Months ago I ran across what seemed like a fairly simple and straight-forward recipe for making a pasta sauce with sausage.
Now, I have a “Pasta & TV Night” almost every week so trying to come up with new pasta recipes in a bit of a challenge and I figured it was time for some homemade sauce to spice up this traditional night. Spice is the key word, very key.
I admit, attempting a brand new recipe and using smell as an indicator of taste while slightly congested was not the best idea in the world. I ended up adding another dose of red pepper flakes to the sauce which helped create (despite an extra can of tomato paste) a sauce that had the kick of a hot (maybe even extra hot) chili.
I’m not going to post the actual recipe until it’s edible without a dose of bread but I’m hoping to master it sooner rather than later.
Being the poor girl I am (damn oil bill), I’m planning on baking cookies and distributing those out as gifts at the office this year.
Now, I’m going to need to bake several batches (meaning dozens of) cookies and I want a decent variety. Below is what I plan to bake but please feel free to leave any suggestions and bonus points if you include a link to the recipe.
- Rasberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Sugar Cookies (with and without M & Ms)
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookies
I had zero motivation to cook tonight but couldn’t spend another evening eating Cheez-Its for dinner so forced myself to fire up the stove regardless.
I ended up making a bit of a stir fry with a pound of chicken, zucchini, and squash with garlic, fresh basil, and a touch of pepper. It ended up decent but there was too much meat to vegetable ratio which was mostly due to the fact that my grocery store only had tiny zucchinis and squash. Next time, I’ll also cook some pasta and add some lemon juice as the entire dish wasn’t as filling as I enjoy.
See the below as photo evidence of my cooking -
Planning to stay in and cook at least three nights this week so I went food shopping this past Friday with this in mind.
I also intend to post each cooking attempt and the recipe once it’s completed.
Right now, I plan to make a pasta dish with chicken, zucchini, squash, garlic and basil as well as Chicken Tikki Masala.
I might also attempt a salmon dish if I have time to run out and buy salmon on my way home from work as well as someone to cook for besides myself and the cats (as I’m sure they’d be thrilled if I decided to cook fish).
Fingers crossed I don’t burn down my kitchen or create any stomachaches.
Or a bit of time to whine, as my friend lovingly responded.
I must apologize for no photos, recipes, or restaurant reviews for the last week or so. Just became a single girl and dealing with a near-fever so my thoughts are scattered and elsewhere.
Checking out a new Japanese place this Saturday and plenty of photo-ops on Sunday at the wedding I’m attending so please stay tuned for a much more active blog.
<3
The “rules” behind this motivation was to create, and photograph, a self-portrait using items to represent myself. My motivator said I could do three shots if I’d like (my past self, my present self, and who I want to be) but I think all of those make me the person I am at the moment.
To clarify my choices, I’ll list what’s in the picture and what it’s supposed to represent:
- Stuffed rat - my pets
- The book - my geekiness and my love of reading/writing
- The ring - my family (it belonged to my Mimi)
- Barrett’s Haunted Mansion ticket - self-explanatory
- Baking Powder - my forays into cooking & baking
- Coochy Cream - My Athena’s business
- Stitch Doll - my love of the movie but also represents an ex-boyfriend
- Spoon Holder - my need to move to New Orleans and start over
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of chicken (chicken tenders or stir fry cut preferred)
- 1 cup of uncooked white rice
- 3-4 stalks of celery
- 6-8 wraps (wheat preferred)
- Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- Blue Cheese Dressing
Instructions:
- Cook the rice according to the directions on the package.
- While the rice is cooking, grill the pound of chicken. I used a George Forman grill so this took about 6 minutes per batch of chicken.
- Before both above ingredients are finished, slice the celery stalks into small pieces.
- Once the rice and the chicken are cooked, grab a wrap, put down a layer of rice, mix in some celery, then a slice or two of chicken (can cut into bite size pieces if desired), and top off with Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (or any hot sauce/buffalo sauce) and blue cheese dressing.
This recipe was “stolen” (duplicated) from a tiny Mexican joint that shut down years ago in a mall I used to work at and I was absolutely addicted to these burritos. Mine wasn’t as tasty but was still pretty delicious, spicy (might add pepper to future attempts), easy to make, filling, and I have plenty of left-overs for the next few days.
I’ll admit right up front, this is one of my absolute favorites in my area!
This restaurant is only open from 6:00 AM - 3:00 PM and serves breakfast all day. They also have a lunch menu but I’ve been so floored by their morning meal selections that I’ve never ordered anything else.
If you’ve never been, I’ll let you know up front that there is always a wait. I prefer to wait until past the morning rush to go so I only have to wait 10-15 minutes versus 30-45 minutes. Service is quick though and the staff are pros of getting people in and out of the restaurant without making customers feel rushed.
Of course, the most important aspect of every restaurant is the food and this place seemingly never fails! The prices are low, the portions are large, and I dare anyone to visit this place and not willingly induce yourself into a food coma.
I usually order one of the specials (this last visit was French Toast made with Pumpkin Egg Nog and served with Cinnamon Whipped Cream) but I recommend ordering their home fries which are made with generous chunks of potatoes and cooked just right.
If you live in the Metrowest area, or don’t mind driving a little, I suggest coming here and pigging out on their tasty (and affordable!) breakfast foods.
I’ve lived in my apartment for over four months and though all but two boxes are unpacked I have done next to no decorating. I’ve hung no pictures (other than the few that adorn my refrigerator) and have added no real color or zing.
Most of the reasons behind my lack of decorating is my budget. I live paycheck to paycheck and supporting my zoo is no small feat on top of fixing my car and all the weddings I’m in/attending this year. But, thanks to Target (and their 75% off all Halloween items) I got to add this little touch of fun to my fairly bland living room.
My photographer friend has agreed to help keep me motivated and send me an “assignment” every other day. Today’s motivation was to post a picture with a shadow. I think he meant for it to be a little darker/gloomier but I needed a bit of a lift in spirits so enjoy what I captured below:
