Just Call Me Rachael Ray: Recipe #4

The recipe of choice from Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals was:
Sweet Potato-Topped Sheperd's Pie

Layers: sirloin, peas & sweet potatoes

My mom says that anybody can cook if you can read, which is true: all I'm doing with these 30 minute meals is following Miss Ray's recipes (almost) to the T. But cooking these recipes is teaching me how to spice meals up and give flavor to things I would not normally think of, and trying new ingredients and food items I definitely did not think I would ever be eating. Like onions? I like them now. Not CRAZY about them, but I can handle them every now and then, like in this Sheperd's pie recipe.

I've grown up eating Sheperd's pie with corn as the main vegetable, so using peas was the first of many differences in this Sheperd's pie vs the one I've been used to for 20 years.

Sweet Potato-Topped Sheperd's Pie

Things that made this Sheperd's pie tasty: the gravy (made with butter, flour, beef stock, worcestershire & dijon mustard), the spices to flavor the meat (onion, garlic, sage & salt and pepper), and the sweet potatoes (mixed with the butter, eggs and paprika).

I'm pretty sure I almost had the 30 minute part of the recipe FINALLY down!...until I was draining the boiled sweet potatoes and dropped one down the garbage disposal. (oops.) Luckily, Elayna (rooms) had an extra one conveniently in our fridge! So I boiled the lone potato which added about another 20 minutes to the recipe, which is probably why it was pretty hard to mash the potatoes when it came time too. Lesson of the recipe: Block the garbage disposal (or any drain for that matter) when draining your food!

Alright, here's your ingredient list and prices:
(Only prices for stuff I had to buy this week, Martin's)

3 large or 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks: (wow, realized this literally as I just typed it. I didn't cut them into chunks, which is DEFINITELY the reason they were so hard to mash.) $2.75
Salt and pepper
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon paprika or sweet smoked paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
8 ounces cremini or white mushrooms, quartered: $.70
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin: $5.80
1 onion, chopped
2 large gloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh sage, thinly sliced, or 2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage (about 2/3 palmful): (1 bottle) $2.59
1 cup frozen peas: $3.29
2 tablespoons flour: $2.99
3/4 cup dark beer (optional)
1 cup beef stock (1 1/2 cups if not using beer): $2.79
About 3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce: (1 bottle) $1.49
2 tablespoons dijon mustard: $1.75
A little chopped fresh parsley, for garnish



Grand Total: $24.15

Judges of the week! 

The meal was an overall pretty good meal. Can see this being served as a dish in a buffet style holiday party (Hint hint! Thanksgiving t minus 18 days!)


Bon appetit everybody!


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Just Call Me Rachael Ray: Recipe #3

This week was by far my favorite meal of the Rachael Ray 30 minute meal recipes!

Hot-or-Not Grilled Sliced Chicken with Cheesy Polenta and Guacamole Salad


I'm going to be honest with you, I almost didn't buy the polenta. I was in Martin's (Yes! I tried a new store for grocery shopping, and got a Martin's card for free =D), on the phone with my roommate, Elayna, and I was so close to just cooking my favorite side, rice pilaf. She described polenta as similar to grits, which did nothing to motivate me to buy it. Eventually, I just realized I would go with the flow, follow the recipe and be adventurous. SO HAPPY that I did because the polenta was my favorite part of the meal! You mix it in with corn, milk, green peppers (supposed to be poblano chiles on the recipe...yes, I altered some things), chicken stock, butter and cheese. It was so good! Highly recommend it!

Also, notice the name of the recipe. I chose the NOT choice of hot-or-not in the title. The sauce that goes with the chicken was so delicious. I have successfully enjoyed chicken (or meat) without ketchup for all three of these recipes! My horizons are broadening. :)

I'm finding a common reoccurrence of ingredients for these 30 minute meal recipes. I've been able to reuse tomatoes, cheese, my olive oil, salt and pepper, the chicken stock, green peppers, lemon juice in almost all three of the recipes so far, which is great! Less money to spend. Speaking of money, here's the breakdown for this recipe:

Ingredient list/MARTIN'S price:

2 poblano chiles (AKA green peppers): $2.57
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO): already had!
4 pieces skinless, boneless chicken breast: (I got 8) $10.58
Salt and pepper: already had!
4 tablespoons of butter: already had!
A handful cilantro or flat-leaf parsely, finely chopped: $3.39
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped: already had!
2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder (hot) or sweet smoked paprika (not): paprika: $3.99
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano: $1.85
1 cup fresh of frozen corn kernels: $1.27
1 cup of milk: already had!
2 cups chicken stock: already had!
1 cup quick-cooking polenta: $3.35
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese: already had!
1 ripe avocado, sliced: $1.79
2 vine-ripe tomatoes, sliced into wedges: $1.87
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced: $1.08
Juice of 1 large lemon: $.89

Grand Total: $32.63


Find the full ingredient list and recipe at Rachael Ray's magazine website.



Bon appetit!















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Just Call Me Rachael Ray: Recipe #2

This week of following and imitating Rachael Ray's 30 minute meals was...
Drunken Pork Chops and Savory Green Rice with Fontina

Drunken Pork Chops and Savory Green Rice with Romano

I'm not sure if I was ever really a big fan of pork chops...until this weekend. When I've had them in the past, I guess I just never remembered or craved them because it never compared to the juicy steaks my Dad grills on the weekend. Maybe (and probably) it was because I made them myself, but I thoroughly enjoyed pork chops this time around! 

I should probably admit that I did not accurately follow this recipe to the T. Fontina cheese and anchovy paste are apparently not sold at Walmart, my go-to grocery store. So...with that said, the recipe turned into Drunken Pork Chops with Savory Green Rice with Romano, (and a tomato flavor in the marinade instead of anchovy.) No matter, it was still delicious.

Wait...you're looking at the picture, and the rice is green? My roommate, Erika, is a proud owner of the Magic Bullet, and to finish the rice you blend together spinach and parsley along with olive oil, lemon juice and garlic, and mix it in with the rice, chopped tomatoes and the cheese cubes. It was really tasty. Maybe if you're not in the mood to make the pork chops, you can just create the rice as a side dish, because it is a lot more interesting to serve than just plain rice or a salad!

Also, a huge note is that my kitchen successfully did not ignite a fire! The process of following this recipe was A LOT smoother than round 1 of Rachel vs The Kitchen. However, I still cannot get this "30 minute" part of the recipes down. I guess I'm just not a pro at chopping and preparing my food as quickly as my girl Rachael.


Ingredients and price:
** (already had from previous recipe)
1/2 cup dry red wine $2.18
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) ** $4.88
3 large cloves garlic, 2 thinly sliced and 1 finely chopped ** $.68
3 sprigs rosemary, coarsely chopped $2.28
2 teaspoons anchovy paste $.40 (SUBSTITUTE TOMATO PASTE)
4 bone-in pork chops, no more than 1 inch thick (I got 5) $8.88
Salt and Pepper ** $.93
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice $3.12 (could definitely have gone with the smaller bag, I have PLENTY of leftover)
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock $1.34
Juice of 1 lemon $.48
1 cup baby spinach or arugula $2.50
1 cup flat-leaf parsley $.88
A few grates fresh nutmeg $2.14
1 plum or vine tomato, seeded and chopped $.74
1/3 pound italian fontina cheese, such as fontina val d'aosta, or gruère cheese, cut into small cubes $3.98


Grand Total: $29.64 (without ** items)

Get the full recipe here! The serving size was from 4-6 people, depending on how many pork chops you bought. I fed 4 people, and had plenty of leftovers. (Of rice at least...I made an extra pork chop to begin with.)

The entire meal

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Just Call Me Rachael Ray: Recipe #1

This week's adventure in the kitchen was:
Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Tomato and Basil and Potatoes with Peppers and Onions

Onions make me cry

On the recipe, it says this is a 30 minute meal: prep time 15 mins and cook time 12 mins. Unfortunately, I wasn't kidding when I said I can't cook, and the prep time turned into approx 2 hours. It involved running across the Sunchase Apartment complex looking for a cookie sheet (If you saw a girl with sweatpants, a T-shirt and flip flops sprinting across the streets with a cookie sheet...Hi! I'm your neighbor), igniting my stovetop on fire (literally, FLAMES), and sobbing from chopping the onions.

A messy process

My mom's advice to me whenever we were in the kitchen growing up was to clean up as you go along. Clearly, as you can tell by this picture, I listened to her.

Besides the extreme delay in feeding my roommates and judges, I got all positive feedback! The meal was delicious, and I highly recommend it. My advice to myself for next week's meal is to actually read the recipe in advance, so I know what to expect. You learn something new everyday, right?

In case you are wondering how much this meal costs, I have my handy dandy Walmart receipt: (P.S, I doubled this recipe, so if you're cooking for 4 people, like it regularly says, divide this by half)

Ingredients/Price at Walmart:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds finerling potatoes or red skin baby potatoes: 3 1/2-4 lbs= $3.48
2 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips: 2 at 1 for $1.68= $3.36
1 Italian mild green pepper, cubanelle, seeded and thinly sliced: 2 at 1 for $.74= $1.48
1 medium yellow skinned onion, thinly sliced: 1.58 lbs @ 1 lb/$1.78= $2.81
4 large cloves garlic, cracked away from skin: 1 box of garlic= $.68
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes: 1 bottle= $2.98
1/4 cup tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided: 1 bottle= $4.88
Coarse salt and pepper: $.93
(1 bottle coarse pepper= $2.08
2 cups shredded Parmesan, available in tubs near deli-make sure to get shredded cheese, not grated: ($1.96/bag) x4 (I only used 3) $7.84
4 (6-8 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts: 8 breasts=$15.00 
4 plum Roma tomatoes or small, vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped: 2.59 lb at 1 lb/$1.98= $5.13
15-20 leaves fresh basil, pile leaves, roll then thinly slice-chiffonade: $2.28/container= $4.56


GRAND TOTAL: $55.21


(side note: a lot of this was stuff you might already have in your kitchen, like salt & pepper, olive oil, red pepper flakes, etc)



Here is a picture of the finished product!

Meal #1! Complete with a flamed-upon stovetop

Compare it to Rachael Ray's picture on her website here and let me know what you think! (The actual directions for the recipe are also on this link.)








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