4-Minute Cookies for Two

The Olympics have been leaving me on the edge of my seat. When commercial breaks appear, I jump up and rush to get something done- like going to the bathroom, cleaning and working on my college essays. But 5 minutes is not enough time to get any real work done - like baking cookies. Instead, I've been searching the internet for recipes that will not exceed my allotted work time of 5 minutes. 

This is the best I've come up with. I would never recommend taking a shortcut like this when you have time to make a real batch of cookies, but this will get the job done in a time crunch:

2 tbls unsalted butter, softened 
2 tbls granulated sugar 
2 tbls packed light brown sugar 
2 tbls beaten egg (this is about 1/2 to 3/4 of an egg)
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract 
5 tabls flour 
1/4 tsp baking soda 
1/4 tsp kosher salt 
1/4 c chocolate chips 

Cream together the butter and the sugars in a microwavable bowl. Mix in beaten egg and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Stir a couple times, then add chocolate chips, stirring to combine.

 Microwave for 60 seconds. It may look undercooked, but it will continue to cook as it cools. While it is still hot, run a knife along the edge.

Creamy Beef and Pasta

After 6 weeks apart, my sister has finally returned home from Minnesota where she was taking a physics course to complete her double major. Personally, I think she needs to prioritize family of higher education. But then again, I get to use her return home as an excuse to spend time in the kitchen. 
While she was away, she stayed on a 5-meal plan. For those of you unfamiliar, that means she is allowed 5 meals a week. 5 meals where most people usually have 21. Luckily, during this time, she was house sitting for a family who told her to that she could eat anything in their kitchen. Previously, she was living on packs of hot cocoa mix and making a pound of pasta last a whole week. Now, she could enjoy cans of sardines and packs of ramen noodles - a feast!
When she told me this, I became intrigued with the idea of scrounging up a meal from whatever was lying around the house. While our cupboards are usually stocked with enough ingredients to make most basic recipes, we certainly did not have everything I wanted so I decided to give it a shot.

I present Scrounger's Feast:

1 lb pasta
3/4 pound stew beef, cubed
1 onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic
4 tbls butter
1 c milk
2 tbls flour
1 tbls garlic powder
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup cheese (Parmesan ideal)
Salt to flavor

Begin by melting 2 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan over medium heat.

Life doesn't get better than melted butter

  Mix in the beef and onion and allow to cook until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are caramelized (you may wish to turn down the temperature to allow a slower, more even cook).

Boil pasta in water as directed. Drain and rinse in cold water.

In the pasta pot, melt the remaining butter. Stir in flour and salt and garlic powder. Add milk. Bring to a slow boil to allow sauce to thicken.

Pour pasta into sauce pot. Mix. Add in cream and cheese.
Mix in the meat and onion. Best served when warm.

From: http://www.123rf.com/photo_3184586_campanelle-pasta-with-beef-fillet-strips-in-a-sage-and-grain-mustard-sauce.html

Zucchini Mania: Stuffed Edition

Zucchini part 2! The entree to the feast. This is a pretty traditional "I have to too much zucchini what am I gonna do?" dish. But, like so many traditional dishes, there is a good reason for that - because it is so. darn. good.
So. Darn. Good.
Classic meat meets cheese dish. Stuffed in a healthy exterior. 
Let's get cookin'

  
Oven Temp - 400
Prep Time - 20 minutes
Cook Time - 10 minutes
Total Time - 30 minutes

4 medium zucchini (or in my case, one giant zucchini)
1 pound ground beef 
1/2 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup marinara sauce
1/4 cup bread crumbs 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon pepper 
1 cup  shredded cheddar cheese, divided
 
Cut zucchini in half the long way. Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each to make the zucchini sit flat. Scoop out pulp.

Cover  the shells and microwave on high for 3 minutes or until you can cut in easily with a knife. Drain fluid that gathers in the shell.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.

 Remove from the heat and stir in  marinara sauce, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup cheese.
Spoon about 1/4 cup into each shell.

Bake in oven at 400 for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Each half is almost 10 inches

I later heard that some people carve out zucchinis like this ^. I like the look of that so I think I'll try it next time.

Zucchini Mania: Chip Edition

This is part one of a seemingly endless series of zucchini recipes. My friend went on vacation this past week leaving me his garden to care for. As he showed me around he excitedly pointed to a couple innocent little yellow flowers saying "The first zucchini of the season will be ready this week!". I was amazed that these little flowers would have time to grow into zucchini in just one week. Unfortunately, I was wrong. When I stopped by on Saturday to see if anything had happened, I saw the world's 7 largest zucchinis growing. The picture doesn't do them justice.

4 of the 7 monsters - all well over 1.5 feet long

Now, I'm sure you zucchini-experts are all rolling your eyes at me. Everyone should know that vegetables don't stop growing unless picked....everyone except me. Oh well.
 As you can see, I had my hands full - quite literally. I sat down and began listing all of the uses of zucchini I could think of. I spent all afternoon preparing a zucchini feast - appetizer, entree and dessert. Today, I present 3 new recipes, but more will follow soon enough. 

The first recipe I present to you is zucchini chips. They make an excellent little snack, so good in fact that I keep eating them every time I walk past their cooling spot - which is a lot given that I'm cooking all day today and they are waiting seductively on the counter.

2 small zucchini sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs 
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 
pinch of pepper
1/4 cup milk 

Mix together the dry ingredients (everything other than milk and zucchini).

Dip zucchini in milk, then into dry ingredients. 
Place slices on a wire cooling rack on top of a pan to catch the crumbs.

Bake at 425 for about 30 minutes. Check after about 20 minutes to prevent burning.

Seductively cooling

Cheesecake Strawberries

As you already know, I love small things - miniature versions of bigger products. Because of this, it should come as no surprise that a dish like cheesecake-stuffed strawberries drew me in. A one-sbite dessert! How cute! It turned out there was more to these than meets the eye. Not only are they cute, but they are also delicious. 
The recipe is so simple, so easy but the product makes it look like much more effort went into the creation.  

1 lb large strawberries
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3-4 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
graham cracker crumbs

Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberry. Remove the tops and clean out with a paring knife.

Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Pour cream cheese mix into a piping bag or ziploc with the corner snipped off.

Fill strawberries with cheesecake mixture. Once strawberries are filled, dip the top in graham cracker crumbs.

If not serving immediately, refrigerate until serving.

For extra yum, you can dip the strawberries in chocolate after they have been filled.

If any of you have recipe requests or suggestions, please comment! I'm eager to hear from you all!

Also! A great tip for transportation - use an egg carton! The strawberries fit perfectly.