One-dish dinner: Couscous and Veggies

This is my go-to meatless meal. I make it for myself a lot when Scott isn't here or for a side when he is here. The kids will eat it too. I posted a version years ago and I've probably shared it once or twice since but I'm going to put it into my recipe index for 2026...I shared awhile back that I want to share recipes this year that are mostly brainless, no weird ingredients, no fancy steps...just the dinners I'm already making a few times a month! You can find what I've posted so far here.

2 cups of dry pearl couscous

3 1/2 cups of chicken stock

1 small zucchini, chopped

1/2 onion, diced (or a shallot)

1-2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced (not chopped)

1 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped

One lemon --grate a teaspoon of zest + 1 tsp of lemon juice (you can use lime too, in a pinch)

Parmesan, about 3/4 cup --shredded from a bag or freshly grated (not the kind from the green can)

Olive oil, sea salt, pepper

In a large pan, heat olive oil to medium heat and saute the zucchini, onion, mushrooms, and garlic with 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. Once it's all golden brown, pull it off the heat and put on a plate to set aside. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and, on medium heat, add the couscous and stir it around for a few minutes until it gets to be a golden-brown or toasted color. It'll burn quickly so keep an eye on it. 

Add the stock and stir to scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pan. Turn heat to low and simmer until the couscous is cooked through and has absorbed most of the liquid, about 10 minutes. 

Stir the vegetables back in. Add the grated lemon zest and lemon juice. Add in the parmesan and stir to melt it. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Enjoy warm but leftovers are fantastic too, reheated with some extra cheese.

Chicken Caesar Wraps

Here's an easy lunch or dinner. 

I came across something similar on an Instagram account where a mom made incredible meals for her large family every night. These were something they had for lunch. I can't be bothered to make actual lunch so that didn't quite hit for me but I decided to try them anyway. Along those same lines, I had to eventually unfollow because the unrealistic standards of making elaborate dinners every night and shopping only at Whole Foods made me a little crazy. I like to cook but I don't want to spend more than 30 minutes, hands on time, at the stove. Lately, since it's been staying light later in the day, I've been starting dinner later too. It's only a matter of time before we are eating at 8pm again because it's so light out that we lose track of time. 

But I've made this with frozen chicken nuggets cooked in the air fryer, rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken, chicken I've pan fried on the stove, etc. You can do whatever you want! I can see us eating this a lot in the warmer months because it truly can be a no-cook dinner. 

Large tortillas or burrito wraps

Cooked chicken, seasoned however you want

Caesar salad mix

Extra shredded parmesan cheese, extra dressing (I use ranch), extra croutons

In a large bowl, toss all the ingredients together. I add extra cheese and croutons because, depending on the mix you buy, they can be a little skimpy on the toppings. I also add extra dressing to make the wraps stick together better. 

Put together a burrito any way you can (I'm terrible at it) and slice in half. 

**This year, I'm rewriting or redoing or adding to my recipe index. I'm putting all of the ones I'm posting in 2026 at the top of the page.**

BBQ Chicken Nachos and Memes

Once in a while, I make shredded bbq chicken in the crockpot for chicken sandwiches and then the next night we do nachos.  

To make the chicken, I usually do 2-3 chicken breasts in the crockpot with seasoning (I like Weber mesquite) and then I pour in bbq sauce to cover it (maybe half a bottle? I like Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet and Spicy) and let it cook on low for 5-6 hours. I take it out, shred the chicken, and then put in more sauce to coat well. I toast, usually, Hawaiian rolls and top the sandwiches with tomatoes, pickles, and sometimes coleslaw. 

I put the leftover chicken in the fridge and make nachos the next day. 

You need chips, the chicken, cheese (shredded or jarred queso, or both if you want), and homemade pico de gallo (tomato, onion, cilantro, and lime) or whatever other toppings you like on nachos. Sometimes we do sour cream, lime, guacamole...whatever is on hand. I also love the green verde sauce I mentioned a few weeks ago and a sprinkle of Tajin. Most people would probably do lettuce but I rarely buy it. 

These ingredients are pantry staples for us, so I know I can make this as long as I have the chicken pre-made.

You can make this one of two ways:

1. Layer chips, shredded cheese, and chicken right from the fridge onto a baking sheet. Broil until it's heated through and the cheese is bubbly (about 5 minutes). Top with pico and whatever else and enjoy. 

2. Spread the chips onto plates. Reheat the chicken and the jarred queso (or get crazy and make your own) in the microwave or on the stove, separately, and then top the chips. Add the cold toppings after that. This could also be a nacho bar for each person to customize. Sometimes I add black beans, or a packet of that microwaveable cilantro rice on the side. 

So this is either a sheet pan meal with minimal clean-up or repurposed leftovers just warmed up into a whole new meal. Either way it's two full meals made from one protein. For us, it's really just two adults who are eating and then the 7 year old will eat but he doesn't eat that much and the 3 year old won't touch the chicken. It's plain rolls and plain chips for her with maybe some queso.

Literally, it could not be any easier. I've been doing this once a month or so for the last few years and figured I should've shared it long ago. 

My favorite thing when watching football is when the announcers get in on it. There were so many penalties in this awful game on Thursday that, when the flags were thrown, the announcers started saying things like "there's a shock" and "big surprise".

I have been staying up til midnight and it's not good for me. 

No Chop Chicken Pot Pie

You've seen the reels and the memes, I'm sure, where someone is saying that as soon as you say "start by chopping an onion", the recipe is no longer "easy". I agree. As soon as I have to start chopping things, the recipe can no longer be made with one hand, meaning it's not easy. 

One-handed recipes are necessary because it means I can tend to a fussing toddler while I cook. As soon as both hands are messy, I'm compromised. 

I have come up with a lot of no-chop versions of my recipes because of her. I wish I were kidding. 

I do admit that you have to cut up the chicken. I know. 

You could use a rotisserie chicken if you got one at the store that day or the day before or you could prep the chicken in advance. Dicing the chicken is the hardest part of this. I will probably time myself next time around, but I'm guessing the chicken can be diced and hands can be washed and dried in under 3 minutes. 

I made this particular dish on a day that my kitchen was torn apart for construction purposes, so it can be done under all kinds of circumstances. 

I used a regular pie dish for this but you could easily double it for a 9x13 pan. I've done that in the past too, just cutting up two pie crusts to and arranging them to cover it. 

No Chop Chicken Pot Pie

2 chicken breasts, diced

2-3 T. oil

1 t. kosher salt

1 t. poultry seasoning

1 t. dried minced garlic OR garlic powder

1 t. dried thyme

1 t. dried oregano

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, beans)

2 cups chicken stock or bone broth

3/4 cup milk (I used whole) + 2 T. cornstarch whisked in

1/4 cup heavy cream (if you have it, don't skip it)

2-3 oz. cream cheese (a flavored cream cheese like garlic/herb might be tasty. i used regular.)

1 pre-made rolled pie crust

Preheat the oven to 350*.

Brown the chicken in olive oil or avocado oil. Season it with the salt, poultry seasoning, dried garlic, thyme, and oregano *while it's cooking*. Once it's done, de-glaze the pan with a few tablespoons of broth or stock. 

Add in the milk and the rest of the stock or broth. Stir until it starts to thicken. Add in the cream and cream cheese and stir unitl the cream cheese melts. Stir in the frozen vegetables until everything is mixed and coated with the sauce. 

Pour into a pie pan.

Cover with the pie crust and make a few slits on the top to allow it to steam in the oven.

Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. I've been making chicken pot pie for years in every oven we've had (8 or 9 now!) and the cooking time varies Just wait for it to become golden brown. 

Spaghetti with Breadcrumbs

It's not a summery dish at all, and "spaghetti and meatballs" doesn't sound quite worthy of a blog post. Especially in 2020 where low-carb is still ruling the culture. 

But it's been my go-to comfort food dinner for the last few months. 

I started making this awhile back as a substitute for making garlic bread. Because, let's face it, any one human being could eat an entire loaf of garlic bread on their own in one sitting. It's too easy. 

This is very similar to Spaghetti with Breadcrumbs, which is basically what it is, but I add in some marinara (sometimes homemade, sometimes jarred) and I recently started adding in some frozen meatballs. I just simmer them in the sauce for a bit. I don't make a ton of meat, maybe 4 nights a week, and Wells just loves breads and pastas, but I also noticed that he would eat meatballs, so now I add them into this.  I go through spurts where I make homemade meatballs but I noticed that a bag of frozen, organic meatballs at the store was cheaper than the ground meat itself. I wasn't about to make life harder, so I've mostly switched over to frozen for convenience right now. 

This is so easy and so tasty and is the ultimate comfort food. You could easily do this with zoodles. I sometimes throw a spiralized pile of zucchini in toward the end of cooking the noodles. It's a great idea if you have a supply from your garden to use up. 

This is the basic meal-prep:

I took this picture because, at this point in June (May? Who knows?), I'd packed up a lot of our cookware, so I only had three pans left to use. 

-You heat the meatballs in the sauce in one pan. 

-You cook the noodles in another, tossing them with parmesan, herbs, and garlic when they're cooked and strained.

-And you make the breadcrumbs in the third. 

Spaghetti Breadcrumbs

2 T. olive oil

2 cups panko breadcrumbs (either plain or Italian)

1 t. dried oregano (fresh if you have it...I love fresh oregano but rarely keep it on hand)

1 t. dried, minced garlic

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese 

Heat the oil over medium heat and toss the breadcrumbs, seasonings and cheese together. Stir constantly until everything is browned. It burns very quickly, so don't let it go too long. 

What's the best dinner you made constantly and consistently over the last few months? 

Biscuit Puff Pizza

This was a recipe I found back in the day. I believe I followed the blogger because she held a weekly recipe link-up? Honestly, who even remembers 2011 at this point? (Here's her original post)

But it's perfect for these days of social distancing and being stuck at home because it's a fun take on pizza night and kids can definitely help make it. I can't imagine a kid not liking it either.

Wells had a few bites, but he ate 3 Halos before I handed him the pizza so he was probably full.

I could've come up with a more interesting recipe to share today, but we're all in this place of cooking constantly, so an easy dinner seems appropriate.

This is one that you can put together quickly AND it tastes great. I can't promise it's healthy but, just like last week, eat a salad with it or something. We had this on Saturday night.

Biscuit Puff Pizza
Makes an 8x8 pan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut your biscuits into quarters and place them in the pan. You don't need to grease it, I've found.

Bake for 8-10 minutes and then start adding your toppings.

I took the time to sauté some mushrooms and onions.

Bake for 8-10 more minutes and then broil the top for a few minutes.

I think I'm going to use the next few weeks to re-do my recipe index as well. Many of those recipes I made once and never made again. I'll leave them on the blog, because they tell the story of the last 10 years, but I think I'll streamline the index to the foods I make often because they're worth repeating.

In case you missed it, here's what I've posted for "social distancing recipes" so far. They are all easy, made mostly with pantry staples, and they are dinners we've eaten over the last few weeks.

Easy Pizza Rolls
Eggplant Parmesan
Leftover Quesadillas 
Pantry Enchiladas
Oven-Fried Potatoes
Creamy Chicken Casserole

EASY Pizza Rolls

Continuing on with my quarantine recipes...
This social-distancing has been amazing for the meal-planning side of my personality. I admit: I kind of hit a wall the other day. I don't want to make anything or even do anything. Boredom is taking over. And last night I made an Indian dish that I thought I would love and I just didn't. Scott did like it a lot, but the yogurt in it weirded me out? So I made french fries after Wells went to bed. It was that kind of day. 

But...this is an easy dinner or lunch or snack or late breakfast. Because there are no rules to eating these days. Just whatever, whenever. It's not healthy, but pair it with a salad or something. We did. 

I hate that I love crescent dough as pizza crust, but I do. It's so simple and flavorful. And it stays good for, like, ever in the fridge. I count that as a plus but I can see how it'd be a minus.
I tried a canned pizza dough (desperate times) last week and didn't like it. I recommend crescent dough or biscuit dough. Next time, I'm going to do this biscuit puff pizza I haven't made in awhile.

1. Put foil over a metal baking sheet. This helps with clean-up.

2. Spread out and separate the triangles. 

3. Layer on sauce, pizza toppings, and cheese. I used some sautéed peppers/mushrooms/onions, pepperoni, and cheese. Whatever you have!

4. Roll them up as tightly as you can. 

Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. Maybe a bit longer. You'll know when they're done!

(Leftover) Quesadillas

I'm going to do that annoying thing where a story precedes a recipe.


We're quarantined. We have time.

Scout the Dog is on a diet. This happens a few times a year, even when he was getting a mile or two through the fields each day in Colorado. He just tends to hold weight in a weird way. He gets so much human food from Wells...it's adding up.

So we skewered and grilled some NY strip steaks last week. I use this marinade, always, when preparing steak. Right before we put them on the grill, we sprinkled them with some Montreal steak seasoning. They were ah-mazing.

But the dogs also got their own skewer of plain steak tidbits, because they are ridiculously spoiled.

So don't feel too bad for Scout. He's permanently angry at me for "starving" him. And last night he took off across the front yard where Scott was spreading mulch, I grabbed him to haul him back in the house (slippers on and all) and we did the usual dance of him growling and pawing at me and me saying "go ahead, bite me, I dare you. seriously, do it". Scout kept growling and I kept lecturing him saying things like "I rocked you to sleep as a puppy...go ahead, bite me and you'll be in the basement for the night...you don't know how good you have it". (I hope Wells took notes.)

But anyway. Scout knows I love him because I make him steak and salmon quite often. We never grill meat without setting aside some for Scout and Jett.

The point of this recipe is that it's perfect for repurposing leftovers. Which is ideal for being stuck in the house all of the time and relying on what you have in the pantry.

I grilled some peppers and diced up the leftover steak and made quesadillas.

I squirted a bit of lime juice on the top and then served queso on the side. (I have a hoarded supply of queso in the pantry but that's a story for another blog post.)

Are you finding ways to repurpose your leftovers? I see many people talking about oddly enjoying the slower pace of life and this is part of it. I admit that I don't hate this side of quarantining. It's rewarding to become less wasteful. 

3-Ingredient Oven-Fried Potatoes

I'm pretty sure I've been trying to write this post all weekend. I really dislike writing recipe posts. I've found it to be a necessary evil, because I started posting recipes long ago in an attempt to broaden out my cooking/baking...I was making the same 4 things for dinner every week and ordering pizza on Fridays and eating out on the weekends...but it's so tedious. I'll never actually enjoy typing out recipes. I don't know how the food bloggers do it.

I thought that I'd share easy, pantry-staple dinners on Mondays right now.

Having easy food, without a lot of ingredients, is kind of a must in the current situation. There's no last-minute trips to the store to get something you don't normally have on hand.

I make these potatoes often. Probably once every 10 days, depending on my mood. I really do make them a lot because I make a meal out of them and when I made them last week, I just baked a piece of fish for Scott. Wells ate a few potatoes and some corn and peas. He's been eating these weird late lunches so he's not always in the mood for dinner. Anyway...

I prefer to use yellow potatoes or Yukon gold, but it doesn't really matter. Red potatoes are great too. If you're using russet, you'll want to peel them first.

Also, I don't know wtf this thing is or what it's made of, but it bakes potatoes in the microwave in 4 minutes. Scott bought that and that's what I use to "bake" the potatoes before I slice them and roast them.

That's the secret to this recipe: you want them to be baked first, so they're easier to "fry" in the oven.

If you don't have one of those Potato Express contraptions, just poke some fork holes into washed potatoes, put them on a microwaveable plate, and start out at 3-4 minutes, checking on them to see if they're softer, and then doing 3-4 minutes again. I cover them loosely with wax paper, so any explosions don't end up all over the microwave.

But then...

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Take your baked (cooled) potatoes and slice or dice them.

Spread them onto a metal baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with Montreal Steak Seasoning.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Toss. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until they hit the desired crispiness or brownness.

(I, personally, like to eat them with any leftover Chick-fil-a sauce I have hoarded away in the fridge.)

One-Pan Sausage and Veggies

At one point, in Laramie, I really started taking advantage of the fact that I could get a pizza delivered in 30 minutes. They didn't deliver to where we lived in Colorado. After Wells was born, we would get pizza probably once a week.

I realized I had to become more efficient in my cooking, so as to not spend all night making dinner, but still try to make dinner on the nights Scott was home. There were definitely a few nights where we'd have cereal or eggs or something.

I make this a lot. And I absolutely may have posted it before but, even if I did, it deserves a repeat because it's the easiest dinner hack I've come across in awhile. I originally found it on Pinterest maybe two years ago.

I'm going to venture a guess and say I make this once a week.

I really love chicken sausage and used to think it was too expensive. I've gotten over that that though because it's just so versatile. I particularly like it for these sheet pan dinners because I always have a fear of chicken not being cooked well enough. Chicken sausage is already fully cooked, so you just have to brown it up in the oven with the vegetables and the cooking time won't get out of control. Have you ever tried to make dinner and a 30 minute meal turns into an hour? I feel like that happens a lot to me. Now that we have a gas stove/oven again, things cook much more quickly but that wasn't the case with electric in Wyoming.

Anyway. This meal:

1. Very few ingredients.

2. One-pan dinner.

3. Terrific as leftovers.

4. No cream-of-something soups or seasoning packets, as are often advertised with one-pan dinners.

5. If you put the sausage on top of the vegetables, the seasoning from the sausage flavors everything else, so you don't need to spend time pulling out and measuring spices. I usually just top it off with a sprinkle of sea salt and some parmesan cheese.

One-Pan Sausage and Veggies

1 large sweet potato or yam, peeled and diced
1 large yellow or a few small red potatoes, diced (if using russet, peel first)
2 cups of chopped broccoli
1 package of chicken sausage, sliced into coin-sized pieces (I used a parmesan and asiago-flavored one here, but you can pick any variety)
Sea salt to taste and/or parmesan cheese for topping

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Line a sheet pan (9x13 or 12x18...I've found metal works best) with foil.
Brush with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Put the potatoes on the pan on and toss to coat.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until they start to brown.

Stir. Add the chicken sausage and broccoli and bake for another 20 minutes, stirring at least one other time so nothing sticks to the pan. You can add more oil if this is the case.

When everything is browned, it's done. Sprinkle with sea salt and parmesan and toss to coat.

Grown-up Green Beans

This is the first of the recipes I've been meaning to share for months now. 

I first made these green beans in November. Since it was just the two of us for Thanksgiving, I did not want to make a whole green bean casserole that would likely go to waste (of course, we took food to the barracks on that day so it would've worked out okay in the end). 

I don't remember how I came up with it exactly...but I remember them being delicious enough that now I make them about once a week. This is a 3 INGREDIENT RECIPE (5 if you count salt and olive oil) and it packs a lot of flavor. I tend to make a meal out of this and then just leave some for Scott for when he gets home from work. 

The pictures were taken at dusk with an iPhone. Forgive that, please. 

Over medium heat, put 3-4 cloves of garlic in a saute pan with some olive oil. Make sure the garlic is thinly sliced, not minced or chopped. This is what will make it sweet. 

Cook until the garlic is slightly browned and toasted. 

Add in 1/2 cup-ish (maybe more) of sliced almonds (slivered works too).

Continue cooking until the almonds are toasted. Stir often and don't let the garlic burn. Put the mixture onto a plate so the garlic doesn't burn while you crisp up the green beans. 

I buy the bags of fresh green beans that you steam in the microwave for 3 minutes. I add a bit more olive oil to the pan and then saute them...

...over pretty high heat because I want them to get crispy.

Once they're slightly toasted and have some color, add the garlic and almonds back in. 

And that's it.

Sprinkle with salt...I use kosher salt but you can use whatever seasoning you like. 

I've also added mushrooms to these, along with French fried onions. Shallots would be good too. Halved cherry tomatoes usually go in if I have them on hand. You can dress them up anyway you'd like!

Favorite Easy Dinners + a birthday giveaway

I was talking to a friend last week and she mentioned that her friend doesn't cook.  The friend is married with small children and just doesn't cook.  I asked what she did.  My friend was like They just eat out.  How is that possible?  Why is that possible?  It made me so sad.  I seriously can't stop thinking about it.  How can you just not cook?

Side note: As I'm writing this, I see that Masterchef is on t.v. and there are children cooking.  Pasta from scratch with homemade sauce.  If a 10 year old can do that, I would think that a 30 year old can cook dinner.

Maybe I'm being judgmental here…we all like eating out, right?  I just can't wrap my head around "I don't cook".  Aside from the obvious health-problem potential, think of the money.  I couldn't spend $40+ a day on food.  That is absolutely pointless in so many ways.  Alright, I'm being judgmental. I'll stop now. (You can tell me if I'm being judgmental.)

I absolutely had to teach myself to cook. You don't just become good at the process of it in an instant.  If you don't put effort into shopping, planning, and organizing you won't be good at it.  It's not even having some kind of magic touch or cooking gene; it's being willing to try.  Persevere, you know?  We've been in 4 different houses, in 3 different states, dealt with a complete kitchen overhaul while both working full-time, and I STILL found ways to cook.

The day we had no stove or no oven.

It's obviously very difficult to stockpile nonperishable food, have a supply of frozen soups/meats/stews/chilis for busy nights, and stick to a meal plan when you're unsettled.  At the 7 month mark of living in this house, I'm just now starting to get the hang of it again.  I never settled into that routine in Missouri, but I had it mastered in Alaska (if I could be so bold to use such a word).

I was looking through my Recipe Index and these are the recipes I would make if I needed an easy dinner.  They're not overly complicated, but they're all homemade.

Veggie Burritos/Enchiladas.  I just made these on Monday.  I didn't add sauce to the top, so they were more like burritos, but they are still incredibly tasty, healthy, and the leftovers are perfect for lunches.

Chicken Pot Pie.  This was the first dish I taught myself to make back in 2010.  I tried it at a friend's house and immediately started hunting down a recipe.  I can't even count how many times I've made chicken pot pie.  It was once a week for awhile there because I didn't know how to make other things.

Beef Lo Mein or Mongolian Beef.  This Mongolian beef is one of the best things I've ever eaten.  I've taken it to pot lucks.  It's definitely not my recipe, but I keep it bookmarked in case I need a meal to impress with.

Beef Stroganoff.  This is also one of those first things I learned how to cook.  It doesn't take too long and would even impress guests.

Pineapple Chicken (and a confession about how I do secretly love those one-bag-meals in the freezer section).  We ate this one a lot in Alaska.

Spaghetti Squash Stir-fry.  Scott loves this.  I've always been so-so about spaghetti squash but if I'm going to make it, this is the route I go.  Paleo-friendly!

Stove-top Mac and Cheese.  I like the boxed stuff too (Annie's, not Kraft), but this homemade version won't take more than 30 minutes.

These are just a few of the dinners I'd recommend if I could get in the kitchen of this person who doesn't cook…seriously, I'd love that.

Oh, and the giveaway.  Since tomorrow is my birthday, as is tradition here, I'll be giving away some Starbucks.  I have big plans for an ice cream cake, but I can't exactly invite you over for that. Lattes are the next best thing.  Good luck!




a Rafflecopter giveaway

White Chicken Chili

I have been seriously slacking in the cooking department lately.  You haven't gotten much of anything new around here.  That's probably because I haven't been in the mood to experiment in the kitchen.

You see, my days go like this:

5:30-7:00 Wake up, drink coffee, get ready, take care of dog, read blogs/check email, clean up the house.

7:00 Leave the house (let's be real. this usually doesn't happen until 7:15)

7:30-4:00 Work

4:00 Drive home.  Debate the gym.  Sometimes go, sometimes don't.  If I don't, it gives me a jump on laundry, errands, etc.  Sometimes I'll take Scout for a walk.  This is usually when I write a blog post while I eat an after-school snack.

5:30 Start dinner and feed the dog.

5:30-7:30  Dinner, spend time with Scott, etc.  If Scott's not around, I usually play with the dog and/or read stuff online.

By 7:30, I'm pretty much done.  Sometimes I'll grade papers or write lesson plans.  I'm doing pretty well staying ahead at school just by working while I'm at school.  I'm starting to feel like I have a system in place again.  Now that I have my kids working independently (read: they're trained), I don't need to hover as much as I did 6 weeks ago.  (I still subscribe to the theory that if you need to spend every night and weekend in your classroom, you're doing it wrong.)

It may seem like I have a lot of time at night, and maybe I do, but my to-do list is so long and I feel like I have something to complete every night.  Be it grocery shopping, a craft I want to finish, laundry to put away, blog posts to write, a movie to watch...and then I usually end up playing with Scout for half an hour and my timeline is shot.

My options are usually: A. Cook a good dinner, or B. Go to the gym. Never both, because then I start to feel overwhelmed, which is really silly.  It's 20 minutes to the gym and 20 minutes back so, combined with a workout, it's a large chunk out of the evening.

I made this chili on Halloween. It was rainy. I expected trick or treaters.  I just went home after school and cooked dinner.

This is what I came up with.  I will be making it again soon.  We really liked it and I thought it was much better than regular chili.

White Chicken Chili
inspired by this recipe

1 lb. ground chicken (or cooked shredded chicken)
1 14.5 oz can chicken broth
1 small can corn
1 can Ro-Tel
2-3 T. diced canned green chiles (if you like heat, the whole can)
1 can white beans
1 can black beans
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced

2 t. cumin
1/4 t. cayenne
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cinnamon
1 t. smoked paprika
1 T. sugar

1/4 c. cream or half-n-half
1/4 c. sour cream
(You could also up the richness by adding 3 oz. of cream cheese.  I didn't have any.)

Lime
Cilantro (do not skip this..it's the best part)
Shredded cheese

In a large saucepan, brown the chicken in you're using ground.  Add in the onion, bell pepper, and seasonings.  Cook until the vegetables are tender.  Stir in the broth, corn, Ro-Tel, chiles, and beans.
Cook over medium heat, just so it simmers, for about 30 minutes.

Take off the heat and stir in cream, sour cream, and/or cream cheese.

Garnish with lime and cilantro.  Serve with rice, quinoa, or chips for dipping.

*You could also easily adapt this to the crockpot.  I would make sure the chicken is cooked first and then put everything in a 6 quart crockpot for 6 hours on low.  Add in the cream/sour cream/cream cheese after cooking. Let me know if you try it!*

How to Roast Garlic

a.k.a. How to make the most delicious, simple dinner you've ever eaten in your entire life.  YOUR ENTIRE LIFE.

There's a restaurant in Anchorage called Moose's Tooth and they specialize in pizza.  All kinds of different pizza.  I was the one who would go in there and order "pepperoni" and get dirty looks.  However, their Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza made me swoon, and I've yet to be able to recreate it.  Maybe that'd be a good weekend project...

One of their appetizers was Roasted Garlic.  It came with these thick slices of brown bread and diced tomatoes.  You'd stick a butter knife into the soft golden clove and it'd spread right onto the bread like warm butter.  Then you'd top it with a few tomatoes and make a meal out of garlic and bread.  

At some point in 2010, I started making it at our house when we lived in Eagle River, Alaska.  Scott and I would eat 5 heads of garlic (and a loaf of sourdough) each week this way.

I highly recommend it.  

Once you have your roasted garlic, you can do anything with it.  Put it in mashed potatoes or hummus. You could easily make 10-12 bulbs for entertaining in the same amount as time as making one.  

I thought a few weeks ago, "Hmmm...I should make that again."  Isn't it funny how you can eat something all the time, stop eating it, and then forget about it for 3 years?  Yep.  It is.

I apologize for the picture quality.  I didn't want to wait for the weekend to post this.

You're welcome.

(The pictures are not good.  I do apologize.)

Take a whole head of garlic.

Slice the end off, just so all the cloves are cut open.

Set it on a square of foil.

Drizzle the top with olive oil.

Sprinkle it with salt.

Wrap the foil around it and put it in a baking dish.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes.  I start checking at 40 minutes.  It should be golden and gooey.

Serve with bread!

Enjoy!

Easy Cheesesteak Pizzas

I've never been to Philadelphia, so I really know nothing about cheesesteaks.  Most Pennsylvanians, if you ask them, will tell you that Philadelphia is not "Pennsylvania".  It's "New Jersey".  We're not proud of the place.  In fact, if the Keystone State could figure out a way to sell good ol' Philly to New Jersey, I'm sure we would.  And I'm sure they'd take it.

I do, however, love the combination of ingredients that go into a cheesesteak.  No mayo, marinara, lettuce, or tomato for me, though.  This is about grilled peppers, sweet onions, thinly cut steak strips, and cheese.  I've used mozzarella, parmesan, provolone, swiss, a combination of these....it doesn't really matter!  I don't prefer American cheese, but I hear that can be on authentic Philly cheesesteaks.

I made this "pizza" two years ago and, ohmygosh, was it good!  Like, I would eat the whole thing by myself (and I did a couple of times).  This is a lighter version of that.  I made these Cheesesteak Pizzas a few weeks ago (since we're now addicted to Greek flatbread), and I can see them becoming a regular in our meal rotation.  Let's face it, I'll eat anything in pizza form anyway.  This is just another way to incorporate pizza into the weekly menu.

As for the steak, I used thinly sliced flank steak, seasoned with a little salt, pepper, steak sauce, onion powder...the usual suspects.  I think a marinade of some sort would make this steak extra tasty, but I didn't plan far enough ahead for that.  Next time!

Easy Cheesesteak Pizzas

Greek flatbreads or pitas
thinly sliced onion (cooked until soft and brown...or you can caramelize them)
thinly sliced bell pepper (cooked until soft)
thinly sliced steak, cooked (I do mine in a frying pan, but leftover grilled steak is even better!)
Whatever kind of cheese you prefer

Line a baking sheet with foil and heat oven to 400 degrees.
Lay out the flatbreads on the foil and top with steak, onions, and peppers.  Sprinkle on the cheese.  Bake until the flatbreads are crispy and the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Spinach Pesto Sandwich

I am fully willing to admit that I miss one thing about Alaska.  I expected this to happen. 

I cannot get those spinach pesto wraps anymore.  Those ones that I ate almost every Sunday for 3 months (click on the link above to see a picture).

Normally, I'm not a sandwich person at all.  I just don't care about them.  Not that I don't care for them. I just don't care one way or the other. Sandwiches could disappear and I'd be okay with it.  I'm one of those people who will not go near mayonnaise.  Sandwiches tend to hide mayonnaise really well, so I've become used to saying "no, thanks" when sandwiches are around (just in case).

But this particular flavor combination is something I would eat if you topped a slab of wood with it.  It's that good!  Heck, I would even eat it on salmon, or meatloaf, or any of those other foods I refuse to touch.  Maybe.

So, to make this restaurant-quality sandwich, you need certain ingredients.  The combination of the feta, pesto, balsamic, and sun-dried tomatoes gives it an unbelievably rich taste.  Don't leave any of that out!  It took me a couple of tries to perfect the flavor, so I've really done the hard work for you (taste-testing and all).

My only complaint is that it's a lot of ingredients.  But these kind of ingredients last forever in the fridge, so aside from buying fresh veggies, this is something you can keep in the back of your head to make for lunch or a quick dinner (maybe with some couscous?) when you're in a pinch.

Spinach Pesto Flatbread

1 flatbread
1 roma tomato, diced or sliced
Some red onion, diced or sliced
Feta, 2-3 T., crumbled
Cucumber, diced or sliced
Sun-dried tomatoes, 4 or 5 little slices
Pesto (homemade or jarred), 1 T.
Balsamic vinegar, 1 t. drizzled
Baby spinach

On top of your flatbread, spread the pesto evenly (like you're saucing a pizza). Drizzle on the balsamic, sprinkle on the feta and sun-dried tomatoes.  Pile on the onion, tomato, cucumber, and spinach to your liking.  Bell pepper would be great too.

Fold it in half and press down (it'll be messy).  Cut in half to eat or you can eat it like a taco. Enjoy!