Whatevayougot Casserole

In planning to spend the last few days of the month on about $150, I decided to make some frugal culinary decisions. Also, I found this recipe book that my mother had given me, Quick Dishes for the Woman in a Hurry circa 1982, which inspired me with this dish. I really like that book because it is a blend of Paula Deen's fun'n'fatty food, and the 1950's quick-fix-canned-food stage. The recipe in the book called, "Jiffy Creamed Chicken" calls for CANNED chicken, and for some reason (assuming this book was written for the woman in a hurry) they think that you will always have a can of CHICKEN in your pantry. What is this? wartime? haha.

Anyways, reading the recipe, originally topped with bread slices cut into roosters/chickens with cookie cutters, I was reminded of Paula Deen, who always seems to make me feel warm and fuzzy. I was also brought back to a summer camp where they served the chicken and rice dish made from cream of mushroom soup, chicken, and rice. I then trotted over to my pantry where I pulled out my one can of Cream of Mushroom Soup (with roasted garlic) and started scheming. 

I then raided my fridge to find leftover chicken (precooked [which reminds me that the best thing to have in your fridge, just in case, is an extra breast or thigh, roasted. Any time you cook chicken, cook extra.]), leftover creamed spinach, frozen peas. I also decided to add some whole wheat shells to the equation.

Really, I just threw in leftovers with whatever else I thought would taste good from the pantry. You can take this Casserole any direction you want.

And I made my own croutons and didn't cut them into chicken shapes.

Also, here is a testimonial from my roommate/best friend, Mica: 

" This casserole was absolutely perfect. the mixture of flavors was satisfying and  delicious. it also used a bunchof leftovers we already had. i brought it to school for the lunch the next day, and it was just as delicious cold as it was hot. YUM.    "

Whatevayougot Casserole

2-3 slices of bread

1-2 chicken breasts, precooked

1/2 small onion

1 garlic clove (if you are using regular cream of mush soup)

1/2c frozen or canned peas

1/2 pkg frozen spinach, thawed and squeeze-drained or whatever veggie you like or have leftovers of (mushrooms would be good)

1 c precooked medium shells (or rice, or whatever starch you like)

parmesan cheese

1. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add chicken until it is heated through. Add Cream of Mushroom Soup, peas, spinach. Gently heat through. Salt to taste.

2. Cook the rice or pasta while the other ingredients are heating. Also cube the bread, toss with olive oil and garlic salt, and toast in the oven (350 deg for about 10 minutes or until golden and crispy).

3. Mix the soup mixture and cooked pasta together. Pour into a greased baking pan/casserole dish, top with croutons and cheese.

4. Bake at 350 until cheese is melted and the center of the casserole looks warm and slightly more firm than when it went in.

Enjoy!

What you've always wanted: The Perfect Risotto!

My new comfort food is anything Carbs. Actually, I think it has always been my comfort food, but I am getting the chance to indulge it more now that I am exercising more.
It all starts with Arborio Rice, which can be expensive, but WELL worth it (mostly cause it expands to three times greater than how it starts!)

This is what it looks like before it is finished cooking.

You might want to do a couple taste tests to see if it is cooked through. All of the liquid should be absorbed and it should look like a thick, semi-globby paste, with rice.

Perfect Mushroom Risotto

about 6-8 mushrooms (I used babybella) chopped

3 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock

1 c arborio rice

oregano, thyme, salt, pepper

half an onion

butter, olive oil

parmesan

1. In a small saucepan, heat the stock until just warm, not boiling. In another saucepan, chop onion and sauté in butter and olive oil. Add mushrooms just as onions start to soften. Add about 1 tsp of oregano and 1/2 tsp of ground thyme.

2. Add arborio rice and toast for about 2 minutes.

3. Using a ladle, put about half a cup of the stock in the rice pot. Stir every few seconds. This pot should be at about medium heat--enough to where the rice is cooking, but not enough to where the mixture is sticking to the bottom of the pan or that it is violently bubbling. This step requires patience and lots of stirring. I've found that if you want really creamy risotto without the cream, you must stir.

4. After the stock is mostly absorbed into the rice, keep adding, in the same increments, until you've used all the stock and the rice is fully cooked. If rice is not cooked through, heat up more stock and add it to the rice. Cut off the heat and add a small handful of parmesan cheese.

Serve on its own, topped with chicken, or as a side.

Enjoy!

Rosemary Garlic Smashed Potatoes

As of the last day or two, the current weather, rain, has me feeling a tad down (that paired with other events).

Although, I love looking out one of my kitchen windows to see the luscious green foliage enjoying the summer showers. What a comforting sight to see foliage! What a change from the city where I once lived!

To further comfort myself, I decided to indulge in a trip to Harry's Farmer's Market where I continued to buy food I don't need. I found the cutest potatoes there (I know they are always waiting for me when I arrive). If you don't have these tri-color potatoes, you could just use the tiny red potatoes, which I think might be called summer potatoes? Not sure, but I continued to make a lovely side dish.

Okay, maybe they aren't the most glamorous of side dishes, but if you pile the finished ones in a small lightly-colored bowl, a Martha effect ensues. It is a Good Thing.

Smashed Potatoes

small bag of small potatoes (about 15-20)

sprig of fresh rosemary

2 cloves minched, smashed garlic

2 T butter

2 T olive oil

salt, pepper

1. Boil potatoes until a sharp knife sticks into and comes out of the largest potato fairly easily. Drain.

2. In a large skillet over a medium-low flame, melt butter and oil and add garlic. Cook garlic just a minute, do not let brown.

3. Add in drained potatoes. With a large spoon (I used a soup ladle), lightly press down on the potatoes until they give way slightly. This should form a smashed potato; the skin should be broken in a couple places.

4. Brown each potato on both sides and turn off heat. Toss in finely chopped rosemary. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Hiatus

The current state of things:
Well, the "college cook" is virtually nonexistent at the moment; it's more like "the college cook who lives at home in the summer time but is still working her butt off to take a class downtown and to make money when she can." Basically, I still cook, and in a lovely, newly-remodeled kitchen, but the fact that I get embarrassed from taking pictures of the food I love to cook stands in the way. I guess embracing the fact that I love food and that I like to invent and share new ideas with people is the best way to be embarrassed. So I vow, from now on, to work harder at my passion, to not be embarrassed to take pictures of food, and "to live by the girl scout law."
Have a good night!
Eat well!

What the Pho?

The Vietnamese Pho is probably one of the best dishes ever created. There's nothing more comforting that a big bowl of noodles! It can be pretty versatile too, you can omit the chicken broth and use vegetable broth, and you can also put whatever veggies you like in it.

Furthermore, you can use whatever kind of noodles you want. I used tofu noodles cause I like to limit my carbs (they are pretty good, they just need to be boiled before you make the soup). By the way, it is pronounced Fuh? (with a question mark).

Olivia's Pho

1 pkg tofu noodles (or rice noodles)
2-3 c chicken broth

chicken breast

ginger

2 cloves of garlic

dark soy sauce

bean sprouts

sugar snap or snow peas

carrots

mushrooms

cilantro

lime

salt

sambal (spicy chili sauce)

1. Slice all veggies thin and set aside until service.

2. Parboil the noodles in water first. Drain noodles, set aside. Slice chicken fairly thin, season with salt, and boil in the same pot with 2-3 cups of chicken broth. Add smashed garlic cloves, slices of fresh ginger, and a few splashes of soy sauce. Add noodles when the chicken is almost done. 

3. Let simmer until the flavors meld together. Take out cloves of garlic, add all veggies. Stir in Sambal. Serve with limes.

Waldorf Chicken Salad

If you've never experienced the sheer joy from a pre-made lunch, you are in for a treat.
Also, if you've never experienced the wonderful textures of Waldorf salad, you are in for a treat.
I apologize for the lack of pictures because (I am a college student) I have finals coming up, (I am a college student) I have papers due, and (I am a college student) I just don't have time!

So this recipe came from the South Beach Diet book (or cookbook, I can't remember) and it is just wonderful! Chicken breast is extremely low in fat, the walnuts included are a great source of fatty acids. They help your skin look youthful! Also, apples help reduce the risk of heart disease if eaten on a regular basis. Apples are also a good source of fiber (equivalent to about one hearty slice of whole grain bread). Raisins are great for your skin and have antioxidant power, too! And then we all know what they say about celery...

Waldorf Chicken Salad

2 chicken breasts (with bones)

3 stalks of celery (and some of the leaves)

1 apple

1/2 c raisins

1/2 c toasted walnuts

oil and vinegar dressing

1. Put chicken breasts in a medium pot and cover with water. Season water with a few celery sticks, garlic, and onions. Add in some thyme and parsley or whatever spices you like. Put on the lid. (After it's cooked, this liquid can be frozen and re-used as chicken stock!) Let the water get to a boil, then turn it to simmer. I think mine took about 20 minutes, but just stick a knife through and peek inside to see if your chicken is done.

2. Chop the apple and celery fairly small. Toast the walnuts on a dry skillet until you smell them cooking. Chop the walnuts. Add these ingredients, plus the raisins to a bowl.

3. Once the chicken has finished cooking, let cool on a plate for 10-15 minutes. Then remove the bones and chop into small pieces (about the same size as the apple; chop them smaller than I did). Add to the other ingredients.

4. Add your oil and vinegar dressing (I like Newman's Own) and stir. Serve on romaine spears, by itself, with crackers, or over greens!

Enjoy!

Get Your Salad On!

Its Spring!
Here's a light and fresh salad that reminds me of my grandpa! He grows cucumbers, tomatoes, and sweet onions in his garden and sometimes they make a salad like this, only sliced different and excluding the tomatoes cause they are too good on their own.

Veggies are so yummy! And this salad is like free calories. Just wait until the tomatoes are in a good season for eating almost plain.

Summer Salad

2 medium tomatoes

1 medium cucumber

half of a small red onion or sweet onion

olive oil, vinegar

salt, pepper, splenda

1. If you have oil and vinegar dressing (hendriksen's or newman's own), use that. Otherwise, mix 1/4 c vinegar (apple cider is good here or red wine) with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and a sprinkling of Splenda. The sweetness counteracts the flavors and the vinegar breaks down the onions. Whisk in 1/3 c olive oil.

2. Chop or slice cucumbers and rest of veggies. Mix with the dressing and let sit for at least an hour.

Enjoy!