Tag: meal time

I took a little break from the blog and California and ran to Vegas. This was a planned trip, and it came at the perfect time. I really needed to see my family and get away from life for a minute.

It was nice seeing my family, my brother and my nephew especially. I plan on going back out there in about three months.

You’re probably like, “Eryn, why are you going back out there in three months?” Well, my brother left to go to Boot Camp. It was no surprise that he joined a military branch. He was an ROTC in high school. He was ready to go to Boot Camp last year when he graduated high school in May, but something happened. Now he’s finally been able to go. 

I don’t know how his Boot Camp will be -the only understanding I have with any military training is from Mulan.

I very much doubt that’s what he’s going through. So he will be training to be a marine, and I’ve learned their Boot Camp is 13 weeks or something like that. All that time with no phone I would cry.

He requested that for his going away meal, my mom makes barbecue. I have been dying to learn how my mom makes her bbq sauce, so this was perfect. This sauce is so good; I’d put it on everything if I could.

She makes her brisket, spare ribs, and baby back ribs, all with the same sauce and rub.

I think I’ve mentioned a few times my mom doesn’t measure. So when I write down her recipes, it’s best to measure how you usually would.

My Mom’s Baby Back Ribs

The Rub

• Salt and pepper
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Paprika
• Cumin
• Red chili flakes
• Chili powder
• Two tablespoons of instant coffee (literally the only thing she measured)

The Sauce

• One tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• one tablespoon of minced garlic
• one cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup water
• One tablespoon of yellow mustard or, as my mom said, a hint of mustard. 
• Two tablespoons of the rub seasoning 
• Brown sugar
• Juice from the meat

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 
2. Season the ribs with the rub before placing them in a baking dish, meat side down

1. Wrap the dish with aluminum foil and bake for two hours until tender.
2. Remove the foil, take the juice from the meat and ingredients for the barbecue sauce in a saucepan, and simmer for ten minutes until thickened.
3. Pour sauce on the meat and place the meat back in the oven for thirty minutes.
4. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
5. Enjoy!!

Of course, I wanted all my fall cravings when it was impossible to find them.

I usually always make a meal with pumpkin or butternut squash. I just couldn’t think of a fun recipe this year until now. And Trader Joe’s sells a pumpkin pasta sauce that I love, but once October is over, everything pumpkin-related gets swiped off the counters.

So for my Friendsgiving dinner on Monday, I decided to experiment. I wanted something significantly fall. I wanted that pasta sauce, but I couldn’t have that. So I decided to try to make my own sauce. A better sauce; something a little savory and a little spicy.

Ingredients

• 3 TBS butter
• salt and pepper
• Italian seasoning
• Minced garlic
• onion powder
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 can chipotle peppers 

I recently noticed I stopped measuring seasonings and measured by a bit of this and a bit of that. I literally hate that about myself.

Instructions

1. Heat a pot over medium heat, and add butter. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté both in a skillet with the olive oil over medium heat, until the onion is soft and transparent.
2. Add pumpkin puree, crushed tomatoes, and chipotle peppers, and seasonings. Stir until the ingredients are combined and smooth.
3. Turn the heat down to medium-low and allow the sauce to simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Turn the heat down to low Add the heavy whipping cream and cook for a few more minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
5. Cook your favorite pasta according to package directions, and serve with pumpkin sauce on top.  

I added spicy sausage to this, but you could also use chicken. For a little extra step I recommend adding a little grated Parmesan and a little cracked pepper, when you serve.

When I told everyone pumpkin was in the pasta, everyone kept expecting some sweet pumpkin-spiced mess. And I was like, guys; pumpkin is in the squash family.

The pumpkin and crushed tomatoes blend nicely with fresh herbs, then topped with heavy cream for the perfect creamy texture!

Thanks to @mommacusses on TikTok for adding the term lawless cooking to my vocab. I love the idea that you cant break rules that don’t exist. 

 The best lawless cooking to me is when I have a craving. I made extreme versions of things when I was vegan because vegan options weren’t as standard as they are now. 

Today I decided to make a meal, knowing I didn’t have everything I needed. Anyway, it came out pretty good. The meal is loosely chicken alfredo. This is one of those recipes I will never be able to remake the same way. Primarily because I didn’t measure how much seasoning I put. The recipe came out well, and I suggest maybe trying it yourself.  

• 1 Pound Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 Tablespoons Oil
• One small White Onion, diced
• One head of Garlic, minced 
• Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced
• Italian seasoning
• Crushed red peppers
• Paprika 
• Parsley
• Two Cups Broth
• 1 ½ Cups Heavy Cream
• One box of spaghetti noodles
•  Broccoli Florets
• Two handfuls of Mexican Cheese or whichever cheese you have available
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet over low to medium heat. Add the oil and onion. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the onion begins to soften, then add ½ of Garlic. Cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the chicken, and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes while stirring occasionally. The chicken will turn white but won’t be cooked through.

Add mushrooms, parsley, paprika, crushed red pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook until the mushrooms soften slightly, about 3 to 4 minutes. 

Add in the broth and heavy cream. Stir to combine, add the noodles, and press down into the liquid.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 17 minutes or until noodles are tender. Stir occasionally.

Remove the lid, add the broccoli, and stir. Cover again, and cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. Uncover, and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Remove from heat, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

This is one of those recipes that changed names and a few ingredients every time my mother and I made it. I’ve called it Cowboy chicken, crack chicken, and dirty chicken casserole.

Today it is cheesy chicken nachos. Because I had a bag of tortilla chips and no idea what to do with them.

It never really mattered what we called it because it looks like dog food but tastes fantastic.

It reminds me of something out of Napoleon Dynamite

Ingredients

• One can cream of chicken soup
• ½ cup salsa verde or pico de gallo
• One cup of milk
• Two cups cheddar cheese
• One 4oz can of green chilies
• ½ bag of crushed tortilla chips.
• One can of corn (optional)
• One tablespoon butter
• One pound of chicken (shredded or cubed. I cubed my chicken this time.)
• ½ green bell pepper diced
• ½ onion
• One can of drained black beans (you can also use garbanzo beans)

Directions

1. Sauté onion and pepper for 3-5 minutes, adding chicken and beans and corn.
2. Add soup, salsa, and milk to the meat mixture. Stir till incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Layer tortilla chips, meat/soup mixture, green chiles, and cheese twice in a baking pan.
4. Cook for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Side note. You can replace tortilla chips with tater tots. And instead of baking it throw it in an insta pot or crockpot. My only recommendation would be to leave out the tortilla chips when throwing it in the cooker.

This is great for the Super Bowl or just a regular Monday dinner.