Strawberry Rhubarb - Take 2

With no pie crust, and a topping made with oatmeal, I am hoping the nutritional analysis will prove this to be healthy.

Ingredients:
1 pint of strawberries
1 lb rhubarb
1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp softened butter

I am gonna find out... But maybe after my exam tomorrow...
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Easy, Healthy, Quick Meals - Part III

Cheese Tortellini with Green beans steamed in a Microwaveable bag and topped with fresh grape tomatoes - a sprinkle of basil or a pinch of pesto make this meal quick and gourmet!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Tis the Season for Strawberry and Rhubarb

We made mini pies and mini crumbles... The crumbles were sooo delicious... For topping we used butter, flour, brown sugar and oats. But probably need to perfect this recipe...

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Easy, Healthy, Quick Meals - Part II

Finals are around the corner, but no matter how many times I try to convince myself to stop cooking for a while, I always slip back... I went to the grocery store yesterday, my biggest inspiration for cooking, and I was excited to try a new sauce I bought - Bertolli's Four Cheese Rosa. I normally don't love cream sauces, but this version of Alfredo Sauce has added tomatoes and four different cheeses (In case you couldn't tell from the name). When I opened the jar, the cheesiness was a little overwhelming, and I felt kind of nauseous. As I was cooking, I couldn't decide whether I should use the sauce or not. Luckily, I had made enough vegetables for two meals, and I set one aside before adding the sauce. However, with all my concerns about the sauce being totally gross and inedible, it was actually really good!

My Shrimp Campanelle Recipe
Serves 2-3

Ingredients
Campanelle (or other fun-shaped pasta)
1 small bag of Frozen shrimp
1 jar Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa sauce
1 Red bell pepper
1 Vine-ripened tomato
1 Onion
Dried Basil
Dried Oregano
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder

Directions
1. Start the water boiling and toss in the pasta - campanelle takes a little longer to cook than most
2. Dice the onion and tomato; cut the pepper in slices; defrost the shrimp
3. Saute the onions on medium heat for a few minutes and throw in the tomato and bell pepper
4. Pour in the shrimp, cover the vegetables in herbs and spices and let them simmer
5. Once the pasta is done, and the shrimp has turned pink on both sides, heat up the sauce with the vegetables and combine them all together (I used two heaping spoonfuls of sauce)

This took me only about thirty minutes to prepare, and I think it is a great meal for beginning cooks that want something a little gourmet. Shrimp is one of the easiest meats to cook because they take only a few minutes to cook and they turn pink when their done. Enjoy!

I'm Back!!

Midterms Happened. So did Chicken Parmesan. And Rosemary Roasted Potatoes. And some weird sloppy joes.... but considering almost a month has gone by, there has really been very little cooking. Now that I have a three week break from exams, projects and everything I associate with stress, I am turning back to my recipe book and am ready to dive in once again. But here is a recap:

1) Sloppy Joes - I used one of those veggie protein mixes, which I added onions to. I thought it needed to be less sweet and have a bigger kick. And I never think it needs a bigger kick.

 

2) Rosemary Roasted Potatoes - my boyfriend loves potatoes, so I thought I would try this healthy roasted variety. The rosemary was very pronounced, but I think I was supposed to crush it, which I didn't do. Oh, and of course, he didn't have anything to bake them in except a quiche pan that I had asked him to hold onto for me... so it didn't cook in the most even fashion. (It had to be stirred a lot) See Recipe Below.

3) Chicken Parmesan - I had bought this McCormick Italian Herb & Cheese Crusting Blend because I thought it would be an easy introduction into breading chicken and fish. The recipe came from their website. Maybe I just don't like meat prepared this way, but the only thing I didn't like about the recipe was the bread crumbs. The flavor was off. 

Recipe for: Rosemary Roasted Potatoes from Taste of Home Magazine

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 in. cubes

1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 in. cubes (can substitute carrots)

1 large onion, cut into wedges

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 Tbsp. olive oil

4 1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary or 1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

1 1/2 tsp Creole seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, onion and garlic; drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with rosemary, Creole seasoning, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 15 in. x 10 in. x 1 in baking pan. 

Bake at 425 degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally. 

(Personally, the most annoying part was peeling the potatoes, but I brought the potatoes and a trash can over to the living room and peeled the potatoes while I watched TV and sat in a comfy chair, which made it a lot more tolerable.)