Food tricks

So I spent the past week with a house full of college boys. Haha I'm trying to think of something to follow that with, but I really can't. I was visiting my best friend at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Institute, so I got to hear all about flying and being a pilot all week (yes, that is every bit as nerdy as it sounds). Anyways, I wanted to make them dinner one night as a thanks for letting me crash with them, so obviously I had to find something really impressive (but still easy and fast and cheap).  I've made this twice before, and I think it might be my favorite recipe yet. This entire meal cost about $20, served five people with leftovers, it's tasty, its light, and it's relatively healthy. Plus it impressed the boys, so that was a win.  I found the recipe at Skinny Taste , which is an awesome resource for healthy, delicious recipes (and wayy better pictures than mine). Skinny Cajun Chicken Pasta Ingredients: 8 ounces uncooked linguine (I used angel hair) 1 pound...

This guacamole is a summertime staple in my house. It is probably one of the more time consuming recipes I make regularly, but only because of all the chopping, but it is definitely worth it. My family eats a TON of it, and make ourselves feel better by telling ourselves how healthy it is for us, but really it just tastes amazing so we can't help ourselves. A lot of the recipes I find are through Pinterest or Google, but this is a family specialty. The measurements are going to be guesses because we pretty much eyeball it--this recipe is all about personal preference. Depending on who I'm with I might make it more spicy or more sweet... My advice would be to keep some chips handy and take a few taste tests along the way to see what you should add. This picture so does not do this dish justice. Famous Phillips Guacamole Ingredients: 6 avocados Lemon and/or Lime juice (I usually squeeze the juice from about half of each. You don't want it to be too watery, but the acidity k...

I've mentioned before that my sister is the real chef in the family. She can make a gourmet meal out of the most random ingredients you could think of. I was in Palm Springs with the fam last weekend, and my sister made some great meals. These turkey meatballs were no exception. Healthy, surprisingly easy, and incredibly delicious. I would definitely recommend giving this recipe a try. Turkey Meatballs Ingredients: 1.5 lbs Ground Turkey 1 Egg 2 tbsp Chopped Onion 1 tbsp Parsley 1/2 cup Breadcrumbs 1/2 cup Pecorino, Romano, and Parmesan blend (or just Parmesan) 1-2 cloves Minced Garlic 1 tsp Oregano Salt and Pepper to taste Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with tinfoil, and lightly grease with cooking spray (trust me-this will definitely help with clean-up later) Mix everything together in a medium-large bowl. Separate and roll into balls. Bake on the tinfoil-covered baking sheet at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Top with a spoonful of pasta sauce and ...

Starting this blog has really gotten me to step outside my comfort zone in the kitchen. I am much more ambitious than I ever was (which is awesome ). The craziest part is that every time I take on a recipe that I think will be difficult or fancy, it ends up being super easy--which I think impresses me even more. Take today's recipe for example. This really good Italian place back home makes this incredible, spicy roasted red pepper sauce that I always mix with Alfredo sauce over raviolis, and I have been craving it big time, so I decided I would try it out on my own. This Roasted Red Pepper Sauce is delicious, and surprisingly simple. It is also vegetarian (told you to keep your eyes out for it Margie), and has just enough of a kick from the cayenne pepper to keep things interesting. I ended up eating it all week with different types of pasta (it went really well with tortellini and with angel hair). Roasted Red Pepper Sauce adapted from Rachel Cooks Ingredients: 1 tablespoo...

This semester has been hectic already. I am apologizing again for the lack of updates. I have like half a dozen recipes that I want to post, right now it is just about finding time to get around to writing them. First and first mostly, I have to congratulate everyone who brought food to the Super bowl party last weekend.  The niners didn't come out on top, BUT I had a full tummy so that dulled the ache considerably.  It was pretty much impossible to decide on a winner because everything was so good, so I might end up posting some consolation recipes for the other people who wow-ed everyone with their culinary skills. In my opinion, everything was great... But one thing stood out above the rest.  Probably because it was entirely gone in about 60 seconds.  We ended up making another batch the a few nights ago and they disappeared just a quickly.  I think helping Courtney make them the second time around solidified her first place finish in the dish off.  It t...

Its GAME DAY people! I feel like a kid on Christmas morning :) I'm really excited for some football, but I'm also pumped for the grown-up football party we are having today (we even bought themed paper plates and tables cloths, we're going big) Everyone is pretty hyped for the cooking contest, and I'm pretty hyped to eat all the awesome stuff they are bringing. In honor of the big game, I decided to take on something that for some reason I thought would be a lot more difficult than it actually was: Red Velvet Cupcakes ... Or as I like to call them... ' Kap - cakes ' The recipe was actually really easy. I ended up just buying a tub of cream cheese frosting to save some hassle, but I'll include the icing recipe in case you are more intrepid than I was. I had some friends over to help with the 49ers themed decorating and some (Stryker) got a little enthusiastic, so some of the cupcakes ended up mounded with icing, but other than they they turned out pretty good...