Archive for March, 2010

Bringing back the basics

March 31, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , ,

Since my past few posts have been about dishes I don’t make on a regular basis, I’m reverting to a meal we make a lot in my apartment: balsamic chicken breast over salad.  It’s nothing too fancy, and it calls for ingredients you can use in a lot of things.  Experienced chefs can skip right over this post, but for those college students looking for an easy solution for a healthy meal to rely on, check out the recipe below.  You can vary the type of chicken you make (try different marinades every now and then, or different salad dressings).  And if you have a grill, I definitely recommend using it instead of cooking the chicken in the pan like we do.  But if not, you still get a great taste, and it cooks pretty fast.

You’ll need:

  • Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (one per person)
  • Balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  I like Ken’s Steak House Creamy Balsamic, it’s thick and very flavorful.
  • Bag of lettuce of choice.  We use a spring mix.
  • One tomato, chopped
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • Mozzarella, cut into small blocks (use as much or as little as you’d like- we LOVE mozzarella so we use about 1/3 of the block we bought)
  • Croutons.  I recommend Chatham Village in caesar 
  • Olive oil for the pan
  • Black pepper
  • Dried oregano
  • Crushed red pepper
  • Garlic powder

Directions:

To prepare the chicken:

  1. Make sure you defrost the chicken before cooking it if it’s been in the freezer.  This will help it cook faster and prevent burning.  After it’s defrosted, wash the chicken and cut off and fatty edges.
  2. Place one breast at a time in a small bowl, sprinkle all the spices listed above and rub them into the chicken.  Then lather the chicken in the balsamic dressing (make sure you have dressing and spices on both sides).  Repeat to each chicken breast.
  3. Drizzle olive oil in a large saucepan and turn the heat on medium-high.  Once the pan has heated up, place all pieces of chicken in the pan and let them cook thoroughly (about 10 minutes), flipping them regularly and adding a little more of the dressing/spice mixture from the small bowl occasionally until it’s gone.
  4. While the chicken is cooking, start chopping the (rinsed) vegetables and cheese
  5. I have a salad spinner that I love using for cleaning lettuce.  But if you don’t have one (most college students probably don’t).  Rinse the lettuce using a strainer and then dry use a paper towel if you have to dry it.
  6. Don’t forget to be checking the chicken periodically!
  7. Add the vegetables and cheese to the lettuce and sprinkle dried oregano over the salad, then mix everything together using tongs.  Sprinkle croutons on top of the salad.
  8. When the chicken is done, take it off the heat and transfer to a cutting board before cutting it into thin slices (see picture).
  9. Either add the chicken into the whole salad bowl, or let people take slices off the cutting board and put it on their individual salads.
  10. If you want you can drizzle your favorite dressing (or homemade dressing if you have the time/ingredients) over the salad and mix it in.  Or simply place out whatever dressings you have stored in you fridge and let people choose what they’d like.  Some of my favorite dressing recipes can be found at the Food Network’s index.  Some suggested store-bought dressings besides Ken’s Creamy Balsamic are Kraft Fat-free Zesty Italian, and Newman’s Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette.  

Here’s a picture guide:

Cook the chicken thoroughly after rinsing, flipping it frequently while adding spices and dressing:

Rinse the lettuce using a salad spinner or a strainer:

Chop the vegetables and cheese and add them to the salad:

Take the chicken off the heat and slice it on a cutting board:

Add the chicken to the salad, or leave the slices on the cutting board letting people add chicken over their own salad:

And that’s all!  It’s pretty flexible, and you can add whatever ingredients you want or cook the chicken however you want.  Have fun with it!  It’s a very nutritious meal, and it’s something that college students can make on a regular basis without breaking the bank.

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Tackling hummus: a store-bought staple

March 30, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , ,

Hummus is one of those foods I repeatedly buy from the grocery store because it seems like a pre-packaged item I wouldn’t even consider trying to make.  One of the great things about writing this blog is that I’ve been attempting recipes that I would otherwise write off as scary and complicated; and news flash, the recipe (from SimplyRecipes.com) for hummus is the exact opposite.  It’s actually really simple and pretty quick.  On the down side, you’ll probably have to go out and purchase more of the ingredients (find me a college student who regularly stocks their shelves with tahini).  But it’s a great (very healthy) snack so if you ask me, the positives outweigh the negs.  I’m pretty sure this is a first on this blog, but I’m actually admitting defeat here.  The recipe came out okay.  The texture works, and I used all the right ingredients, but something about the taste was a little bit off and I’m not sure why.  If any readers out there are experienced in making hummus, please take a look at my recipe and directions and let me know what you think.  Possible problems I’m considering are not stirring the tahini enough before using it, or too much garlic.  It came out decent, but it could definitely use improvement, but that’s what cooking is all about: experimenting with new things and figuring out where things went wrong so the next time I make it, it’ll be 10 times better. :)

With hopes that I didn’t scare you out of giving this recipe a try, you’ll need:

  • 4 cloves of garlic, mashed then cut into tiny pieces
  • 30 oz garbanzo beans(chickpeas)
  • 2/3 cup tahini (sesame paste), you can usually find it wherever the peanut butter is or in a Middle Eastern food store. You can also make it if you’re feeling daring.
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Dash of black pepper (optional)
  • Dash of crushed red pepper (optional)
  • Blender/food processor

Directions:

  1. Mash the garlic cloves and cut them up into tiny pieces.
  2. Cut and squeeze the lemons into a measuring cup until you get 1/3 cup of juice.  This is probably the most time-consuming step.
  3. Combine the garlic, beans, tahini, water, olive oil and lemon juice in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  This part sounds pretty easy, but it actually took me awhile to blend the chickpeas and then everything else together, plus it’s a pain to clean the blender afterward.  If you have a food processor, I would suggest using it; however, in my humble kitchen I was stuck with a blender and it got a little tricky.
  4. Transfer the processed mixture into a medium-sized bowl and give it a stir.  Then add the salt, and dash of black pepper ad crushed red pepper if you’d like it on the spicy side.  If you have any parsley around, garnish the humus with a sprinkle or two.
  5. Serve with pita chips (I recommend Stacy’s simply naked- Grand Union only had multigrain and parmesan garlic & herb), pita bread, pretzels, or toasted chunks of french bread

Like I said above, please please please don’t hesitate to let me know what you would have done differently.  I’d love to get your thoughts and give my hummus recipe a second try!

Here’s a visual guide:

Mash the garlic then squeeze the fresh lemon juice before adding the other ingredients:

Process everything together until smooth:

Transfer the mixture into a bowl and add the salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper:

Serve with your item of choice (mine being pita chips):

Here are some other hummus recipe to try your hand at:

Another easy recipe from About.com’s Middle Eastern food section.  This site also has links to videos about making hummus and making pita bread!

Ina Garten of the Food Network shares her hummus recipe

A hummus recipe from Epicurious.com, featuring additional recipes with chickpeas

Here’s a good video from Good Housekeeping about making hummus:

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Meet the world’s easiest cookies

March 26, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , ,

After a meal you spend a little extra money on and a little extra time preparing like my last post, it’s nice to follow up with an easy dessert.  In my continuous search for quick and easy recipes, I have scanned site after site looking for tasty desserts.  There are a LOT of cookie recipes out there, so wading through them is not always a simple task.  My professor recently suggested I check out CopyKat.com, a site developed by Stephanie Manley, that replicates great recipes from restaurants that you may otherwise not attempt at home.  It’s a fantastic site, and it’s where I stumbled upon this easy peanut butter cookie recipe.  There are only three (yes you read correctly, three!) ingredients involved, and the execution is just as painless.  One of my roommates is a sucker for anything peanut butter, so she was a happy girl when she came home late from the library the other night to these.  Even better, they took me about 15 minutes, and I already had everything I needed to make them (no budget cooking trumps all).

You’ll need:

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, add all three ingredients and stir thoroughly.  If you have an electric mixer definitely use it.  If not, a large spoon will work, you’ll just have to work extra hard to stir the peanut butter and sugar together (make sure they’re actually mixed, and that the peanut butter isn’t just coated with sugar).
  3. Roll the mixture into one-inch smooth balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  4. If you’d like, make half of the mixture plain peanut butter and the other half with hershey kisses.  Here’s the only tricky part: for the just plain peanut butter cookies, take a fork and gently smash the ball in, overlapping the fork marks so you make a number (#) sign on the cookie.  See the picture for a visual.
  5. For the cookies you want a hershey kiss on, leave them as is and you’re going to put the kiss on when they come out of the oven.
  6. Put cookies in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, or until they’re lightly golden (They’ll harden after they come out, don’t worry if they don’t look quite done just as they come out).
  7. When they come out, lightly place hershey kisses in the center of the cookies you want them on (see picture).  Don’t press down too hard, otherwise you’ll break the cookie.
  8. Let all the cookies cool before serving (or eating).

A little forewarning: these go QUICK.  Grab some before they’re gone!

Here’s a step-by-step:

Mix together all the ingredients:

Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet:

Make # sign indents on the cookies you want to be just plain peanut butter and leave the rest as it:

When they come out of the oven, let them cool then gently place the Hershey kiss in the center:

Let them cool, then serve:

Looking for other easy desserts?  Check out these sites:

Easy-cookies.com, the name says it all

Another all-in-the-name, EasyCookies.org

The easy cookie collection from Cooks.Com

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Spring is sprung! (At least on my calendar)

March 25, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , ,

Storrs, CT, is dying for spring.  Girls are wearing sandals every chance they get and guys are sporting shorts, declaring it’s not too chilly to bear some leg.  In hopes of flowers and a few rays of sun, I brought spring into my kitchen last night with my favorite fruit: the  strawberry.  Inspired by a blog post I read by Connecticut food writer, Leeanne Griffin, I went with a spring salad.  My dish was a bit different: it features another favorite in this apartment, tortellini.  The combination of the two ingredients may sound a bit unconventional, but trust me, they work really well together, and it’s a versatile dish.  We had it for dinner last night, but it’s great for lunch too.  The best part about it is the honey  poppy seed dressing, a recipe I made up using a bunch of different ingredients, and you can store for later use on a regular green salad or over fruit.  This recipe is really quick and easy once you get all the ingredients together.  Hello, spring!

You’ll need:

  • One package of tortellini pasta (usually found cooled at the store)
  • Strawberries, about 5 of them
  • Scallions, chopped small
  • Half of a lemon

For the Honey poppy seed dressing:

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tbsp. poppy seeds
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • dash of cayenne pepper
  • dash of black pepper
  • If you have some lying around, or want to spend the cash, add some sliced almonds to the list.  I left them out this time, but they do add a nice touch.

If you don’t have all these ingredients, and don’t want to spend the money or time making the dressing (if you get the chance to sometime, TRY IT!), then all you have to do is eliminate everything except the oil (use olive oil instead though), and the sugar and poppy seeds.  Don’t worry, poppy seeds aren’t too expensive if you buy them in a little can on sale.  I think I spent about $1 at Big Y on a tiny little can.

Directions:

  1. Prepare the tortellini as directed on the package.  Keep an eye on them, they usually cook pretty fast.
  2. While those are cooking, take the time to chop the strawberries and scallions.  Remember to cut both ingredients into small pieces.
  3. Prepare the poppy seed dressing.  Add all the ingredients listed above together and stir throughly with a fork or whisk (make sure that honey thins out).  Stick the dressing in the fridge until everything else is ready.
  4. Once the tortellini are done, strain them and put them into another bowl.  Make sure not to use a spoon with claws or tongs of any sort when moving them, they’re fragile.  Put the bowl of tortellini into the fridge for a while and let them cool (this salad is best served cold).
  5. Once you’ve waited for the tortellini to cool completely, toss in the strawberries and scallions (and almonds) and squeeze the fresh lemon over the bowl.  Then drizzle the dressing over the salad and mix everything together, but do NOT over mix.  This is one thing I learned the hard way.  The strawberries easily get spread out and mushy, and the pasta turns completely pink instead of maintaining that nice white contrast.  If it helps, stir everything together and then put the strawberries in and stir a little bit more.  

And that’s all you need to do for your spring-time salad fix!  Remember to use the dressing over regular greens for a tasty side dish if you have leftovers.  This salad would also work well served with grilled chicken (are you getting the barbecue by the lake image too?).  

Poppy seed problem?  I know I haven’t used poppy seeds in any of my previous recipes, so here’s a tip on what to do with those leftover seeds: lemon poppy seed muffins! A delicious quick fix!  All you have to do is buy a box of lemon cake mix, add 2 tbsp. of poppy seeds and bake the cake as directed in muffin tins.  A perfect breakfast solution for the rest of the spring semester! 

Here’s a visual guide for the salad:

Cook the tortellini:

Chop up the strawberries and scallions:

Prepare the dressing using all the listed ingredients:

Strain the tortellini and toss everything together:

Check out these other spring time salad recipes:

A springtime tossed salad from TasteofHome.com

A bunch of different spring salads to try from MommyTips.com

Had to get my Food Network fix: A spring goddess salad from Sunny Anderson

For different twists on the poppy seed dressing recipe, browse through CDKitchen.com’s collection, there are a TON!

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The weekend recovery begins: Monday breakfast

March 22, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , ,

You had the hangover breakfast yesterday (bacon egg and cheese sandwich, chocolate milk, the works) and now it’s time to detox from all the weekend’s not-so-healthy consumption of beer and 2 a.m. pizza.  Detoxing for me includes good food (fruits, veggies and protein), a tough workout, then bed early.  The best way to start detox day is a nutritious breakfast, and here’s my favorite fix: a yogurt and fruit parfait.  This recipe is very flexible; plus it works for breakfast, a snack, or even a healthy dessert.  It’s low budget and extremely easy, so check out the recipe below and start detoxing!

You’ll need:

  • Yogurt: I buy them by the small containers at the grocery store for a variety, and they’re really cheap (Around $0.50!) My favorite brand is Yoplait low-fat thick and creamy, or the Yoplait Whips work good too.  They have a ton of different flavors, and my favorite for this parfait is french vanilla.  You can also buy large tubs of yogurt, too.
  • Fruit: I used strawberries today (4 of them), but in the summer blueberries and raspberries are good options.  Blackberries and bananas are also great choices.  Feel free to use multiple fruits too!
  • Granola: I buy boxes of granola bars (around $2 for a box of 8; any flavor with oats and honey works best) then cut them up since it’s a quick alternative to making my own.  But if you want to try making your own, check out this recipe from The Food Network’s Alton Brown.  Just be careful not to burn it!
  • Cinnamon powder (you’ll only need a few sprinkles if it, so it may not be worth buying if you don’t already have it)

Directions:

  1. Chop up the fruit you’re using if it has to be chopped (strawberries, bananas) into very small pieces: see the picture below.
  2. Cut the granola bar into small pieces.  It’s a little tough to cut, since the bars are usually sticky.
  3. In a glass cup (seeing the layers through the side looks pretty :) plus it helps in measuring), add the first layer of yogurt.  Each layer of yogurt should be about 3/4 of an inch, but it’s not really that important how tall the layers are, just as long as you use all of the ingredients and the layer are somewhat even.
  4. On top of the yogurt, add the fruit: this layer will be shorter than the yogurt since you probably have less of it; it should around 1/2 inch.
  5. On top of the fruit, add the chopped granola.  You don’t need to cover all the fruit with the granola, too much is overpowering.
  6. Sprinkle cinnamon powder over all three layers; again, not too much.  When you’re eating the parfait, you’ll want to stir the layers around so the cinnamon gets spread out.
  7. Repeat steps 3-6 until you’re out of ingredients and the glass is full.  I usually use a medium size glass (see the picture) for a personal serving.  But if you’re really hungry or serving people for a full breakfast, feel free to use a taller glass.
  8. For a special touch (when serving others), add a fresh mint leaf for decoration on top.

Your ingredients:

Chop the fruit into small pieces:

The layers should be even, but don’t be too concerned about making them perfect.  You’re going to stir it up when eating it anyway:

And there you have your Monday detox breakfast (or breakfast any day for that matter).  Almost too easy, right?  Enjoy!

The parfait recipe is pretty standard, but here are some other good ones to test:

A yummy twist: raspberry chocolate parfait from the Food Network’s Warren Brown

A parfait collection from CooksRecipes.com: check out the cool decorations and different types of fruits

Don’t have time to prepare it? Try these parfaits to go, Daily Delights from Yoplait

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La Fheile Padraig!

March 17, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized

There’s your Gaelic lesson for the day, Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!  In celebration of my favorite holiday, a post was necessary.  And since I won’t be up for any corned beef and cabbage later this evening, I figured I stick with a simple and fun recipe today.  Plus, I realized I haven’t touched on the desert scene yet, so today we’re making St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes!  Now I know we don’t all have time or the ingredients to make cupcakes from scratch, thus I’m granting you permission to go the Duncan Hines route and box it.  However, if you’re feeling daring or you’ve got some time on your hands today, try your hand at the homemade method.  I went with the classic yellow cupcakes and vanilla frosting (I’ll admit it, the frosting is canned).

You’ll need:

  • 1 1/2 cup of flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
  • About 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • Can of vanilla frosting (lighter color works best for decorating), or try making your own frosting
  • Muffin tins (2)
  • Cupcake liners
  • Decorations(get creative!)
  • Green food coloring or gel decorators
  • Green sprinkles

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and line the muffin tins with liners
  2. Whisk (if you have a whisker) the flour, baking powder and salt together in one bowl
  3. In another bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together with an electronic mixer.  Most of you probably don’t have an electric mixer at school (a spoon will work as long as you make sure it’s completely smooth).  If you have an electric mixer, beat for about 2 minutes, while gradually pouring in the butter, then the vanilla.
  4. Add half of the dry ingredients from the other bowl in slowly while mixing, then add the milk, then add the other half of the dry ingredients (I know, tricky: just make sure you go slow and you’ll be fine!)
  5. Don’t over-mix the batter, you don’t want it to be runny.  Once you’ve mixed in all the ingredients thoroughly that should be enough time.
  6. Carefully pour the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin (about 1-2 thirds of the way full for each).
  7. Throw the tins in the oven for about 20-23 minutes, or until the tops are light golden brown.
  8. Refer to the classic toothpick test to make sure they’re done: stick a toothpick in the center of one cupcake and if it comes out clean, they’re done.  If not, stick them back in the oven for two minutes or so.
  9. Let the cupcakes cool sufficiently (about 10 minutes) before frosting them.
  10. Now here’s the fun part.  You can frost the cupcakes anyway you like, but the best method is to use vanilla (or cream cheese) frosting, since you’ll be able to see the decorations.
  11. Unfortunately Grand Union didn’t offer a wide selection of St. Patty’s cupcake decorations, but if you have the time to pick up better ones, go for it! All we found were green sprinkles and green decorating gel, but other large grocery stores or party stores would have a better selection.
  12. Frost the cupcakes evenly and smoothly, using a small spatula if you have one, otherwise a butter knife will work: just be careful, these guys are fragile.  Need some help with the frosting part? Check out this video from cookingguide.  Unfortunately, she uses a pastry bag, which I didn’t in my recipe… but if you want to go buy one feel free!
  14. Then it’s all about the decorating: we wrote “Happy St. Patty’s Day!” on ours (see picture).

Enjoy one for yourself fast before your roommates or friends follow the scent.  Slainte!

There are MILLIONS of cupcake recipes out there.  Here are some of the best:

Can’t have a cupcake post without it: The Food Network’s Cupcake Recipe Collection

Cupcake recipes from Duncan Hines

The “Cutest Cupcakes” from Parents.Com

Specifically St. Patrick’s Day:

Martha Stewart’s recipes

FamilyCorner.Com’s collection

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Who said leftovers had to be the worst part?

March 17, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , ,

I hate leftovers.  Hate, hate hate.  But when you’re living on a low budget and don’t have time to create a show-stopper every night, you occasionally do have to turn to them, and in this case, it’s actually a pretty great alternative.  Since i make the bruschetta recipe that I shared with you in my last post so often, I figured I’d follow up with a way to use the leftover bruschetta for lunch or dinner the next day.  It’s an easy open-faced chicken and bruschetta sandwich, and it’s almost as good as eating it fresh!

You’ll need:

  • The leftover bruschetta
  • If you have leftover french baguette (a decent sized chunk), then you’re all set; otherwise you might want to go buy some (it’s cheap!) or use another type of bread you have in your kitchen.
  • Shredded mozzarella or parmesan cheese (you probably have this leftover as well): about a tablespoon or two
  • Grilled chicken breast.  I usually have a lot of leftover chicken, which is why this recipe works out perfectly, but if you don’t you’ll need one boneless breast
  • Black pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • olive oil

Directions:

  1. If you don’t have leftover chicken that’s been prepared already, you’ll need to either grill or saute it in a pan, and using Italian or Balsamic dressing would be your best bet.
  2. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
  3. Slice the chunk of baguette in half and lightly coat each side with olive oil.
  4. Sprinkle garlic salt and black pepper over each piece.
  5. Layer on the shredded cheese, covering the entire surface of each piece, but don’t over-do it, otherwise the bread will take longer to crisp
  6. Place the two slices of bread on a baking sheet separately (see picture below) in the oven for about 15-17 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the edges are a crispy golden brown.
  7. When the bread is done, take it out and give it a minute to cool before adding the toppings.
  8. First layer on the bruschetta (you can add it to one side or both sides of the bread, depending on how hungry you are).
  9. Then add your sliced grilled chicken: thin slices work the best, since it’s already a pretty hefty sandwich. 
  10. If you’d like top it off with some black pepper or parsley, but not too much, since the bruschetta already has a lot of spices in it.


And that’s all!  If you already have all the leftovers, it’s a zero-cost meal.  Enjoying the sandwich with a salad makes for a healthy option: you’ve got your greens and protein covered.  Not too mention it’s delicious and will keep you full for the rest of the day.  Enjoy!

Here’s a picture step by step:

The short and sweet ingredients list:

Slice the baguette evenly:

Brush with olive oil and sprinkle black pepper and garlic salt, then add the shredded cheese:

Throw the bread in the oven at 375 for about 15-17 minutes:

When it’s out, give it a few minutes then add the bruschetta topping and grilled chicken (sorry this picture is blurry!)

Now you’re ready to serve, here’s the finished product:

Looking for some other recipes to incorporate leftovers into?  Check out these great resources:

TheLeftoverChef.com: just like it sounds, tons of great leftover recipes

A leftover recipes index from TerisKitchen.com

One of my favorite websites that shares recipes using leftovers to save time (perfect!)

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This one’s for Mom

March 10, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , ,

This is hands down the easiest recipe you’ll ever use.  It’s my Mom’s favorite, and every time I come home the first thing she does is tell me to make it (if she’s not home she’ll leave a note telling me to, because she wants it ready for when she gets home).  I turn to it for parties, dinners, snacks… you name it and I guarantee you, this one’s a winner.  It’s bruschetta that’s based off a recipe I got from an easy Italian recipe book made by Hunt’s, and it’s so simple but so delicious (the perfect combo if you ask me).  If you’re like me and your kitchen is always fully stocked with spices, then you’re good to go.  If not, you may have to grab a few things or skip a few steps.  It’s always beneficial to keep the basic spices around if you ask me, and if you’ve been reading most of my posts, you’ll notice they certainly won’t go to waste (I use basil, oregano and black pepper in anything I possibly can).  Without further delay, I give you my favorite recipe of all time:

You’ll need:

  • One 28 oz can of Petite Diced Tomatoes (the original kind works best), or smaller if you’re serving less people
  • Olive oil
  • Chopped garlic. The wet kind that comes in a jar works great for this recipe, but you can also use cloves
  • Dried garlic powder (yes you’ll need this kind in addition to the other kind)
  • Dried oregano
  • Dried basil
  • Dried crushed red pepper(only a dash or so)
  • Ground black pepper
  • A dash of salt to taste
  • French baguette: one loaf is sufficient for this recipe, but if you’re serving a lot more people you may want to double the recipe and buy two baguettes
  • Mozzarella or Parmesan: you won’t need more then a quarter of a bag or a single block if you’re grating

Directions:

  1. I like to start with the bread so I can prepare the bruschetta while the bread is in the oven.  Preheat your oven to 400 degree and slice up the baguette into relatively thin slices (maybe half an inch) and place them on a baking sheet.
  2. Next brush every piece with olive oil.  Then sprinkle garlic powder over every piece, as well as black pepper. 
  3. Then sprinkle every piece with shredded cheese (or if some of your friends or family don’t like cheese, only sprinkle half of the pieces).  Stick the baking sheet into the oven for about 13-15 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and crispy on the outside.
  4. Now you’re ready to start the bruschetta.  Drain the can of diced tomatoes, making sure all the extra juice is gone, and place them in a medium-sized bowl.
  5. Next add the olive oil.  I’m not a big fan of measuring things out when I cook, but my guess would be about a tablespoon and a half.  As long as it looks like the tomatoes are moist enough (without being soaked) in olive oil, you’re probably good.
  6. Then toss in about a tablespoon of the canned chopped garlic and stir everything together.
  7. After that throw in the dried spices: oregano, basil and a dash of crushed red pepper.  I would say use about two teaspoons of the basil and oregano, maybe more.  You want the mixture to look about two parts red and one part green once everything is stirred together.
  8. Add about a teaspoon of black pepper and sprinkle salt to taste.
  9. Stir everything thoroughly, but not too much since you don’t to come up with some sort of tomato sauce
  10. When your bread is done, let it sit for a few minutes, then arrange the pieces on a serving tray.
  11. Place a spoonful of the bruschetta on each piece of bread, making sure not to load too much on each piece so it’s not hard to pick up the bread and eat it.
  12. If you have some dried parsley powder around, it’s nice to sprinkle some on each piece of bread.  The green adds a pretty touch.

Here’s a visual guide:

Starting with the bread gives you time to make the bruschetta, so that the bread is done around the same time the mixture is done, and you’re ready to go faster.

Strain the tomatoes:


Next add all your spices:

Take out your bread and let it cool for a few minutes:

Place a spoonful of bruschetta on each piece of bread and you’re ready to serve:

And that’s all!  Easy enough, right?  It’s so fast, and everyone loves it (ask my friends and family, they’ll attest).  The best part is, if you have leftovers you can do almost anything with it: put it on chicken or steak, on top of salad, or just on it’s with wheat thins or pretzels.  Another Italian classic done easy and cheap… enjoy!

Here’s some other tasty bruschetta recipes to try:

A fresh bruschetta recipe from Giada de Laurentiis of the Food Network

An extensive guide to from Bruschettarecipe.org

About.Com\’s bruschetta page featuring a variety of ideas and recipes to try

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Craving Mexican? Behold, your sizzling solution

March 3, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , ,

It recently dawned on me that I haven’t strayed much from Italian food when choosing recipes to share.  Don’t get nervous, I can never get too far, it’s my favorite.  But to mix it up a little, my roommates and I went with my favorite Mexican meal… Fajitas!  It’s largely unknown, but there are actually a ton of varieties of fajitas to try.  Some restaurants (Chili’s, Chuck’s Margarita Grill), offer many different spins on the traditional by using Cajun or chipotle recipes, and I’m going to give you my personal twist on the classic, so you can make it at school or at home instead of going out.  It’s a barbecue chicken fajita, and you can use as many or as little of the ingredients you like to customize your dish!

You’ll need:

  • Boneless, skinless chicken breast: for three people we used 4 good-sized pieces
  • Barbecue sauce: pick your favorite, here’s mine
  • One pack of flour tortillas: the small fajita size (Perhaps more if you’re serving for more people)
  • Black pepper
  • cayenne pepper (Can’t have good fajitas without a little spice!)
  • oregano (dried works better here)
  • Cilantro leaves (fresh)
  • Shredded cheese (Mexican blend)
  • Scallions, chopped 
  • Red onions cut into small slices
  • Salsa
  • About half a head of garlic (3 or four cloves), chopped into very small pieces
  • One lime, cut in half
  • One sliced tomato (I prefer this recipe without, but of course prepare it as you like)

Directions:

  1. Wash and dry the chicken breasts (that have already been defrosted) and get rid of all the fatty edges if you see any
  2. Rub the chicken in barbecue sauce, covering every inch and then sprinkle with black pepper, oregano and a dash of cayenne pepper, and small pieces of garlic.  Do this to both sides of the chicken breasts
  3. Drizzle olive oil over a pan and throw them in over medium-high heat (If you have a grill, by all means use it.  Those of us away at school will make do).
  4. Let the chicken cook here for a while, occasionally adding more barbecue sauce to the pan and more oregano and garlic powder if you have some to make sure it doesn’t lose its flavor.
  5. While the chicken is cooking, wash and slice up all your vegetables.  Have your roommates or friends help you here too, so you can keep an eye on the chicken.  Slice up the red onion, scallions, tomato and cilantro leaves (slice the leaves off the stem).
  6. Put all of these toppings in small bowls separately (along with salsa and shredded cheese).  I find that making a buffet line works best with fajitas so people can add or skip toppings as they choose.
  7. When the chicken if fully cooked (always make sure you cut through with a knife to make sure it’s not pink), slice it up into strips and place the plate of chicken next to your toppings line.  
  8. Here’s a trick for the tortillas: many people eat them as is, and some put them in the oven to heat them up, but if you leave the stove top that you cooked the chicken on, with someone ready with a plate in hand, simply place the tortilla on the hot stove top and after a couple seconds flip it over, and you’re left with a warm, slightly charred tortilla (see the picture of the finish product).  You just have to be sure that someone is ready to eat it, because otherwise it gets cold fast.
  9. Make sure you don’t leave that stove on, and you’re ready to load your fajita with all the toppings. When you’ve added all the toppings, squeeze the fresh lime over the entire fajita, and roll it up. Remember these tortillas are small, so don’t overstuff!

If you don’t have all of these ingredients, don’t sweat it.  You can make great fajitas without going all out.  It’s not that important to get scallions if you have red onion, and any type of cheese will work.  But if you have time to pick some things up (and these aren’t expensive- cilantro leaves I got for a little more than a dollar, a lime for 79 cents, etc.) then definitely do, because for this recipe all the ingredients really go a long way, especially the cilantro and lime.

For a great Mexican meal, serve with chips and salsa (Looking to make your own salsa?  Try this easy recipe from the Food Network), and preferably a Corona or margarita (Gotta use the leftover limes for something, right?).  Disfrute! (If my memory of spanish vocab serves me correctly, that means enjoy?).  If you’re feeling creative and come up with something new or you already have your own recipe, I’d love to hear your favorite twists on the classic fajita recipe!

Here’s a few links to some great ideas and unique dishes incorporating fajitas recipes:

The Food Network’s ‘All about Fajitas’ collection including fajita salads, soups and paninis:

DO NOT miss Paula Deen’s Gold Medal Sizzling Fajitas

A unique fajita marinade from AllRecipes.com

AllRecipes.com lists their top 20 Fajita recipes

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