Easy Chicken & Dumplings
When I think of homestyle cooking, I usually think of some sort of chicken, carrot and pea dish. Either chicken noodle soup, chicken pot pies or, in this case, chicken and dumplings. You can really use whichever combination of vegetables and meat you want for a recipe like this. I chose these specific ones because I was moving out of my house and needed to use up the things in my fridge.
Breakfast Pizza
Now that I have my easy flatbread recipe, I have been experimenting with its multiple uses. I am a big fan of breads for breakfast, so I decided to make a breakfast pizza with the flatbread. Beware, these pizzas are very filling, I only ate half and saved the other half for breakfast the next day!
Roasted Garlic Flatbread
I have stuck to my resolution to bake more bread. I have decided to start with a very easy bread that doesn’t take long to rise or bake- flatbread. I loved eating the flatbreads while working at Noodles and Company, if I had known they were this easy to make I would have made them at home earlier!
Artichoke, Celery Root & Potato Gratin
Until about two weeks ago I had always bought canned artichokes. My friend Kelcey and I decided to make a delicious vegetarian dish after planting our new garden and wanted fresh veggies for this recipe, so I decided I would buy fresh organic artichokes. Little did I know that trimming an artichoke is no easy task. We completely butchered two organic artichokes and ended up having to purchase canned ones in order to finish the dish. Another downfall to our dish was that we topped the bread with way too much cheese, which kept it from getting crispy and left us with a soggy bread topping… Not the most appealing. So here’s to round two!
Throwback Thursday: Ciabatta Bread
I am moving to a new house at the end of the month and it has so many great new things to offer. I have a huge garden. We just planted around 30 different plants, including peppers, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuces, peas and strawberries. We also have about 7 pots of herbs. If things go as planned I will be cooking with my own home-grown veggies all summer long! My new house also has something that many young foodies’ kitchens don’t- counter space! I cannot explain how great it is to finally have room to cook! One thing on my list of things to make in my new kitchen is bread, lots of bread.
This week’s throwback recipe is the only time I have made my own bread, other than the two years I spent working at Subway, which I wouldn’t really call making bread anyway. 😉 This was some of the most delicious bread I have ever had. The recipe gives it a delicious salty kick that makes you want to eat a huge piece all by itself. Plan your day if you are going to make this bread, because it takes a long time to let the dough rise properly. If you have never made your own bread, I encourage you to try this recipe; you won’t be disappointed!
South Africa Pt. 1: Cooking With Kids & Pizza Bread Recipe
The main reason for my trip to Cape Town was to volunteer in a surf/swim outreach program with underprivileged kids from the local townships. In the mornings, we taught computer classes at a local school. Then, in the afternoons, we taught the kids how to swim so that they can eventually go to the beach and learn to surf with future volunteers. On our days off we got surf lessons and had time to site-see.
Throwback Thursday: French Onion Cheesesteak Sandwich
I am a huge fan of French onion soup. I love making it homemade because it is so easy, plus I think mine tastes better than most bought ones. This week’s throwback recipe is one of my random creations, there might already be a recipe for this but I thought I was pretty dang smart for creating this.
One day, after a long day of snowboarding, I was craving French onion soup but I was starving and wanted more substance to it. I came up with this French-Philly hybrid sandwich. It was absolutely delicious, but super messy! You will definitely want napkins handy while eating this bad boy.
On a side note, I am leaving for South Africa today!! I am going to still try to post recipes that I made before I left, but they might not be as frequent. I am also going to have a few foodie friends post guest posts to help satisfy your cravings while I am gone. Also, keep an eye out for posts about my food adventures in Cape Town; I heard you can eat alligator there!
Buffalo Chicken Chili w/ Blue Cheese Garlic Bread
Super Bowl Sunday means finger food and a messy kitchen right? Wrong. This Sunday you can make a delicious- and filling- full meal. Plus, it won’t keep you in the kitchen all day away from the company. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t always make some messy finger food to go with it! This chili, adapted from my mom at Cooking With Michele, has the buffalo wing flavor, combined with healthy ingredients like carrots and celery. Adding blue cheese to the chili and the garlic bread completes the dish and gives you an authentic buffalo wing feel without the mess- or the fat!
Double Tomato Bruschetta
This week I was asked by friend to cook something Italian for dinner. For me, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Italian food is pasta. I decided against making pasta, since I eat it at work constantly. Instead, I chose to make this double tomato bruschetta along with an Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup. Bruschetta is easy to make, and is a great appetizer for guests. The addition of sun-dried tomatoes to the bruschetta gives it a different texture and a little bit of a kick. These little snacks were very popular.
