Simple Mexican Rice

I switched this Simple Mexican Rice recipe up that I found on Allrecipes by Elizabeth 101 and made it a meal.

The leftover meat mixture I made for the Really Deep Dish Pizza recipe, I used for this. I found that it was a good way of using up leftover ingredients that were already cooked. Besides, I wasn't going to make another pizza.

The process of baking this rice was interesting to me. I wasn't sure it was going to work with the amount of liquid the recipe called for... it did. The rice turned out fluffy and didn't stick to itself as in most times I cook rice. I guess I haven't quite figured that one out yet.

But at any rate, this recipe was simple and delicious. It was a nice change from the ordinary... but then again - since when have I been making anything out of the ordinary for me lately.

Enjoy!!

Really Dip Dish Pizza

Over the years, I have made some really good pizzas. I have a stone in the oven. I have a cast iron pizza pan. I have a huge deep dish pizza pan that I bought years ago. All of those I can't use at the moment because my oven is down. When I will have my regular oven back is anyone's guess at this point.

If you have been following this blog, you know that I'm primarily using the toaster oven. So when I saw this  Really Deep Dish Pizza recipe on Genius Kitchen submitted by Littleturtle and saw what it was baked in, I thought I'd give it a try. I used two round cake pans and made two pizzas.

I should note that doing this the way I did, it made two thick crust pizzas. You can always cut the dough into four pieces and that's probably what I'll do next time.

I will say that the pizza turned out really well. The dough was easy to work with. The burger topping that this recipe made was tasty. I didn't have black olives so I missed that but all in all,  this was an easy, delicious recipe that I think anyone can make.

Looks good,  right?!

Quick and Easy Hamburger Stroganoff

It seems the comfort food strikes again.

This time,  I opted for something my mom used to make for me stroganoff. This for me,  was one of the ultimate comfort foods because she made it quite often. This is one of my food memories while growing up.

I used to make this on the fly after I got out on my own but I decided to search for a recipe and found this Quick and Easy Hamburger Stroganoff on Allrecipes submitted by Denny.

I added some things that my mom didn't add and aren't included in this particular recipe.  I added Worcestershire sauce,  parsley, chives, ground black pepper,  and cayenne.

But at any rate,  I hope you all take some time to make and enjoy a dish from my youth.

Fudgy Brownies II

Oh my... WOW!

Those who know me know that I'm not much of a chocolate person.  Seriously. I seem to lack the gene that women are supposed to have where they love chocolate. I don't have it. However... every once in awhile I get an intense craving for it.

So because of that intense craving, I made these absolutely delicious Fudgy Brownies II that I found on Allrecipes.

I made two changes due to what I had on hand and what I wanted to add.  First, I used cocoa powder instead of the unsweetened chocolate the recipe called for - same amount. Second,  I rough chopped about half of a four ounce salted caramel chocolate bar to throw into the mix for something chunky.

Let me tell you...  this brownie is moist,  chewy, and completely satisfies the ultimate chocolate craving known to human kind.  It is absolutely phenomenal!

Garlic Chicken with Potatoes

It seems like lately I'm making things that are simple.

Take this Garlic Chicken with Potatoes I found on Allrecipes. This is as simple as it can get. The potatoes and chicken get a coating of olive oil and Adobo seasoning. That's it. Season it and throw it in the oven. See?! Simple!!

Now... I must say, the seasoning I have is rather salty so I only sprinkled it on and didn't follow the amount called for in the recipe. I think that would have made my particular dish completely not worth eating and I like salt. I'm not sure if this is the same with all Adobo but mine is. So if you're not keen on extreme salt, take it easy on the seasoning.

For all you novice cooks out there, I recommend this recipe because it IS easy and delicious. In my book, you just can't beat that!

Check it out!

Pasta with Garlic and Anchovies

If you love garlic and anchovies, check out this Pasta with Garlic and Anchovie from the Eat Smarter site.

It's a simple dish to make.

Saute chopped garlic and a few anchovies in a skillet, cook your pasta and add it to the skillet. Add in some parsley, salt and pepper ( I omitted the salt because anchovies are salty on their own), and VIOLA! You have a tasty, quick, and delicious meal that's sure to please!

I didn't do it but I challenge anyone out there to make their own homemade pasta to go with this dish. I think I will do that next time I decide to make it. ;)

Looks good, doesn't it?!

Spicy Macaroni and Cheese Bake

Since most who know me well know that I don't have cable and use an over-the-air antennae to watch tv, I'm not in a prime area and only get perhaps twelve channels on a good day. My clearest and most consistent, though, are the PBS stations out of Clearfield. It's the main channel plus the sister stations particularly the one called "Create".

A lot of times the Create channel has cooking shows on it and I think that might be where I came up with the idea to make homemade macaroni and cheese. I got hungry for it so I went on a hunt to see what I could find.

This Spicy Macaroni and Cheese Bake by NIN4NIN on the Genius Kitchen site caught my eye. I love spicy foods and I wasn't looking for the typical macaroni and cheese my mom used to make (even though that was quite delicious).

I thought this one might fill the craving. Macaroni and cheese and spicy - what could be better?!

Choux Pastry for Cream Puffs

Making this Choux Pastry for Cream Puffs from Random Rachel on Genius Kitchen was definitely a new experience for me. I have never made cream puffs before but thought I would try it out. As the submitter of the recipe said, it did look gross after the eggs were added but worked its way out once it was stirred enough.

I admit I expected the dough to be a little sweeter but there's just enough sweetness to satisfy a craving and I'm glad mine turned out successful as this was an easy recipe to follow.

As you can see by the picture, I filled them with the pastry cream I made the other day.

If you're REALLY feeling adventurous, try your hand at making these!

Pastry Cream

Ok, so this Pastry Cream recipe I found on Allrecipes submitted by Kevin Ryan is pretty good.

It's not like a sweet donut filling so don't expect that if that's what you were thinking. It's reminiscent of a smooth slightly sweet vanilla pudding... like something you would find in an eclair or cream puff which is what I intend to use it for.

I think it tastes like homemade vanilla pudding... yummy, yummy!!

So if anyone out there in cyber-land wants to get creative and has a hunkering sweet tooth. Try this out and let me know how it goes!

Barbeque Sauerkraut Bake

This Barbeque Sauerkraut Bake from Julie R on Genius Kitchen was an interesting combination. You wouldn't think the combination of sauerkraut and chicken barbeque would actually go together. I am here to tell you that it actually does... and quite nicely, in fact! I used the leftover balsamic roast chicken I made the other day and chopped it up in bits and pieces.

The BBQ sauce for this is homemade but you can definitely use your favorite bottled sauce if you so desire. I made the recipe as is. I kind of wish I had homemade sauerkraut as nothing store-bought comes close to my homemade stuff. It's nice and tart as sauerkraut should be. I used the jarred stuff for this.

That being said, I hope you try it out and let me know... it may sound totally gross but it is definitely delicious!

Garlicky Mayonnaise

If you love garlic... yes... make THIS Garlicky Mayonnaise from the Epicurious site!

Remember the Greek kick I was on? Well, this recipe was the ultimate way to use the rest of it up! What I really like about this is there is no strong mayo taste that you sometimes find in mayo-based sauces. I guess this is kind of like aioli however, aioli doesn't have yogurt in it.

But this... oh yes! I love garlic and this is a MUST to keep on hand in the fridge! It is versatile enough to go on top of anything!

Check it out!

Cheese-Crusted Flat Bread

I recently watched the Green Mile and I know that has nothing to do with cooking BUT... if I were on death row right now - THIS Cheese-Crusted Flat Bread would be what I wanted as my last meal! It is absolutely DELICIOUS!! I am COMPLETELY blown away!

A HUGE shout-out to SharleneW from the Genius Kitchen site!

This bread is nice and soft on the inside, a bit of crunch on the outside. I replaced the onion for chive in this but the flavor of the cheese, chive, oregano and butter match beautifully! It literally melts in your mouth!

It is DEFINITELY a delicious treat that is SO worth it!

Balsamic Roast Italian Chicken

Sometimes I take my food inspiration from my friends, as was the case with this recipe. While talking to Rich, he reminded me of roasting chickens in the Crock-Pot. I wanted something a little different to my taste buds and this Balsamic Roast Italian Chicken on GeniusKitchen from WickegoodMaine looked a bit different than the same old, same old that I usually make.

One thing I was missing with this chicken was the crispy skin roasting in an oven would obtain. That makes me wonder if this can be accomplished using the Crock-Pot. It looks like I will have to do some research on that because I really would love to have the crispy skin.

However, that being said, this chicken came out of the cooker nice and juicy. As you can see by the picture, I separated the skin from the bird and the recipe says to use a spoon to spread the balsamic mixture between the meat and skin but I did it the easy way... set the bird up on end and dumped the mixture in between.

The flavor was phenomenal with the combination of herbs and vinegar and it definitely gave me the "something different" I was looking for. Quite yummy!

Try it for yourself and let me know!

Scalloped Oysters

Scalloped Oysters... is this a Southern thing? This recipe was submitted by Debbie Thomas on Allrecipes. I thought of something somenoe said to me back when I revived the blog and my first post was Oyster Stew. She said that she read it and it reminded her of a typical dish her family had at Thanksgiving.

I have heard of Oyster Stuffing so I am wondering if this is sort of what it is? Can anyone out there elaborate? I'd really love to know.

My version of this dish turned out creamy and buttery... very very good! I did use two cans of oysters and not the fresh ones... mainly because of convenience and expense.

The flavor was... well... full of oysters, which I love!

Here is my version:

Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings

I was looking for a chicken and dumplings recipe that sort of matched what Nancy made while I was there and I found this one submitted to Allrecipes by Karena. I need to be clear on my recollection of chicken and dumplings. Dumplings to me are NOT noodles. They're airy balls of yummy deliciousness cooked on top of the broth! There. I said it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I made a few changes to the recipe. First, I didn't have celery so I used celery flakes. I also added some garlic. I skipped the "gravy" part and added a can of cream of celery while I had the chicken out of the pot cooling on the bone.

After reading the dumpling part of the recipe I decided to use a different recipe for those. This Herbed Dumplings recipe submitted  by Ronna is the one I used. I omitted the herbs listed and used parsley, garlic powder, and chives in mine.

While I definitely didn't get the same flavor as Nancy had in hers, these two recipes, as she would put it, were... the BOMB!

Try them for yourself! You won't be disappointed! Also... LET ME KNOW in the comments below!!

Greek-Style Lemon Roasted Potatoes

I have been asked numerous times to try this recipe for Greek-Style Lemon Roasted Potatoes submitted by koko to Allrecipes by my friend Rich.

NUMEROUS times!

I finally made them and they definitely didn't disappoint! (Perhaps he'll stop nagging me about it now? HA!). I wouldn't have it any other way!

When I first read it, I thought that the amount of stock was outrageous... way too much. However, it dissipates and infuses the potatoes with such an intense flavor, that it will knock your socks off!

The spices, oil, and juice, I didn't measure, as I rarely do when I'm cooking - only with baking does that really matter. So the olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano, I sprinkled on until it looked like enough. When you have been cooking for as long as I have, you tend to know what spice levels you like and what will taste pretty good.

These roasted to perfection and I'm glad Rich kept asking me if I made them yet...

GOLD STAR!!

Sunday Morning Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

Lemon poppy seed pancakes?

Ok... I'll bite.

I found this recipe on Allrecipes submitted by TTV78. I wanted something different for breakfast, it's not like I eat breakfast that much to begin with but I wanted something other than bacon and eggs. This little gem caught my eye. I guess I got the inspiration for pancakes when I was out East. Yeah - we went to Ihop one morning.

First of all, I need to say... I suck at making pancakes from scratch. They never seemed to poof up like they would if I were using a pancake mix. Perhaps it was always because of my using older baking powder and baking soda? Who knows. All I know is that these particular pancakes did poof a bit and were quite tasty!

For those of you who don't like lemon in or on anything except fish - you know who you are.
There is such a faint lemon flavor in these, you can barely taste it; which to me is absolutely perfect. I think the lemon gave a pop to the pancakes without being an overwhelming flavor.

The poppy seeds? Well, I'm not sure if I could taste those or not. What exactly is a poppy seed supposed to taste like? Is there a flavor? Or is it just something that gets stuck in your teeth?

But at any rate, here is my version of this pancake recipe and I hope all of my readers (ok, the two of you) will try this and let me know in the comments section what YOU thought of them!

Let's start a conversation!

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce for Gyros

Pretty close!!

This recipe for cucumber yogurt sauce I found on Genius Kitchen by Shaye... OMG! YUMMY!

It tastes like what's on the gyros when you buy them from a food vendor... or the frozen isle at the grocery store. Absolutely delicious!!

Two things I did different with this... and yes I realize I just said that it was an exact replica. It was until I made an herb adjustment. I didn't realize the cucumbers had to be pulverized in the food processor so I only chopped them fine. I think by pulverizing the cucumber, the flavor of it would be much more intense. Lesson for next time. I also added some chopped chive just to kick it up a tiny notch.

All in all though, I have more Greek yogurt in the fridge so you can bet I'll be using this on everything and making more within the next week!

I thank Nance for sending me down this Greek path! :)

Traditional Gyro Meat

Can you fall in love with food?

That is a question I ponder from time to time. I remember reading in one of my earliest posts on here that I should have went into culinary instead of journalism. Looking back on those days, however, I definitely made the right choice not only because of what I learned academically but because of the incredible group of people I was surrounded with. But remembering that old blog post, I said that I would combine my love of food with my love of writing with this blog... I think so far, that's been my take-away of it. I hope that anyone else reading it will sense that passion and excitement I bring in my musings.

This recipe, though...this Traditional Gyro Meat recipe submitted to Allrecipes by The Dread Pirate Paramour (interesting name, I might say. Catchy!), is as Nance says - the BOMB! I don't think I can get any clearer about this.

I realize, though, that the recipe is not so traditional in my case. I used only beef and no lamb. Lamb is a huge luxury and considering I cut the recipe in half just to try it out, I wasn't going to dish out the extra cash for the lamb. Perhaps in another time and life... I will do just that... but for now... this is where I'm at.

I will say, however, that this meat mixture did come pretty close to the taste of the gyros you can get in the freezer section of the local supermarket and even the gyros you can buy at fairs and from street vendors. It's probably the same thing either way.

I think it's the spices used that gives it such a unique flavor... probably the rosemary. I can tell you that if you put in on homemade pita bread and top it with a homemade cucumber sauce, you won't go wrong!

Make it and see for yourself!

It's worth it!

Easy Pita Bread

Yes, I know... my photo of the Easy Pita Bread doesn't look appetizing... but I can tell you, the flavor was spot on!

The main thing working against me while making these pitas was that I used a toaster oven. That meant only baking one at a time. The other thing was trying to get them into the toaster oven without burning my hands... hey! you try handling a soft disk of dough and see how easy it is!

It's a magical adventure!

I will say, though, that this pita recipe submitted by Bitsie on the Genius Kitchen is a definite "try and try again" recipe because the flavor and texture were absolutely wonderful. Light and chewy - as a pita should be. Perhaps I will make them a little smaller next time and try to figure a way of getting them into the toaster oven without disfiguring them.

Besides... you can top these things with ANYTHING! Want a gyro? Poof - DONE! Want a pizza? Poof - DONE! Want a taco? Poof - well, you get the picture! I was going to use tomatoes, onion, black olives, the gyro meat that I made, and feta cheese but it was simply too late in the evening to want to mess with any of that. Instead, I only topped the one ( half of one, really) I tried with the meat, black olives, and the cucumber sauce I made to go with them.

Check it out and let me know!