So the past couple of years, I've learned to love cooking. While living at home, I hardly ever cooked. I had no reason to. Mom always had something lying around. Usually, I just had to nuke it up in the microwave. And once I started driving, I'd just go out to eat.
When the BF and I moved out here, he did almost all of the cooking. I was already working at my new job, so he had the time to whip up something for dinner. And now, almost 4 years later, I've taken over the kitchen and now cook 4-5 nights a week, with each dinner usually being a brand new recipe. I love being in the kitchen! I love trying new stuff and I love tasting how different ingredients go together. I can count on one hand how many times the BF has been in the kitchen in the past 3 years, and I'm completely okay with that. Now, I'll be honest and admit that there have been many disasters that I refuse to bring up in detail, but they were lessons learned. My recipe book is forever growing and it's getting hard to make repeat dishes when there are so many new things I want to try.
I plan out the menu a week ahead (usually on Fridays or Saturdays). With planning the menu out for the week, I know exactly what I need grocery wise and the BF knows what's for dinner and the "open" nights where I don't plan on cooking. Making a menu and couponing (which will be another blog post one day) helps save so much money. As a side note, I consider myself obsessive compulsive and I usually have to have a "system" for stuff and my menu making is one of those systems. If I didn't do it the way I do now, I'd have so much anxiety.
So anyway, this week, I'm gonna share two things I made that ended up worth noting.
Earlier in the week, I made a bbq chicken pizza. The flavor was awesome, the BF and I just weren't fans of the crust, which was store bought (Wegman's, which I usually love all of their food, so I'm wondering if I just baked it for too long). Next time, I'll try a crust I know we've liked before or even make it myself.
So the recipe I kind of put together. It had elements that I saw for a couple of different pizza recipes. I cut the chicken into pieces. I cooked the chicken in oil in a pan, added bbq sauce to the chicken while it was cooking. I sauteed some chopped onions and minced garlic, and also added a little a bbq sauce to that. I brushed olive oil and sprinkled grated Parmesan over the crust. I then spread some bbq sauce over the crust. I added the chicken, a little cheese, the onions, a little more cheese, jalapenos, and a little more cheese, oh and crushed red pepper. And I popped it in the oven for a great tasting pie.
BBQ Chicken Pizza
And yes, that it a cardboard tray it was served on. I didn't want to dirty up another dish, so I used the tray the crust came with. Resourceful is what I think it is.
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And tonight, I made a repeat of something I made a long, long time ago (there's so much in my approved recipes book, that it's rare for me to repeat one). I actually think the original was a recipe from Kraft. I tweaked it tonight. Cook up a box of rotini or whatever pasta you have. Cut up some chicken and cook it in a pan with oil. Add chopped bell peppers and onions, add about a 1/4-1/2 cup of zesty Italian dressing and a tablespoon of chili powder (or less if you don't like spicy). Add about 1/2 to 1 cup of salsa and 1/2 c of sour cream. Add some corn for a slightly crunchy texture. Stir in the drained pasta and stir. Then add shredded cheese. Mix. And because the BF and I love spicy (what we consider normal is raging hot for almost everyone else), I added crushed red pepper, spicy taco seasoning and some chipotle powder for a smoky flavor.
Fiesta Chicken Pasta
And I still get stuck with the dishes about 50% of the time. What happened to whoever cooks is exempt from cleaning?
Heidi
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