Crunchy Onion Chicken and Green Bean Casserole

So...how about that snow storm? The huge positive - aside from not having to go to classes, obviously - of being snowed in is that I've been able to get some cooking in. Yesterday, the roommate, her boyfriend and myself decided that we'd jointly cook a family dinner (I love family dinners with the roommates. Makes me feel especially domestic!). The roommate's boyfriend saw a commercial for French's fried onions and said that he wanted to try some of the recipes out. The roommate covered the crunchy onion chicken, which left me with the task of making the green bean casserole (and Stove Top stuffing, but we all know how easy that is).

I start by mixing a can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, 3/4 cup of milk and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper in a bowl. I then mix two cans of cut green beans (after draining the water out of the cans) into the bowl. I pour the soup and green beans mixture into a casserole dish. I then cover the top with French's fried onions and bake it for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees and 5 minutes at 350 degrees*.

Here is the green bean casserole:

Here is the crunchy onion chicken:

And here is the combination of the two fried onion recipes and stuffing:

And the results were...

CRUNCHY AND YUMMY!

*There was a bit of an error (on my part) in attempting to bake the casserole at the same temperature as the chicken. After baking it for about 2/3 of the recommended time at a higher temperature, I put it back in for a little longer at a lower temperature. The recipe can be found here.

Pesto Pasta with Chicken

I absolutely love pesto. I bought some a couple weeks ago that (I think) was meant for dipping bread in, but I decided that it could also be used for pasta.

I start by grilling a boneless chicken breast on the baby George Foreman grill. When the chicken is fully cooked (it was a little pink in places but I threw those bits out and hoped for the best), I remove it from the grill and place it on a plate. I put some basil and garlic spice to add some flava to the chicken. I boil a pot of water and pour in some wheat penne pasta. When the pasta is fully cooked, I drain the water and add in several spoonfuls of pesto. I then slice the chicken breast into small pieces and mix it in with the pasta.

And the combo ended up being...

YUMMY (PESTO IS AMAZING)!

Chicken Teriyaki and Broccoli

I actually cooked myself dinner. This is big news! It's been so long. Okay, so maybe it didn't involve all that much preparation or anything, but come on! Baby steps.

I start by defrosting a big old chicken breast in the microwave. After it's thawed throughout, I grill it on the George Foreman, checking it every couple minutes. After the chicken is fully cooked, I cut it up into small pieces and place it on a plate. I then cover the chicken with a good amount of teriyaki sauce (Kikkoman! Like in restaurants!). Next, I microwave a steam-able bag of broccoli (which actually turns out like I actually cooked it myself!). I place a serving of the broccoli on the plate, next to the chicken.

And the results were...

LIKE I SPENT $15 ON IT AT A RESTAURANT!

I Don't Wanna Grow Up.

I wish I could write the name of some fantastic recipe I just made and add some quirky anecdote about how I failed at one aspect of it, but I have not been able to make myself anything more interesting than a turkey burger (the patty was already made) since I've returned to school. Cereal has become my best friend. I feel I am slipping more and more from the domestic path I set out for myself. However, I have been doing productive things with my time. While I may not be domesticating myself in the traditional sense, I am making strides in becoming a grown-up! As I mentioned in my last post, I believe this does relate to the whole idea of domesticity. Not only does a mature adult need to know how to cook, but they must also learn how to wake up at excessively early hours (for me, anyway), put work ahead of fun (sad face) and get things done that need to be done. The former has not been put back into my routine as of yet, but let me tell you, the other lessons are taking effect. I am very tired and my feet hurt, but I love where I work and my classes excite me. These are good things, eh? I may actually be beginning to act my age...okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves. But I'm on my way.

Independence.

I think a large part of being domestic is being able to be independent. This can be in terms bringing home the bacon (both literally and figuratively), maintaining one's own household and even being able to cook for oneself. Thus far in my journey, I haven't really mastered any of these. Sad, I know. But I'm well on my way! I research apartments and jobs on a daily basis and freak out about my future on an hourly basis. The first one is productive, the second one: not so much. From now on, on this wonderful blog featuring my journey into domesticity, I will include all these facets of becoming domestic. Not only will I attempt to cook various meals for myself, but I will budget my money, get up early in the morning, keep my room clean (ish) and provide myself with other tasks to further myself in the process of maturing. Choosing to cook actual meals was hard enough, but because this is the new year, I feel inclined to throw a couple more challenges my way. Hopefully I won't fall flat on my face (like I did in tenth grade after chasing my school bus). Please bear with me while I try to cultivate my domesticity on all fronts.

(photo taken from here)

Goat Cheese and Basil Pizza

Oh dear. I have failed my reader(s) yet again. Cooking while on winter break is hard to do. Anyway, last night I decided to make goat cheese pizza. I did a simple recipe search and found this recipe. I tried to find something that was fairly low in calories.

I followed the recipe pretty closely, minus the exclusion of onions and inclusion of more cheese and sauce.

I start by preheating the oven to 450 degrees. I attempt to slice an onion into fine rings but instead end up with onion horse shoes. I pour half a cup of pizza sauce into a measuring cup and add in one fourth of a cup of sun dried tomatoes. I mix the two together and pour them onto a store bought pizza crust (infused with cheese - YUM!). I then put two thirds of a cup of crumbled goat cheese on top of the sauce and make sure to fill in any scarcities. I then put fresh basil leaves (taken from a basil plant!) on top of everything. I put the pizza on a baking sheet and place it in the oven for about fifteen minutes (I had to put it in twice because the recommended ten minutes did not suffice) or so, when it's hot and melted.

And the results were...

ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!

Tiramisu and an Apology

My loyal readers (reader?):

I must apologize for my lack of updating. Being on winter break has taken all of my motivation out of me. I am terrible. BUT I did decide to make tiramisu today! It's been a dream of mine for a while now. Giada De Laurentiis' Food Network site provided me with a nice, easy recipe to create the dessert of my dreams.

I start by separating the yolks of six eggs and placing them into a mixing bowl. I then add three tablespoons of sugar to the mix. Next, I mix the contents together with an electric whisk. After that, I pour in one pound of mascarpone (the Italian version of cream cheese). I then beat everything again with the electric whisk (that's a lot of beating, eh?). I then add a tablespoon of espresso grounds (instant, in my case) and stir it all together.

I then make two and a half cups of instant espresso and let it cool in the freezer for a few minutes (while I dance to Beyonce songs to make the time pass). I add that to two teaspoons of dark rum. Next, I dip one lady finger at a time into the espresso/rum, letting it soak for five seconds. I layer the bottom of a baking pan with the soaked lady fingers, then distribute half of the mascarpone mix on top. I layer as many lady fingers as I can atop of the layer of mascarpone (I think the lady fingers I purchased are significantly smaller than the ones referred to in the recipe because I used forty and could have used a lot more!) and then spread the remaining mascarpone on top of everything. I then put the pan into the refrigerator and let it cool until dinner time (the recipe said between two and eight hours, so I figured I'd just cool it until it was going to be eaten). I then add some bittersweet chocolate shavings and espresso grounds and VOILA! Tiramisu!

And the results were...

SOOOOO GOOD!