When I made corn chowder, I told you that I liked to go to Zumba on Mondays. That means Monday dinner kind of gets short changed because I need something light and quick. This recipe fits the bill. Last Monday, I made this simple chicken dinner with broccoli and rice. As we were eating it I said to Ryan, “this is college Mariel dinner,” and he chuckled and nodded.

This was the meal I made all throughout college. It is the first real meal I ever knew how to make. It is probably the first meal I ever made for Ryan. In college I would’ve made this with defrosted frozen broccoli and a box of Near East rice pilaf, but over the years I’ve stepped up my game and now I can make everything from fresh ingredients.

I haven’t shared this recipe on the blog before because it didn’t seem very special. It seemed so straightforward, who would need this recipe? But the truth is my mom wrote this down for me when I was in college and didn’t know how to cook anything. She was writing down recipes for me in a spiral notebook and I felt like everything she was writing was too fancy (liked baked salmon filets). So I asked her, “how do I make just plain-ass chicken?” And this is it, plain-ass chicken.

This recipe is a great beginner recipe. It’s perfect for college students, busy people, people with few kitchen appliances, and people who want to learn to cook. Here are four other reasons why this meal is awesome.

1. It’s fast. The whole thing will take you 45 minutes. Yes, 45 minutes is longer than it takes to defrost a pizza, but it is faster than it takes to defrost a lasagna and can sometimes be faster than delivery.
2. It’s cheap. All the ingredients costs me less than £10. It serves two and you’ll still have rice and stock left for a future meal, so really cost per person is even lower.
3. It’s made of all whole, fresh, normal ingredients. So you can feel good about making a quick dinner with all ingredients you can pronounce.
4. It’s going to teach you three valuable basic cooking skills: how to make rice, how to steam vegetables, and how to cook chicken. Learn the basics and you have the foundation to make all kinds of more complicated stuff in the future.

Now a few notes on preparation. The only special equipment I recommend is a vegetable steamer. I like steaming vegetables because it is healthy and quick. Also, for beginner cooks you’ll be making everything on the stove which is good because it will be easy for you to keep your eye on everything. Also you can steam all kinds of veggies, green beans, asparagus, whatever you like. The vegetable steamer I use is pictured below. I like it because it’s easy to clean and store. It’s kind of floppy though so using the handles to remove the vegetables and steamer is a bit hard. If you aren’t going to steam your veggies, then I recommend roasting them. You can find my favorite roasted broccoli recipe at the Amateur Gourmet’s blog.

We’re going to be using boneless skinless chicken breasts. They don’t often get a lot of love because chicken with bones and skins have a bit more flavor. But boneless skinless is cheap to buy, easy to prepare, and quick to cook. You want to make sure that your chicken breast is uniform in thickness. The reason for this is that the thinner side can cook and dry out before the thicker side is even cooked. To even your chicken you can hammer it with a meat mallet. I don’t have that so I’ll sometimes use the bottom of a sturdy glass. You could also cut your chicken breast lengthwise, giving you pieces of even thickness. This is the method that I like, also because it also cuts down on cooking time.

Last note, for seasoning I used adobo and Old Bay, because that’s what I like. You should use what you would like. Don’t know what you like? Garlic powder, salt, and pepper are always a good choice.

Ok, now let me take you back in time to Mariel’s college days.

Messy level: This recipe is really easy and there isn’t much opportunity for spills or splatter. Still, you have to use three pots so that’s almost a full sink of dishes. Overall though, clean prep and easy clean up.

Easy Beginner Chicken Dinner

 

Print

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

An easy recipe for a beginner's chicken dinner

Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• ½ cup white rice
• 1 cup chicken stock (you can use water, but stock is more flavorful)
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• adobo (or your preferred seasoning for the chicken)
• 1 medium head of broccoli
• Old Bay (or your preferred seasoning for the broccoli)

Instructions

1. Start with the rice. Put the rice and stock in a medium sauce pan. Heat on high on a back burner (since you're going to set it and leave it). Bring to a boil. Once it boils, lower the heat to low. Cover the pan, let it simmer until all the liquid is absorbed. This takes usually 35-40 minutes, but check your packaging. [Beginner tip: to check for doneness, lift the lid, and use your spoon to push aside a bit of rice to see the bottom of the pan. Is there liquid? If so, not done]
2. Now prep the chicken to make the breasts even (see note above) Season generously with adobo/seasoning of your choice. Set aside.
3. 
4. Wash the broccoli. Cut into little florets.
5. 
6. In a medium saucepan put about ½ inch of water in the bottom. Put the steamer on top of it. Make sure the water doesn't come up over the steamer.
7. Put the vegetables on top of the steamer. Sprinkle with Old Bay or the seasoning of your choice.
8. 
9. Cover the broccoli. Cook on medium-high for about 10 minutes. [Beginner tip: At about 7 minutes, lift the lid and take out a piece of broccoli and test it to see if it tender enough for your liking. Turn off the heat when you feel it is cooked enough]
10. Put a little oil in a skillet. Heat the pan on medium-high.
11. Flick a little water into the pan. If it does nothing, your pan isn't hot enough. If it pops and sizzles aggressively then it is too hot. If it just jumps a little, you're ready.
12. Lower the heat to medium. Add the chicken. Cook on one side for about 3-5 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side for 3-5 minutes. Chicken should be done at about 8 minutes. [Beginner tip: Make a small cut into the chicken breast. Still pink? not done. Increase the heat if it's taking forever, lower the heat if you feel it is browning too quickly]
13. Turn off the heat and serve.

3.2.2807

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On Tuesday, Ryan and I had an appointment to set up a bank account. We arrive at the bank and the person we were supposed to meet was out sick. Also, part of the ceiling had collapsed so things were a mess. We had to reschedule. Sigh.

I then had an appointment to see an apartment. The place was very close to the tube station and in a cute development, but in a very residential place, and we wanted something a little more urban. I get to the place and the owner shows me around. Some parts were really nice, and some parts were not. There was black gunk on the bathroom floors! It must have shown in my face because the owner asked me twice why I didn’t like it. Awkward.

Next, I went to a department store to buy some underwear. (Sorry for the intimate detail) The sizing is all different and I’m holding things up and Googling size conversions to see what might work.

Finally, I went to a coffee shop. I had a huge pile of coins in my purse and I was trying to figure out if I had enough to pay (because I don’t know the coins by heart yet) and then I spilled everything all over the floor. So embarrassing! Ryan and I had just read an article that said only Americans help other people in distress. And maybe that’s true, because no one offered to help me clean up my scattered coins. I took my coffee and pastry and slunk to a hidden seat in the back of the cafe.

But, the day turned around and Ryan and I explored a new neighborhood and had a great dinner at a small Turkish restaurant.

Since then, I’ve had some really great wins too. I went to the Globe Theatre! I love Shakespeare. Ten years ago, I visited London and didn’t see the Globe and I’ve regretted it ever since. I decided to walk there and I’m so glad I did! It was sunny, I walked along the Thames and took pictures of the skyline. The theatre itself was pretty impressive and I loved learning the history. I loved picturing what it would have been like in Shakespeare’s day, and I hope I can convince someone to see a show with me there.

I then got lunch and ate outside along the Thames. Only a few weeks ago I was in DC surrounded by snow, and here I am now eating lunch outside.

Ryan and I also have successfully set up a bank account, done some laundry, and gone to the grocery store.

In general I love going to the grocery store, and it has been especially fun seeing the new and different things here in London. Grocery shopping and cooking has really helped this place feel like home. There’s so much here I don’t know how to do, but shopping and cooking feels like an adventure I do know about, and is something I can do well.

They have all kinds of cool stuff in the grocery store. Their cheese section is huge! Seriously, there are about 4 different sections for cheese. There’s also a huge section for beans. The portion sizes are way smaller than we’re used to. The family sized juice is about the size of regular juice. The eggs aren’t refrigerated. But what I really thought was cool was that the cartons tell you the breed of chicken. I also saw quail and duck eggs, which I’ve never seen before. I will definitely need to figure out how to use those. There’s also beet juice! I need to try that, although I’m a bit afraid. Also, I saw brown sugar, which is totally normal. But, it was advertised as “treacly.” I didn’t know what that meant, so I had to look  it up. Finally the milk jugs look different and so do Starbucks to-go drinks.

Also, next time I go to the store I’m going to do a “myth busters” edition, where I’ll hunt down all the things people said we couldn’t find here in London. Stay tuned!

Anyway, I didn’t go crazy shopping in the store. Ryan and I are in temporary housing so I don’t want to make things that need a lot of ingredients. I need recipes that are low maintenance, can be made exclusively on the stove, and fairly healthy. A stir fry seemed perfect.

This is really an improv dish, so use the vegetables you like and trust your instincts. Use more veggies if you like. Cook until it looks good to you. Do what feels right. This is a super easy dish, quick, and great for people not wanting to do a ton of work.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked rice

1 large carrot

1 1/2 cup broccoli florets

½ cup peas

4 (or more) white mushrooms

1 pound chicken breast, cut into chunks

About 2 tbsp of concentrated chicken stock (you could also use regular chicken stock, I just bought the small concentrated packets from the store)

olive oil

salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Put 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water in a medium sauce pan. Heat on high until the water comes to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.

2. On medium high, heat a little oil in a sauce pan. Add the carrots and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper if you like. Add 1/2 the chicken stock concentrate. Also add about 1 tbsp of water to help make the stock saucy. Cook the vegetables for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally but not constantly. It might take longer than 10 minutes, but you want the vegetables to be easily chewable with a little bit of crunch.

3. Remove from pan, add a splash of olive oil, then add the mushrooms and peas. You’re doing this in steps so everything can cook evenly and the vegetables that need longer get longer. Cook for about 5+ minutes. You want the peas to be soft and mushrooms to be soft and a bit smaller and wilted.

4. Remove mushrooms and peas from pan. Add a flick of olive oil and add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is all the way cooked through. This could take as little as 5 minutes, but close to 10 minutes depending on thickness of the meat.

5. When the chicken is all the way cooked through, add all the vegetables back in. Add the rest of the chicken stock and another tablespoon of water. Stir to get everything coated. Taste it and adjust seasonings as necessary.

6. Serve the stir fry on top of the rice. Eat and enjoy!

Messy level: 2 spoons. The messiest part is just switching out everything between the pans. You could do everything in multiple pans if you wanted, but I only have 2 burners, and that would be super messy. Mostly, this is a super clean dish.

The post Chicken & Vegetable Stir Fry with Rice appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

I’ll be honest with you, I got this idea and name from Pinterest about 3 years ago and I’ve loved it ever since. It’s my favorite thing to make during the holidays. This time of year, I want to give presents and contribute to parties but it can get really time consuming and expensive. I love this recipe because it’s quick, inexpensive, and always a crowd-pleaser. In grad school I used to make huge batches of these for my doormen and after the holidays they were always asking for more. The recipe is also great for parties because they are crunchy-sweet-salty bite that you just pop in your mouth. It’s easy to make and eat a ton.

I also love this recipe because there is so much room for variety. You need three ingredients: pretzels, Hershey’s kisses, and m&m’s. But, you can use whatever kiss you like as long as there isn’t something solid in the middle. I’ve only used dark or milk chocolate kisses, but I think you could use hugs, or even the caramel kisses. And the best place for variety is the m&m. I’ve used regular, dark chocolate, coconut, and mint (which is what I used this time). You could also forgo the m&m and use a nut or a candy corn. So simple, yet so many options.

As for choosing pretzels, a circle shapes look the best and gives you the “nose” part of reindeer nose. However, I have only found circle pretzels once. If you find them, that’s awesome. If not, don’t worry this shape is  just not worth the quest. The second best option is the square pretzels, which you’ll see here. And of course, if you can’t find anything else, use the mini regular shaped pretzels. In the end, it’s mostly about taste and less about looks.

Anyway, as you prepare for all your parties and and presents, definitely consider this recipe. Or just make it as a snack for yourself. It’s that yummy and quick.

Ingredients

1 lb bag of pretzels (you won’t use all of it)

1 12 oz bag of Hershey kisses (or get the bigger family bag if you want more)

1 10 oz bag of m&m’s (you want the large bag, not the regular or king size snack bags)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to the lowest setting. On my oven that’s 200°.

2. Dump a bunch of pretzels on a large cookie sheet. Arrange them all so they are in a single layer.

3. Unwrap as many Hershey’s kisses as you have pretzels on your cookie sheet. Look at your huge pile of candy wraps and feel a little guilty about packaging waste.

4. Place the Hershey kisses on top of the pretzels.

5. Place the cookie sheet in the oven for 4-6 minutes. The chocolate should glisten when you take it out.

6. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven, press the m&m on top of the chocolate. The chocolate is perfectly melted if the m&m meets no resistance and gets nestled in a bed of chocolate. The Hershey kisses needs to be melted more if the m&m can’t press all the way down and your chocolate looks kind of wonky. Look at the picture below. The one on the left (green) isn’t melted enough and the one on the right (white) is perfectly done.

7. Cool in the fridge until the chocolate is hardened. It’s about 30 minutes. You can also eat them while they are a little gooey and warm.

8. Serve and snack!

Messy level: Just one spoon! The only mess I ever make is if I accidentally stick my finger in a melted kiss. The other mess which always makes me feel guilty is the Hershey kiss wrappers. It just looks like a big mess all piled up on the counter.

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Now, some of you might be saying, “Mariel are you crazy?! I love canned cranberry sauce and it is a Thanksgiving staple.” And I hear you. Canned cranberry sauces is sweet, predictable, and tastes pretty good. But let me give you four reasons to consider making it yourself.

1. It’s super easy to make. With this recipe, even the most inexperienced cook can bring something delicious to the holiday table. And it stores well too, so you can make it days ahead of time.

2. The numbers don’t lie. This recipe is both inexpensive and makes a lot. One bag of fresh cranberries about $2 and a can is about $1.50. And, one 12oz bag of fresh cranberries will make about 2.5 cups of sauce (about 20 oz), while a can is usually 14oz. You’re getting up to 6 oz more of cranberry goodness for just 50¢.

3. Three ingredients. All pronounceable, all familiar.

4. The “awe factor.” You’ll bring it to your holiday feast and people will be all, “wow you made that,” and they don’t have to know that it took you less than 15 minutes. Making your own cranberry sauce, you can feel proud that you stepped Thanksgiving up a notch. BOOM.

Seriously, I love this recipe. I made it on Sunday and have just been eating it straight from the bowl with a spoon. I take it to work as a lunchtime side dish. Ryan has has about 2 spoonfuls and I’ve probably eaten the rest.  I like to think this is how I’m getting my daily servings of fruit.

But, if you still absolutely need your can, and you think this is the most ridiculous, blasphemous post ever – please stick with me just a bit longer. At the bottom of the recipe I have a few variations that might satisfy those of you who prefer smooth and canned cranberry sauce.

Adapted from how my mom told me to make this (and also the back of the Ocean Spray bag)

Ingredients:

1 cup of water

1 cup of sugar

1 12oz bag of fresh (or frozen) cranberries

Directions:

1. Rinse cranberries.

I used frozen berries

2. Put the water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat on high and bring it to a boil. As that water is heating up, I stir occasionally to help the sugar dissolve.

3. Once the water is boiling, add the cranberries. When the water has come back to a roiling boil, then lower the heat to medium-low.

4. Simmer the cranberries for 10 minutes, or until the water becomes thick and red. This simmering part is THE BEST. The cranberries hiss, sizzle, and pop open. Their skins burst and their sweet-tart juice ooze out.

5. Remove from heat and let cool a bit. Store in the refrigerator. The sauce will thicken a bit more as it cools.

Variation #1 – For a citrus twist on an old favorite add up to 1/2 cup of orange juice in with the water and sugar. Follow the directions as above. At the end, stir in zest from 1 orange.

Variation #2 – Prefer smooth sauce? Follow the recipe above. Once it’s cool enough to touch, pour the sauce into a fine mesh sieve or colander. Place that over a bowl. Using a metal spoon or your hands, press the sauce through the sieve. Keep pressing until all that’s left in your sieve are the seeds and skins. In your bowl you’ll have smooth sauce.

Variation #3 – Absolutely need the can shape? Find how you can do it here, from Food 52.

Messy Level – Just one spoon. The only time I made a mess was when I’d sneak the container out from the fridge and then eat giant spoonfuls over the counter. There was spilling. It was delicious, so I couldn’t be neat as I scarfed it down.

The post Whole Cranberry Sauce appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

I got the recipe from Real Simple: Easy, Delicious, Home Cooking, spring/summer 2012 magazine. I love this magazine! The recipes use lots of seasonal vegetables which I’ve been finding in my weekly farm shares. I think it’s really a must-have book for people who have farm shares.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pound baby potatoes halved, or quartered if especially large

1 lemon, thinly sliced

8 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon of olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup pitted kalmata olives

6-ounce skinless tilapia fillets

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.

2. In a large bowl toss the potatoes, lemon slices, and thyme with the 2 tablespoons of the oil, and about a 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Once well mixed, arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.

3. Roast, stirring once, for 20 minutes. The potatoes should begin to soften.

4. Add olives to potato mixture. I put the olives only on half of the sheet because someone doesn’t like olives.

5. Place the tilapia on top of the potato, lemon, and olive mixture. Drizzle the tilapia with the last teaspoon of olive oil and season with the paprika. Also season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Continue to roast until the tilapia is opaque and the potatoes are golden brown. This should take about 12-15 minutes more.

Messy level: Two spoons and just because you’re basically making two separate things.

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I found this recipe for orange cranberry muffins on food.com, but I decided to take a risk and change it a bit. First, I used dried cranberries instead of fresh. Second, I decided to put in some fresh orange bits in the muffin. I got this idea from a blood orange cake recipe I made once from Smitten Kitchen. I liked the warm and juiciness of the cooked oranges so I thought I’d try it. But, I was nervous because baking is a science and I was wondering if the juice from the orange ruining the muffin. It all worked out well and it tastes good, so yay for experimenting! I only put in about 3/4 of an orange, because I kept eating pieces, so I think a full orange could work.

Anyway, making this recipe is pretty easy and it’s so quick! The only prep work is chopping the cranberries and zesting the orange. I realized that my mandoline slicer has a grating blade, which makes it so easy to zest! Also, for as much as I bake, flour is NOT my friend. Every time I use flour it gets all over everything in my kitchen, as evidenced by the picture below which shows flour all over the sink and the pots and pains that were drying.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped (I used orange flavored ones)

1 egg

3/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 orange, chopped into tiny pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°

2. In large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda

3. In a small bowl beat egg, orange juice, oil, and zest

4. Add cranberries and liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients

5. Stir until just moistened

6. Put mixture into greased muffin cups (or use paper liners). Fill about 3/4 full

7. Bake 15-20 minutes until browned on top

Messy Level: I’ll give this two spoons because I find it hard to neatly get the batter into the muffin pans. Also, because of flour. I always get flour everywhere.

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I decided to start this blog a week before my thesis was due so there hasn’t been a lot of time for cooking. But I was so excited, I wanted to make something, so I decided to on this recipe for blueberry baked oatmeal. It’s so delicious and easy. It was the perfect meal for last weekend.  I went to New York  last weekend to work on my thesis and turn it in. (YAY!) This recipe fed me for two straight days, it was warm, delicious and the perfect brain food. 

In general, I really don’t like oatmeal. It’s lumpy and has a weird texture. The first time my future mother-in-law made it I was nervous because, as I said, I don’t like oatmeal. But this recipe is delicious! Baked it becomes a like a bready/cake and its filling and wonderful. Also making it feels like preparing a fancy weekend breakfast – but it’s so fast to make it could be made any time.

I love this recipe with blueberries because they get warm and gooey. My mother-in-law also recommends sweet potatoes or canned pumpkin. I think this would be good with anything that you’d put in a pie, like chocolate chips, strawberries, apples and cinnamon, or brown sugar on top to make a crunchy sweet coating.  Just have fun with it!

Messy level: One spoon. This is so flipping clean and straightforward. Mix everything in a bowl, poor into your backing dish. Boom, you’re done.

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Serves: 9

Ingredients

• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup sugar (use up to 1 cup if you like it sweeter)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups quick oats
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 pint blueberries (or other fruit you like)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Grease an 8x8 pan with butter.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and eggs.
4. Then add the oatmeal, baking powder, salt, and milk.
5. Fold in the blueberries.
6. Stir all ingredients until well mixed.
7. Put the mixture into the pan. Use a spoon to evenly flatten and pack in the oatmeal mixture.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes until slightly browned on the edges.

3.5.3226

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