Cooking for 2 March 2, 2013

Hello!

I haven’t actually blogged in a very long time, so I figured hey what the heck it’s time for an update. I’ve been trying a lot of new recipes, watching cooking shows, and overall just getting more experience. I’ve been posting recipes when I have time, and I’m trying to expand my recipe collection here on my site. We are finding more and more recipes that we like enough to call our own.

Currently all of my cooking is for two, so I’ve been cutting recipes in half. I don’t remember the last time I used a 9″x13″ size pan in the oven. Instead, I mainly use 8″ round pie pans and my square 8″x8″ pan as well. The portion size is perfect. Usually with plenty leftover for lunch the next day.

Recently I picked up those small single serving pie pans. They are perfect for dessert recipes so you don’t have too much leftover and hanging around ready to be eaten :). The first recipe I tried in them was my Apple Crisp and it was yummy. I’m looking forward to trying more dessert recipes as well as other single serving type meals in them.

I’ll post again soon!

Chow,
Angie

Weekly Recipe Round Up – 9.15.12 September 15, 2012

What’s New?

1)  Eggplant – I cut it into small pieces, tossed it in egg, and covered it with bread crumbs.  Then cooked it at 350 degrees in the oven for about 30 mins.  I added it to some pasta sauce and it was delicious with spaghetti.  I ended up cooking up Mike some sausage and ground beef pasta sauce instead, and it was missing some cayenne pepper and some red pepper flakes to heat it up a little.  I’ll add them to my grocery list…

2)  Chili garlic sauce and Soba noodles.  We made another stir-fry this week and used two new items.

Chili garlic sauce is a great addition to a stir-fry.  It adds delicious flavor and a little heat.  We have been eating stir-frys a lot lately since they are easy to make, full of veggies, and just tasty!

Another addition to our stir-fry was Soba noodles.  These Japanese noodles have a lot more protein than rice and the same consistency as spaghetti.  I liked them, but Mike wasn’t very impressed.  They were worth a try and I would eat them again.

3) Tofu- I’ve maybe had it once before, but never bought it at the grocery store to use at home.  So I bought some of the softer tofu and added it to a salad and a shake during the week.  I used quite a bit in both, and noticed that having shredded cheese and a little dressing covered the mild flavor in the salad.  I could taste it a lot in the shake, but I did use a lot, so maybe a little less next time to get some extra protein and not overdo it with the flavor..

Tacos- are an easy and tasty meal.  We fry our taco shells in a little vegetable oil on the stove, For filling we add ground beef, refried beans, lettuce, avocado, salsa, tomato, and a little sour cream.  The avocados have to be just ripe…I have definitely learned how to pick ’em.  I prefer the larger flour tacos over the corn, but we use both.  We were in a rush last night, so I’ll post a photo next time I make them.

Kitchen Canvas Art- I am working on some canvas art for my now bare yellow kitchen walls. I’ll be incorporating red, yellow, brown, black, and white into my designs.

Last but not least:  “Water”.  San Jose is very hot right now, so it is very important for us to drink a lot of water.

I’ve been filling up the container below and adding fruit like lemon or orange slices.  Putting water in this container earlier in the day gives me a set amount to drink and the fruit adds a nice refreshing flavor..

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Chow,

Angie

Fettucini Alfredo Recipe April 20, 2011

I made this recipe about a month ago, and it was simple, easy, and delicious.  I would definitely make it again.  Unfortunately I was more interested in eating it than taking pictures, so I don’t have any photos to share.

Printable Fettucini Alfredo Recipe

Along with the recipe’s source, I have included my edited version of the recipe and helpful hints and tips I learned along the way.

I will be uploading a new grocery list very soon.  My *New* list is now double-sided (I know sounds crazy), but on the back side, I have included six boxes, so I can list up to six recipes I plan on making throughout the week.  There is enough room in each box to list all of the ingredients I will need, so I write all of them down, and then I flip over the list and add what I need to the front.

I also have non-perishable or frozen items that I call my *Stock up Items*…so each week I pick up a couple of new items that I can stock up on.  I it nice to have stock of regularly used items on hand.

New Recipes to come… March 20, 2011

Recently, I’ve made Chicken Cacciatore and Fettucini Alfredo, and I plan on adding these recipes here very soon.  Some new recipes I’m planning on making this week include:   Pot roast, beef stew, homemade pizza (using a family recipe for crust), and chicken enchiladas.  We have been eating a lot of the same stuff for a while now, so I’m getting pretty bored, and I’m in the mood for adding new recipes to our favorites! 🙂

I’m also in the process of working on more “Meal Planning Tools” .  Since both planning and cooking are exhausting, anything I can do to make the process easier works for me!  I have been doing more of the planning for the week on Sundays since the boys are home to “Talk food”.  I check to see what meats are on sale, take a look at what’s in the freezer, and then “we” decide what new versus repeat meals should be made.  This planning includes thinking of 5-6 recipes for the week…Currently we are on a 5 day on/2 day off schedule for cooking.  It’s nice to save the off days for closer to the weekend when we just want to relax.  I’ll take my grocery list, flip it over, draw six squares, add five to six recipes, add the ingredients each recipe requires, and then flip it back over and add the ingredients I don’t have on hand to my list.  Also, I have some items I call “Stock up Items”, and basically like the name says, I stock up on these items.  I will go in more detail in another post about these.

Looking forward to posting new recipes soon! 😉

Chicken Pot Pie March 12, 2011

Yes, I’ve been cooking, and yes I’m bad about keeping my posting up to date.  I’m always busy doing about a hundred things, so sometimes it’s hard to keep up with the blog.  I created a new format for recipes I find and try.  You will see that when you click on the Printable Version of Chicken Pot Pie.  The first page is the recipe including the name of the website where I found it, and a photo or two,  and the second page is my tips on the recipe and sometimes general tips that apply regarding cooking 🙂

Chicken Pot Pie – Printable

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cubed

1 can sliced carrots and peas

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 can chicken broth

1/3 cup milk

 

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2) In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.

3) In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.

4) Prepare Jiffy pie crust.  Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

5) Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

ENJOY!!

I hope you enjoy this Chicken Pot Pie recipe as much as I did.  I had leftovers for a few days after and it was still as delicious as the first time I ate it 🙂

My Grocery List: Something New 1-14-11 January 15, 2011

Hi Again!

So I am posting what I made today, today 🙂

It’s my Grocery List.  Check my Grocery List Page for Printable copies of My Grocery List and a BLANK Grocery List for your use.

What I did was made a three column Excel Spreadsheet, and I created these different sections on my document:

Breakfast

Lunch

Snacks

Drinks

Sides

Meats

Condiments

Meals

I went through the kitchen cabinets and searched the fridge to create a good list.  Then I put our most commonly used items under each category.  Next I thought of the meals we most often make and added the items we need to put them together.  The Meals Section is a place to list what you plan to make for how ever many days you plan on cooking in, and it’s also a good spot to list extra items needed to create each meal.

-Angie Crocker

Make Something New Every Day for a Year… January 13, 2011

Happy Thursday!!

So I am going to participate in the Create Something New for a Year idea.  My theme is my blog theme:  cooking, baking, and photo-taking.  So if I don’t cook or bake, I can share new photos…food related of course.

Here are the links on etsy & facebook for this challenge:

http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/make-something-every-day-11501/

http://www.facebook.com/makesomething365?v=wall

I believe I will be making meatloaf for dinner tonight, so I can share that recipe along with my Aunt Karen’s mashed potato recipe later.  Be on the look out…

Yesterday, Meal Planning & Shopping went really well (using my resources), so I will be sure to post links that will help you with this too 🙂

-Angie Crocker

 

 

Meal Planning is Easy As 1-2-3… January 12, 2011

Happy Wednesday!!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am always looking for ways to make “Meal Planning” easier.  I really don’t mind shopping (I love to shop, FOR ANYTHING)…lol.  I just need to know what I’m shopping for. Planning wouldn’t be so bad if I were going shopping a few times during the week, but really I like to go to the grocery store once a week – if at all possible.  So I creating tools to make “Meal Planning” much easier for me.  As easy as 1, 2, 3…

1) First I take my resources:

A)  Store fliers for sales

B)  Pre-filled out Grocery list

C)  Master Meal plan list (List of Favorite Meals)

D)  Current Month Meal calendar – to see what we’ve eaten already this month

2)  Next, I decide what I want to cook for at least 4-5 days out of the week.  We still eat out 2-3 days a week because mainly “we just don’t feel like cooking” or “cleaning” for that matter 🙂

3)  Then, I Go Shopping!

And that’s a wrap.  Grocery List and Master Meal plan ideas to be posted soon.

Off to the store…

-Angie Crocker 🙂

Ringing in the New Year in my Kitchen January 7, 2011

I’m back.  It’s 2011.  I’m Married.  I’m Ready to take on my Kitchen.

I’ve been thinking of new ways to plan meals and here’s what’s new:

• We have a new food scale 🙂  I am really liking it.  It helps to control portion sizes so there is less waste.
• I have printed out a calendar for the fridge, and I am writing down what we have for dinner every night.
• I have a food planning binder to keep track of:  Our Master Meal List, Monthly Meal Calendar (currently on the fridge), Portion sizes per meal (ex. 1 lb of ground beef for taco night), and the Grocery List.

Currently my Grocery List is under construction, but once I get it to my liking, I will post and share.

Recently I have made things like Meatballs, Shepard’s Pie, and Chocolate Covered Pretzels.  I will post these recipes and pictures really soon.

-Angie

 

Hi There! November 4, 2010

Hi, I’m Angie, and Welcome to Cooking, Baking, and Photo-Taking my all things cooking (& baking) blog!  I finished up my two life enhancing exercise goals in the month of October:  Running a 5K and  Walking 500 Miles in 2010 (Running blog).

So now I’m ready to move on…

Now I am ready to venture on into the world of cooking, and get really into it.  I want to try new recipes and make meal planning and grocery shopping easier.

One of the projects I would like to tackle is putting together a list of meals that we all like (me, Mike, & Jeff).  Mike’s my fiance, Jeff’s our roommate…or we are Jeff’s roommates…lol…anyway, I mean a huge list.  Everything we can think of.

My idea is that if we have this huge list we will be able to shop the sales, stock up on items, and plan meals right from it.  We will avoid the “what do you want for dinner” line that I am so sick of saying and hearing.

Now, I’m off to start my list.  I just wanted to introduce myself and my new blog!

-Angie