Super Easy Recipes For College Students

Lily's Chili

2012-01-18T04:13:00.000-05:00

As you should well be aware of, we're hosting a Chili Cook-Off Reader Giveaway!! Send in your 100% original chili recipes for a chance to win! The winner of the Chili Cook-Off will receive a free copy of The Parchment Paper Cookbook! The Chili Cook-Off ends February 14 so get your recipes in time for Valentine's Day for we all know chili is the food of love.

In the spirit of the Chili Cook-Off, I decided to throw my hat in the ring (of course, I can't win). Last night I gave my sister, the Queen of Soups, if she had a chili recipe and what do you know, she did! I tweaked it a little bit, but pretty much, this is Lily's Chili.

Gather up your fixin's:

1 lb. ground round
1 fat clove of garlic (diced)
1 medium white onion (diced)
1 green bell pepper (sliced and cut into bite size)
1 14.5 oz. can pinto beans
1 14.5 oz. can kidney beans
1 packet chili seasoning
2 red chili peppers (sliced & optional)
3-4 14.5 oz. cans stewed tomatoes

Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the bottom of a big sauce pot and set the heat to medium-low. Brown the ground round with the diced onions and garlic, mix thoroughly. Once the meat is browned through and the onions are translucent, drain the grease out and return the meat mixture to the pot.

Dump out all the stewed tomatoes into a blender or food processor. Give them a couple of quick pulses just to chop them up a bit. Pour the tomatoes into the pot as well as the diced, green bell peppers, chili peppers, beans, and chili seasoning.

Stir up the ingredients well. Keep the pot on medium to medium-low heat at a steady simmer. Stir often and make sure none of the chili is sticking to the bottom. Simmer the chili for 30-90 minutes.

Chili is one of the most versatile foods and one of my favorites. There's so much you can put on it and so much to put it on! Hamburgers, baked potatoes, tortillas, nachos, french fries, and my personal favorite, the CHILI DOG!

As for my chili dogs and my chili fries, I need it with as many toppings as I can fit. Sour cream, shredded cheese, chives, tortilla chips, diced onions, crackers, or jalapenos, whatever you got - I'll top it on.

A recipe that takes a long time to cook always seems a little daunting to prepare. I hope I've successfully demonstrated how truly easy it is to make. The total preparation time couldn't have taken more than 15 minutes!

I hope this inspires you all to turn in some terrific chili recipes for the Chili Cook-Off and Reader Give Away. Don't forget to get those recipes in before 2/14/12, that's this Valentine's Day! Good luck and good appetite.

Love,

Liz

Super Chef Super Update! CHILI COOK-OFF!

2012-01-07T17:32:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, Everybody!

I kind of dipped off the radar for a while during the holi-daze, but Super College Chef is coming back strong for the new year! As tradition dictates, we're going to cover some old business before we get to new business.

Chili Cook-Off

Didn't get so many responses for last Reader Give-Away. I've decided to change the contest to be a Chili Cook-Off! In this chilly willy winter, there's nothing better to warm you up that a hot bowl of chili. Whether Send in your Chili recipe for a chance to win a copy of The Parchment Paper Cookbook. All recipes must be 100% original, no cheaters, yo.

Chili is so amazing. Whether you make it meaty, beany, spicy, cheesy, I want your recipe! Don't feel left out, vegetarians. There's plenty of meat-free chili options that I would love to try. Send in your Chili Recipe today and win a copy of The Parchment Paper Cookbook!

That's all for now. Remember to send in your chili recipe for the Super College Chef Chili Cook-Off (or SCCCCO) by February 14th. Please enter all submissions to lizquerusio@yahoo.com. Good luck and good appetite!
Love,

Liz

P.S. Check out both chili recipes here on Super College Chef for some inspiration! Try Not My Mama's Chili and the newly added Lily's Chili for a couple ideas on some easy chili bases.

Super College Chef Goes Viral!!

2011-11-22T17:12:00.001-05:00

Thanks to the director of our Videography Department, Allison McWilliams, Super College Chef is streaming through YouTube at an alarming rate! Click here to favorite this cinematic masterpiece to cherish forever.

I'd like to thank first and foremost, Mrs. McWilliams for her hospitality and use of her fabulous new kitchen, of course, Av. McWilliams for choosing the feast, and last but not least, Riley the dog for being cute, lifting my spirits, and accompanying me on my cigarette breaks. Oh, and Allison. I guess she helped. And it was her idea. And her camera. And she put everything together.

The most fun about this project besides the eating, was probably picking out the music. In Allison's vernacular, we were trying to make it the appropriate "epicness". I hope you all enjoy Super College Chef's first ever video on making Apple Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops!

Thank you, Allison McWilliamsburg!!

Love,

Liz

P.S. Send in YOUR cooking videos in the READER GIVEAWAY for a chance to WIN a FREE copy of Brette Sember's The Parchment Paper Cookbook!! They don't gotta be fancy like this one, just delicious!

The Parchment Paper Cookbook GIVEAWAY!!

2011-11-10T03:43:00.000-05:00

Brette Sember Presents:

The Parchment Paper Cookbook

READER GIVEAWAY!!

Yes, it's the 2nd Annual Super College Chef Reader GIVEAWAY!! How exciting for you! Just as with the Trader Joe's College Cookbook Reader Giveaway, there will be a cooking related contest. As soon as I think of the remaining parameters of the contest, I'll post them at the end of this blog. I don't have all the details completely scrubbed out, but the gears are turning, people.

Author Brette Sember is hosting this time around. The Parchment Paper Cookbook boasts 180 healthy, mess-free recipes that require no pots or pans! This is just in time for the holidays. Who wants to be stuck washing dishes when you could be eating? These quick and delicious meals are great for last minute dinners, desserts, and appetizers.

Brette Sember has been published all over the web and in the actual physical world (where I some day hope to write). Miss Sembers wide scope of interests led to publications in The Huffington Post, The New York Law Journal, and American Baby among hundreds of others. Her expertise covers a lot of ground ranging from blogging, ghostwriting, copy editing, and is an indispensable book doctor!

Now you know the credentials and you know you're hungry for a free cookbook. Need I tempt you more? MORE? More you say!? Then feast your eyes on this tasty morsel from Miss Sember's The Parchment Paper Cookbook!

First, I'm going to have the Caramel Pear THEN the Root Beer Beef & Broccoli. I like dessert first. So I can have a second dessert after dinner. And to think, all this can be yours! But first, compete for my affection! As promised earlier in the post, I concocted a contest for this New Reader Giveaway. Oh, did you think it would be easy?

Well, it is! The new contest for the Brette Sember Read Giveaway is located HERE!! Follow this link to the official rules for the Super College Chef CHILI Cook-Off, or the SCCCCO!! If you'd like to take a gander at my chili recipe maybe to stir up a little inspiration of your own, or maybe if you're just hungry! Lily's Chili is some of the best I've had or made so check it out.

Please email your submissions to lizquerusio@yahoo.com. Good luck! I can't wait to be amazed!

Love,

Liz

Ritz Cracker Crusted Chicken

2011-11-02T01:56:00.000-04:00

I crave comfort food as the weather gets colder. The cold wind and gray skies that chill you to the bone and make you hunger for something warm in your belly. And although I'm nowhere near the crispy foliage and gloomy ambiance of Fall in New England, I require sustenance appropriate to the season. I mean, nothing says "Autumn" quite like the palm trees and blue skies of Savannah, GA.

No matter how I've tried it, dipped in egg, slathered in butter, and coated in bread crumbs, I just could get my chicken crispy. My Nanna always made the best everything, as I'm sure you know if you've taken a gander at most of my recipes. She uses Depression-era common sense with modern cooking conveniences that give her recipes the homey, old world quality that fills up any tummy with scrumptiousness.

Here's what you need to make extra crispy chicken skin with a delicious sweet and salty cracker crust:

1 sleeve of Ritz Crackers
6-8 chicken legs, with or without skin
1/2 cup mayonaise
salt
pepper

Preheat your oven to 325-350.

In a sandwich bag, break up all the crackers into tiny crumbs. Season with salt and pepper.

Wash off the chicken legs and dry them on a couple of paper towels. Season them lightly with salt. Use a spatula or spoon to coat each chicken leg with mayonnaise.

There's two ways you can Ritz up the chicken legs. You can either shake them up in a Ziplock bag or grocery bag. Sometimes this gets all the other crumbs moist, though, and I don't like that.

The other option is to spread out your crumbs on a small plate with a rim to prevent spillage. Dump more bread crumbs over the legs. Keep rolling the chicken leg around over the crumbs until its fully coated. Press the crumbs in to make sure they stick.

Rip off a sheet of parchment paper to line a small baking pan. Place chicken legs evenly on the baking pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Serve with mashed potatoes and stuffing on the side. Well, I like mashed potatoes and stuffing on the side of everything, really.

Love,

Liz

NYPD Maced My Friends in the Face

2011-09-26T02:43:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I don't usually cover this kind of political news commentary sort of thing, but I am now.

In the following videos, you will see a demonstrators during the 2nd week of Occupy Wall Street. This was a peaceful protest on Wall Street mostly about bank bailouts, mortgages, and our crumbling economy. There were also a number of people defaming the recent execution of Troy Davis who was convicted of murdering an off duty Savannah, GA police officer in 1991. Many witnesses in Mr. Davis's case testified that they were coerced by police to give false statements.

September 24th was a hot, hot day in NYC. Police were sectioning off protesters with orange netting in an attempt to keep them out of the street. We all know how we feel about being corralled, but already yelling hot, sweaty protesters REALLY hate it. So when it starts to get a little out of hand, certain officers took matters WAY too far.

Keep in mind, this was not an anti-government protest. This wasn't a "Down with the Cops" event. This was a demonstration to protect the rights of everyone, including police, to social security, Medicare, a pension, and a home.

So don't just pay attention when you see a photographer get slammed into a cop car. Don't focus on just the one girl who was punched in the face and dragged by her scalp across the street. Take a special note, however, when a cop sprays mace across a crowd of already sectioned off, peaceful protesters AND fellow NYPD. Seriously, who is administering these police exams? Officer Barbrady?

In this last clip, you can really see the pepper spray cover the crowd, including my friends, the blondes up in front, AND the police. The police maced the police. Excellent work, Officer Doofy.

As I said, I try to keep my opinions on political matters and anything serious in any kind of nature OUT of my blogs. But when you mace my friends, you mace me. You mace me.

Hahaha, anyway, my friends are doing OK. They seem a bit hesitant to sue. We'll see.

Love,

Liz

My Nanna's Homemade Beef Stew

2011-09-24T19:01:00.000-04:00

Me and My Nanna. If you know me, you know ONE thing for sure; I love my Nanna.

Honest to God, I spent every Friday night of my life at my Nanna's house until I left for college. You know that Shepherd's Pie recipe I have of hers? She would make that for me every almost Friday night. After dinner, I'd have it as a snack while I watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch. If there was any left over, I'd have it for breakfast.

My Nanna is the best cook in the world. Everything she makes reminds me of those Friday nights I spent at her house eating and drawing and painting and eating. Not eating paint, though. But, yeah, my Nanna is awesome. And I miss her A LOT.

So my favorite way of NOT missing her is to cook! And since Autumn is on it's way, I've been craving some comfort food, New England Style. PLUS, my Nanna makes the BEST Beef Stew so I called her up and made my demands clear. From the intel I gathered, your orders are as follow:

You will need:

2 lbs. stew beef (cut into bite-sized chunks)
3-4 carrots (sliced)
4 beef bouillon cubes OR 4 cups beef broth
3-4 yellow potatoes (bite-size)
2 yellow onions (diced)
1 14.5 oz. can cut green beans OR peas (I used green beans)
2 TBSP cornstarch
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper
parsley flakes

Get a big old stew pot and slap it on the stove. Dump in the stew beef and Worcestershire sauce. While the beef is browning, use this time to dice up the onions. After the beef has browned a bit, add the onions then continue simmer on low.

If you have beef broth, skip this step. Dissolve each beef bouillon cube in it's own separate cup of hot water. That's 1 cup for every 1 cube. Once the beef has fully browned, add the beef broth or beef stock you created.

The carrots go in next because they need to cook a little longer than the potatoes. You can take this time to add some salt, pepper, and parsley flakes to your liking. Now add the potatoes, and green beans. Simmer until both carrots and potatoes are fork tender.

Mix the cornstarch with 1/3 cup of cold water until it's completely dissolved. Gradually stir it into the stew. This will thicken up the base and make it more gravy-like.

You're ready to reduce the heat and serve! I like mine with a bit of bread and butta'.

Love,

Liz

Double & Double Cookies & Cream Cupcakes!!

2011-09-10T23:28:00.002-04:00

That would be 2 DOUBLE Stuffed Oreos inside a Dark Chocolate cupcake. Double the Oreos. Double the Cream. Double the chocolate. Double the DELICIOUSNESS!!

This is perfect for when you want to make a fancier dessert for minimal effort and cost.

You will need:

1 box of Double Stuffed Oreos
1 box of Dark Chocolate Cake mix
eggs
vegetable oil
water

I left the amount for eggs, vegetable oil, and water blank because different cake mixes have different instructions. So preheat your oven and gather your 'gredients. Start by mixing up the cake mix and preheating your oven. Set up your cupcake pan with all the little sheets. Fill up the cupcake cups 1/3-1/2 of the way full, and brace yourself, it's about to get complicated.

Just foolin'. This is easy. Take one Oreo and gently twist off one cookie part. Get another Oreo and stick to the cream side of the other cookie. Simple enough concept, ya? You should end up with something representing the photo. Otherwise, you need to go back to basics. Way back.

After you place the double stacked Oreos in the cupcake batter, push them a little in to stabilize them. A couple of mine that I didn't push in came out a little crooked. It was still kind of cool, the Oreo cream actually oozed out the top a little, YUM. Now pour some more cupcake batter over the Oreos, just enough to cover the top.

You might not have enough Oreos for all the cupcakes, but you can use the other part of the Oreo, the part you twisted off, to top off the rest of the cupcakes. Or buy 2 bags of Oreos and have a lot of left over cookies. I would never throw out left over cake batter.

Anyway, you don't want to bake them for as long as the instructions on the box. Keep checking on those cupcakes. I used Betty Crocker cake mix. Instead of baking them for the suggested 42 minutes, it wound up taking about 30 minutes. A good way to check to see if they're done is to take a tooth pick and stick it into the sides of the cupcake. If the toothpick has no crumbs or batter on it when you take it out, then the cupcake are probably done.

Once they're done, let them cool in the pan for about five minutes then enjoy!

Love,

Liz

We Have a WINNER!!

2011-09-02T23:40:00.000-04:00

The results are in and our distinguished panel of judges has chosen the winner of The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook READER GIVE-AWAY!! And the winner is . . .

Tere Garcia with her recipe for Mustard Chicken!!

(mmm . . . those fried plantains don't look half bad either!)

In this recipe, Tere combines chicken thighs, diced potatoes, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and chicken broth among other things to create this simply FANTASTIC dish!

I chose this recipe because you can add and substitute ingredients easily while sticking to the basic dish outline. This is perfect for nights when you have some, most of the ingredients and gives you the option to realy explore with different flavor combinations.

Miss Tere wins a FREE copy of The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook by Andrea Lynn! To see more photos of Miss Tere's Mustard Chicken, please visit our Super College Chef Facebook Page. Don't forget to click "Like" at the top of the page to get even more down with Super College Chef with more recipes, tips, photos, forums, and cooking help!

On the next post (aka after I go grocery shopping for the first time in weeks), I'll be trying out Miss Tere's Mustard Chicken recipe for myself. And trust me, our panel of judges cannot wait to try it!

Keep cleaning those plates, people.

Love,

Liz

Super Chef is now on Twitter!! And Facebook!!

2011-08-05T01:52:00.002-04:00

I give up. I'll tweet to you, bastards. It's really not as fun though. It takes like a second to tweet! Not at all long and involved like the 5-10 minute long post that I'm purposefully drawing out now. Ahem.

But yeah, it'll take me a minute to get used to the "lingo" of Twitter and all the hash tags, but I'll learn! I'll learn for you, my adoring public. So follow Super College Chef on Twitter at @suprcollegechef.

Of course we can't be on Twitter and not on good old facebook! So click here to follow us on facebook! Someday I'll figure out how to add that damned button.

Love,

Liz

P.S. FOLLOW ME!!

Thai Red Curry Deviled Eggs TRADER JOE'S STYLE!

2011-07-27T23:15:00.000-04:00

This is the first ever guest recipe. This recipe is by Andrea Lynn and can be found in her new publication, The Trader Joe's College Cookbook.

Most of these recipes require signature Trader Joe's items, many of which I couldn't find a replacement for. So I went for a classic that I've never even tried before! Thai Red Curry Deviled Eggs, mmm.

You will need:

1 (9.3-ounce) package Trader Joe's Cage Free Fresh Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs (6 eggs)
2 TBSP mayonnaise
2 TBSP Trader Joe's Thai Red Curry Sauce
1 TSP lime juice
1 scallion (chopped) plus extra for garnish
1 TSP kosher salt

Unfortunately, the closest Trader Joe's near me is as far away as Athens, GA and my muffler can't handle that right now. So, I substituted the Trader Joe's Cage Free Fresh Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs for 6 large eggs that I hard-boiled myself and instead of Trader Joe's Thai Red Curry Sauce I used 1 TSP regular Thai red curry paste.

The first thing you need to do is boil the eggs. The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook has a convenient Tips& Techniques section at the back of the book.

But for y'all who don't have a copy yet; put your eggs in a pot with water, enough to cover the eggs. Bring the water to a boil then cover the pot with a lid and remove it from heat. Let the eggs sit in the pot for 12 minutes. Carefully drain the eggs and refill the pot with cool water. Now you can peel the eggs without cooking your hands.

Cut each unpeeled egg in half lengthwise. Daintily scoop out the yolk and place it in a small mixing bowl. Place all egg halves hallow side up. Once you've got all the yolks, add the mayonnaise, scallions, lime juice, salt, and red curry paste or Trader Joe's Thai Red Curry Sauce.

Spoon the yolk mixture into the hallows of the egg halves. Garnish with the extra chopped scallions.

These were yummier than I thought they'd be! The only problem is saving them for when my boyfriend gets here . . . this isn't going to work.

Well, this is MY entry for the I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook READER GIVE-AWAY!

Wish me luck.

Love,

Liz

ENTER NOW, READER GIVE-AWAY!! The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook could be yours!

2011-07-27T17:29:00.003-04:00

Compliments of Andrea Lynn, author of The I love Trader Joe's College Cookbook, and her publicist, I have in my possession 2 copies of the cookbook. One of them, my dears, is for YOU!

"But, Liz . . ." You ask hesitantly, "How can I acquire such a thing?"

WELL! Send in your favorite ORIGINAL recipe. Whichever I find the most scrumptious and creative wins their very own copy of The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook! I'll even pay for shipping and handling.

Seriously though, ORIGINAL recipes. I know how to make chocolate chip cookies, it says on the bag of chocolate chips. And please don't send it something you found on the side of a cereal box.

Email all your entries to me at eaquerusio@yahoo.com with the subject heading "Entry" or something to do with the contest. Like "Contest" or "Reader Give-Away" or "Don't Delete This!". You have until August 14th. Please, make it delicious.

Love,

Liz

A Few Quick Tips For To Make Extra Yumminess

2011-07-18T04:37:00.003-04:00

Just sitting around, thought I'd share a couple of hard earned cooking secrets.

NUMBAH ONE!

Next time you're making cupcakes from a box, try adding chocolate syrup! Give each cupcake one good squirt on top of the batter before you pop them in the oven. The chocolate syrup makes them ridiculously moist and super chocolately! It works great with Devil's Food as per my recent experience tonight.

For any cake flavor, substituting sour cream in place of milk or water will give your desserts a moist fluffy texture. I here tell you could even use fruit yogurt!

NUMBAH TWO!

Shallots! Shallots are a scrumptious alternative to regular onions. Trust me, after you try a shallot you will never buy a red onion again. I use them in pretty much everything to anything. They're terrific in a salad, sandwich, a light tomato sauce, with beef, topped on a steak, with chicken, in pasta salad, potato salad, whatever you want. They're a lot more crisp and lighter than a red onion, but on the other hand a bit stronger. If you don't like onions, I don't know what to say, you're hopeless so I don't expect you to appreciate anything like this.

I actually like them in my salad sandwiches. Say what? Salad sandwich. I get a whole wheat pita half, romaine lettuce hearts, tomato, shallots, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and a dash of salt. So tasty.

NUMBAH THREE!

When boiling up some pasta, add a drop of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. The salt flavors the pasta, and the olive oil prevents it from sticking to the sides and bottoms of the pot.

NUMBAH FOUR!

My cocaine!

Which brings me to my next point. The previous tip usually gets me into the pickle of having wet salt. Wet salt sucks. It clumps up your shaker and ruins the rest of your salt. Easy way to prevent this, rice. Put a few grains of rice into your salt shaker. The rice will absorb any extra moister within the shaker saving your previous little time and temper.

That's all my tips for now. I'll call my Nanny and see if I can't squeeze out some her her Great Depression tips or my sister for some busy-mother-of-two tips.

Keep a look out for news on the up-coming READER GIVE -AWAY of Andrea Lynn's The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook and the book tour under the same name! Check out the link above to visit Andrea Lynn's website and peruse her fabulous recipes and articles.

Love,

Liz

READER GIVE AWAY!! The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook!! Also, Eclair RIng!!

2011-07-08T04:11:00.002-04:00

Author and chef, Andrea Lynn surprised me with an email last week regarding her new publication, The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook. Miss Lynn has made a name for herself in food writing for such publications as Art Culinaire and appeared on NPR's Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me! and The Martha Stewart Show. Trader Joe's is a specialty grocery store responsible for putting "innovative, hard-to-find, great-tasting foods" in conveniently located shopping malls since 1958. Miss Lynn has graciously and helpfully collaborated all the delicious signature Trader Joe recipes and ingredients into a single tome.

Even more graciously, Miss Lynn has offered to host a reader give away. One SPECIAL reader will get a copy of The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook! MORE importantly, I'M going to get my OWN copy and get to test out of of Miss Lynn's favorite Trader Joe's homeplate! So excited. Soooo delicious.

With these recipes I shall conquer the blog-o-sphere with a guest post on Miss Lynn's virtual book tour for The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook! I'll be debuting my post on July 19th, so keep your little eyes peeled. Now to get the ingredients. However, the closest Trader Joe's is in Athens, GA. Can you say, road trip?

Wanna jump the gun on me and get a copy of your own? Andrea Lynn's The I Love Trader Joe's College Cookbook is available now at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com among many other book stores and other such places.

Switching up the pace a little bit, I thought I'd tantalize you with a whiff of things to come.

BEHOLD! The Eclair Ring! Coming this weekend to a tummy in me.

Love,

Liz

Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork fo' FATHER'S DAY!

2011-06-16T02:32:00.001-04:00

Put on your britches and get out your slow cooker, bitches. It's time for some BBQ. Dr. Pepper stizzyle.

Ridiculous. Anyways, Dr. Pepper More than Mesquite Marinade is a wonderful, highly recommended, but not necessary ingredient. I happen to find it at a local gift shop that happen to have a HUGE variety of BBQ and hot sauces. Very handy for Father's Day. However, it might not be as easy for someone in say . . . Botswana to find any Dr. Pepper Marinade in just any old store. I found a few online stores that carry it including right here at saucenspice.com.

Moving on, the slow cooker is a very important tool for any amateur chef. It's great for those days when you got a lot of errands to do and need a lot of food later on. It's great for roasts, chicken, rice, potatoes, soups, stews, chili, really anything. You can throw all your ingredients into it and let it cook for at least 3 hours, longer if you want it more delicious. Personally, I like to start a dish at about 4 AM (bed time) so it can simmer at least 12 hours. Plus, they're cheap. So there's really no reason for you not to have one.

For this recipe, you will need:

3-5 lb. pork butt roast, size really depends on the size of your crock pot or slow cooker and amount of people you're serving
14 oz. bottle Dr. Pepper More than Mesquite Marinade
24 oz. bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
1/2 cup spicy mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 large white onion, sliced
2 limes
1 clove garlic, diced
salt
pepper

Wash off the pork roast and place it on a plate with a paper towel underneath to absorb the extra run off. Season the roast with salt and pepper. Transfer the roast into the slow cooker. Cover it with half the bottle of Dr. Pepper More than Mesquite Marinade, half the bottle of BBQ sauce, the green peppers and onions.

Pop the top on the slow cooker, crank it to Low Heat and leave it alone for hours upon hours. Like I said, I'll leave that sucker in there half a day, I don't even care. But if you're in a hurry, wait about 4 hours until checking how tender the roast is. It's incredibly important to leave the top on at all times and not to fuss with the temperature or anything else until the pivotal moment. Once the urge is upon you to definitively surmise that the roast is tender enough, the sauce should be gently bubbling and the vegetables should appear wilted and soggy.

Now, transfer the roast onto a pan or clean plate. At this point I usually throw away the juices and vegetables in the pot. I find that the onions and peppers completely absorb the taste of the sauces and offers no yum factor. But if you think you'd like them, be my guest.

Return the pork roast to the slow cooker. Grab 2 forks and sort of use them to rip apart the roast like a hermit crab digging into the sand. Strange analogy, I know, but it's the only thing I could think of that came close enough. If it doesn't start to rip up so easily, don't worry.

Dump the rest of the Dr. Pepper, BBQ sauce, spicy mustard, brown sugar, and diced garlic. Take the limes and roll them with the palms of your hands on your counter or any flat surface. This loosens up the juices in the limes. Cut them in half and squeeze upside down onto the roast, assuming that you've kept up with washing your hands during this episode.

Keep the slow cooker on low, let it simmer for a few more hours. After about 3 hours, start ripping it up again. Continue to rip apart the pork and let it cook for about an hour. You'll know when it's ready because you'll have eaten most of it just through "tastes", but as a general guide: the more you pull apart the pork, the more the sauces can seep into the meat and penetrate the porky flavors.

Serve it on a nice toasted bun with a slice of Colby Jack cheese and some pasta salad (my new favorite side!).

Next week, shallots and why you'll never bother with red onions again. Ever.

Love,

Liz

40 Formidable College Food Blogs

2011-06-08T21:47:00.001-04:00

Hey, when you get a chance, check out my competition for next year's spot in this article by OnlineCollege.org and then punish yourself for not voting for me in the first place. I don't want to hit you, my babies. Mama loves you. Why do you hurt Mama? ::cough cough:: Where am I?

40 Formidable College Food Blogs

I'm looking forward to this weekend and so should you! My buddy Katharine gave me a bottle of Dr. Pepper Marinade and we's a gonna make some pulled pork, mm hm. I'm getting my Nanna's potato salad recipe, I'm gonna mix up some more pasta salad, and it shall garnish the finest Dr. Pepper BBQ Pulled Pork sandwich the world has ever known (truly a formidable recipe, if I do say so myself)!

Start getting excited, people.

Love,

Liz

Light and Healthy Pasta Salad

2011-05-26T02:07:00.002-04:00

I'll tell you about the pulled pork later, oh my GOD.

So I couldn't decide what to do as a side for this scrumptious swine. Fortunately, I had enough time to decide during the 12-hour period I slow-cooked the pork roast. The day started with me positive I was going to have potato salad, then I got lazy because it was a holiday. So I picked up a few fresh ingredients, spent around $5, and ventured to try my first pasta salad!

You will need:

red wine vinegar
olive oil
red wine vinegarette
salt
black pepper
1 small garlic clove
1 shallot
1 cucumber
1 tomato
1 12 oz. boxes of tri-color rigatoni
3 green onions

First, boil the pasta, dur.

Dice up them cucumbers, green onions, the tomato, and shallot. Smush the garlic clove with your palm or the side of your chopping knife, then dice it into small bits.

Once the pasta is fully cooked, drain it and set it aside to cool for about 2 minutes. Run the pasta in the colander under a light stream of cool water. Let the pasta dry, then transfer it to a serving bowl. Mix in the cucumbers, green onions, tomato, shallot, and garlic. Season with fresh cracked sea salt and black pepper, then splash some red wine vinegar, olive oil, and red wine vinegarette on to suite your pallet. If you want, you could substitute the red wine vinegar for your favorite salad dressing or just add a little olive oil.

It's just as good as a light snack as it is a side dish for a hearty sandwich (par examplar: pulled pork sandwich), the likes of which (sandwich) I'll reveal in the coming weeks.

I apologize profusely to the slothful performance of this blog in previous weeks, but you see I've been in the Big Apple! YES, I'm due for a change of scenery and culture. The bonus is that my new roommate is a chef and a butcher. Get this, the fridge has 3 lambs heads in it! Dude, I want to try that.

Love,

Liz

Secret Cupcake Molten Candy Surprise!!

2011-04-21T04:10:00.000-04:00

This isn't the most complicated recipe, nor is it the most original, nor the most elegant, but dammit it's good. I've stumbled upon quite a few recipes that follow the same basic pattern. This is very simple, and very easy to mess up, like I did the first time I tried!

What you'll need:

box of cake mix, whatever flavor you like
a few bags of bite-size candies, Snickers, Twix, Milky Way, stick with something chocolately, caramelly, nutty, or nougaty
cupcake cups, dur

Preheat the oven according to the box directions.

Prepare the cake batter as it says on the box. Next scoop about 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons of batter into each cupcake paper or about 2/3 full. Now unwrap a piece of your candy of choice, and daintily smush it into the center of the cupcake.

These are toffee almond chocolates that I decided to use. The first time I tried this, I used Snickers Bars and I put them in the bottom of the cupcake cup. Bad idea. The caramel fused with the paper and created this weird, really chewy hard bottom. Eh, live and learn.

Bake for as long as the box says to. Of course, let these cool before trying one out. You don't want to me the first person that a molten hot candy core cupcake sent to the hospital, homie.

Love,

Liz

Spicy Artichoke Dip, in other words, CHEEEEEEEEESE

2011-04-01T00:54:00.000-04:00

Here's the straight dope, I made this TWICE in one week and finished it all by myself BOTH times. Yes, it will make you covetous. Yes, it will make your lips tingle from the spice of the mighty jalapeno! But you will be fat and you will be happy.

Get it:

6 1/2 oz can of marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese (grated)
1 small can diced jalapenos (drained)

Preheat the oven to 350.

Drain the artichokes and jalapenos, and make sure you drain those jalapenos well. That spicy leftover juice can make your dip incredibly spicy. Chop up the artichoke hearts. Combine the artichoke with the mayonnaise, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, and Mozzarella cheese in a large mixing bowl, and mix them up good.

Pour the mixture into an oven safe baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese on top in golden brown and scrumptious-looking. Make sure to let the dip cool from boiling lava-hot to warm. You'd be surprised how much spice those jalapenos add on their own.

Feel free to use more or less or the jalapenos depending on your taste buds.

Serve with some nice bread, or pita, or my personal favorite, Santitas $2 Only Tortilla Chips.

Love,

Liz & Santita

Bo-Nanny Banana Bread

2011-03-03T02:17:00.001-05:00

It's pretty hard to keep banana bread around in my house. Either my friends visit and eat it, someone finds outs I made it and asks me to bring them some, or hell, I've eaten a whole loaf in less than 24 hours.

This is my Mamma's recipe which is my Nanny's recipe, but this time its all me. My Nanny likes hers plain, my Mamma likes chocolate chips in her banana bread, but I love walnuts . . . in everything. And lately, since my affair with Fried Bananagins, brown sugar is a new favorite ingredient. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. And I THOROUGHLY do.

You will need:

1 3/4 cups sifted flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsps baking soda
1 1/2 tsps salt
1/3 cup butter (room temperature)
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2-3 bananas)
1 cup chopped walnuts (plus a handful for the finish!)
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

In a small bowl, combine sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix together butter and sugar until soft and fluffy in a medium sized bowl. Next add eggs, mix well. Alternately add flour mixture then bananas then walnuts to the butter and sugar. Mix thoroughly after each addition.

Sprinkle the top of the banana bread with walnuts and brown sugar.

Pour into a well- greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Before the last 10 minutes, I like to pull the pan out of the oven and put a little extra brown sugar on top.

Please, for your own sake, wait like 15 minutes before you cut into this piece of fantastic. Then, slather on a pad of butter and wait for the addiction to settle in.

Love,

Liz

Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops!!

2011-02-21T22:51:00.001-05:00

I must be channeling Paula Deen to be putting so much pork in one place, but I can't help myself! This is so good. And I promise you, it's much healthier than anything Paula Deen the Ham Queen ever made. Ham butter? Ew.

So, I basically took my Nanny's stuffed pork chops recipe and added a few things.

You will need:

2 thick cut pork chops
2 celery stalks
1 onion
1 TBSP butter
garlic powder
salt
pepper
lemon (optional)
1 box herb stuffing
2 strips thick cut bacon

Preheat the oven to 425.

First, fry up them bacons. If you don't know how to prepare bacon at your age, that's a shame and I pity you. Heat up the pan, fry on med-high heat for about 5-7 minutes on each side. ANYWAY, while that's going on, take this time to cut your celery stalks into long quarters and dice them. Then, dice up that onion, too.

Heat up a small skillet and put the butter in there. Now sautee your vegetable at a medium heat until tender. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder then remove from heat. Once the bacon is cooked evenly, remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to degrease them. make sure to blot both sides thoroughly. Let the bacon cool and then rip it into little bits with your fingers.

Follow the directions on the stuffing box then add vegetables and bacon chunks, mix it up, pop the cover on and remove from heat.

While the stuffing is sitting, season the pork chops on each side with salt and pepper. Get a big, sharp knife and make an incision in the middle on the long side where there's no fat (it's easier). Make it sort of a curved cut so that the stuffing has a pocket to rest in. And yes this looks hilarious, but please, soldier on.

Set aside about 2 cups of stuffing so that you're not re-dipping with a spoon covered in raw pork. Spoon in the stuffing and really pack it in there. Now get two lemon slices and place them on top on the stuffing. You don't have to, but it's pretty and adds a nice light flavor.

Wrap the pork chops in separate aluminum foil sheets so that they close at the top. Place them in a baking dish and bake for 40 minutes. Then, open foil and bake for another 5-8 minutes to give the stuffing a crispy shell.

Oh, my God. This stuffing is so good. Mmmmmm, pig meat.

Love,

Liz

P.S. Always make sure to cook all pork products thoroughly otherwise, YOU WILL DIE.

Pasta Sauce RE-RE-RE-RE-MiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiX!!!

2011-02-10T00:55:00.001-05:00

It's been over 4 years since I started this blog and since then I've matured, and so have my recipes. Tonight I'll tackle the pasta sauce. I've definitely changes things around and updated ingredients. I hope you'll enjoy this new version as much I do!

Believe me once you realize how easy it is to make you own really good marinara sauce, you'll never eat it from a jar again.

This time, you'll need:

1 14 oz. can whole tomatoes peeled (with or without basil)
1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 tiny can tomato paste (you only need half the can)
1 whole tomato (diced)
1 giant onion or 2 medium sized onions (diced)
2 cloves garlic (diced)
2 fresh basil leaves or 1 TBSP or chopped basil
2 TSP oregano
1 hot pepper (diced) or 1 TBSP hot pepper flakes
1 lb. ground sirloin (browned and drained)
4 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP salt
2 TBSP sugar
2 TSP black pepper

Fist, heat up a medium sized frying pan, then add 2 TBSP oil. Once the oil is hot, sautee theonions until the are almost tender, then add garlic. When the garlic is golden brown, stir into the onions and remove from heat. While this is going on, pour the rest of the olive oil into a medium cooking pot and brown the ground sirloin.

Next, combine crushed and peeled tomatoes, diced tomato, onions, garlic, basically everything, into the pot with the browned sirloin. Bring to a boil and stir. Then, reduce heat and simmer, stir regularly. For hours. On end. Make sure you mush up those big chunks of tomatoes and onions once they tender. Unless you want it to be chunky, then leave it be and simmer for at least an hour.

The changes I've made, such as the quality of beef and extra herbs are definitely noticeable from my earlier attempts. Trust me, the ground sirloin apposed to beef is RIDICULOUSLY striking.

Love,

Liz

Lemon Mustard Pot Roast

2011-01-20T22:45:00.000-05:00

Yeah, it's as good as it sounds.

I miss my Nanny. She's THE BEST at comfort foods. American Cop Suey, Shepherd's Pie, mashed potatoes with beef strips cooked in gravy, mmmmmmmmmm, and pot roast, she made it all! So when I miss her I cook.

You will need:

2-3 yellow potatoes
2-3 carrots
2-3 celery stalks
1 onion
1/2 lemon
2 beef bouillon cubes
salt
pepper
1 1/2 cups water
2-3 TBSP Dijon mustard
beef roast (chuck, del monico, sirloin)

First preheat your oven to 350. Cut up your potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery stalks into quarters. Salt and pepper roast, then slather on the mustard with a knife (definitely avoid double dipping out of the mustard jar). Place the roast in a deep baking dish with a lid and surround with vegetables. Pour in water, then salt and pepper. Cut 2 slices of lemon and place them on the roast. Plop in the bouillon cube, slap on the lid, and slam that roast in the oven.

Cook 15- 20 minutes per pound and voila! It's great out of the oven and as leftovers. There's nothing quite like a pot roast sandwich with a little butter.

Love,

Liz

Mama's Lasagana, Easier Than You Think!

2011-01-09T20:14:00.000-05:00

I personally (1) know a lot of people who are intimidated by making lasagna, and (2) know a lot of people who screw up lasagna on a regular basis. Ever had lasagna soup? That mushy, oozy, runny, excuse of lasagna? Probably.

We all know that person who thinks they can cook, has big dinner parties, then forces what ever ill-conceived culinary abomination they've envisioned down the throats of their hesitant but polite group of friends.

You don't want to be that person, so let's begin.

You will need:

Sauce, THE MOST IMPORANT part of any Italian dish. Make it meaty, veggie, whatever. You can even try my recipe here. It's a little dated, but still holds strong.
8 oz. of Ricotta cheese
8 oz. of Mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded
16 oz. box of lasagna noodles
1 egg
Preheat oven to 325

The most important first step is DO NOT BOIL THE NOODLES. Don't ever boil the noodles. This is the number one cause of lasagna soup. The extra moisture from the noodles seeps out during the baking process and turns the sauce watery. Gross.

Mix the Ricotta cheese with 1 egg.

In a big baking dish, 9x13 inches, something along those lines, start with a layer of sauce that's about 1/2 inch thick. Next cover the sauce in a layer of lasagna noodles. Make them fit, but don't overlap. Then comes the Ricotta, spread 1/2 cup across the noodles. You can use a little bit more but not too much, you don't want the ingredients to overflow. Now cover the Ricotta with a layer of Mozzarella. Again, don't use too much or it will become too chewy. Back to sauce and repeat!

Remember to leave about 1/2 - 1 inch of room in the baking dish and cover it with tin foil. Just in case it does overflow, put a cookie sheet under it in the over. Bake for 25 minutes with the foil on, then remove foil and bake for another 15minutes.

Stick a fork in it! If it's done, the fork should go right through the gooey cheese and tender noodles. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes to solidify. Enjoy with some delicious garlic bread and a salad!

Love,

Liz

Turkey Wings and Stuffin': Home-Style Y'all!

2010-12-06T00:48:00.001-05:00

I guess I got a little anxious for Thanksgiving and could NOT keep away from this recipe.

I found these Vigo Bread Crumbs with Romano cheese and couldn't wait to use them. Fortunately, I had a couple of turkey wings already thawed in the fridge. I recently realized that having turkey parts ample and ready int he grocery store isn't a nationwide phenomenon. Sorry, not my fault. Maybe it's YOUR responsibility to keep a turkey on-hand in case of any odd recipe.

For the turkey wings you'll need:

butter
2 turkey wings
salt
pepper
Romano cheese bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 400.
Wash off the wings, salt and pepper them on both sides.
Then pour about 1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs into a large plastic bag, like a big Ziploc or grocery bag (with no holes, mind you).
Place the wings into the bag, seal, and shake it up!
Once the wings are coated in bread crumbs place them on a baking sheet covered in foil. If need be, add more bread crumbs and keep shaking.
Put about 2 pads of butter on each wings, and pop it in the oven until the skin is golden brown, about 30-45 minutes.
Now, flip over the wings so that the underside gets crispy, too, about another 20-35 minutes.

For the stuffing you need:

butter
celery
onion
box of Stove Top (can also be substituted for any kind of prepackaged stuffing)

Dice up the onion and celery.
In a large skillet, heat up a big pad of butter to saute the onion and celery in.
Once the vegetables are tender, add the Stove Top and then pretty much follow the recipe on the box from there (add some water and butter, simmer for 10 minutes, fluff with a fork and let stand for 5 minutes, if I'm not mistaken).

Scrumpty.
For all you baby birds what just left the nest, take comfort in some quick home cooking, that is, until you go home for some REAL Mommy food. And I should know, my Mommy just flew down here to make me a chicken AND a roast beef for a belated Thanksgiving. Oops! I'm spoiled, my bad.

Love,

Liz

Fried Bananagains

2010-10-13T03:54:00.000-04:00

I. Love. Fried Bananagains. I Love Fried. Fried Bananagains.

That's a song I sing because it's true. I love fried bananas.

Bananas are a terrific source of Potassium. Potassium is good for dexterity. Dexterity is useful when performing things like surgery or when you type on the computer all day like a nerd.

This is my new favorite dessert. Since I'm broke and I don't want to get fat again, I've substituted chocolate as my main sugar intake for this addictive treat.

You will need:

bananas
brown sugar
butter
possibly some pecans or walnuts

Cut one banana into quarters, longways. Heat up a small frying pan.

Then put in a pad of butter and wait for it to sizzle a little. Sprinkle some brown sugar into the butter and next place the bananas in pan, preferably flat side down.

After a minute or so, check to see if the under side is brown, then flip the bananas. Cook until brown on each side.

I like to top mine with whipped cream, and nuts. Sooo yummy.

Enjoy!

Love,

Liz

BEST TACOS I EVER MADE.

2010-09-15T04:45:00.000-04:00

I was sitting in my house at about 2 AM deciding on if I actually wanted to eat. I could make BLT, which had been sustaining me for quite a while, OR I could bite the bullet and take the time to make tacos.

Problem: no Taco Bell taco mix. I had assumed yesterday when I spent my last $10 that I had a stash of it somewhere. Under this assumption I bought all the fixin's, sans sour cream. But I'm a plucky gal and made my own combination not knowing if this would turn tragic. In the end I was rewarded. REWARDED GREATLY.

Here's what I had:

1 lb ground sirloin
salt
pepper
chili powder
cayenne powder
Pico de Gallo (can be found in most supermarkets)
1 lime
1 jalapeno (you could buy a jar, but 1 jalapeno pepper costs approximately $0.07)
olive oil
taco sauce
tortillas you can choose the regular hard shell or soft shell, I chose the kind you fry up, so much better)

First brown the beef, put it in a frying pan at medium heat until all the meat is cooked through. DON'T add olive oil, the meat will create it's own grease. When it's ready, drain out the grease and return the beef to the pan on medium or a little bit lower, depending on your stove top.

Next, add about 1/4 TSP of salt, 1/4 TSP of ground pepper, and 3/4 TSP chili powder. This is important: use cayenne powder sparingly. It is very powerful.

Now, using your palm, roll the lime about on your counter top. This will get them citric juices going. Cut it in half and squeeze over the meat. Wash the jalapeno and chop off about a third and dice it. If you like it really spicy, try going for a half. Don't die though.

Toss in about four big spoonfuls of Pico de Gallo and stir it all together. The Pico de Gallo should consist of tomatoes, onion, herbs, and jalapenos and all this will mix into the beef nicely. Just for some extra flavor and tenderness, pour on some taco sauce or hot sauce, 3-4 TBSP should be fine. Continue to cook on medium for about 7-12 minutes.

If you got the kind of tortillas you have to fry up:

Pour about 1/3 cup of olive oil into a heated frying pan. Once the oil is hot, toss on a tortilla, but not literally because the oil might splash up and burn you. Fry tortilla on both sides for about 10 seconds then dry on a paper towel.

Top them with whatever. Sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, Pico de Gallo, taco sauce, more jalapenos, onions, lime juice, it is AAAAALLLLLLL good.

AFTER THOUGHT!! As soon as I was going back for my fourth and fifth taco, I realized I could have gotten a much richer, saucier kind of taco meat by adding maybe 2 TBSP of tomato paste. Try it out, see what happens, let me know. Odds are I'll be trying this recipe again REAL soon.

I had six of these tonight. Shut up. I pedicab for a living, I'm allowed to be a fat ass, haha.

On a side note, sometimes I really have to laugh at the grotesquely poor quality of my photography, and I find it necessary to apologize. Sorry.

Love,

Liz.

Spicy BBQ Lamb Rack

2009-09-20T20:15:00.007-04:00

If ya feel like being fancy but, ya know, not so much. So good. So easy. Soooooo not so cheap. Ok, a rack of lamb can run you from about $15-25 even higher depending on how much baa you want for your buck (Oh, God, that was painful punny, I'm sorry). But just stow this idea away for a rainy day when you want to make something nice for your boo, or impress a bunch of people, or feel like Uncle Moneybags.

What you need:

rack of lamb, get it from a nice grocery store. Not your Kroger or Stop N' Shop. Nay nay, go all out and get it from Whole Foods or something. It'll be a leaner and better cut.

Bone Suckin' Sauce, I got the spicy kind, gurggle gurggle, drool drool. This might be hard to find so you can use whatever kind of BBQ sauce you want. But this is better.
salt
black pepper
1-2 small-medium size onions, this is to put on top of the lamb while it bakes. This makes the onions soak in some of the BBQ sauce while they caramelize. Nummy.

Alright, now take your lamb out of the packaging, rinse it and LEAVE THE FAT ON! Just do it. You can cut it off later if its so important. Place it in a baking dish of some sort, one with raised edges, NO baking sheets. If you use a baking sheet there will be a mess.

Coat all side of lamb rack with a light, even coat or salt and pepper. Make sure you get the ends and obviously don't waste too much of your time with the bone part.

Next, liberally base your lamb with BBQ sauce. As you can see, mine are laying in a puddle of joy. (Why I used a round dish, I'll never know.) Now's a good time to cut up those onions and sprinkle them around and on top of the lamb.

Here comes the waiting. I think I might have marinated my lamb for about 36-48 hours. Mostly because I kept forgetting. You don't have to marinate that long of course, 4-6 hours will probably do it. Just keep it mind the longer you marinate the better, the juicier. The less you marinate, not so much. But don't keep raw meat in your fridge too long or it will spoil and be nasty as hell.

Whenever you've decided you're done marinating, pre-heat the oven to 400-450. Yeah that's high, but here's kicker, you're gonna leave it in there a while. Like, a WHILE. Check on it after an hour, makes sure it's not burning, but I guarantee you, it's not done yet. Take another hour, nope, still too raw.

Now depending on how your like your meat, you might want to stop at around hour 3. Like I said, at this point it's up to you. I prefer my meat well-done.

After about 4 hours, this is what I came out with. First time ever making something like this, they came out soo juicy. Those are honey butter peas on the side, 1 can peas, 2 TBSP of butter, drizzle of honey. I happened to share this meal with a fervent vegetarian who had never tried lamb before. Unfortunately, I have the appetite of Shaggy and could have easily eaten the entire rack and barely been satiated. Oh, well. Sharing is caring.

Anchovies!

2009-05-05T19:44:00.013-04:00

I know what you're thinking because it's the same thing all of my friends were thinking: Ew.

But that's likely because the only way you're had anchovies is on a pizza or Caesar salad. Lots of people say that anchovies are too salty. Well, you've probably never tried anchovies the way my Nonno (Italian for grandfather). When they're made this way, these little fish become addictive. I've made 3 plates of this stuff in the last week. It's so good, trust me.

So, if you want something a little different or you need a special appetizer or maybe just a snack, this recipe is simple, healthy, and delicious!

Ok, here's what you need:

red wine vinegar (a good brand like Star. I bought some Kroger brand red wine vinegar a while ago and it was garbage)
extra virgin olive oil (again, a good brand like Filipo Berrio)
1-2 tins of anchovies in olive oil (you can get whatever brand of this you like. I prefer them from a tin rather than the ones you find in glass jars. Anchovies also can also come marinated in olive oil and capers. Never tried that, but I'm not a fan of capers.)
escarole (it's like lettuce but different. It's a little thicker, a little bitter, but it goes so well with a nice bite of anchovies)
celery with leaves (the leaves of the celery plant are delicate and tasty and also go very well with anchovies)
nice crusty bread, crackers, or French rounds (French rounds are those little pieces of crispy bread that you eat bruschetta on)

Now that you have everything you need, you will be astounded at how simple it is to make a plate of anchovies. First, crack open your first tin of the little guys and drain out some of the oil. Have a big clean plate ready and next to you. One by one, remove the anchovies from the tin, and rinse it under cool running water. Place the anchovy flat on the plate and repeat the steps. *If you're using more than one tin, make sure you organize the anchovies so that they all fit on the plate.

Once all the anchovies are rinsed and on the plate, take your red wine vinegar and pour it over the anchovies. You should use enough vinegar so that the anchovies are submerged. Now carefully trot the plate to your fridge (I hope you made some room) and let them sit in there for 2-4 hours.

During this time the anchovies are marinating in the red wine vinegar. I usually leave them in there even longer, like overnight. But that's because I usually forget. Either way you do it, it's a hard thing to screw up.

After your anchovies have been marinating for a few hours, take them out and drain them of the vinegar. Just hold the plate over the sink, carefully tilt it, and try to make sure that none of the anchovies fall off!

Right now, you should have a plate of anchovies and nothing else (maybe a little vinegar residue). Now take the extra virgin olive oil and pour it all over the anchovies so that they're covered with it. Put it back in the refrigerator for another hour or until you're ready to serve it.

When serving, I recommend that you first put some of the olive oil from the anchovy plate onto your nice piece of bread, cracker, or whatever. Then place a few anchovies on there. Garnish with celery leaves and/or escarole.

Personally, I prefer to take a huge bite of the bread and anchovies, then shove half a leaf of escarole in my mouth as well.

I'm not very lady-like, it's true. But hey - I know how to eat.

Lemon Garlic Lamb Chops

2009-04-29T23:01:00.015-04:00

I never cooked with lamb until tonight and OH MY, GOD. These are so freaking fantastic. And easy AND cheap which is also important.

Ok, so, I got these three pretty good sized lamb chops for about $5, and the ears of corn were 3 for $1, and the Rice-A-Roni was something like $2-3. So that's a $7-8 meal with leftovers because there's no way you can finish all that Rice-A-Roni in one sitting by yourself.

Now for the recipe!

You Will Need:

lamb chops
garlic powder
lemon pepper
salt
black pepper
olive oil
a lemon

Just take the lamb chops out of the packaging and plop 'em down on a cutting board. Cover each side with an even spread of garlic powder, lemon pepper, black pepper, and salt.

While you're seasoning the chops, get out a frying pan and pour some extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of the pan. I didn't measure anything in this recipe since I was flying by the seat of my pants, but I'd say about 3-4 TBSP of olive oil will do it. Set the heat on medium or medium-high.

Now, take your lemon and roll it around on the counter with the palm of your hand. Press kind of firmly. This with smoosh the lemon and make it more juicy. Cut it in half and squeeze it into the oil.

When the oil is hot, gently place the lamb chops into the frying pan. If you just plop them in there, the hot oil my fly up and burn you. I had to learn that the hard way and now I have a scar on my chin!
In this photo, they're not fully cooked, for me anyway. I don't really like my meat to be bloody. The time it takes to cook really depends on how rare you like your meat:

Rare: 3-4 minutes on each side
Medium-Rare: 5-6 minutes on each side
Medium: 7-8 minutes on each side
Well Done: 9-10 minutes on each side

Mmm, yummy. I ate one of the lamb chops while I was waiting for the corn and rice to cook. But, so, yeah, this was a very filling meal, my friends. And it was soooo good! I was actually startled at how good it came out so I hope you'll like this recipe, too.

Oh, by the way, to boil corn: boil the water first, duh, then corn. Boil for 3-4 minutes. Smother with butter and salt because that's the way it's done. Scrumpty!

Be a dirty hippie without the dirt: SAVE THE RAINFOREST!

2008-06-19T16:17:00.002-04:00

This is (Lil) Green Patch.

To find out how YOU can help save the rainforest in an easy facebook application-type way, click on the little tomato boy.

Not My Mama's Chili

2007-11-12T03:49:00.000-05:00

Like I said, this isn't my mama's chili, it's my boyfriend's mama's chili. Oh, my GOD. My roommate and I finished off the leftovers in a little over 24 hours. It was so good! Better than my own mama's chili (she uses beef tips which I think is weird).

After the last meal he made without recording the recipe, I hounded my boyfriend to keep track of what he was doing while he was making this gem. We're actually going to enter it in a chili cook-off this Saturday. If you think you've got the stuff, maybe YOU should enter this recipe in a cook-off . . . just not the one we're entering, that would be stupid.

What you'll need:

chili powder
1 large cans crushed tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 large can tomato juice
1 green pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon sugar
salt
1 small can kidney beans
2 lbs ground beef

As always, brown the beef in a skillet, drain, and then place back on the burner. Add your onions and peppers to the beef and let the flavors mingle and mix.

In a large pot, put in the tomato juice, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, and the beef/pepper/onion mix.

This part I was a bit startled by but I'm not about to argue with what works. Take 1/3 of a 2.25 oz bottle of chili powder to the pot. It sounds like a lot, it is a lot, but it works somehow. Then add your sugar and salt. As the pot is simmering, taste your chili frequently to see if it might need more salt, sugar (takes away bitter tastes), or a little extra spice. For this I suggest a small amount of cayenne pepper ( if you add to much you could ruin your chili) or crushed red pepper (like you find at pizza places).

What I really like about this recipe is that the spiciness doesn't attack your tongue like it usually does. In fact, the spice gets you after you've swallowed the chili by leaving a wonderful after-taste.

So you've got everything in your pot, have you? Well done. Now comes the waiting. Let your chili simmer for 30 minutes to 4 hours. I give you this large time frame because the longer you let your chili simmer the more integrated the ingredients become and the better the chili tastes.

I hope you enjoy this hot little number. Wish us luck on Saturday!

BBQ Meatloaf

2007-11-12T03:16:00.000-05:00

I don't know why on TV everybody's like: "Meatloaf for dinner?! Ugh!" I LOVE meatloaf, it's so good! IF you make it right. This is a super duper easy recipe, which is appropriate for the title of this blog I suppose, so here we go.

This is my Mamma's BBQ Meatloaf recipe and this is what you'll need:

2 lbs of ground beef
1 cup of BBQ sauce (any brand)
4 slices of white bread, diced
1/8 tablespoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of Grey Pupon mustard
2 tablespoons of minced onion

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Here's the gross part, I didn't like it very much but it's TOTALLY worth it, with your BARE HANDS mix the beef, salt, pepper, mustard, BBQ sauce, and minced onion together in a medium sized mixing bowl. I'm sorry, but you have to do it. When it's mixed up real good, place the beef on a greased cookie sheet (you can grease it with butter, margarine, Pam Cooking Spray, etc.). Mold the beef into a loaf shape and pop it into the oven for 50 minutes. After it's done, take it out and pour some extra BBQ sauce on the meatloaf and let it cool.

See? Super easy recipe.

MEATLOAF!

Nanna's Shepherd's Pie

2007-11-06T02:27:00.000-05:00

My Nanna makes THE best Shepherd's Pie. Personally, I can eat it morning, noon, and night and I did for years. At least, that was how it was until I went to college and I was sad.

THANKFULLY my Nanna gave me her recipe a few months ago. Now, for the first time ever, I'm sharing this recipe with you, my beloved public.

Preheat the oven to 350 and here's what you'll need:

2 lbs ground beef
1 onion
1 large clove of garlic
2 cans of whole corn kernels
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
6-7 Idaho potatoes
salt
pepper
1 stick of butter
3/4 cup of milk

This recipe might confuse you because you'll be making two things at the same time; the beef and the mashed potatoes. You might want an assistant on this one. But if you're flying solo it's no problem.

First off, we'll start with the potatoes since they take longer. Put a big pot of cold water on the stove. Don't fill it too high because when you add the potatoes the water might over flow. Put a lid on the water and while you're waiting for the water to boil, peel the potatoes. After they've been peeled, rinse them off, cut them in half, and put them in the boiling water. It'll take a while before the potatoes are ready for mashing, so while that's going on we'll prepare the meat.

Moving on, brown the beef in a large frying pan, skillet, or sauce pan. While the beef is browning, dice the onions and garlic. Drain the grease from the beef when it's done and put it back in the pan with the onions, garlic, and salt for seasoning. Stir it up, mix it around, and when the onions seem cooked, add 2 1/2 cups of cold water. Bring the water to a boil put in the cornstarch bit by bit and mix it in.

Put the beef in a medium sized baking dish like so:
Now crack open those cans of corn, drain the corn juice, and spread the corn evenly over the beef.

OH, MY GOD! BACK TO THE POTATOES!

You'll know you're potatoes are ready for mashing if a fork can pierce straight through them. If you can do that, drain out the water and turn off the heat. Cut up one stick of butter and put it into the pot with the potatoes and then add 3/4 cup of milk. Mash them up real good. Taste the 'tatoes every once in a while to see how lumpy they are. If they're not buttery enough or milky enough for you just put in some more. I don't know about you, but I add salt AND pepper to my mashed potatoes, so maybe you do too. Get my drift?

By now you're beef should be at the bottom of the baking dish, the corn should be on top of the beef, and you're mashed potatoes are smooth, fluffy, and buttery good. There's just one more step before you throw it in the oven. Spread the mashed potatoes over the corn. It's a little tricky because you don't want to get corn or beef mixed up in your 'tatoes. What I do is plop some down in the middle and smooth it out from the center.

It's okay if you have extra potatoes left over, you don't have to use it all.

Put it in the oven on 350 and in 30 minutes you'll have my Nanna's Shepherd's Pie!

Cornflake Baked Chicken

2007-10-24T00:52:00.001-04:00

Something wonderful happened - not only did I get a flash drive so I can put pictures in now, but I found a freaking awesome chicken recipe!! It's amazing. I made it for dinner tonight. This was the first time I've ever made a chicken dish and it came out perfectly. This is SUCH an easy recipe, perfect for first time chicken cookers. I got it at yahoo in the food section. So let's bust a move:

• 4 skinless chicken legs
• 4 skinless chicken thighs
• salt
• ground pepper
• 1 large eggs
• 2 cups of crushed cornflakes
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• ½ teaspoon of cayenne powder (optional, but HIGHLY recommended)

Get that oven preheated at 400 degrees, to start off.
Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Like I said this was my first time with chicken, so yeah, it feels totally nasty. The easiest way to clean the chicken is to first set out some paper towels to set the raw chicken on after you rinse it. Then, pat it dry with another paper towel. After you’ve dried the chicken, season it generously with salt and pepper.

In a soup bowl, whisk the egg with a tablespoon of water. In a large bowl, crush the two cups of cornflakes with your hands until they’re nice and little and then mix in the oil, a teaspoon of salt, and the cayenne if you’d like your chicken with a little spice!

Get out a baking pan with a rim and cover it with some aluminum foil.

Now dip one piece of chicken in the egg mix and then into the cornflakes (it’s okay if some of the salt and pepper comes off the chicken). Make sure you get them cornflakes on every bit of the chicken by pressing them on and then put it on the pan. Do this with every piece of chicken.

You might end up needing more cornflakes, just to let you know. I doubled the recipe because we eat a lot in my house and I like leftovers. But doubling the recipe wasn’t really enough for ten pieces of chicken instead of eight. So I figure you might run out, maybe.

Once you’re done with the chicken, put it in the oven for thirty minutes or until its golden brown and crisp. After thirty minutes, my chicken came out perfectly! I was so happy! It was so moist and flavorful, YUM. Well, when it’s done, sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.

For side dishes, I recommend: mashed potatoes and salad, green beans and potatoes au gratin, or French fries and cold slaw. Personally, I had mashed potatoes and salad, but those other two options sound awesome, too!

On a separate note, my boyfriend made some fantastic chili the other night. I put up the recipe on wikihow.com. I might put it up on this blog as well at a later date.

Anyways, I had a really good time making this chicken. It was new and fun and, more importantly, so friggin’ good! I hope y’all enjoy it as much as I did.

Love,

Liz

Mississippi Mud Cake

2007-10-08T20:23:00.001-04:00

This is a very special recipe: my Mamma’s Mississippi Mud Cake. So. Freaking. GOOD! It’s a ridiculously thick chocolate cake. I did a speech on how to make it for my speech class a few quarters ago, and they loved it AND me, because I brought in Mississippi Mud Cupcakes.

Here are the ingredients:

• 2 cups water

• 4 squares unsweetened chocolate

• 1 stick of butter

• 1 2/3 cups sugar

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• dash of salt

• baking pan

• saucepan

First preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Put the 2 cups of water and the four squares of chocolate in your saucepan. Turn the heat under the saucepan up to high so it boils. Once the chocolate is melted, remove the pan from heat and add 1 stick of butter, 1 and 2/3 cups of sugar, and stir until the contents are smooth.

Now add the two beaten eggs and STIR QUICKLY! If you don’t stir quickly, the eggs will cook in the heat of the chocolate and then you’ll have chocolate-y scrambled eggs, which is nasty. Then add a teaspoon of vanilla.

In a medium sized bowl, mix the 2 cups of flour and the 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Slowly add the flour/baking soda to the saucepan, bit by bit. Every time you put a little in, mix it in well so that you can’t see any of the white flour and there are no big lumps.

Once you have all of your flour and baking soda mixed in, add a dash of salt. Now beat the mixture until it’s totally smooth. (If you can’t make it completely smooth that’s fine. It’s almost impossible to really make it entirely smooth without using an electric mixer.)

All you have left to do is pour the mix into the ungreased baking dish, and pop it in the oven. After a half hour, check on the cake by sticking a toothpick in the middle of it. If the toothpick comes out with chocolate-y goo, the cake’s not done. Keep doing the toothpick check every fifteen minutes. When the cake is done, the toothpick will come out dry. There may be a few crumbs, but as long as it’s not moist when it comes out, the cake is done.

Let it cool for ten minutes; don’t burn your little tongue.

What my Mamma likes to do is sprinkle confectioner’s sugar on top and serve it with a side of whipped cream. Damn, it’s so good.

Love,

Liz

Beefy Potatoes Au Gratin

2007-09-23T00:17:00.002-04:00

Ok, so this is a recipe for a delicious concoction I call Beefy Potatoes Au Gratin. I got this from a small recipe book I got at the grocery store, but my retard ex-roommate threw it out or something. And then I changed the recipe! So there you go.

SO! Here are the ingredients:

• 2 lbs of ground beef

• 3 boxes of Au Gratin Potatoes (I use Kroger brand, but whatever brand you can find will work the same.)

• Any and all ingredients listed in the box of potatoes’ cooking instructions

• Salt

• Pepper

• 1 medium pot

• 1 big pot

• 1 4 quart baking dish, obviously must be oven safe

• 1 strainer

• Aluminum foil

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then start browning the beef. Cook the beef in the medium pot, chopping it up, moving it around, until it’s all brown. Once it’s brown, dump the beef into the strainer to separate the grease. Put the beef into the big baking dish. Spread the beef evenly over the bottom of the baking dish.

We’re going to use the big pot for the potatoes au gratin. If your box says that you boil water, start with tripling the amount of water and bring it to a boil. Then if your box says that it requires butter, triple the amount of butter and let it melt in the boiling water. If the box calls for milk, AGAIN, triple the amount of milk BUT DON’T ADD IT YET. Adding milk to the hot water could spoil it. So wait for later. Then add your potatoes, and cheese mixes – whatever else it tells you to do. Then, if the box says you need it at all, add the milk. Add a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper. Mix.

By now, you should have 2 lbs of beef on the bottom of the baking dish. Your big pot should be filled with 3 boxes worth of au gratin potatoes. Finally, your oven should be preheated to 400 degrees.

So now that you potatoes are ready, pour them on top of the beef. Spread the potatoes evenly over the beef. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and put it in the oven. After 30 minutes, take the foil off and put it back in the oven for 10 minutes. When it’s done, take it out and let it cool for 10 minutes.

I suggest serving this entrée extraordinaire with salad and ranch dressing. Enjoy, my little dumplings!

Love,

Liz

Pasta Sauce

2007-09-16T15:06:00.001-04:00

Ooooh! First recipe, exciting!

This is a very simple way to make home cooked pasta sauce that my mamma taught me a while ago. Here are the ingredients:

• 2 medium onions

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)

• 1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes (28 ounces)

• 1 box of whatever pasta you fancy

• Table salt

• Ground Pepper

• A bottle of olive oil

• A large cooking pot

• A frying pan

• A medium-sized cooking pot

• A pasta strainer

Ok, get that big old pot and frying pan, and put them on the stove. Leave the medium-sized pot off to one side.

Pour some olive oil on the bottom of each.

Now, leave that alone, don’t put the heat on yet, just leave it the hell alone.

Go get your onions and dice them. That means cut them up into tiny pieces. Put the diced onions into the frying pan and turn the heat on low. Stir them up every so often. You don’t want them to stay in the same place in the pan or they’ll burn and be gross. What we’re going for with the onions is NOT to caramelize them. We DO want them to be cooked though, not very crunchy, almost looking clear white.

Moving on to garlic. These must be cut up tiny-tiny. Don’t use the ends of the cloves.

Just to sum up what should be happening in your kitchen right now:

The big pot on the stove has olive oil in it, just enough to cover the bottom.

The diced onions are cooking in olive oil in the frying pan.

Now, shove all of the onions to one side of the frying pan. Add a little more olive oil into the deserted part of the pan and put the diced garlic in it. When you cook garlic, you want it to turn a golden color. If it cooks too much it’ll turn brown, and it’s going to be bitter and ruin everything.

While the garlic is cooking, keep stirring the onions, making sure that they are still separate from the garlic. Also stir around the garlic every once in a while.

Get your cans of tomatoes, open them up, and pour them into the big pot. Put the heat on medium low. Stir it up a bit and try to smash some of the whole tomatoes in half with whatever you’re stirring with.

Once the garlic is that nice light golden color, mix it in with the onions and let them cook together for a minute or so.

After that, turn the heat off on the frying pan and dump the onions and garlic into the big pot with the tomatoes. Stir them up and let them simmer together for about ten minutes.

My roommate thinks that simmering is when you keep the heat on low. It’s not. It’s when the contents of the pot are bubbling softly, rather than bubbling violently like when it’s being boiled.

So, after it’s been simmering for a bit, add the salt and pepper to taste and keep smashing the whole tomatoes in half.

As the sauce is cooking, fill up your medium-sized pot with cold water. Don’t fill it to the top, though. You’re going to be adding pasta to it. If the pot is filled too much with water, it will overflow when you add the pasta, duh.

Alright, put the pot of water on the stove and set the heat to high. Put a lid on it, if you have one. It doesn’t really matter, the water will boil either way. It’s just going to boil faster if the lid is on.

Once the water is boiling, add salt to the water. This will give the pasta a bit of flavor on its own.

To measure out how much pasta you want to use, this is what my Nonno does: take a bowl (whatever bowl you’re going to use to serve the pasta in), and fill the bowl according to how many people are going to eat. So for two people, put in two bowls worth, three people three bowls, etc.

Dump the appropriate amount of pasta into the boiling water. Make sure you stir the pasta around every few moments so that it doesn’t get stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Test the pasta by periodically taking out a piece with a fork and tasting it.

If it’s tough, it’s not done.

If it’s chewy, it’s not done.

It has to be tender.

If it’s mushy, you over did it. It is now inedible by Italian standards.

Once you find the pasta to be perfect, dump it out in a strainer over the sink.

By now, your sauce should be ready to serve.

I taught this recipe to my friend Diego and he added his own little spices to the sauce because he’s Costa Rican and he has to. I use hot peppers from my Nonno’s garden. What my mamma suggested is to put the tiniest pinch of cayenne pepper in. But when using cayenne, be careful. Too much of it will make your face explode and more importantly ruin the sauce.

AWESOME!

To make it a meat sauce, simply add a pound of ground beef to the big pot before putting in the tomato sauce.

Brown the beef in the olive oil. This means that you smash up the beef with your stirring implement and keep shifting it in the pot until it is brown throughout.

When it’s done, pour the beef out into a strainer. This gets rid of all the grease. Then put the beef back in the pot and add the tomatoes.

IMPORTANT!

1. Use lean beef. It’ll either say 8% fat or 92% lean. You want the fat content to be somewhere in that area.

2. Keep washing your hands! Especially after dealing with raw meat.

Sweet! That was the first of many entries in this recipe blog. I hope your meal turns out great. Please feel free to comment on any part of the recipe or if you couldn’t understand some parts or if you just have questions in general.

I’m off to go eat Mexican food now. ADIOS, HOMIES!!!

Love,

Liz

Rippity Rap, RAP-TASTIC!

2007-09-13T21:04:00.001-04:00

Greetings, hungry undergrads! In this blog I will give you several recipes that are totally easy to make, really really good, and will most importantly stop the braying beast that is your hunger.

I’m only 21, I don’t know how to make fancy stuff really. But what I do know how to do is keep my roommates full and happy.

If you’re new to the cooking scene — don’t worry. I’ll explain all the technical cooking lingo and take you step-by-step on how to make these simple recipes. Some cooks don’t realize that it’s kind of weird to learn how to brown beef or even boil pasta correctly, even though doing the slightest thing wrong can mess up your entire dinner.

To keep disasters to a minimum, I’ll include photos of what you’re doing should and should NOT look like. For instance, I just fucked up some onions. So when I do something wrong I’ll take a picture and let you know what your food should not look like.

As I write, I’m making pasta sauce, hence the onions. To give you an idea of how I do things, there’s only five ingredients: onions, canned tomatoes (crushed and peeled), garlic, and olive oil.

Who wouldn’t rather have homemade sauce instead of nasty Prego? I don’t know about you but there’s just something wrong about sauce from a jar. Maybe it’s because I’m a Guinea/WOP (Italian), I don’t know.

Anyways, whether you are a total stranger to the kitchen or already know the basics but just don’t have the time for friggin’ duck a l’orange (which is really good by the way) — I’ve got recipes for you.

LOVE,

Liz