So since school has started and everyone is busy with classes and work already, we thought we would share one of our favorites, the EASIEST side dish ever. Even if you think you don’t like broccoli, you’re wrong. You just … Continue reading
So when we were in Paris over Christmas, we discovered the most amazing vegetable – the leek. Now, we had had leeks in dishes or soups before, but they never really stood out to us. Until. One of the best side dishes ever. Plain old creamed leeks. Nothing fancy, just absolutely delicious. We’ve tried to make them at home and this is the closest we’ve gotten to the true French dish.
If you’ve never had leeks before, they’re in the same family as onions and garlic and are very mild in flavor. Because they have so many leaves and layers, use this video to learn how to properly clean and chop a leek. Trust us – it’s not hard and it’s totally worth it.
1. Clean and chop your leeks. Watch the video (linked above) if you’ve never done this.
2. In a non-stick pan, melt your butter over medium heat. Add the leaks, water, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the leeks are soft.
3. Stir in the cream and parmesan and cook for another minute or so to let everything come together. If you want the sauce to be thicker, cook for longer.
4. Serve and enjoy!
-D&E
Erica really likes salads. She orders them at restaurants, makes fun ones at home with lots of toppings, but sometimes lettuce just gets boring. We have the solution! Instead of using lettuce as the base for a salad, why not… broccoli?
Broccoli is full of all sorts of good stuff – like vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants. It’s fun to mix up your veggie side dish routine and try something different. This recipe was really what we had on hand, so any variations would be just as delicious! If you try it out with any different ingredients, let us know if the comments below!
1. Make sure all your veggies are washed and dry. Chop to whatever size you like.
2. Mix everything and add your dressing! It’s best to add the dressing over each individual portion, so the rest can be refrigerated and saved for later.
3. Serve and enjoy!
-D&E
We’ve been so busy lately that we have been desperately searching for really quick, 20-minute dinner recipes that you don’t have to do much prep work for. We got lucky and stumbled across a recipe that looked pretty good, so we adjusted it to our likings and what we already had on hand.
…WOW. This turned out amazing and we will be adding it to our regular rotation of meals. It required no chopping or prep work and was seriously restaurant quality (and even had some veggies for nutritional value, say what?). If you want to impress some friends but are a little nervous to cook dinner – definitely try this one out. You can even add a nice chicken breast or some shrimp to fancy it up!
But really, go out and buy some gnocchi and make this tonight. You won’t regret it.
1. Start the water and cook the gnocchi according to the package. Drain and do not rinse.
2. If you had time beforehand, set out your corn and peppers to thaw. If not (like us), steam or microwave them until warm.
3. For the sauce, combine the half and half, cream cheese, and seasonings in a saucepan. Eyeball the seasonings but don’t go overboard! You can always add more but you can’t take away. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until slightly thickened (6-7 minutes). Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
4. Add the drained gnocchi back in the big pot and add the warm veggies. Pour over the sauce and stir to combine.
5. Stir in the spinach gently to not squish the gnocchi.
6. Serve with some grated parmesan and enjoy!
-D&E
Sorry that we didn’t post anything at all last week! It was our last week of classes and we both had projects, exams, and papers due. Needless to say, it left us with very little time to cook together and post new recipes to the blog. However, since it has been so long since our last post, we have a lot to catch up on!
On the 2nd, the Pitt Ballet Club performed The Nutcracker. This was Erica’s fifth and final Nutcracker as a student (she has been a member of the Pitt Ballet Club since her first semester at Pitt) but this was also Declan’s first time being in the show! We played Fritz and Clara’s parents during the party scene – Declan even had to do a little dance!
This past weekend, we celebrated Declan’s “graduation” (he still has two finals to complete this week) with all the other graduating students of our engineering school. All he has left is this week and he is done with college! Declan is happy to be done with school, but sometimes doesn’t seem like it…
Anyway, we have for you today a really simple recipe, especially if you’ve already made our regular lasagna before. This veggie lasagna recipe is perfect for finals week because you will have plenty of leftovers to feed you all week. Trust us, it is filling! We practically used the same exact recipe seen on the Pioneer Woman’s blog. Declan and Rory had a good time making it!
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in the garlic and onions and cook for a minute or so, then add in the peppers and squash and cook for another minute. Finally, add in the mushrooms and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes (or until the mushrooms begin to shrink).
3. Add the wine and pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add in the can of whole tomatoes. Use your hands to crush the tomatoes before mixing into the pan.
5. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Sir in the parsley towards the end.
6. Meanwhile, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, and Parmesan in a small bowl. Add in a pinch of salt and pepper.
7. In a 9×13 inch baking dish, alternate the layers: veggie sauce, lasagna noodles, cheese mix, then mozzarella slices. Do this for about 3 layers. Add to the top layer the Mozzarella slices and extra Parmesan cheese.
8. Cover in foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until nice and bubbly.
9. Serve and enjoy!
-D&E
So we wanted to fit one post in this week to help you guys out with Thanksgiving. If you are totally out of side dish ideas for tomorrow we have a really easy and tasty one here for you – Brussels Sprouts with Bacon! You might be thinking “Who ever eats Brussels sprouts?” and you probably have a good reason to think that. However, before this recipe Erica thought she didn’t like Brussels sprouts but changed her mind after her second helping of this dish! Bacon can do magical things. Now hurry up and get to a grocery store before tomorrow!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
1. Cut an “X” into the stem of each Brussels sprout. Set aside.
2. In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté the garlic for 3 minutes over medium heat.
3. Add in the Brussels sprouts into the pot and toss to evenly coat.
4. Add in the chicken broth and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover and let simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until Brussels sprouts are nice and tender.
5. Drain the liquid and mix in the other 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the bacon crumbles and mix all together.
6. Serve and enjoy!
-D&E
College guys for some reason always have to eat meat. They scoff at the words “meatless,” “vegetarian,” or “vegan.” It took some convincing, but Erica finally got Declan to agree to make a vegetarian enchilada casserole for dinner. After the first bite, Declan realized that Erica was right (just like she was about the kitties!) – this meatless meal was awesome!
We used a recipe from EatingWell.com but made a few adjustments. You can’t really go wrong with this recipe.
1. Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
2. Sauté the carrots and onions with about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes or until beginning to brown.
3. Toss in the rest of the veggies, oregano, cumin and salt and heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until warm, stirring occasionally to mix.
4. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with a non-stick spray.
5. Layer in order the following: tortillas, veggies, sauce, cheese, tortillas, veggies, sauce, and cheese.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese becomes nice and bubbly.
7. Let cool for 5 minutes.
8. Serve and enjoy!
-D&E
Learning to be all God created me to be and walking daily in His grace.
simple, healthy recipes for young adults
ACE YOUR BACHELOR OF EATING WELL - EVEN ON YOUR BUSIEST DAY!
by Declan and Erica, America's Cutest Cooking College Couple
A twentysomething's mission to make better food with little time, money, and experience
Cooking in College 
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