Your Comments Have Inspired Me

My ISO new recipes has come to an end, thanks to you! I have found some wonderful new ideas that I will give a try as I'm procrastinating on my finals. From chocolate chip cookies to buffalo chicken stir fry to a Lawrence Dining Hall original (I see you West Chester University), my mouth is definitely watering.

I love the Mac n Cheese suggestion because there are so many different things you can do with it--and it's almost impossible to go wrong. There was also a sausage/potato/veggie plate suggested, it sounds absolutely wonderful and I think it would be a good way to mix things up. Can't go wrong with a good spinach dip, which I have never made myself (unless you count popping it in the microwave) so that's up there on my list of things to try. Smoked gouda wrapped in prosciutto sounds like a guilty pleasure I may become addicted to and, last but not least, the buffalo chicken stir fry may be the first thing I need to try.

Thank you to everyone who provided me with some new recipe ideas, I'll keep you updated on how my cooking adventures are faring!

ISO New Recipes!

Sometimes, even Pinterest fails to inspire me. Earlier, I asked for some help in discovering new foods...now, I really just want to try out some new recipes! It can be anything--a new way to make a grilled cheese or your favorite kind of cookie, a new twist on an old favorite or something totally new out and original! I want to hear them all!

So, what are some of your favorite recipes?

Quinoa and Spinach Bowl

Last Friday of Lent and I could not think of what to eat that did not contain meat. Eventually, I decided to try out this simple recipe that was inspired by a recipe I found on Pinterest which can be found here. As usual though, I didn't exactly follow the recipe (I didn't have enough quinoa!!) Anyway, here is the final result:

Here is what I did:
Cooked two boxes of a Quinoa and brown rice blend according to the directions on the box
Added 2 bags of baby spinach
4 tablespoons of basil pesto (I bought some pre-made but making your own is always a plus)
2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese

That's it! I started with the quinoa/brown rice blend and once that was cooked, I lowered the temperature on the stove and added the spinach, pesto, and cheese. It was pretty tasty and simple, I would suggest it to someone looking to try something new!

On the side, I had some tomato and mozzarella salad--which is even easier! I chopped up a tomato and half a block of mozzarella, mixed together some balsamic vinaigrette, ground pepper, and olive oil. My favorite!

Discovering New Foods

I grew up in a household full of picky eaters. So, for a long time, I myself was quite the picky eater. It wasn't my fault, I had never even tried half of the food offered to me at friends' houses and I was not about to eat something that looked weird! Anyway, as time went on, I began to become more open to trying new foods.

I'm still, at 22 years old, attempting to try all of those foods that I used to refuse and extend my taste buds as far as they will stretch. That being said, I just recently discovered that I am a huge fan of two things I used to say I was repulsed by--guacamole and sushi!

I was always turned off by the texture of guacamole and the general idea of sushi. However, I now can't imagine my life without them. So...what I would like to ask, and hopefully receive some suggestions for, what foods should a once-picky eater try next? I'm open to any and all suggestions! (Though I may still say no to some)

Comment away!

Turkey Burgers...yumm!

Turkey Burgers

So last night I tried making something I've been wanting to for a while but just haven't gotten around to...turkey burgers! Personally, I've never been a fan of ground beef so I decided to try this alternative. I loosely based it off of a Pinterest recipe (can be found here) but I changed some things around based on the ingredients I had on hand. They turned out pretty darn good if you ask me!


I started off with the spread they used. I only had enough ground turkey thawed out to make about 2 burgers so I didn't want to make a whole lot of this spread. I used:

• 2 tablespoons greek yogurt
• Lemon juice from 1/4 of a lemon
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder

The spread kind of tastes like veggie dip (I may make more and use it for my celery and carrots!) I put it in a little tupperware container and left it in the fridge so that the flavors could blend while I made the burgers.

I used about a 5th of a package of ground turkey to make two burgers (sorry I can't be more specific than that, remember I'm no chef). This was my method for the meat:

• Cut 5 cherry tomatoes into fourths
• 2 teaspoons of oregano
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons of onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 egg white (this was probably too much for the two patties I made, I'll probably alter this somehow the next time)
• 1/8 cup of chopped up red onion
• 1/4 cup of feta cheese

I placed all of this and the meat into a bowl and squished it all together with my hands (it was gross). From there, I made two patties and put one in the freezer for later. I cooked my patty until I was sure it was cooked through, put some of the spread on a hamburger bun, placed the patty on the bun with two slices of red onion on top and some extra feta cheese, and enjoyed (with a side of coleslaw)! I'll definitely make these again, next time probably making more than 2 patties and maybe skipping the extra cheese on top (it wasn't really necessary!)

Overall, this was a really easy recipe that I don't really think you can mess up! 

Welcome!

Welcome to the kitchen! If you, like me, were not gifted in the art of cooking then you're in the right place. Here I will share my cooking adventures and attempt to find my way around the kitchen. As a college student on a budget, you can be sure to find some affordable (and hopefully delicious) meal options on this page. So, let's get cooking!