recipe

While I was down in New Orleans, I picked up various hot sauces (with names waaaayyyy too inappropriate to showcase on the blog), Cafe du Monde beignet mix, and of course… Slap Ya Mama seasoning (a spicy little blend of salt, red/black pepper, and garlic).  After my foray with homemade cheeze-its, I decided to try my hand at making my own potato chips.  These certainly did not disappoint.  I rarely keep junk food around the house, so these are a perfect solution for those times when I’m feeling a little peckish.  The prep is so simple that I hesitate to even call it a recipe, but I’ve included the steps below in case you decide to give them a whirl.

Tools/Ingredients

• Russet potatoes (1 per desired servings)
• 1/4-1/2  teaspoons Slap Ya Mama seasoning (or substitute your preferred seasoning blend)
• Mandolin fruit/vegetable slicer
• Microwave chip maker

Back in my bachelorette pad days, my kitchen was so tiny that I could barely turn around, let alone put together an elaborate meal. When dining out got old, there was many a night that I relied on my trusty crockpot for a tasty homecooked meal. Space was so tight that I had to sit the appliance on the drop-leaf table in my living room (there simply wasn’t enough space on my kitchen counter). Fast forward a few years, I now have a grown-up sized kitchen (well, at least by NYC-standards), but I still love a great slow cooker recipe… especially when I’m short on time. I love that I can just drop the ingredients in before work and come home to something spectacular.  The following recipe is one that I adapted from Real Simple Magazine.

Ingredients

• 8oz package of baby portabello mushrooms, trimmed and halved
• 4 large carrots, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup flour
• A few of sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts (you can substitute thighs, if you prefer dark meat)
• 1 sheet puff pastry
• 1 cup frozen sweet peas
• 1 cup frozen string beans
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• salt & pepper

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I typically don’t keep much junk food in the house, but I recently stumbled across a recipe for homemade cheeze-its and couldn’t wait to test them out for myself. These turned out great, and I don’t think I’ll be returning to the store-bought version any time soon! As an added bonus, here are some grocery coupons to possibly save on homemade Cheez-its ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 tablespoons cold butter
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I didn’t have any cayenne pepper on-hand, so I just used crushed red pepper flakes)

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