Thursday, August 25, 2011

Easy/Fast/Healthy/Yummy/Simple

Don't really know what to call this because I made it up. I was rushing to see a friend before my night class a few days ago and needed to make something to eat really fast. I've been trying to avoid fast food, so I dug in the fridge and pantry until I found stuff I could work with.

I'm kind of a weird person, in that I like to see how delicious of something I can make with minimal ingredients. I challenge myself to get creative and see what I can come up with. Most of the time  Every now and then I'm successful.


Here's all I did:

First I made some couscous. So light and delicious. The best part is it only takes 5 minutes to cook. I have a bad reputation for cooking rice, meaning..well...I just suck at making rice, ok? So couscous is perfect for me because it's a lot more difficult to mess up.
Then I sauteed some veggies. I heated olive oil in a pan and sprinkled my veggies with Tony's. I also added a tiny bit of butter as well. We had bell pepper and zucchini, so those are the veggies I used. Definately would've added broccoli, squash or onion if I did it again. I reheated my steak and sauteed that in the pan with my veggies for a few minutes too.
When everything looked cooked, I put my couscous in a bowl and put everything else on top. (As if you couldn't figure that out from my picture....sorry.) I tend to eat things from a bowl more than from a plate, if possible. Just my preference.

Overall it was really good. A great thing to make if you are trying to watch what you eat. Of course- you could make this 10X more difficult and expansive....but this is the way to go if you are trying to run out the door like I was.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Lemonade Pie FAIL

I'm posting this so next time I try to make this particular pie, I won't make the same mistake twice.

Lemonade pie is delicious. Tart, sweet, cold. So good....especially in this Texas heat. I followed my mom's recipe and was super pumped for my family to try it. I did everything right (it's not very difficult to make), but to my horror my pie didn't solidify very much. In the words my little brother used, "thanks for the pudding, Tara." See what I'm working with here? Rude people.

Fortunately, I have discovered the root of my pie problem. I was asking my mom what I could have possibly done wrong, and she asked how much frozen lemonade I used. The recipe card said, "one small can of lemonade" but as far as I knew, frozen lemonade only comes in one size. She told me that in the "olden days" (like the 90's..HAHA) lemonade also came in half sizes. So instead of using a regular sized can of lemonade, I should've only added half. It was a relief that technically it wasn't my fault. Ignorance is bliss. Sooo....here's my lemonade "pudding"...


                                                                        Exhibit A


WAAAAAAAAAAAA


It was delicious though. I will give myself that. If you decide that you want to make it the proper way here is what you will need:

- HALF a regular sized can of pink lemonade
- 1 can sweetened and condensed milk (14 oz)
- 1 medium container of cool-whip
- 1 graham cracker crust
Let your lemonade defrost and mix everything together with a hand mixer. Pour into your pie crust and let it refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

Hope yours turns out better than mine! :)







Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Beef....its whats for Supper

Soo...things have been a little crazy the past few weeks. I packed up all my worldly possessions, finished up my practicum, ended my job, graduated from college....and moved home. Yep. I know. O woe is me that I have to live with my parents. Seriously though...I miss Lubbock so much. I hope I can do it. The reason for it is that I was such an overachiever that I graduated college in 3 years, and OT school doesn't start until next summer. So I have a year to retake classes that I didn't do so well in and boost my GPA. Then maybe the OT school gods will be happy and take me. When I lived in my apartment, we weren't allowed to have grills. Since I'm at home I'm definately taking advantage of the grill because the best foods come from the grill......or maybe the crockpot. That's a tough one.

Anyways, I've recently become fascinated with all the different cuts of beef. That is so nerdy....but I really just want to learn all about them and how to cook each type. Look at this awesome picture I found!

Maybe I am the only person in the world who thinks this picture is remotely awesome. But I do not care. So hopefully I'll get organized and make some delicious beef while I'm at home and share it here. It's going to be difficult because why should I cook when I have......my mother. I just have to keep reminding myself that Alice from "The Brady Bunch" doesn't exist and eventually I will have a bunch of snot-faced children who will want food three times a day...not to mention their father. Heavens.


Me and the parents

My good friend Emily and I