recipe – forEVR and always

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

December 9, 20131 Comment

We had such a fun weekend in NYC with all our family, which I am sure to be sharing pictures etc. from soon, but first I wanted to share a recipe from last week! I wanted to try something new since I’m pretty bored of our same 10 meals, and this was a weird twist on ziti both Jay and I ended up loving. Below is the recipe, make please, and enjoy!

WHAT YOU NEED

1 lb chicken breasts (boiled and shredded)
1 lb ziti
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup buffalo sauce (I used franks buffalo)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup blue cheese dressing
1/4 cup parm cheese
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
Black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil your chicken in water, drain, let cool, and shred. I did this way earlier in the day and then stored it in the fridge until I was ready to cook dinner

2. Boil your pasta according to box and let drain.

3. While the pasta is boiling mix the chicken, mozz, buffalo, ricotta, and dressing in a big bowl. When the pasta is done and drained add this to the mix.

4. Once everything is all mixed up, spread in a glass baking pan and top with the breadcrumbs and parm (I pre-mixed the crumbs and cheese).

5. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

6. Once it is done baking broil for 1-2 minutes depending on your oven. Mine is really hot and the top was browned in about 1 minute.

7. Your all done…mmmm

xo-j

Umm that wind was wild

November 25, 2013Leave a comment

Soooo the wind this weekend was absolutely insane. I thought our house was going to blow over at least 3 times! This is the part of dog ownership that totally sucks. Going out in 20 degree wild wind is not my idea of fun at 8am…yuck.

The cold weather does lend itself to crazy heavy and delicious meals though, which I love. I made tortilla soup on Sunday without a recipe and it came out really really great (going to share in a minute). Every single recipe (even the ones that said “easy”) online had 55 ingredients. I am a good cook, I can handle making something difficult, what I don’t want is to have to spend $30 on spices I will only use once, and waste vegetables that I won’t cook with again soon enough. Plus, the grocery stores were so busy this weekend, I nearly had a fist fight in Trader Joe’s (ok I didn’t, but I wanted to!). Anyway, here is what I did, and like I always say (and mean it) it came out really great!

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 1/4 lbs of chicken breast cubed((ish)
15 oz can diced tomato & green chilies fire roasted (Traders! or buy separately)
1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (this decides the heat)
1 chopped medium onion
2 boxes Swanson Mexican Tortilla Broth (greatest product ever)
1/2 tbs garlic (to taste)
Some garlic salt, onion powder, s&p
Lime, Avocado, Tortilla Strips, Cheese, Sour Cream (all optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Put chicken, tomato/chile, chipotle peppers, onion, garlic, & broth in the crock pot on high. Let this cook for about 2 hours.

2. Use a ladle to take out the chunks of chicken, onion, tomato & pepper. This doesn’t have to be exact, but make sure to get the big pieces of chicken. Put this in the blender and blend it up quickly. Don’t purée this, just give it a light, quick mix.

3. Put it all back in the crock pot (do the blending in batches) and add the seasonings you are going to want. I added about 1 tsp of onion powder, garlic salt, and just a pinch of salt. Now let this cook for another couple hours (or 10 minutes if you need dinner).

4. You’re basically done. Scoop it out and enjoy with whatever toppings you like. I did some lime juice, pinch of cheddar, tortillas and sour cream, but honestly, it would have tasted great without these additions too!

Mmm.

On a totally different note, thanks to Jay for being my cheerleader. Saturday I really missed my friends. Everyone was together in NYC & NC and I was struggling a bit with how much I missed them. I love our new life here, but there will always be days I miss the ease of having my best friends right around the corner (whether it’s college or Brooklyn). Thankfully, I have Jay, who not only completely understood, but got me ground beef disturbing Taco Bell for dinner, played a flower game with me, and reminded me of how lucky I am.

xo-j

Sausage & Brussels

November 7, 2013November 6, 20131 Comment

We eat chicken sausage probably once a week. They are so delicious, and not SO horrible for you! How I have never combined my bizarre love of Brussel sprouts and sausages before I don’t know. The hardest part of this recipe is chopping the sprouts, seriously. Anyways, wanted to share another simple one that ends up really really tasty!

Chicken Sausage & Brussels

What You Need:

Chicken Sausage (I get Aidells garlic & gruyere)
Ziti
Brussel Sprouts (I use the frozen ones)Olive Oil
S&P

Directions:

Make your sprouts! Preheat oven to 425*.

1. Defrost the sprouts in mic with 2 tbsp of water and then cut them in half/quarter

2. Toss the chopped sprouts in olive oil and about 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp salt (change this to taste)

3. Spread them out on an aluminum foil lined pan and bake for about 30 minutes, but this depends on your oven and how brown you want them. Keep on checking and shaking and tasting and salting throughout the cooking process.

4. In the meantime boil your water, cook your pasta, and cook your sausages. I slice the sausages up while cooking into bite size pieces.

5. When it is all cooked, toss it all together with a little bit of olive oil and done!

Hope you guys make this one and enjoy it, it has become a staple over here!

xo- J

Best Turkey Burgers

October 23, 2013Leave a comment

Since we are a no-beef house I’m always trying to find new recipes for chicken and turkey that don’t take a ton of time, but are really tasty. I loosely based making some turkey burgers last night on my meatballs and whoa, so good. I’m all about easy and not having to go buy bizarre ingredients that cost way too much (why does every food network recipe require me to spend $60 on spices I will never use again?!). Here ya go:

TURKEY BURGERS

What You Need:

1 pound ground turkey (I use the white meat 93% fat free super healthy one)
1/8 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg white
1 tsp onion powder
1/8th cup chopped parsley
1 clove diced up garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8th cup Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix everything together in a bowl except the Worcestershire sauce

2. Once that is all mixed up really well, then pour the W. sauce on top and mix it all again.

3. Make that disturbing looking meat into some patties!

4. Cook the burgers in a pan. I used about 2 tbsp of olive oil. Heat the oil first, then add burgers. Cook them for 2 minutes on one side and then flip (this way both sides get brown and they don’t fall apart). Flip them a couple times through the cooking (about 15 minutes on med-high with cover)

5. Add your toppings! I used munster cheese and made some sauteed spinach (with soy and garlic powder)

6. Enjoy that amazing (and healthy) turkey burger on a toasted bun!

Promise you, these are awesome.

xo-j

Chowdahhh

October 15, 2013October 14, 2013Leave a comment

Since it’s started to get cold here I keep having cravings for soup. Anyone who has ever met Jay knows he is obsessed with soup (it’s weird) so it works out when I get the urge to try out a new one! This weekend, while Reggie was visiting (!!), I decided to try out a clam chowder crock pot recipe, and oh man, so good. I did make some changes to the recipe and thought I would share what I did…

CLAM CHOWDER in the CROCK POT

WHAT YOU NEED

4 – 6 1/2 oz cans of minced clams (with the juice)
1 cup chopped onion
5 potatoes chopped up
2 cups water
1 cup chicken stock
3 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup half & half
3 cups milk (I used skim)
5 tbsp corn starch
Parsley for garnish

(The recipe called for 8 potatoes, 3 cups water (no stock), 1/4 tsp pepper, 4 cups half and half, and 3 tbsp corn starch…I read a bunch of the comments and ended up using the mix of recipes and it came out perfect. I can’t imagine fitting more than the 5 potatoes in the soup!)

DIRECTIONS

1. Chop up your onion

2. Chop up your potatoes (I left the skin on)

3. Cook your bacon in a pan until it is nearly done. Then add your onion to the pan and allow to cook until soft (about 5 minutes) with the bacon. Then remove from heat and crumble/chop up the cooked bacon.

4. Add the clams, bacon, onion, potatoes, s&p, water, & stock to the crock pot. DO NOT add the milk or corn starch. Allow this to cook on high for about 4 hours.

5. Once the soup has cooked for 4 hours, mix 1 cup half & half with the cornstarch and add it to the soup. Continue to cook for another hour.

6. My crock pot by this point was completely filled to the brim, so once I had allowed the corn starch mix to cook for an hour I poured the soup into a big pot and added the remaining 3 cups of milk then. I allowed it to heat up on the stove for about 15 minutes.

7. Cut up some bread and enjoy! I ended up loading a ton more black pepper and hot sauce into my own bowl, but each person likes their own level of spice so I didn’t add it to the full pot.

If you have the time on a Sunday to chop things up and wait for this to cook, it is totally worth it!

xo – j

Easy Bean

October 9, 2013October 9, 20132 Comments

I have said this time and time again, my Mom is the most amazing cook. She makes the simplest things beyond delicious. This is one of the easiest recipes to make on a weeknight and it is not only healthy but really tasty! Mom, I’m sorry to tell the world that you are the queen of easy cooking…but it’s all so good who cares!

BEANS & VEG RECIPE

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 cans of beans (sometimes I use kidney sometimes black, other times a combo, does not matter)
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp onion salt
A bunch of vegetables (different every time, but ALWAYS diced tomatoes):
Frozen broccoli
Frozen greenbeans
Can of corn
Water chestnuts (seriously anything you have)
Can of diced tomatoes
Cooked Rice (I use trader joes ready rice that you cook in the microwave)
1 cup or so of mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat up all those vegetables…that’s right, throw them in a pan together frozen or canned who cares and cook them. The only thing is make sure anything canned has been drained. This will take about 5 minutes.

2. Add the beans (make sure they are drained)

3. Stir it all up and add the garlic & onion salt (do this to taste, I use more like a tbsp of garlic salt, and I use a lot of red and black pepper)

4. Let that cook up for about 10 minutes or until you see some bubbles. And in the meantime cook up your rice. Trader Joe’s is seriously amazing for this, it’s 2 minutes in the microwave. Once you see bubbles, do a taste test to see if you have the right amount of seasonings. Then mix it all together…

5. Now top all that mixture with cheese (again, I use a ton)

6. That is it! It seems like it would be bland or boring but it is hearty and extremely delicious!

Enjoy this amazing weeknight meal!

xo- j

Blueberry Cake

October 3, 2013Leave a comment

I am not a dessert eater. I love an oreo, but otherwise, it isn’t my thing…blueberry cake is the exception. My Mom and Aunts have always made this and it is simply the most delicious thing you will ever eat!

RECIPE

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 tsps vanilla
3 cups flour
3 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp sugar & cinnamon & nutmeg
1 box blueberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together sugar and shortening, then add eggs and beat well

2. Add vanilla and mix some more

3. Add dry ingredients and add the milk gradually. Now mix it up even more

4. Flour your blueberries

5. Fold the blueberries into the mixture

6. Pour the batter into a greased pan and top with cinnamon/sugar/nutmeg (I always use more than a tsp)

7. Bake for 1 hour at 350* and then enjoy!

I promise this cake will become one of your staples. A hint: use whole milk so the blueberries don’t sink! xo- j

Game of Thrones (Lemon Cakes Recipe)

April 17, 2013Leave a comment

This weekend was Jay’s birthday, but more importantly, Sunday is Game of Thrones night. I wanted to do something fun to celebrate for him, but also GOT themed. I decided to make Lemon Cakes! I realize I am a total dork, but…I love it!

You can find the recipe here. They were a little weird, but delicious.

If I make these again I will definitely cook them a little longer…maybe if you have a gas oven they cook a bit quicker than with electric…not sure. Regardless, a delicious themed dessert for the birthday man!

xo-j

egg cupcakes

March 29, 2013Leave a comment

Last night jay had a basketball game, and when I am home alone….I go crazy after a while. I can’t stand having idle hands! I decided to try and make Easter cupcakes in eggshells. They turned out great and I thought I would share the how to!

WHAT YOU NEED:

12 large eggs (you will empty them out, and if your cupcake recipe calls for eggs you can use the inside of the ones you empty)
Corkscrew
Foil
Plastic Bag
Cupcake mix or recipe of your choosing (you can fill these with any cupcake batter)

1. Wash your eggs!

2. Take the corkscrew and make a pin-sized hole in the bottom of the egg. Then slowly make the hole larger so that it is around the size of a dime. Don’t be afraid to press hard into the egg!

2. Empty the contents of the egg into a bowl using the corkscrew to ease it out. When you are done rinse the eggs well inside and out, then put in a saltwater bath for 30 minutes (make sure to let the saltwater get into the egg so it sinks)

4. Make your cupcake batter while the eggs are soaking (any batter you love).

5. Once the eggs have soaked, rinse them again well in the sink (inside and out), and place on a paper towel hole side down

6. Pour the batter into a plastic bag and cut a small hole in the tip of the bag…this will be your egg filler!

7. Fill those eggs up and place them in a cupcake tray. I used some foil to hold them upright and into place…

7. Bake and don’t worry that the cupcake is pouring out!

8. Cut off the excess cupcake and clean the outside of the egg with a damp paper towel

9. Crack shell & top with frosting if you like! You did it!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and Happy Easter!

xo-j

chicken pasta

March 19, 2013Leave a comment

My Mom is an amazing cook…but much to her annoyance, all of our favorite meals she makes take her 20 minutes. She can spend hours and hours making a meal, and we will all love it just about the same as the simple things. Having been cooking on my own for a while now, I understand why this makes her nuts. To spend hours on a cake when everyone would rather eat the Shop Rite cookies…ugh!

Anyway, she gave me this recipe for chicken pasta and it has become a staple in our apartment. Jay’s #1 request…so I thought I would share since, at the end of the work day, who has 4 hours to make the food network version of recipes with 984 ingredients, when everyone loves the simple recipe just as much, if not more!

CHICKEN PASTA

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 lb chicken breast
2 cans cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup (i use one of each)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup parm
1 box ziti
Frozen broccoli (or frozen mix)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown and dice the chicken in a deep pan (that has a lid)with a little oil & butter. I put some red pepper flakes on mine in the pan, let it brown, then dice in the pan.

2. While the chicken is browning, bring a pot of water to a boil for the ziti.

3. Once the chicken is browned, add the milk, parm, and soup. Stir it up, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.

4. Cover the chicken mix and let it simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

5. Cook the pasta for the recommended time on the box (normally 10 minutes). The last 3 minutes of the pasta cooking, add your frozen broc or frozen mix to the boiling pasta.

(so if it is 10 minute pasta time, after 7 minutes add the broc, return to boil for the remaining 3 minutes)

6. Drain the pasta/veg mix, and add to the simmering chicken/soup mix that has been cooking for 10 minutes (it’s ok if it has been longer)…

7. Now stir it alllllll up!

8. Top with the cheddar. The recipe says 1/2 cup…both my Mom and I are cheese liberal, I use at least a cup…probably more. Then cover so it melts on top (about 1 minute) and you are done! Look how delicious!!

That is it! Easy, delicious, happy. In an effort to be healthy I served ours with a little salad that I made (arugula, strawberries, parm, and homemade dressing)…

Beware, making this recipe will result in you making this recipe thousands of times because everyone loves it! Thanks Mom!

xo-j

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