it allows me to clean out the cupboards a bit. I’m always finding myself with some extra ham, bulk sausage or salami, a pound here or there. It isn’t really enough to make a meal out of, but throw it in some crust with cheese and voila… “calzone”. I know it probably doesn’t meet the traditional standards of calzone, and if you’re a purist you can call it a pizza pocket or something (although the sauce is not on the inside). I can even hide vegetables inside if I get the urge although I haven’t been that mean yet. I just want to let you know that I’m thinking about it.
“Calzones”
Serves 24
6 tubes Pillsbury Pizza Dough, Thin Crust Style
3-4 lbs Mozzarella Cheese (or mozzarella mixed with whatever you got)
4+ lbs Pepperoni (or your favorite filling examples: ham, browned Italian bulk sausage, shredded chicken etc)
Garlic Powder
Parmesan Cheese
Italian Herbs Blend
Marinara Sauce (You can use the jar kind, which they have a large jug of at Sam’s or you can use this recipe for homemade)
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease several large cookie sheets. Unroll one tube of dough on a cutting board or on a lightly floured counter. Carefully stretch the dough just a little so it’s about 10x12. Cut into 4 equal pieces. Put a handful of cheese and a handful of pepperoni on each piece. Place the toppings so they evenly cover half of each piece leaving a little room around all of the edges. Take the un-topped side and fold it over the toppings and pinch the sides closed. If the sides won’t stick together, you can roll the bottom lip up a little with the top and pinch it and it should stay closed. Repeat this with all the tubes and you should have 24 calzones. Place the calzones on the lightly greased cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Sprinkle the tops of the calzones with garlic powder, parmesan cheese and Italian seasonings. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with hot marinara for dipping.
Dinner: Chicken and Dumplings (with veggies!), Rice and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Today is adventure Thursday. Getting off the MARTA train this morning I suddenly felt this déjà vu/ nostalgia for France. Maybe it’s because I’m wearing my Pumas. So, I decided to go on an adventure between making lunch and dinner. I had a lot of time on my hands in France, I often spent my afternoons going on adventures. I decided I wanted to see how far it was to walk to Piedmont Park from the frat. It was a decidedly beautiful day for a walk; Sunny, low 60’s with a cool breeze. So, I strapped on my book bag (which contains my laptop and everything I might need throughout the day and weighs in at around 20-25 pounds) and headed out. I did not look up how to get there; I just headed in the general direction. On the way, I saw the Margret Mitchell house, outside of which there were a couple tourists snapping pictures. I saw a picket line of construction workers in front of a tall building (très français!). I petted a very cute Dalmatian who reminded me of Indie (most likely stupid). I saw a fountain outside of a spa that I really wanted to take my shoes off and walk around in. I did find the park although it turns out I went a rather round-about way which is fine as I was out for adventure. I found a much quicker way back. I also had to stop at Publix on the way back to get some milk as some little thief got into it and I needed milk for the chicken and dumplings as well as the French toast tomorrow. While at Publix, I found some grapefruit Perrier. I decided it was a sign that I had a good adventure because a. I love Perrier b. I love anything grapefruit c. grapefruit flavored Perrier is very hard to find stateside and most importantly c. grapefruit is my favorite word in French (pamplemousse pronounced pomplemousse) also puma is my favorite word in English. (Seriously, say puma a few times and see if it doesn’t make you smile.) I also found out that next time I go on an adventure, I should probably leave my pumas at home or at least wear better socks. (I hate it when your shoes wear the back of your ankles!)
Interesting fact: There was nearly 30 degrees difference between when I got on the bus this morning and when I got on the bus to go home.
About the following recipe:
The boys really love calzones; I also really love calzones. I love calzones because they are disgustingly easy to make and very versatile. I am rather hesitant to put this recipe up because it almost isn’t even a recipe. It’s more like a moment where you say “duh!” and then smack your forehead. But in the interest of keeping it real, I’m going to give it to you. It is honestly very hard to come up with ideas for lunch because they have to be quick (remember I’m cooking for 15-20 in only an hour) and they have to be fairly cheap but they guys also want a hot lunch. That makes variety rather difficult as you can only do so many hot sandwiches in a week, and the guys are rather leery of casseroles. The great thing about these calzones is that it meets all the criteria and it allows me to clean out the cupboards a bit. I’m always finding myself with some extra ham, bulk sausage or salami, a pound here or there. It isn’t really enough to make a meal out of, but throw it in some crust with cheese and voila… “calzone”. I know it probably doesn’t meet the traditional standards of calzone, and if you’re a purist you can call it a pizza pocket or something (although the sauce is not on the inside). I can even hide vegetables inside if I get the urge although I haven’t been that mean yet. I just want to let you know that I’m thinking about it.
“Calzones”
Serves 24
6 tubes Pillsbury Pizza Dough, Thin Crust Style
3-4 lbs Mozzarella Cheese (or mozzarella mixed with whatever you got)
4+ lbs Pepperoni (or your favorite filling examples: ham, browned Italian bulk sausage, shredded chicken etc)
Garlic Powder
Parmesan Cheese
Italian Herbs Blend
Marinara Sauce (You can use the jar kind, which they have a large jug of at Sam’s or you can use this recipe for homemade)
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease several large cookie sheets. Unroll one tube of dough on a cutting board or on a lightly floured counter. Carefully stretch the dough just a little so it’s about 10x12. Cut into 4 equal pieces. Put a handful of cheese and a handful of pepperoni on each piece. Place the toppings so they evenly cover half of each piece leaving a little room around all of the edges. Take the un-topped side and fold it over the toppings and pinch the sides closed. If the sides won’t stick together, you can roll the bottom lip up a little with the top and pinch it and it should stay closed. Repeat this with all the tubes and you should have 24 calzones. Place the calzones on the lightly greased cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Sprinkle the tops of the calzones with garlic powder, parmesan cheese and Italian seasonings. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with hot marinara for dipping.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Let Let Me Know What's Your Fantasy...
Wednesday Lunch: Chicken Gyros and Vegetables with Hummus Dinner: Brats, Baked Beans and Coleslaw
It’s entirely possible that I’ve lost my mind (what little of it was still considered sane). I get a bee up my… well… and decide to make something exotic or special. Tzatziki isn’t any easier to make than it is to spell. Why did I feel the need to make homemade tzatziki? (Probably because it can’t be purchased at the grocery store and it would be expensive to purchase it at my favorite Greek restaurant). Perhaps I’m merely miffed at the unappreciative audience that pokes at the bowl and says “what’s that” in a voice that suggests that I am, in fact, feeding them smashed worms. At least I didn’t make homemade hummus. Maybe I should feed them smashed worms… Except then I would have to get worms and smash them. In truth, the tzatziki turned out beautifully. I guess sometimes it’s hard for me to remember I’m feeding a bunch of college boys. They give me free range of the menu and the kitchen and sometimes I feel the need to act out my cooking fantasies because, let’s face it, Tyler isn’t about to eat that stuff at home. In case you’re wondering tzatziki is a cucumber-yogurt sauce that is put on top of gyros. At least the guys appreciated the gyros… The chicken would have been even better had it been grilled, but I already have to grill the brats today. And, I think I’ve mentioned before my utter detestation for that specific cooking appliance.
Cooking fantasies… it just seems wrong, but I do have cooking fantasies. I fantasize that I have a lovely, state-of-the-art kitchen filled with gleaming appliances and a cupboard full of pretty dishes to show off my masterpieces. Then the pantry… ahh the pantry. The pantry and the fridge are full of top-notch farm-fresh ingredients. The pantry (which is approximately the size of my current kitchen) looks like a cross between a specialty food store and a real farmers market. There is also an herb garden somewhere nearby which really is a fantasy as I have two brown thumbs. In the fridge there is crème fraiche, butter from a local dairy and unpasteurized cheese. (Ok… I might have separate dairy fantasies, so sue me!) Then the best part… the best part of all, I make whatever I want. I make all sorts of exotic and foreign dishes. From curry (both the Indian and the Thai varieties) to ratatouille. I might even make whole meals without meat (GASP!!!). I might just come up with something on the fly. Then, there are people there to eat my creations. People who love food and don’t say “Eww, what’s that?” or ask if I’m putting onions in something (in a dear God, please don’t put onions in that voice) or rip apart a carefully constructed dish to surgically remove all traces of mushrooms. They aren’t a bunch of sycophants though, they just aren’t picky and they’re adventurous and willing to try something new. Sigh… Somehow, unless I win the lottery, I doubt these fantasies will ever come true. (In case I do win the lottery, how much do you think it would cost to hire a bunch of foodies to come over for dinner every night? I would have to change the blog name to Adventures in Gourmet Cooking.)
Here is a delicious recipe for chicken gyros with homemade tzatziki:
Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki:
Serves 15
For the Chicken:
4 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1 large Head of Garlic, peeled and smashed
1 small container of plain yogurt (the little container, like you would have for breakfast)
½ cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 cup Olive Oil
½ cup Lemon Juice
¼ cup Dried Oregano
3 tbs Parsley
Salt and Pepper
Mix ingredients together until well blended. Pour over chicken breast, cover and refrigerate for a couple hours or overnight.
Heat non-stick skillet over medium high heat (no pam or olive oil please, we want to get a good sear on the chicken. If you use a non-stick skillet it should be just fine) Add the chicken and cook for 7-8 minutes or until golden brown on one side, then flip and continue cooking until golden brown and cooked through (if you’re chicken is golden brown and not done in the middle, you can throw it in the microwave for a couple minutes to finish it out without burning it). Allow chicken to rest 5 minutes after cooking. Cut lengthways into thin strips. Serve on warm pita bread with tomatoes, feta, red onions and tzatziki.
Note: This would be excellent grilled.
Tzatziki
1 large (16 ounces) container Plain Yogurt
-Or- 1 16 ounce container of Greek Yogurt (if using Greek yogurt, skip the straining step)
2 tbs Olive Oil
1 tbs Red Wine Vinegar
4 cloves Garlic, minced very fine
1 Seedless Cucumber, peeled
1 tbs Oregano
A large dash of Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper
To strain: line a colander with two heavy duty paper towels (or a few coffee filters or cheesecloth if you want to get fancy) pour yogurt over paper towels. Put the colander on top of a bowl. You want to use a bowl that is smaller than the colander so the bottom of the colander doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Cover the colander and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the bowl and colander, discard the liquid in the bowl and dump the yogurt into a mixing bowl. The yogurt should be considerably thicker.
Grate the peeled cucumber with a fine grater. You want it very small. You can use a food processor to shred it, and then run a knife through the shreds until it’s chopped fine. Squeeze the grated cucumber to remove some of the juice. Mix in with the yogurt. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Refrigerate for an hour; stir before serving.
It’s entirely possible that I’ve lost my mind (what little of it was still considered sane). I get a bee up my… well… and decide to make something exotic or special. Tzatziki isn’t any easier to make than it is to spell. Why did I feel the need to make homemade tzatziki? (Probably because it can’t be purchased at the grocery store and it would be expensive to purchase it at my favorite Greek restaurant). Perhaps I’m merely miffed at the unappreciative audience that pokes at the bowl and says “what’s that” in a voice that suggests that I am, in fact, feeding them smashed worms. At least I didn’t make homemade hummus. Maybe I should feed them smashed worms… Except then I would have to get worms and smash them. In truth, the tzatziki turned out beautifully. I guess sometimes it’s hard for me to remember I’m feeding a bunch of college boys. They give me free range of the menu and the kitchen and sometimes I feel the need to act out my cooking fantasies because, let’s face it, Tyler isn’t about to eat that stuff at home. In case you’re wondering tzatziki is a cucumber-yogurt sauce that is put on top of gyros. At least the guys appreciated the gyros… The chicken would have been even better had it been grilled, but I already have to grill the brats today. And, I think I’ve mentioned before my utter detestation for that specific cooking appliance.
Cooking fantasies… it just seems wrong, but I do have cooking fantasies. I fantasize that I have a lovely, state-of-the-art kitchen filled with gleaming appliances and a cupboard full of pretty dishes to show off my masterpieces. Then the pantry… ahh the pantry. The pantry and the fridge are full of top-notch farm-fresh ingredients. The pantry (which is approximately the size of my current kitchen) looks like a cross between a specialty food store and a real farmers market. There is also an herb garden somewhere nearby which really is a fantasy as I have two brown thumbs. In the fridge there is crème fraiche, butter from a local dairy and unpasteurized cheese. (Ok… I might have separate dairy fantasies, so sue me!) Then the best part… the best part of all, I make whatever I want. I make all sorts of exotic and foreign dishes. From curry (both the Indian and the Thai varieties) to ratatouille. I might even make whole meals without meat (GASP!!!). I might just come up with something on the fly. Then, there are people there to eat my creations. People who love food and don’t say “Eww, what’s that?” or ask if I’m putting onions in something (in a dear God, please don’t put onions in that voice) or rip apart a carefully constructed dish to surgically remove all traces of mushrooms. They aren’t a bunch of sycophants though, they just aren’t picky and they’re adventurous and willing to try something new. Sigh… Somehow, unless I win the lottery, I doubt these fantasies will ever come true. (In case I do win the lottery, how much do you think it would cost to hire a bunch of foodies to come over for dinner every night? I would have to change the blog name to Adventures in Gourmet Cooking.)
Here is a delicious recipe for chicken gyros with homemade tzatziki:
Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki:
Serves 15
For the Chicken:
4 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1 large Head of Garlic, peeled and smashed
1 small container of plain yogurt (the little container, like you would have for breakfast)
½ cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 cup Olive Oil
½ cup Lemon Juice
¼ cup Dried Oregano
3 tbs Parsley
Salt and Pepper
Mix ingredients together until well blended. Pour over chicken breast, cover and refrigerate for a couple hours or overnight.
Heat non-stick skillet over medium high heat (no pam or olive oil please, we want to get a good sear on the chicken. If you use a non-stick skillet it should be just fine) Add the chicken and cook for 7-8 minutes or until golden brown on one side, then flip and continue cooking until golden brown and cooked through (if you’re chicken is golden brown and not done in the middle, you can throw it in the microwave for a couple minutes to finish it out without burning it). Allow chicken to rest 5 minutes after cooking. Cut lengthways into thin strips. Serve on warm pita bread with tomatoes, feta, red onions and tzatziki.
Note: This would be excellent grilled.
Tzatziki
1 large (16 ounces) container Plain Yogurt
-Or- 1 16 ounce container of Greek Yogurt (if using Greek yogurt, skip the straining step)
2 tbs Olive Oil
1 tbs Red Wine Vinegar
4 cloves Garlic, minced very fine
1 Seedless Cucumber, peeled
1 tbs Oregano
A large dash of Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper
To strain: line a colander with two heavy duty paper towels (or a few coffee filters or cheesecloth if you want to get fancy) pour yogurt over paper towels. Put the colander on top of a bowl. You want to use a bowl that is smaller than the colander so the bottom of the colander doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Cover the colander and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the bowl and colander, discard the liquid in the bowl and dump the yogurt into a mixing bowl. The yogurt should be considerably thicker.
Grate the peeled cucumber with a fine grater. You want it very small. You can use a food processor to shred it, and then run a knife through the shreds until it’s chopped fine. Squeeze the grated cucumber to remove some of the juice. Mix in with the yogurt. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Refrigerate for an hour; stir before serving.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Start Your Slaving Job to Get Your Pay...
Monday Lunch: Cheesy Pigs in a Blanket and Chips Dinner: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Salad and Garlic Toast
Tuesday Lunch: Sloppy Joes, Tater Tots and Pineapple Dinner: Chicken Stir Fry and Rice
So I am now officially back at work. I’m not sure whether or not to be happy about this. On one hand I love cooking, getting a pay check, and not spending all day feeling like a lumpy couch pillow. On the other hand, I like sleeping in, dislike having to walk 6 blocks in the cold when I can’t find my hat or gloves and I sometimes I want to spend all day being a lumpy couch pillow. Also it means grocery day twice this week and having to figure out what the guys did with all my stuff (the answer: threw it away or hid it; and no, they’re not sure which one it is). The good news is they actually pretty much cleaned the kitchen. They cleaned out the fridge and “organized” the pantry. They also scraped off the seasoning on the griddle. I’m still confused about that one (also I don’t know how to re-season a commercial griddle).
Sadly, the frat house is rather empty. Apparently most of the guys do a co-op program during the winter semester, which means they aren’t at school and therefore are not here to eat my fabulous cooking. My little brother, for example, left for Tennessee Sunday to co-op for some big company. Who’s going to bother me every day and now who am I supposed to eat lunch with? I hate to admit it, but it will be a lonely semester without my dorky little brother. Since the house is so empty, the numbers I have to cook for have gone down and so has my budget. While one might think it would be easier to cook for fewer, they would be wrong. It’s actually cheaper per person to cook for more people (hooray buying in bulk!). Also, it’s been hard for me to scale back mentally. I have to keep reminding myself that there are only 8 people eating lunch today (I may have made 5 pounds of sloppy joes any way…). Apparently my I can cook for 2, 20 or 40 but not 8 or 15.
Being a normal, red-blooded girl, I relish compliments. Sure, I should be humble and say, “Aww… you’re too kind! You shouldn’t say that…” but let’s be honest. We all love compliments; we revel in them. Today I got a lovely compliment from one of the guys. He informed me that he hated sloppy joes, but he loves mine, and that he would only eat mine. Ok, so sloppy joes aren’t exactly a culinary masterpiece, but it’s always nice to hear that someone loves your cooking and that you have even converted them to a dish they previously avowed to hate. So, without further ado, here is my super fantastic sloppy joe recipe:
Kristen’s Sloppy Joes
Serves 8-10 frat boys, probably 16 normal people
5 lbs Lean Ground Beef
2 cups Spaghetti Sauce (I like Ragu traditional because it doesn’t have chunks)
2 packets Sloppy Joe mix*
½ cup- 1 cup Ketchup (depends on how saucy you like your joes)
3 tbs Mustard
3 tbs Horseradish (not the creamy style, the “prepared” style that’s in the refrigerated section)
Brown and drain the ground beef. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Cook over medium until bubbly and heated through, about 2-4 minutes. Serve with pickles on hamburger buns. (Or, you can be like one of the guys and pour the meat over tater tots and top with shredded cheddar cheese for .. Sloppy Tots? Hmm… must think of a better name, that just sounds disgusting)
*Note: If you can’t find sloppy joe mix packets (and they can be hard to find) you can always substitute a mix of garlic salt, onion powder, chili powder, black pepper and just a little flour. I don’t have any measurements for how much, but I’ve used those spices in lieu of the packets and it turns out just fine.
Tuesday Lunch: Sloppy Joes, Tater Tots and Pineapple Dinner: Chicken Stir Fry and Rice
So I am now officially back at work. I’m not sure whether or not to be happy about this. On one hand I love cooking, getting a pay check, and not spending all day feeling like a lumpy couch pillow. On the other hand, I like sleeping in, dislike having to walk 6 blocks in the cold when I can’t find my hat or gloves and I sometimes I want to spend all day being a lumpy couch pillow. Also it means grocery day twice this week and having to figure out what the guys did with all my stuff (the answer: threw it away or hid it; and no, they’re not sure which one it is). The good news is they actually pretty much cleaned the kitchen. They cleaned out the fridge and “organized” the pantry. They also scraped off the seasoning on the griddle. I’m still confused about that one (also I don’t know how to re-season a commercial griddle).
Sadly, the frat house is rather empty. Apparently most of the guys do a co-op program during the winter semester, which means they aren’t at school and therefore are not here to eat my fabulous cooking. My little brother, for example, left for Tennessee Sunday to co-op for some big company. Who’s going to bother me every day and now who am I supposed to eat lunch with? I hate to admit it, but it will be a lonely semester without my dorky little brother. Since the house is so empty, the numbers I have to cook for have gone down and so has my budget. While one might think it would be easier to cook for fewer, they would be wrong. It’s actually cheaper per person to cook for more people (hooray buying in bulk!). Also, it’s been hard for me to scale back mentally. I have to keep reminding myself that there are only 8 people eating lunch today (I may have made 5 pounds of sloppy joes any way…). Apparently my I can cook for 2, 20 or 40 but not 8 or 15.
Being a normal, red-blooded girl, I relish compliments. Sure, I should be humble and say, “Aww… you’re too kind! You shouldn’t say that…” but let’s be honest. We all love compliments; we revel in them. Today I got a lovely compliment from one of the guys. He informed me that he hated sloppy joes, but he loves mine, and that he would only eat mine. Ok, so sloppy joes aren’t exactly a culinary masterpiece, but it’s always nice to hear that someone loves your cooking and that you have even converted them to a dish they previously avowed to hate. So, without further ado, here is my super fantastic sloppy joe recipe:
Kristen’s Sloppy Joes
Serves 8-10 frat boys, probably 16 normal people
5 lbs Lean Ground Beef
2 cups Spaghetti Sauce (I like Ragu traditional because it doesn’t have chunks)
2 packets Sloppy Joe mix*
½ cup- 1 cup Ketchup (depends on how saucy you like your joes)
3 tbs Mustard
3 tbs Horseradish (not the creamy style, the “prepared” style that’s in the refrigerated section)
Brown and drain the ground beef. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Cook over medium until bubbly and heated through, about 2-4 minutes. Serve with pickles on hamburger buns. (Or, you can be like one of the guys and pour the meat over tater tots and top with shredded cheddar cheese for .. Sloppy Tots? Hmm… must think of a better name, that just sounds disgusting)
*Note: If you can’t find sloppy joe mix packets (and they can be hard to find) you can always substitute a mix of garlic salt, onion powder, chili powder, black pepper and just a little flour. I don’t have any measurements for how much, but I’ve used those spices in lieu of the packets and it turns out just fine.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Ham I Am
Thursday Menu: Lunch: Pesto Chicken Sandwiches and Chips
Dinner: Glazed Baked Ham, Green Bean Casserole, Dinner Rolls and Apple and Onion Stuffing
So, when I left last night there were 3 cans of decorating icing (the kind that you attach the tip and squirt) and 2 tubes of glitter gel. He hehe, yes I put glitter gel on the boys’ cookies. Anyway, this morning when I came in, the cans of icing were all but gone. Apparently they decided there wasn’t enough icing on the cookies and had an after dinner art project.
Today was a relatively easy day. Honestly, I don’t know what all the fuss is about cooking over the holidays. People stress out so much about cooking for 12 people… Ha! By now, I could do that in my sleep. I’m not saying that I don’t sometimes stress out about getting stuff done, but that’s generally either because something is out of whack (cough cough… the grill cough cough) or because the guys have changed something last minute (remember the time when they let me know on a Monday that there would be 40 guys instead of the usual 20-some?) or because someone has eaten the food I need to prepare the meal. But, on a normal day like today, it doesn’t really seem like anything more strenuous than putting out a dinner for me and my husband. Perhaps even less stressful because I really don’t care when the guys complain about not liking onions. I don’t know, maybe it’s the impeding invasion of family that stresses people out, maybe I’m just weird and like cooking enough for an army. If you’re going to make a ham, how much harder is it to make 3 than 1? And then I can be nice and share the extra ham bones with family. Yes, I am going to steal the ham bones. But hey, what are a bunch of frat boys going to do with ham bones? Ok, other than throw them in the burn barrel and light them on fire when they get drunk. It’s isn’t like any of them know a good recipe for ham and bean soup ooo or lentil soup! I think that’s what I’m going to make with my ham bone; I’m going to make some lentil soup!
I have noticed a few changes in how I cook since I started cooking for the frat. For one, I feel weird cutting stuff up or touching raw meat when I’m not wearing gloves. I’ve seriously considered buying some gloves for home, but then I realized I was being crazy. I also noticed that I’ve had difficulty scaling back when I get home. It feels wrong to make something for 2. I want to dump a handful of herbs into the pot instead of just sprinkle a little in. Luckily, I haven’t really tired of cooking yet. Sometimes I feel too tired to cook when I get home, but that’s more the never-ending, stress-inducing 1-1 ½ hour commute I have each way. I would give anything to live in our old house back in the Brookwood area… Except the one we’re living in now is bigger and almost a third less in rent. But that’s a different story.
Chicken Pesto Sandwiches
Serves 18
6 ½ - 7 pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
4 tbs Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 ½ cup Prepared Pesto
Cut the chicken breast into small, bite size pieces. Season chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil over in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté until cooked through. Drain any excess liquid. Add pesto to hot chicken. Serve with Provolone, lettuce and tomato slices on either toasted Italian bread or a large sandwich croissant.
Ham Glaze
For 1 8-10 pound ham
10 cups packed Brown Sugar
2 1/2 cups Orange Juice
2 tbs Molasses
2 2/3 tbs Ground Mustard Seed
Mix ingredients together. Remove ham 30 minutes before it’s done. If not a spiral sliced ham, cut diamonds into the surface of the ham, being careful to not cut into the meat. Cover with glaze. Return to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Dinner: Glazed Baked Ham, Green Bean Casserole, Dinner Rolls and Apple and Onion Stuffing
So, when I left last night there were 3 cans of decorating icing (the kind that you attach the tip and squirt) and 2 tubes of glitter gel. He hehe, yes I put glitter gel on the boys’ cookies. Anyway, this morning when I came in, the cans of icing were all but gone. Apparently they decided there wasn’t enough icing on the cookies and had an after dinner art project.
Today was a relatively easy day. Honestly, I don’t know what all the fuss is about cooking over the holidays. People stress out so much about cooking for 12 people… Ha! By now, I could do that in my sleep. I’m not saying that I don’t sometimes stress out about getting stuff done, but that’s generally either because something is out of whack (cough cough… the grill cough cough) or because the guys have changed something last minute (remember the time when they let me know on a Monday that there would be 40 guys instead of the usual 20-some?) or because someone has eaten the food I need to prepare the meal. But, on a normal day like today, it doesn’t really seem like anything more strenuous than putting out a dinner for me and my husband. Perhaps even less stressful because I really don’t care when the guys complain about not liking onions. I don’t know, maybe it’s the impeding invasion of family that stresses people out, maybe I’m just weird and like cooking enough for an army. If you’re going to make a ham, how much harder is it to make 3 than 1? And then I can be nice and share the extra ham bones with family. Yes, I am going to steal the ham bones. But hey, what are a bunch of frat boys going to do with ham bones? Ok, other than throw them in the burn barrel and light them on fire when they get drunk. It’s isn’t like any of them know a good recipe for ham and bean soup ooo or lentil soup! I think that’s what I’m going to make with my ham bone; I’m going to make some lentil soup!
I have noticed a few changes in how I cook since I started cooking for the frat. For one, I feel weird cutting stuff up or touching raw meat when I’m not wearing gloves. I’ve seriously considered buying some gloves for home, but then I realized I was being crazy. I also noticed that I’ve had difficulty scaling back when I get home. It feels wrong to make something for 2. I want to dump a handful of herbs into the pot instead of just sprinkle a little in. Luckily, I haven’t really tired of cooking yet. Sometimes I feel too tired to cook when I get home, but that’s more the never-ending, stress-inducing 1-1 ½ hour commute I have each way. I would give anything to live in our old house back in the Brookwood area… Except the one we’re living in now is bigger and almost a third less in rent. But that’s a different story.
Chicken Pesto Sandwiches
Serves 18
6 ½ - 7 pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
4 tbs Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 ½ cup Prepared Pesto
Cut the chicken breast into small, bite size pieces. Season chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil over in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté until cooked through. Drain any excess liquid. Add pesto to hot chicken. Serve with Provolone, lettuce and tomato slices on either toasted Italian bread or a large sandwich croissant.
Ham Glaze
For 1 8-10 pound ham
10 cups packed Brown Sugar
2 1/2 cups Orange Juice
2 tbs Molasses
2 2/3 tbs Ground Mustard Seed
Mix ingredients together. Remove ham 30 minutes before it’s done. If not a spiral sliced ham, cut diamonds into the surface of the ham, being careful to not cut into the meat. Cover with glaze. Return to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
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