My new blog! This will be dedicated to strictly recipes and cooking tips. I hope to learn alot of things along this journey and I especially hope you will too. I want to teach people that cooking at home is enjoyable and delish! I promise it is. AND it's good for your wallet.
Are you a "LL?" That stands for Leftover Lover. I raise my fork to leftovers! They
can be just as good as the original dish, if you make it the proper way. And many of these meals I will feature make lots of extras for all of you LL's.
Having a quick dinner doesn't always have to involve take-out. Your wallet and your waist will dearly pay, I promise! I gained plenty of weight eating out several times a week years ago and then I got on the right track and lost 70lbs. Whether you're needing to lose weight, save money, looking for new recipes to incorporate into your dinner plans or you don't know a clue about cooking a decent meal besides Ramen, I surely want to help! So follow along...
First thing's first- Get some decent cookware. I have moderate stuff right now because right before I planned on going and buying a bunch of stuff for the kitchen, my hubby lost his job so we're using the stuff we've had for a while. I
DO however recommend using silicone cookware for all of your baking needs. I have a 16 piece set that my MeMaw gave to me that is phenominal! It's surprisingly from QVC.com! Here's why I like it so much: it's durable, dishwasher safe, cooks faster, easy to clean and BEST of all, it's non-stick!! That means no more cooking spray or oil! Also it means you won't have to sit there and scrub the heck out of it to wash, either. Also, I learned that any knife won't do. Investing in good, quality knives is so beneficial. Everything else is just like a butter knife. Good big skillets and wok's are great essentials as well. So, if your cookware looks a little black or rusty, treat yourself and buy you some new stuff! It beats spending a ton of money eating out everyday. I promise it's a great investment!
I have long wanted to publish my own book consisting of a guide for cooking dummies to aid in distinguishing what certain ingredients are. Who uses shallots, or tomatillos everyday? Not me. So sometimes I feel scared to try any new recipe, because if I don't know what the ingredient is, I won't make it or include it! So maybe along the way I will journey through the unknown parts of cooking and help solve these mysteries for people like me.
I hope to also include pictures to go along with my posts, because if you're like me, a visual person, you might be more inclined to try it out for yourself!
So if you don't have lots of time to cook due to kids running around or babies wanting to be held all the time, or even if you work alot, here's to you. Here's to eating better, family time and just good home cooked food. I hope you guys enjoy!
To start things off (sorry, no picture this time, but maybe i'll add it next time I make it!)-
This is a great summer dish! It's very light
and you can eat it hot OR cold!
Tri-Color Pasta
Total Cook Time: 20 min
1. 1-1.25lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
2. 1 yellow, 1 green, and one red medium bell pepper
3. 1 box of whole wheat pasta (I like the spiral pasta for this, or penne)
4. Bottle of light Italian dressing
5. Mrs. Dash brand lemon pepper seasoning (salt-free)
Dice peppers into 1 inch size pieces.
Cut chicken in to bite size pieces. Heat 1tbsp olive oil (or cooking spray) in skillet and add cubed chicken. Cook chicken 10 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle lemon pepper on chicken during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Add peppers to the skillet, cover and simmer on low for 2-4 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in saucepan. Add pasta and a pinch of salt and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, and dump pasta into large serving bowl along with cooked chicken and peppers. Pour desired amount of Italian dressing over pasta, I use about 1/4- 1/2 cup, but I just eye the right amount usually. Mix dressing well with the pasta and serve!
*Makes great leftovers for all you LL's, and it's very yummy cold!
