Pizza Cups!

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 lb ground beef (though i prefer ground turkey)

1 can of biscuits (10-count, just plain biscuits, not the flaky ones or the grands)

1 can of tomato paste (12 oz)

1/4 cup chopped onion

kosher salt

garlic powder

italian seasoning

OPTIONAL:

chopped green bell pepper, mushrooms, olives, banana peppers, pepperonis, or anything else you'd have on your pizza.

WHAT TO DO:

in a large skillet, brown your ground beef. throw in the onions and let them cook through with the meat. drain and put back in the skillet. add the tomato paste and liberal amounts of salt, garlic and italian seasoning. again, this is one of those things that i never measure, but you can taste it as you go to decide what you need to add. i personally like lots of garlic. also add in any extra veggies or things that you wanted. let that sit on low, stirring frequently, for about five minutes.

meanwhile, take your biscuits and press out each biscuit, trying to get it flat and big. line a muffin pan with the biscuits, pressing them against the bottom and sides.

preheat your oven to 400 degrees. take the meat filling and spoon it into each biscuit cup, filling it just up over the top. cover each "pizza cup" with mozzarella cheese and pop it into the oven. let it bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden-brown.

i like to serve mine with ranch dressing and a cold beer (mmm, summer shandy)!

enjoy!

Honey Chicken

WHAT YOU NEED:

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup yellow mustard

1 tsp salt

1 tsp curry powder ( i love curry, so i double this amount)

4-6 chicken breasts (2-3 if they are really large)

WHAT TO DO:

in a small bowl, whisk together the butter, honey, mustard, salt and curry until smooth. rinse the chicken and pat it dry before placing it in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. cover chicken with honey mixture, using a spoon to drizzle it over the top of the chicken. cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. after the first 45 minutes, remove the dish and turn the chicken breasts. spoon more sauce over the top of the breasts, then cover and put back for the last few minutes. remove from oven and voila!



enjoy!

Honey-Chipotle Dressing

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 cup mayonnaise or miracle whip
2 cups dijon mustard
1 cup honey
Mrs. Dash's Southwest Chipotle Seasoning
cayenne pepper
paprika
apple cider vinegar

WHAT TO DO:

in a mixing bowl, combine the mayo, mustard and honey. whisk together until smooth and blended. check the taste: it's supposed to be a honey mustard, which some people like sweeter or more mustard-like. add accordingly to get a taste you like. upon doing that, add liberal amounts of the chipotle seasoning, up to half the bottle. add a splash of cider vinegar (be very careful not to over pour), a sprinkle of cayenne and a palm-full of paprika. whisk together. sprinkle in a little more chipotle seasoning and paprika for color. check the taste again - you're going for something sweet and smokey. want more heat? add more cayenne. pour into a dressing bottle or store in a sealed container. it's perfect on salads, chicken dishes or even french fries!

enjoy!

Always On Hand

There is one thing I've learned since I've been cooking more at home and trying to expand my kitchen horizons - you can never have too many seasonings and sauces. Along with that, there are some things that are essential and it is a good idea to always have them on hand. You never know when you're going to need to make dinner at the last minute because a roommate has eaten that last piece of pizza you were saving. Here is a handy list of things that are always helpful to have around.

PRODUCE:

Onions - Red, Yellow or White, it's whatever you prefer. They're handy to have for soups, casseroles, practically any dish that involves meat, salads, etc.

Green Bell Pepper - Again, perfect for soups and different meat dishes. Also a great snack between class and work or whatever. I suggest having red pepper handy, too, but it's not totally needed.

Frozen Corn/Broccoli/Peas - Not only are they great in different dishes, but if you need a quick side to something, they are fast and tasty. I always go broccoli florets versus broccoli cuts. But you can do whatever.

MEATS:

Ground Beef/Turkey - I prefer the latter. Either way, I always try to keep at least 2 lbs. in my fridge/freezer at any time. You can pull a pound out before you go to bed and put it in the fridge to be used the next day. It's great in casseroles, spaghetti dishes and soups or you can just have it ready for burgers, meatloaf, meatballs, etc.

Chicken Breasts - I always keep a bag of chicken breasts in my freezer. Again, it's easy to thaw and use the next day in different pasta dishes, casseroles, soups or just marinade, grill and throw on a bun.

DRY STORAGE:

Lentils - A type of bean, lentils are SUPER cheap. They cook easy and they're perfect when you have no real groceries around and need to throw together a super easy soup.

Instant White Rice - It's great for a quick and easy lunch in between classes or before work.

Quick Oats - Oatmeal is great for baking and also handy for meatloafs or meatballs.

Pasta - One of the best remedies for a quick dinner. I always try to keep three different types on hand: spaghetti, rotini and elbow macaroni. Sometimes I throw in some bowtie, penne or shell pastas.

SEASONINGS/SAUCES:

Kosher Salt - Kosher is great for cooking. It has a better flavor and you can be a lot more liberal with it.

Ground Black Pepper - What can't you put pepper in? Exactly.

Garlic - I like to try and have minced garlic hanging out in the fridge when I can, but garlic powder is just as usable and easier to afford.

Apple Cider Vinegar - Throw this into any marinade or use it to sautee veggies. Cider vinegar gives a perfect amount of tang to any dish. Just be careful with this one - you don't want to use too much.

Worcestershire Sauce - Ah, I never realized what this sauce really did until I got a BBQ grill. Then it became a staple in all of my meats, whether I was grilling or not. I always throw it in with my ground turkey, toss it on my chicken, use it in marinades, etc. It's surprisingly tasty on portabello burgers.

Lime Juice - Another great flavor for marinades and meat. A yummy tang for chicken.

Cumin - Cumin gives a tasty smokey flavor to anything you throw it in. Perfect in chili, too.

Oregano - Need to give your spaghetti a kick in the teeth? Sprinkle on some oregano. A sweet touch to garlic bread, too.

Barbecue Sauce - Maybe I love BBQ more than most, but having a solid sauce on hand is great for impromptu outdoor gatherings or even just when you're cooking a burger for yourself. A nice touch to different dips.

Peanut and Soy Sauce - Remember that rice I told you to have on hand? What better to top it with than these two? The peanut sauce is flawless. It's got the perfect blend of heat and nut to it. And you can throw either in with veggies or chicken too, to give it a boost.

It may not seem like much, but having just these items alone on hand will give you a lot of different meal options. And the best part? They're all fairly cheap!

Asian Black Bean and Rice

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 can of black beans, drained
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 cup of frozen peas
1 cup of frozen corn
apple cider vinegar
kosher salt
black pepper
garlic salt
ground ginger
ground cumin
2 cups white rice
2 cups boiling water

OPTIONAL:
soy sauce or peanut sauce (i recommend bangkok padang's peanut sauce)

DIRECTIONS:

in medium saucepan, throw in peppers, onions, peas, corn and black beans. simmer on low heat, letting the veggies sweat. once the onions and peppers start to turn translucent, splash the veggie mix with the cider vinegar. be careful, you don't want too much. just enough to add some moisture and tang to your veggies. stir in salt, pepper, garlic, ginger and cumin. to be honest, i never measure seasonings because everyone likes things differently. with this recipe, i use a pretty liberal amount of salt, pepper and garlic. i use enough ginger to taste it without it being overwhelming and i just put in a dash or two of cumin. make sure to stir frequently to prevent any burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.

while your veggies are getting all warm and seasoned, it's time to make your rice. just boil two cups of water and add two cups of instant white rice. remove from the heat and cover, letting it sit for five minutes. after five minutes, fluff your rice with a fork. by this time, the veggies should be pretty hot and tasty. just spoon some rice into a bowl and top with your veggie mixture. i love to add peanut sauce for the perfect touch.

enjoy!

So it begins...

Upon dropping out of college and having to settle into a full-time job to make ends-meet, I stumbled into the hilarious world of food service. Now that I've been working in a kitchen for the last two years or so, I've learned a few tricks on how to get by at home on a limited budget and still have tasty, (somewhat) healthy meals. I figure it's time to share them with people who understand the circumstances. They may not be anything incredibly special or original, but they're easy, they're cheap and it's time for you to get cookin'.