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Homemade Cheese-Its

Homemade Cheese-Its

These are so full of cheesy goodness, they might ruin the store bought version. Warning out of the way, let us dig into this yummy american snack! Depending on how you look at it, this is a three or five ingredient recipe. You need a 

Peanut Butter Noodles

Peanut Butter Noodles

Let us start by addressing the elephant in the room, you probably think this sounds like a bizarrely weird food combination, right? I promise it super tasty! And I don’t just say that because I love the sweet creaminess of peanut butter either! I would 

Bone in Beef Ribs vs Chuck Roast

Bone in Beef Ribs vs Chuck Roast

Does Anyone else wake up LITERALLY thinking about food? Like not just OMG I want coffee and bacon ASAP….But like can I do X recipe with Y substitution and save $ without sacrificing taste or quality? Well, that is exactly how this beef experiment came to be.

Todays questions: Is it worth paying more for the Beef Short Ribs? OR can I prepare a Chuck Roast exactly the same way and have it be just as tasty and tender as Beef Ribs? Does the bone in the short ribs add extra flavor to help justify the extra price?

Beef ribs are one of my favorites (yes, one of the many 😂 ). This cut is typically going to have bones in and usually a fairly high fat content. I generally see the cost range from $5-10 per pound, so while it is not the mostexpensivee cut of beef, the cost can add up fairly quickly. To get the most for my buck, I look for ribs that have a lot of meat to bone ratio, and I buy (and freeze) extra when it is on sale.

Chuck roast on the other hand, I typically see it sold without bones and the cost is generally cheaper too–around $3-6 per pound. I tend to pick the roasts with more fat marbling (flavor adder!!!) but it is easier to find a less fatty cut (compared to Beef Ribs).

My plan for as equal as possible comparison is to prepare both cuts of beef:

  • I started with about 2 pounds of each beef
  • I cooked with my most similar skillets – both cast irons with lids (one enameled, one not)
  • Both will get the same amounts of Honey/Ginger/Soy Sauce/Garlic/Beef Bone Broth
  • Both beefs were seared before going in the oven
  • Both were cooked in the oven low and slow at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 3.5 hours

The only difference between the preparation of the two cuts of beef is I cut the chuck roast into four pieces to be most similar in size and shape to the beef ribs. I mean, you wouldn’t expect a whole potato to cook as fast and as evenly as a french fry, right?

Now the specific recipe I used for this experiment is one I have posted previously. You can check it out here–Please note–the only actual change is the cooking method–Instead of using the Instant Pot and having the beef ribs finished in an hour, today I used the oven low and slow so I could prepare both beefs at the same time without their juices intermingling (which would make a comparison harder).

Searing the beef before it goes into the oven is a really easy way to add extra flavor into the finished dish. Each piece of the beef will want to be seared for about 2-3 minutes (so all six sides is a 15-20 ish minute investment in yum). What is happening is something called the Maillard Reaction, and you will want to use this with roasts and steaks alike. At the risk of oversimplifying, we are cooking some of the sugars and protein in the meat (ie the browning as a result of the sear) and this meat plus heat chemical reaction helps add a lot of great flavor!

One observation I made during the searing stage–the beef short ribs rendered quite a bit more fat than the chuck roast did. This is not entirely surprising due to the different levels of fat in the meats, but it was a noticeable difference.

I am going to refrain from sharing my final thoughts and opinions on this fun experiment but I will tell you both were very yummy and both cooked up fall apart tender! If you haven’t already, please check out the video above to see which cut of beef is best worth the price!

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Cheating Chicken Noodle Soup (Using Store Bought Gyoza/Dumplings)

Cheating Chicken Noodle Soup (Using Store Bought Gyoza/Dumplings)

Happy Winter! As much as I dislike like the cold, this is the BEST season for warming yourself up with a yummy bowl of soup, and boy, do I have a yummy and SIMPLE recipe for you today! I ‘cheat’ making some chicken noodle soup 

Sous Vide Dueling Steaks: Wagyu vs Ribeye

Sous Vide Dueling Steaks: Wagyu vs Ribeye

How else can I start than to tell you 1) I LOVE STEAK and 2) I LOVE MY SOUS VIDE and 3) I LOVE TREATING MYSELF! Of course I would find an excuse to combine these three loves by trying Wagyu Beef! My recent interest 

Sausage Kale and White Bean Soup

Sausage Kale and White Bean Soup

Ugh, Winter 🥶

The cold weather makes me crave warm, hearty, comforting soups. I am talking almost everyday. As a bonus, I find soup incredibly easy to make and there are so many varieties to make and keep your cooking adventures exciting. This particular pick is a very meaty and savory soup filled with, you guessed it, Sausage and Kale and white beans! I take delight in finally sharing this yummy concoction 😊

Ingredients: roughly a pound of italian sausage, one onion (white or yellow are both good), one big bunch of Kale, 3+ cloves of garlic (I used 6!!!), one can of white beans (whatever you have handy–navy beans/cannellini beans/pinto beans/great northern beans allllll work!), one quart of store bought chicken broth, about 1/2 cup half and half, and shredded parmesan cheese to finish :).

The sausage is nothing fancy. I picked up a 5 pack of mild italian sausage links from my local supermarket and take them out of the casing myself. Personally, I choose to buy the links over the bulk sausage for the simply selfish reason the links are an 18 ounce package and the bulk is a 16 ounce package for the exact same price. Taking the sausages out of the casing is so easy too! All you need to do is carefully score the sausage casing end to end and pull it away from the meat (see my example about 35 seconds into the above video).

If you want a bit of extra heat then maybe the hot italian sausages will be your pick! Or you can add a pinch (or three) of red pepper flakes 🙂 Simple swaps will make this recipe your own in no time!

Mise en place is a necessity for all recipes. Preparing all the ingredients before you start cooking and the cooking will be much easier overall because all of your ingredients are ready ahead of time! I have a tendency to prep/chop ingredients in the order they will be used. I think subconsciously it helps me prepare the recipe in my head and practice the steps before I start.

Onions and garlic are two STAPLES in my house. I LOVE THEM and always have more than I need on hand.

Part of the simplicity of this recipe is the lack of needing to measure anything! I use a whole onion and give it a rough chop. In my opinion cooking for soup does not require absolute perfection when dicing veggies, especially when it comes to onions because the many layers will naturally separate themselves during the cook.

Garlic is a place where I like to use one of my cheater/unitaskers hand tools. I think I have the worlds best garlic press. I have had it for six years and have rarely gone more than a week without using it but it still looks brand new! In terms of how much garlic to use–you do you! As you can tell, I happen to immensely enjoy what garlic adds and I typically use 5-6 big cloves in a soup! YUM! As long as you have it around, I would recommend you use at a minimum of three cloves/three teaspoons.

Now for the elephant in the room. I know many people have a strong dislike of kale and my guess is it stems from a bad experience of overcooked bitter green. My favorite kale is Dino Kale. The leaves are super big and much less curly (and therefore easy to clean) than most of the standard green or red kale from the supermarket. A really great tip to clean the kale (and just about all other veggies) is to mix roughly 1/2 cup of vinegar and half a sink full of water in your just cleaned kitchen sink and let them soak–the dirt will separate and sink to the bottom of your sink! Easy Peasy!

Quick note: I choose to remove the stems in this recipe for quicker cooking and use them later in juice and or compost, but removing the stems is not 100% necessary.

Why I felt the need to ‘prep the beans’ on video (AKA using a can opener) I will never know. But when my sweetie gave me back the video edit and I saw that moment I laughed at myself until I cried. LITERALLY. Like I had to stop the video and go back because I was so distracted by myself!

Dont mind me literally laughing at myself 😂

Anyway, back to cooking!

I start by browning/frying the sausage first and doing the spatula thing to crumble the meat as it cooks. If there is a name for this, please tell me in the comments 😆 I like to get as much color on the sausage (without burning) as I can before I pull it out to cook the onions.

This next bit might gross some people out, but I really don’t think it should. I cook the onions and garlic in the rendered sausage fat in the same pot. The way I see it, instead of spending more to swap the natural rendered pork fat out for olive oil or avocado oil, I can keep the cooked pork fat (and flavor) while saving myself both a few cents worth of oil and a few minutes of time cleaning an extra dish!

Next: simplicity! Add the broth, beans, and cooked sausage, stir, and let everything warm up together and share the flavors each ingredient brings to the pot.

While this happens, I take a few moments to shred my own cheese. You do you–if pre-shredded cheese saves you time or you already have it in the fridge, by all means, use that! I have a tendency to buy my parmesan on sale and keep a block (or three) in the freezer.

Now trust me with the kale. Once the soup is throughly warmed thru (no need to get this to a roaring boil) you can add the kale. It is voluminous at first and will look like WAAAAY too much when you first add it to the broth. BUT, you wouldn’t have made it this far into the recipe if you didn’t trust me at least a little! The Kale will cook down, just like spinach! You can help the process along by gently stiring/folding/mixing it into the broth. With the heat on low I let the kale sofen into the soup for about five minutes.

Lastly and JUST before serving is when I add the splash of half and half. I guestimate myself to use about half a cup worth but in all honesty I have never measured this. I give the soup a quick stir, taste, and turn the heat off.

The soup is ready to dish up and top with a sprinkle of cheese!

Another recipe note–you may have noticed (or not) that at no point have I salted or peppered anything yet. This is on purpose! Salt is semi naturally in the ingredients already–the sausage is wells seasoned to begin with, the broth is a canned (salt added) item, as are the beans, and the parmesan cheese topper is a slightly salty cheese. So, in my opinion this soup does not need more salt!

Ingredients:

  • 1 pack Italian sausage (bulk or links with casing removed)
  • 1 diced onion (white or yellow)
  • 3+ cloves diced garlic (I used 6)
  • 1 big bunch Kale (I used Dino Kale)
  • 1 can white beans (use whatever variety you have handy–navy beans/cannellini beans/pinto beans/great northern beans allllll work)
  • 1 Quart store bought chicken broth
  • ~1/2 cup half and half
  • Shredded Parmesan Cheese
  1. Mise En Place–clean/prep all ingredients
  2. Brown sausage and leave rendered pork fat in the pot
  3. Cook/soften onions in said rendered pork fat, add garlic after onions are softened
  4. Once you can smell the garlic (about 30-6- ish seconds after adding) you can add the chicken broth, canned beans, and return the sausage to the mix. Warm throughout–boiling is not necessary.
  5. (Optional) Shred cheese if using a block of parmesan
  6. Add kale ribbons and gently mix/stir/fold into the soup. Allow to soften/cook for fiveish minutes on a low heat
  7. Add half and half, stir to incorporate, turn off heat
  8. Dish up, top with parmesan, and…
  9. ENJOY!!!

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Easy Homemade Oreo Ice Cream – Only SIX Ingredients

Easy Homemade Oreo Ice Cream – Only SIX Ingredients

Cookies and Cream is one of those flavors that is just nostalgic to childhood. School lunches and birthday parties — it seemed like everyone had oreos or chocolate cream cookies. I think it is one of those great flavors that everyone likes and I think 

Instant Pot Asian Inspired Beef Short Ribs

Instant Pot Asian Inspired Beef Short Ribs

Maybe it is just me, but the title alone has my mouth drooling a bit already! You too? Keep reading! Bone in beef short ribs are one of the cuts of beef that mystified me for a long time. I did not grow up eating 

Homemade Stovetop Popcorn (NO Microwave Needed!)

Homemade Stovetop Popcorn (NO Microwave Needed!)

We all enjoy a good movie night or binge watch our current favorite TV show from time to time. The best movie snack (in my opinion) is a hot/big/fresh bowl of popcorn, and homemade is thee way to go 🙂

I grew up with microwave popcorn. No shame if it is all you have ever had at home too. It is quite tasty, but the ingredients list is also quite long of ‘food’ ingredients I could only attempt to pronounce.

I suspect for most of you, the only thing you need to buy is some loose popcorn kernels. Most stores sell this right next to the microwave options or in the bulk bin section (if you store has one available). I purchased the specific bag of strawberry popcorn I used in this video at a HUGE farmers market in Detroit while visiting friends last summer.

Buy the kernels however you can. I promise learning how to make a tasty bowl of hot fresh popcorn without your microwave will be worth it!

Homemade Stovetop Popcorn

  • Large Kettle with Lid
  • Popcorn Kernels
    • 1/2 cup uncooked makes about one big bowl
  • Cooking Oil (Canola or Vegetable both work well)
  • Salt for seasoning
  • Olive Oil or Melted Butter for seasoning
  1. Add just enough Cooking Oil to almost cover the bottom of your stock pot and turn the heat on to medium/medium high
  2. Add three-ish popcorn kernels to the covered pot and wait for them to pop
  3. Add desired amount of popcorn kernels to covered pot CAREFULLY (you are poring into hot oil afterall)
  4. Swirl covered pot to coat all kernels with cooking oil, hand mitts will help (again–heat)
  5. Keep lid on pot but slightly ajar to allow steam from popping corn to vent out of the pot
  6. Cut heat once popcorn stops popping
  7. Layer hot popcorn in serving bowl with olive oil/melted butter and salt. Feel free to talk to your popcorn absentmindedly as you do 🙂
  8. ENJOY!!!

Please let me know what you think and comment below with your favorite popcorn/movie paring! I am always looking for a great movie or series recommendations!

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Can you make Chocolate Ice Cream with JUST Chocolate Milk?

Can you make Chocolate Ice Cream with JUST Chocolate Milk?

Could it really be that easy, to pour a quart of your favorite store bought chocolate milk directly into an ice cream machine? In preparation, I actually spent a LOT of time thinking about this video and how to compare chocolate milk against a chocolate