What I've Been Up To This Semester

Taking 17 hours of classes plus 12 hours of work gives me limited time to update my blog (although I do work in a computer lab, so when I'm not busy I surf the web. Yay food blogs!) However, that didn't stop me from cooking and baking. I'm going to put it all in one post so I can be caught up.


Chicken Curry




Only once in my life have I had curry, and it wasn't even from a restaurant. While in Ireland, I bought a jar of curry sauce because it was on sale. I mixed it with rice and tuna, and it was absolutely delicious! When I came home, I wanted to buy curry powder, but it isn't the cheapest spice around, so I waited. When I was grocery shopping for college, I decided to give in and buy a jar. I found a recipe for chicken curry online awhile back and saved it into an online recipe box. That makes this dish #3 towards my goal.

1/4 cup flour
2 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 Chicken breast
1/4 cup onion
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup white rice, cooked
Veggies, such as carrots or peas

If time permitting, bake chicken at 375F for 35 minutes. Otherwise, chop and fry in skillet. In a bowl, mix flour, curry, ginger, and sugar. Sauté onions in butter until tender. Once tender, add flour mixture. Slowly add broth and milk. Cook until thick and bubbly. Add lemon juice, chopped chicken, and veggies; cook a few more minutes. Serve on top of hot rice. Makes 2 servings.

Source: Recipe Zaar


Garlicky Pasta with Basil and Tomatoes




I found this recipe from Laura Rebecca's Kitchen and knew I had to try it!! I'm 50% Italian, so of course the more garlic, the better. I used canned tomatoes and vegetable oil since I'm on a budget. This is a must for garlic lovers.

8 oz uncooked pasta
3 tablespoons oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and keep warm.

2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes; cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Add pasta, seasoning, and cheese, tossing gently to combine.

Source: Laura Rebecca's Kitchen


Carrot Spice Muffins




During the summer, I borrowed Dorie Greenspan's "Baking: From My Home To Yours" from my library after hearing so many posts about the book. I was making a list of recipes to try, but that turned out to be 3/4 of the book!! I had a 3 week limit on it, so I copied about 10 recipes. Last weekend, my parents visited me for the afternoon. I decided to make them French toast and Dorie's carrot spice muffins. Mmmm one of my favorite muffins!! Plus I love carrots. I didn't have any nuts or raisins, so I omitted them. I did have the coconut it called for, so yay.

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup raisins (optional)
1/3 cup nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray or line a 12-cup muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt. Stir in brown sugar. In another bowl, whisk oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Pour the wet into the dry and quickly stir to blend. Add carrots, coconut, raisins, and nuts. Divide evenly among the pan. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins

Source: Dorie Greenspan's "Baking: From My Home To Yours" p.14


Zucchini Casserole




Since my favorite vegetable is squash, I bought 4 of them to eat. One of the 12 cookbooks I got was dedicated completely to zucchini. I decided to make the zucchini casserole. My version is slightly different, so here is my adaptation.

1 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow squash, sliced
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped (I used canned but fresh works too)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Enough beef for two servings
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used pepper jack)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp Italian seasoning

Chop and cook beef until brown; drain grease and set aside. In a small casserole dish, put a layer of zucchini slices. Top with 1/4 cup tomatoes, 1/4 cup onions, 1/2 clove garlic, 1/4 cup cheese, and 1/2 the amount of beef. Top with squash slices. Top with remaining tomatoes, onions, garlic, cheese, and beef. Top with any remaining squash and zucchini slices. Top with bread crumbs and Italian seasoning. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until squash slices are tender. Makes 2 servings

Source: "Garden Way's Zucchini Cookbook" 1977, p.104



I also made stuffed squash with oriental stuffing and stuffed pepper with a garlic alfredo rice mixture, but I forgot to take pictures of them! Oops!

Now that I am all caught up, what was the last homemade meal you made for dinner?

I Love a Good Bargain!

As summer is coming to an end, certain vegetables stand out at farmer's markets - pumpkins, yellow squash, zucchini, the list goes on. My favorite vegetable to eat has to be squash, whether yellow or zucchini. Next year I'm bugging my dad to plant zucchini along with his tomatoes. While our annual Friends and Family weekend was happening at my university, farmers set up stands to sell produce. I bought a baby squash for 50 cents. It also happened that the one church was having a rummage sale with books 6 for $1.00. I bought 12 cookbooks!!! I'm not talking only those thin ones you buy at the grocery stands. I'm talking those plus a few thick books that are 300-some pages long. Boy were my arms tired from carrying that load across campus! That brings my collection up to 103 books plus my huge binders and online recipe boxes. Obsessed? Just a little ;) With that being said, I picked up a vegetable cookbook at the rummage sale, so I decided to find a recipe for my newly-purchased squash. Being a college kid, I didn't have a lot of ingredients on-hand, but I did find Kate's Pan-Fried Summer Squash to be pantry-friendly. If I had time to read more than the recipe, I probably would've discovered who Kate was. All I know is this dish was amazing!





In honor of the Weekend Cookbook Challenge, which is "Show and Tell" a cookbook in your collection, I am entering this recipe. I chose to feature this because it's more than just recipes; it has little anecdotes and tips for cooking and purchasing each vegetable. Even though I just bought this cookbook, I believe it is going to be my vegetable Bible to both me and my roommates. I tried not to overwhelm them with my collection, so I only brought the ones I know we could use being in college. I'm also starting to make The College Cookbook binder where I place recipes I have found online, in magazines, or have photocopied that are easy to make with a college budget. Suggestions for college recipes are welcome and encouraged :)

In regard to the recipe, I hate really soft squash, so mine definitely didn't cook for the 40 minutes it calls for. I ended up draining the broth rather than have it be completely evaporated. If you want a vegetarian version, sub the chicken broth for either vegetable broth or water. The water won't give it as much flavor but will still cook the squash. It also called for fatty bacon drippings, but I omitted that since it also called for butter.


Kate's Pan-Fried Summer Squash




1 pound yellow squash, sliced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 Tbsp fatty bacon drippings (optional)
2 Tbsp butter

Combine squash, broth, and onion in skillet. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to medium. Cook uncovered until broth has evaporated, about 10 minutes. If you don't like your squash super soft, you may need to cut that time in half and drain the broth later. Add butter and cook uncovered over low heat until tender to your liking (recipe calls for 30 minutes but mine only took another 10 minutes).

Source: "Greene On Greens" 1984 p. 325

What is your favorite end-of-summer meal?
I think this fried squash is my favorite side dish. I haven't had too much experience making dinner from squash, so I'll have to stock up at farmer's markets and experiment.

Chocolate For Breakfast?

Having early classes means not getting up until the last possible minute. Because I enjoy my sleep, I sacrifice time for eating breakfast. Usually it's just a granola bar to last me until I eat lunch, usually 11 or 12. I wanted to eat something on the go when I don't want a granola bar. Muffins, if prepared with the correct ingredients, can be a healthy alternative. I was getting antsy in my relatively new apartment, so I decided to bake for the first time this semester. I wanted to try out my orange extract I bought but never opened. I love the combination of chocolate and orange, so I searched for an orange chocolate chip muffin. After a few minutes of searching on Recipe Zaar, I found one. Now, these aren't the healthiest because of the chocolate, but it's still better than a Pop Tart or sugar cereals (which I cut out of my diet since I eat enough junk throughout the day). These muffins tasted fantastic, but they could've used a little more volume. Maybe next time I will try adding oats. Or I may have overmixed the batter. If you have an orange available, I would add orange zest and cut back on the extract to 1 Tbsp. I used 1 cup chocolate chips, but there was way too much chocolate in one bite (not that it tasted bad or anything ;) ) so I would go with 1/2 cup. As a side note, I don't buy eggs unless I plan on using alot, so I subbed for it and it turned out fine. I included that in the recipe below.

And if any of you have been paying attention, this is recipe #2 towards my goal.


Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins




2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg (or use 2 Tbsp water + 1 Tbsp oil + 2 tsp baking powder)
2 Tbsp orange extract (or 2 Tbsp orange zest + 1 Tbsp orange extract)

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips. In another bowl, whisk milk, oil, egg,and extract. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir together for 20 seconds, or until just moist. If you see lumps, it is OK to leave them. Lightly grease muffin pan or use paper liners and fill each 2/3 full with batter. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Best served warm. Makes 12 muffins.

Source: Recipe Zaar


What do you eat for breakfast?
I eat Quaker chocolate and peanut butter granola bars or Honey Bunches of Oats cereal. Occasionally I'll have french toast, waffles, hash browns, sausage, biscuits and gravy (!!!), leftover cake, or a banana.

Royalty Chicken

There is no definite origin to the dish chicken a la king. After doing a bit of research, it was made by some chef in some restaurant and was named after some guy with the last name of King. Why did I decide to make this dish? Simple - I have milk to use. Plus I wanted to do something with my peas. I didn't make the traditional dish because I didn't have mushrooms, sherry, or pimentos. I remember a frozen dinner long, long ago that was chicken a la king with carrots and peas, so that's what I think of. Here's a college version of the recipe. This makes 2 - 3 servings, depending on how much you put on toast.


Chicken a la King




1 chicken breast, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon onion, chopped
1/8 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup carrots, chopped (I didn't have any to add)
2 slices bread

Fry chicken in skillet until cooked; remove and pat off grease. Clean skillet; place back on stove. Fry onions in butter until tender. Add flour; stir. Gradually add milk and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until thick and bubbly. Add chicken, peas, and carrots. Place bread in toaster. Serve chicken mixture over toast.

Source: About.com

What is your favorite chicken dish?
I love flavored chicken wings. We buy a bag, dip in various marinades such as buffalo or terriaki, and bake until done.

It's All About The Seasoning

I was recently browsing through numerous cookbooks and recipe sites, looking for dinner ideas. I had lettuce and tortillas that I needed to use before they went bad, but I didn't want to make quesadillas (again). So I eventually stumbled across a chicken fajita taco salad. Found my dinner idea! However, the recipe called for fajita seasoning mix, and I wasn't going to spend any more money than I had to. I googled for a fajita seasoning recipe, hoping that I had all the spices; I did. I put my salad together without following the recipe except for the seasoning, so the recipe is half mine (inspired, of course)


Chicken Fajita Salad




1 chicken breast, chopped
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp powdered chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 cup lettuce
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
2 tortillas, torn into strips
1/2 cup shredded cheese
Ranch dressing

Fry chicken breast in skillet until cooked. Add chili powder, bouillon, garlic salt, cumin, and lime juice; toss to coat. Place 1/4 cup lettuce onto plate. Top with 1/8 cup onions, 1/4 cup tomatoes, 1/2 of the tortilla strips, 1/2 of the chicken, 1/4 cup cheese, and ranch as desired. Makes 2 servings

Source: Me; Fajita seasoning from About.com


What is your favorite type of salad?
I love the buffalo chicken salad they serve at my campus. I also enjoy a chicken caesar salad and the chicken bbq ranch salad from The Cheesecake Factory.

1 Recipe Down, 9 More To Go

There is a website called 43 Things where you can keep track of your goals in life. I got bored one day and just kept thinking of random things to add. I ended up with more than 43 goals, so I moved it to Lists of Bests. It's the same account as 43 things except you can add as many things as you want. They don't have to be goals; they can be book lists, movie lists, places to see, etc. You can view my list here. Probably 25% of my goals are food related, if not more. One of the goals I have is "create 10 recipes I've saved in online recipe boxes." I have an obession of creating an account, saving countless recipes, and never make any of them. Now I'm forcing myself to use these online accounts, even if I have to tackle 10 recipes at a time (in case you're wondering why I don't use online accounts as often as I save recipes, please note my cookbook count is at 91 books. I bought two more over the weekend. Would've been more if the one flea market table wasn't selling them for $1 ^_^;;).

As I was choosing a recipe, I decided I wanted to use my mint chocolate chips that have been sitting in the drawer since December. I wanted chocolate chip cookies but didn't want to make something so easy. I came across a chocolate chip pie recipe. Now, I thought this was going to be a giant chocolate chip cookie but in a pie plate. Turns out it's more of a cake than a pie. Still delicious nonetheless and I would definitely make this in the future.


Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie Cake




Although the recipe calls for swirled chocolate chips, you can use semisweet ones. Recipe is posted here.

What is your favorite recipe for using chocolate chips?
I still enjoy the classic chocolate chip cookies.