I've been on a binge the last several days, and I'm not sure why. That is- a COOKING binge!
It's been quite a long time since we had 3 homemade meals in one day - but with the snow (or rather.. ice) outside, the oven has been going inside!
DH mentioned that he'd like to get a "food" package of assorted meats that he saw a deal on, but at that point in time, we had hardly any room in the freezer! That's not the case anymore- and I'm not sure if I saw his comment as a challenge- but regardless, I've made lots of "stuff" lately - even after "skipping" going to the grocery store this weekend!
So.. Homemade Quiche got rid of the pie crust in the freezer and all the extra bacon packages (3 total half packages) - along with the bacon sandwiches (they aren't BLT in our house 'cause DH doesn't do the L) for dinner. We've had homemade muffins (does "homemade" really describe a mix, though?) and for lunch, stuffed peppers. I've got the crockpot on with chicken and dumplings for dinner, and rice krispie treats may be in our immediate future.
As my sis-in-law was asking recently, what could an Actuary and a "Cooker" (which definitely describes my last couple of days better than "Chef") have in common? They both are solving problems. In my case, coming up with creative-ish solutions to problems.
So... here's what I did for the Quiche:
Store-bought pie crust (using 2 is probably better), cook at 425 or so for 5-7 minutes.
Next, beat 4 eggs and add 1 c milk. To that mixture, add 5-6 strips of cooked bacon, broken into small pieces, 1 c cheddar cheese, 1 c veggies (I used canned corn and tomatoes, drained and "patted" dry). Pour into hot crust, then cook for about 45 mins more at 350.
Too bad Kiddo can't have egg...
And here's what I did for my stuffed peppers:
Cut 2 green peppers in half, remove seeds and such. Boil in water for around 5 mins.
Brown 1/2 lb hamburger with 1/2 onion, and 2-3 cloves of garlic. Mix hamburger with 1-2 c cooked rice, and a can of diced tomatoes. Add in 1/2 c of cheese and fill peppers. Put 1-2 T cheese on top of each one, and bake in oven around 400 for 20 minutes or so.
Of course - stuffed peppers at my house are always with some variation. Right now, I have red quinoa (I love quinoa!) that I need to figure out something to do with - and I thought about using that instead of the rice, but the rice was a little easier/quicker (since we already had some leftover... although, truth be told, I used a boxed rice mix, and cooked it half on the stove and then finished it inside the pepper mixture, inside the oven.)
And the last recipe for the day? Crock-Pot Chicken and Dumplings. I'll write this one in a little more "traditional" style. Ready?
Crock-Pot Chicken and Dumplings
1 onion, diced
1-2 chicken breasts, cut into edible-sized pieces
2 cans (or 1 box, around 32 oz) chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 T butter
1 can refrigerated biscuits
Except the biscuits, dump all ingredients in crock pot and let it cook on "low" all day. 30 minutes before serving, cut biscuits into 4-pieces each, and add to crock pot, turning to "high."
Love: Cooking... once in a while! I'm on a binge the last few days!
Hope: we actually eat the leftovers!
Do: Take kiddo outside after nap, even if it is c-c-c-cold.
