Something Out of Nothing

Exhibit A: The nearly empty refrigerator

Exhibit B: A light dinner, created from the ingredients in the nearly empty refrigerator

So, I haven't posted in a while. Mostly because Shane and I got engaged last month and I have been working on things for the wedding. Besides that fact, the other day my mom and I both worked all day and were both really hungry. The only problem was that we had not been to the store in a while and didn't want to go out. Our fridge was pretty bare and at first I thought there was no way I could create a meal out of anything in there, but then I looked closer. I found three small bell peppers, spring mix lettuce, home made garlic dill salad dressing, pumpernickel bread, a soft french cheese, cottage cheese, peaches, and a liver pate (can't make the correct symbol for that lol,). For the salad I chopped up the peppers, shredded the cheese, dressed it and had a unique entree. Then I cut slices of the pumpernickel, buttered them and placed the liver pate on top. I finished the dish with the cottage cheese and peach side dish. While eating it I realized that I had nearly every food group accounted for on my plate. I had a meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and grains. It may not have been the most extravagant meal but I take pride in creating something out of nothing. So next time your fridge is bare, take a closer look and see if you can create something new:).

Homegrown Tomato Basil Soup

For the last 3 years Shane and I have helped plant the garden but had to leave for school before anything was ready for harvest, in other words, we never got to reap the benefits from our hard work. However, all of that has changed now that we are done with school:). About a week ago my mom picked about 10-15 tomatoes and left them on the window sill to continue to ripen. Once they were ready we washed them, placed them in bowl and then poured boiling water over them. This process helps remove the skins. Leave the tomatoes in their bath until you can see the skins splitting. Once that happens, you can easily peel it off and remove the stems. Then place the tomatoes in a pot. When this is done slice up an onion and and put it into the pot with the tomatoes. For the next ingredient I went out to the garden and picked about 6 or 7 leaves of basil, washed them and added them to the pot. Then add salt and pepper to taste and equal parts chicken broth and water. (The amount depends on how much soup you are making, but be sure to cover the tomatoes and onions.) Leave this on medium heat until they are soft. When the tomatoes and onions have cooked, let them cool a bit and transfer it into a blender. In the empty pot make a roux, which is about a half cup of butter and flour mixed together, then add about a half cup of milk to soften the mixture. This acts as a thickening agent. Once everything is blended slowly add the soup mixture in with the roux, making sure all of the clumps are gone, then add a tablespoon of sugar to sweeten it. Once the soup and roux are mixed let the soup warm back up and taste test it to see if it needs any more salt, pepper or sugar. Then top with more basil leaves or oyster crackers and serve.

Shane's Birthday Dinner

This year I wanted to make Shane dinner for his birthday, he chose lamb for the meat and wanted to be surprised for the rest. I wanted it to be a special dinner so I made Leg of Lamb, roasted carrots, garlic mashed potatoes, salad, and homemade bread. For the lamb, I had a big frozen leg of lamb that my mom got from her physical therapist and let it thaw for about 12 hours. Then I made slits in the lamb and sliced garlic into small pieces to put inside those slits. After that I sprinkled it with kosher salt and pepper. Then it went into the oven at 350 degrees and stayed in there for about an hour and a half. It was pretty pink, so if you like your meat well done, it should probably stay in for another 10-15 minutes. Once the meat was done I boiled the potatoes and cut up the carrots into thin sticks. When all of that preparation was done I added sour cream, milk and garlic (quantities as desired for consistency) to the mashed potatoes. Then I placed the carrot sticks on a cookie sheet, drizzled olive oil and sprinkled rosemary on top. Once this was complete I put the carrots in a 425 degree oven until they became crisp. Every couple of minutes I would turn the carrots to roast them evenly. I then prepared the salad and once that was complete The next step was to make the bread and my sister and Shane graciously helped, since I had a lot going on. We use my mom's simple recipe to make amazing bread.

Bread Recipe:

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 1/2 T yeast

1 T sugar

1 t (heaped) salt

add as much flour as it will take

Combine the warm water and yeast in a mixer and then add the rest of the ingredients. Once the dough reaches your desired consistency let it mix for about 10 minutes. Then knead it and place in a bread pan. Let the dough rise for about 15 minutes before putting it into a 350 degree oven and baking until it is done and lightly browned.

For dessert I used my Aunt Leanne's recipe for Peanut butter Ice Cream Pie. and it completed the meal. It was a lot of work but Shane had a great time and enjoyed the food, so it made it all worth it.

Free Dishes!

A few weeks ago I had to attend a mandatory work meeting, which sounds boring and dreary but actually turned out to be a decathlon of games relating to the information we needed to know for the next quarter. There was a prize for each person and this is what I scored. A 16 piece set of these dishes (4 place settings total). I am stoked to be able to use these in my own kitchen someday for future dinner dates and parties. Until then, they will stay brand new in the box they came in. Until next time, keep reading:)

NW Garden Pizza

Leftover & from the garden pizza with a beer crust

A few days after returning from our camping trip my mom and I wanted to make a lunch that incorporated the left overs we had from the weekend. And what better way to do that than to make a pizza? So on this pizza we included fresh tomatoes, basil and zucchini from our garden, summer sausage, onions, garlic, feta, sea salt and pepper. For the sauce we reduced a can of tomato sauce on the stove to thicken it and create a tomato paste. Then we needed to find a recipe for pizza dough. The first place I look is on foodnetwork.com, on this website I found a recipe for beer crust. The yeast in the beer rises the dough so it makes a really simple and delicious crust.

The beer dough:

• 3 cups unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (12ounce) can or bottle beer (beer such as Budweiser is fine)
• Oil for greasing

To make the crust, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour in the beer and mix well. The dough will be sticky. Spread a handful of flour on your work surface and dump the dough onto it. Toss the dough around to coat it with the flour and prevent it from sticking. Knead it 2 or 3 times to make it pliable. Shape the dough into a ball, then divide it in two.

spread the toppings and cook for 12-15 minutes

Garden Fresh Breakfast

Scrambled eggs with tomato, basil and onion with a side of toast covered in blackberry jam

Fresh tomato and basil from our garden

It's my day off, so I woke up without an alarm at about 9:30am, watered the garden, did a 20 minute workout and then showered and got ready for the day. I realized after all of this that I was hungry, but it was already nearly lunch time. I remembered seeing a ripe tomato and fresh basil in the garden and wanted to use it. So I made an egg dish with these two garden fresh ingredients, plus some chopped onion, sea salt and pepper. It was delicious. The basil was incredibly fragrant, I can still taste it so keep in mind that a little goes a long way. While the eggs were cooking on medium heat, I put a slice of Dave's Killer bread in the toaster and topped it with butter and homemade blackberry jelly. I wish the whole meal could have been farm fresh, with eggs from the Sibold's chickens, and cheese and butter from a cow, but I did what I could in my "suburb-ian" lifestyle. Until next time, keep eating :)

Dinner & Dessert for Two

I was craving spaghetti the other day and what better way to satisfy a craving, than make it yourself. So I surprised my mom with dinner when she got home from work. I made her famous spaghetti sauce using garlic, ground beef, canned tomatoes and tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and salt & pepper. This sauce is simple and delicious. The side salad is just a spring mix, cut up carrots, parmesan and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Before I made the sauce I made homemade rosemary bread from a recipe I got from my friend Sara (Busch) Dalton. I got the idea to braid the loaf from my mom.

Sara's Easy Yeast Bread Recipe

2 tsp instant yeast

1 tsp salt

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup olive oil

optional seasonings (I use a few TB rosemary)

3 cups flour

Directions:

combine flour, yeast and salt and seasonings in a bowl or food processor. Then add water stirring with a spoon or the machine. Add olive oil and continue to mix for 1 minute or so, then add water by the TB if needed until a ball forms. If using a mixer, keep it on for 10 minutes. Then split the dough into three sections and roll them out. Attach them at the top and braid the pieces together securing them at the end. Let the bread rise for another 10-15 minutes on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees F. I have done this recipe with and without a food processor and found that the texture of the bread is much better using the mixer.

For dessert I made homemade strawberry shortcake, using a recipe from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

2 cups flour

2 TB sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup light cream

1 beaten egg

3-4 cups sugared strawberries

1 cup whipping cream or vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Sift together dry ingredients and cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Then combine egg and cream adding all at once. Stir only until moistened and separate into medium sized cakes and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 450 degrees F. Remove from pan and cool. Break open each cake and place ice cream or whipped cream and the sugared strawberries in between the two sides.

Overall it turned out to be a wonderfully classic dinner for two.

Houseboat Cookin'

Preparing a salad with caramelized walnuts & almonds (caramelizing is so easy, all you need is to heat 1/4 cup sugar and nuts in a saucepan to get candied nuts) a great addition to salad

Serving up chicken curry with cashews and currants on a bed of white rice

For the last week I was on a houseboat on the glorious Lake Billy Chinook with my entire family. Some may think it crazy to be in such small quarters with over 15 people but we love it! The house boating tradition came about when I was 9 and we went consistently for a few years after. As we all got older, it was more difficult to synchronize schedules so we have not been in a while. This week was a great chance for our family to relax and get away from our busy lives. Each year that we have done the houseboat the moms have been given tasks. Grandma is in charge of breakfast, Kathy in charge of lunch, my mom in charge of dinner and Pam in charge of drinks and snacks. All of these jobs take a lot of prep work, and this year I helped my mom every step of the way. We started a few weeks early and made lasagna first because it freezes so well, then we made chicken enchiladas, BBQ ribs, ham roast, chicken curry, and homemade chili. Each night I went down to the kitchen with my mom and helped by making a salad. I learned so much this last week, mostly that you can create a salad even if you don't have lettuce. We made coleslaw, cucumber salad with balsamic, and fresh crawdad slaw. Also, if you are out of salad dressing you can make some with mayo, mustard, garlic, oil, sugar and S&P. Being on a houseboat with limited amount of ingredients really posed a challenge for our creativity but each day I learned more and will be able to use this new found creativity in my own kitchen someday.

"Hearty" Cupcakes

Ok, I know the title is corny, but I couldn't help it. Last night we had our friends the Cha's over for dinner. My mom and I made up a baked Italian Ziti with penne pasta, ground beef, Italian bacon, spinach, cheese and onions in a homemade tomato sauce. We also made homemade French bread and salad. The dinner was great and I am learning so much from my mom about how to create something delicious out of minimal ingredients. For dessert I wanted to use these chocolates we got from our Norwegian relatives, they are thin milk chocolate hearts that I used as garnish. Once I cooked the cupcakes, I thought they were too pretty to frost so I just put a dollop of frosting in the middle to secure the chocolate heart. I did not have muffin cups so I had to put the batter straight in the cupcake pans. Trying to get them out of the pan was difficult, there was a a lot of cupcake stuck at the bottom. So while it was moist I cleaned them out and rolled the excess into a ball and placed it into a plastic bag. Then I put it in the freezer for about 2 hours and ate it later. It was delicious! It tasted like a homemade truffle, so I made about 6 of them. I found the recipe online and it is really simple. This recipe makes about 16 cupcakes.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Frost with your favorite frosting when cool.

Makeshift Cookie Cutters

Toothbrush/ Carrot Cookies

A few weeks ago my mom had a group of friends from her dental office over for dinner and she had promised them all toothbrush shaped sugar cookies. Years ago, when she graduated from dental hygiene school she got these toothbrush cookie cutters from my aunt Pam. just a few hours before the dinner my mom and I were preparing and she discovered that she no longer had those cookie cutters. She had lent them out and never got them back. She was terribly distressed, knowing that she had told everyone that these cookies would be there. Trying to help, I looked through the rest of the cookie cutters and found a carrot shaped one from an easter package. I looked at and thought it could pass for a toothbrush so I temporarily bent it to look the part. I spent two hours frosting each cookie while my mom and our friend Matthew continued cooking dinner. So what do you think? Can you tell they were carrots?

It's Been a While

Hello all, I have not posted for almost two months now because I wasn't sure what direction to take from here. I graduated from Oklahoma Christian University at the end of April so I am no longer a college student. After graduating I moved back home with my parents in Oregon to save up money. During this time I transferred David's Bridal's and I am now a bridal consultant at the Clackamas Store. In this time I have been working, seeing friends, sleeping and repeating that process over and over. I have still been cooking from time to time with my mom, in our kitchen at home and this kitchen is 5 times as spacious as the one in my apartment.

The current gourmet kitchen I have access to...

So while I am living here I will not be cooking on a college budget. I feel like I need a new name for my blog but I am not sure what to call it yet... Ideas anyone? For now I will write about the culinary adventures I will be taking with my mom and on some days my sister. Hope you enjoy and continue to read through this transition.

Homemade Lasagna

Homemade Lasagna with a ground beef marinara, topped with parmesan and mozzarella

I have had the ingredients for a lasagna for weeks. So long in fact, that the cottage cheese I was going to use went bad. After purchasing a new carton of cottage cheese I finally had the time to make it. Monday I didn't have any class so I made it then. It is a pretty simple recipe I got from my mom, but I used more budget friendly ingredients. I started by cooking the lasagna noodles in salted water for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then I browned a pound of ground beef with salt and pepper. (Generally I use garlic as well but did not have it at the time). Once the meat was browned I added mariana sauce purchased for 84 cents at Walmart. Then I added about 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning. While the sauce was simmering I made the filling using a carton of cottage cheese, a cup of parmesan and a cup of mozzarella, more Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. (Amount can vary to liking). As soon as I finished the filling and the sauce I drained the noodles and let them cool. When the noodles cooled I started the layering process. I put down a layer of noodles, sauce, and filling and repeated the process until finished. I originally topped it with mozzarella and parmesan but it didn't have enough moisture. So later I added more sauce and cheese to the top and it made it much better. Wednesday night I took it over to Mark and Sarah's apartment and had a double date dinner with them and Shane. Lasagna is not something you make for just two people, it is way too time consuming for that:)

Chicken Fajitas

Sliced chicken thighs with salt pepper and taco seasoning (this shows how much counter space I have to work with...)

Homemade Chicken Fajitas with mozzarella cheese, salsa and tortilla chips

I have not posted anything in about a month, it has been busy. I left for spring break on a rock climbing trip in the Wichita Mountains and came back to rehearsal for the show I am in now. Anyway, I finally felt the urge to cook again, so before rehearsal on thursday I made dinner. I have not been to the store in a few weeks so I was pretty limited on my resources. I had two chicken thighs that I salted and peppered. then I cooked them on my cast iron until they were a little underdone. Then I removed them from the pan and placed them on a cutting board. After they cooled I used a serrated knife to cut the chicken into slices. Generally this works better with chicken breasts, but I only had thighs. After I removed all the meat from the bone I placed the strips back into the pan on low heat and sprinkled about 1 1/2-2 TB taco seasoning. This is when the chicken was able to fully cook without overcooking it. While I was doing the chicken I heated another pan with a little olive oil and placed each tortilla on it to get them warm and crispy. After those were finished I divided the chicken into each tortilla and topped it with shredded mozzarella cheese (because I ran out of cheddar). Then I carefully wrapped them and topped the whole thing with mild salsa. The chips on the side were commandeered from the cafeteria. If I had more resources I would have added onions, lettuce, tomatoes and all the great things that go on a fajita, but for what I had it ended up being pretty tasty.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Baked Macaroni & Cheese topped with shredded cheese and homemade toasted breadcrumbs

Pretty much every OC student does their grocery shopping at Walmart. It's not ideal for gourmet meals, but I have been trying my best. At Walmart, the cheapest brand is called "great value" some products still taste pretty great, others however, are disgusting. One unfortunate great value purchase I made was their 30 cent macaroni and cheese. I made it a few weeks ago and the cheese mix had the consistency of paste. I didn't want to waste the perfectly good noodles, so I saved them for this recipe idea.

The other day, I was watching Rachel Ray and learned how to make my own bread crumbs. for the past few weeks I have been saving the heels of various types of bread and freezing them, then when I was ready to use them I toasted them in the oven at 350 degrees F for 5-8 minutes and then let them cool a bit. Then I put them in a food processor to turn them into bread crumbs. (They are an important aspect of this recipe) I found this recipe on Foodnetwork.com. I did not use the onions or paprika, and I also used regular dijon mustard for the sauce and felt like it worked well.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 large egg
• 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh black pepper

Topping:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Homemade Mini Toffee Cheese Cake

Making the batter and spooning it into the muffin tins

Finished product of the Mini Toffee Cheese Cakes, with a homemade graham cracker crust

I used the leftover batter and crust and laid it in a loaf pan to make a whole cheese cake, I used this pan because I don't own an actual cheese cake pan.

I got this recipe from food network.com and brought some of my own ideas into it. Instead of using peanut butter cups, I used some toffee chips I already had in my cupboard and some leftover brownie crumbs. I stirred these straight into the batter as opposed to placing a single mini peanut butter cup at the bottom of the muffin tin. I wanted chocolate in every bite:-)

Also, this is the first time I have ever made a graham cracker crust and it is so easy, there is really no reason to buy it pre-made (just another money saver idea)

Peanut Butter Cheese Cake Minis

Ingredients

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

4 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

12 bite-size peanut butter cups

Filling:

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or almond extract

2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup of a standard muffin pan.

To make crust, in a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until crumbs are moistened. Press crust into bottom of each muffin cup. Put 1 peanut butter cup into the center of each crust.

Beat cream cheese with a handheld electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, flour, and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Spoon cream cheese mixture over peanut butter cups and graham cracker crusts. Bake until just set, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving.

I suggest putting these in the refrigerator about 10 minutes after they leave the oven, to quicken the cooling process. I also learned that once they have been refrigerated it is a lot easier to remove the baking cups from the cheese cakes.

Smoked Paprika Salmon

Baked Salmon with a smoked paprika and mayonnaise topping. sides include a brown rice and quinoa mix, carrot sticks and of course, applesauce

This meal was relatively easy, and Shane helped so it made it even easier. We started with one frozen salmon fillet and covered it in a thin layer of mayonnaise and sprinkled smoked paprika. Then we put it into the oven, on a cast iron pan for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. We this fillet was thicker on one side than the other, so the thicker side did not cook all the way through. One way to fix this is to nuke it in the microwave for 1 minute (we learned this after eating it of course.) Microwaving it brings out the nice flaky texture. For the sides all we had to do was heat up the already made rice, slice the carrots and pour the applesauce. It was easy and delicious and only took about 30 minutes. I could send this idea to Rachel Ray and maybe get a few dollars... just kidding :-) Until next time.

Homemade Brownie Bites

fresh homemade brownies, straight out of the oven

This recipe came from my mom, she used it to make brownies for her family when she was young and could get it done within one commercial break. I started making them for the house church I help lead every Thursday night. It is a simple recipe, you can even make it without an electric mixer. I bake them in a casserole dish and then cut them into little bite size pieces so that I have enough for the people at house church. Everyone loves these brownies, they are moist, sweet and delicious. Thanks to my mom for the great recipe, I hope I can memorize it soon. Here it is if you want some simple yummy brownies.

Lori's Brownies:

1 1/2 cup flour

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup shortening or butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

7 tbsp cocoa powder

mix these ingredients together, butter cake pans or shallow casserole dishes. (do not use a loaf pan, it will take forever to cook, I learned that one from experience.) Pour in the batter and cook for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Enjoy:)

Bean Fiasco Turned into Dinner For One

Nacho's with black beans, brown rice, cheese and salsa

Most of the time I am hesitant to make a nice dinner for myself, mostly because I don't want to use the effort just for one person. However, making nachos is simple, fast and delicious. The other night Shane and I made black bean and rice quesadillas for dinner. I had some left over rice and beans, so I put them in a tupperware container to save them. I shook the container to mix it and Shane said, "shake it like you mean it" then he took the tupperware and shook it really hard. Unfortunately I had not secured the lid so rice and beans exploded. they went all over Shane's clothes, all over my dress, and all over the counters, stove and floor. We were both shocked and all I could do was laugh. Luckily we got it all cleaned up and I removed the stains from our clothes. The moral of the story: make sure the lid is secure before shaking the contents.

Anyway, having the left over rice and beans is what gave me the idea to make nachos. All I had to do was place chips on the plate, top them with cheese, rice, beans and salsa and placed it in the microwave for 1 minute. It was so delicious I made it two nights in a row. Hopefully next time, we wont lose half of the contents of the rice and beans so that I can make more nachos:) Until next time.

Three Cheese Tortellini

Three Cheese Tortellini with a marinara meat sauce, Mediterranean spices and parmesan cheese. Sides include buttered garlic toast and applesauce

This is a really simple dish. I got a package of pre-made tortellini, so all I had to do was cook them. These can be a little pricy meaning $4-$5, (which is pricy on a college budget), So I do not always get them. While the tortellini was cooking I made a marinara sauce out of half a pound ground beef, garlic, salt, pepper and a Mediterranean spice blend. Once the meat was browned I added half of an 84 cent can of marinara sauce and let it simmer.

Once the pasta was cooked I emptied the water and mixed the sauce and tortellini by folding it into the pot. (Folding is a careful way of mixing ingredients if you were not sure.) This way I didn't puncture any of the tortellini by stirring it in. Then I popped some bread in the toaster, spread it with some garlic and butter, sprinkled parmesan over the pasta and served the applesauce. I love Italian food and it is so simple to make, so there will be a variety of Italian ideas on this blog. Hope you are enjoying it:)

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls: Mmm Mmm Good

Fresh, homemade cinnamon rolls covered in a vanilla glaze and topped with diced roasted almonds sprinkled on top

I had a little extra time on my hands tonight because I finished my homework and didn't have to go to work. So I decided to make cinnamon rolls. This process is tedious and took me about two hours overall but it was well worth it. First I made the dough, and let it rise for about 45 minutes. While it was rising I made the simple vanilla glaze which only consists of powdered sugar, water, vanilla extract and butter. When the dough was ready I rolled it out and spread the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon on it. Whenever I roll up the cinnamon roll I always end up losing a lot of the filling. I am not sure how to avoid this so if any of you have any tips, please let me know.

Pre-baked cinnamon rolls

I buttered each pan and sprinkled a little brown sugar on it before placing the rolls down. Then I put them in the oven for about 25 minutes, so they would not overcook. After that I let them cool and then dipped each in the glaze and sprinkled almonds on top. Then I had all of these cinnamon rolls and no one to share them with, so I invited my friends Paul and Gray to come over and try them. Both guys gave a good review so I will be making these again when I get the chance. I you want this recipe just let me know:) Until next time.

Braum's Delight

Braum's Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sundae, made with peanut butter cup ice cream and complete with whipped cream and a cherry

I, like many other college students, am on a budget. However every once in a while it is necessary to splurge on ice cream. I work every weekend so I don't ever get a chance to have a lot of fun. This last Friday night Shane and I had a measly dinner because I had not gotten a chance to go to the grocery store. Naturally we were still hungry, but I had to get to work. He drove with me because I was a little apprehensive about the ice. After work he picked me up and I was ravenous. Ice cream sounded sooo good. So we went to Braum's. For those of you that are not Southerners, that is a great ice cream/grocery place, and I got this delicious Sundae for under 3 dollars! I'm not advocating this for every weekend, but once in a while treat yourself to some ice cream, it's good for your soul!

Chicken Parmigiana

Chicken Parmesan and Minestrone soup. Sides include oven roasted carrots and garlic bread

Everyone loves Italian. For this meal I started by slicing the carrots for the side dish. I love carrots but I feel like it is too easy to over cook them when they are prepared in water. So i found an alternative. I slice them into sticks, cover them in olive oil and some Italian seasoning and placed them in a 400 degree oven until they were browned (usually about 20 to 30 minutes depending on how thinly sliced the carrots are.) This is my new favorite side dish, the texture is great and it has a very savory flavor. IF you do not like Italian seasoning they also taste great with salt and pepper. While these are in the oven I worked on the chicken.

I prepared a chicken breast the same way I did for the Chicken curry recipe (stove top) but when it was cooked I covered it in marinara sauce and parmesan and placed it in the oven until the cheese melted nicely. Then I heated up some left over minestrone soup and made the garlic bread using leftover bread. I also like to add a little Italian seasoning to the garlic bread to "kick it up a notch" (as Emeril would say.) Overall this is a really simple and delicious meal that I will definitely be making again.

Honey Baked Ham

Baked ham with a honey glaze, sides include a pre-made rice mixture and applesauce. Shane was especially excited to eat this one

This meal was inspired by my mother, and it pales in comparison to hers. However, I still consider myself an amateur chef, so there is plenty of room for improvement. I got the frozen ham form Walmart and it was a little too salty. I'm not sure if it was my fault or the actual meat was salted. Regardless, it was still an enjoyable meal. All it took was making the glaze which included honey, brown sugar and cinnamon. I used a small ham so it only took about an hour to cook. During this time you can study or do any homework, you may have while waiting for the ham to cook.

Simple Chicken Curry

Chicken Curry, sides include a quick serve rice mix and canned green beans (which I do not recommend and will not be using again)

I love yellow curry, but I always thought that it would be hard to make and expensive. but it's not. I made this meal in about a half an hour. Thawing the chicken before hand will really save you a lot of time.

Before you start, place the thawed chicken breast on a frying pan, cast iron if you have it (you actually intake more iron by using them, and they heat up fast.) Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken, put a little olive oil on the pan and cook on medium heat until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. While the chicken is cooking, start the sauce.

The sauce is really simple. I started with some chopped white onions. I placed the onions on the bottom of a small pot and browned them with butter. after they got sufficiently brown, about 7-8 minutes, I added about a half cup of milk and a few tablespoons of flour. the ratio of milk and flour depend on how think you want your sauce. if it seems a little runny add more flour, if it is dry add more milk until you find a perfect consistency. once this consistency is reached, I added a few teaspoons of yellow curry powder, which can be found at Walmart for a good price. Then I added salt and pepper to taste.

The leftovers of this meal made a great casserole. I sliced the chicken up and mixed it with the rice and corn. Then i sprinkled parmesan cheese over the top and put it in the oven just until the cheese melted. It was a completely different meal, using the same food. This is a great way to save money and fully use your resources.

Good Ol' Meat Loaf

I made this meat loaf my junior year. It was scrumptious. All it really takes is some ground beef, eggs, oatmeal, tomato sauce and some spices. The side dishes include canned sweet potatoes with a dash of cinnamon, cooked broccoli and a fresh sliced mango. Here is a great Meatloaf recipe to try it yourself.

Classic Meat Loaf

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 egg

1/2 onion, chopped

dashes of salt, pepper, oregano, thyme

2/3 can tomato sauce

Mix ingredients together with your hands and place in a greased loaf pan for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Take out, cool and serve.