NY Strip Steak & Acorn Squash

A surprising twist on a classic dish.

What You’ll Need:

- 1 Package of Steak

• I used NY Strip Steaks for this meal, and I recommend using the same.

- 1 Cup of White Rice

• This is a lot of rice for one person. If you are making this meal for yourself, you may not need to use a full cup of rice. 
• Keep in mind that when cooking rice you will want to use double the amount of water as the rice you’re using. For example, to cook one cup of rice, you will nee 2 cups of water. If you only want to cook 1/2 cup of rice, you only need 1 cup of water.

- Water (for the rice)

- Lettuce or a bag of salad mix
- Thousand Island Dressing

- 1 Acorn Squash

- Brown Sugar

- McCormick Montreal Seasoning packet

- Olive Oil

- Vinegar

- Butter

- Salt

How Long It’ll Take:

- Prep time for this meal is very quick. You just have to stick the steak in the marinade, and then prep your other sides as it’s soaking. You should be ready to fully cook in 10-15 mins.

- Cook time is hard to say; for this recipe, you’ll have a lot of moving parts going at once. I think all in you’ll be looking at about 30 minutes of work.

Let’s Get Started: 

1. Make your marinade. Follow the instructions on the packet to put together a marinade for your steak. Combine 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup oil, and 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar (I know the packet says Red Wine, but who’s watching?). Stir in the packet contents and mix together well.

• Be ready to put the marinade directly on the steak once you’ve mixed it. I suggest having the steak already in a ziplock, ready to receive the marinade. 
• Also, keep about 2 tbsp of marinade to the side for later. 

2. Smush the steak around in the ziplock bag so that it gets nice and coated. 

3. Begin your prep by putting the rice on. This takes the longest to cook, so you should always try to start your rice first.  Decide the amount of rice you want to cook (either 1/2 or 1 cup). Add the recommended amount of water to a large pot. Bring to a boil. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the water, and some salt.

•  Once the water is boiling, add in your rice. Stir and let boil for one minute. Cover, and lower the heat to a low setting. You're going to leave it like this for the next 25 minutes, minimum.
• As I always say, all stoves are different. Whenever a recipe calls for low heat, I have to use 3, but you may be able to use the actual Low setting. I think 1 or 2 is a safe bet, but you don’t want to go so low that your rice doesn’t cook. Just keep an eye on it while we progress.

4. Once your rice is going, you’ll want to prepare your acorn squash. The first step is to cut the squash in half, right through the middle. Remove all the seeds like so:

5. Add a bunch of butter, and a ton of brown sugar. This is very unhealthy, but holy crap will it be delicious.

• If I am the only person eating acorn squash, I will only make one half of the squash. If you have two people eating, then you could make both halves. Most of the time, I will make both halves, and then save the extra already-cooked half for lunch the next day.

6. I don't have a large microwave, so I cook the squash one half at a time. Put the squash in the microwave for 5 minutes. Check it, and then set it for anther 5 minutes. After 10, you should be done. You'll know because you can easily stick a fork into the squash, and it will be soft as mush.

7. While the squash is in the microwave, and the rice is cooking, you should start to heat up the grill pan for your steak. Use a medium-high heat. I use 7. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil on the pan. 

8. While the pan is heating up, if you have to prep your salad (i.e. if you didn't just buy a bag of pre-mixed salad, and you have an actual head of lettuce), take this time to chop the lettuce and throw it in a bowl to the side for later. 

9. When the pan is hot, lay the steak in the grill pan. Strip steak is pretty thin, so it won't take very long to cook. Cook to your desired doneness.

10. Once your steak is cooked, remove the steak from the pan and place on either your plate, or a serving plate.

11. Your rice should be done by now, and your acorn squash should be just finishing up. Plate your food, add some Thousand Island to your salad, and enjoy!

Angel Hair with Fresh Mozzarella, Tomatoes, Garlic & Olive Oil

What You'll Need:

- Angel Hair pasta

- Thin Sliced Chicken Cutlets

- Vine Tomatoes or Cherry Tomatoes

- Fresh Mozzarella 

- Garlic

- Olive Oil

- Paprika

- Onion Powder

- Garlic Powder

- Salt & Pepper

- Crushed Red Peppers

How Long It'll Take:

- Prep will take about 10-15 minutes.

- Cook time is about 20, mostly because you have to boil water.

Let's Get Started: 

1. Drizzle some oil on your grill pan. Just enough to coat the pan, as usual. Turn the burner to medium-high heat.

2. Clean and prep, and season your chicken. 

• I like to put the chicken in a ziplock bag, but you can also just put the clean cutlets in a bowl.
• Pour in some paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and crushed red peppers. You want enough of these spices so that it coats the chicken.
• Either seal the ziplock and mix around, or mix the chicken and spices in a bowl until it seems evenly distributed.

3. Fill a pot with water and set it to high on the stove. Add some salt to the water. This is for the pasta. 

• DO NOT put the pasta in the boiling water until the very specific step where I mention it. There may be a point that the water is boiling with nothing in it. That's perfectly ok, just let it go.

4. Clean and cut your tomatoes into small pieces. Set them in a bowl to the side.

5. Cut your mozzarella into small pieces. Set in a bowl to the side.

6. Crush a ton of garlic, set to the side for later. (About 6 cloves.)

7. Place your seasoned chicken cutlets in the pan and begin grilling. If they're really thin, they should only take a few minutes on each side to cook.

8.  Once the chicken is completely cooked, take it out of the grill pan and set it on a plate to the side. Cover with aluminum foil to keep it warm.

9. The water should be boiling in your pot. NOOOWWW you can put the pasta in the boiling water. Angel hair only takes about 4 minutes to cook, depending on the brand. So these next few minutes will be crucial.

10. In a new pan, add some oil. This time you're gonna want more than just a thin coating. Add a good amount; add enough that you think would be good for coating your pasta. Set the burner to low/medium - like, 3 or 4.

11. Add in the garlic and let it brown for a minute or so. You do NOT want to burn the garlic. This is why we are using a lower burner setting.

12. Add in the tomatoes. Mix everything around in the oil.

13. When your 4 minutes are up, move the pot with the pasta closer to your garlic & olive oil, and begin scooping the pasta out of the water and into the pan with the olive oil.

• When all the pasta has been moved to the new pan, pour in a little of the pasta water to add to the juice. Gently mix the pasta around to get a nice coating.

14. When plating the pasta, add the fresh mozzarella pieces. These will melt as they are on the pasta. You don't want to put these pieces directly into the pan with the garlic and olive oil because they'll get really melty and stick to your pan.

15. Enjoy!

Delightful Pigs in a Blanket

These little piggies will take you straight back to the 90's.

What You'll Need:

- One package of mini hot dogs.

- One package of biscuits.

• I used the extra large Pillsbury Grands.

- Dipping sauce

How Long It'll Take:

- Prep time is about 10 minutes

- Cook time is another 10

- Total time: 20 minutes

Let's Get Started:

1. Preheat your oven to the temperature listed on your package of biscuits.

2. While the oven is preheating, you can begin prepping your cookie sheet / baking tray. Coat the tray with non-stick baking spray.

3. Open your packages of mini hot dogs and biscuits. I like to put the hot dogs in a bowl.

4. Take one raw biscuit and flatten it on your counter/cutting board. I just press it down and stretch it out a little. Cut the biscuit into smaller pieces.

5. Use each piece to wrap the little piggies and pinch to seal the seam where you connect the dough. Place them seam-down on the cookie sheet.

6. Wrap the rest of your mini hot dogs, and lay them on the tray. Wait until the oven is fully preheated.

7. Once the oven is heated, you can place the tray in the oven and bake for the length of time your biscuit package tells you to bake for. Usually this is something like, 13-15 minutes at 350 Degrees F. 

8. Keep an eye on the piggies until the crust on the biscuits start turning golden brown. This may not be the entire 13-15 minutes, or it may be more than 13-15 minutes. You just have to watch.

9. Remove from the oven when cooked.

10. Cool for a minute or two, plate, and serve with your choice of ketchup, mustard, or both. Enjoy!

Spicy Cherry Pepper Pork

Caution: This pork is HOT!

What You'll Need:

- One package of thinly sliced pork chops

- 4-5 Garlic cloves, sliced

- One Can of Diced Tomatoes

- One Jar of B&G Sliced Hot Cherry Peppers 

- Olive oil

- Salt & Pepper

How Long It'll Take:

- Prep time for this recipe is literally two minutes. Just slice some garlic, open a jar and a can, and you're ready to start cooking!

- Cook time is about 15 minutes.

Let's Get Started:

1. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil in your pan. Turn your burner up to medium-high heat.

2. Slice up your garlic cloves while the oil is heating in the pan.

3. Once the pan and oil are hot, throw the garlic in and mix around to get a nice coating. Place the pork in the pan right on top of the garlic. Season with some salt and pepper.

4. Depending on how thick your pork is sliced (mine was about 3/4 inch thick), cook for 3-4 minutes, and then flip. Add some salt and pepper to the other side after you flip. Cook this side for another 3-4 minutes.

5. Remove the pork from the pan, and pour in your can of diced tomatoes. Add some hot cherry pepper slices (NOT THE WHOLE JAR) to the pan. These are pretty hot, and if it's your first time cooking with them it's going to be hard to judge. I used about 1/4 of the jar (7-8 slices). I also added a bit of the juice, but that's optional. I like my food spicy.

6. Heat the sauce to a boil. Add the pork back in. Cover, lower the heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

• While the pork and sauce is simmering, this is the perfect opportunity to prepare your sides.
• Tonight, I chose white rice and corn, however, this dish is so versatile that I also would recommend any of the following as pairings:
• White Rice
• Corn
• Acorn Squash
• Green Beans
• Salad with Italian Dressing
• Mashed Potatoes

7. Once your sides are ready, plate and enjoy!

TexMex Shredded Chicken Nachos

Who Doesn't Love Nachos?

What You'll Need:
- One package of Chicken Breast

• On this particular day, I used Chicken Breast Tenders, because that's what my local grocery store had available.

- One McCormick Original Taco Seasoning Mix, 1oz. packet

- One Jar of Sliced Jalapenos

- One or Two Cans of Ro-Tel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, 10 oz. 

- One Bag of Tostito's Nachos

- One Bag of Shredded Cheddar Jack or Mexican Blend Cheese

- World Harbor Fajita Seasoning (optional - don't buy this whole thing just for this one recipe)

- 1/3 Cup of Water

- Sour Cream

- Shredded Lettuce

- Black Olives

- 1-2 Tomatoes
- 1/2 an Onion

How Long It'll Take: 
- This one's a slow cooker recipe, so unfortunately it's gonna take alllll daaaayyyy. (Yes, literally.)
- The good news is that the prep and cleanup is simple!
- All in, your total cook time is between 4-5 hours.

Let's Get Started:
1. Take your raw chicken breast or breast tenders and put them in the crock pot.

2. Pour in the can of Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes.

3. Pour in the packet of McCormick Original Taco Seasoning. Mix around.

4. Add in some of the World Harbor Fajita seasoning to cover the chicken. If you don't have or want to buy the World Harbor seasoning, then just use two cans of Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes. You want to cover the chicken.

5. Add in as many jalapeno slices and you think you can tolerate. I also like to pour a little jalapeno juice in from the jar as well. You don't have to do this if you don't like your food spicy. 

• However, if you do choose to pour in some juice, just pour a small amount. Don't use half the jar. That's too much, you're gonna ruin it.

6. Add in an additional 1/3 cup of water to make sure you've got enough sauce for your chicken to cook in. Mix everything up and set your Crock Pot to High. Cook for 4 hours.

7. About 3 hours in, take the cover off of the Crock Pot. Using two forks, gently shred the chicken breasts into small pieces. At this point, the chicken should just easily fall apart. You want it to look kind of stringy. Mix all of your ingredients around, put the cover back on, and continue to cook for an hour.

8. When you have about 10 minutes left on your cook time, begin prepping your nacho tray. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a disposable (or non-disposable) cookie sheet.

9. Layer the Tosito's chips on the bottom of the tray.

10. Add a generous layer of shredded cheese.

11. Add a layer of shredded chicken. Cover with more cheese.

12. Add some more jalapenos and some sliced black olives.

13. When the oven is ready, pop this bad boy in there for 10-15 minutes. Just keep an eye on it, you pretty much just want the cheese to melt and the flavors to meld together. 

14. While the nachos are baking, prep your cold toppings. 

• Chop up your onions, tomatoes, and combine in a small bowl to the side. 
• Either take your pre-shredded lettuce out of the bag, or shred your head of lettuce, depending on your personal preference. I shredded my own lettuce, but that's up to you. Set it aside.

15. Remove your nachos from the oven.

14. Add your cold toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream.

15. Serve and Enjoy!! 

Savory Beef with Gravy

Comfort food made easy.

What You'll Need:

- One package of cubed beef, often labeled "Stew Meat"

- Two small onions, or one medium/large onion

- One jar or Heinz Mushroom or Beef Gravy, 12 oz.

- One package of Manischewitz Egg Noodles

- Olive Oil

- Flour (optional)

How Long It'll Take: 

- Prep time for this is literally just however long it takes you to chop the onion(s) up, so maybe 5 minutes?

- Cook time will be about 20.

Let's Get Started: 

1. Drizzle some olive oil in a large pan. Only use just enough to coat the bottom. Turn the stove to a medium-high heat. 

2. Peel and chop your onions into small pieces as the oil is heating up. 

3. Once the pan is nice and hot, throw the onions into the pan and let them brown.

4. Once the onions have browned, remove them from the heat and place to the side for later.

5. Toss the meat into the pan. Cook over a medium-high burner, stirring occasionally. You don't want the meat to burn, but all sides should be brown. 

• The thing to look out for with this type of meat is that all of it is cooked all the way through. Sometimes, if some of the pieces are significantly bigger than other pieces, I'll cut them smaller so the meat is more evenly sized.

6. Once you put the meat on, fill a pot with water and set it to boil. Unless you have a "turbo boil" setting on your stove, it takes a while for water to boil - so letting the water heat up while the meat cooks is usually a safe bet.

7. When the meat is mostly cooked, add the onions back in. Stir.

•  To check how cooked the meat is, you should cut into a piece or two and check the inside.

8. Once the water is boiled, add the egg noodles. Cook them for about 8 minutes.

9. When you add the egg noodles, pour the gravy into the pot with the meat and onions. Bring to a boil, and then turn the heat down to let it simmer for the next 10 or so minutes while the noodles cook.

10. When the noodles are cooked, strain them, and add butter. Add enough to sufficiently coat the noodles. You can add in small amounts and stir it around until you get a nice coating. Set the noodles to the side.

11. **OPTIONAL** If you want to thicken the gravy, put a teaspoon or two of flour into a cup or little bowl on the side. Add some cold water and stir. Add enough water so that the flour/water mixture becomes a thick liquid (more than a paste, less than a drink). Slowly stir the mixture in until the gravy reaches your desired consistency.

• Try adding just a little at a time until you get the right thickness. Don't just put it all in at once - you may wind up with a brick instead of a meal.

12. Plate the noodles, top with beef and gravy, and enjoy!