Recipes (of the food variety)

Shoutout to sen.fish for this very awesome idea

Since living on my own, I've been collecting a trying out a bunch of different recipes from a variety of places. Whenever I'm looking for something specific, I consult the Internet. When I'm searching for inspiration, I look at cookbooks that have been gifted to me over the years. When I need something that reminds me of home, I'll use something from my family.

The recipes here are from different places, but are written out by me. Specifically, these are my takes on dishes I've learned, making them work for my own preferences.

Cooking keeps me grounded. It's a form of creativity whenever I don't have the energy to sit and do something that requires more steps to get started. It's a way of bonding with people, even something as simple as making a smoothie for someone can be impactful. Please enjoy these recipes.

Brother-in-law's Pasta
Chicken Parmesan Nuggets
Chicken Enchilada Rollups

Brother-in-law's Pasta

This is a recipe that my brother-in-law taught me (hence the name), and it's a perfect dish to make when you need to eat something filling, yet light on the stomach. Also perfect for when you get home late and just wanna whip up something quick.

Serves 2 | Cooking time: about 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 box of any kind of short pasta (penne, farfelle, or fusilli work well here)
  • Handful of cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp olive oil (or enough to coat a pan)
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced OR 1/2 tbsp of garlic powder
  • Splash of milk
  • 1-2 ladles of pasta water
  • Salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese to taste

Instructions

  1. To prep, bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Set a pan on medium-low heat, coat with olive oil.
  2. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Once the pan is hot, set cut tomatoes in the pan, cut side down. Sautee until soft.
  3. Add garlic to pan. With a spatula, press the tomatoes until they flatten. Add splash of milk and gently mix together.
  4. Assuming the water is boiling now, add pasta and cook until tender (about 9 minutes).
  5. Halfway through the cooking process of the pasta, scoop out a ladleful of water and add it to the pan. Allow the sauce to simmer while the pasta finishes cooking.
  6. Once pasta is cooked, drain, then add to the sauce and toss over heat to coat. Add salt, pepper, and Parmesan and mix together.
  7. Take off the heat and let it sit for about a minute so the sauce can thicken. Serve on its own, or with some salad.

Chicken Parmesan Nuggets

Your typical chicken parm recipe, the difference being that instead of having large pieces of meat, you cut them up and them make them into nuggets. This is great for portion control, and for ensuring everything is cooked thoroughly.

Serves 2-3 | Cooking time: about 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken breast
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg (beaten)
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1 tbsp basil
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tbsp olive oil (enough to coat pan)
  • 1/2 jar of marinara sauce
  • 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. To prep, set oven to 425°F. In three separate bowls, fill one bowl with flour, one with egg, and the other with panko crumbs, oregano, basil, and Parmesan cheese. On a cutting board, cut chicken into about 3/4 inch cubes.
  2. Set a pan on medium heat, coat with olive oil.
  3. Once hot, dredge chicken pieces in flour, then egg, then crumb mixture. Set in pan and cook. Flip each side of the chicken pieces until both sides are browned (You will likely need to do this in batches).
  4. In a dutch oven, use 1/2 of marinara sauce (so 1/4 of the jar) to coat the bottom. Once a chicken piece is cooked, set into the dutch oven. Once all pieces are cooked and set inside, use the other 1/2 (or another 1/4 of the jar) to coat the chicken. Sprinkle shredded Mozzarella on top.
  5. Set dutch oven (without the top on) into the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the Mozzarella evenly melts and the sauce is bubbling.
    6. Remove from the oven. Serve with pasta of your choice.

Chicken Enchilada Rollups

My other was on one of those paleo diets for a while, and found this recipe that it still to this day one of my favorite dishes. It's a great recipe if you are gluten-free or just don't want to wrap your meat in a tortilla. To make this fully paleo, substitute the rice for grated cauliflower.

Serves 4 | Cooking time: about 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 10 oz can of enchilada sauce
  • 1 10 oz can of diced tomatoes w/ chiles
  • 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • 1 spoonful of guacamole
  • 1-2 cups of cooked rice

Instructions

  1. To prep, set oven to 375°F. Mix together cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and chili powder in a bowl. Rub mixture onto both sides of each chicken thigh.
  2. In a lightly greased baking pan, pour about half a can of enchilada sauce to the bottom of the pan. Slightly tilt to ensure entire bottom is covered.
  3. Lay out each chicken thigh onto a board. Take small handfuls of the tomatoes and chiles and put them in the middle of each thigh. Roll each one up, then set them in the baking pan.
  4. Top the thighs with remaining sauce, tomatoes, and cheese. Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
  5. While chicken is cooking, cook rice.
    6. Remove chicken from the oven. Once rice is cooked, place each thigh on top of plated rice, and top each thigh with guacamole.