Category Archives: Journey With Cookbooks

Journey With Cookbooks

Journey With Cookbooks #16

May 24, 2021 emily2jane Leave a comment

Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadilla!

I wish I could find a cookbook that is only ground beef recipes…

This recipe says it takes 45min…🤨 another easy dinner!! A mom’s happy plan.

When I initially brought the beef up, I thought I had already put it in water. But alas no, I did not. So now I have to wait the 30min.

Unless I am trying a new recipe I don’t listen to my iTunes. I usually just roll with my Spotify playlist. Mostly because I used to listen to wide range of music and I would rather Elizabeth’s first words be from an bad song.

Fears of a mama.

Back to cooking.

Dice the onion. Do you see the cute cow butter dish in the back!?! It was my hubby’s grandma’s. I am a lover of cows too!

I have chosen applesauce and corn for the sides to dinner. I know it’s not a real vegetable but it works.

I forgot to take a picture of cooking the beef, but let’s be honest…you know what it looks like. It looks the same as always. And this is me draining the fat off.

Oil, onion, salt, pepper!
And my foot down in the left bottom corner…

Sorry. I am a little goofy today as I write this recipe up. No, my foot is not included into the food.

This recipe does not have pictures with the steps. Hopefully this is right…

Warming up the cast iron skillet. I like how the tortilla crisps. The meat mixture looks okay now.

I had to skip various songs. Some were too random for my brain. Also some had some colorful words.

I added the green onions. It was not in the list of ingredients, but green onions always add more delicious flavors.

Interesting mix.

I’ve already given the hubby his and Elizabeth her Mac n cheese. This one is Mama’s!!

Of course the night I choose to make a quesadilla, is the day when we are out of salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. 😞 it was still delicious but I was bummed about the lack of extras.

But to the scoring.

Look Like Picture: 9. Mostly because I used the cheese I had. It was the cheddar jack mix from Costco. Not really the right taste, but still worked.

Taste: 9. I think it worked. But I think it would better with some diced green chilies mixed in. I’ve been in a spicy mood. The hubby liked it. He gave it an 8, just because he wasn’t very hungry to begin with.

Easiness: 10! It was easy. Another easy peasy recipe for a baby brained mama. Meaning… “dumb moments”. I have those days occasionally often. 😂

Hope you enjoyed the post. But also my music playlist.

Creativity, Journey With Cookbooks

Journey With Cookbooks #15

May 14, 2021 emily2jane Leave a comment

New recipe…

Creamy Ground Beef Pasta!!

Another google ground beef recipe. We still have a lot of ground beef to go. My mother can attest to it; she has seen the goods. 🤩

Do you notice the flowers in the background?

I was given anniversary flowers/ Mother’s Day flowers. The hubby did good!

Back to the food…

Looks so yummy!! I wish mine had looked like that…

Defrosting the beef…again imagine some calming music… Instead I had…

This is where I am at in my music from 10years ago…strange choices…

Browning the beef and cooking the curly-cue noodles!!

I tasted a few noodles just to make sure they were not poisonous. Not that I love noodles, but for the safety of my family 🤨

This recipe was not really what I expected. I grabbed the tomato sauce, but it didn’t really register in my mind. I thought this recipe was more of a cheesy Alfredo pasta…

I have gotten into the habit of trying to wash the dishes often throughout the day. Because then when it’s dinner time, all I have to do is dinner dishes. So I am probably in the kitchen, at the sink, about 70% of my day…

How could it be bad…? Three awesome ingredients will be added to meat. It already is delicious!

See how the google picture is so vibrant while mine is kind of boring. Probably because of the cheese type.

But it still tastes good. Yes. I tried it.

Have to have my healthy food… SALAD!! We also had some leftover Hawaiian rolls. It seems like I added a salad just for the refreshing green color. 😂

My food! I did not eat three Hawaiian rolls…I ate two though!

Overall another easy recipe. Especially since I got the ingredients measured out beforehand and I was able to just add as I needed. In total, it was only about 30min to make.

Look like picture: 6. The noodles are the same but the consistency and color are quite different. But I give it a 6 because compared to the photo only the color is different.

Taste: 8! A solid 8. Mostly because it was not what I expected. So my brain was a little shocked. Whereas the hubby and daughter loved it!! If you try this, there is a distinct tomato taste. Almost like a creamy tomato soup pasta. With meat. Can’t forget the meat!

Easiness: 10! Another easy, chill, calm recipe for a mom who is frazzled. I wasn’t frazzled today, but on a day where I am I will probably make this again.

So to sum this recipe up. Not what I expected. Still good however. And the family approved. So I’ll be adding it to my cookbook.

Thinking…I might make a secondary google inspired cookbook called: The Frazzled Mama. Then when I am uninspired to cook; I can find an easy recipe! 🤔 I like this plan!!

Enjoy!

Journey With Cookbooks

Journey With Cookbooks #14

May 11, 2021 emily2jane Leave a comment

Today’s recipe was bagels…

It was from ‘Crusts: The Ultimate Baker’s Book’

I was in the mood to try something new. And let’s be honest bagels are awesome!!

So I forgot to take pictures of the dough…but I used the mixer of awesomeness!!! It sadly did not like the dough though…

Our mixer is only four years old. It shouldn’t be dying.

So it actually looks okay.

I’ll layout the process I’ve already done. -mix dough in mixer until ball is formed.

-roll the ball of dough on a cutting board with a light dusting of flour.

-divide ball into 12 pieces. (I miscounted and cut 14)🤪

-roll into hotdog shapes and form bagels.

-put a light dusting of cornmeal on pan and place bagels on top. Let the bagels chill in fridge overnight.

-… imagine the corny elevator music…

-next let bagels sit in room temp for 2 hours to let puff up.

Now the next picture!

I didn’t realize you have to put them in boiling water for about 1 min. It makes sense, but when they came out of the water they looked really bumpy and were super slippery. I dropped them upside down a few times!

Speaking of bumpy. It reminded me of a toy we had in my childhood. I don’t remember the name but it was a figurine that had stretchy limbs…so you could make him punch himself. But his skin was similar to the bumpiness. Strange… back on topic…

I should say, at this moment I was worried. I was worried it was going to be another failure. Normally I don’t worry but when you put days into something you really hope it works well. But to stay positive…if they come out hard as rocks, like the first time I made biscuits, I will just take them outside and have a bagel fight with Elizabeth!

Now relax! 🙂 they came out better than I expected!!

Awesomeness!! They are a little crispy on the bottom but they are still soft enough to eat!!

If I keep this up I will never buy anything ever again. Which saves money and I gain experience. A win win. The hubby will be happy. So an extra win!

I love just plain bagels. They are delicious to me!!

Elizabeth took a bite of daddy’s and made the best disgusted face. It was priceless. Almost like her gramma experiencing lobster. So she proceeded to steal mine. At least I have 12 others to choose from.

Look like photo: 9. Just because I think I need to cook it less time. Meaning I will be trying again.

Taste: 9. Again just because I need to adjust my cooking time. By 5min? We will see.

Easiness: 7. It wasn’t too hard but just since it was a two day process you have to make sure to have space in your fridge. That might have been the hardest part, rearranging the fridge. 😂

Well enjoy your Tuesday!! Maybe have a bagel! 🥯

Journey With Cookbooks, Reflections

Journey With Cookbooks #13

May 4, 2021 emily2jane Leave a comment

Mwahahahaha!

I have to admit. It is difficult to stay within just three cookbooks. There are only so many ground beef recipes…and we have a lot of ground beefs to go. So I turned to google again.

Looks easy. It says it takes a total 20min to make. 😎

So I guess I renounce my statement of number of cookbooks. But I will be continuing to share my cooking stories. Let’s begin.

Lots of chopped green onions. These are also from my indoor plant. So they are fresh!!

The longest part was defrosting the beef. I always forget hat it takes almost 30min to defrost.

Easy. Took the beef. Drain the fat, set aside.

Next I was to add all the other ingredients and let simmer. But I forgot to take a picture. But it was garlic, soy sauce, ginger powder, beef broth, various spices, and a whole cup of brown sugar…😳 but I realized why that much sugar later on…

The next step was to add watered cornstarch. I don’t use cornstarch. For no other reason than I never have any and I always forget to buy some. So instead you double the amount and use flour.

It will help thicken the beef mixture. The only difference between flour and cornstarch in sauces is cornstarch stirs in clear; while flour might be cloudy.

I’ve decided to listen through my iTunes music….it’s all the music I bought when I was a teenager…so most of it will probably be weird now…but maybe a few gems. Maybe…

As the meat is simmering for 8min you should also be cooking the noddles. It even suggested the spaghetti noodles. It was not a random decision. 🤓

The brown sugar is to glaze the noodles…🤔 ahhhh!

Hopefully it is good. It smells devine!

Finished!!

….Wow! It is delicious. Even the hubby said he thinks this is his new favorite ground beef noodle recipe. Mine too. I wish I could post the video of Elizabeth eating it….it is definitely her favorite too!

So…

Look Like Picture: Maybe an 8. Just because it looks like they used a different option on the noodles. The more authentic version. We might have to get some next time.

Taste: 10! 100% 10!!

Easiness: 10! Another put it all together and then enjoy! I sent this recipe to my family. It is definitely a dish my brothers and nephews would love.

Also…

The hubby made his chocolate chip cookies earlier so we already have dessert. It’s the normal nestle cookie recipe but somehow his cookies always come out amazing. One recipe I will not make; the hubby will always be in charge of chocolate chip cookies. And this time around he tried something new…

Nick’s friend gave us some fancy butter…if you love chocolate chip cookies, try making it with this butter….you will never be able to eat other cookies.

I’m usually good about not eating too many cookies… these ones I had 8 after dinner. I gained back all the weight I worked so hard to lose… 😩

Enjoy your night. I wish it to be filled with delicious food! But if it is filled with cookies…be strong…don’t eat too many! 🤣

Journey With Cookbooks, Reflections

Journey With Cookbooks #12

April 29, 2021 emily2jane Leave a comment

So I choose a meat first. I decided on beef…but for some reason I was having trouble finding a simple ground beef recipe that we haven’t had yet in the cookbooks…

Nothing…maybe it was because I was uninspired but I found nothing…

Nothing…well that’s not completely true. I found a few in the casserole cookbook but none were sounding appetizing.

So I opted to one of my previous simple recipes…

It is a google recipe that I’ve edited, typed up, and printed into my goggle inspired cookbook.

So it says Korean…but since I didn’t have the right ingredients, when I first made it, I kind of Americanized it….so I apologize to the Koreans or foodies in the world that may cringe at some of my changes. Sorry. 😓

So first things first…defrost the beef…

It would take hours if I let it sit alone…so hot water, meet meat…

This is from the cow we bought…the meat doesn’t truly taste different to me, but when I cook it, it has a nice smell to it.

Funny story about our rice cooker. My brother didn’t end up wanting this rice cooker when he went back for his second year of college…so I took it. 🤓 And it still lives!! It’s about 4 years old. When it eventually dies I will be very sad…😞

Anyways back on topic. Rice is cooking!!

The sauce and meat cooking pan is prepared…

A little bit of olive oil and start cooking the meat. Just until no longer pink.

Can you guess what I decided to do while I waited for the meat to cook?

Get the dishes prepared for after dinner…🥸

It is not my blog unless doing dishes is mentioned at some point…

I decided to add my always green bean recipe. It’s not really a recipe…

You know when you cook something so often that you no longer measure…that would be my green beans. Some butter, green beans, some salt, a little pepper, a lite sprinkle of garlic powder…and a five finger pinch of brown sugar. Mix it up and let it simmer until you are done with everything else…

I changed my mind about the sauce…I wiped out the bit of fat at the bottom of the pan and added the sauce.

Yeah it means one more dish…but to be honest it was the same pot I used to boil Elizabeth’s noddles for Mac n cheese…so it was already used. Another confession…I just wiped it with a paper towel after lunch…But all it had was a couple stuck noodles. 🤪

Now I’m hungry. I wasn’t really hungry when I started. But now I’m a HUNGRY THING!!

We get a sushi rice. It’s the best! Costco!!

Green onions just add that extra yum! to certain foods. I usually add them to anything hat sounds remotely good.

I’ve been trying to be better at my rice consumption. I now measure out my rice. It also makes the plate look pretty and professional…but honestly it’s just for measuring purposes.

See this was a normal cooking process before I got the cookbooks. My google inspired cookbook is huge. I gave my siblings a copy for Christmas this last year.

Even though it’s a bit simple it was delicious!!

I guess I’ll rate them since this is a recipe after all…

Looks Like Picture: 10! I do remember the picture. It always looks the same.

Taste: 10! I always love this meal. It’s a little sweet, spicy, and salty. Everything you usually crave rolled into one recipe. In case you try it…if you do not like spicy don’t add the red pepper flakes. Or maybe just half… also my hubby wanted seconds but again I said no. Just because I knew ice cream was in the near future…

Easiness: 10! It’s pretty much an add everything together and wait. Also since I use a rice cooker it makes this meal extremely easy!

Also to give you an idea of amount of beef mixture it makes… I had about a small heaped 1/2 cup. The hubby…3/4 cup?? I think. And there probably 1 cup leftover. So for two people, it’s a one dinner and one lunch kind of meal.

Hopefully this recipe made you hungry. Usually I won’t post the recipe but since this one is a recipe I tweaked to work fo me I shared it.

Have a great dinner tonight!!

Journey With Cookbooks

Journey With Cookbooks #11

April 21, 2021 emily2jane Leave a comment

The chuck roast recipe…😎 and a surprise…!

As I said in #10’s post that it had to marinate for 24hrs.

Meat prepared!! See you tomorrow morning!

So it’s not the most exciting process…and I also tweaked the recipe. The recipe called for using a barbecue to grill the meat in a foil container…I didn’t want to break the hubby’s grill while he was out so I made do with a crockpot. I looked up various crockpot chuck roast recipes and they all said similar: Low 8-10hrs. 😎

You can’t really see the progress, but it smells delicious!!

At this point we have about 3hrs to go…

Okay so at this point we have eaten lunch and I have been skimming through this new cookbook and come upon…churros…😳

Who can skip the churros recipe…

The batter did not seem correct but I just went with it expecting it to fail…

I didn’t have the correct nozzle so I just made them like this…

Well I got creative with the shapes as the rounds went on, but you see that empty plate…that means they are being eaten as I finish them. 😎

They might have looked strange but they were yummy!!

The cinnamon roll shaped ones came out the best!

Okay back to the roast. It is almost ready!!

It just fell off the bone…actually I thought I was going to be able to pick it up by the bone and the bone just slipped out. 😎

I didn’t realize the recipe was going to have me make a BBQ sauce, but I am happy it did. Costco has not been selling our favorite BBQ sauce, so we’ve been pretty limited.

Made with some of the juices and other varied ingredients, I followed the recipe!

Well I kind of followed it. When I was reading the ingredients my brain change cider to white. So I added 1/2 cup of white vinegar. I realized after I pour it in, and decided to try and ladle some out. I then added about 1/4 cup of cider vinegar. Nobody in my household will know! 😎

Hopefully I am making you hungry!!

Removing the fat this is what remains!! Enough for a few dinners!!

I had to taste it at this point…Yum!

I know I always say be healthy but we do occasionally eat other veggies besides salad, I’ve just been too lazy.

So…this recipe is a must for anyone out there that loves meat and barbecue…A MUST!

Look Like Photo: Chuck Roast: Maybe an 8. Since I didn’t smoke/ grill the meat it didn’t take on as much color….I think. I’m not really sure; I’m still new at cooking big chunks of meat.

Churros: 0…it did not in the slightest look like the photo…😒

Taste: Chuck Roast: 10!!!!!!!!!!! I would say 100! But it is out of 10 so 10!!!!!!! The hubby would have had seconds but I said no.

Churros: I would give a 9! It tasted amazing but I think I will follow a different recipe. The dough seemed more like funnel cake batter…that probably would have worked better.

Easiness: 10! Because it was cooked in a crockpot it was super easy!! I think the churros were harder; giving churros a 7.

So overall I had another busy day! Hopefully this drive to cook continues…I love food! I have been exercising…I exercise to eat food!! Mwahahahaha! 😎

Husbands in the world…if you want some new varieties give your wife a cookbook. But make sure she knows you aren’t saying her food is awful. So maybe give her some flowers too!

Enjoy!

Journey With Cookbooks

Journey With Cookbooks #10

April 17, 2021 emily2jane Leave a comment

So I lied when I said I would be starting the other Ree Drummond cookbook. I needed to find a recipe for 4lbs of chuck roast…so I dove into this one instead!!

I thought a country styled cookbook would have plenty of meat recipes…I was correct!

However this blog post is not about the chuck roast. It had to marinate for 24hrs, so I decided to make chicken nuggets from the same cookbook.

You should know. After getting the chuck roast ready I decided upon a crazy idea…I have been in the kitchen since 11:45am…it is currently 4:40pm. I cleaned the refrigerator…

I thought I would have a break to sit down after my madness of cleaning…nope. Dinner here I come!

I forgot I needed to defrost the chicken; so that I could put it in the brine concoction. It had to sit in the fridge for 30min….

It was actually an easy process. I was quite surprised how easy. It was a nice change for starting a new cookbook.

When the recipe tells you to cut even pieces it’s actually for a reason. Because then the piece cook the same amount of time. I had to cook the big pieces together, and cook them a little longer.

Since I was using a pot and not a dutch oven I had to do a few more rounds. Try four more rounds…

Keeping it healthy…we had a salad!

Again this recipe does not seem so exciting but it actually was! I fried chicken and it came out done and still moist…I have become a master at frying…at least in my household!

The hubby and Elizabeth both said yum yum when I served them.

The fries, sadly, did not survive to this dinner, they were hard and were kind of chewy, but Elizabeth still ate them all off her plate…😳

Look Like Photo: 10! I think because I did not use the vegetable oil it looks a bit different in color but overall…10!! 😎

Taste: Hubby 10! Elizabeth 10! Me 10! So delicious. Will definitely be making this again. And might use the temp, time, and breading for other various chicken recipes!!

Easiness: I give it a solid 9. One point off of perfect because I had to do several extra rounds. But the rounds were only 3-4min long. So we are talking an extra 12-16min. That’s why I give it a 9!!

My next cooking post will be about the chuck roast recipe!! It was delicious as well!!

Ooooooooooooo 😯 Big hunk of yes please!!!

Journey With Cookbooks

Journey With Cookbooks #9

April 14, 2021 emily2jane Leave a comment

This is sadly not a recipe post…

I have slowly discovered that not all days will be a new recipe day…sometimes you want an easy dinner that you know exactly how to make it and you are not panicking.

I’ve had those nights for the past two dinners. One night I made hamburgers; the other I made One Pot Beef Stroganoff. Both delicious!

I’ve been making good headway on the frontier cookbook. More completed than not.

I really do love this cookbook. Anyone who wants to mix up their Cooking, or husband who want a change…get her or yourself this cookbook!

The dinner time one is more of a big family cookbook. Or if you want to have foods stored up in your freezer for easy meals.

Which I do think having dinner plans made ahead of time is a smart idea, but not when you are on a mission to discover new recipes. So I think I will keep this one around, but I’m going to start a new cookbook.

I discovered I had another one!! Elizabeth took all the cookbooks out of their space and placed them throughout the house…😒

I already glanced through, and it looks delicious!

So hopefully by my next cooking post I will have a recipe planned. But this post is for all the moms…exploring is good, but don’t burn yourself out at the beginning. Do your everyday recipes when you get tired. Keep cooking as a fun thing to do not a hassle.

Have a happy Wednesday. It is currently 28 degrees….this is a normal Spring…🙄 I do miss actually Spring…

Journey With Cookbooks

Journey With Cookbooks #8

April 9, 2021 emily2jane Leave a comment

Another recipe!! Today is called Ranch-Style Chicken. From the Frontier Cookbook.

I actually looked through the recipe and decided to cut it in half. It calls for 6 chicken breast and will serve 12…so 3 chicken breast serving 6 is better for a family of 2 and a bigger smidge.

The only difference for this recipe is I have a horseradish mustard instead of Dijon…should be interesting.

To begin!!

Well I completely forgot to take pictures of the sliced meat…

Then I forgot to take pictures until now…it needs to marinate for about 2hrs in the fridge.

I was focusing on getting it done and in the fridge, that I totally forgot I was going to use this experience for my blog…see, this is what happens when I “read” the recipe…I forget other things…haha

And again I used what I have. I didn’t want to be wasteful so I used some already cooked bacon from 2 days ago.

The chicken is done! Smells yummy. Before putting the chicken in I tasted the marinade, it was good.

This is the second round of chicken. I…forgot about pictures again for the first round. My brain must be on baby brain currently.

Husbands…baby brain is a thing. If your wife is being really frustrating just remember part of our smartness goes to our children. Be happy for intelligent children. 😜

For the last 5 min you add the bacon and cheese.

The hubby went to help a friend so I’m going to finish them off by broiling when he tells me he is coming back.

I got hungry so I cut up an apple. Elizabeth decided to help me with that part.

She always helps me when there are apples present.

My little helper…see her hair is crazy and wild. I don’t make it up…it’s real.

Salad!! In the picture for the recipe there was lettuce. So I copied that idea.

We have leftover garlic mashed potatoes that the hubby will probably want with dinner. I’m not really a mashed potato type of person. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE potatoes, but not mashed. My older brother is that way too.

I made the “easy” rolls with dinner. The hubby likes them. Me not so much.

Let’s see the finished product…

Looks like picture: I would say 10. It looks pretty similar. Taste?

Taste: The hubby said…”give it an 8. It tasted delicious, just I was late getting go back and the bacon had been sitting too long in the cheese.” Personally, I think that’s an okay rating! I give it an 8 as well. It was good but nothing too exciting.

Easiness: the marinating part was the longest. So ignoring that, I would give easiness a 10. It was super simple. A good recipe for when I have baby brain.

This recipe was strange. It was easy, it tasted good, but I don’t know if I will make it often. We will have to see in the future.

Enjoy your Friday!!👋

Journey With Cookbooks

Journey With Cookbooks #7

April 3, 2021 emily2jane 2 Comments

So last night I ventured into another recipe from the two cookbooks…still the Frontier Cookbook. We had some leftover guacamole that needed to be eaten…Beef and Bean Burritos!! We had all the ingredients and it seemed like it would be a very easy recipe.

Except for the cilantro…I didn’t have that…

So her recipe called for certain types of ingredients…but again I used the kinds I have.

Her enchilada sauce is medium…whereas mine is mild, so I added a can of diced green chilies that are medium. It works! 🥸 And the recipe called for refried beans…I’m not a big fan, but the hubby is; so I improvised by including black beans.

While I’m waiting for the meet to defrost I diced the onion…

The recipe called for a whole medium onion…I had half a large onion in the fridge….I called it good. 😎

Oh…I don’t know if everyone knows this and I was just clueless…but this is how you use the can opener…🤯 I saw this a long time ago and my life was changed.

I love it when the entire stove is in use!! It makes it seem like I’m doing a billion things at once! 😎 I just wish it wouldn’t mean more dishes…

I ummm…decided to pour the entire can of diced chilies…hopefully it is not too spicy for the hubby…

Elizabeth needed some applesauce…which she preceded to eat with her fingers…😜

At this point I have turned on the heat for the beans. It shouldn’t be too long now…

So between these two pictures it was potty time for Elizabeth, so I hired the hubby to stir and add the enchilada sauce. He will be rehired in the future. 😎

You add cheese to the beans as they cook. So pretty much you are eating cheese with your meat.

Look, they are so little and cute!! 😍 I was eating celery as I was cooking. I got hungry and decided to eat something healthy while I waited.

It doesn’t look pretty but it was so yummy!!! It reminded me of a Paco’s burrito.

The rating shall begin…

Look Like Picture: 9! Hers just looked super pretty with the cilantro…but it was close!!

Taste: The hubby gives it a 9. He said I added too much enchilada sauce to the top, and that it made it a little soggy as he got to the end…but still he said it was yummy!! Elizabeth kind of cheated…she had a bean & cheese burrito…she liked that. Especially as she used it as a vessel to get the sour cream to her mouth.

Easiness: 10! Again like the Tortilla Soup or Sloppy Joe’s recipes it was super easy. Just slowly add and then finish it off with melting cheese via a microwave…

I might tweak this recipe the next time…but we shall see when that is, because…

We will be eating this for a while…

1 1/2 burrito was almost too much for me…We might be eating this for Easter…?? We will see 🧐

Enjoy your Friday!! ❤️

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