Homemade marinara sauce

Recipe #21: Homemade marinara sauce

I am ashamed to admit that I do not make my own red sauce. Even when I make lasagna, the sauce comes from a jar. But, I was happy to find that making my own sauce was not only very easy and tasty, but it was also cheaper than using the jarred crap, because I bought a case of canned tomatoes during a case-lot sale a while back.

I didn't have a bay leaf and I ended up adding some sugar and oregano, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. I garnished my pasta with chunks of fresh mozzarella, which got nice and melty (is that a word?) after a couple minutes. We ate it alongside some roasted broccoli for a semi-healthy meatless meal.

Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Recipe #8: Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

When making this tasty recipe, I failed to read the text at the top: "Each baking dish serves four; bake one tonight, and freeze the other for a ready-made dinner later on. When ready to cook, bake it straight from the freezer."

So, I ended up with TWO casserole dishes of pasta. Luckily, Matt and I both enjoyed this meal, because we'll be eating it as leftovers in our lunches all week long... Er, *I* will be eating it; Matt will be traveling on business and likely eating steak and lobster for all of his meals. I should have frozen one to bake later, but thanks to Costco, I didn't have room in my freezer. Hey, I needed that box of frozen cookie dough!

The only change I made to this recipe was that I used three chicken breasts instead of two, and shredded it instead of slicing it. The cheeses and Paula Deen-like quantity of butter (6 tablespoons!) in the sauce made it very rich, but the addition of the tomatoes added some tartness. Matt doesn't like mushrooms, so I cut them up very small and didn't tell him they were in this recipe, and he didn't even notice. I think he likes mushrooms and just doesn't know it. If I made this again, I would add some salt to the sauce, because it definitely needed it!

We ate ours alongside some steamed green beans.

Lemon Cake and Alfredo

Recipe #5: Glazed Lemon Bundt Cake

Recipe #6: Fettuccine Alfredo with Bacon

Matt and I both love lemon-flavored desserts, so when I saw this recipe, I had to give it a try. I didn't have any lemon extract on hand, so I just added some lemon juice from some fresh lemons. I was worried it would mess up the chemistry of the cake (too much acid, not enough base), but it was delicious!

 As you can tell by this photo, the batter was really fluffy:

Then came the moment of truth. I've had a few tear-jerking moments when cakes haven't come out of the pan, so I made sure to flour the hell out of this one, then let it cool for about 15 minutes. If you don't let it cool for a bit, it will most definitely come out in chunks. Miraculously, it came out perfect! I didn't even care that it was covered in flour. Pick your battles, you guys.

I made a glaze out of powdered sugar, water, and lemon juice, and drizzled it over the top. I ate mine plain, but Matt cut up some kiwis on top of his. I think it would also be good with fresh berries and some whipped cream.

Matt has been requesting that I made alfredo, which I don't really care for, so when I saw this recipe for fettuccine alfredo with bacon, I knew we could have a compromise.


I added chicken to mine, and served it with green beans and some toasted sourdough bread (left over from my sandwiches).

Gnocchi Mac n' Cheese and Panko breaded Chicken Strips

Recipes #1 and #2:  Gnocchi Mac n' Cheese and Panko breaded Chicken Strips

This past weekend I broke one of my own cooking rules*--I made some substitutions in a first-time recipe. I partially blame my local grocery store for not carrying a variety of cheeses (their most exotic cheese was monterey jack), but it was really my own fault because I was too lazy to drive to another store.

So, my first home-cooked meal of 2010 was Panko Chicken Strips and Gnocchi Mac n' Cheese.

It's the grown-up version of chicken nuggets and that nasty blue boxed crap Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. The aforementioned substitution was the cheese in the Gnocchi Mac n' Cheese; I had to use cheddar instead of the decadent Gruyere and Fontina. I also used chicken strips instead of nuggets, because I wanted to make myself feel like I was making a meal for an adult, not a toddler.

The verdict? While it definitely wasn't the fanciest meal, Matt and I agreed that it was pretty tasty. The gnocchi was a lot fluffier than macaroni, and the sauce was really rich. The gnocchi, which I bought pre-made, is made of potatoes, so I expected it to be really dense and sort of like potatoes au gratin, but they were very soft and surprisingly noodle-like.

The chicken was good, but not amazing. It is a good generic chicken tender/nugget recipe, but it might disappoint someone who wants more spice or something out of the ordinary, and they definitely needed some salt. The panko breading is a lot crunchier than your normal breadcrumbs, and the buttermilk made it very tender (I think? Or maybe something else made them tender?), but if I made this again I would use my mom's famous "meat rub" as the seasoning.

Now that I think about it, I probably should have made some sort of vegetable to balance out my fatty meal. But, since this is my first recipe post, you can cut me some slack. Comfort food is definitely needed every once in a while (or more often).

So, 2 recipes down, 98 to go! Here's hoping my cooking and photography skills improve!


*In case you were wondering, here are my cooking rules (subject to change as I learn more or get lazier):
1. Always pour yourself a glass of water (or other drink of choice) before you start cooking. It gets hot in the kitchen and you'll likely get thirsty after sampling your creation. I usually put a straw in my beverage so I don't have to touch my glass with messy hands.
2. Never try out a new recipe on guests, unless your guest is your 24-year-old brother. In that case, he'll eat anything.
3. When trying a new recipe, always follow it exactly (or as close as you can) the first time. You can tweak things and make substitutions the next time you make it.
4. Have a backup plan, and improvise if necessary. Your cake that stuck to the pan and came out in chunks? It's now a trifle.
5. Read the recipe all of the way through before you start. You don't want any surprises.
6. Wear an apron, even if you're just making some Rice Krispy treats in the microwave. If you feel fabulous, whatever you're cooking will seem extra-decadent.