Easy Spaghetti

So, one might think I had learned my lesson about recipes that seem easy. But I found a recipe for a yummy sounding pasta I thought I would try. I'm actually not much for pasta. I like it once in a while, but it's not my favorite. This recipe sounded simple and delicious.

It was really good and so easy to put together. I have been trying to build up a repertoire of things that I can throw together easily even when I don't have much time. This seems to be the key for cooking during the week.

Ingredients

7 ounces of spaghetti
2 large or 3 small garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons of chili pepper flakes
1/4 to 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Directions

The measurements in this recipe can be shifted depending on your taste preferences.

1. Cook spaghetti according to the directions on the package, until it is al dente.
2. Strain spaghetti and place in a large serving dish.
3. Add minced garlic, chili pepper flakes, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix together well.
4. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Veggies, veggies and more veggies!

One of the reasons I have trouble cooking is because I never seem to put together what most people think of as a meal.

I am a very plain eater. Some would call it picky. I am one of those crazies that does not like when her food touches. Yup, that kind of picky. I also have this tendency to eat one food at a time and call it a meal. I will eat a hard boiled egg and call it lunch. A bowl of soup is dinner. Heck, sometimes a bowl of cereal is dinner.

My boyfriend is one of those people that wants to eat in courses. A salad, some bread, a starch, a vegetable and meat. Without all of these components its just a snack. We're not really compatible dinner partners.

So while learning to cook edible chicken, I have also been working on putting (kinda) complete meals together.

I have found that the easiest, fastest and tastiest way to make a side dish is to cut up a veggie and stick it in the oven.

It is amazing to me that cooking something to the very brink of being burned yields such scrumptious results!

Broccoli is the most popular option for us, but I have also done this with cauliflower, asparagus, zucchini and corn.

There really is no recipe needed and cook times are not predictable either. I usually just cut up the veggie into bite-sized pieces, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and then mix it up with my hands to evenly coat. Then I stick the veggie in the oven at the same temperature that I am cooking the meat and let it go until its almost burned. So easy and so good!

Man Pleasing Chicken

I decided to give Pinterest cooking another go-around. I let my boyfriend choose the recipe this time.
He found the title of this chicken dish so amusing he insisted we try it.

It was my first success! Not only did it not burn or taste terrible, it was actually delicious!

So delicious that I decided to make it for Easter dinner with my parents.

I made it at home once and then I made it at my parent's house on Easter. I told her I was learning how to cook and that I needed to get some experience cooking for more people then just me and my boyfriend. She was reluctant, but allowed me to enter her kitchen under the condition that she supervise.

Now, to hear my mother tell it, she tried to teach me how to cook. She claims that she would try to get my sister and I to come watch her as she made dinner and such. We have differing memories because I remember not being allowed in the kitchen because I was 'under foot' and being told that mom 'can't cook if people are watching me'.  I also remember being told not to turn on the stove because I would burn down the house. Her reluctance to allow me to cook on Easter seems to support my version of the story, no?

The chicken itself is a great main dish for an event with more then 2 or 3 people. You can easily double or triple the recipe and the cut of chicken I recommend (chicken thighs) are far more inexpensive then a breast or tender.

Check out the recipe and try it! We have made it a few times already!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• salt and pepper
• rosemary

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Mix together dijon mustard, maple syrup and rice wine vinegar.
3. Place chicken in an oven proof baking dish and sprinkle with Salt and Pepper. Pour the mustard mixture over them, turning the thighs in the mixture so they are fully coated.
4. Bake for 40 minutes or until the meat is cooked (155 degrees). Halfway through baste the chicken with the sauce.
5. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Then sprinkle with fresh rosemary. Enjoy!