The Year of No-Fuss Cooking {Pulled Pork}

You have probably noticed that chicken is our go-to meat for main dishes. However, I try to mix it up occasionally. Today's no-fuss meal is an American favorite:  Pulled Pork Sandwiches. This recipe is easy and takes minimal ingredients. For my non-cooking friends, it's pretty difficult to mess this one up. =) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 - 3-4 lb. pork shoulder roast
12 oz. root beer (I use Henry Weinhard's)
1 bottle bbq sauce (We generally go with Sweet Baby Ray's)
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Put the pork and root beer in a freezer bag, or directly into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove pork from slow cooker and shred with forks. Mix the pork with bbq sauce. You can use the liquid from the slow cooker to get the pork to your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper and serve on a bun with coleslaw.

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The Year of No-Fuss Cooking {Salsa Chicken}

No-Fussing Number 4! Are you enjoying this series so far? I really am grateful to the fellow bloggers over at Six Sisters' Stuff, Who Needs a Cape?, and others for compiling so many great recipes... thank you, Pinterest!

This week's recipe adapted from Six-Cents is simple, delicious, and versatile. Salsa Chicken can be served with rice, as a burrito, or alone. Our favorite is definitely wrapped in a flour tortilla with the works (cheese, sour cream, lettuce, avocado, cilantro)!

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
2 cups frozen corn
1 jar salsa
1 T. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Throw all ingredients into a gallon size freezer bag and freeze until ready to use. To cook, empty contents of the bag into a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let cool for a minute. Shred chicken, return to slow cooker, and mix. Serve however your heart desires!

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The Year of No-Fuss Cooking {Beef Meatballs}

The third recipe in our No-Fuss Cooking series. It is well known that I love cooking, baking, and eating. I love it even more when it is efficient and versatile. The meatballs whip up quickly in the food processor, and can be utilized in a variety of recipes: spaghetti, with rice, on a sandwich, or as an appetizer. Just flash freeze them after shaping, before you put the in a freezer bag so that they are easier to cook desired quantities.

Meatballs from "Can I Freeze It?" by Susie Theodorou

Ingredients:

One 1 1/2" thick slice rustic bread, crust removed, torn into small pieces

1/3 c. milk

1 lb. ground beef chuck

1 small onion, finely choped

2 T. chopped parsley

3 T. finely grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 T. olive oil

Directions:

Place the bread and milk in a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes until the milk is soaked up.

Place the ground beef, onion, parsley, Parmesan, salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl. Mix well with hands. add the egg and oil, and continue to mix. Finally, add the bread mixture and combine. 

Form 20 meatballs from the mixture. 

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Perfect Cookies

If you like your chocolate cookies thick, chewy, and delicious, this is the recipe for you! While these are not actually my go-to Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe (these are), America's Test Kitchen never fails to deliver. These belong in a bakery!

Ingredients:

• 3 1/3 c. flour
  3/4 t. baking soda
  1/2 t. salt
  2 sticks (16 T) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  1 1/4 c. brown sugar
  1/2 c. white sugar
  2 large eggs
  2 large egg yolks
  1 T. pure vanilla extract
  2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Directions:
• Adjust oven racks to the upper and lower 1/3 positions. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
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• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugars. Mix on medium speed until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. With the mixer still going, add the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla, and beat for another 30 seconds. 
• Add in the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.
• Working with 1/4 cup of dough, form into balls and place on the prepared cookie sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake at 325 for 17-20 minutes. Let cool completely before serving. 
• Makes 20 large cookies
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Balsamic Glazed Salmon

We are taking a brief break from the freezer meals, but sticking with the theme of "Balsamic Glazed." This recipe is quick, and definitely meets the criteria for no-fuss cooking. A friend requested a marinade for salmon, and while this is not necessarily a marinade, the recipe came to mind right away. Straight out of the The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook, this recipe is a winner for sure. And if the recipe were not enough, we were lucky enough to have fresh-caught salmon to make it with! 

Ingredients:

4 (6-oz) skinless salmon fillets, about 1 1/2 inches thick

Salt and Pepper

1 tsp. canola oil

1/4 c. orange juice

3 T. balsamic vinegar

2 T. honey

1 T white vinegar

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 small sprig rosemary

Directions:

Pat the salmon dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Gently lay the salmon, skinned-side up, in the skillet and cook until well browned, about 5 minutes.

Flip the salmon over and continue to cook until the fish flakes apart when gently prodded with a paring knife, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the fish to a platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil. 

Wipe out the skillet with paper towels. Stir the orange juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, white vinegar, red pepper flakes, and rosemary into the skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until it has reduced to a thick, syrupy glaze and measures about 1/4 cup (about 5 minutes). Remove the rosemary sprig, spoon the glaze over the salmon, and serve.

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The Year of No-Fuss Cooking {Chicken Gyoza}

Continuing the series of no-fuss cooking, including slow cooker freezer meals, quick dishes, and easy eats.

This week's recipe for Chicken Gyoza is from the cookbook "Can I Freeze It?" By Susie Theodorou. While the prep work is a bit laborious, the results are worth it. The assembly process took me back to my childhood, helping my grandfather (lovingly called "Paka") make traditional Chinese fried wontons for our entire extended family. This recipe is a bit more healthy, but every bit as delicious. These were perfect for days that Mac and I couldn't connect for dinner, as they can be cooked in single-serving portions in a matter of minutes. For us light eaters, 4-5 potstickers would make a complete dinner. If you want a bit more substance, they go well with stir fry and rice.

Ingredients:

1/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks

6 oz. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks (I used all chicken breast)

8 oz. can of whole water chestnuts, drained

4 green onions, light green and white parts only, coarsely chopped

1 c. fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1 T. oyster sauce

1 tsp. brown sugar

1 T. cornstarch

3 T. soy sauce

1 tsp. sesame oil

Salt and pepper

1- 12oz. package dumpling wrappers

Directions:

Place the chicken in a food processor and pulse to mince. Do not allow a paste to form. Add the water chestnuts and green onions and pulse once more to finely chop the veggies.

Transfer the chicken mixture to a bowl. Using a fork, stir in the cilantro, oyster sauce, and sugar. Mix the cornstarch with the soy sauce in a small bowl until smooth, then stir into the chicken mixture. Add the toasted sesame oil, salt and pepper. 

Set the wrappers on a clean surface and cover with a damp paper towel while not using. Place on dumpling wrapper on a clean surface and place 1 teaspoon of the chicken mixture in the center. Moisten the edge of half the circle with water, then bring the ends together to form a semicircle. Starting at one end, twist and fold the edges to secure into a neat crescent, or pleat the edge seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

To freeze: Lin a baking sheet with wax paper and arrange the gyoza in rows, leaving space between them. Freeze until solid, about 2 hours, then transfer to a plastic freezer bag.

To cook (we like them boiled, but you can also pan-fry or steam them): Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add up to 8 dumplings and cook for 8 minutes, or until heated through and the wrapper no longer looks opaque. Drain and serve with dipping sauce.

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2014: The Year of No-Fuss Cooking {Balsamic Drumsticks}

2015: It's a new year, with new beginnings, and hopefully many new posts! The sudden sabbatical from the blogworld is the culprit of high ambitions to bust out a Master's degree - biting off a little more than I could chew. We survived 2014 on freezer meals, salad, and chips and salsa.

The most efficient way to ensure that we would eat during the semseter was to spend my breaks marathoning through slow cooker freezer meals. I like to gather recipes from a variety of blogs found on Pinterest, plus one of my favorite cookbooks, "Can I Freeze It?" by Susie Theodorou. I actually remembered that we need to eat more than dinner, and assembled some breakfast sandwiches as well. Mister also loves his sweet treats, so I made a massive batch of Monster Cookies, which freeze beautifully. To kick off my return to the kitchen, I will be sharing a series of these no-nonsense recipes that got us through our busy year of studying.

First up is Balsamic Drumsticks, a recipe adapted from another blog, "Who Needs a Cape?" This was one of Mac's favorites, and definitely a breeze to throw together. It's delicious on a bed of rice, or accompanying a spinach salad.

Ingredients:

8 Chicken Drumsticks

3 T. olive oil

1/2 c. Balsamic vinegar

3 T. soy sauce

1 T. honey

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Directions:

Place drumsticks in a gallon size freezer bag. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into bag with drumstciks, seal, and squeeze to coat drumsticks evenly. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours, or freeze for up to one month. When ready, dump contents of the bag into a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

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