Easy peanut butter cream pie

It feels like it has been FOREVER since I last posted.  Grad school sure is keeping me busy!  I had the choice of going to homecoming or going to a family reunion today.  I chose the reunion.  I've never been to homecoming at a college before.  But then I remind myself that I don't really have the network of friends necessary to go to an event like that.  It's best for someone like me to stay home.

Stay home making pie, that is.

No, I really meant just staying home, but it could have been a nice segue into the recipe.  "Recipe."

I last made this pie for a special woman in my life.  I loved her very much.  I think the only picture I have of the pie is one the pies that I made for her, so that's the photo you'll get.  It was for Valentine's Day, hence the heart of whipped cream on top.  Here's how to make the pie.

Ingredients:

• Oreo pie crust (either homemade or store-bought)
• 8 oz. Cool Whip (thawed)
• Between 8 oz. and 16 oz. of creamy peanut butter (try using around 12 oz.)

Alternatively, you can use 8 oz. (liquid state) of heavy whipping cream and whatever the heck kind of pie crust you want.  I'm hesitant to recommend Oreo pie crust (and Cool Whip by extension), mostly because I like my brands to stay away from political statements, but whatever.

How to make the pie:

Use a double-boiler to melt down the peanut butter.  If you do not have a formal double-boiler, you can improvise it using two pots.  There's really nothing to it.

Dump the Cool Whip into a mixing bowl, and then fold the peanut butter into it.  It's kind of hard to do this without stirring.  Stirring can cause your whipped cream to become flat in the same manner that stirring a cup of soda can cause it to become flat.  I'm not completely certain of the structural integrity of Cool Whip, but it's really just best to fold the peanut butter and Cool Whip together.

Now gently put the peanut butter cream into the crust.  When you've done that and spread it all around, it's time to freeze the pie.  At least let it freeze for an hour.  Before serving, remove it from the freezer for about a half an hour.  Serve with some whipped cream on top.

I'm sorry.  Posting the picture of the pie I made for Valentine's Day for her is a little too painful for me.  So instead, here's a picture of the chocolate cream pie I made for some sisters while I was on my mission.  I used a Keebler chocolate crust, heavy whipping cream, and crumbled up some Oreos on the top.  Using chocolate syrup on the top ruined the richness of this particular pie (though it was still delicious), so just try to focus the flavor on the filling of the pie itself when to go to make this your own.

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup

Do you like The Olive Garden?  It's about the fanciest joint I go to.  You know, because I'm super high class and stuff.  When I go, I like to wear cut-off denim shorts and a mesh tank top because I want to look as classy as I feel.

Really though, I like to go to the Olive Garden and eat their delicious Zuppa Toscana soup.  So when I came across a recipe online for the soup in question, I sprang on it.  You can find the actual recipe here at Tuscan Recipes, but below you'll read my instructions for making it a little better and in the Crock-pot.

The ingredients are:

1lb. ground Italian sausage (or regular sausage if you don't want too much of a kick)

1.5 tsp of crushed red pepper

Onion powder

Bacon bits

2 tsp of garlic puree (or some garlic powder - both are good options)

10 cups of water

5 chicken bullion cubes (you can find this in the Mexican food section if you're having trouble finding it)

1 cup of heavy whipping cream (kept near the milk)

1 or so lb of potatoes (see instructions for how to prepare them)

Kale (as much as you'd like, but at least 1/4 of a bunch...however much that is)

1. Brown the sausage in a frying pan and get it cooked at least most of the way through (I prefer to have it all the way cooked).

2. Put ten cups of water into a six-quart Crock-Pot (you can probably go as low as four-quart) along with the five bullion cubes.  You can stir it all around as it heats, but due to the property of diffusion, it will slowly mix on its own during the cooking process.  I still recommend giving it a stir.

3. Take all the potatoes that you plan on adding and wash and peel them.  Rinse them again after peeling, and then take out your cutting board and a large, sharp knife.   Here you have a choice: you can thinly slice the potatoes into circles, or you can cut the potatoes in half before slicing the potatoes into semicircles.  Alternatively, you can dice the potatoes.  You just don't want round slices to be too thick.  This soup values thin slicing.

4.  Add the potatoes, the cream, and all of the ingredients except for the kale.  Stir it all together, then heat on low for about six hours.  You can kind of wing it on this step.  This is the beauty of a slow-cooker.  You can just kind of wing it most of the time!

5.  About an hour before you're ready to serve the soup, wash and cut the kale and then add it to the soup.  Again, you can kind of wing it here.  I can't recall whether I added the kale late the last time I made this soup, but what I do know is that it worked.

If you're going to make this soup for just one person, you need to halve the recipe.  You'll be eating it for a week that way.  I recommend that you make this soup and serve it to your family, roommates, or neighbors.  It makes a TON, so if you live around a bunch of people you like, share the wealth.

Because I encourage single men to pay attention to my blog and its recipes, I recommend getting some roommates or friends together and then invite some women over to eat this soup with you.   If you make some breadsticks (which I may just post a roll recipe soon) and serve them on the side, you'll have kind of a half meal.  You could serve this soup with grilled cheese, salad, or something else that women like.  Believe it or not, women LOVE grilled cheese sandwiches, given they're not lactose intolerant.

By the way, if you don't own a Crock-pot yet, go buy one!  You can find them at thrift stores for cheap, or at a place like Sam's Club for as little as $35 for a super nice one!  Here's a picture of the Crock-pot I own.

Green beans

Today I am baking rolls.  I would love to post the recipe, but it belongs to a neighbor and I don't think I should share her recipe without permission.  It's the same reason why I don't share my mom's pretzel dough recipe.  What I will share is the way I last made green beans.

Really quickly, here's how to dress up your green beans and make them taste like they're from a restaurant.

Take some frozen or fresh green beans and steam them in the microwave.  Barring that, just boil them for a little bit.
Put on a pat of real butter (not margarine!) and coat the beans.
Throw on some garlic powder.
Put on some salt.
Serve hot.

Easy and delicious oven fries

I seriously want some fries today.  I think you will too after I post this.

Ingredients:
Potatoes
Canola oil (or whichever cooking oil is your favorite)
Salt or other favorite seasoning

Wash and peel as many potatoes you like.  I find that you can fit up to seven medium-to-small potatoes on a standard cookie sheet so long as you cut the fries pretty thick.  Rinse the potatoes after peeling and then cut the potatoes into long strips as thick or as thin as you like.  If you cut them into about 1/8 inch thick, you get a nice fry that can get crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

Some people like to get fancy here and rinse or soak the fries before cooking them.  I think it's suppose to make them more crispy, but I don't do it.

Take a gallon-size bag or a dish with a lid and dump all of the potatoes into it.  Then dump in some oil.  You need enough oil to be able to coat the fries, but you don't want too much oil.  Maybe up to three tablespoons depending on how many potatoes you use?  I don't know.  Seal and shake the bag to coat the potatoes, and then dump them on a greased cookie sheet.  You probably don't need to grease the cookie sheet, but sometimes these can stick if you don't allow them to cook for long enough.

Bake at 450F for about 35 minutes.  You'll know they're done when they're a little brown on top and brown around the edges.  The fries should be a little bit yellow in color.  The result will look something like this.

Look at those delicious fries.

If you pair this with some chicken or hamburgers you'll be able to have a restaurant-quality meal at a fraction of the price.  I have no need to go to a casual dining place to get a good burger and fries.  I can make them at home!

I love good food.

A super easy casserole

I almost feel obligated to post a recipe because I think recipes are part of the draw for this blog.  I think that single men should pay special attention to the recipes I post here because women like a man that can make her a good meal.  Making a delicious meal is easier than I thought, but having a variety is a little more difficult.  Now I understand why my family would eat Hawaiian haystacks six Sundays in a row.  Although I still contend that one does not need to eat the same meal six Sundays in a row.

I call this "Chicken, Rice, and Peas."  Super clever.

Here's what you need:

Two cans of cream of chicken soup
One can of chicken (or a couple of chicken breasts chopped up and at least partially cooked)
12-16 ounces of frozen peas
1 lb. of regular white rice
Black pepper

The beauty of this recipe is twofold.  First, it's relatively inexpensive.  Second, it's super easy and delicious!  Maybe the beauty is threefold.  Whatever.  Here's how to prepare it.

Take a 9x13 casserole dish (cake pan) and spread the rice across the bottom.
Next, dump in both cans of soup with two cans of water (one can each).
Add the chicken, then kind of stir up the whole thing to get the ingredients blended.
Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven at 450F for 30 minutes.
At the 30 minute mark, remove the casserole from the oven and give it a stir.  Add the peas and the pepper, cover with aluminum foil (the same piece will do), and place back in the oven for another 30 minutes.

I made this in anticipation of having dinner with a friend tonight.  I kind of like her, but I know that she has a lot of guys around her.  She's also going to Russia in two weeks, so it's not like much would work out.  I think I'll give this its own post.  Long story short: it was a good meal.  Although I don't think she was that into it.  They can't all be winners, right?  My last girlfriend liked this casserole though, so I'm not too worried about my audience.

Couscous with chicken

This isn't really a recipe; it's more of a meal idea.  My recent ex-girlfriend turned me on to Near East brand Couscous (she turned me on in a lot of other ways too).  You can find a 12-pack of my favorite variety, garlic and olive oil, on Amazon here.  You can also pick this up at Wal-mart for about $2/box.

It's really simple to make.  You just boil 1.25 cups of water and two tablespoons of oil with the spice packet.  I use canola oil even though you should use olive oil.  Once it comes to a boil, stir in the couscous and remove from the heat source.  Cover and let stand for five minutes, and then fluff with a fork.

Here's what I do to make it a meal.  I take a can of chicken that I usually get from Costco, drain the water, cut up the chunks a little, and then stir it in with the couscous.  This is really a good, quick meal for singles and it only costs about $4 in total.  You can have this once for dinner and then again for tomorrow's lunch.  Two meals for $2 apiece.  That's a deal.

Pizza rolls tonight

I promise that I'm not just going to post recipes.  In fact, I think I'll post something right after this.  But I had to share how awesomely easy and delicious this recipe is!

Here's what you need:

Pizza dough using this recipe.
String cheese
Pepperoni
Other "toppings" (optional)
Hunt's Traditional spaghetti sauce (semi-optional)
Garlic powder (used with the sauce)

This is really easy to make!  After you have made the dough, you can rise it in the microwave on the lowest power setting.  Let it run for three minutes, cool for three minutes, then run for another six minutes, then cool for a few minutes.  Depending on how much you want it to rise, you can repeat those steps as much as you like.

Put some flour down on your clean countertop or cutting board and then roll the dough so it gets pretty thin.  Trust me that you want it decently thin or else you get all dough and zero filling.

Next, take four slices of pepperoni and lay them down in a row so they're overlapping about a quarter slice each.  Then put down a stick of string cheese on top of the pepperoni.  After you have done that, place another four slices of pepperoni on top of the piece of string cheese.

After you have lined up your filling, simply roll the filling so that the dough connects, and then pinch the sides and edges so that everything gets closed up.

One option here is to spray with a little butter and then coat with garlic powder and Parmesan cheese.  I didn't do that on mine, but you may as well go nuts!

Bake at 450F for about 12 minutes or until the dough is golden brown.  Your result will look something like this:

If you take the Hunt's Traditional spaghetti sauce (my favorite spaghetti sauce) and mix in some garlic powder, you have an excellent pizza sauce.  You can serve that at the side for dipping.  I suppose you could also add it to the filling in one way or another, but I think it's fun to have at the side.

I got the idea for this after having Pizza Hut's stuffed pizza rollers.  They were so good that I knew I had to make them myself.  Believe it or not, I didn't make this for a whole year!  I can't believe I waited so long!  Make this for dinner tonight.  You can even get creative and cut the string cheese in half to make smaller rolls, or add sausage or peppers or something.  It's your dish, make it fun!  I'll bet having these stuffed with ham and mild cheddar cheese would be delicious.  It's like making your own Hot Pockets, but tons better.  In fact, I might make a bunch of these and freeze them for those days in grad school where I have to have a quick meal.

Crock-pot Pork Roast

I have another recipe for you!  I didn't post for a day or so, and this is all I have for now.  I actually went to a scholarship luncheon and it took me all day.  I've also been doing homework and stuff.  Whatever.  Anyway, here's a good recipe for you!

Here's what you'll need:
Pork roast (or tenderloin or whatever; I just bought what was on sale a few weeks back)
Pepsi Wild Cherry (yep, I'm a Pepsi man)
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Parsley flakes
Vinegar (kind of optional)
Aluminum foil (also kind of optional)

I decided to throw out measurements a while back.  I have good luck with just throwing things in.  That's the beauty of a Crock-pot!  Anyway, take the pork and put it in the Crock-pot.  Then pour around 4-6 ounces of Pepsi Wild Cherry on top of it.  Get your vinegar and just pour a little shot of it in.  Some might measure it and put in 2-4 ounces in, but I just give it a quick pour.  The more vinegar you put in, the more of a bitter "bite" your meat will have.  Then toss on your garlic powder, onion powder, and parsley flakes.  If there's another seasoning you would like with it, put that on too!  Last, take a sheet of aluminum foil and place it over the meat.  Kind of push it down around the meat.  What this does is it shrinks the cooking area and prevents steam from escaping.  I have a 6-quart Crock-pot with a vent in the lid, so I have to do this every time to prevent my meat from drying out.

When you've done all of the above, cook on high for six hours, or on low for about 8 or so hours.  If you pop this in the Crock-pot at noon, you'll have a delicious roast in time for dinner.  Or you can put it in before work or church or whatever you have in the morning and it will be ready by dinner time.

I like to eat this meat with green beans, roasted potatoes, rolls, and a glass of milk...and the rest of the can of Pepsi.
Enjoy!

Fried chicken for dinner

Well...not "fried," per se, but it's some dang good chicken.  I've entered this cooking phase of my life and I've been doing it for pretty well all of this year so far.  I bought a Crock-pot and I started going to Crockpot365 for recipes.  Not all of them are good for the Crock-pot though.  Anyhow, I just took a look at her recipe and then did my own thing.  Isn't that how it goes?  Here is what I made tonight and how to make it yourself.

Oven-fried Chicken Legs

Preheat oven to 425F

1 pack of skinless chicken legs (I buy them fresh from Smith's and skin them)
3 oz. or so of flour
2 tsp of Creole seasoning
Spray cooking oil

Take the thawed and skinned chicken and dredge it in the flour and seasoning.  To do this, put the flour and the seasoning in a gallon-size bag (or shallow dish, but I think the bag is better).  Give it a shake to mix, and then drop in a drumstick at a time.  Shake the bag a few times to get the chicken coated and then place on a greased cookie sheet.  After you have placed all of the coated chicken on the cookie sheet, take your cooking oil and spray it liberally over the chicken.  Make sure you get the chicken coated in the oil, but also don't spray off the flour.

Bake for about 40 minutes or so and then serve after it has cooled a bit.

It's a simple recipe, but it sure made for a delicious dinner!  I wish I had the recipe for Smith's fried chicken because I think theirs is the best.  It's too expensive to buy on a regular basis though!  Eight bucks for eight pieces?  No thanks!  This recipe can make 18 pieces for less than $6 if you get the chicken on sale.

For those who are reading this (both of you) and are wondering why I didn't include a picture, it's because I had to run before I took the chicken out of the oven.  I sing to the elderly after church and it interfered with dinner tonight.  It interferes with dinner every Sunday, actually, but whatever.  Some of the people we sang to tonight had tears in their eyes because they could really feel the Spirit, which made it quite the rewarding experience!  Fortunately for me, my neighbors were gracious enough to take the chicken out of the oven for me.  So even though it had been sitting out for a little and it had dried some, it was still some great chicken.