Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Strugglers Chicken Pot-Pie:


Disclaimer: I can't cook, but I'm trying. Funny how since my last name used to be the same as some "famous cook," people think I should be great at it. I'm not – I struggle. And for your information, she is fictional!!!

This is one of Mike’s favorite things I make… he always brings leftovers to work the next day and brags about his wife. I have been asked many a time to give the recipe so he can share it with his co-workers and their wives. However, I hesitate to hand it over because it is so easy they will know that I’m a fraud!

Strugglers Chicken Pot-Pie:

WHAT YOU NEED:

*2-3 Chicken Breasts (I like to shred mine by poaching it – don’t worry I struggled with that word at first too, but it just means you boil it in garlic salt water until it falls apart – easy-peasy! )

*1 or 2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup (I just use one – then the pie crust isn’t struggling to keep it all in.

*1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. (I buy mine pre-shredded – I struggle with graters)

*1 bag of frozen veggies (the pre chopped ones)

*1 package of pre-made refrigerated pie crust (I wouldn’t even TRY to struggle in making my own.) Just follow the directions on the package for preparing – usually something like “let crusts sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before using.”

*Salt/Pepper/Minced Onion to taste


DIRECTIONS:

1- Make Chicken – SO EASY. Put Chicken Breasts in pot and cover with water and sprinkle some garlic salt in. Boil with cover on (watching so it doesn’t boil over – I’ve struggled with this MANY times) for about 15 minutes – or until you can split the beast by stabbing it with a fork. Shred with 2 forks and done! Side Note: I struggle to remember that I need to take the chicken out of the freezer and thaw it out, so I sometimes even throw the breasts in the boiling water partially frozen – then I just let it boil longer. Seems to work fine.

2- Unroll 1 of the refrigerated pie crusts into a pie plate/pan and save the other for the top. I struggle with things sticking to whatever I bake them in, so I like to “grease” the pie-pan first.

3- Pre-Heat oven to 400F

4- In a large mixing bowl, mix chicken, frozen vegetables, cream of Chicken soup, cheese, and salt/pepper/minced onion to taste. (I struggle with the amount of salt (sodium) already in the cream soup, so I just add lots of pepper and minced onion)

5- Pour mixture into the waiting pie-crust – spread evenly and press it down a little with your spoon)

6- Place the other crust on top and do your best to tuck the top crust edge around the bottom crust edge. If you want to be fancy, you can even “flute” the edges. No secret that I would struggle with this, so I just googled it and found this helpful video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLMxJW1NmAU

I also like to put a few slices in the top of my crust (I think this time I will use a cookie cutter to make a fun shape in the middle… if I remember)

7- Bake until crust is golden brown and the mixture is bubbly. This takes about 25-35 minutes.
     Remove, let stand about 5 minutes and serve!

 

Like I have mentioned before, I struggle at the grocery store, and I had no frozen vegetables! UGGGGGG!!!!
 So, I punted like this

10 baby carrots - chopped

1 stalk of celery - chopped

1 cup broccoli – chopped

    I boiled all 3 together for about 10 minutes in about 2 cups of water… drained the water then added:

½  can of corn

½  can of green beans

     Then, I added all of that to the mixing bowl.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Asparagus In The Oven


Disclaimer: I can't cook, but I'm trying. Funny how since my last name used to be the same as some "famous cook," people think I should be great at it. I'm not – I struggle. And for your information, she is fictional!!!

 
I like easy, I demand it. Show me a recipe with more than 8 ingredients and I move on.
I also like fast – 10 minutes kind of fast!
Obviously it needs to taste good, and healthy is an added bonus.
This has it all…

Asparagus In The Oven:
 
WHAT YOU NEED:
Asparagus (The grocery store worker said the thinner the better… I’ve liked it each time so far)

Olive Oil (I used the super-yummy “Garlic Olive Oil” from: http://oilerie.com/)

Salt, Pepper, and Herbs of choice (I use Basil from the spice jar!)

 

DIRECTIONS:
1- Preheat oven to 425F

2- Snap the “hard” ends off of the Asparagus

3- Lay the asparagus out on a cookie sheet covered in tin-foil (easy clean-up).

4- Drizzle the olive oil over the asparagus, followed by the salt, pepper, and herbs.

5- Smear it all over with your hands (so it covers each asparagus evenly).

6- Bake for 10-12 minutes until tender.

 

Country Style Pork Ribs 4 Dummies


Disclaimer: I can't cook, but I'm trying. Funny how since my last name used to be the same as some "famous cook," people think I should be great at it. I'm not – I struggle. And for your information, she is fictional!!!

Since these were such a success and SO EASY the first time, I am making these for the second time tonight! I'm sure they will be EVEN better this time, since the first time we had to leave for the E.R. right before eating them. (My husband had an accident involving a drill bit and his thumb, but that is NOT what you want to read about when reading a recipe, sorry.)

Country Style Pork Ribs 4 Dummies:

WHAT YOU NEED:

2.5 – 5 pounds of country style pork (or beef) boneless ribs

½ - full bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (I struggle at the grocery store, so I forgot to buy some – NOW I get to make my own from a recipe in my Grandma’s Church Cookbook – UGGGG! See Recipe below if you struggle too).

DIRECTIONS:

1- Put Ribs in a stockpot and add enough water to cover them. Mix ½ cup of BBQ sauce in the water and add some garlic salt if you want.

2- Cover & Bring to a boil.

3- Reduce heat and SIMMER FOR 2 HOURS, until tender. (I struggle at knowing what “tender” means, but I think it is just until you poke them with a fork and they start to shred where you poked them).

4- Preheat oven to 350F  - I forgot to do the "preheat" thing and it was already after 6!
   

5- Transfer ribs into a cake pan and cover them with BBQ sauce.
 
I struggle to Not make a mess...
 
 

6- Cook for about 20-30 minutes, until the BBQ sauce is bubbly and “caramelizing” (Struggle= Sticky and hard in some places)

7- Serve with whatever sides you like – I’m making Asparagus in the oven tonight, since the oven will be on anyway! (See next post)
 

Whoops BBQ Sauce:

I was surprised how easy this was – not my favorite flavor ever, but it saved me a trip to the dreaded grocery store!

Mix Together:

½ cup Ketchup

4 tablespoons Brown Sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (I was surprised we had this! My husband does NOT struggle in the kitchen or grocery store)

2 tablespoons yellow/spicy mustard

1 tablespoon of Red Wine Vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon salt

I added a few dashes of A-1 (but don’t tell my husband – he struggles with the taste!) and some steak seasoning that I found in the cupboard.

Like I said, not the best flavor, but it gets the job done!

 

I Struggle At...


Hi, I'm Sarah! And I Struggle... at MANY things! I'm a first time Mom to a toddler, I'm a wife that doesn't know the first thing about cooking, I'm greatly "challenged" in the "home-decor" and "DIY" departments, and SO MUCH MORE! You will see as time goes on that I can find a way to struggle at just about anything! But, Pinterest has become my saving grace recently and I will post my challenges, successes, and my failures for all of you other Struggling Gals out there! I will include my Mommy Passes & Fails, Kitchen Adventures, and DIY Wow's & Whoopsies! Hope you enjoy! Your feedback is appreciated and encouraged! Thanks for reading!