Sweet & Sour!

Last night I made sweet & Sour pork chops with fried rice and teriyaki veggies! To marinate the pork I used Sunny Anderson's recipe, but used two 1 inch thick, bone-in pork chops. I grilled the pork chops on the stove using a heavy cast-iron grill pan for five minutes on each side over medium heat. This is not an easy task in a college kitchen because the ventilation is terrible, so I smoked out the first floor...oops!  For sides, I used Rice-a-roni fried rice and steam-able teriyaki veggies. 

Homemade Guac!

Quick & easy guacamole!

Ingredients
- 1/2 medium red onion (diced)
- 1/2 medium tomato (diced)
- 3 avocados
- cilantro to taste (minced)
- juice of one small lime
- 2 tsp. garlic salt

Directions

Dice onion, tomato and mince cilantro.  Scoop out avocados into a small bowl and mash. Immediately, squeeze lime on the avocados and mix to prevent the avocados from turning. Last, mix in the onions, tomato, cilantro and garlic salt.

Rustic Apple Pie

Yesterday for my Nan's 91st birthday I made an apple pie. I used a recipe from Women's Day Magazine. It was a pretty simple recipe, but I did alter it a little bit. For the dough I did not use white vinegar, so I used an extra 2 tablespoons of ice cold water. I let the dough chill for 4 hours. For the apple mixture I used Red Delicious and New York State apples, orange zest, 3 tablespoons of flour, 4 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. The pie was a little bit watery, so I think I could have used more flour or I could have rolled the apples in flour before mixing them with cinnamon-sugar. I decided to put the pie into a 9 inch pie dish because I wasn't sure how it would turn out without one (like recipe says). It was a little difficult to fold over 3 inches of the crust, so next time I don't think I'll use a dish. The pie would have probably been a little smaller and higher, but more of the crust would have been folded over the top. I baked the pie for about an hour and had to put tinfoil over the top for the last 25 minutes to help the apples soften. 

Veggie Ziti

Baked Ziti with roasted veggies!

Ingredients: 
- half of a large zucchini (peeled, halved and sliced)
-1 red pepper (cut in medium strips)
-1 cup of broccoli bushels (bite-sized pieces)
-3 cups of marinara sauce
-3/4 lb ziti
-2 cups of Ricotta cheese
-1 cup Mozzarella cheese
-1/2 Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Let your sauce cook for about 45 minutes. While sauce is cooking, cut up zucchini, pepper and broccoli in bite-sized pieces. I've been watching Chopped a lot and learned that when you're eating a pasta dish, nothing should have to be cut up (it should already be in bite-sized pieces). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and bake veggies for 20 minutes. When veggies are almost done cook your ziti for 5 minutes, it should be al dente because it will cook more in the oven. Drain the pasta then put it back into the same pot. Stir in sauce, veggies and Rioctta cheese. In a baking dish (I used a disposable tin) sprinkle Mozzarella then add the pasta and veggie mix. Next, sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese. Keep layering ingredients in this fashion until you've used them all up. Make sure you put a little extra Mozzarella on top and bake for 25 minutes!

You Don't Know Jack

New favorite meal: Burgers with pepper-jack cheese, caramelized onions and Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce on English muffins and smashed potatoes on the side.

Ingredients
-Lean ground beef
-Dry seasoning (Kosher salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder & basil flakes)
-1/2 cup of onions, sliced into thin strips
-1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
-7 red potatoes, cubed
-English muffins
-BBQ Sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Chipotle)

Directions

In a medium size pot, let potatoes boil until tender. Then "smash" with a potato masher, adding garlic powder, pepper and butter for seasoning. Caramelize onions in olive oil over medium-low heat. Form burgers out of chop meat and season. Heat a large pan on medium-low heat. Spray with cooking spray and let burgers cook about 6 minutes on each size.  When burgers are just about done, add the cheese and let it melt. Serve on toasted English muffins.