BBQ Chicken Mushroom Melt

Hey all!  So, you get an amazing whole chicken and make a great meal.  That's wonderful and I'm proud of you all!  ...Now you have tons of leftover chicken.  Here's a super quick and easy fix for that!  Yummy BBQ, cheesy...cheese.  Yeah, you don't need much more.  Ok, here's the Shtick:

Ingredients

Leftover Chicken

BBQ Sauce

Cheese
Bread

White Wine (optional)

The Magic

First thing's first, cut off however much you think you'll need from the carcass.  Then, cut the strips into easy to bite chunks, as shown to the left.

 I SAID TO THE LEFT!!!! *facepalm*

Then, toss them in a skillet where you've already melted some butter.  Slice up mushrooms (or open the can, whichever) and toss them in with the chicken.  Cover with BBQ sauce.  Let them cook together for a minute, then add White Cooking Wine if you have it.

While that's cooking, go ahead and make some toast.  Just...plop some bread in the toaster.  Or, if you don't have a toaster you have to make a choice.  Either make the sandwich on regular bread, or get another small skillet, melt butter in it, and toss the bread in.  The choice is yours to make.

Once the toast is done and everything in the skillet is nice and combined, toss portions of the chicken and mushrooms onto one side of the bread.  Top with whatever cheese you like, but I recommend staying to white cheeses.

 Then...all done!  Top with the other piece of toast and press down.  Give the sandwich a few minutes to melt the cheese and soak into the toast a bit. Then, cut and serve!

 

Yummy!!!!!  .... ...Andiamo a mangiare! LET'S EAT

Leftover Macaroni Goodness

Ok.  You know it happens.  A barbeque, cookout, tailgating, kids-choose-dinner-day, whatever, you ALWAYS end up with leftover mac-n-cheese right?  And it's never as good the second time around.  Well, here's a way to easily spruce it up for a whole new dinner!  AND, because It's mac-n-cheesey goodness remains in the dish, kids just might prefer it!  Note: This dinner could be made with non-leftovers...but make sure the noodles cool completely before the second cooking.  Ok, here's the Shtick:

Ingredients

Leftover Mac

Frozen Broccoli

Bacon

The Magic

Get a saucepan.  Slice up some bacon into small chunks.  Cook through.  Then, add the frozen broccoli.  Let that warm through.  When it's almost done warming, toss in any leftover mac-n-cheese you have.  

Now, ok stay with me on this one it's complicated.   You ready?

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YOU'RE DONE!  

Really, it's just that simple.  Making a fantastic dish doesn't need a ton of ingredients.  Feel like doing something different?  Add some mushrooms!  Or, if you like, olives!  Get creative!

To make it a family activity, after you add the mac, ask the kids to stir, and see what else they want to put in it.  Pepperoni?  Great! I should've thought of that!

...Andiamo a mangiare! LET'S EAT

Ravioli with Mushrooms and Shrimp

Ravioli with Mushrooms and Shrimp in a cheesy Alfredo sauce.  Sound fancy-schmancy and hard right?  NO WAY!! This recipe is easy and fun, and the end results are super yummy!  Plus, it's one of those awesome dishes that everyone thinks took you forEVER to make ;)  Ok, here's the Shtick:

The Ingredients

 Frozen Ravioli

Medium shrimp

Mushrooms

Alfredo Sauce

Butter

The Magic:

Ok.  First thing you want to do is fill a pot halfway with water, and add some salt and oil.  Then, bring it to a boil.  Once boiling, add the ravioli and cook for a few minutes, until warmed all the way through.

While you are waiting for the water to boil, you can prepare the shrimp! I prefer the tail on.  This is because, while it requires an extra step to get ready, you can save the tails to make a shrimp stock later.  **Factoid:  A stock is made from bones and meat, broth is made from meat**  To detail a shrimp, just grab at the base of the skeleton, and wiggle a bit.  You'll get the hang of it soon!

 Now melt a pad of butter and some minced garlic in a medium saucepan.  Add the shrimp and one can of mushrooms.  Cook until warmed all the way through (or, if using raw shrimp, the shrimp are pink and translucent).


Then, just add the alfredo sauce!  Continue cooking until it bubbles and is nice and hot!

When the ravioli are cooked, strain them.  Then, combine and enjoy!  Again, mine is pictured with some spicy seasoning and parsley on top.

 Gah this looks sooo good!!  ...Andiamo a mangiare! LET'S EAT!

Tuna Noodle

Tuna Noodle is a fun and easy meal that I've been eating since I was younger.  Now, I'll spiff it up just a tad, and make it an even more-scrumptious meal! Alright, here's the Shtick:

Ingredients

Some sort of small pasta

Cream of Mushroom soup

Extra Mushrooms (opt.)

Peas

Mozzerella

Garlic

The Magic:

First things first, choose your pasta.  Whatever small pasta you have lying around will work.  I am using miniature bow ties.  Also, I am using the whole box, which feeds four (I like leftovers).

Get a big pot, fill it halfway (depending on the noodles, you want several inches covering them) and put a sprinkle of salt and a bit of oil into the water.  Bring to a boil.  Pour however much of the pasta you are using into the water.  Cook about 9 minutes.  To test, take one out and eat it (oh the sacrifices one makes while cooking).  It should be tender, but not mushy.



Then, drain the noodles and transfer to a large skillet.  Dump in 1 1/2 cups of peas, 2 cans of tuna, and one can of mushrooms (if desired) onto the noodles.  Cook together until the peas are warm.  Then, toss in two handfuls of Mozzarella cheese, and drizzle in some of the garlic jar juice, and a bit of garlic too (for good measure).



Go ahead and do a taste test, and alter as desired.  Then, serve and enjoy!  I have topped mine (below) with a bit of spicy seasoning, because I enjoy spice.

 All this cooking has made me hungry!!!  ....Andiamo a mangiare! LET'S EAT!

Asian Porkloin with veggie noodles

 Porkloin is a great cut of meat.  Unfortunately, it can be quite expensive.  However, it is possible to find this cut in smaller quantities, so as to get just enough.  I'll show you now a great marinade that doubles as a sauce, and some good sides to go with!  Ok, here's the Shtick:

The Ingredients

Pork Loin
Soy Sauce

Worshtershire
Honey
Cooking Wine

Asian Noodle Package

Frozen Veggies

Salt & Pepper

The Magic:

 Ok.  First thing you want to do is get rid of any silverskin.  Fat is OK, but feel free to cut off any unnecessary chunks, or whatever you don't like.  Silverskin looks like a shiny, silver...well...skin. It's not good to eat, but removing it is easy.  Just CAREFULLY slide your meat knife right under the silverskin, taking care not to cut into the meat. Then just saw until you reach the end. 

 If you cut through, feel free to grab one end, and carefully cut away the silverskin, as shown right.

 

Make a small incision right down the middle of the loin.  Then, combine 3/4c. Soy Sauce, 1/2 Cup Worshtershire, 1/4c olive oil, 4 TBS cooking wine (white or red) and 3 TBS honey in a marinating container.  If you don't have large freezer bags, I have found for smaller cuts a leftover container can work just fine.  Make sure as much as possible of the meat is submerged.  **Note** as a general rule it is not recommended to cook with wine you wouldn't drink.  I, however, am of a slightly different opinion.  Cooking wine is much less expensive than drinking wine, you don't need to be 21 to buy it, and the high sodium content will help the marinade penetrate the meat. 

Once you've marinated for at LEAST an hour, put the loin and some marinade into a baking dish, and cook at 375*. Once every five minutes or so be sure to baste the loin.  That's a fancy way of saying spoon some of the marinade in the baking dish onto the meat.



 It will probably take 25-30 minutes, but you have to check to make sure.  Just make a cut where the meat is thick and see if there's any pink.  Or, invest in a cooking thermometer.  Pork should be 160*.   Then, you should let the meat "rest" for 10 minutes.  When meat is done cooking, it's not finished. Cutting the meat right away will release all the good juices we've cooked into our dish, so let it sit and absorb everything properly before serving!

You can take any leftover marinade, combine it with any leftover beef broth (1c. will do) and boil for AT LEAST 5 minutes to make a nice sauce.  You MUST boil for at least 5 minutes, however, since the marinade did have raw meat soaking in it.

Asian Noodles

 

  You know those packages of easy-make rice and noodles?  Make one of the Asian-inspired noodles as the package instructs.  However, a few minutes before they're done, add some veggies.  I chose broccoli and peas.  This adds veggies in a fun way, and imparts good flavor all around.  Then, cover until ready to serve.

 Smells amazing, and looks good too! Yummy chunks of pork mixed in with sweet noodles and salty pork!! .....Without delay:  Andiamo a mangiare! LET'S EAT!

Pumped Up snack pt. 1

For fear of copyright, I won't mention the name of the small, convenient snack that sells for a little over $1 and offers Turkey and American, Ham and Cheddar, Pizza, etc.  However, what I WILL do for you is show how easy it is to spruce up these snacky confections!  At some point I will be posting more, but for now let's just go with the Pizza variety!  Ok, here's the Shtick!

Ingredients

Boxed pizza

Favorite Toppings

Mozzarella

The Magic:

 

First off, go ahead and start making them normally, just put the packet of sauce on top of the small pizzas.  Then, instead of just putting the cheese that normally comes with it on top, mix in a bit of Mozzarella too!  I know, cheese is expensive, but Mozzarella is the cheese in cheese sticks, and you can buy single servings fairly inexpensively!  Then, go ahead and top with the pepperoni that comes with it (or not...if you buy the cheese kind).

Here's where you import your personality.  Add whatever other toppings you like!  For me, I sliced up a mushroom.  However, you can also add banana peppers, sardines, whatever you like!  REMEMBER:  Cooking is an expression of who you are.  Never be afraid to add in your own spice! (Figuratively or literally)

Finally, sprinkle a bit of the jarred, pre-minced garlic that is amazing overtop.  If you like, toss a bit of cayenne on too!

Here's the secret to melding it together.  Microwave the pizzas for about 15 seconds or until the cheese is melted and the pepperoni have changed color.

Viola!  A scrumptious masterpiece in about five minutes!!

Now that it's all done....Andiamo a mangiare! LET'S EAT!

Spiffy Canned Spaghetti Sauce (with garlic toast!)

Ok.  So everyone loves a good spaghetti sauce 'amiright?  'Course I am!  Problem is, the good Italian-Matriarch sauce can be time consuming and expensive.  Instead, I'll teach you how to spiff up a $0.98 can of spaghetti sauce to make it taste homemade.  Also, what good is spaghetti without a bit of garlic toast?!  No oven? No problem!  Alright, here's the shtick:

Sauce Ingredients:

One can cheap spaghetti sauce

Pepperoni
Onion Powder/Onion
Mushrooms
Parsley
Butter

Salt & Pepper

Garlic
Sugar *optional*

Garlic Toast Ingredients:

Bread
Butter
Garlic

Cheese *optional*

The Magic:

First get a medium saucepan and melt about a tablespoon of butter on medium heat.  While that's melting, go ahead and chop up a handful of pepperoni however you like!  I prefer chunks of pepperoni for a nice salty surprise.  The pepperoni will add a meaty depth to the sauce, in addition to spicing things up a bit.  For more spice, add a bit more pepperoni.  If you have a whole onion, chop it up now too.  Then, when the butter is melted, toss 'em in!

While the pepperoni is cooking, chop up three mushrooms, five if you really like the fun guys (hehe).  If you are using the 6.5 oz canned mushrooms, use the whole can.  When the pepperoni is looking beautiful (a nice deep red) toss them in along with 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic.
**Tip:  Instead of buying and storing fresh garlic, don't be afraid to go with the cheaper jarred variety.  It's cheaper and keeps longer!**

Let that all cook together for a few minutes, stirring often.  You want to make sure the mushrooms get coated with the liquid in the bottom of the pan.  This is where all the flavor is.  Mushrooms are like little tasty sponges, which soak up surrounding flavors while adding a bit of earthiness, so you want to give them time to absorb the awesome.

Then, go ahead and add the can of sauce.  Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and a few pinches of pepper.  If you are using Onion Powder, sprinkle 2 or 3 shakes in now.  Heat through.

After the sauce is nice and bubbly, taste it.  Then, go ahead and add a bit of sugar (if you like sweet sauce) or cayenne/red pepper/tabasco (if you like spicy).  Alter to TASTE.  This is critical!  After all, this sauce is your masterpiece, make it taste amazing!  Finally, add some parsley.

 Such...Steamy...Goodness!

 Love garlic toast but don't like using the oven?  No worries, it can be done just as easily without.  Put two slices of bread in the toaster set to medium.  When they come out, place a small pad of butter on each slice.

 To get the butter melted, pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds, then spread.  Sprinkle with jarred garlic. **If you are using real garlic, rub the toast with it and sprinkle it on before placing the butter on top**  Finally, if you like a bit of cheese, sprinkle some of your favorite kind onto the toast and microwave for an additional 5 seconds.



Viola!

Place your spaghetti (or pasta) onto the plate in a healthy mound.  Top with sauce.  If you'd like, place a pad of butter on top.  This will just add a little extra depth to the overall dish.  Sprinkle with cheese if you like.  Then, add the toast and enjoy!!!

Mmmmmm....Andiamo a mangiare! LET'S EAT!

Welcome!

Well, here's the first official post of my new cooking blog!!  I hope everyone enjoys it!  If you have anything you'd like to see done, let me know!  Lots of feedback will help to make this spectacular!!!