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Ratatouille

Ratatouille is a classic french dish that stemmed from poverty. Because they could not afford it, they made do with that they had. I don’t usually make vegetarian dishes because they usually aren’t filling, and I require a lot of protein in my daily regimen. This dish, however was not only incredibly filling, but it was also delicious! I don’t always like the texture of zucchini, but in this dish it has the perfect consistency and the tomato just compliments the squashes so well. For flavoring, I decided to go with thyme, rosemary and basil, and all three spices help unify this dish and add a layer of more flavor. I highly recommend this dish! Finally, though I have not tried freezing this dish, the ingredients are perfect for freezing, so I plan to freeze some the next time I make this giant pot of ratatouille. This recipe makes 6-7 adult sized servings.

  1. Wash, half, and slice 2 large zucchini and 2 medium yellow squash. Dice one medium onion. Add all to a dutch oven.
  2. Place dutch oven over medium high heat. Add 2 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil and 1 Tbsp garlic powder. Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
  3. Add 16 Oz of diced tomatoes, or 3 large tomatoes diced. Add 2 tsp of each thyme, rosemary, and basil. Cook covered for 10-15 minutes or until tomato is cooked, and zucchini and squash are tender.
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Cheesy Chicken Casserole

A couple of days ago, we had KFC for dinner and we had our wings and drumsticks left over. I wanted to use up our leftovers and also make something new. As a result, this casserole was born. If you don’t prefer spaghetti, you could use other noodles, such as egg noodles or bowtie pasta. I used vermicelli, but that’s just what I’ve always used. I break my pasta in half, but you can also beak it smaller for this casserole if you want an easier time serving. I used 3 pieces of chicken. I warmed them, de-boned, removed cartilage, then tore up and added the chicken and the skin. Other than that, I served my pasta casserole right away, however it was pretty messy with the big noodles. The leftovers were very easy to divide and serve. Absolutely delicious, and I plan to make this dish or a similar version again in the future. Also, since I used KFC chicken it had plenty of flavor. If you plan to make this with a very plain chicken, you should consider doubling the spice in the casserole to add more flavor.

  1. Bake one chicken breast till internal temperature of 165 F is reached. (Bake at 400 F for 30 minutes. You may also use a whole can of shredded chicken, or 3-4 pieces of fried chicken and skin.)
  2. Using a mixer, shred the chicken. Place 1 cup of shredded chicken to the side and preserve the rest.
  3. In a large sauce pan, bring water to a boil and cook 12 oz of spaghetti until al dente and strain.
  4. In a 3 qt casserole dish, add your shredded chicken (1 cup), 1 can of cream of chicken concentrate, 1/2 can of milk, 1 Tbsp garlic powder, 2 tsp paprika, and 1 tsp curry powder. Stir together.
  5. Heat oven to 400 F.
  6. Add spaghetti and stir together. Add 6 oz of your choice cheese. (I used 4 oz shredded mozzarella, 1 oz shredded white shape cheese, and 1 oz crumbled white American cheese.) Stir together until cheese is distributed.
  7. Top with even layer of parmasean, then bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Serve right away, or refrigerate, cut, reheat, and serve.
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New Kitchen Shelf

If you’ve been following me for a while, you may remember my post back in January or February about my DIY Hidden Pantry. This pantry was very helpful, and very convenient, however over time, the screws began to pull from the wall since we didn’t use drywall anchors. Also, the pantry was too small for all the snack foods I had and needed to store. We eventually began to store bags of chips on the fridge just because they wouldn’t fit in the space anymore.

Josh and I want to eventually put in built in cabinets around the fridge, however, we want to see how we can use our space in the meantime. So, we decided to get a shelf from target, and if it’s very useful, we’ll eventually add doors, or install all built ins. With built ins, we hope to also re-arrange our washer & dryer, but one step at a time.

The shelf we got is the 5 shelf bookcase from target, and we picked the color black. It was easy assembly, and gave us so much more space. Each shelf holds 30 pounds, and the shelf is shallow enough to not interfere with the dryer door.

  • Before
  • Removed Pantry
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Bread with Orange Blossom Honey

Bread is one of my favorite gifts to make for others, and this recipe has been a huge hit. If you don’t have honey, just simply substitute honey for 1/3 cup sugar. I like the honey recipes not only because I have a lot of honey, but because it’s healthier and adds a bit of a different flavor to the bread. Though the honey in more noticeable in bagels and rolls, you still get some of the flavor, and the bread isn’t as overall sweet as it would be with the sugar. I doubled the recipe and made 2 loaves at once.

  1. Mix together in a bowl, bloom 1 Tbsp active yeast in 1 cups warm water and 1 cups flour. Add 2 cups flour, 3 Tbsp Orange Blossom honey, and 2 Tbsp oil. Mix by hand or with a dough hook until dough comes together. Knead until elastic.
  2. Place in an oiled bowl, turn over, cover with a hand towel, and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  3. Grease a 9×5 bread pan.
  4. Punch down the dough, kneed, and form into a loaf. Place in prepared pan, and let sit until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
  5. About 10 minutes before bread has finished it’s second proof, turn oven to 350 F.
  6. Once risen, bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for 15 minute before serving
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Cucumber Lemon Ice Cubes

This is a quick way to a refreshing glass of juice in the summer. Simply blend, strain, pour, and freeze. You can also transfer them from the tray into a freezer bag to have lots prepared for your next picnic. The cucumber flavor is perfectly complimented with the lemon and sugar. The salt helps negate some sour, and that helps the cucumber flavor come out on top. It is helpful to serve this drink with a straw, since the cucumber and sugar will settle to the bottom as the frozen cubes melt. You can also omit sugar and salt if you prefer a flavored water experience instead. This is also a great opportunity to use up your extra cucumbers before they go bad!

  1. Wash 3 medium cucumbers. Slice into 1/2 inch slices.
  2. In a blender, add 2 cups of lemon juice, 10 Tbsp sugar, a pinch of salt, and a few cucumber pieces.
  3. Blend on high for 30 seconds, remove lid and add more cucumber pieces.
  4. Repeat step three until all cucumber is blended.
  5. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Return to a cleaned blender, then pour into an ice cube tray.
  6. Carefully transfer to freezer and freeze for 8-24 hours, till solid.
  7. When serving, add 3 cubes per 16 oz of liquid.

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