By the Cookbooks

   I'm normally an on the run person in the morning. It takes forever to get me to crawl out of bed, and so for breakfast I want something I can grab real quick. Normally I just buy some breakfast bars, but I thought why not make my breakfast this week. So I went ahead and created these lovely muffin tops. Ingredients    1 cup of fresh blueberries    1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour    12 tbs of butter, softened    3/4 cup of sugar    1 large egg    3/4 tsp of baking soda    1 orange    3/4 cup of buttermilk    1 cup of sifted powdered sugar Directions    Preheat over to 425 and line baking sheets with parchment paper.    Combine blueberries and a tbs of flour, and set aside.    In a mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar.    Add and mix the egg.    Add the flour and baking soda until everything is combined. ...

     I am the person who skips the beans and doubles up on the rice at any Mexican restaurant, so when I saw I had this recipe, I needed to try it. Ingredients      3 tbs of vegetable oil My much to be desired knife skills     2 cups of long grain rice     4 cups of vegetable stock     1 large onion, diced     1 large tomato, diced     1/2 bunch of cilantro     1 large green pepper, diced     4 serrano chiles, scored     1 tbs of cumin     2 tsp of minced garlic     2 tsp of salt     1 tsp of black pepper Directions     In a large skillet on medium heat, heat the oil until it shimmers.    Add the rice and cook, continually stirring until lightly browned.    Add the stock, onion, tomato, cilantro, pepper, chiles, cumin, garlic, salt and black pepper.    Increase heat to high and b...

     As you may have noticed, I rarely make desserts, but every so often a quick and simple sweet treat is worth it.     The recipe comes together very quickly thankfully.   Ingredients     2 cups thin pretzel sticks     3/4 cups of melted salted butter     1 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar     1 1/4 cup of smooth peanut butter     1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips Directions     1.  In a food processor, pulse pretzels until it becomes a fine crumble.     2.  Stir together pretzels, melted butter, sugar and 1 cup of peanut butter.     3. Evenly press mixture in an ungreased 9x9 pan.     4. In a microwavable bowl, melt the remaining peanut butter and chocolate chips, stirring every 30 seconds.     5. Pour chocolate over pretzel mixture and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Changes I Made!    The salt content in...

     I had a friend make a very similar dish for me once, and I remember loving not only how easy it was, but also as tasty. Just cut up a bunch of stuff, season it and then throw in the oven for an hour. Ingredients    5 red bell peppers, cut into 1 inch strips.    2 large red onions, cut into 8 wedges.    6 garlic cloves, peeled.    1 1/2 lbs of smoked sausage.    1 1/2 lbs of Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks.    1/4 cup of olive oil Directions    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.    In a large bowl, mix all ingredients.    Spread out ingredients on baking sheets.    Bake for about an hour, until potatoes are done. Changes I Made!     Season your potatoes with salt before you mix with the other ingredients. They were a little bland by themselves.     If you use the bottom rack, the dish is done about 15-20 minutes earlier than ...

   Baked chicken is a staple in any house hold. The skin or crust for the chicken can make or break any meal. So I am on the hunt for better ways to make chicken. This one by Trisha Yearwood had some promise when I first read it. Ingredients     1 cup of buttermilk     1 tbs of hot sauce, I used Franks     1 1/2 cups of panko bread crumbs     3 tbs of Parmesan cheese     1 tbs of lemon zest     1 tsp of red pepper flakes     salt and pepper     4 chicken breasts, cut in half     1 lemon, quartered Directions       Preheat oven to 400.       In a small bowl, mix milk and hot sauce.       In a larger bowl, mix bread crumbs, cheese, lemon zest and red pepper flakes.       Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, and then dip in milk combination.       Dredge chicken in panko crumbs after milk and lay ...

    So, I try to avoid pasta, but its forever my comfort food. When I was first learning how to live on my own, pasta was one of the few dishes I knew I could make. So I figured, why not try to spice up my pasta game with a simple pasta dish with a little flare.     And yes, the fact there is wine in this helped me decide this is the recipe I want to try. Ingredients     1 cup of whole wheat panko bread crumbs     1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese     1/4 cup and 2 tbs of olive oil     3 tsp of minced garlic, divided     8 ounces of rotini pasta     2 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced     1/2 cup of white wine, I used chardonnay     1/4 cup of vegetable stock Directions     Topping         Preheat oven to 400 degrees.         Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan, tablespoons of oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of garlic and a dash of salt in a small b...

     A good chicken thigh is perfect for dinner any day of the week if you ask me. It seems like I often times try to go crazy with the chicken, so learning this cooking technique was important to me.     This cookbook I'm pulling this from is from a Cast Iron specialty book. I got my first cast iron roughly a month ago, and I am in love!!!! So any excuse to bring out my skillet or dutch over makes this chicka happy. Ingredients     6 skin-on, bone-on chicken thighs     Kosher salt and black pepper     2 tsp of vegetable oil     (Literally, this is the entire list!) Directions     Preheat oven to 425.     Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.     Heat oil in a 12 inch cast iron skillet, until it shimmers.     Nestle all 6 chicken thighs in pan, and rotate them every 2 minutes, promoting even cooking and letting the skin brown.      Transfer pan to o...

     I think everyone grows up with their own versions of popular soups. There's the one ingredient or heating method that makes the soup stand out to you. I decided to give Trisha Yearwood's veggie soup a spin. Ingredients     1/4 cup of olive oil     1 pound of carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces     3 onions, chopped finely     2 garlic cloves, minced     2 28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes, with the juice     1 lb of cabbage, shredded     1 can of green beans     12 cups of chicken or veggie stock     2 tsp of salt     1/2 tsp of black pepper     1 lb of baby spinach Directions     In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering.     Add the carrots, onions and garlic and saute them for about 12 minutes.     Add the tomatoes, cabbage, beans, stock, salt and pepper.     Increase heat to hig...

    I did not eat brussels sprouts growing up, and it has always been one of those dishes where problem often times knock it down. Everyone knows someone who hates brussels sprouts.    So this dish for me was a new experiment for me, since I have no history with this dish at all.    Also this recipe comes from a new book! Lidia's Celebrate Like an Italian. I am not Italian, and rarely cook true Italian food, so let's see if I can get a good grasp on these flavors. Ingredients     Sauce         Peel of 2 lemons, removed with vegetable peeler         1/3 cup of lemon juice         5 cloves of garlic, crushed and peel         2 medium lemons, cut into 1-inch chunks         1/2 tsp of kosher salt         1/4 cup of red pepper flakes         2 tbs of olive oil     Sprouts     ...