No leftovers from the leftovers

Leftovers are the bane of my existence. Ok so maybe not so drastic, but still they get annoying after a while. Especially when you have this awesome recipe that you love to make but then you’re eating it for a week. Straight. I think the only thing I love that much is ice cream. Speaking of which I should go have a bowl of.

So last week I made the Pork Tenderloin ( https://collegestudentcooking101.wordpress.com/2011/09/27/pork-tenderloin/ ). There was a lot left. Allison and I both had it at least twice for lunch but we still had a ton left. So my wonderful chemistry mentor Dr. C suggested I try this recipe that used pork tenderloin, so that’s what I did tonight.

Pork Tenderloin with Black Beans and Rice

Pork tenderloin, already cooked

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 c. chicken broth

1 T olive oil

1 T chopped onion

1 t tyme

1/2 t cumin

1 t seasoned salt

1 t pepper

Rice, cooked

Saute onion in olive oil in medium sauce pan. Add chicken broth and spices. Add beans and pork. Bring to a boil over medium heat for 10 min, stirring occasionally.  Serve over rice.

Here is the wonderful finished product. I promise it tastes better than it looks.

Allison and I both agreed that this was a success. The best part was that there weren’t any leftovers! Tada! Needless to say I will definitely make this again, maybe with chicken or beef instead. The possibilities are endless.

No cooking!!!

So I really haven’t posted anything in the past couple of days because I haven’t had to cook! Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying cooking, but sometimes a break is nice. Here’s a run-down of my culinary experiences the last couple of nights.

Wednesday

Allison cooked tonight. She made this yummy chicken fettuccine alfredo with peas. (gotta have that green stuff) We even had some fresh pineapple to go with!

Thursday

My boyfriend was in Indy for a job interview so he came over to say hi and took me out to dinner. We found this great little place not too far from where I live called La Trattoria. It’s this little Italian restaurant inside a house. They have great decorating and the food is even better! I had Tortellini alla Panna aka tortellini filled with cheese, tossed in an alfredo sauce with pieces of ham. It was tasty!

Friday

Another night out! This time I went out with Allison and her husband. We went to this little place that Allison has been raving about for weeks! It’s called Sisters and it’s located on Madison just south of downtown Indy. Basically it’s a diner with really good home-made food. I had chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy. Dessert was by far the best though. I had their apple crunch pie… oh my was it good!! Came with a little ice cream on the side and it was heavenly!

Tonight will consist of leftovers (probably the pork tenderloin from Tuesday). Until next time!

 

Pork Tenderloin

This recipe actually started last night. I decided to try a different kind of meat this week so Allison suggested a pork tenderloin. Aldi has this wonderful pre-marinated pork tenderloin but what’s the fun in that? So I got a 2-lb pork tenderloin from Kroger (that was the smallest they had) and went to work. I wasn’t quite sure how to make the marinade so I perused the wonderful world of online recipes for some ideas. I knew I wanted something that included Dijon mustard, so I found this one:

1/2 c. olive oil

3/4 c lemon juice (supposed to be freshly squeezed)

1 1/2 T rosemary

1 T thyme

garlic powder (or fresh)

2 T Dijon mustard

I mixed all this together, threw in some salt and pepper, and then soaked the tenderloins in it overnight and all day today. Then the lovely Allison put it in the oven at 350 F for 40 min. She also threw some potatoes, zucchini, green peppers, green beans, and onions in some olive oil and sautéd them. I seasoned them with rosemary, garlic powder, seasoned salt, and pepper and let those cook for about 20 min. This was our finished product.

We’re “going green!”

The tenderloin received the Allison stamp of approval but now we have a tenderloin and a half left so if anyone wants leftovers please let me know and I will gladly share with you. Oh and this next photo is for my mother as Allison thought she needed concrete proof that I willingly ate vegetables.

*There is no one holding a gun to my head (per Allison).

Now the world has proof that, yes, Krista will eat veggies. And she actually enjoys them.

Nice ‘n Easy

So I have a confession to make. I don’t always eat healthy. Tonight was one of those nights. I have a P-chem exam to study for and I worked till 6:30. Quick and easy dinner was on the menu. My go-to quick food is none other than macaroni and cheese (my co-workers can attest to this, I ate it almost every day for lunch this summer). I figured I should add some variety to that so I decided to go with some scrambled eggs. They add some protein and they’re also quick and easy.

Apparently I’m feeling yellow tonight. I even bought some pineapple for Allison and I to enjoy. Is this healthy? No. Tasty? Oh yes.

Skillet Steak with Tasty Veggies

Allison promised me that she would be home for dinner one night this week so I could experiment on her. Well tonight’s the night! Being in a fancy mood, I decided to go with a skillet steak. I never usually buy meat from the store, but I gave in this week and tried my best to pick out a decent cut. Fail. Oh well.

Basically, this morning I used my new favorite meat seasoning from a little spice shop up in Wisconsin (thanks Allison) and gave these steaks a good rub and put them back in the fridge. I sautèd some onions in olive oil, then added the steaks, cooking for about 7 min a side. I then brushed on a last minute sauce consisting of:

ketchup

brown sugar

Worcestershire sauce

maple syrup

yellow mustard

As for amounts I’d estimate 9 parts ketchup : 3 parts brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, maple syrup : 1 part mustard. Ish. After then first 7 min of steak cooking wonderfulness I added the sauce.

Meanwhile, Allison was kind enough to chop up some veggies. Green beans, 1 yellow pepper, 1 orange pepper, red potatoes, and some onion. I heated up some olive oil, seasoned it with garlic powder, seasoned salt, and pepper then added the veggies. Those cooked for about 15 min. Once the steaks were fully cooked, I added the rest of the sauce to the skillet and just left them on low till the veggies were done. This was the end result.

Gives a nice display.

Allison decided that the veggies were great (of course) but the steaks were a little dry. Sadly enough I agreed with her. Next time I’m going to go with a thicker steak, not be so cheap, and actually get a really good cut of meat.

Boots also approved of the veggies as she “stole” a pepper off my plate and cleaned up the potato slice that Allison dropped. What Boots doesn’t know is that as soon as I’m done posting this, she is getting a bath. Which in her mind is just as bad as dressing up in this:

Costume for the Sigma Zeta homecoming golf cart

Poor Boots.

Nano Pizza

My pantry is really letting me down this week. I decided on making nano pizzas for dinner tonight, my version of mini pizzas. Basic ingredients: bread, tomato paste, seasoning, cheese, and ham. The pantry was missing the one key ingredient, tomato paste. All I had was tomato soup. Time to improvise!

I poured a can of tomato soup into a smallest sauce pan available and boiled away. I added some Italian seasoning, garlic powder, a pinch of brown sugar, and basil. When it wasn’t getting thick, I added a pinch of gelatin. After it thickened up, I let it cool. Meanwhile, I buttered 3 slices of Italian bread (thick slices), sprinkled a little garlic powder on, and baked them at 350 for 5 min. Then I layered on the tomato soup/sauce, some mozzarella cheese, and a little bit of ham. Put them back in the oven for 10 min and ta-da! Instant pizza.

I do have to say these turned out quite well. I was also quite impressed with the tomato soup/sauce. I might even start using this all the time for my pizzas!

Krista’s Chicken Pasta Bake with Cheesy Sauce

This is one of those nights that I’m really craving some comfort food. My comfort food consists of a pasta dish of any sort. My favorite past of choice is fettuccine. So when I opened my pantry doors I was sorely disappointed to see that all of my fettuccine was gone. 😦

It’s time to improvise! So I stole some pasta shells from a here’s-all-your-ingredients-just-add-water box, grabbed a can of cream of chicken soup and went to work. This was the end result.

It tastes even better than it looks!

This was my first official I-have-no-recipe-so-I’m-throwing-stuff-together cooking success! Oh and here’s the recipe.

Pasta (any kind) about 2 servings worth

1/4 c chopped onion

olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/4 c butter

1 t lemon juice

1 t Italian seasoning

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

1 slice of bread, crumbed

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta and strain. Coat bottom of skillet with olive oil, sauté onions and add to pasta. Cook chicken in same skillet then cube and set aside. Add butter and lemon juice to skillet, melt butter. Add Italian seasoning, garlic powder, cream of chicken soup, and mozzarella cheese to skillet. Stir and heat for 2 min on medium heat. Add chicken and heat for 5 min or until bubbling. Stir in pasta and onion mix and put in casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs. Bake for 20 min.

Definitely a keeper. But Allison said next time I need to add something green, as she was “craving something green” so promptly went to the freezer and got out the bag of frozen peas that she keeps stashed in there. Crazy girl. 🙂

Quick ‘n Easy Breakfast Sandwich (for dinner)

Tonight is one of those nights when I get home from class around 9:30 pm, haven’t eaten a bite since 11:00 am, and am famished. I have no patience for an oven or even a boiling pot of water. This is where my good friend, the grilled cheese, steps it.

The one thing I love about grilled cheese is that you can modify it in so many ways. Tonight I needed a little more substance with my sandwich, so I decided to go with my boyfriend’s popular breakfast sandwich. This baby consists of a cheese omelet, ham or bacon, and 2 slices of American cheese.

The Best Breakfast Sandwich (Ever)

2 eggs

~1 T milk

Seasoned salt

Pepper

Shredded cheese

American cheese

Ham

Some nice thick bread (Italian or French works really well)

Butter

An omelet pan will make your life so much easier. Crack your egg into a small bowl, add your milk and whisk in. Add seasoned salt and pepper to your heart’s desire. Cook thoroughly and add some cheese before folding in half. Meanwhile, butter your bread (don’t be shy) and place 1 slice of cheese and some ham on one of the pieces. Place your omelet on top of the ham, top with the other piece of cheese and slice of bread. Brown on both sides (med-low heat works best).

Knife and fork sandwich?

This is always best enjoyed with a glass of juice (tonight I’m having orange-mango). Lesson learned today: don’t cook while you’re hungry, otherwise things may get a little “out of hand.”

Not your average student

So I’ve decided to try and start my senior year of college the right way. Throughout my college career my diet has consisted of cafeteria food (boring after a year), macaroni and cheese, and pizza.

Not this year. I’m going to be all grown-up and eat all sorts of healthy food. Maybe even do some experimenting in my little (ok so it’s actually quite puny) kitchen. I figured blogging about it might even help keep me motivated. It seems like everybody blogs about everything these days!

So tonight I started off with something simple: tomato soup. I sampled this wonderful tomato basil soup at the farmer’s market a couple of months ago and it was marvelous. I attempted to replicate it (did I mention I’m a chemistry major?). Here’s what I used:

3 good sized tomatoes

1 pint whipping cream

A LOT of basil.

And this is what I got.

Doesn’t look so bad, right? Well I must confess that I am not the biggest fan of tomatoes. In my opinion, there were too many “chunkies” left in the soup. Needless to say, next time I am straining out all the “chunkies” and hoping for the best!