Thanks to Monica and Walter for responding to my new twist on perogie making! I know I tweaked the traditional dish more than others have, however I must say it's quite delicious! You guys said you've had them in marinara which actually isn't traditional to polish culture perogies, however I am glad the feedback opened some minds and hopefully some stomachs.

There are some foods that have universal approaches when it comes to recipe experimentation. My favorite food to be creative with are perogies. I love the cheesy potato-esque of the food, that can be eaten in a variety of ways.

Tonight, I decided to try a new approach to steaming perogies. Perogies can be fried, steamed, grilled, boiled and sauteed. My recipe went as follows:

GARLIC LEMON PEPPER PEROGIE SAUTEE 

ingredients:

1 box of mini perogies

1 bunch of asparagus, sliced into dice pieces

1 orange bell pepper

salt & pepper to taste

garlic powder

1/4 cup of white wine

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

how-to:

1. prepare the vegetables. put perogies in a non-stick pan and begin the defrosting process.

2. throw salt, pepper and garlic and a little olive oil over top of perogies then cover with a lid for 2 minutes

3. add veggies while mixing in wine and lemon- cover for 5-8 minutes (depends if you really like well-done perogies or lightly steamed)

I have done recipes with perogie marinara bakes, vodka sauce, meat sauce, spanish perogies. What ways have you guys done perogies? I would love to hear your feedback on the different approaches you've taken with perogies! 

Comment Below :) 

Hello Friends!

Let me give it to you simply... my best friend came to visit for the weekend and she is crazy dieting. Crazy diets are fun because it makes the experimenting with cooking all the more fun, I also don't feel as bad going for seconds!

I made Athenian Shrimp Orzo. As per usual, I tweaked the recipe to how I liked it. This meal is only 330 calories per cup and a half! Perfect for a diet.

ATHENIAN SHRIMP ORZO:

ingredients:

• 1lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined 
• 2 large tomatoes diced (i think it adds more taste!)
• lemon zest/juice 2tablespoons (i use store bought in a bottle)
• 1 small onion diced
• 1/2 cup of capers (you can use less if you hate these guys)
• half a box of orzo
• 3/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup of fetta cheese (more if you think necessary)
• 1 cup of dry wine (pinot)
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups of diced eggplant
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

1. First dice up all of your veggies. Oil a pan and cook onions, eggplant and garlic. In a separate pan start boiling the water for the orzo, see directions on box.
2. After about five minutes add the tomato and capers to the veggie pan, slowly stir in the wine and chicken broth, let this simmer for five minutes.
3. After the sauce is mid-way cooked add the shrimp and let them boil in and cook until they're pink
4. At this point the orzo should be done, so toss it into the skillet with the shrimp and sauce mix, take the lemon zest/juice and add close to a tablespoon. 
5. Let this mixture cook for five more minutes and then stir in the parsley and top with feta cheese! Yummy

Seattle Pi Day

Hi fellow foodies! This past week I took a spontaneous trip to Seattle to visit a good friend of mine, beautiful place if you ever get the chance.

During my time in Seattle I got the wonderful chance to not only celebrate the famous Pi Day, but bake on Pi Day!

My friend and his roommates baked and bought. We tried out a nationally ranked place called, High 5 Pie. We indulged in Salted Caramel Pear Pie, Apple Pie and Chicken Pot Pie. As for baking we made Bourbon Pecan Pie and Frozen Margarita Pie. I assisted on the Bourbon Pie... here is the how-to!

BOURBON PECAN PIE

ingredients:

1 cup of sugar

3 tablespoons of butter 'melted'

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

3 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 to 2 cups of pecan halves

2 tablespoons good-quality bourbon

1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell, unbaked

directions:

Preheat oven 375 degrees F.

1. in medium bowl mix sugar, melted butter.
2. then add corn syrup, eggs, pecan and bourbon- stir until all ingredients are combined.
3. pour mixture into unbaked pie shell, in pie dish, and place on a heavy-duty cookie sheet.
4. bake for 10 minutes, then lower temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue baking for 25 minutes, or until pie is set
5. remove from oven and cool on a wire rack

Now YOUR turn... comment below and let me know what kind of Pies you made this year! 

Homemade Chicken&Broccoli Alfredo

no night class means... bulk pasta meal prep, duh

i have experimented with some recipes i have found online recently... i am also a huge fan of broccoli and Alfredo. so here is my take on the italian classic.

** please not that this contains heavy cream and cheese- not lactose intolerant friendly**

Chicken and Brocoli Alfredo

SAUCE:

• 1/4 cup shredded parm cheese (hand shredded at-home, is preferred)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup milk (whole milk or 2%)
• 3/4 cup chicken broth (low sodium or fat free)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley (fresh is best!)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic cloves (out-of-jar also works, and is easier)
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 2 tablespoons of (salt-free) butter

MEAT/PASTA/BROCCOLI:

• 2-3 thinly sliced chicken breast (up the amount if more than two people)
• 1/2 box of rotini noodles (up the amount if more than two people)
• 1/2 bag of frozen broccoli (or cut up fresh broccoli, whatever amount)
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• salt/pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. cook pasta according to package, start by boiling water, **make sure to add the pasta by the time you begin the sauce**
2. take chicken breasts and douse salt/pepper on both sides of each breasts, then lather in flour
3. heat skillet, medium heat, and cook coated chicken breasts, 3-4 minutes each side, lightly browned- then set aside to cool
4. in same skillet the chicken cooked, medium heat, melt butter then slowly whisk in flour- let it brown
5. add chicken broth then slowly whisk in milk, cook for 2-3 minutes until bubbling
6. add garlic cloves and parsley then whisk in heavy cream, let cook 2-3 minutes
7. at this time there should be 2-3 minutes left with pasta noodles, add broccoli to pot to cook
8. finally add the parmesan cheese to the sauce
9. after pasta and broccoli and pasta are done cooking add them to sauce, add chicken on top and finish dish with remaining cheese and parsley 

|| enjoy ||

About Me

Hello!

Welcome to my foodie blog, college & money-saver friendly. I am a West Chester University college girl, majoring in Communication Studies while dabbling with a Business and Technical writing minor. 

For the past three years of living on my own I have struggled with recipes that reflected a few of the following:

A. Too long, complicated and had way too many ingredients (half of which I never knew existed)

B. Too crappy (i.e. frozen pasta bags that were "instant yumminess".... how about crumminess)

C. Too unpredictable that I would end up messing up and ordering take out

I am no master at cooking, only the guys on the food network are... however, this blog is my experiment, as were the recipes I crafted along the way in my college career. 

I have worked on a few recipes that have left me happy, full and keeping a little extra moo-la in my back pocket. 

Enjoy this ride with me and save a penny or two along the way! I will post updates on either places I have eaten at with a good price in the wonderful little town of West Chester- or will upload simple recipes that I have concocted all on my own!

Let's Eat!