pot roast for two

when my nerd moved in with me i was renting the basement of a good friend's house. it was like a studio apartment, with it's own entrance, private bath, and cute little window above the bed. the only drawback (besides being too small for a nerd and his pregnant girlfriend) was that it didn't have a kitchen. we had a very small refrigerator, a microwave, a toaster, and a 2 quart slow cooker. anyone who has ever had a two quart slow cooker can tell you that it is really hard to actually cook anything in it, and even harder to actually find recipes that are suitable. i usually would just make potatoes in the thing, (which turn out great, by the way). we now live in a large two bedroom apartment, with a full kitchen, and we still have our two quart slow cooker.
this pot roast for two recipe was created specifically for a small slow cooker, but can easily be doubled to make in larger batches. it's easy, and best of all, you don't have to babysit it. just throw in the ingredients, and 8 hours later, voila... dinner!

8 oz chuck eye steak
3 medium red potatoes, cubed
15-20 baby carrots
1/2 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 packet lipton recipe secrets onion soup mix
1 c water

layer potatoes and carrots on the bottom of slow cooker. add steak and cover with onion.

mix the soup packet with water and pour over onions.

set slow cooker to low, cover, and cook for 8 hours.

build-your-own turkey burgers with corn salad

i haven't been cooking a lot lately, much to my nerd's chagrin. we've been having issues with our air conditioning (yes, still...), and it's been hotter than hell where we live. my poor nerd has been eating take out, left overs, and sloppily thrown together sandwiches, because after a day of trying to keep our baby cool i just can't muster the energy to stand over a hot stove. well, the a/c finally got fixed, so to make up for my complete lack of cooking desire, i decided to make one of his all time favorites: burgers. one problem... we just had burgers at the habit this weekend. but, what we didn't have was veggie-filled, whole wheat bunned, turkey burgers! also, i've been itching to try this new recipe for corn salad, and it would go perfectly with this healthy(ish) burger.

2-3 slices thick cut bacon, halved and cooked until crispy
handful of baby spinach
1 avocado, pitted and sliced
1/4 onion, caramelized
1 roma tomato, thinly sliced

2 pre-seasoned turkey patties
2 whole wheat buns
2 slices colby-jack cheese
condiments of choice (we use mayo and honey mustard)

corn salad:

15 oz can whole corn kernels 

2 tbs green onion, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/3 c mayonaise
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
salt and pepper to taste

mix all ingredients in a small bowl and chill 1-2 hours prior to serving.
note: i used 1 tsp dill and found it was a little too strong. i suggest starting with 1/2 tsp and adjusting to suit your taste.

cumin pork chops

2 thick cut pork chops
cumin, salt, garlic powder, all to taste
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

sprinkle each side of the pork chops generously with salt, cumin and garlic powder.
in a large skillet warm olive oil over medium heat. add pork chops to pan and cover. cook for 10-15 minutes on each side, until completely cooked through.


serve with green chile and black olive mac'n cheese & a salad of baby greens and avocado.

balsamic & honey glazed chicken

this recipe was originally for pork chops, but can easily be used on chicken or beef. it's super simple and can be served either hot or cold, making it a great option for picnics. it has a yummy sweet and tangy flavor, is super juicy, and is easily served with any type of vegetable. i chose corn because my nerd is ga-ga over it, and because it was on sale at our market, 10 for $1.00!!!

balsamic and honey glazed chicken with garlic rice and sweet corn on the cob

balsamic and honey glazed chicken:
2 chicken quarters
1/3 c balsamic vinegar
2 tbs honey
2 tbs olive oil

in a medium bowl combine vinegar and honey. mix until the honey is completely dissolved. add chicken quarters and marinate, refrigerated, for two hours.
over medium-high heat warm 2 tbs olive oil. sear chicken quarters (5 minutes on each side). reduce the heat to medium-low, and pour the remaining marinade over the chicken. cover and continue to cook for 10 minutes on each side.

rice:
cook as directed, adding three thinly sliced cloves of garlic.

blue box revolution episode 2: green chiles and olives

this simple preparation turns your average gooey batch of man'n cheese into a fun, spicy side dish. adjust the amount of cayenne as you wish, depending on how much spice your nerd prefers. some nerds are gluttons for punishment and absolutely love a lot of spice, whereas some are pretty wimpy and would prefer it to be left out all together.

green chile and olive mac'n cheese

1 blue box

1/2 c mild cheddar, shredded

4.5 oz can green chiles

3.8 oz can sliced black olives

1/4 tsp cayenne powder

prepare mac'n cheese as directed. add cheese, green chiles, black olives and cayenne.

ein fisch, swai fische

my nerd has been asking me to cook fish for him since we decided to co-habitate. not being much of a seafood lover i have stalled as long as humanly possible. last week i packed up the baby and headed to the market. i marched up to the seafood counter and, after realizing i had absolutely no idea what i was supposed to get, and not wanting to look like i had no idea what i was doing (which i didn't), i told the clerk, "i'll just take two of those," and pointed haphazardly toward the large variety of fish. "Oh, the salmon?" he asked. "oh, uhm... no, this one next to the salmon." crisis narrowly averted. as much as my nerd loves fish, he doesn't care for salmon, and honestly i don't want our home smelling like a salmon farm. i didn't know i had purchased swai until i got home and unpacked the groceries.

i wasn't quite sure what to do with the fillets, so i set out to do some research. swai comes from southeast asia (so does my nerd!), and is from the shark catfish family. say what??? no, it's not shark. it is, apparently, a species of catfish. swai is largely cultivated for food in the mekong basin and the chao phraya river. it is not as flaky as american catfish, and has a sweeter, less fishy, flavor.

i ended up crusting it with panko and dill, and frying it in butter. the fish was super light, and the dill added a great flavor. i served it with sweet potato mash and fresh green beans that i sauteed in a garlic & herb olive oil.

panko and dill crusted swai fillet

2 swai fillets
1 egg
1 tbs milk
2 tbs butter
2/3 c panko
1 tbs dill
salt and lemon juice to taste

in a small bowl beat egg with milk.
in a medium bowl mix panko and dill.
in a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. dip the swai fillets in egg bath, then dredge through the panko & dill. fry in skillet, 3 minutes on each side.
add salt and lemon juice, to taste, at the table.

spectacular speculoos

nerds don't often have time for breakfast, even though it tends to be one of their favorite meals. with all the time they spend late at night, gaming or reading, most mornings are spent scrambling to shower (hopefully...) and get out the door on time for work. this is why my nerd gets breakfast for dinner. it's fun, easy, and out of the norm. and really, what's not to love? fluffy cinnamon banana pancakes slathered with speculoos, melty butter, and maple syrup; crisp bacon; eggs made just the way he likes them (sunny side up)... 

btw... what the what is speculoos? it's a deliciously buttery, creamy spread made from smooshed up biscuits. it's reminiscent of gingerbread, and has a similar texture to peanut butter (which i absolutely adore on pancakes, but am sadly very allergic to).

        

pancake mix

1 banana

1/2 tsp cinnamon

speculoos

melty butter (not melted... put butter in a microwave safe container and microwave for 5-10 seconds. stir.)

maple syrup

4-6 slices thick-cut bacon

4 eggs

1 dozen strawberries

whip up your favorite pancake batter and add one mashed up banana and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. cook according to package directions.

in a large skillet, over medium heat, render bacon until crispy. drain all but 1 tbs of fat from your skillet. turn the heat up a bit, and crack two eggs directly into the pan, being careful not to break the yolks. fry until the whites are almost solid. flip the eggs and continue cooking only until the whites are just done. remove from pan and repeat with the last two eggs.

slather speculoos between pancakes. add butter and syrup to the top only.

rinse and slice strawberries, and serve them to the side of, or on top of, pancakes.

the fantastic four (ingredients)

well, our a/c still hasn't been fixed, and i still don't want to cook. after searching through our fridge (mostly so i could cool down) to see what kind of left overs i could mash together to form some sort of meal this is what i came up with.

italian sausage with alfredo spaghetti and spinach

i am uber strict about which type of pasta i use with certain sauces, and alfredo with spaghetti is usually on my no-no list, but this was what i had in the fridge. and like i said, i was in no mood to cook.

1/2 lb spaghetti (i used the leftover we had from the spaghetti bolognese)
4 italian sausages
1 jar alfredo sauce
2 cups fresh spinach

seriously, this was one of the simplest meals i've ever made...
to reheat leftover pasta, bring a large pot of water to a boil. dump the pasta into the boiling water and stir to loosen. allow to boil for no longer than one minute. drain.
heat the sauce in a small sauce pan until hot.
cook the sausages according to package directions.
place 1 c of spinach on each plate, then place the pasta on top. add the sauce and sausages. sprinkle with black pepper.

eggcellent salad sandwiches

due to a series of rather unfortunate events, i haven't cooked a damn thing since last thursday...

friday my nerd brought home hawaiian food, and saturday we were out running errands and grabbed chinese take out on our way home. when we got home we discovered that our air conditioner was broken. it's 100+ degrees, and now we have no a/c. i love my nerd, but there's absolutely no way i'm cooking anything. so, we've been living on cereal and leftovers since. and, because i haven't been to the grocery store all week, we only have a handful of random ingredients in our fridge. but enough is enough right? i can't avoid the kitchen all summer.

tonight's meal only required the stove to be on for short while (in order to hard boil half a dozen eggs), and i made sure to do this part early in the morning before our apartment became an inferno.

egg salad sandwiches with a fresh fruit medley and potato chips

in a small bowl add the yolks from 6 hard boiled eggs. using a fork, mash the yolks.

add 1 green onion, chopped, and 2 tbs finely minced red onion

add 5 slices bread and butter pickles, minced, and 2 tbs dijon mustard.

add 1/2 c mayonnaise and mix well. add 1/4 tsp paprika.

add the remaining egg whites and 1 stalk of celery, chopped.

mix well.

spoon onto toasted 12 grain whole wheat, and cover with baby spinach.

the do's and don'ts of feeding your nerd: rule 4

nerd feeding can be difficult and confusing at times. most nerds will forgo meals and consume a steady diet of snacky items rather than partaking in a well rounded meal. it is your responsibility to ensure that your nerd is consuming a wide variety of nutritional food items. here are some tips to help you in your nerd-feeding endeavors. good luck! 

DO: try to serve brightly colored and interesting food. this will catch their attention and cause them to momentarily forget about their d&d adventures.

DON'T: serve foods that come in brightly colored packaging. the more exciting the packaging the more junky the food is likely to be.

spaghetti bolognese

the first time i made this dish i was pregnant: one week from my due date. i got up early and threw everything together, planning on serving this later that night. little did i know we wouldn't be eating at home until two nights later. my nerd came home early from work to take me to my regular doctor appointment, and we came home the next night with our wonderful baby girl. point being, the longer you wait to serve this the better it gets! you definitely don't want to serve it the day it's made. the ingredients need a chance to hang out and get to know each other. it's also easily frozen, and since it's such a large recipe, we usually freeze half for an easy meal on a lazy day.

spaghetti bolognese:

2 tbs olive oil

1 large onion

4 slices bacon, cut into 1m inch pieces

3 garlic cloves

in a large skillet warm olive oil over medium heat. add onion, bacon, and garlic. saute until onions are caramelized.

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 lb ground pork

in a large pot cook both ground meats until brown. drain extra fat.

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 carrots, shredded

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp oregano

1 1/3 c chicken stock

28 oz canned plum tomatoes

8 oz tomato sauce

add all ingredients, including bacon and onion mixture, to the same pot with browned beef and pork. mix well. cover and reduce heat, simmering for one hour. allow to cool, then store in refrigerator for 24-48 hours.

meals for adventuring: beer battered fried chicken with seasoned rice and minted fruit salad

holy fried chicken batman! i know it's summer but jeebus, it was hot yesterday! i don't know why fried chicken at the end of a sultry summer day is so delicious, but it is.

i've never had beer battered chicken, so when my nerd suggested i whip up a batch i was more than happy to give it a shot. i served it with some barbecue sauce for dipping, seasoned rice, and minted fruit salad. the chicken was amazing - salty, a little spicy, extra crispy and super juicy! the rice was a perfect summer side dish, and the minted fruit salad was a wonderfully refreshing ending to the meal.

beer-battered buttermilk fried chicken-

buttermilk soak:

6 chicken drumstick
1.5 c buttermilk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

in a medium bowl mix buttermilk, salt, pepper, cayenne, onion and garlic. add chicken, making sure it is completely coated. allow to soak for two hours at room temperature.

beer batter:
1 1/4 c beer
1 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
vegetable oil (for frying)

in a large skillet heat 1 inch of oil to 350 degrees.

in a medium bowl mix all dry ingredients. whisk in beer.

remove chicken from buttermilk mixture and pat dry with a paper towel. dunk chicken into beer mixture, making sure it is completely coated. fry 10 minutes on each side.

on a cooling rack covered with paper towels, set fried chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving.


seasoned rice:

1 c basmati rice
1 tbs mrs. dash poultry seasoning
1 tbs butter

cook rice according to directions, replacing water with chicken stock, and adding poultry seasoning and butter.












minted fruit salad-

1/2 small seedless watermelon
1 mango
10 strawberries
1 orange
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs honey
6-7 fresh mint leaves, chopped

cut all fruit into bite-sized pieces. mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for several hours. mix again before serving.



serves 2-3

your nerd may love this meal so much he offers to wash the dishes (mine did)!

coffee steak and bacon sundae of deliciousness +5

about a month ago i tried out a new recipe for coffee crusted steak, and after a few tweaks i think i've got it down. i have been waiting for an excuse to make this meal ever since.

i thought it sounded weird too, but nerds love coffee, (and let's face it: all men, nerd or not, love a great steak). paired with sweet potato mash and oven roasted broccoli and mushrooms, this meal is the perfect dish to celebrate. the occasion?  my nerd winning a fan art contest for one of his favorite boardgames: summoner wars (by plaid hat games), with his drawing of sera eldwyn. and just to make sure we reach our potential for an epic food coma, i've also made a bacon brownie sundae. that's right. bacon+brownies+ice cream=heaven. say what you will, dark fudgy chocolate and perfectly rendered bacon is just about the best combination of salty and sweet there ever was, or ever will be.

coffee crusted steak:


2 thinly cut steaks
salt
pepper
1 tbs olive oil
decaf hazelnut coffee (i really want to stress the decaf here... last time i made this i used regular coffee and we were up all night. no big deal, right? wrong. we have an infant, so we really do need to sleep at night as much as we can.)

add olive oil to large skillet. sprinkle each side of steak generously with salt and pepper, then coat each side with the ground coffee- don't be shy! sear, over medium-high heat, 3-4 minutes on each side (longer, if the steak is thicker). allow to rest several minutes on a plate before serving.

sweet potato mash:


1 large sweet potato
1 tbs salted butter
1/8 c milk
1 tbs brown sugar
salt, to taste

peel potatoes and boil until soft. in a medium bowl combine all ingredients and, using a hand blender, blend until smooth.

roasted broccoli and mushrooms:


1 lb broccoli
1/2 lb mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, julienned
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

preheat oven to 400. in a large bowl combine all ingredients. use just enough olive oil to coat the veggies. spread veggies on a baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 20 minutes.

bacon brownie sundae with maple whipped cream and candied nuts:

brownies-
1 box brownie mix (i use the dark chocolate fudge brownie mix) + ingredients called for on package
6 slices maple smoked bacon

fry bacon until extra crispy. you don't want to add too much extra oil to the brownie mix, so it's super important to render the bacon really well. set aside two slices, and chop the rest into pieces.

prepare brownie mix according to package directions. add chopped bacon. bake as directed.

maple whipped cream-
1/3 c heavy whipping cream
1 tbs maple syrup

mix ingredients and whip until desired consistency. i use a hand whisk, so this takes a few minutes. refrigerate until ready to serve.

candied nuts-
handful of chopped nuts (i had some walnuts and pecans leftover from cookies i baked a few weeks ago, so i used these).
1 tbs salted butter (i used bacon fat this time, since it was still in the skillet)
1.5 tsp sugar

mix all ingredients in a skillet over medium-low heat until sugar is melted and nuts are browned. be careful though, because this can burn easily. transfer nuts onto a plate to cool.

top your bacon brownie with a scoop of ice cream (i highly recommend using either tillamook or haagen dazs. this is one thing you definitely don't want to cheap out on. it's totally worth the extra few bucks!), hot fudge, a dollop of maple whipped cream, and candied nuts. you can crumble the remaining bacon and sprinkle on top, or add the slices whole.


these recipes serve two, but are easily adjustable for company.

unlike the great meatloaf fail of 2012 this meal is a huge hit!

the do's and don'ts of feeding your nerd: rule 3

nerd feeding can be difficult and confusing at times. most nerds will forgo meals and consume a steady diet of snacky items rather than partaking in a well rounded meal. it is your responsibility to ensure that your nerd is consuming a wide variety of nutritional food items. here are some tips to help you in your nerd-feeding endeavors. good luck! 

DO: discourage rule books and cards at the dinner table. you work hard to feed your nerd, and in return would like him/her to be undistracted and able to appreciate the food at hand.


DON'T: make the dinner table boring. get some fun & nerdy salt and pepper shakers to make the table fun.

of veggies and nerds

most nerds won't voluntarily eat veggies (corn chips and jalapeno poppers do not count), however it is important to incorporate veggies into your nerd's diet, at any cost. if you simply steam some greens and plop them on his or her plate, they will remain on his or her plate. if you take some time to prepare them well, and with love, you'll have your nerd asking for seconds.

tonight's meal is a practice in sneaking veggies into my nerd (he happens to like veggies, especially corn, so this isn't too difficult for me).

on the menu:

open faced grilled cheese, cool avocado and cucumber soup, and steamed corn on the cob.

cool avocado and cucumber soup:

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
2 avocados, peeled and cut into chunks
2.5 c buttermilk
3 tbs chopped red onion
1 tsp lemon juice
3 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
salt & pepper to taste

topping:

1/2 tomato peeled, seeded and chopped (to make peeling easier, drop tomato into boiling water for about 30-45 seconds, then peel with fingers under cold water)

fresh basil & spinach chiffonade 

creme fraiche (which i didn't have time to make, so we used sour cream instead)

combine all ingredients (except topping) in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. refrigerate for several hours or overnight. add toppings just before serving.

open face grilled cheese:
set oven to broil

sliced sourdough
sliced cheese of your choice
sliced tomato, peeled
butter

lightly butter the bottom of each slice of bread and arrange evenly on a baking sheet. on each slice place cheese, then add a slice of tomato. salt and pepper to taste. broil until cheese starts to brown (about 5 minutes).











i was absolutely positive the cool avocado and cucumber soup was going to be delicious...

i didn't care for it, but my nerd seemed to be enjoying it. when i asked him if he'd like me to make it again, he said "uh.... not any time soon," with a guilty little smile on his face. perhaps next time i'll add a bit of dill and serve it as a dip with garlic crostini.