While on vacation with a limited pantry, we tried this recipe: https://www.thespruceeats.com/baked-ziti-with-ground-beef-cheese-3057389 Our modifications: first, we used a yellow bell pepper (diced), ½ large onion (diced), and 1 clove minced garlic. Second, in lieu of dried herbs, we added about 8 oz Rao’s marinara sauce to the 14.5 oz can of no-salt canned diced tomatoes… Continue reading Baked rigatoni with minced beef
Tag: quick meals
Korean dumpling soup (mandu guk)
This is a supreme shortcut version. We took inspiration from this recipe: https://mykoreankitchen.com/manduguk-korean-dumpling-soup/ Our modifications: first, for the broth, we combined 6 cups water with 1.5 tsp Better Than Bouillon beef concentrate (from a jar). When that came to a boil, we added 1.5 tsp soy sauce, 1 minced garlic clove, ½ tsp black pepper,… Continue reading Korean dumpling soup (mandu guk)
Lightly seasoned, oven-roasted broccoli
Preheat oven to 425. Rinse and dry two medium stalks broccoli. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Drizzle with about 1 Tbsp neutral vegetable oil, and sprinkle with a dash of salt, black pepper, and Aleppo (mildly spicy) pepper. Place in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast in oven until browned (about 15-18 mins),… Continue reading Lightly seasoned, oven-roasted broccoli
Pan-seared parmesan rice cakes
We had 3 cups of leftover cooked rice (a mix of jasmine and basmati), and we tried this recipe: https://anoregoncottage.com/parmesan-rice-cakes/ We found 4 (not 3) large eggs achieved the right batter texture. For the parmesan, we used slightly over ½ cup (not quite 2/3 cups) Kraft shredded parmesan (which we prefer to the crumbled kind)… Continue reading Pan-seared parmesan rice cakes
Steamed broccoli
Using a traditional high-domed, metallic Chinese steamer, we tried this recipe: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/steamed_broccoli/. We found 5 mins on medium-high heat (with the steam at full blast) worked well. (Aug. 2020) Note: We added this as a layer in our steamer during the last 5 mins of steaming the Chinese salted chicken thighs for 30 mins at… Continue reading Steamed broccoli
French-inspired hard-boiled egg sandwich
During this pandemic, I felt inspired by a French baguette sandwich I had in Bordeaux many years ago. Based on our pandemic pantry, we used ¼ baguette (halved lengthwise), mayo (enough for a light spread on both sides of the baguette), 2 hardboiled eggs, ½ tomato (three ½" slices), and 1 Tbsp minced parsley. Here… Continue reading French-inspired hard-boiled egg sandwich
Easy tuna melt
This was a good use of 1.5 cups leftover tuna salad: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/tuna-melt-recipe-2125452 Our modifications: first, we lightly toasted 4 pieces of sliced bread. Second, we lined a baking sheet with foil and then placed a wired rack inside. Third, we skipped the tuna salad recipe and cut the tomato slices into quarters. Fourth, we used… Continue reading Easy tuna melt
Chocolate chip pecan cookie ramekins
We tried this recipe: https://pinchofyum.com/deep-dish-cookie-bowls We reduced brown sugar from 1/3 cup to ¼ cup. We also added 2 Tbsp pecans (roughly chopped) with the ¼ cup chocolate chips. We had only 7 oz ramekins, so we split the dough among 3 ramekins and baked at 325 for 23 mins. It was still underdone, so… Continue reading Chocolate chip pecan cookie ramekins
Scrambled egg, bacon, and avocado breakfast sandwich
This sandwich is simple to assemble as long as you have the components: first, prepare 6 bacon slices (we used microwave-ready precooked bacon) and set aside. Second, prepare scrambled eggs (we used 3 eggs and 2 egg whites mixed with 2 tsp half and half or milk). For scrambled egg technique, we loosely followed the… Continue reading Scrambled egg, bacon, and avocado breakfast sandwich
Shredded chicken and chickpea fatteh
This was an easy use of leftover pita bread and rotisserie chicken. We followed the contours of this recipe: https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/lebanese-chicken-fatteh/ Our modifications: first, to toast the pita: We preheated the oven to 375. We cut 7 slightly stale whole wheat pitas into 2x2" cubes, then tossed with about 2 Tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp black… Continue reading Shredded chicken and chickpea fatteh
Cooking Adventures 