By the Cookbooks

   I have been trying really hard to widen the foods I can make at home. I would gladly spend a bunch of money to have this dish delivered to my home, so being able to make this at home, brings a little joy to my heart. Ingredients     8 ounces of dried rice noodles     1/4 cup of canola oil     4 garlic cloves, chopped     2 Thai chiles     2 boneless pork chops, thinly sliced and marinated in soy sauce for 5 minutes     2 tbs of sweet soy sauce     2 tbs of soy sauce     1 tbs of Thai fish sauce     1 tbs of oyster sauce     2 tbs of sugar     1 tsp of white pepper     1/2 cup of water     1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips     1 cup of snow peas, trimmed and cut in half     1 cup of basil leaves Directions    Soak noodles in warm water for 20 minutes, then drain    Heat ...

   Breakfast is not a meal I put a lot of thought into. I normally just grab some breakfast bars and head to work, unless I made some muffin tops (see previous post, they're amazing I promise).    I'm not the biggest fan of granola, but there's a few mixtures I do like, so I figured I'd give one a try. Ingredients    4 tbs of butter, melted    1/4 cup of vegetable or canola oil    6 cups of old fashioned rolled oats    1 tsp of kosher salt    Cooking spray    1 1/2 cups of puffed rice cereal    1 cup of wheat germ    1/2 cup of finely chopped pecans    1/4 cup of chopped almonds    1 cup of packed brown sugar    1/2 cup of honey    1/4 cup of apple juice    1/4 cup of molasses    1 tbs of vanilla extract Directions    Preheat oven to 350.    In a small pitcher, mix the melted butter and oi...

    I grew up on various casseroles. It is how one raises a proper Midwest girl. This doesn't scream Midwest dish to me, but it does introduce some new flavors to ones I grew up with. Ingredients     Butter or cooking spray     1 large white or yellow onion, finely diced     1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced     1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced     1 jalapeno, finely diced     1 rotisserie chicken     1 10.5 oz can of cream of chicken soup     1 10.5 oz can of cream of mushroom soup     1 10 oz can of diced tomatoes and chiles     2 tbs of chili powder     1 tsp of ground cumin     1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper     1/2 tsp of kosher salt     1/2 tsp of black pepper     2 cups of chicken broth     16 corn tortillas, torn into pieces     1 1/2 cups of grated sharp cheddar che...

   For my birthday, I got a grill pan! My living situation doesn't allow me to own a grill, so it is the best thing I can get.    This is the first recipe I could find requiring my grill pan. Ingredients     4 Roma tomatoes, diced     1 cucumber, seeded and diced     1/4 cup of parsley, chopped     8 ounces of feta, crumbled     2 tbs of olive oil     Juice of one lemon     2 medium to large eggplants     kosher salt and pepper     chili powder Directions     Heat grill pan over medium heat.     In a small bowl, mix tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, feta, olive oil and lemon juice for a salad.     Cut off tops of eggplants, and slice each eggplant into 3 thick steaks, trimming the skin off the outside pieces.      Drizzle steaks with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and chili pwoder to taste      ...

     This recipe name is misleading since you use angel hair pasta, not spaghetti. It takes more steps than what this cookbook normally likes, but it still came together well. Ingredients     2 tbs of olive oil Susie guarding the sauce as it simmers.     4 large garlic cloves, minced     2 large onions, chopped     1 1/2 tsp of salt, divided     2 lbs of ground beef, preferably 80% lean     1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes     1 16 ounce can tomato suace     2 tbs of balsamic vinegar     2 tbs of sugar     1 tbs of garlic powder     1 tbs of dried basil     1 tbs of dried tarragon     1 tsp of red pepper flakes     16 ounces of angel hair pasta     Mozzarella cheese as needed Directions     Heat 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat.     Add the oil, garlic, onion, and 1/4 ts...

     My cast iron cook book breaks down what regions recipes come from. So, when I saw this recipe was a Midwest inspired recipe, I scratched my head. Most of the ingredients in this dish, I did not grow up using on a regular basis or ever. Ingredients     1/4 cup of canola oil     2 lemongrass stalks, bruised and cut into 2 inch stalks     1 lb of large shrimp, peeled, deveined and patted dry     3 tbs of Thai fish sauce     3 tbs of fresh lime juice     1 1/2 tbs of sugar     1 shallot     2 tbs of thinly sliced lemongrass     1 or 2 Thai chiles     1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro     1/4 cup of mint leaves     2 cups of raw jasmine rice, cook according to package directions Directions      Heat a 12 inch cast iron skillet over high heat.      Add the oil and wait until hot.      Add br...

   My mom eats chicken salad a lot. Whenever we go to get tea, she normally gets the chicken salad. I often attach this dish to spring and summer, but I normally avoid it due to mayonnaise. In my family, its not unheard of to not like mayo. So when I found one with no mayo, I was very happy. Ingredients    4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts    1/2 cup of low fat plain Greek yogurt    1/2 cup seedless Concord grapes, halved    1/2 cup slivered almonds    1/2 cup of finely chopped pecans    1/4 cup of dried cranberries    2 small or 1 large granny smith apples, diced    One small diced red onion    Salt and pepper Directions     In a large stockpot over high heat, cover the chicken with water and bring to a boil.     Let it cook for 20 minutes.     Drain, set aside and let cool.     Once cooled, shred chicken.     Add sh...

    Stuffed shells are amazing in my mind! I am all for pasta stuffed with cheese. I like to order this when I go out, so its about time I try to give a recipe a whirl. Ingredients     1 tsp of kosher salt     1/4 cup of olive oil     6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed     1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes     2 28 ounce cans of San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand     1 lb of large pasta shells     1 lb of ricotta, drained overnight     16 ounces of mozzarella, cut into cubes, plus 4 ounces shredded     2 cups of grated Grana Padano     1 bunch of scallions, chopped     8 ounces frozen peas, thawed     3 tbs of fresh Italian parsley                                              1 large egg, beaten       ...