Chinese... part duex

There is nothing more annoying to me than ordering food because I'm super tired and don't feel like cooking, realizing I ordered too much, having to refrigerate half of my food, only to throw it away the next day because left over Chinese sucks when you try to warm it up. Honestly, it's like eating a tire. So I tried a new method:

reheating via saute pan.

Basically, I have General Tso chicken, and dumped everything into a saute pan. Added about 1/4 cup water and let the chicken heat on medium for about 10 minutes.

Great way to reheat if you have the time. Tastes just like you ordered it that day :)

Looking for more...

So if any of my friends have recipes or ideas for a blog post I don't mind featuring a blog post by anyone.

Just Sayin :)

Double Delights

So I feel like I haven't made food in forever!

That's actually not true, I've just gotten in a routines of making potatoes for dinner, maybe with a side of chicken. I should remember to make a post about my awesome potatoes. But for now, a bit of story time and two wonderful sweet treats.

One of the best things I can advise any new college student is to get into a routine or habit of hanging out with friends. Whether that's going out to dinner on saturday nights or having late night study groups, it's important to remember that socializing is a good thing. For me, I (normally) get together with friends Monday nights to watch House MD. We often have dinner, either I bring dinnner or some appetizers are already made. Lately we've had to put our weekly meetings on hold because of school conflicts. But the last week we met I brought along some Ginger Cookies:

Ginger Cookies:

• Box of Gingerbread cake mix
• 1 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• Optional: Butter cream frosting
  

Directions/Overall: BASICALLY on side of the gingerbread cake mix tells you how to make ginger cookies (soft) or gingersnap cookies (hard). I opted for the middle ground using only 1 tbsp flour instead of 2 tbsp, which would have given some crisy cookies. They were crisp enough that they didn't fall apart when you picked them up, but soft enough that they didn't break your teeth.

So my gimick was melting a little butter cream frosting and spreading a thin layer on top. Best to do this when the cookies are cooled. And then refridgerate. You only need a thin layer otherwise it's very overpowering.




Cut to Valentines day:

So my Valentine is across the world for the military. Instead of staying at home moping I decided to hang out with my friend, Tiffany and have a lovely smorgasbord of desserts. Honestly this girl bought chocolate cake, 5 different cookies, cupcakes, and strawberries. It was awesome. I decide to bring brownies (because I did not know the extent of her sweet tooth!) Here are my mint chocolate brownies (inspired by Sandra Lees Slow Cooker Mint Brownies)

Mint Chocolate Brownies

• Package of brownie mix
• 8oz cream cheese
• 1 cup confectionary sugar
• Andes chocolate mint candies
• 2 tsp mint extract (she used Creme de Menthe, which is fine but I don't know where to get that)
• 1/4 cup water

Directions:
1) Mix the brownie mix as the directions say.
2) Add in chopped Andes chocolates (it's okay you can sneak one :) )
3) add in mint extract (truth be told I don't remember if I added 1 tsp or 2. I would start with one, taste the batter, and if you want more of a minty flavor add one more tsp)
4) pour in 13x9 pan
5) In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, confectionery sugar, and 1 tsp mint. Use a hand mixer/whisk to beat together until smooth.
6) Add cream cheese mixture on top of brownie mixture. Using a tooth pick or a knife, draw in vertical lines to give it a marbleized look.
7) Bake at 350 (or whatever temp on the box) for the time needed for the pan size.

Overall: Yeah these were awesome. I very much enjoyed the cream cheese layer. Yummy.

Freshman 15?

This article offers suggestions on avoiding the dreaded freshman 15. And it amuses me because it left out the number one weight-gaining activity for all college freshman:

Drinking.

I have a fair amount of friends that packed on the pounds because of weekend pAArtying the entire semester.

But most of this stuff doesn't explicitly apply to college. Just helpful hints on good eating habits. Although the mini fridge suggestion is brilliant. Honestly, you will be amazed how few items you can fit, it really causes you to prioritize.

Chicken Salad

Over the summer my sister and I made this chicken salad, the exact way Tyler Florence describes it, with the whole chicken and everything. 6 months later, my friends and I started monday night Dinner & House MD. The first night, I decided to make this chicken salad, with a few adjustments.

Chicken Salad

• 3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded.
• 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• Kosher salt
• About 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2 celery stalks, small diced
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves plus sprigs, for garnish
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. Boil the chicken so it's been throughly cooked and shred the chicken. for me it was easiest using 2 forks to pull the chicken.
2. Add all ingredients in a big bowl and mix together.

OVERALL: So I cut back on the mayo because the first time we made this it seemed the chicken is swimming in Mayo, which is nasty as hell. Next time I'll probably use chicken thigh or some more tender meat because the chicken seemed to be a little on the dry side. Very good though. Made me happy.

Last night at a friends house her roommate was making chicken salad, and instead of using Mayo, celery, and walnuts, used yogurt, grapes and apple. Sounds very interesting and I think I might have to try.

Easy Crispy Chicken

Lately I haven't had time to make time consuming dinners. Mostly, It's been a piece of chicken, some potatoes, and corn/carrots/peas. I did find a nifty way of making crispy chicken.

So you know when you are trying to make breaded chicken? Normally (at least how my mom does it) you dip the chicken in some combination of eggs, flour, and breadcrumbs. You get a nice crust on the chicken, but instantly breaks away the moment you cut into that wonderful chicken and are left eating sauteed chicken and the crust separately.

INSTANT SOLUTION!

In a small glad bag, pour in bread crumbs and seasonings. Lately I've been favoring a paprika/Cayenne pepper flavor. Throw your chicken in the bag. Shake well. And gently put into a medium sized pan already heated with a little bit of oil. Let the chicken cook for about 3-4 minutes per side.

The result is nice and crispy chicken without the crust falling off.

Also makes clean up WAY easier, which when you are trying to minimize dish time, is very important-o.