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!