Guys, I promise I do more than cook. I know I post about food at least every other blog, but I’m kind of obsessed. I love taking all of the random foods we have at the house and finding fun ways to combine them. *it sure helps that my man will literally eat anything* I have been cooking lots of pasta lately, so I thought I would share a few recipes I’ve thrown together.
First up – Pasta with a Twist
Pasta is always easy to toss together! I love that you can combine it with almost anything and create a delicious meal {usually on the cheap.} This bad boy was made in about 15 minutes, so it’s not a super time-consuming meal.
This might be a cooking no-no, but I always stick my pasta in the cold water and let it boil with the water, where most people boil the water, then add pasta. I think mine cooks much faster, and it seems to expand more as well. Anyways, I had the pot of pasta going, as well as a small skillet with ground beef.
For the beef, I had sectioned it out earlier in the week and had it marinating in the seasonings and flavors (salt, pepper, garlic powder, meat tenderizer, and a little taco seasoning) for a day or two. I did this because I’d used some a few days prior, but you can add all of that when you put it in the skillet, too! Once it’s about half way cooked, I added in slices of pepperoni and hot a hot dog (yes, hot dogs… don’t hate it til you try it!) to the skillet and let all of those meats flavor up and marinate.
Green beans – I use the French style, they’re my absolute favorite. I pour them out on a skillet as well, then toss in garlic salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and let them simmer until they’re juuuuuuuuust getting a light brown to them.
Once everything your meats are finished and the pasta is drained, combine, toss in as much pasta sauce as you desire, and you’re all set.
Next up – Loaded Chicken Sandwich
This stacked sandwich had me wishing I ate meat. Super easy to make, easier to scarf down, this is a staple in our home.
I keep tons and tons of canned chicken in the apartment, because it’s literally the easiest. I had opened 3 cans at the beginning of the week, drained all of the water, then tossed in tons and tons of seasonings. I’m that person that grabs a bit of everything from the spice cabinet and tosses it in there. Most of the seasonings were: garlic salt, pepper, taco seasoning, a little salsa verde, and siracha sauce. I let this marinate in the refrigerator and use it throughout the week. This was about 3 spoonful’s, and I let it cook until it began browning.
Next, toss a few slices of bacon on a skillet, as well as an egg. Let these both cook (however long/whatever style you desire) while you toast your bread in the toaster. Go ahead and put cheese on each slice of toast, then add your chicken, followed by the bacon and egg as they’re finished. I added bacon-flavored ranch to Mario’s sandwich as well, which he really loved.
The macaroni was cooked very similar to the pasta in the first recipe, but once you drain the water, I add a little milk and a spoon of butter, along with all of the cheesy goodness.
Last – Mexican Pasta
This was the only time I’ve been a little nervous mixing up foods. I mean, I’ve never really seen pasta with ingredients usually found in Mexican food, but I thought I would give it a try!
Pasta- cooked exactly the same as my first recipe.
Chicken – same as recipe #2.
Once my pasta was drained, I tossed in the chicken and added black beans (seasoned lightly with siracha), then a few pieces of sliced swiss cheese to melt altogether.
Of course, these recipes are of no use if you are wanting to get skinny, so sorry gals. Maybe one of these days I’ll get around to posting some healthy (non-vegetarian) recipes, but for now, eat up and enjoy!
Xo, N.
