Adventures in Cooking - Glazed Chicken

It's about a week overdue, but I'm here to talk to you about honey glazed chicken. Aric and I had this with corn bread. I figured that with the amount of honey in this glaze, corn bread would be a nice match. And a nice match it was.

When I first read through the instructions, I was a little upset, because it said that I had to gaze the chicken every "five to seven" minutes while it baked. I thought to myself, man, that's too much work for tasty chicken! That and I don't have a basting brush.

Honestly, when chicken bakes for thirty, forty minutes at the most, it's not that big a deal. Also, I didn't need a basting brush. All I needed was a teaspoon, and it worked just fine.

HONEY GLAZED CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS
6 - 8 chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup honey
1 tbsp. cracked black pepper
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS
1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Place chicken in the oven.
3) Mix glaze ingredients together. Note: the glaze should be slightly runny.
4) Glaze the chicken at five to seven minute intervals.
5) Bake chicken until cooked through completely - between 30 and 40 minutes.

HELPFUL HINTS
1) I used chicken breasts, since I didn't have tenderloins. I don't think it made much of a different - just increased the cooking time. And, as a side note, the original recipe didn't include a cooking time, it just said to cook until done. I estimate that I baked my chicken for about half an hour to forty minutes, tops.
2) I lined a baking pan with foil, then put the chicken down. There was a whole lot of liquid floating around in the pan, and it kind of grossed me out, so next time I think I'll line the pan with foil, but then find some sort of baking rack to put the chicken on, so the chicken isn't sitting in all that fat..
3) Do not taste the glaze when you initially mix it. It will taste terrible. I assure you, however, that it will taste amazing once the chicken is done.

New Meal Plan

Alright, ladies and gents, it's time for the next meal plan. The last meal plan and grocery adventure Aric and I had lasted us two and a half weeks. 

Admittedly, we ate out a few times. There's a new Chinese Super Buffet in town (their name, not ours), so of course had to try that out. It's really tasty - they've got five buffet tables, a sushi buffet, and a little cooking station where you can choose your meats and veggies, and they cook it for you (kind of like a low-key Mongolian BBQ). The highlight of the buffet tables - the frog legs. I didn't eat them (ew), but it strikes me funny that a Chinese restaurant would serve them.

But I digress. In addition to eating in restaurants, Aric and I went to Meijer in search of snacks last week. We got our snacks, and on our way to the checkout we saw that Meijer ground turkey was on sale - 10 for $10! It was too good a deal to pass up, so we bought five. They are currently sitting in the freezer, awaiting a plan. My vote is for turkey burgers!

The plan, as it stands right now:

• Crockpot Chicken Curry
  
• Black bean burgers (maybe)
  
• Turkey burgers (also maybe)
• Tacos (ground beef is on sale at Family Fare)
  
• Pork loin, pasta, and a veggie (pork loin was on sale - again!)
  
• Strawberry and rhubarb crumble
  

I know that a crumble dessert is not a meal, but one of the volunteers at AccessVision brought in a ton of rhubarb and said we could have as much as we wanted. Never having had rhubarb, and unwilling to pass up the opportunity for free produce, Aric and I grabbed some. I'm not sure when we're going to make the crumble - hopefully the temperature will drop and it won't be so dreadfully humid all of the time.

In addition to making desserts out of strange plants, I would eventually like to start making my own preserves. Our garden isn't going to yield nearly enough produce to preserve this year, but even if I have to use store-bought goods, it just sounds like fun. The idea of making my own preserves gives me the warm fuzzies.

Adventures in Cooking - Lazy Saturday Breakfast

I usually work Monday through Friday. Aric works Tuesday through Saturday. We don't really get a whole weekend to spend together, so we try to make the most of Sundays. Sunday mornings usually involve getting up around noon and making a breakfast buffet together.

We don't have this luxury during the week. Weekday mornings, we are lucky to eat any breakfast at all, much less a complete breakfast.

So sometimes on Saturday mornings, I like to sleep in a little bit, then shuffle around the house and make myself a little breakfast. Nothing nearly as extravagant as Sunday mornings, but definitely nicer than what I get during the week - nada.

This morning I made myself some scrambled eggs and toast, yogurt with blueberries, and coffee.

This coffee we got from Horrocks - the kind that you choose the beans and grind them yourself. So delicious. The coffee pot we have was made for one person (my parents bought it for me before I moved in with Aric), and on Sunday mornings we're usually too lazy to brew another pot, so coffee lasts us for awhile. The cabinet we store the coffee in smells absolutely wonderful.

Scrambled eggs and the last of the rye bread toast.

When I was a kid, I used to love eggs. Somewhere along the way, though, I lost my taste for them. I don't know if I didn't like the flavor, the texture, or was afraid that they were under-cooked. It could be a combination of any of the scenarios.

A few months ago, though, I decided to give eggs another try. Aric started me out with an omlette, since there is more going on than just eggs. I couldn't get enough. From there I graduated to scrambled eggs. At first I was wary of cooking them myself (again with the fear of under-cooked eggs - some things never change), but then Aric made me do it.

Guess what?

I cook some damn tasty eggs! I started out flavoring them with simply with salt and pepper. While tasty, I decided that it needed something else. One day I squirted some sriracha sauce on it. Now, I love me some rooster sauce, but that was too much! The flavor was too concentrated in some areas, and others had no flavor at all.

My solution was to squirt some sriracha into the eggs before I cooked them, to ensure even distribution of flavor. It's amazing! It adds a little bit of heat and flavor, but the eggs are still the star of the dish.

Soy yogurt with blueberries.

I love yogurt, but as I've mentioned before, I have issues with dairy. I'm not lactose intolerant - I'm allergic. Basically what happens is if I eat too much dairy, I get a head cold that promptly drains into my chest. Occasionally I get an ear infection - it used to happen all the time as a kid, but not so much anymore. After my parents taking me to all manner of doctors around Michigan, we finally found someone who said, "hey, this might be a food allergy."

Long story short, we went on a crazy diet to test which common food allergies I might have, and dairy was the obvious culprit.

As long as I monitor my dairy intake, I can manage it just fine. Every once in awhile I make myself sick over a piece of cheesecake or something, but hey, can you blame me? Cheesecake is amazing!

But I digress.

Yogurt is delicious, but unfortunately, made out of milk. About a month ago I was cruising the yogurt aisle, staring longingly at the containers, when I ran across soy yogurt. I almost cried, I was so happy. Now I eat soy yogurt all the time. Sometimes I remember to take some to work for breakfast, and most days it is my "I've just come home from work, I'm tired and don't feel like cooking, but gosh darn it I'm hungry" snack.

We've got some blueberries sitting in the fridge, and in a few days they're not going to be good anymore, so I gave them a quick rinse and threw them on top. In addition to being delicious, and probably my favorite fruit, they are insanely good for you. Packed with anti-oxidants and everything wonderful in this world - there is no such thing as eating too many blueberries. I'm actually hoping to buy a blueberry plant for the garden, so I can just cruise outside and pick some of my own.

So anyway, that was my breakfast today. It was delicious, pretty cheap (the soy yogurt was on sale!), and I'd wager that it's even good for you. Go me!

The Garden

I've written a few times about the garden, so I decided it was about time to introduce you two.

So I present, for your consideration:

Our Garden

Aric and I decided awhile ago that we wanted to try out hand (hands?) at gardening, but agreed that we're both bad at plants (among other things). I thought it would be neat to start out with a little herb window box, but as usual, Aric had bigger and grander (more grand?) ideas.

There's this book called Square Foot Gardening. You need to check it out if you are at all interested in gardening. Basically what you do is build a 4 ft. square box, divide it up into square feet, and plant within those square feet. That way everything is in one area (which makes you more motivated to care for it) and within easy reach (really great for people who are small or don't get around so well). The book even tells you how to mix your soil (a combination of soil, compost, and vermiculite) to get the optimal growth (Aric and I still use a touch of Miracle Gro every now and again).

Even with the direction of the incredibly helpful book, the garden has been a bit of a learning experience. For example: the book says you can plant four heads of lettuce in one square foot.

Ha!

We did that with three different kinds of lettuce, and they choked each other, as well as the surrounding plants. We had to rearrange out plants a little bit, and make it one head of lettuce per square foot.

Another note about lettuce: if you plant it, you are not going to eat nearly as much as you think you will. We planted eight heads of lettuce, thinking we would eat lots of salads. We have, to date, eaten about two garden salads. I would suggest planting one, maybe two heads, depending on the size of your family.

We also had a large tomato plant, a gift from a friend. The tomato plant is a bush tomato plant, so it quickly spread out and choked out our peppers. The friend who gave us the tomato plant (and who also has a bachelor's in horticulture, or something similar) told us to move the tomato plant into a bucket with holes drilled in the bottom. We did that, and it seems to be ok. It's even working on some baby tomatoes:

We're also growing some herbs. First up we have basil, which is really taking off. It's about 1 ft. tall. It smells amazing, too - peppery and warm and fresh. I love to go out to the garden and just sniff it - I'm sure the neighbors think I'm insane, but I don't care!


We've also got orange thyme, which smells equally amazing.

We've also got two kinds of peppers going, so we can make our own salsa. I don't remember what kind they are - the tags that came in the pots blew away awhile ago. All I know is that I can't wait until they're bigger so we can use them!

Mystery Pepper No. 1

Mystery Pepper No. 2

We also have some celery, lettuce, and a cantaloupe growing, but I don't have good pictures of those.

In addition to the edibles, we planted marigolds. According to a variety of sources, marigolds act as a natural insect repellent in gardens. Aric and I don't want to use any kind of chemicals in our garden (I was wary of using Miracle Gro, but Aric said it was ok). We also strategically placed the peppers, as those also act as insect repellent. So far we haven't really had a problem with bugs eating our plants - some of the lettuce has holes in it, but otherwise everything is safe.

I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it is to grow your own produce. I can't say if it saves you money - the cost of building the square foot garden frame, buying the soil components, and then the plants was somewhat high. But what you lose in cash, you definitely make up for in a sense of accomplishment and pride - especially if you are not-so-great with plants. It's amazing to walk out into the backyard and literally see the fruits of your labor.

And it's even better to eat them!

Adventures in Gardening - Strawberries

Just a quick note today - I'm not feeling that great.

Yesterday Aric and I did some work in the back yard (I didn't take an allergy pill, so maybe that's why I'm not feeling well). Aric raked and hacked off dead limbs while I weeded the garden. I didn't even wear my gloves!

Our little strawberry plant had four of the tiniest, ripest little berries I'd ever seen, so I picked them before they went rotten. While Aric continued to toil away, I quickly snuck inside to wash the berries and cut their little caps off.

I came back outside and popped the first berry into Aric's mouth. Then I tried one.

Have you ever eaten a strawberry fresh off the plant? Pure bliss. There is nothing in this world that can compare. It was so moist and luscious and sweet beyond belief - I don't know why, but somehow I had it in the back of my mind that the berries would be bitter. Not true at all.

Now I want to camp out in the back yard and watch the garden, waiting for the next little berry to ripen to perfection.

Adventures in Cooking - Pork, Green Beans, and Biscuits

Again with the sticking to the meal plan. It's almost like I'm an adult or something.

As I mentioned in a previous post, pork was on sale (a better deal than the steak all around), so we had that. Aric grills the pork on his awesome Foreman grill (it's red!) with mesquite grill seasoning. So tasty. I usually handle the veggies and the sides, since I hate to handle raw meat. For this particular meal we had green beans and drop biscuits.


GREEN BEANS WITH GARLIC AND BUTTER
This is a pretty simple way to dress up green beans. Basically I steam the green beans (usually for as long as the meat is on the grill - it times out really nicely). While the beans are steaming, I grab a heaping spoonful of butter and about a clove of minced garlic and sautee them up in a pan. When the green beans are almost done steaming, I dump them out into the pan with the butter and garlic and let them chill together for a minute or two.

DILL, RED ONION, AND CHEESE BISCUITS
(taken from the awesome everybody likes sandwiches)

INGREDIENTS
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup red onions, finely diced
1 tbsp dried dill
a hearty grind of black pepper
a large handful of old cheddar cheese
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk

INSTRUCTIONS
1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2) In In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, red onions, dill, black pepper and cheese. Stir in the milk and oil and mix lightly until combined.
3)Using a tablespoon, drop blobs of dough on a parchment covered or silpat lined cookie sheet. 4)Bake for 12 - 14 minutes or until lightly golden.
Makes about 6 - 9 biscuits.

CHANGES I MADE
1) I don't have dill. Surprise surprise. I read somewhere, though, that you can substitute fennel seed for dill. I can't speak to the accuracy of that statement, but I can tell you that without a doubt, these biscuits were delicious with the fennel in them.
2) I can't justify buying a carton of buttermilk if I'm only going to use a little bit. If you have the same reservations, just do what I did: mix 1 tbsp. of white vinegar in your milk, stir it, and let it sit for about five minutes. It works the same as buttermilk.
3) We were out of shredded cheddar cheese, but I had some "fake cheese" (made with soy or whatever) floating around in the fridge, so I used that. Fake cheese tends to be less moist than regular cheese, but it tastes the same, so it was perfect in this application.

THE BOTTOM LINE
These biscuits are amazing. You have to make them. They are so easy, too, and they keep very nicely - for the past two days, in fact, I've been grabbing a few of them for breakfast on my way out the door (heaven forbid I get up early enough in the morning to have a proper breakfast before work).

I have to say that I really love being able to cook up tasty meals on something of a budget. It gives me an almost giddy sense of pride that I'm able to keep myself satisfied with very little money.

And, I promise, in the future I will take better pictures of my cook endeavors. It always bothers me when food blogs don't show me what I'm making, so I will try to improve up on that.

Adventures in Cooking - Shepherd's Pie

True to our word, Aric and I have been sticking to our meal plan. A few nights ago we decided to make Shepherd's Pie. It was a cool evening and we had some time to kill, so we went for it.

I know I usually save the rave reviews for the very last thing, but oh man - this was so tasty! It took a lot of searching to find a Shepherd's Pie recipe that didn't call for a lot of cheese poured over the top (which I really don't think is necessary).

SHEPHERD'S PIE

(Please forgive the atrocious white balance
of this picture - I promise to do better next time!)

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds potatoes
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup milk
3 onions
1 pound lean ground beef
10 oz. frozen peas
10 oz. frozen corn
1 tbsp. paprika
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 pinch dried sage

INSTRUCTIONS
1) Boil potatoes until tender. Mash with milk and butter. Season with nutmeg. Set aside.
2) Sautee the onions with paprika. Add the ground beef and sage, cook until meat is browned.
3) In a sauce pan, blanch the frozen vegetables for five minutes in boiling water. Drain.
4) Spread a thin layer of potatoes in a casserole dish. Add half the peas and corn, then the ground beef and the rest of the peas and corn. Top with mashed potatoes.
5) Dot the top with flakes of butter, nutmeg, and paprika. Bake at 400 degrees F for 40 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown.



WHAT I CHANGED
1) While this is a tasty recipe, it needs a punch of salt and pepper. Salt and pepper the mashed potatoes, and salt and pepper the meat. It might not sound important, but it really is.
2) I don't have sage, apparently. Nor do I have good sage substitutes. I wasn't about to stop cooking in the middle and go buy some sage, so I thought about warm, comforting flavors that I like, and the first thing that popped into my head was thyme. It tasted goooooood.
3) DO NOT FORGET TO PUT THE POTATOES ON THE BOTTOM. They make a lovely crust, help distribute potato-ey goodness, and ensure that you don't loose any meat or potatoes overboard when you serve the dish.

THE BOTTOM LINE
The taste of this dish is directly proportionate to the ease with which is it created. For not a little work, you get a HUGE meal (this meal lasted Aric and me about five days) that is delicious and only gets better as it sits. This is one of those meals that I think would be fabulous to take over to someone's house - they'll think it's fantastic and that you slaved over it all day, when really all you did was throw stuff in a pan and bake it!

And who doesn't love to be fabulous?

Adventures in Pet-Ownership - Bringing Baby Home

I've got some catching up to do. Life got in the way a little bit, and this blog got neglected.

Here's what happened: my boyfriend and I got a kitten last week. We already have a cat, Peanut (11 months old), but we thought she might like some company. So we went to the human society and picked out little Caprica (originally named Peaches). Caprica is about three months old and a total cutie. Take a look for yourself:

What you can't see in this picture is that she has one little spot of orange on her forehead. Nowhere else.

Anyway, in our excitement to bring Caprica home, Aric and I neglected to research the proper way to introduce a new cat into a home that already has a cat. I knew that it was important to get a younger cat, so there wouldn't be dominance issues, but that was about it. Excitement took over.

Did you know that you're not supposed to let the new cat and the old cat meet face to face right away? You're supposed to shuttle the new cat off to the back bedroom and let the cats get used to each others' smells and noises through the door before they ever see each other.

Well...Aric and I didn't know that at the time. So we let Caprica out of the box and Peanut freaked out. It was a terrible first couple of days.

One week later and the kitties are already buddies. Just this morning I watched Peanut "kiss" Caprica on the head - she put her big paw over Caprica's little back and licked Caprica's head very delicately. I just about died, it was so cute.

So anyway, I've been busy with the cats this week. Really busy. And now that they don't require constant supervision (to ensure that they don't tear each other apart), I can go back to cooking yummy foods and then blogging about them. In fact, Caprica is sitting in my lap right now, helping me type!

Adventures in Cooking - Black Bean Hummus

I love beans. I love dips. The marriage of the two (bean dips) is truly a thing of beauty.

I ran across a recipe for black bean hummus when I was searching for a tahini-free hummus recipe. It sounded interesting (especially with the seasonings), so I bookmarked it for another day.

That day came this weekend, when I found myself home alone with a miraculously clean kitchen. I have about ten cans of black beans in the cupboard, because every time I go to the grocery store, I somehow forget that I have ten cans of beans and think, "Oh, I don't have any beans at home! I should pick some up!" Perhaps I am a compulsive bean-hoarder. I don't know. No matter, though - it served me well this weekend.

My boyfriend, who claims to dislike hummus, really liked this version. I hesitate to call it hummus, because it almost has the consistency of refried beans. That and my understanding is that one of the characteristics of hummus is that it has a chickpea base.

Whatever you want to call this dip, we can all agree on one name: Delicious!

BLACK BEAN HUMMUS

INGREDIENTS

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (reserve 2 tbsp. liquid)

1.5 tbsp. tahini

Juice of 1/2 lemon

3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. paprika

1 clove garlic

Pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Add all ingredients to blender or food processor; blend until smooth.

2) Serve and enjoy!

This dip has a really nice tangy kick to it - thank you cayenne pepper! I ate it with tortilla chips, although you could certainly dip veggies in it, or even spread it on a sandwich (which I sometimes do with regular hummus). Aric and I made tacos a few nights ago and served this dip on the side - it was the perfect compliment to the meal.

I did find, however, that the tahini (which I made myself) doesn't really add much flavor to it, or much moisture. The next batch I make (which I plan to gift to a friend), I will omit the tahini and see how that goes. If it comes out too dry, I will probably substitute more of the liquid from the can, since it has the wonderful black bean flavor in it already.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Quick, easy, delicious, and healthy. And boyfriend approved. What more could you want from a dish?

Adventures in Cooking - Tahini

Remember back when I made hummus without tahini, because I thought it was hard to find and too expensive?

Well...I found a way around it. As I was cruising recipezaar.com and allrecipes.com (my go-to websites whenever I want to make something new), I found a recipe for black bean hummus that included instructions on how to make your own tahini paste.

Of course I had to try it! By sheer dumb luck I had all of the ingredients on hand, so I whipped up a batch. I think it came out ok - never having purchased tahini, I can't really say. The hummus was tasty, so I guess that's all that matters.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to...

HOMEMADE TAHINI

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp. sesame seeds

1 tbsp. sesame oil

1 pinch of salt

1/4 cup tepid water

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Pulse sesame seeds in blender or food processor until they become a powder.

2) Add oil, salt, and water. Blend until combined.

TH BOTTOM LINE

Sesame seeds and oil are not something that I regularly have on-hand. I happened to have them from a time, long ago, that I tried my hand at some manner of Chinese dish. I don't remember what I made, I just remember that I didn't like it and was stuck with sesame seeds and oil, which I thought I'd never use.

I'm also out of sesame seeds, so I don't think I'll be buying them again, because I'm not sure the tahini did all that much for the hummus. I'm sure it would turn out fine without, because there were so many other liquids (I will share the recipe in my next post).

Grocery Shopping Report

I spent a lot of money at the grocery store last night. A LOT. But we've got a lot of meat that was on sale, so we can freeze it and it will keep for awhile. We shouldn't have to buy meat for several weeks, if we play our cards right.

We made a few deviations from the grocery list, the most notable is that instead of the chuckeye steak (which looked weird), we got pork loin (which looked better, was cheaper, and feeds us for much longer than two steaks).

We got some asparagus, because Aric likes it (I can't stand it - reminds me too much of broccoli stems). We also got some tomatoes, so Aric can make salsa. It's so tasty - there is nothing better in this world than freshly made salsa. I don't know what it is, but you can really taste the freshness - it hasn't been cooked and preserved and turned into something that doesn't even resemble a vegetable anymore.

It's weird, because the more conscious I become of what I purchase, prepare, and eat, the less I want the products I used to consider staple items. Growing up, my parents were both busy folks, so we ate a lot of Hamburger Helper, potato buds, etc. And while I don't deny that Hamburger Helper is delicious (sometimes nothing hits the spot like a little potato stroganoff), I find that I really don't crave it anymore. The last time I bought it was when I moved into my apartment over a year ago (tuna tetrazzini is my traditional "move-in day" dinner). And potato buds? Can't beat homemade mashed potatoes.

The same goes for fast food. I used to get really sudden, intense cravings for McDonalds double cheeseburgers. Now, I wouldn't always cave into them, but once a week or so I would say that I ate there. Now? Honestly, I can't really stand the place. The only green food there is the pickles (which I despise). I eat at McDonalds (and other fast food places) out of necessity, really, and not for pleasure. That being said, I occasionally get a craving for french fries, and a small envelope of tasty goodness sates that craving for about a month.

I think I feel better now that I'm eating better. I don't get sick as often (provided I don't pig out on dairy), and I feel like I have a little more energy. I find that it's a little easier to get up in the morning (granted, I get up at 8:30 because I start work at 10am).

I simply feel like a better adult when I eat well. It makes me really giddy to fill my shopping cart with fresh produce. I feel like I'm doing something right, and it's pretty exciting. Ask Aric - sometimes I start dancing around the produce aisle at Meijer.

My only fear is that laziness will someday take over and I will revert to my Hamburger Helper, pre-packaged food ways. I guess I'd better pile on the vegetables while I've still got the energy. :)

Looking to the Future

I've gotten a lot better about shopping smarter (read: cheaper). Most of the things that I buy are on sale. I customize my meals plans around what's on sale, and what's a good deal.

But I think now it's time to kick things up a notch: it's time to start planning meals for the whole week.

Whoa! Crazy talk!

Nah. I've read in many different places that meal planning helps you save even more money than just throwing sale items into your cart (which has gotten me into a lot of trouble lately).

So here's my meal plan for the next week or so:

Turkey Meatloaf with potatoes and some kind of veggie

Jennie-O Turkey is one sale 2 for $7, and Freshlike frozen veggies are on sale 5 for $5. Can't beat that. I've also got a five pound bag of Yukon Golds in the pantry that I'll either roast or have Aric make into mashed taters.

Tacos

Ground beef, taco shells, and lettuce are on sale. We make two pounds of taco meat so that a few days later we can do taco salads - just throw some lettuce on a plate, pile on some meat, crumble up some nacho chips, and you're good to go!

Shepherd's Pie

Like I said, ground beef is on sale, so why not give it a try? It's also one of my favorite meals, ever since I was introduced to it at Disney World (no joke - I tried it in the England section of EPCOT).

Aric also pointed out last night that we never make casseroles, and maybe we should try.

Steak, drop biscuits, and veggies

Chuckeye steak is on sale. Aric tells me that it's pretty ok meat. I don't really know - unless it's ground up or chicken, I really don't know what's good and what's not, so I bow down to Aric's knowledge.

This steak will give us a good opportunity to grill. I plan to serve with frozen veggies (or fresh, if they're a good deal). And I recently found a recipe for red onion and cheddar drop biscuits that I'm antsy to try (even though it's got cheese in it, I can eat a little. I just have to not eat cheese a day or two before).

Honey Glazed Chicken Breasts, drop biscuits, and veggies

You know this big frozen bags of boneless, skinless chicken breasts? Yeah, they're on sale this week. The other day I found a recipe for honey glazed chicken tenders, so I thought I'd give it a try. We should have some drop biscuits left over from the previous night, as well as veggies. And if we don't have veggies, I'll just march right out to the garden and pick some lettuce and whip up a tasty salad.

---

I am pretty excited about the Shepherd's Pie. It's my favorite comfort food.

Of course I am going to document my recipes and adventures, so stay tuned!

Adventures in Cooking - Greek Tomatoes and Beans with Pasta

I don't know how many of you guys are brave enough to admit it, so I'll go first.

I eat canned vegetables.

Not only do I eat canned vegetables, but...I think that canned vegetables can be really tasty.

Me, the girl who is working on growing a garden so she can use fresh herbs. Me, the girl who revels in picking through the fresh green beans to find the perfect one, because they taste so darn good.

But let's face it - life isn't always neat and pretty and orderly, and sometimes you have to buckle down and eat the canned stuff because that's all you have in the pantry that day.

Canned food can be pretty tasty, if prepared properly. Allow me to demonstrate.

GREEK TOMATOES AND BEANS WITH PASTA

INGREDIENTS

2 cans Italian seasoned diced tomatoes

2 cans cannelloni beans (or comparable), drained and rinsed

1 lb. spinach

1 lb. pasta (penne is good)

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Boil water and cook pasta according to directions on the box.

2) While the pasta cooks, combine the tomatoes and beans in a large skillet. Bring to a boil.

3) Once the tomatoes and beans reach a boil, reduce to low and add spinach. Simmer for five minutes.

4) Serve and enjoy!

How easy is that? It's really tasty, too. And if you feel real squirrelly, you can add your own seasoning to the mix - sometime I add oregano and thyme.

If spices aren't your thing, you can add all manner of toppings. I like sliced black olives, crumbled feta, and pine nuts. Whatever you think is tasty.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Customizable? Check.

Cheap? Check.

Delicious? Double check.