So college is expensive. That is not a surprise to anyone who has ever been in college or had a friend/child in college. I turned in a time card late to work a couple weeks ago which means that I didn't get paid on payday. So I went an entire month on a single paycheck where I had several days off so it was a tiny paycheck to boot. That, my friends, is not easy. So I had to get really creative. I decided to make some dishes that can really stretch to make many meals from just a few ingredients.
This is one dish that my mother and I made for a wedding. Because I had made so many batches of this dish, I pretty much had it memorized.
Baked Rigatoni Lasagna
1 box Rigatoni pasta
1 large can Marinara Sauce
18 slices Provolone Cheese
1 lb Sausage browned
1 cup shredded cheese (whatever kind you like)
1 cup Sour Cream
1. Cook the pasta according to the box
2. Heat oven to 350
3. in a 9x13 baking dish, spread a spoonful of sour cream on the bottom
4. place a layer of pasta (enough to cover the sour cream)
5.place 1/3 of the sausage on top of the pasta
6. pour 1/4 of the jar of marinara sauce and spread it over the sausage
7. place six slices of provolone cheese in a layer on top of the sauce
8. spread another spoonful of sour cream on the cheese and repeat the whole process 3 times.
9. top the dish with the shredded cheese and the rest of the marinara sauce. Bake for about 30 minutes. It is done when the cheese is melted and you see bubbles along the sides of the glass pan
You can alter this recipe if you like more or less sauce or you want to have less cheese. I use reduced fat Jimmy Deans sausage. So use what you like, but I would recommend you try it according to the recipe at least once, it is really good!!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Superbowl Food!!!
Superbowl means a lot of different things to different people, whether you love Superbowl parties because of the game, the commercials, the friends, or the food, there is something for everyone.
Personally, I like the commercials, rooting against my brother's team, and cooking for my friends and family. So I thought that I would recommend a few recipes that I love for the Superbowl. I'll focus on super low stress and delicious ones. I'll give you the recipes for a couple of my favorite dips, Game Day Mac and Cheese, and Caramelized Chicken Wings.
Cream Cheese Chip Dip
The first involves no cooking what-so-ever. There are so many different types of dips that people make but this one is delicious and ridiculously easy. Take a block of Philadelphia cream cheese, put it on a plate, and pour salsa over it. That's it. Seriously. Serve it with tortilla chips and you will be surprised how many people will absolutely love it.
Seven Layer Bean Dip
Many people have a version of this or buy it from the store, however the version that my mother makes is the best that I have ever tasted. (Who doesn't say that about their mother? :) )
Romaine Lettuce
Reid Fried Beans
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Cheese
Salsa
Olives
Green Onions
The dip is assembled in that order.
Lettuce should be chopped so that it can be scooped up with the chips.
Guacamole can be made however you like it however the best (and healthiest) I have ever tried is made with plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, lime juice, and garlic salt added to the smashed avocado.
Sour Cream should be seasoned with a quarter of a packet of taco seasoning (or however much you want)
Put everything in a solid layer until you get to the Salsa which should be dropped in dollops on the top of the dip. Then slice up the onions and olives and sprinkle on top.
Serve this with tortilla chips, it is so good, I make it whenever people come over. I know that this dip is a bit cliche because it is so common, but I just love it! So if you don't want it, don't come to a party at my house.
Macaroni and Cheese.
A classic.
This recipe is made with canned milk, Cream of Cheddar Soup, and shredded cheese. You can think of it as the butter, cheese packet, and milk if you like to make the box mac and cheese.
1 box pasta
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Cream of Cheddar Soup
1 to 2 cups cheese
1/2 t Season All
1/2 t Garlic Salt
1) Boil a box of pasta shells (you can use any pasta, I am just a fan of shells) drain them and return to the same pot.
2) Add half of a can of canned milk
3) Add a full can of Cream of Cheddar Soup and stir well
4) Add 1 to 2 cups of shredded cheese (I like Sharp Cheddar because it adds a lot of flavor)
5) Stir everything together really well and if it is now too thick for your liking, add more of the canned milk. I like to keep the milk around to add to the pasta when I reheat it.
6) Add as much of the seasoning as you would like, it is completely up to you and how much seasoning you like. I generally use a little more than is called for in this recipe but I toned it down, because most people don't like garlic as much as I do.
I served this to some friends of mine on Super Bowl Sunday and they absolutely loved it! Its so easy and it reheats really well, so you can have left overs for a while.
Caramelized Chicken Wings
I don't actually use wings, I use breast pieces that I have cut to the size of wings, but you can use wings if you want to .
3 lbs chicken
1 cup honey
1/2 cups soy sauce
2 T olive oil
2 T ketchup
1 clove garlic, minced
1)Place three lbs of chicken in a 9X13 baking dish.
2) In a separate dish mix together Soy Sauce, ketchup, honey, oil, and garlic
3) Pour sauce over chicken and bake in a 375 degree oven for an hour or until sauce is caramelized.
I had a bunch of my friends try all of these and they were a huge hit! I'm glad I have friends who like to eat my cooking because so much food would go bad in my fridge if I didn't.
Personally, I like the commercials, rooting against my brother's team, and cooking for my friends and family. So I thought that I would recommend a few recipes that I love for the Superbowl. I'll focus on super low stress and delicious ones. I'll give you the recipes for a couple of my favorite dips, Game Day Mac and Cheese, and Caramelized Chicken Wings.
Cream Cheese Chip Dip
The first involves no cooking what-so-ever. There are so many different types of dips that people make but this one is delicious and ridiculously easy. Take a block of Philadelphia cream cheese, put it on a plate, and pour salsa over it. That's it. Seriously. Serve it with tortilla chips and you will be surprised how many people will absolutely love it.
Seven Layer Bean Dip
Many people have a version of this or buy it from the store, however the version that my mother makes is the best that I have ever tasted. (Who doesn't say that about their mother? :) )
Romaine Lettuce
Reid Fried Beans
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Cheese
Salsa
Olives
Green Onions
The dip is assembled in that order.
Lettuce should be chopped so that it can be scooped up with the chips.
Guacamole can be made however you like it however the best (and healthiest) I have ever tried is made with plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, lime juice, and garlic salt added to the smashed avocado.
Sour Cream should be seasoned with a quarter of a packet of taco seasoning (or however much you want)
Put everything in a solid layer until you get to the Salsa which should be dropped in dollops on the top of the dip. Then slice up the onions and olives and sprinkle on top.
Serve this with tortilla chips, it is so good, I make it whenever people come over. I know that this dip is a bit cliche because it is so common, but I just love it! So if you don't want it, don't come to a party at my house.
Macaroni and Cheese.
A classic.
This recipe is made with canned milk, Cream of Cheddar Soup, and shredded cheese. You can think of it as the butter, cheese packet, and milk if you like to make the box mac and cheese.
1 box pasta
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Cream of Cheddar Soup
1 to 2 cups cheese
1/2 t Season All
1/2 t Garlic Salt
1) Boil a box of pasta shells (you can use any pasta, I am just a fan of shells) drain them and return to the same pot.
2) Add half of a can of canned milk
3) Add a full can of Cream of Cheddar Soup and stir well
4) Add 1 to 2 cups of shredded cheese (I like Sharp Cheddar because it adds a lot of flavor)
5) Stir everything together really well and if it is now too thick for your liking, add more of the canned milk. I like to keep the milk around to add to the pasta when I reheat it.
6) Add as much of the seasoning as you would like, it is completely up to you and how much seasoning you like. I generally use a little more than is called for in this recipe but I toned it down, because most people don't like garlic as much as I do.
I served this to some friends of mine on Super Bowl Sunday and they absolutely loved it! Its so easy and it reheats really well, so you can have left overs for a while.
Caramelized Chicken Wings
I don't actually use wings, I use breast pieces that I have cut to the size of wings, but you can use wings if you want to .
3 lbs chicken
1 cup honey
1/2 cups soy sauce
2 T olive oil
2 T ketchup
1 clove garlic, minced
1)Place three lbs of chicken in a 9X13 baking dish.
2) In a separate dish mix together Soy Sauce, ketchup, honey, oil, and garlic
3) Pour sauce over chicken and bake in a 375 degree oven for an hour or until sauce is caramelized.
I had a bunch of my friends try all of these and they were a huge hit! I'm glad I have friends who like to eat my cooking because so much food would go bad in my fridge if I didn't.
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