A Yummy Kind of Sloppy

Another lazy day full of sleeping in and taking long walks with the pup.  

Today compliments the Valentines Day agenda especially since all the valentines candy is ½ half…stalk up why you can.  Although, they have all of their Easter stuff up already…a little quick if you ask me.  The bunnies and eggs will be screaming their way to the shelves around you soon enough.

So, I got to use my mom’s food processor, which I didn’t realize would be so easy to chop minutely.  What have I been doing trying to do it myself all this time?!  I was watching chopped and sweet genius when I decided that I was hungry and should make something yummy. 

I went to my go to site: SkinnyTaste.com!  She offers healthier versions of yummy foods.  After having all my ingredients out I decided to get to work.  This recipe was super easy and delicious as always because I don’t think this site has let me down once. 

I decided on sloppy joe even though I don’t know what made me choose this type of food because I usually hate sloppy joe.  But I gave it a try.  Basically you cook your meat; you blend your veggies; you let it simmer with the tomato.

Here are some helpful hints and tricks that I used:

1.     I used turkey instead of beef because turkey is healthier meat; however the beef would make it juicier and more traditional.

2.     Use a food processor to get the veggies super tiny unless you want chucks of veggies.

3.     I used baby carrots and guess about how much would be one actual carrot.

4.     I used Portobello mushrooms because they are my absolute favor.  1 carton of mushrooms allows you to use half of them for this recipe and half of them for something else so have another use for them before they go bad.  I used them with the rest of the pepper and onion as a mixture to add to sandwiches.

5.     I used a yellow pepper but would suggest using an orange because they are my favorite because of their sweetness.  Again, you’ll have leftovers so keep that in mind.

Toast a bun and enjoy all the yummy ingredients at they come together. J This was easy, delicious, and a super quick dinner option.  I froze some of the meat because I am only one person and it filled about 3 larger containers.  It probably will serve you at least 6 times.  Enjoy a sloppy mess of goodness J

A Splash of Sesame

Well I spent my night making a delicious take on sesame chicken.  My sidekick planted his butt on the couch the entire time after he realized there was no chicken in it for him.

I love to cook and having it end my week of classes makes me smile especially since today was so hectic.  I got to sleep in because my second class was canceled and I decided to work out during that time.  I went to class and ended up having my work done before hand so of course I chatted with Madre on Facebook J I am so productive.  I then worked out at the gym on campus so I wouldn’t have to fight for the one working treadmill at my apartment complex.  By the time I was done and had gotten gas for my starving Nellee it was already 2!

I grabbed lunch (couscous and an apple) and took the noodle outside.  I had to get my flash drive to my teacher so that I could watch our taped clip of our group conversation.  Of course, my drive was full so he emptied everything on it…including my resume!!! L It also took an HOUR! I ran out to my car that was parked in a parking lot I lacked authority to park in but luckily the guy let me go sans ticket! SCORE!!!! Macaroni and I headed to the puppy park and then we came home and I finally got a shower since I smelled hahah…

After showering and eating dinner (yummy stuffed peppers thanks to Madre!), I started making my meals.  This meal was supposed to take forever but I sped up the process a little bit by making some changes.  Here are some things to keep in perspective:

1.     I don’t have a crock-pot and I didn’t want to wait forever, so I cooked my chicken in the oven at 325 degreed F for about 25 minutes.

2.     I let the chicken cool just enough that I could handle them, but still warm enough to not shock them when I added them to the sauce.

3.     I cut my chicken into cubes and placed the sauce in a pan combining all the ingredients.

4.     I cooked the sauce and chicken for about 10 minutes together then set the chicken aside keeping the sauce in the pan. 

5.     I dissolved the cornstarch into the water on the stove that took about 2 minutes.  Make sure to stir it or the cornstarch will seize up and burn.

6.     Add the cornstarch into the sauce, which makes it thicken like the sauce we see on sesame chicken. 

7.     Thickening the sauce took about 15 minutes but keep the stovetop on low to mimic the idea of a crock-pot.

8.     Once the sauce was thick I poured it over my chicken and rice that I had separated into portions and added the sesame seeds to the dish.

Of course I tasted the sauce throughout the time making it.  It was delicious and somehow I was pleasantly surprised how it tasted so much like the ones I had eaten in the past but fresher because it lacked so many preservatives.  I would highly suggest attempting this recipe for those Asian fanatics.  Just keep in mind that things can get a little messy and sticky when thinking of cleaning up J

Snow Crab

Well, although it wasn't snow crab we had, if you mix the snow we accumulated today along with the delicious crab cakes I made for dinner it’s a perfect combination. Saying we got a little bit of snow might be an understatement because there were several times today where I felt like someone kept tilting and shaking a snow globe hahahhaah….

Since my momma was here dropping off my valentine, Macaroni J, we had an adventurous day.  We stopped at Best Buy to pick up my first big girl purchase of a MacBook Pro…but we’re going to have to make a pit stop tomorrow because my password seems to not be working…great L! Then we went downtown which was crowded with people for the Dew at DowntownFlagstaff (good thing it snowed).  They made the whole hill on San Francisco Street for snowboarders and skiers to ride down as a competition.  Of course, Madre stopped by some vendors who gave free baggies full of goodies.  We grabbed lunch at Mix—yummy as always—before going home to the puppies.  OH! We cannot forget that we made a target stop, such a dangerous store.

We came home; we suited up; we grabbed the puppies.  Since it was a Sunday, we decided to let the puppies go for a free run.  They loved it!!! Zoe was hilarious because the snow was all the way up past her belly.  She basically had to hop instead of run and Macaroni ran around like the crazy noodle he is.  Before they left the park they kept digging their noses into the snow almost like they were shoveling. 

For dinner I made baked corn and crab cakes.  They were pretty simple to make and super yummy to eat.  While the snow piled and piled outside, we kept warm by cooking and cooking inside J. Here are some notes to consider when making this dish:

1. We used prepackaged crab (was still delicious) because they only have crab legs at the grocery store which have the added time and utensils for cracking them and getting the meat out.
2. Keep in mind that this dish takes an hour to sit chilled as a patty.
3. I used light Activia yogurt as my fat free yogurt which made the patties harder to stay together.
4. Next time I would suggest using Greek yogurt in place of the fat free yogurt and mayonnaise (I’m not a huge fan of mayonnaise).
5. Using a sweet corn that is fresh from the farmer’s market would be ideal for the corn.
6. I didn’t have shallots so I replaced it with onion and garlic mixture of my own.
7. I used an orange pepper because they are sweeter and I enjoy them more than the red pepper.
8. This recipe makes 8 fairly large and filling patties, but if having leftovers make sure you eat them within 2 days of making them.
9. Baking them was the most difficult because they didn't stay together as well as I had hoped.  For the elevation factor, they also took longer to cook on each side, so keep an eye out.

All in all, they were pretty yummy and something I would suggest making.  Let me know if you find any special suggestions when attempting this recipe.  Enjoy the snow, sunshine, or whatever weather comes your way.