I Am a Slacker

Buuuu. I have been so busy lately that nothing fantastic has happened in my culinary life.

Last night, we (gasp) heated up leftover pizza and pizza rolls.

Tonight, since I had school until 8:00, I stuck with my fail-proof fallback: pasta and cheese always hits the right note with the husband. I put some of the leftover chicken on my half since B doesn't really dig el pollo.

That's pretty much it. Sorry for the blogging failure.

A Day of Quick Eats

     Today was a lazy, sick-ish day, so all I wanted to do was lie around and do nothing. Unfortunately, that was not in the cards. We had a decently productive day getting a new crate for the dogs (one for them to share -- we'll see how that works out) and buying a lot of used books. 

     So when it came time for cooking, I opted for the easy route. I'm all about using leftovers to save time and money, and that is just what I did. For lunch, B wanted my specialty -- pasta with cheese on it -- so out came the leftover whole grain spaghetti! Spaghetti and cheese (not to be confused with my grandmother's much more sophisticated version that has more than three ingredients) is pretty much my Grammy's baked macaroni and cheese recipe with spaghetti instead of macaroni. Take pasta, layer with a good deal of butter and cheddar cheese, bake at around 400 degrees (B and I always argue over whether it is 375 or 425) for between 10 and 20 minutes, depending on the size of the dish. You can add just enough milk to cover the bottom of the pan after the other ingredients -- it boiling is a good sign of when the dish is done if you are using a glass pan.

     For dinner, I decided to make chicken and dumplings, which, for those of you who are not familiar with the deliciousness of chicken and dumplings, is filling, cheap, and easy. Chicken broth and chicken pieces brought to a boil with biscuit dough added in small clumps. Stir a few times, season to taste, and voila -- chicken and dumplings. 

Today's verdict: success.

Day 1: Final Evaluations

• Whole Chicken
• verdict: success
• Mini Tarts:
• My verdict: Good. I'm not a pie person, so I don't have the same perspective as someone who enjoys this kind of treat.
• B's verdict:Pretty good (decently high praise when he knows I made it from scratch)
• Improv Mini-Muffins:
• My verdict: Edible, but missing something
• B's verdict: "They just don't have a lot of flavor"
• WhiteOne: It's no dog biscuit, but I'll take what I can get.

MIni Tarts and Muffins: Using Overripe Bananas

Mini Tarts:
     Inspired by what I saw at not martha's website, I decided to use our two very overripe bananas in mini-pies. However, I rolled the crust a little thick and only had enough for bottoms, not tops, of pastries. So I made "tarts" instead. The filling I made from mashed bananas, half a cup of Giant boysenberry yoghurt (because I discovered that Giant brand yoghurt is one I will not be buying in the future), and some half-melted semi-sweet chocolate chips. It sounds disgusting, but let me tell you -- the filling by itself was delicious, and the best part is that I added no extra sugar (or, in our household, Splenda) to either of these experiments. I popped them in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes, which could have been shortened by rolling the crust thinner. Overall, they are alright. I'll not be embarrassed to send them to work with B tomorrow, like I seem to do with everything I make from extra bananas around here.

Mini Muffins:
     After making the tarts I had crust to make, I had leftover filling and decided to free-hand some muffins. I added honey and butter, the EggBeater's equivalent of one egg, and a good dose of flower to taste. The batter seemed alright (I always sample batter before cooking anything), so I put them in the oven at 400 for about 12 minutes. The muffins turned out a little heavy and lacking in flavor, but they are definitely edible. They will also be going in to work with B tomorrow.

WhiteOne wasn't sure what to think at first about the piece of muffin she got as a treat, but true to dog form, she ended up eating it. I happened to catch her in the middle of licking her lips. Best praise? :)

Dinner Day 1

     Today I made my first attempt at cooking a whole chicken by myself. I've seen my mother do it many a time and have since read so much about what a great deal it is to buy a whole chicken (especially when you get it at Sam's Club for 89 cents a pound!). From this first analysis, I have to agree. From one ~5 lb chicken, I got the entrée of a two-person meal, a large tupperware (see picture at right of tupperware on my breadmaker for a size comparison, since I can't remember the actual tupperware size) full of leftover chicken, and a good bit of stock (I'm still simmering the water, chicken fat/bones/etc., and onion in the pot, so the verdict on how much chicken stock is yet to be determined).
    
     So, dinner:

• Crockpot chicken
• Sweet early peas
• Garlic cheese biscuits (recipe found online and adapted -- unfortuately, I can't re-find it to credit the original source)
• Sweet tea (of course)

    Husband complained about the lack of variety (only one side?!? the horror!), but he did not complain about the quantity, so I consider the dinner a (very cheap) success.