Homemade: Curry Pork Chops

Homemade: Guacamole

homemade guacamole

2 Hass avocados, ripe, but firm, cut in 2″ pieces
2 oz. white onion, cut into 1″ pieces
2 garlic cloves
1 small tomato cut in 4 parts
1 tomatillo cut in 4 parts
juice from 1/2 lime
30 cilantro leaves
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 jalapenos (optional)

Add all ingredients into food processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached.

Things I would do differently next time:
use 1 jalapeno and not 2 because my tongue was on fire
blend all ingredients except tomato, onion, and tomatillo
cut tomato, onion, and tomatillo in small pieces and fold into blended mixture (to give the guacamole some texture)

Homemade: Green Bean Casserole

One green bean casserole...

...and then there were two green bean casseroles.

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted. There will be quite a few postings in the next few days from the past few months of places I’ve eaten at. Thank you readers for still reading and being patient with us. I sincerely appreciate the time you guys take to read our food postings. Cheers! =)

I made this green bean casserole for a baby shower party for one of my coworkers at work.

I used the following ingredients:

4 cans Cambell’s green bean french cut style

2 cans Cambell’s cream of mushroom soup

2 % Milk

French Fried Onions

Bacon bites

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Shredded Mozarella Cheese

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder seasoning

Baked if for about 30 minutes

Homecooked: Lemon-Garlic Chicken Thighs

It’s not the healthiest part of the chicken, but it’s definitely my favorite – the thighs!

A simple recipe to satisfy your taste buds:

3/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon grated zest and 1 1/2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper

1. Place 1/8 cup olive oil, lemon zest, 1 minced clove of garlic and chicken in bowl.

2. Whisk lemon juice, 1 minced clove of garlic, mustard, and 1/4 cup of olive oil in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Remove chicken from marinade and discard the marinade. Season chicken with a little salt and pepper.

4. Grill for 10 minutes per side (or cook over stove top in a skillet until the juice runs clear).

5. Serve with a drizzle of vinaigrette over the chicken.

homemade: chocolate peanut butter chip cookies

with a dash of cinnamon

homecooked: Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

It’s so delicious. Recipe? Yes.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
serves 10-12
prep: 15 min cook: 40 min

3/4 lb. chicken tenders, cut to bite-sized
1 lb. sausage, cut in 1/4″ slices
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 (10 oz.) cans Rotel mild diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
1 c water
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cajun seasoning
2 c uncooked rice

Cook chicken in pan with 1 Tbsp of oil
Cook sausage in Dutch oven 5 min. Drain and return.
Add pepper and onion. Cook 3 min or until tender.
Add Rotel, chicken broth, water, garlic powder, cajun seasoning. Bring to boil.
Add chicken and uncooked rice. Cover, reduce heat, simmer 30 minutes or until rice is tender.

Homecooked: Hoisin Sesame Drumsticks

Homecooked: Hoisin Sesame Drumsticks

Homecooked: Inside-Out Bacon Pepperjack Burger

Everyone knows I’m a big eater, but most people do not know how much I really love cooking my own food.  Reasons people do not know about my love for cooking:

1. I rarely, if ever, cook at home.
   I currently live with 8 other people.  Our kitchen is the size of my foot.  Also, Mama Bear always has something amazing on the stove.
   
2. I never cook for other people (minus the boyfriend, who is obligated to love everything that I make).
   I have a fear that people will eat my food and not like it and then judge me for being a bad cook.  Terrible anxiety kicks in.
   
3. ??

Anyway, I am in love with the Food Network and I caught an episode of Rachel Ray making an inside-out burger.  I decided I would try it myself at some point.  Since I am visiting my bf, I actually have room to cook.  Yipee!

I didn’t follow a recipe or anything, and instead decided to make a simple burger.  I did, however, take Paula Deen’s advice on letting the meat soak up some water to give the burger more moisture.

• 1 pound ground chuck (85% lean)
• about 1/4 cup of water
• a dash of salt
• black pepper
• flatbread (buns)
• stuffers: bacon, onion, cremini mushrooms, pepperjack cheese

I cut and cooked all the stuffers.  I divided the meat into 8 parts (8 patties for 4 burgers).  For each burger, I took 1 patty and piled on the stuffers, making sure to leave room on the edges.  Then I put a patty on top and sealed it with the bottom patty so that you couldn’t see any of the stuffers.  I cooked each side for about 5 minutes on medium heat for a medium-well burger.  Each of the burgers were served on flatbread buns (my sister loves to use these and I think it puts more emphasis on the meat).

Homecooked: juicy inside-out burgers

Best burger I have ever tasted and even better because I made it myself.

Homecooked: oozing goodness

Success!  I would love to grill these next time.