Daily Archives: September 30, 2013

Breakfast, Eggs

Steak & Eggs 2 ways

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Men everywhere be jealous… I was moving and had 4 packs of frozen steaks I needed to use, so I had steak at every meal for 3 days straight. =) With baked potatoes and caramelized onions, in fajitas, and for breakfast, it was a very beefy few days and I loved it. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of the dinners, but trust me in that they were good enough to repeat sometime, so they may show up at a later date. Here are my 2 favorite breakfasts with marinated cow muscle…

Ingredients:
2 thin steaks
4 eggs
2 slices cheese (or 1/4 cup shredded)
2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
(optional: 1 tbsp hot sauce and/or fish sauce)

Day 2: add a tortilla

 Step 1: Marinate the steaks in worchestershire, soy sauce, fish sauce and vinegar overnight.

 Step 2: Place steaks in a sprayed frying pan over medium heat. Cook about 5 minutes, until browned, then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes.

 Step 3: Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, and add the cheese. Remove the steaks from the frying pan and add the eggs. Cook the scrambled eggs, stirring often, until the consistency you like.

 Day 1: A steak separate from the eggs to enjoy one bite at a time.

Day 2: Cut the steak into slices before cooking. Wrap the steak and eggs in a tortilla and sprinkle the cheese on top. 

Both ways are delicious, the tortilla has the added benefit of being slightly portable. The marinade is simple yet delicious and compliments steak well. Both a delightful protein-packed ways to make your taste buds feel pampered at breakfast. Or any time of day really. I wouldn’t be mad about this at dinner time.

Comfort food, Pasta

Cheeseburger Mac

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This classic student-loved recipe is still delicious as an “adult”, though you can fancy it up with different cheeses and noodle shapes if you want. Super simple to make yet very filling. It’s like macaroni & cheese only beefier.

Ingredients:
1 pound of macaroni
2 cups of cheese (any kind, shredded or cubed)
1 pound of ground beef
1 cup of milk

Step 1: Boil the macaroni for about 7 minutes, until al dente. Meanwhile, brown the ground beef and drain the fat.

 Step 2: Drain the pasta, add it back to the pan. Add in the cheese and milk, heat until the cheese melts, stirring often so the cheese doesn’t burn to the bottom of the pan. Add the beef back in, mix well.

I used half cheddar and half pepper jack cheese, so it was a little tangy. I’d recommend trying it. You can use any kind of cheese and noodle shape you want, and even add veggies if you’re feeling crazy.

Casseroles, Crock pot, Less than 5, Slow cooker

Slow cooker ham & corn rice casserole

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This is another creation born of needing to use up items left in the pantry. You’ll notice two themes in most recipes from times where I am either very busy (being a student) or in a state of flux (like moving), I use the slow cooker a lot, and recipes get a little weird.

I prefer the term “creative” but let’s not argue semantics.

Anyhow, the best template for any meal in a rush is “meat + carb + vegetable/fruit + liquid”, and I use it a lot.

You can have literally endless variations, and in fact nearly every meal ever is based on this formula.

For this recipe, I simply checked my food box and freezer to see what was left, then followed the formula with things I thought might go well together. This is what ended up happening.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cubed ham
  • 1 box rice pilaf with seasoning packet
  • 1 can corn with liquid
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 cup water

Step 1: Mix all ingredients in the slow cooker. Set on low for at least 4 hours; I left it for about 9 all day.

The rice didn’t end up being overly mushy, which I worried about, and the corn gave it a nice sweet flavor. Ham paired with this well, though I think chicken would’ve been even better based on past experience with the flavor of rice pilaf and the fact that I used cream of chicken soup rather than mushroom or celery.

But overall it was tasty, couldn’t be easier, used up a box and two cans from the pantry, and lasted for about 6 servings, so I call that a success.

Breakfast, Eggs, Vegetarian

Breakfast Pitas

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A friend had bought several wheat pitas and didn’t want them all so she gave me a few. Being that I was moving in three days and didn’t have much food left in the fridge, I used up the rest of my eggs to make breakfast pitas! So between this post, my breakfast strata, country-style skillet and short cut, you have no excuse to not be well-fed in the mornings!

Ingredients:
1 wheat pita
2 eggs
1 tbsp sriracha
1/4 cup shredded cheese

Step 1: Break the eggs into a sprayed frying pan and cook until whites harden. Flip and cook on the other side another 2 minutes.
Step 2: Cut one half of the pita open to create a pocket. Stuff the cheese into it, and then the cooked egg on top.
Step 3: Squeeze on a little bit of sriracha (or Tabasco, or salsa, whatever). Then fold one open end over, rolling the pita into a little football-shaped taco. Enjoy!

The nice thing about pitas is that they are portable, and more spill-proof than burritos, which tend to leak out the end.

Breads, Breakfast, Casseroles, Comfort food, Eggs, Vegetarian

Breakfast Strata

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This breakfast strata is filling, delicious, cheap and surprisingly easy and customizable. All your typical breakfast favorites make an appearance: eggs, milk, bread, cheese. Then you add in some breakfast meats if that’s your thing (bacon, sausage, ham) and/or some vegetables if you like that sorta stuff (spinach, onion, peppers, asparagus), bake it up nice and warm and gooey and enjoy! Whatever you like and have on hand can be mixed in. This turned out divine!

Ingredients:
6-8 eggs, lightly beaten
2 slices bread
1-2 cups cheese (cubed, sliced or shredded)
1/4 cup milk
4 slices ham (or bacon or crumbled sausage)
1/2 cup chopped spinach

Step 1: Beat the eggs and add the milk, mix well. Lay the bread in a sprayed 8×8 oven safe pan.

Step 2: Layer the meat, veggies and cheese on top of the bread.

Step 3: Pour the eggs over top.

Step 4: Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, until the eggs are fully cooked. Let it cool a few minutes, cut into pieces and enjoy!

Tastes even better than it looks, which is pretty darn good!

The bread is slightly mushy but holds texture, and the flavor combination was just perfect. This can easily be vegetarian, but it’s just not the same without eggs so I’m not sure if it can be vegan. Maybe a tofu egg substitute? I’ll have to dabble more in vegan cooking in the future.