Noonie's | Chicken Fried Steak

Uhm, yes please. Love me some Chicken Fried Steak! All smothered in gravy goodness, ooohhh wwweeee! lol. (I mean CFS is a Southern food so I'm just tryin' to get into it lol) Although I've obviously eaten CFS plenty of times over the years I've only ever actually eaten while dining out at a restaurant. Never had I ever (ha) had the pleasure of eating homemade CFS, that is up until recently. When I went looking for an exact recipe to use I found a couple of variations of pretty much the same basic recipe. + so I decided to combine a couple of recipes that I found + made my own by adding/subtracting a couple of ingredients that I thought the recipe could use. This dish turned out to be everything I wanted it to be + more, which is a rarity in life, so needless to say I was a pretty damn happy lady after sitting down + enjoying it. I know you're goin' love it too. 

Grab your ingredients + let's get a cookin'! :)

Chicken Pot Pie Muffins

If you happened to catch my MOTW | 4 you'd know I had set my sights on making this dish, I did just that + the results were delicious! I had never tried to make pot pies before, but I really liked this 'muffin' version of it, which is why I chose to use this recipe. It is somewhat of a non traditional pot pie recipe as there isn't any gravy involved, but I really liked it + I know you will too! 

Grab your ingredients + let's make some pot pies! :) 

Whatcha Need:

• * 1 T. Baking Powder
• * 1 t. Salt
• * 1/4 t. Pepper
• * 1 1/4 C. Milk
• * 1/4 C. Butter, melted
• * 1 Egg
• * 2/3 C. Parmesan cheese, shredded 
• * 1 C. Rotisserie Chicken, shredded
• * 1 C. Frozen Mixed Veggies, thawed

Note: I only had grated Parmesan Cheese on hand + it worked just fine for this recipe. I also didn't have Rotisserie Chicken so I used boneless, skinless chicken breast which I diced + boiled before getting everything else together. Be resourceful! :)  

How To: 

- Preheat oven to 400.

- Combine flour, baking powder, salt + peppa.

- In a separate bowl whisk milk, egg + butter, add to flour mix.

- Fold in cheese, chicken + veggies into the dough, 
be sure not to overwork. 

- Grease a 12 count muffin tin + fill each cup 3/4 full, 
sprinkle some Parmesan Cheese on top.

- Place in oven + bake 25 mins.

Fresh out of the oven!

- Serve with butter, ketchup, or hot sauce on the side or go crazy + add some hot Velveeta Cheese or Country Gravy right on top! Enjoy!

Dense, layered goodness!

Really loved this recipe + definitely plan on using it again in the future! I served my pot pie muffins alongside some Mac n' Cheese + salad, + it was the perfect combo! In fact it was the Mac n' Cheese that made me think of trying Velveeta cheese on top of the muffins next time! I think it'd be so delicious! My bf suggested these muffins would also taste great with some Country Gravy on top + I totally agree! I think the gravy would also kind of convert these non traditional pot pie muffins into more of a traditional pot pie. These muffins warm up well microwaved + if you have leftovers changing up what you top these with will almost make it seem like you're eating a whole different meal when really it's just your leftovers :) I think next time I make these I might try a different variation on this recipe, a couple of ideas my bf + I came up with...

* Chicken Cheese Broccoli Muffins

* Chicken Bacon Cheese Muffins, dipped in Ranch 

* Turkey + Cranberry (would be great for the upcoming holidays!)

+ 1 more variation which is currently top secret info, just know it's going to be good! 

There really are so many different variations + toppings one could try with this recipe which is really why I liked it so much. Plus it's super easy to put together + like I said the muffins reheat great! Will be sure to catch up with ya later about the top secret variation of this recipe that's currently under works! ;) 

Until next time friends...Cheers!!

<3 Noonie

Zucchini Boats

My days off almost always include a trip to my local natural food store (5th photo down), where I spend a good amount of time perusing the isles to see whats on sale + all of the goodies that I don't need but will inevitably come home with anyhow. This particular trip included the purchase of: zucchini, tomato, carrots, sunflower seed butter, tea, brazil nuts, cashews, beer, and some random health food bars. I often decide what I will make for dinner while wandering these isles, but on this day I found my dinner hours beforehand while I was sipping my morning coffee, watching the news, + skimming over blogs. I came upon one of my new favorite bloggers, In Sonnet's Kitchen, + this dish.

Simple, easy, healthy, what more can the lazy chef here ask for?

Directions:
1. Cut zucchini in 1/2 + scoop out insides with a spoon
2. Spread a layer of pesto (or sauce of your choosing)
3. Stack ingredients: tomato, olive, onion, etc.
4. Sprinkle with salt, olive oil, + balsamic vinegar (+ cheese if you desire)
5. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes
6. Enjoy

Tips:
Fill these little guys with anything you would like on a pizza.
The pesto recipe I used is one that I created a month or so ago, and is delicious!

Until we meet again,

-Nelli

Bass + Mash

As you may have noticed by now, I like to bake and eat my veggies. Its not often that I prepare meat dishes, but recently I have been on a mission to incorporate more fish into my diet. As I often do, I set out to the store unaware of what I kind of fish I would come home with. I went into my local fish market and looked for a filet that was reasonably priced + found this lovely stripped bass.

I cannot remember if I have mentioned it yet, but I tend to call myself the 'lazy chef' this is due to my ability to time manage, use the fewest dishes possible, and combine similar ingredients into many dishes which saves money when shopping + allows me to not throw away fewer unused items. The directions below incorporate how I prepared the entire meal, rather than explaining each dish. This way I can show you the method behind my madness.

Directions | Bass + Mash
1. Preheat oven to 400'
2. Pierce sweet potato a few times + place in oven (I just put it on the metal racks - saves dishes)
3. Set timer for 30 minutes
4. When timer dings: flip sweet potato, set timer for another 30 minutes, + start prepping fish
5. Line your baking dish with tin foil or, as I have done, a thin layer of olive oil
6. Slice your leeks and place them in the pan, toss them around to coat, + spread them evenly
7. Place the fish atop your bed of leeks, rub with olive oil + oregano (plus any other spices you desire)
8. Place sliced lemons, a smashed garlic or 2, and a few leeks atop fish
-- If you are roasting garlic, as I have done, place the cloves around the fish
-- This should take you about 10 minutes
9. When the timer hits 15-20 minutes remaining, lower heat to 350' + place fish in oven.
10. When the timer goes off both of your dishes will be ready to come out of the oven.
-- Place the sweet potato in a bowl, for mashing
-- Move fish to a plate (so we can remove the leeks)
11. In the bowl, begin to mash the sweet potato. Throw in a few of the garlic cloves you just roasted into the bowl as well as the leeks, add a bit of olive oil (plus any other spices you desire), and and continue to mash until it reaches desired consistency
12. Plate + Enjoy!

Tips:
This dish only used 3 dishes: baking pan, bowl, plate which makes clean up super easy!
I also made enough for 2 meals; which was a little more than 1/2 lb of fish + one large sweet potato.

Total Cost: $8.53 (or $4.25 per meal)
Fish: $6.50
Sweet Potato: $1.20
Lemon: $0.33
Leek: $0.50
If you compared this to a meal you would find at a restaurant I guarantee it would be at least $20 (or $40 for what I made).

Before

After

Served