Spice up a Brownie Box.

For this post, I am going to teach you how to spice up a Brownie Mix from a Box. Seriously. This way is my favorite...

GOOEY Caramel Goodness Brownies

Ingredients:

1 box of brownie mix (and whatever it calls for on the box; i.e. eggs, water, oil, etc.)

1/4 cup of caramel

1 bag heath bar pieces

What to do:

Prepare brownies like it says on the box. Add the Heath pieces, and stir into brownie mix. Pour into pan. Then, drizzle the caramel on top. Cook according to box. And serve. Really good with ice cream :)

Tips to wanna be chefs: You can add anything to spice up a cake mix, I like to add chocolate chips, reeses. hot fudge... be creative!

Fast, Easy, Moist, Yummy Tacos

Seriously. Probably the best tacos I've ever made.

Total time it took to make: 20 minutes. Easy easy easy.

What a great Sunday dinner.

No hassle.

Fast, Easy Moist, Yummy Tacos!

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground meat

clove of garlic

1/4 onion (diced)

some of your favorite taco sauce

1 T chili powder

a dash of paprika

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

What to do:

1. Put the garlic and onions into a skillet and start cooking it. Throw in the the meat and cook until no longer pink. Drain excess fat.

2. Now, add the paprika and chili powder. Mix it around REAL good. Then, add some of your favorite taco sauce. I used about half the jar. Just put enough in to make it moist. YUM. Here is my favorite, I don't like spice! So Mild works for me.3. Now add the black beans. If you don't like beans, that's fine! Just leave them out! I only added about half the can of black beans, you can add as much as you want. Then turn heat on low and let simmer for a few minutes while you get the toppings ready! Some recommended toppings include:

Sour Cream

Lettuce

Onions

Cheese

Rice

Tomatoes

and don't forget...

some yummmmmy guacamole. :)

Tips to wannabe chefs: If you don't love black beans but love refried beans, skip the bean step, open a can of refried beans, heat it on the stove, pour a little shredded cheese into it, mix around. Cheesy refried beans = delicious. Also, you can use hard shells or some flour tortillas or both! Great for picky eaters, just set it up buffet style, and let everyone serve themselves!

Enjoy!

Busy week, easy meal!

My mother was in town, so I didn't get to cook for a few days.

She took us out a lot!

So, I had a busy week this week, and haven't really had time to cook, so decided to be a good wife and cook something up tonight.

This is an EASY, fast recipe, and I had all the ingredients right in the fridge/pantry!

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts (I used 6 chicken tenders because that is what I had on hand)

slices of ham or turkey sandwich meat

sliced provolone or american or swiss cheese

seasoned bread crumbs (I didn't use more than about a half cup)

1 egg beaten

some butter

toothpicks

salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Put the beaten egg in one bowl, and the bread crumbs in another. Pound chicken until about 1/2 inch thick. Then salt and pepper the chicken.

2. Lay a piece of ham and a piece of cheese across the chicken, and then roll the chicken from one side to the other. Then secure shut with a toothpick.

3. Dip the chicken in the egg, then in the seasoned bread crumbs, then put into a dish.

4. Repeat to each chicken breast.

5. When done, put about a teaspoon of butter on top of each chicken breast (on top of the bread crumbs and everything)

6. Cook for 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

ENJOY! YUMMMMM.

Tips for wannabe chefs: Seriously this is a VERY easy recipe! It's super moist too! If you don't have a meat pounder, just put a piece of saran wrap over the chicken and use your palm. That's what I did!

Sorry I didn't take pictures, I am a slacker today!

Potato Chili Corn Chowder

So, tonight I came across a recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website. It was a corn chowder with chilies. It looked sooooo good. So, I looked at it, and thought, I could make that! Well, I changed it up just a bit, and added potatoes. And I have to say it was quite delicious! AND super easy. SUPER EASY. My husband just said, "This is the best chowder I have ever had. I don't even need crackers!" So, I guess that's success.

Potato Chili Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

4 pieces of bacon

2 cups of diced potatoes (I cheated and used frozen hashbrowns because I was tired :) )

4 cups of frozen corn

2 T butter

4 cups of chicken broth

1 1/2 cup Heavy Whipped Cream

1/2 onion- diced

4 T cornmeal

1/4 cup water

1 4oz can diced green chilies

1 can chipotle peppers in adobe sauce

salt

pepper

Directions:

1. Cut up the bacon and throw it into a big pot and let it cook for 3 minutes on medium heat. Add the diced onions and saute for another 3-4 minutes.

2. Add the butter, let it melt. Then add the chicken broth and potatoes. Let come to a boil, then let cook about 3 or 4 minutes. While it is bubbling, open the can of adobe chilies, and chop some up small. I only chopped up about 1 Tablespoon of them, and I think next time I will add just a little more. Add the can of green chilies, and the chipotle chilies. Then add the whipping cream, and add some salt and pepper. Let all come to a boil again.

3. While it's slowly heating up, mix the cornmeal with the water in a bowl, and throw that into the pot. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low, cover the pot, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Stir, then let simmer without lid on for another 10 minutes.

Your soup is now done. TADA!

Tips to wanna-be-chefs: If you don't have cornmeal around, you could always thicken the soup up in step one. After adding butter, you can add 2 Tablespoons of flour, and stir for about 1-2 minutes. Also, you could add chicken to this soup if you wanted. And if you like spice, add as many chipotle peppers as you want! I just am not good with spice!

Hope you all enjoy this recipe! I seriously LOVED it. And, I get to take the leftovers to the office the rest of the week! :)

My disastrous meatloaf experience.

So. I have never eaten meatloaf in my life.

Well, I have an addiction to Pioneer Woman, and she has this supposedly amazing meatloaf.

So, I thought, why not?

So, I defrost 2 lbs of meat.

And get started.

The first step said to soak 6 peices of bread in some milk. So I did it.

Then it said to mix soaked bread with meat, parmesan cheese, and some other stuff.

Well. Chelsy didn't read this piece of information. And threw the meat into the bowl with the milk.

And I started mixing.

And it turned into a bowl of MUSH.

it was disgusting.

So, there went dinner

and 2 lbs of meat.

which is a lot of money for a college student.

So, we had quesadillas.

That was my first real EPIC fail in the kitchen.

I'm sure there will be more!

Rookie.

I am definitely a rookie at this whole blogging thing.

And at the cooking thing.

But, I love to do both, so decided on a whim today that I am starting a food blog.

Mostly for myself.

I doubt anyone will read it.

But, I would like to record my successes and disasters in the kitchen.

So it begins. With...

Italian Sausage Three Cheese Stuffed Shells.

Ingredients:

1 box of Jumbo Shells

1 pound Italian Sausage

1/2 yellow onion diced

1 clove of garlic

2 jars of favorite spaghetti sauce

2 lbs Ricotta Cheese

1 cup Romano Cheese-shredded

1 cup Parmesan Cheese-shredded

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

1 teaspoon oregano

salt

pepper

2 eggs

What to do:

1. Brown Italian Sausage in skillet. Add garlic and onion. Saute until onion is slightly colored. Turn down the heat, and add two big glass jars of your favorite Spaghetti Sauce. Mine is Ragu Roasted Garlic Sauce. YUM. Cover and let it simmer.

2. In a large pot, cook the shells as directed on the box. Mine was for 10 minutes.
3. While the shells are cooking, and the sauce is simmering, it's now time to make the cheese stuffing. Combine all cheeses, eggs, parsley, and oregano in a bowl. Stir until well combined. Add a dash of salt and pepper.
4. Now your shells should be about done. Drain them. and leave them to cool. Get a large Pyrex dish out and spray the bottom of it. Pour some of the sauce on the bottom of the pan (just enough to cover the bottom). Now we start stuffing! Get a spoon, and spoon the cheese mixture into the shells individually. Then put shells in the pan. I usually put them very close together, because dang this makes a lot of food. After all shells are stuffed, pour the rest of the sauce on until they are all nicely drenched. Don't forget to sprinkle a little (or a lot in my case) cheese on top!!! Throw it in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the red sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted. WHALA! Your stuffed shells. I served with a little corn on the cob, fruit salad, and rolls. Pretty awesome meal if you ask me.

Tips to wanna-be-chefs: If you have never stuffed shells, I just use a small spoon and put a spoonful in. Not too much that the shell won't close, but enough to make it hard for the shell to close. Does that make sense? And don't forget to get your hands dirty!

Enjoy.