Po Boys for Po College Kids

I sure do have a lot of updating to do. The past two months have been filled with plenty of school work and Christmas shopping. Now that I am an alumnus of Florida Gulf Coast University, and now that the holidays are over, I can finally share my latest culinary adventures. I will do my best to recall the recipes exactly, but I apologize in advance if they seem a little rusty. Thanks everyone, for bearing with me. 

After such a successful enchilada night, the next Thursday Scott and I opted for fish. He had a terrible craving for a po boy, so we decided to try it out. A fried fish sandwich can't be too difficult...wrong! 

Scott got the recipe from the Today Show. One of my favorite Canadian chefs, Chuck Hughes, was a guest on the show, and shared his recipe with the cast. It looked delicious, so off to Publix Scott and I went to duplicate the dish. Click here for the original recipe. This is what you will need:

• 1 cup  flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle medium bodied beer (Scott and I used Newcastle)
• Canola oil (I'm pretty sure we used veg oil)
• 8 (3-ounce) fillets fresh haddock or cod (or go to Publix and get a frozen bag of haddock, and defrost it yourself, like we did)
• salt & pepper
• 2 sandwich size baguettes, cut in half
• Tartar sauce (Scott and I made our own) 
• Iceberg lettuce, chopped

Combine salt, pepper, cayenne, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the beer and mix well. Be sure not to over mix the batter; you still want to see bubbles. (Our mixture looked a little soupy. I'm still not sure why, because we followed the recipe exactly). 

Put at least 3 inches of oil in a deep-bottomed frying or sauce pan. Heat to medium-high heat. You will know when the oil is ready when you can drop a piece of batter in to the oil and it fries right away. (This is where Scott and I ran awry. We ran out of oil and did not have enough to fill our frying pan. We thought we'd be able to shallow fry the fish and flip it when it was ready...we were thoroughly mistaken. The fish flaked apart everywhere in the pan.)

I digress, season your fish with salt and pepper, dip into the batter, then into the oil. Fry all the way through, and place on a paper towel to dry off the excess oil. 

Spread the tarter sauce on your baguette, place the fish on the bread, add some chopped lettuce, some hot sauce if you so desire, and there you have it. I hope your sandwich looks much prettier than ours did. The taste was there, but the crunch from the fish was missing. 

Not only did we flub on our fish sandwich, but we failed tremendously with our onion ring side dish. The batter did not 

stick to the onions and we wound up with soggy, naked onions. Next time, I think we should dredge the onions in flour first before dipping them in batter. At least our cucumber salad was tasty! 

If you have any tricks of the trade to a perfect onion ring, or a perfect po boy, please do tell! What is your favorite kind of po boy?  

Chicken Enchiladas, Anyone? Olé!

Scott and I both love Mexican food, but to novice chefs, there is only so much that we know how to make. We've done tacos, we've done fajitas, and we've done burritos. So, when we wanted to cook Mexican two weeks ago, we hit a brick wall. This time around, I did not go to Pinterest. I had an epic eureka moment of my own, and suggested chicken enchiladas. Since, I've never made enchiladas, I decided to look at some of the recipes on the Food Network, but I never actually replicated one. I took some of the ideas and ran with a thought of my own. I am pleased to say that this recipe is Food Network inspired, but Christine Nanio crafted. 

There are only a few ingredients to this recipe, so it'll be easy on your wallet.

• 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 1 pkg mushrooms
• 1/2 of a green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 of a red onion, chopped
• 4 tortilla rounds
• 1 pkg Mexican blend cheese (or whatever you may have in your house)
• 1 can enchilada sauce
• 1/2 jar of mild salsa
• sour cream (for topping) 

Start off by shredding the entire rotisserie chicken into a bowl. It'll be tedious and messy, but totally worth it. Combine the chicken, the onion, the pepper, the mushrooms, and the salsa in a large saucepan on medium high heat. Cook down the mixture for a few minutes so all the vegetables have a chance to soften. Season with salt, pepper and I also use Italian seasoning. That stuff is my go-to seasoning for everything! I love Mrs. Dash! 

Once the mixture has reduced a bit, you can fill each tortilla shell with a little bit of the mixture, a dollop of sour cream, some cheese, some hot sauce if you're adventurous, and roll it all up nice and tight. Place the enchiladas in a baking dish and cover with the enchilada sauce and the rest of the cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes. 

Here is our final product! 

It looks a little sloppy, and the refried beans look a tad bit scary, but I promise you, this is definitely a recipe worth trying! I wouldn't write about anything that wasn't delicious. And next time, someone please remind me to take pictures during my cooking process. I suck at that. 

What's your favorite Mexican dish? 

Date Night Dinner for Two: Chicken Cordon Bleu

The days I'm not on Pinterest surfing through dinner recipes, I look to the Food Network for inspiration. Since my Typical Thursday journey, I have adopted a few fancy, yet inexpensive go-to dinner recipes, and Chicken Cordon Bleu is definitely one of them. Tyler Florence of the Food Network, hits it out of the park with his version.

Minus the thyme leaves, Scott and I stick to this recipe step by step. It's absolutely fool proof and absolutely delicious. All you need is:

• 4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
• 4 slices of thin prosciutto
• 1/2 lb Gruyere cheese, grated (you can use any type of Swiss cheese)
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs 
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs, beaten
• olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap. Use a mallet, a rolling pin, the back side of a pan, anything you have handy in the kitchen that can pound the chicken down to a 1/4 inch thickness. Scott has a surfboard shaped, wooden carving board that I use to pound out the chicken. If you're having a bad day, I suggest you be in charge of this step...It's a great stress reliever! 

Remove the plastic wrap from the chicken. Place a piece of the prosciutto down on each chicken breast. Then, sprinkle with some of the Gruyere cheese. Roll up the chickens like a jelly roll. Be sure to not over stuff the chicken so all the contents stay in side, and be sure to roll everything up tight so it stays intact. 

Season the flour with salt, pepper, garlic, melted butter, and thyme (if you choose to use it). Lightly coat the chicken in flour, dip into the egg wash, then into the panko bread crumbs. Be gentle with the chickens during this step so they don't unravel. 

Place the chicken roulades into a greased baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes. When the chicken is done, it will come out crispy, and bubbly, and delicious. If you're trying to impress a mate with a fancy date night dinner, pull out this recipe! I guarantee that it will score you brownie points! Do you have a go-to date night recipe that you would like to share?

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

After two months of not writing, I think it's time to update. My break was unintentional, but I have had a lot on my plate lately. At long last, I will finally bring everyone up to speed with my culinary adventures. 

If you like it spicy and you actually like carbs, then this Buffalo Chicken Pasta is the recipe for you! If I do remember correctly, Scott and I prepared this meal before we went away for the weekend of my 23rd birthday back in April. It was a Thursday night, obviously, and we needed something fast, simple and delicious. So, I decided to boldly go to Pinterest, where I found the recipe.

The Blog where I found the recipe is super cute and super easy to follow. As usual, Scott and I varied from the original, but our version still turned out pretty good! Here is what we used:

• Marie's Bleu Cheese Salad Dressing (1 jar)
• Hot Sauce (whatever was on sale that day at Publix, about 1/2 to 3/4 of the jar)
• 1 diced red onion
• Diced chicken breast (about 2 depending on their size)
• pasta (we used spirals)
• 1 pkg diced mushrooms

Now, just add everything in a large mixing bowl and stir it all up! Alli's Blog instructs you to add salt and pepper to taste, and to chill the mixture. I discovered that it is delicious both hot and cold! Here is how ours turned out!

Instead of using celery, Scott and I substituted shrooms. I'm not too big on celery...and instead of rotisserie chicken, we used chicken breasts, which are a lot less messy. This recipe was super fast to make, and there was so much of it that Scott had left overs for days! 

I love pasta and I love different sauces, so this was a homerun for me! What do you like to drown your pasta in? 

An Asian Sensation!

Two nights ago, Scott asked me to brainstorm for Thursday night's dinner, so immediately, I started thinking, but of course I drew a blank. Thankfully, he sent me a helpful text message, "look through all your good Asian recipes." Well, to clarify, they're not my recipes, they belong to Pinterest and to the users who posted them on Pinterest. On the other hand, they are good, so I thumbed through the few that I had repinned, and the Mongolian Beef stuck out for me. 

Mongolian Beef has been one of my favorite Asian dishes since I could remember, and the Elephant Bar Restaurant makes a pretty mean Mongolian Beef that I remember and love all too well. So, I figured if they can do it, I surely can do it. I found a very easy to follow recipe right here with very few ingredients. 

For, the most part, Scott and I stuck to the recipe but we made a few changes. Here are the ingredients that Scott and I used, but feel free to stick to the original.

• 1 pkg of stir fry steak pieces
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 tsp. of veg oil
• 1/2 tsp. of grated ginger
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 green onions chopped 
• about 1/2 cup mushrooms
• about 1/2 cup broccoli 

Pat the meat dry and coat completely in flour. Toss in a strainer to shake off any excess flour. The recipe says that the meat should be lightly coated. Where we used flour, she used cornstarch. I don't really know the difference, so feel free to use either. Set the meat aside and start on the sauce. While you're preparing the meat, be sure to get a pot boiling with water and cook white rice according to the package.

To make the sauce, heat half the oil in a wok on medium-high heat. Add in the garlic and ginger. Immediately add the water, soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Cook this mixture for about 2 minutes, then transfer to another container. 

Add the meat back to the wok and fry it until it is brown. Throw in the mushrooms and the broccoli and add the sauce in. The recipe instructs that you can now continue to cook the sauce to reduce and thicken it, or you can finish it as is. Scott and I cooked it down for another 5 minutes or so. Be sure to add in the green onions at the last minute. Pour it over a bed of white rice and enjoy! 

Seriously, this turned out so well! I was pleasantly surprised. I would venture to say that it is just as good as any Chinese or Japanese steakhouse...not to mention, it's super quick! Give it a try and let me know what you think! I'm definitely going to make this one of my go to meals! What is your favorite Asian inspired dinner? And can anyone tell me the difference between cornstarch and flour?

The Best Recipes...

Sometimes the best recipes are the ones that we don't plan.

Although I have a few old Thursday recipes that need to be shared, I do not have any new ones. I do, however, have a pretty simple, pretty fast, pretty wholesome recipe that can put a smile on any meat lover's face. 

As you all well know, Tropical Storm Isaac was barreling towards southwest Florida just about a week ago. So, last dreary, Sunday night, Scott pleasantly surprised me when he suggested that we cook  sirloin steaks. Although I love sticking to a recipe and having step by step laid out for me, I absolutely love when Scott and I don't plan our dinners...they always seem so much more heartfelt. 

Let's talk about the subject at hand though...steak. I've killed many a steak in my day, but I think I have got it down to a science. Broiling on a baking rack is definitely the key. And through trial and error, I have figured out that size does play a role in cooking time, but generally for small steaks, 5 minutes on each side should produce a good medium rare (just the way I like it). Scott , on the other hand, likes his steak medium well to well done, so he wound up putting his steak in an extra 5 minutes. The past few times I've cooked steak, I have stuck to this method and my steak has come out juicy and tender. Another good tip...always let your steak rest. If you cut the poor thing open straight away, you're going to lose all the juice and flavor, so give it at least 5 minutes for the juices to redistribute throughout the steak. 

Anywho, here is our Tropical Storm Isaac, Sunday Funday dinner. 

The veggies came from a bag, and the potatoes are instant, but the steak is pure genius and raw talent. Scott marinated the sirloins in a teriyaki glaze, and I was the brains behind the operation. This recipe may not be the most creative that we've tackled but it was one of the most heartwarming! Do you have any special comfort food recipes? Do you have any tips on how to cook the perfect steak! Share them with me!

Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac n Cheese

I've taken a very unnecessary hiatus from blogging, and I deeply apologize. I have a lot to catch you all up on, but I need to start with the most recent and work my way back from there. 

Scott and I have been at somewhat of a loss for Thursday dinners as of late, whether it be because of our budget, recent lack of creativity, or spontaneous, random plans that just come up. So, obviously, when I am out of ideas, I head to my crutch, Pinterest. Last week, I found a rather awesome recipe from a blog with a very similar name, One Ordinary Day.

Everyone, including myself, loves mac n cheese and I'm always trying to think up new and inventive ways to spice up the classic. One Ordinary Day beat me to the punch with a Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac n Cheese recipe. Click here to check it out! Scottie and I tweaked the recipe a little bit by using just regular pasta and regular butter, but it still came out pretty awesome!

  

 Season and saute the chicken on medium high heat.  








What you need for a bechamel sauce:
- butter
- flour
- milk
- cheese

 

Crisp up bacon in a skillet on medium high heat.

 

Here is our finished product! These are the basic steps. If you follow the recipe I linked above, you'll have a killer chicken, bacon, ranch mac n cheese too! The only minor disappointment that I encountered was that I felt our bechamel sauce was a little grainy...delicious, but grainy. Does anybody have any tips to avoiding that problem? Also, do you have a favorite mac n cheese recipe that you'd like to share?

Freestyle Friday

One of my favorite shows on Food Network, and quite possibly one of my favorite shows of all time, is Chopped. If you're not familiar with the show, there are four contestants and each have a basket filled with secret ingredients. They are required to make an appetizer, entree and dessert course, and each round someone gets eliminated. It's super suspenseful and super entertaining and I just can't get enough of it. If you are just as excited as I am now, you can watch Chopped every Tuesday night at 10 PM on the Food Network! ( I should be their spokesperson). 

Elise's Shepard's Pie

Anyway, Tuesday night, Scott and I got to have a Chopped of our own...at least I felt that way. Being two college students on a limited budget, with a limited pantry, we put our heads together and came up with a pretty delicious end result. Our "secret" ingredients that night were instant mashed potatoes, ground sausage, a frozen bag of veggies, and croutons. With those ingredients we came up with one delicious Shepard's pie! 

Shepard's pie is usually a layer of meat and vegetables and a layer of creamy mashed potatoes, but I was assigned the position of sous chef Tuesday evening, so the creation of our dinner was up to Scott. I was assigned crust duty. Here is an easy Shepard's pie recipe you can follow, but basically, if you have the four ingredients I mentioned earlier, you're good to go! 

Here are the five simple steps Scott and I stuck to:

• Heat the ground meat and vegetables through to a golden brown.
• Prepare instant mashed potatoes according to package. 
• Spoon everything into a greased baking dish (you don't need pretty layers).
• Crush and season croutons, and sprinkle on top of mixture.
• Bake for about 10-15 min on 350. (We cut the time in half because everything was basically cooked already)

Me and Scott's Shepard pie

Shepard's pie and Garlic bread

My helpful tip to you, don't drink and make a crouton crumble at the same time! If you're like me, you'll absentmindedly add salt, garlic salt, and bacon bits to the mixture because you're too preoccupied with the way your Shocktop Raspberry Wheat beer tastes. SODIUM OVERLOAD!

Do you have any spur of the moment, out of the box recipes that you're proud of? Do you have any "Chopped" moments?

4th of July Follow-Up

First off, I would like to start by saying that I hope everyone had an enjoyable and safe fourth of July! I know I sure did! Aside from the fireworks, I had a quiet fourth, complete with a perfect alternative dinner to the usual grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. If you're looking for a twist on the traditional, or your grill is broken beyond all repair, I have the recipe for you...

BBQ Pulled Pork!!

Scott suggested the idea, so I got to searching the Web for the perfect recipe. The best way to have a relaxing and stress free holiday is to break out the slow cooker. Get up early and try this recipe because it's definitely worth it! Instead of reading the entire page, I really found the pictures helpful. Just remember, all you need is:

• salt & pepper
• rib rub (or any meat rub)
• 1 - 2 onions (depending on their size)
• a few cloves of garlic
• BBQ sauce
• a slow cooker
• water
• liquid smoke (I used worcestershire sauce)

...and most importantly, 8 hours! Different recipes told me different times, but eight seemed to be the average. Just season your meat, season your vegetables, cover everything with water, and eight hours later you have pulled pork! Once you strain everything, mix in the BBQ sauce and you've got a great alternative to any grilling shenanigans. 

I think my favorite part of the meal was the pasta salad. A few nights prior to the fourth, Mom made a warm pasta salad tossed in some oil, garlic and herbs. It's amazing what you can do with some ingenuity and some Italian dressing. I kept the pasta cold, tossed it in some Italian dressing, salt, pepper; threw in some diced red peppers...and BAM! I had to steal Emeril's classic line, because the pasta salad was just so darn creative and delicious, if I do say so myself!

What are some of your tricks to transforming left overs? What dinners did you prepare to celebrate the fourth? Do you have any creative alternatives to hamburgers and hot dogs, and outdoor grilling?

A Typical Thursday Morning

There is no better way to start a typical Thursday than with breakfast made by my boyfriend! I really can't believe how much better the day can be with breakfast...

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Do you eat breakfast every morning? Do you have any special breakfast recipes?

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Cheese Braid

When I am at my highest level of boredom, I always find myself surfing the pages of Pinterest. One particular day, I found this amazing and simple recipe and I knew that I had to try it ASAP! 

If you like chicken, cheese, bread, or maybe even broccoli, then this is definitely the recipe for you. Not only is this Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Cheese Braid simple, but it is quick and just as delicious. It's quite the tongue twister though, so don't try to say it five times fast. 

Shortly, after I called my mother into my room to feast her eyes on the recipe, she made a grocery list and told me that we were going shopping. I made it to accompany our dinner that night, and everyone agreed that it had sealed it's spot as a new family favorite.

So thank you to Food Family Finds for the wonderful recipe!! Go ahead and try it yourself and tell me what you think! What is your cheesiest recipe?

Chicken Marsala: Easy to Make and Easy on Your Wallet

I haven't had a typical Thursday in quite some time, and I have been quite consumed in my internship as of late, so I haven't had the time to blog, which I sincerely apologize for. Thankfully, that all changed last Thursday. I'm still quite consumed in my internship, but I have finally made the time to update and inform you of my culinary adventures! 

Marsala wine has taken up permanent residence in Scott's fridge for quite a few months now, so the most appropriate and most logical thing to do was to make Chicken Marsala again! I know you've had a long and hard week full of school and work, and the last thing on your mind is cooking, but if you're looking for an easy, yet sophisticated meal that's easy on your wallet, this is the recipe for you! 

I must admit that the term 'recipe' is a very loose term, because I pretty much eye-balled all the ingredients, but here is a brief overview of what Scott and I did! 

Chicken Marsala

• marsala wine
• butter
• flour
• mushrooms
• chicken breasts

Season your flour with whatever is on hand, I prefer s/p and some garlic powder; then, lightly flour each side of your chicken breast. (Scott and I actually used Bisquick because that is all he had in his pantry, and it turned out pretty darn good). In a medium sauce pan, on medium heat, sauté the chicken until it is golden brown on both sides and cooked through. When the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan and place it aside.

Sauté the mushrooms in the residual oils until they are cooked through. Add the Marsala wine and the butter. This wine is really strong, so you'll have to reduce it down a bit. You'll probably need to add a spoonful or so of the flour to thicken your sauce. When the sauce is done, add the chicken back to the pan and serve. Voila! 

Serve the chicken over mashed potatoes, pasta or rice...seriously it's perfect over anything! Now you have a pretty romantic dinner that only took about 20 minutes. This recipe is definitely a keeper in my book!

What are some of your favorite chicken recipes? Do you have your own way of making chicken Marsala?

Christian Grey: The New Prince Charming?

I couldn’t have felt more honored when my friend, Barbara asked me to do an exclusive guest post on her Blog. She is super outgoing, speaks two languages, French and English, is quite crafty, and her very creative blog is such a perfect representation of her personality. Without any further ado, I should get down to business.

When, I was musing along for inspiration, Barbara told me to write about anything; "It could be general tips, your adventures as a blogger, a craft project, style, beauty tips, anything really as long as it's family friendly." So, then it kind of hit me and the little light bulb inside my head went off. I love those moments! I digress, I began thinking about my adventures as a blogger, and entertainment is one of my favorite topics to write about. For example, I love to gush about The Vampire Diaries, but since the show has taken a brief hiatus, I need a new obsession to occupy the little free time I have left. I've finally jumped on the Fifty Shades of Grey train, and I finally understand what all the buzz is about!

So, if you’re a sucker for the bad boy, or if you still believe that there is hope for the nice guy, click here to get the scoop!

P.S. I got a little ahead of myself, so the link above will be active on Tuesday morning at 2:14 am. Also, don't forget to check out Barbara's blog at http://uvcat.wordpress.com/ and leave her some love!!

Taco Bell...but BETTER!

I am reluctant to say that on Thursday I went out to Hooters with Scott for dinner. I try my very best to not eat there, but when your boyfriends' friends are in town, you can't say no. So, thankfully, we made up for our typical Thursday on Friday. I am pleased to report that dinner was a smashing success! 

My travels through Pinterest never fail me when it comes time for inspiration for interesting and new dinner ideas. Last week, I found this recipe for Chicken Ranch Tacos and I knew instantly that we had to give it a try. I give many thanks and a shout out to Pedey from Do You Smell That!? for an amazing recipe! Without further ado, here is my culinary journey through tacos. 

Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Tacos

• 1 pkg of thinly sliced stir fry style chicken (cubed)
• 1/2 pkg to 1 pkg of taco seasoning
• 1/4 cup ranch
• splash of water
• tortillas (warmed)

------------------------------------------

lettuce

sour cream

hot sauce 

shredded cheese

extra ranch dressing

bacon bits

Season and cook the chicken through in a medium sauce pan on medium high heat. Add the taco seasoning to the pan and incorporate. Add a splash of water, and then add the ranch. Incorporate all together and you're finished! The entire process should take between 10 and 15 minutes. (cooking the chicken through is the longest part)

Finally, just assemble a taco like you normally do. Scott and I used lettuce, sour cream, hot sauce,bacon bits and some shredded cheese blend mix. We also used soft tortilla shells instead of hard taco shells, but that is only because he doesn't like hard tacos. One final note, my recipe differs slightly from Pedey's, but we used her recipe as a guideline, and I give 100% credit to her!!

On a side note, as self-proclaimed sous chef last night, Scott's contribution to the meal was a delicious side dish of sauteed cauliflower and green beans! His recipe was pretty fool proof with the star ingredients obviously being green beans and cauliflower...and whatever marinade was left in the fridge (which turned out to be a zesty sesame ginger dressing). He sauteed the veggies all the way through with the marinade, and put a lid on them to steam them in the final minutes of the cooking time. The final product should result cauliflower that's tender and green beans that still retain a bit of a snap!

Do you have any killer taco recipes you want to share? Or any recipes using tortillas? I think they are so versatile! Comment below and tell me about them! I'd love to hear what you have to say!

Pressing Issues - Vampire Diaries Season Finale

I have been out of commission as of late, because I have had a virus from hell, and I apologize for that. In fact, one of my friends suggested that it was T-virus and I was thoroughly convinced for a solid hour or so that I was turning into a zombie. On the bright side, today is a much better day and I finally have mustered up the strength to blog. Had I been techy enough to figure out the Blogger app on my smart phone, this entry would have been posted days ago. Alas, you are receiving it today, and I have been dying to discuss the season finale of The Vampire Diaries...no pun intended. 

So, last Thursday feels like an eternity ago, but the last episode of this season in The Vampire Diaries saga still has my mind reeling! I have so many thoughts about "The Departed," but they are mainly all questions. Is it just me, or does anybody else feel that we were left with more questions than answers? Enough gabbing though...I'll just get right to it! (Warning: for those of you who are not caught up on the season, there are spoilers in this entry!)

First things first, Elena is now a vampire! I was wondering when this moment would ever come, and I had a feeling that Plec would end the season with Elena's pre-transition. The biggest questions on my mind are how will Elena transition, and what will Jeremy think? For goodness sake, what will everyone else think?! I'm sure Bonnie will be pretty pissed now that her bestie is a vampire...which gives rise to another question; will Bonnie try to stop Elena's transition? Also, did Elena know that vampire blood was in her system when she forced Stefan to save Matt's life, and whose blood was it? What about the Salvatore brothers? How are they going to react to Elena's transformation? Clearly Stefan seemed crushed that Elena will now have to live a life that she never wanted. Will he live with regret the rest of his life for saving Matt first? Most importantly, how mad will Damon be, and is he going to lash out because of Stefan's choice? Of course, Stefan was going to respect Elena's choice, but free will is such a bitch. 

I have not forgotten about the love triangle that is Stefan, Damon and Elena! Now that Elena is a vampire, her thoughts that Damon compelled her to forget will all come back to her! Once she knows that she did indeed meet Damon first, will that change her feelings for him? What about the emotional bedroom scene from season two when Damon confessed his love for Elena...and then made her forget that too?! That clip had me in tears! Surely, Elena will have a hard time ignoring those thoughts. She may have chosen Stefan when she was human, but what about now? Not to mention, Stefan and Elena shared a kiss for the first time all season. How is that going to affect their relationship now? Will they get back together? Will they stay together?

More pressing issues on my mind: Caroline and Tyler, and Caroline and Klaus. Is Tyler really dead? Did Klaus' body really burn away completely in his coffin? Or will Tyler and his sire pull the whole switcheroo trick on us all? And for the record, how long will Klaus prance around in Tyler's body? Will he try to put the moves on Caroline, and did he already put the moves on Caroline when he said "goodbye" to her in the dungeon? If Tyler does come back, will him and Caroline still run away from Mystic Falls like they had originally planned? Which leads to my next question; what is the city council going to do about the vampire/werewolf problem now that Alaric outed everybody? What are all the other originals going to do now too?

Another issue that is bugging me is Bonnie. When did she become so devious? Why did she switch Klaus and Tyler's body, and why the hell has she continued to help Klaus? I'm curious to see what is in store for Bonnie in the following season. How far will she tap in to her dark magic? Will her ancestors ever forgive her? Also, who does she have the hots for...Jeremy or Jamie? I hope she gets back with Jeremy! Was I the only one who thought that they were a cute couple? Aren't Bonnie and Jamie kinda related? Last time I checked, that is called incest. Anyway, what about Abby? Will she play a role in Season 4? 

Finally, the most important question of them all: when on Earth will season four start, because I don't know how much longer I can wait. Also, sorry for the novel! I told you I had a lot on my mind. If anyone has any answers to my questions or any more questions to add to the list, please please please comment below and share them with me! I really want to hear what my fellow TVD fans are thinking!

The Perfect Rainy Day Meal

So, I'm normally not the biggest fan of Melissa d'Arabian, from the Food Network, but yesterday she made a meal that had my mouth watering. Now, I'm determined to duplicate it myself! I can't guarantee that this meal will be on tomorrow's agenda, but I do guarantee that I will be making it in the near future and documenting the process. She described it as the best cold, winter meal, but since south Florida isn't graced with the joy of winter, I think it will be perfect for a great rainy day in. We're supposedly in the peak of rainy season anyway. 

Enough of my ranting, though; let's talk about the actual recipes at hand. On her show 10 Dollar Dinners, yesterday, Melissa whipped up a tantalizing Croque Madame and Roasted Tomato Soup. Basically, a Croque Madame is just a glorified grilled cheese and ham sandwich with a fried egg on top. The French always know how to make things fancy. Seriously, this recipe seems so easy a caveman can do it! There is no fuss, no muss with making a bechamel sauce, and there is no need to use a panini press either. So, friends, here are Melissa's recipes for her succulent Croque Madame and delicious Roasted Tomato Soup

http://bit.ly/KFP85C

http://bit.ly/J4zTAt

The best part about this meal is that if you don't like eggs, you can omit that too, and then you have a Croque Monsieur! Also, tomato soup is probably one of my favorite soups, so saying that I was excited to watch Melissa make it was an understatement! 

My only critique is that Melissa's tomato soup looked a little opaque instead of the bright, vibrant red shown in the picture. If you all have any tips or tricks to solve this problem please comment and let me know! 

Do you have your own tomato soup recipes that you would like to share? I'd love to hear them!

Merrica!!

Nothing says America better than the dinner Scott and I created Thursday night: pizza, beer and chicken wings! For a minute, cast aside all you know about apple pie, baseball, and big, juicy hamburgers, because our meal screamed red, white and blue! Scott liked dinner so much that he turned to me that night and said. "We should just dedicate Thursday nights to different types of pizza each week." What a great way to reach my goal weight of 500 pounds...not!! Anyway, if you're craving a good ole' Americana meal like we were, here's our tricks to whipping it up in like Rachel Ray would say, "under 30 minutes." 

All the ingredients in these recipes are open to your interpretation. Scott and I use what we like from Publix, so you can use any variation of these ingredients from any vendor you prefer. Have fun with it!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

• 1 pkg Pillsbury pizza dough (the scary kind that you have to crack on the counter for it to pop open)
• BBQ sauce of your choice, we used Bullseye Original (about half the bottle)
• 1 pkg chicken breasts (3-4)
• bacon (about 3 or 4 slices...or however much you like! Bacon makes everything better!)
• 1 cup mushrooms (chopped)
• 1/4 cup red onion (chopped)
• 1 pkg mozzarella cheese

Spread out the pizza dough on a baking sheet. It usually forms a rectangle, but you can always get creative and make what ever shapes you want. I bet it would be cool to even make a couple of individual pizzas! Then, just follow the cooking instructions on the package. While you're cooking the pizza dough, in a medium sauce pan, start sauteing the chicken breast. Don't forget to season them with salt, pepper, and anything else you like to season your chicken with.  Also, fry up the bacon, either in a skillet or throw it in the microwave. Once the chicken is cooked, dice it up. The pizza dough should definitely be done cooking by now, so you can start assembling...Yeah, the fun part! Spread out the BBQ sauce, mushrooms, onions, bacon, and chicken on the dough. Finish by sprinkling on the cheese and bake until the cheese is golden brown (everything else is already cooked, so it shouldn't take long at all). When it's all finished you'll have a baking sheet full of bubbly, golden, cheesy deliciousness!

Buffalo Wings

• 1 pkg frozen chicken wings
• buffalo sauce, we used Ken's, but again, use whatever you like (about 1/2 bottle)

In a large sauce pot, bring water to a boil. When the water is at a rolling boil, dump the bag of chicken wings in and cook about 10-15 minutes. The chicken wings will start to float to the top when they are done cooking. Drain the wings and put them in a baking dish and coat them with the hot sauce. The wings are already cooked, so you are just throwing them in the oven for another 10 minutes, so the sauce sticks to the wings. I found that if you broil them for the last 2 minutes of cooking, it will crisp the wings up a bit. And there you have it, friends! Next time, I try out chicken wings, I'm not cutting any corners, I'm going to fry them. When we baked them straight after boiling, the wings weren't as crispy as I preferred. If you all have any great wing recipes, I would love for you to share them with me!

Last but not least, I have a new love...and it is blueberry beer, especially Wild Blue. It capped off the meal perfectly. If you are a fan of fruity-ish beers, I highly recommend you try it!

Delena

For all you Vampire Diaries lovers out there, today, I am talking Delena...

On the brink of a new episode, I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to write about one of my greatest Thursday loves, and loves in general, Vampire Diaries! Last week's episode still has me reeling! I am a sucker for bad boys, and I have been waiting for a passionate, meaningful, and steamy Damon and Elena kiss since the days of "Friday Night Bites," when Damon tried to compel Elena to kiss him. 

The sexual tension between them is undeniable and the possibility of a Damon and Elena relationship had me even more giddy over the clever Katherine/Elena switcheroo kiss with Damon at the end of Season One. I've been an avid TVD follower since the beginning, and been Team Delena since Damon made his evil, yet stunningly handsome presence known. I'm excited to see what tonight's episode brings, but I'm even more eager to see what all of you think...Stefan, or Damon? 

Who Should Elena be With?

Easy and Delicious Spinach Dip Recipe

So, your college level Rhetoric and Argumentation class is hosting a class party at the end of the semester...I know what you're thinking, "highly unlikely." Never rule out the possibility, but I digress. Perhaps, you have a cookout to go to and you're in charge of bringing the appetizer. This situation seems more plausible anyway. I have a recipe that will win you awards, but I have to give credit to Scott for this one too!

 Spinach Dip

• 9 oz package of frozen spinach (drained)
• 1 Knorr Vegetable pack
• 1 cup mayo
• about 13 oz sour cream or (3/4 of a 16 oz container)
• 10 or so water chestnuts (diced)
• circular piece of bread
• 1 package of baby carrots
• celery (cut into thirds)

In a large mixing bowl, combine, the spinach, vegetable pack, mayo, sour cream and water chestnuts. Mix until everything is incorporated and creamy. Refrigerate the mixture for at least two hours.

While the mixture is chilling, cut the top of the bread and dice up that piece into 1" chunks. Hollow out the bread, so it looks like a bowl. When the dip has chilled enough, spoon it into the bread bowl and arrange the bread chunks, baby carrots, and celery around the bowl on a pretty serving dish.

Scott showed me this recipe, but he uses a Hidden Valley Ranch packet instead of the Knorr Vegetable packet. You can use either one, but I prefer the Knorr packet because it not only has seasonings in it, but little pieces of vegetables too. I think it takes the spinach dip to another level. Seriously, you might just eat the whole thing before your friends get a chance to. Be careful, I've warned you!

From Average Jane to Domestic Diva

My Muse :)

The inspiration for this blog came from my boyfriend, Scott. I've always talked about creating a blog, and in the past, I've gone the distance of actually creating one, but the concern always remained the same; what is it going to be about, and who is going to read it? 

So, the light bulb went off in my head when Scott told me, "Write about what you love. It doesn't guarantee that someone hasn't already written about that, it just means that you have to do it better." So, I started thinking, "I'm a good writer, I can do this." and I opened up my Pinterest account. Everything I love is on Pinterest! For God's sake, I have like seventeen boards full of my interests. As I scrolled through pages and pages of "stuff," I became inspired. I like food, I like fashion, I like art...why not write about it? 

Then, like clock work, another light bulb went off in my head. Why not incorporate one of my biggest loves...Thursday nights? This is really the part where Scott makes the biggest impact. Every Thursday night, Scott and I make dinner, usually something we've never made before, and we watch the latest episode of Vampire Diaries. I couldn't think of a better combination! Suddenly, it hit me...I will call my blog A Typical Thursday. I've already granted my weekly Thursday tradition the unofficial title, so why not my blog? 

I associate Thursdays with good food, good company, and good memories, and that is what I want to share with the world...and not just my Thursday experience, but my adventures through food, fashion, art, entertainment, and everything in between. Before this blog, I was an average Jane. My bachelor's degree is so close that I can taste it, I had a mediocre job, and I simply went through the motions of everyday life. Scott pulled the domestic diva out of me, and it is thanks to him that I am taking another very dedicated stab at blogging!