Balsamic Chicken and Stove-top Potatoes

I find a lot of chicken recipes on Pinterest, but usually the time it takes to bake really turns me off. When I finally get home after a long day I am usually starving and I do not want to wait another 45 minutes to an hour to finally have something ready to eat. Usually this means a stop at the dining hall or something involving pasta.... or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (gourmet, I know). But I think time is the biggest enemy to making a real, tasty, healthy(-er) meal at any point in life, especially college.

The other night I had some extra time because I got out of a class early and was able to get a real lunch, so I wasn't as hungry right away. Dave had class, so I decided to make him something for when he got out and I had a little time to kill... not that that stopped me from snacking on grapes and slices of bell pepper as I cooked.

Balsamic Chicken
Original Recipe: Frugal Follies

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 large onion, cut into eighths (I sliced it, but eighths would probably be quicker)
• 1 bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch slices (I used an orange one)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  

Cover the bottom and sides of a baking pan (I used a glass 13X9 in.) with aluminum foil (technically not necessary, but you will thank me when you have to clean up).  Place chicken breasts in the pan and cover with the slices of onions and pepper.  Sprinkle garlic on top.  In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, sugar, oil, and pepper.  Pour the mixture over the chicken and vegetables.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.

The chicken and veggies would be fine on their own, or with a side salad, but I whipped up these tasty potatoes my mom taught me to make when she was visiting for my surgery. Technically I don't have a recipe for these, and I was mostly just winging it, but I've found the best way to cook something new is just throwing a bunch of stuff in the pot and hoping it turns out right.

Stove-Top Potatoes
Ingredients:

• 3-4 large potatoes (any kind will work)
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Italian Seasoning

Directions:

Heat a pot or skillet on the stove-top over medium heat. Chop potatoes into cubes, roughly the same size. I cut them in half, cut the halves in half, and then cut them into squares. Place them in the pan and cover with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, or until all the potatoes are lightly covered with oil. Sprinkle in salt, pepper, and italian seasoning. Reduce heat to medium low and cover, stirring often. Cook until a fork can be easily inserted (I didn't have a timer going, but I think it was about 20-30 minutes).

Dave Approved :)

The Best College Breakfast

This is my favorite thing to get for breakfast at the local family diner down the street from my apartment. Before noon its only $2.95, and it is the BEST... not to mention the best hangover cure ever.

I got the idea to make it myself when I was Skyping my best friend Ethan last year.  Not that it is a complicated idea, I just never thought about getting the frozen hashbrowns. Now I keep a bag in my freezer at all times for those rough mornings after a night out, or even when I just have some extra time to enjoy a tasty breakfast like I did this morning. This is for a single serving, but it could be made for more... Cooking over-easy eggs is (as I hear every time I ask my mom to make them for me) one of the more difficult techniques, but it is definitely my favorite because the yolks are tasty when they mix with the hashbrowns. If you like a little more ease, a different type of egg-cooking would probably be just as tasty.

The Best College Breakfast

Ingredients:

• Frozen Hashbrowns (I use Ore-Ida)
• Onion (chopped)
• 2 eggs
• Olive Oil
• Two slices of bread and some butter

Directions:

Heat about a tablespoon of oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Throw in a handful of frozen hashbrowns. You can cook them according to the package, but I have found it isn't always the best. I prefer to use oil (and sometimes water) to cook them, adding more if needed. Cover the hashbrowns and allow to cook for about 5 minutes. I usually start cooking the onions at the same time, but I keep them separate in the pan at first to make sure they are cooked enough. After five minutes add a little more oil then flip the hashbrowns and allow to cook a few more minutes.  Mix with the grilled onions when they are starting to slightly brown.

Start toasting bread.

Push the hashbrowns and onions to one side and allow to keep cooking. Add a little more oil to make sure the eggs wont stick.  Crack the eggs in the pan (it is easier if they stay separate, but its not the end of the world if they touch). Allow eggs to cook for about 1-2 minutes, until most of the white is cooked. Flip carefully. Let cook about one more minute and then remove from heat.

Butter the toast, put everything on a plate, grab a cup of orange juice, a mug or hot cocoa or coffee, and dig in!

Personally, I like putting the eggs on top of the hashbrowns, putting some ketchup on everything, mixing it all together and then putting it on the toast. Yummm :)

My Mama's Chicken Rollin' Skills

Tooling around the kitchen is decidedly more difficult on crutches... the lack of hand availability really thwarts most kitchen efforts. Luckily I will be off of them by the end of the weekend, but for now I am dependent for everything from getting rides to getting dinner.

I am so blessed that my beautiful mother could take a week and a half and travel across the country to take care of me. Thankfully the recovery from surgery was a million times easier than my last knee, but it was still great to have her here to take care of me. She also whipped up some food for my freezer for an easy meal  when I don't have much time. She didn't want me taking her picture, but she brought out each stage of the process to where I was sitting on the couch so I could take pictures for this post. This Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana recipe is from Skinnytaste.com which is a great resource for really great, really healthy meals if you are in the market. Some of the directions are very specific because it is originally a weight watchers recipe, don't be afraid to improvise a little bit.  



Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana

Ingredients:

• 8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each
• 1/2 cup whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 6 tablespoons egg whites or egg beaters (about three egg whites)
• 5 oz frozen spinach, squeezed dry of any liquid
• 6 tbsp part skim ricotta cheese
• 6 oz part skim mozzarella, shredded or finely chopped (We used pre-shredded, about 3/4 cups)
• olive oil non-stick spray
• 1 cup pomodoro sauce or your favorite marinara sauce 
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. 

Wash and dry cutlets, pound them flat season with salt and pepper. 
Combine breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese in one bowl and 1/4 cup egg beaters or egg whites in another.

Combine 1.5 oz of shredded mozzarella cheese with remaining grated cheese, spinach (make sure you squeeze it dry), 2 tbsp egg beaters, and ricotta cheese.

Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread 2 tbsp of spinach-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down.

Dip chicken in egg mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish (no toothpicks needed). When finished, lightly spray with olive oil.






(My mom froze them here in small disposable tins--this way I can heat up 4-6 at a time, I'll have dinner for the night, and extras for a friend or leftovers for the next night)


 Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven, top with sauce then cheese.

Bake until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 3 more minutes. Serve with additional sauce on the side and grated cheese.

Alfredo Plus

My dad is home alone for the week while my mom is here taking care of me, and he requested I post something that he can actually eat (besides cupcakes)... 

So here is my first "original" recipe... I guess it isn't technically original, but it is my adaptation of my favorite Fettucini Alfredo recipe from a really great Italian restaurant in my home town. I'm sure you could totally find a healthier alfredo recipe online, but I got a canned version because it was quicker and easier.

Basically this is just a super EASY way to add some flavor to an old favorite. Totally delicious comfort food for yourself, or a great way to impress guests.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Pasta

1 jar Alfredo Sauce

1 large onion

Chicken Breast or Frozen Meatballs (optional)

Directions:

Prepare the pasta according to directions on the package. I used Angel Hair because it is a personal favorite, but fettucini noodles would be perfect too. 

In a large skillet or saucepan heat a few tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Dice the onions and then sauté them for 7-12 minutes (I totally just made that number up... I do most of my cooking by sight, cook them until they are barely browning). Add the alfredo sauce and heat according to the package.

Toss with pasta, or serve separately. I usually cook more pasta than I actually need because it is a super easy way to feed myself for a few days with leftovers.

You could also cook some slices of chicken in olive oil in a skillet, or some meatballs (I buy big bags of frozen ones because they are great to have around, they are great when you want a super quick meal), and add those in for some protein. I wouldn't recommend heating up the meatballs in the alfredo sauce because I thought it gave the sauce too much of a meatball-y flavor and masked the taste of the onions, but Dave liked it so you could always try it and see what you think.

On a side note:

1. Thank you Jubbs for helping me fix all my silly mistakes and typos

2. Don't starve Dad, I love you!

3. Go Niners! Thanks for winning me a nice dinner, made by my boyfriend the Bills fan ;)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

After a few days laid up in a post-surgery haze, I am already ready to get back up and around.  I am definitely thankful for the fact that so far, this recovery has been a million times easier than last time. The brace makes moving around a lot less painful, and I am even able to get in and out of bed and move around by myself. I've barely even had to take pain meds--thankfully. I do not do well with pain meds--and I even got to wash my hair today.... well my mom washed it in the kitchen sink, but it is better than nothing, and I have to celebrate the small victories at this point.

On a brighter note, I want to share my experience making these AWESOME cupcakes from Annie's Eats. These are the second type of cupcakes I made for the boyfriend's birthday last week. Even though it was a tough choice, I think he finally admitted these were his favorite because of the creamy filling.

I loved them because they tasted great and the fact that they were filled made me feel like a Master Baker :)

Once again, Annie's Eats' pictures are a million times better than mine, and there were chocolate chips in there, just not mini ones and I guess none wanted to show up for picture day.. This was one of the only ones left when I took pictures (I told you they went fast!), so this is the only picture I got of the yummy filling. You will just have to make some to see how they look ;)

Annie's recipe also includes directions for a mixer, just as a heads up.

Just as a heads up, I got tired and lazy and just wanted to relax and watch football so I didn't try out the frosting, you will have to let me know how that goes if you try it. I just used plain vanilla frosting... technically it was funfetti frosting without the sprinkles (I was planning on making funfetti cupcakes for the party, but like I said, I pooped out).

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes:

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed

4 large eggs

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

For the Filling:

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

7 oz. sweetened condensed milk

½ tsp. vanilla extract

¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (I used normal sized because that is all I had, but I bet mini would be better)

For the Frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup light brown sugar, packed

2 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

½  tsp. salt

2 tbsp. milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

For garnish (optional):

Tiny chocolate chip cookies

mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). In a large bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the larger bowl beating until just incorporated, add 1/2 of the milk mixing until just incorporated. Add 1/2 of the remaining dry ingredients, mix until incorporated, mix in remaining milk until incorporated, mix in remaining dry ingredients. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes (rotate pans halfway through if using two at once), until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the middle cupcakes comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cook completely.

For the Filling:

Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up (about an hour).

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture and then replace the top part of the cone you cut out. Use a BIG chunk. I was a little nervous because when I ate the filling it tasted kind of flour-y so I didn't think it would be that great, but it ended up being the best part and I regretted not putting enough in each cupcake. 

For the Filling:

Sorry I can't give any tips for this bit because I was lazy, but I can give you the recipe for you to try on your own because it sounds delicious :)

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar until creamy. Mix in the confectioners' sugar until smooth. beat in the flour and salt. mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chocolate chip cookies for decoration.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Back already! Thanks everyone for the positive feedback, I can't wait to share some more of my kitchen adventures. I noticed I got a little chatty in my last post so I will try to keep the babble to a minimum in this one.

Special shout-out to my Dad though, who complained after reading my first post that he use to not even be able to get me to make him a sandwich. Living on your own makes you grow up a little bit when you don't like eating Ramen! Thanks for the comment though, I Love You Daddy :)

So, as promised, I am going to share one of the cupcake recipes I found on Pinterest and tried out  for the boyfriend's birthday (which is today, Happy Birthday Old Man!). Check out the original recipe at Annie's Eats... Her pictures are a lot better than mine though so don't judge.

 Both recipes were a hit with all of our friends, I still can't decide which is my favorite. I'll share this one first though because the most recent person to put in his vote for favorite picked it.

Now, the original recipe gets all fancy and uses an electric mixer... something I am definitely lacking--so I am going to get a little colonial here and tell you how to whip these little suckers up WITHOUT a fancy pants mixer. Be warned, prepare for an arm workout. I used a whisk and almost broke it, so I might recommend a combination of wooden spoon/whisk/rubber spatula. Whatever gets the job done really. If you are like my little sister and have an electric mixer (Seriously. What kind of kid asks for an electric mixer for Christmas?), you can check out the original recipe at the link above... and maybe send some money to a starving college student in your free time? haha just kidding.....

... but really.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 24 Oreo halves, with cream filling attached (helps to use a sharp knife unless you are a champion oreo-twister)
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 stick)
• 1 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 20 Oreo Cookies, coarsely chopped--quartered works (I only used 19.. don't tell.

For the Icing:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted (oh.. just noticed I skipped that "sifted" step)
• 2 tbsp. heavy cream
• Oreo Cookie crumbs and cookie halves (for garnish)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line the wells of two cupcake pans with 24 liners (I only have one cupcake pan.. so I did twelve at a time). Place an Oreo half in the bottom of each liner, cream side up.   Like so:  -----------------> 

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat together until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Blend in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract. Beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Add the milk, beat just until combined, and then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Gently fold in the chopped Oreos with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated--be careful not to over-mix.

Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners. They will be FULL--try to distribute the Oreo chunks evenly, and don't be afraid to fill them to the rim. The cookie chunks won't rise like normal cupcake batter obviously so they shouldn't overflow. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center ones comes out clean (if you are using two pans at once, rotate them halfway through baking). Allow to cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (I may or may not have skipped this last step and things still turned out fine, so whatever floats your boat!)

For the Frosting:

Combine the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and beat until smooth (about a minute... try to get as many chunks out as possible, it will make things easier later on). Blend in the vanilla extract. Beat in the confectioners' sugar until incorporated and smooth (I added one cup at a time to make things a little easier on my mixing arm, but it isn't required by any means). Add the heavy cream and beat just until incorporated. Get your arm ready, increase speed, and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired. I used the Betty Crocker cake decorating kit my Mom got me for my birthday (nerdy but adorable so I don't care what you say) and swirled some frosting on and then sprinkled some crushed Oreo crumbs on top. The original recommends using Oreo halves as well, but to wait until the last minute to garnish with that so that it doesn't get soggy. 

I wouldn't recommend going too heavy on the frosting, it is pretty creamy (and cream cheesy), but I thought it went really well with the flavor and texture of the cupcakes. :)

I think that is the extent of hints I have for you on this recipe.... I have to go keep an eye on the Alfredo Sauce I am making for the BF's birthday dinner when he gets out of lax practice. I'll be back with the other cupcake recipe and maybe the secret to this sauce he loves! 

Good Luck on your Kitchen Adventures!   

Hello Blogging World!!

So I have been debating starting this blog for a while now, but I think I am finally going to take the plunge and try it out. In true collegiate style, I am doing this instead of working on the piles of work I actually need to do--especially with my surgery coming up in a few days. My second ACL reconstruction (if you were wondering)... I blew out my right knee in the first match I was back after spending the year prior rehab-ing from surgery repairing the ACL and meniscus in my left knee. So I will probably have a ton more free time than I would have if I was still able to play.

A little background on myself: I am the captain of the varsity volleyball team at a small college in upstate New York, it is my fourth year out here (a big change after growing up in Nevada). I have a really great boyfriend. I tell everyone we are a power couple because he is the captain of the lacrosse team here, but really he is just the sweetest guy I have ever met. He loves to eat, so he is my most common guinea pig in my cooking endeavors. I also live with a guy on the basketball team so he is subjected to my concoctions on a regular basis as well.

To be completely honest, I am a total novice to this whole kitchen thing. My younger sister is the real chef. I never had to learn to really cook anything because she was always there to take care of it. During my first two years in college I pretty much relied on the dining commons for sustenance. I did try a couple things (usually complements of the George Foreman grill I was gifted for graduation--best gift for a grad ever btw). When I moved off campus last year I thought I would be able to cook a lot more, but I ended up just sticking with some of the same recipes over and over, maybe with a couple tweaks. Over the summer I got a little more creative, and luckily, so far this year I have been able to try some really great things in the kitchen. I started with some recipes over the summer, but now that I have a kitchen pretty much to myself (my roommate pretty much sticks to the microwave.. unless he is making pasta, so it is pretty much my domain). My goal for this blog is to share some of the great--and not so great--endeavors I take on this year. As a college student I am definitely aware of the importance of being able to whip up a quick meal. I don't have all day to spend in the kitchen, and to be honest, I kind of get bored in there if I stay too long.  My lack of patience has been a bit of an issue in some of my past recipe attempts.  But to be honest, in a lot of cases I have been surprised at how easy it is to cook--Thank you Pinterest--all I really have to do is follow the recipes, but I have not been without the occasional snaffoo....... not a word I know, but you get what I mean.  Hopefully I will be able to share some tasty, (mostly) healthy recipes while sharing some of my issues and successes.

I made some really cool cupcakes this weekend for the boyfriend's birthday, but those deserve a little more extensive explanation. I'll save them for another day when I have a little more time, instead I will share my dinner tonight! I found this recipe for microwave mac and cheese on Pinterest and had been craving it ever since. Thanks to TheNaptimeChef for her Instant Mug o' Mac & Cheese in the Microwave Recipe.

I know I am not on the professional level of photography that a lot of this blogging moms are. but it will have to do... Iphone pics FTW ;)

Instant Mug o’ Mac & Cheese in the Microwave

1/3 cup pasta

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup 1% milk

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Combine the pasta and water in a large mug or bowl. Microwave on high for two minutes, then stir. 

The original recipe said the water would overflow while it heats up, so I just used a glass cereal bowl instead of a mug.  Just be careful if you try to take it out of the microwave to stir, my fingers are still stinging a little bit...

Repeat this for at least 2 to 4 more minutes, stirring at each 2-minute interval. The water should absorb completely and the pasta will be cooked through. If the pasta needs another minute it is okay to add one more teaspoon of water and microwave for another minute. My pasta was still a little bit hard (just a little!), but I went on with the recipe and it ended up turning out perfect after putting in the milk and cheese.

Remove pasta from the microwave and stir in the milk and cheese. Microwave for another minute. Stir the cheese thoroughly into the pasta. I put it in for an extra 30 seconds after stirring because it was still a little milky. It turned out perfectly :)

I added a sprinkle of cayenne pepper (I might have gone a little overboard, I couldn't tell if the heat was from the pasta or the pepper), and then a dash of salt and black pepper... I really liked the added spice and flavor.

I'll be back soon with those cupcake recipes! Good luck on your endeavors!