I'm still alive!

And cooking!

In an effort to cut down our grocery bill (which was ridiculous for 2 people) I haven't been making as many new meals. We have been sticking to the few usuals that I always have the ingredients on hand to make. When I got to do our monthly Costco trip, I'll get a few things and maybe try a few new recipes. I do have a couple that I have done, but haven't posted yet. If you read my other blog, you'll see that we have been pretty busy and I haven't had much time to update!

Hopefully one of these days I'll get them up!

Chicken Parmigana

Not the greatest picture, I know. But it's what I have!

This is one of the first meals I ever made for J. I think this is the meal that made him fall in love with me! From this point on, he knew he would always be well fed!

SAUCE:

I always say- The one good thing that my Ex mother-in-law taught me is how to make a damn good pot of sauce! She is very Italian and is a fabulous cook. That is the one thing she had going for her. Making an awesome sauce is actually simple.

INGRDEDIENTS:

-2 cans of tomato sauce

- 1 can of water (Rule of thumb is 1/2 can of water, for every can of tomato sauce. So if you're using more than 2 cans, just use this rule to figure out water.)

- Oregano

- Basil

- Garlic

- Onion powder

- Pinch of sugar

DIRECTIONS:

- In a sauce pot, pour in just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Anymore and you'll have icky extra grease floating on the top of your sauce.

- Sprinkle some garlic powder in pot (Or put in cloves if you're using those); put on medium heat and let it get hot just unti you start to smell the garlic. Any longer, and the garlic may burn

- Add in 2 cans of tomato sauce, 1 can of water, and all your seasoning. (Make sure to use A LOT! The more seasoning, the BETTER!)

- Bring sauce to a boil; add in JUST a small pinch of sugar (it cuts acidity)

- Cover and turn down to a low heat; let simmer for about 2-3 hours, stirring occassionally.

CHICKEN:

INGREDIENTS:

- Boneless, skiness chicken breasts

- 2 eggs, beaten

- Italian bread crumbs

- Mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

- Wash and butterfly your chicken.

- In a large skillet, on medium heat, heat up some oil

- Dip cutlets into egg, then into breadcrumbs

- Fry in skillet until golden on both sides

- Set chicken on paper towel to drain grease.

- in a 13x9 inch baking pan, spoon some of your sauce to coat bottom of pan

- place chicken in baking pan, top with more sauce and mozz. cheese.

- Bake in oven at 300 degrees just unti cheese is melted.

I usually serve this meal with homemade garlic bread, a side salad, or Mashed potatos and green beans!

Delicious crabcakes and tartar sauce

I have lived in Maryland for almost 10 years now, and I have NEVER once had a crabcake. So tonight, I thought I would make them. Now, I used immitation crab instead of the real stuff, because I'm on a budget. But IMO, and in J's...It's just as good, if not better then the real stuff!

INGREDIENTS:

- 24 oz Immitation crabmeat

- 10-12 crushed ritz crackers

- 1 egg, beaten

- 3 tbs. Mayonnaise

- black pepper

- parsley flakes

DIRECTIONS:

- In a large bowl, combine crabmeat, egg, crackers, and seasoning; stir in mayo

- Moisten hands with cold water, and mix thoroughly.

- Heat up just enough oil in a large skillet to cover crabcakes

- Form mixture into 3 inch patties and place in skillet; cook until golden on both sides.

- place on paper towel to drain extra grease

TARTAR SAUCE:

This is so simple and easy!! I didnt really use measurements for this so you'll just have to eyeball it.

- In a small bowl, put in a good bit of mayo

- Add some ketchup until it's a lightish salmon pink color

- Add in some relish, or do what I did and if you don't have any on hand, pour in a TINY bit of pickle juice, and cut up 1 pickle into little chunks and add.

- mix it all together and VOILA! delicious, simple. homemade tartar sauce!

I served my crabcakes on a potato roll, with chips on the side. A yummy, quick meal!!!!

Carribean Chicken Salad

This is a yummy, refreshing, and different kind of salad.


INGREDIENTS:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Jamaican Jerk, or Creole seasoning (I used Creole because I couldn't find the other)
- 1/2 cup honey mustard dressing
- 1 tsp. zest of lime
- lettuce or bad of mixed greens
- 2 Mangos, peeled, cored, and sliced
- baby carrots
- your shredded cheese of choice
- Any other veggies you may wish to add


DIRECTIONS:

- In a medium bowl, stir together dressing and lime. Cover and refrigerate to chill
- In a medium skillet, heat up just enough oil to lightly coat entire pan.
- Wash chicken, and season generously with your seasoning
- Cook chicken in skillet until it's golden brown, and not pink in the center; let cool on plate with a paper towel over it to drain the grease.
- In a salad bowl, add your lettuce, veggies, and cheese
- Top with chicken and mango
- Put on dressing, and toss until everything is coated; Serve and enjoy!

Creamy Chicken Divan!

This was SO SCRUMPTIOUS!!! My mom used to make this for me when I was little, and this recipie is just amazing!! It has become one of our "go to meals" So simple, and SO delicious!


INGRIDIENTS:

10 oz pck frozen broccoli spears, cooked & drained
1 C. cooked chicken, sliced
1 10 3/4 oz. can Cream of Chicken soup
Curry powder (to taste)
1/3 C. Mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Shredded sharp chedder cheese (Use as much or as little as you like!)
Break crump and butter mixture. Enough to generously cover top.


PREP:

Arrange cooked broccoli in a lightly greased 8x8 baking pan
place sliced chicken over top
Combine soup, curry, lemon, and mayo; Pour over chicken
Sprinkle top with cheese
Combine bread crumbs and butter; sprinkle over top
bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes
ENJOY!!!

Baked Pineapple Pork-chops

Boy was this yummy!!! A nice blend of savory and sweet!

INGRIDIENTS:

8 oz can of sliced pineapple

2 tbs soy sauce

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp garlic powder

4 pork chops

Italian flavored bread crumbs

2 tbs paprika

PREP:

Combine 4 tbs pineapple juice, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic in small bowl.

Dip chops, coating both sides; lay in baking dish and pour leftover marinade all over chops.

Cover and refridgerate for 4 hours

Gently toss bread crumbs and paprika together.

Coat chops on both sides, and lay back in baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes; Turn over, place 1-2 pineapple slices on top and bake for an additional 25.

Serve with scalloped potatoes and biscuits!!

Peanut Butter Blossoms

These are one of my absolute favorite cookies! So yummy and takes care of the "sweet tooth" craving EVERY time!

INGRIDIENTS:

- 1/2 cup butter shortning

- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1 large egg

- 2 tbs milk

- 1 tsp vanilla (immitation vanilla is a cheaper alternative!)

- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- extra sugar

- Bag of Hershey's Kisses

PREP:

Pre-hear oven to 375 degrees

Cream together shortning, peanut butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup sugar

Add egg, milks, and vanilla. Beat well

in seperate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to mixture. Beat until stiff dough forms.

Shape into 1 inch balls, roll in extra sugar. place apprx. 2 inches apart pn ungreased cookie sheet

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown

Removie and IMMEDIATLEY top with kisses, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around edges. Let cool!

You will absolutely LOVE these little KISSES from heaven!!

Jalapeno Chili

INGRIDIENTS:

- 1 crock-pot (You can make on stove, just make sure it's on a low heat to simmer all day)

- 2 cans pinto beans

- 2 cans of chili beans

- 1 large cans of diced tomatoes

- 3 lbs ground beef

- 1 large green pepper, chopped

- 2 onions, chopped

- 4 garlic cloves, minced...Or you can sub in garlic powder

- 4-5 tbs. chili powder (or to taste)

- 2 tsp cumin

- 2 tsp salt

- 5 jalapenos, chopped

- some jalapeno juice (to taste)

- Velveeta

PREP:

In large skillet, brown up ground beef and drain grease.

Add your beans, tomatoes, onion, pepper, jalapeno and spices to crock pot.

Add in ground beef and add in juice.

For a cheesy chili, add in about 1/3 of a block of velveeta

If on low, cover and let cook for 10-12 hours. High, 6-8.

Top with a dollop of sour cream, and cheddar cheese. Serve with bread, or crackers!

Cheesy Baked Ziti

Mmmmmm! A hearty, itialian dish. It's a great meal for when you just don't feel like cooking again for the rest of the week, and you can resort to eating the leftovers! Also great for big parties, and receptions!

INGRIDIENTS:

- 1 lb Ziti pasta (use whole wheat ziti for a healthier version)

- 1 lb. Sweet Italian sausage

- 1 lb ground beef. (you can also cook up some chicken and use that)

-2 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes

- 1 cup beef broth

- Italian seasoning and garlic (to taste....The more spices, the better!!!)

- Shredded chedder cheese (as much or as little as you like! I personally LOVE cheese)

PREP:

Brown up sausage and ground beed in a large sauce pot.....Drain leftover grease.

Add in crushed tomatoes and beef broth; Stir in seasoning

Heat until boiling; reduce heat and let simmer

In another pot, boil salted water (Make sure to add a good bit of salt...it's the only change you actually have the season the pasta itself!); Add pasta and cook until done.

Spoon some of your meat sauce into bottom of roasting pan

Add enough pasta to cover bottom of pan; Add another layer of meat sauce, top with cheese. Repeat with however many layers neccessary.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes or until cheese is browned and bubbly!

Voila! There you have a delicious classic italian dish! Serve with garlic bread and a side salad!

What's cookin?

Well, I did it. I finally decided to start a cooking blog!

I never thought I would be the type of person who loved to cook. Or be any good at it. I HATED helping my mom make dinner when I was a kid. And anytime she tried to teach me something, I would get bored and go back to watching tv.

Fast forward to when I was living with my (ex)boyfriend in Florida. I cooked every once in a while, but we were living with his monster of a mother, and I worked late hours. So she usually cooked and everything was always done by the time I got home.

Then, my whole life changed on September 26th 2009. After a nasty break-up, moving into my own house, and meeting my now boyfriend (going on 1 year together! See my other blog to learn more about us!) I really started to get into the domestic role. I had my OWN kitchen that I could cook in anytime I wanted to. I really wanted to impress J, so I decided to cook him dinner one night. I made Riagtoni with homemade cheese sauce. He, my roomate Amanda, and our other friend Chris, all dug in and couldn't get enough! It was actually good!

11 months later, and I've gone from making a simple pasta dish, to cooking meals almost every night for J and I!

I'm also addicted to Facebook. So I update it....A lot. Probably more then the average person. So whenever I make a meal, I usually update about it. Well, a lot of people started commenting, asking for recipies, and how I do certain things. So, I decided, why not start a blog??? I can archive all my recipies and pictures of the meals I make. Sort of like a modern day recipie box, or cookbook.

So from time to time, I'll update this little thing with new meals, and exactly how to prepare it! Hope you enjoy!