Carissa's (Continuing) Adventures

Cashew Chicken Recipe : Chicken Breast Broccoli Red Peppers Green onion Cornstarch / salt for coating chicken Soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, spices for the sauce Cost : $4 for the chicken at Aldi, Broccoli and Red Peppers probably around $8 Source : https://www.wellplated.com/thai-cashew-chicken/ Basic Directions: Coat chicken in cornstarch and salt, fry until browned in skillet Add broccoli, peppers, and green onion and sauté until cooked Add cashews and cook for about 30 sec-1 min Add sauce and stir until everything is covered Served with: Asian salad kit and rice Why I chose it:  I'm always looking for different ways to use chicken. I was actually looking for a peanut-chicken recipe but thought this looked good too. Things I liked : So easy, easy to make a double batch for community group, and tasted pretty good Things I’ll try differently next time : Might experiment with different veggies and sauce ratio Husband say...

Pesto Sauce Recipe : Lots and lots of basil Pine nuts Olive Oil Garlic Cloves Parmesan Cheese Salt Cost : $5 for two basil plants (I use mine so often there are never enough leaves to make pesto) $3 for grated parmesan cheese Everything else was already in my pantry Source : https://www.thespruceeats.com/classic-basil-pesto-sauce-recipe-995923 Basic Directions: Put everything in a food processor Pulse and fiddle until it's right Served with: Pasta, Bread, and Salad Why I chose it:  I was taking a meal to a friend who just had a baby and she eats mostly a plant based, very low dairy diet. I didn't want to make red sauce because without meat it can be a bit much. Things I liked : It was much much better than jarred pesto, which I can't stand. I made it a bit thick initially but mixed with a bit more olive oil it was a perfect change of pace Things I’ll try differently next time : I did not have enough pine nuts so I added some wal...

Italian Wedding Soup Recipe : Ground sausage & beef   Tiny pasta - Spinach Onion Bread crumbs Chicken stock Egg Parmesan Cost : ~$15 - I shopped at Lidl instead of Aldi and they had no normal meat, only "organic" which I don't normally buy. Their cheese was also more expensive.  Source :https://www.cookingclassy.com/italian-wedding-soup/ Basic Directions: I halved the original recipe so I only used 8 oz of sausage. I also use homemade stock, accidentally included the onions in the meatballs and didn’t have carrots. Make meatballs with meat, crumbs, parmesan cheese, egg, and spices, brown in skillet Boil meatballs and pasta in broth for around 10 min Add spinach until wilted Served with: Focaccia bread and parmesan cheese on top Why I chose it: Needed a new soup recipe! Also was in the mood for Italian food that wasn’t pasta Things I liked : Very light and fresh taste, easy to make. Nice to have a soup r...

Naturally Leavened Sourdough Recipe : Ripe starter Flour Salt Water Cost : All items already in pantry/fridge Source : https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/naturally-leavened-sourdough-bread-recipe Basic Directions: Mix Knead Let rest Knead Let rest Bake Served with: Was meant for fancy grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup Why I chose it: I have a starter that I’ve been keeping alive for months and felt ready to let it do it’s thing unaided by commercial yeast Things I liked : Nothing. It was not good at all. Things I’ll try differently next time : Literally everything. It turned out terribly, like a rock. Could have been used as a weapon. Some have suggest too little water, too much kneading. I also used bread flour instead of all purpose but didn’t think that would be the culprit. I've had a lot of success with King Arthur so I will try again! Husband says : I didn’t let him try it. I threw it out before he ...

3. Egg Roll In a Bowl Recipe : Cabbage Carrots (shredded) Onion Ground Beef Sesame Oil Soy Sauce Beef stock Salt Ginger Pepper Red Pepper flakes   Some other spices probably   Cost : ~$5 for cabbage, ground beef, and onions + pantry staples  Source : https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/egg-roll-in-a-bowl/ Basic Directions: brown meat and onions in sesame oil Add sauces, spices, and stock   Add carrots and cabbage - I covered it so the cabbage would wilt faster Served with: Noodles from an instant Ramen pack. I tossed the flavor packet and just split the noodles between our two plates Why I chose it: Still working on using up those carrots from Christmas. Also looking for low carb meals to add to our circuit. Also one pan meals.   Things I liked : Super easy to make, especially since I was a bit ill, easy was great. The flavor was nice, although I don’t think I would have loved the texture as much ...

2. Whole Chicken   Recipe: 1 Whole chicken $8 Aldi (I think it was 8 lbs) Much salt - pantry Source : Salt Fat Acid Heat Basic Directions :  Spatchcock the chicken Cover with a lot of salt, we used almost a cup Leave uncovered in fridge for 24 hours Pull out for an hour to come to room temp Pan sear in cast iron skillet Bake for 40 minutes in same skillet Have your husband cut it up   Served with : Instant mashed potatoes and stuffing and carrots left over from my Christmas Costco Crazy Run Why I chose it : I was really inspired while reading this book to try meat more. I don’t cook lot of meat because it doesn’t taste good to me, but she makes everything sound amazing. I just wanted to put a cup of salt on something. Things I liked: Whole chicken was way less gross than I thought and I like that I will be able to use the leftovers to make something else (stock)   So delicious - even though we had to plan ahe...

My goal is to make a new recipe every week this year! I'm posting them to keep track of what I've tried and what I'd like to change next time. 1.  Beef Stroganoff   Recipe:   1.5 lb beef (sorloin tips recommended, I found beef fajita strips)  8 oz egg noodles  6 oz beef broth  6 oz chicken broth  Cream of mushroom soup (instead of mushrooms)  Onion  Garlic 2/3 cup sour cream - ~ Total Cost: ~ $10 + pantry staples  Basic Directions Brown beef in skillet Take out and pan fry onions and garlic in oil/beef drippings Add 2 tbs flour and whisk Add broths   Probably add something else? Re-add meat, cover and let simmer for 30 min Add egg noodles, cover and let cook for 20 min Source : America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook Why I chose it : We found an inordinate amount of egg noodles while reorganizing the pantry Things I liked Savory, warm, comfort food feel Beef actually ended up pr...