Cooking Adventures

Since being abroad I have had to take up a lot more home cooking. I never thought I was a bad cook, I just didn't do it often. I didn't think I had cooking creativity. At first, being here I realized there is so much you need to cook things. The basics will only do for so long. But then tonight I took the basics to another level!! I made my own little pasta dish with some ingredients I discovered are good for many purposes.

-Pasta
-Steak
-Spinach
-Cherry Tomatoes
-Mushrooms
-Cheese
-Tomato sauce

That's all it took! A handful of ingredients I already had on hand. I cooked the steak, spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes on the stove in some oil. Placed all that on the pasta with a bit of sauce and a dash of cheese on top! Waa-Laa a main course meal for one! The ingredients are good for you and its not a frozen pizza! I may be a little too pleased for creating a pasta dish, but this was my best quick pull together of fresh ingredients. Normally all my veggies go bad before I use them up. I can only eat sandwiches so many times too. Pasta noodles never go bad but they can be dull. I spiced up my cooking and it tastes delicious!! As pleased as I am, I am still taking recipe! Well eat on!

Bruschetta Chicken and Pasta Recipe

I haven't done much cooking or baking lately, so the other night I told Mark I wanted to cook us dinner. I found a delicious sounding Chicken Bruschetta recipe in a magazine.

Ingredients-
-1 can Diced tomatoes (we used Italian marinated ones)
-3/4 cup shredded Italian blend cheese (we added a bunch more on top our chicken)
-1/4 cup chopped basil (I didn't measure, I just sprinkled all I wanted)
- 5 Small boneless chicken breasts  (I used just 2 since there was only 2 of us!)
-1 can tomato sauce
-1 tsp minced garlic
-Since there was going to be a lot of extra sauce we decided to cook up some noodles to add with our chicken.
Instructions-
-Mix cheese, diced tomatoes, and basil together in a bowl and mix.
- Put the sauce into a skillet with the garlic. Bring to a boil.
-Add chicken and top it with the tomato mix.
-Cover skillet and simmer for about 15-20 mins. Depending on how thick the chicken is.
-Cook your choice of noodles.
-Mix your noodles and chicken and sauce and Enjoy!

  We both loved this dinner! I think it will become one of our regular dinners. It was so easy, fast, and yummy!!!! We both really like Italian food so this was a perfect dish for us to try.

Weekend Wrap up!

This weekend I did a lot of working! I worked both Friday and Saturday and babysat Pilot Friday night. After babysitting Mark and I got some pizza and watched some more Walking Dead. Saturday night I spent some time with my Friend Amy. We listened to some lovely Christmas music, drank a peppermint-y drinks, and decorated her sad little Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. It was from the CO-OP and we called it a rescued tree. It is a sad dingy skinny tree that no one but the Friedman family would want. Then on Sunday my family got together to make tons of Christmas cookies!

We made so many different kinds I don't even know what is all in our box we took. There were caramel marshmallows, peppermint patties, peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips, peanut butter cup cookies, chocolate pretzels, pretzels with rollos, sugar cookies with mints inside, and I think even a few other kinds! We do this every year. We save some to eat for ourselves but also give them to friends for a little holiday treat!

 Then today (yes I know its Monday, no longer the weekend) I finally decorated the real tree I put up at Marks. I also put out our stockings. I want to keep Christmas shopping, but I am low on money until pay day. I love giving gifts. I can't wait to add some presents under the tree.

How was your weekend?

Tasty easy Spinach Artichoke Dip

I love spinach and artichoke dip soooo much! I always want to get it when I go out to eat, and I crave it when I am at home. Finally my mom taught me how to make it myself. It is pretty easy to do and there isnt too much to put in it.

Here is what you need:
for a full receipt (you can make half a batch with just half the ingredients Duh! haha)

• 2 packages frozen spinach
• 2 packs cream cheese 
• 2 cans artichoke 
• a bag Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 stick butter

You will need to defrost the spinach in the microwave. And then you use your hands and a strainer to squeeze and drain as much of the water out of the spinach as you can. While the spinach is in the microwave cut up the arichokes and put them in the bowl you will bake. Also add in the parmesan in the bowl. Leave the cream cheese out so it gets soft (you can also put it in the microwave to make it softer). Melt the butter and add it to the bowl. Then just through everything else in! Mix it all together and bake at 350 for 25-30 mins!
Then enjoy!

SOOOO TASTY!!