I spent a lot of time yesterday making cupcakes. Lots of cupcakes. And you would be correct if you also assumed that I spent a lot of time yesterday taste- testing cupcake batter, cupcakes, and frosting. Please don’t judge. This is what I do.

By evening, though, I had consumed my fill of everything sweet and knew I wanted something for dinner that was light and not even remotely cupcake-y.

I hinted around to my family before Christmas that I would love The Pioneer Woman’s latest cookbook, Super Easy, but my hinting fell on deaf ears. Not one to easily accept defeat though, I took matters into my own hands and smartly bought it for myself.

Merry Christmas to me.

When I was reading the cookbook before bed the other night (again, please don’t judge, this is also what I do) (geeky, I know) I came across the recipe for Speedy Dumpling Soup and was intrigued. Could something this simple and fast actually be good? Typically I’m a slow-simmer, all day long type cook, so I was a little skeptical. But on my last run to the grocery store I threw all the ingredients into my cart, and decided last night to try it out.

And it really IS so good. And it REALLY DOES take less than 30 minutes beginning to end.

You should make this for yourself- even if you don’t eat raw cupcake batter and read cookbooks like novels.

Lu

Speedy Dumpling Soup

The Pioneer Woman

**My bag of slaw mix was just 9 oz. so I threw in the whole thing, and instead of frozen dumplings I used pork pot stickers from the fresh sushi section of the grocery store- they came with two little containers of dipping sauce so I put those in the soup too! Make sure not to overcook -if you heat it too violently at the end, the dumplings/potstickers will begin to fall apart.

Ingredients

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Half a 12-ounce bag broccoli slaw mix (with broccoli, carrots and red cabbage) 

2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce 

1 tablespoon minced ginger 

4 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1 small red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced 

One 14- to 16-ounce bag frozen pork dumplings

Directions

1. Combine the broth, slaw mix, soy sauce, ginger, scallion whites, garlic and red pepper slices in a large saucepan, then bring to a simmer. Add the dumplings and return to a simmer. Simmer until the veggies are tender and the dumplings are cooked, about 10 minutes. Garnish with the scallion greens.

Sometimes making dinner is hard.

I’ll just throw this out there – sometimes I decide what to cook based almost solely on the number of dishes/utensils/cutting boards/etc that I will have to clean up when it’s all over.

There. I said it.

Never mind what my people want to eat, sometimes my tired self just thinks: “But will it make a mess??”

Someone tell me I’m not alone.

Last night I pulled out this recipe (originally from a Pampered Chef cookbook) for Chili Lime Pork, and while it looks and tastes great, the greatest blessing from above is that clean-up is a breeze- all done in one pan.

All the praise hands.

Try it if you, like me, have ever considered feigning an illness when it’s time to do the dishes.

The truth shall set you free.

Lu

Chili Lime Pork with Corn Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4   boneless pork chops
• 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp Chili Lime seasoning, divided
• 2   ears corn, husks removed
• 1 medium red bell pepper
• 1 small red onion
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 cup  grape tomatoes
• 2   garlic cloves
• ½ cup  queso fresco, crumbled (see cook’s tip)
• ½ cup  fresh cilantro leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat for 6 minutes.
2. Season the pork with 1 tbsp of the rub. Remove the kernels from the cob. Chop the pepper and onion in a medium dice.
3. Place the pork in the skillet. Sear the pork, undisturbed, for 4 minutes. Flip and cook for about 4–6 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 140°F (60°C) for medium doneness. Remove the pork from the skillet.
4. Add the corn and cook, undisturbed, for 4 minutes.
5. Slice the zucchini into half-moons with the and halve the tomatoes with the.
6. Add the onion and bell pepper to the skillet and cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add the zucchini and finely diced garlic to the skillet; cook for an additional 2 minutes.
8. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the remaining rub, tomatoes, queso fresco, and chopped cilantro. Serve with the pork chops.

Has this whole isolation thing already worn you out? Are you tired of coming up with something new to cook for dinner each day? While this isn’t really a problem for someone like me who loves to cook, some of my friends tell me they’ve pretty much exhausted the limits of their cooking skills.

And their patience.

I’ll tell you what wears me out. Cleaning up. The counters, the dishes, the floor (although Hootie is a splendid help here) , the everything. The sole reason I would love my own cooking show? Someone else does the dishes. They wash the 12 pots and pans and various sizes of mixing bowls and platters and spatulas and knives and YOU NAME IT -I SEEM TO USE IT ALL.

And I’m not even sure how it all happens.

Anyway, for me, a one-pot meal is a wonderful, healing and transfomative thing. This Jambalaya is just that! I made an extra huge batch this morning for some of JT’s survey guys who are working here in town. I had plenty to feed them with lots left for our supper- and all in one pan! (Albeit it’s a big pan!)

Jambalaya is one of those things that lends itself well to additions and substitutions and sometimes even my own forgetfulness! You can dress it up or down, turn up the heat or make it mild. Substitute proteins (sausage, chicken, shrimp, crawfish) and generally tailor it to the tastes of your family. You can even forget several of the ingredients and still end up with a wonderful dish.

Not that I have ever done that.

In the picture below you can see a couple of things I used instead of what’s actually listed in the ingredients- a girl has to improvise sometimes!

The important thing is, it’s tasty and it doesn’t keep you in the kitchen for hours AFTER dinner.

You can read all the substitutions/deletions/ changes I made in italics in the ingredient list- we’re all working with limited pantry and fridge supplies right now. And because I was pressed for time, I browned the sausage, the chicken, the peppers, onion, and garlic (with the Better than Bouillon) all at the same time!

No one said you can’t just be your own person.

Hope you enjoy this one is much as I do!!

One Pot Jambalaya

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, (adjust to suit your tastes/heat preference – I just used about 1 1/2 T
• 10 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into rounds ( I had no andouille today – I used the sausage in photo)
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 onion diced
• 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 stalks/ribs celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp. Better than Bouillon Chicken Flavor (I use low sodium)
• 14 ounces can crushed tomatoes (I used a can of diced tomatoes that I put in the food processor for a few spins!)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon each dried thyme and dried oregano (I completely forgot these today!)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes ( I used some of the chili/onion mix in photo- get it at Trader Joe’s)
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (Left this out today)
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup thinly sliced okra (no okra today!)
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice (short grain or long grain)
• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
• Sliced green onions and chopped parsley, to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season the sausage and chicken pieces with half of the Cajun seasoning. 
• Brown sausage in the hot oil; remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Add remaining oil to the pot and sauté chicken until lightly browned. Remove with slotted spoon; set aside.
• Sauté the onion, bell pepper and celery until onion is soft and transparent.  Add the garlic and Better than Bouillon and cook until fragrant (30 seconds).
• Stir in the tomatoes; season with salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes (or Cayenne powder), hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and the remaining Cajun seasoning. Stir in the okra slices (or file powder), chicken and sausage. Cook for 5 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
• Add in the rice and chicken broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low-medium. Cover and let simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked.
• Season with a little extra salt and pepper if needed and remove from heat. Adjust heat with extra hot sauce, Cayenne pepper or Cajun seasoning. Serve immediately with sliced green onions and parsley. 

I’m a cookbook junkie.

It’s probably a little shameful, but I keep acquiring more. I read them like novels, devouring the background stories on the recipes, interesting cuisines, and most importantly the cooks who write them. I have good ones and bad ones. Some are tattered and stained from frequent use, others barely used and relegated to a fairly inaccessible shelf in the bookcase. Many I’ve read through word-by-word more than once. A few I might try to grab in case of a fire. I would probably suggest that JT grab some too, but he’d likely be too busy saving all his Made in the USA vintage tools.

Priorities I guess.

Recently I got a new cookbook written by a TV chef whom I really like. I’ve watched her shows for years and find her personable and unassuming. She’s known for making meals in just 30 minutes! , and I’ve enjoyed the book immensely- she includes lots of personal anecdotes, which I love.

Chances are, though, I won’t try many of the recipes because the ingredient lists go on for days, most including things I wouldn’t normally buy or even be able to find. I can only imagine how intimidating this could be for a newbie just trying to get started cooking. Or anyone who doesn’t have the time or energy (much less the dollars) to come up with all the those ingredients. Have you ever shied away from a recipe because it seemed too complex? Where does one find a sheet of pork belly fat anyway?

This girlfriend would likely give up and make a bologna sandwich instead.

Trust me, though, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to cook. You don’t need to be a TV chef, author (or even be able to decipher) a cookbook.

Coincidentally (and thankfully) you don’t even need to be particularly smart.

Anyone can cook. I mean what’s the worst that could happen? OK, besides the whole fire and burning thing?

Here’s what I did last night: No recipe involved.

I cut a few thin- skinned potatoes into bitesize pieces and put them in a skillet, covering them with water, boiling them until the water was gone (this almost cooks them through and softens them up). Then, I added some olive oil, minced garlic, a few raw asparagus spears (chopped) , some kale, and a few little tomatoes cut in half. That’s it. These were just things hanging in my fridge without a purpose for their lives.

Stir until all the veggies seem cooked then season with salt and pepper to taste. Imagine all the endless variations… I topped mine with some salmon left over from Sunday night’s dinner.

It looked great and tasted even better.

You don’t need one cookbook much less 500 or so.

Just your imagination will do.

I’ll admit.

The crust on this beauty is a little over the top in more ways than one! It’s a bit rustic. A tad dramatic. Let’s just think of it like a Texas gal having big hair and being closer to God.

Amen

But it’s true, isn’t it, that the main attraction of a pot pie is the crust. Sure there are all kinds of good-for-you vegetables under all that big hair, but mostly we’re here for the crunchy, crevice-y crust. And lots of it.

This pot pie is super simple to make and once you have the main formula down, you can throw in lots of changes to the veggie selection (some people NEED little peas in their pot pie), or add bleu (fancier than blue) cheese or even a little cheddar to the vegetable base. You could make this a beef pot pie, or pork, or if you were a rock star, a BACON POT PIE and I would be your best friend.

Just have your way with it.

Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry Crust

Luann at Hobnob Kitchen

Ingredients

7 tablespoons butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup diced carrots

½ c. diced celery

Approximately 10-15 petite yellow potatoes (walnut size or smaller) cut up just slightly larger than the other vegetables. Or any potatoes, cut small.

¾ tsp. dried thyme

¾ tsp. kosher salt

¾ tsp. coarse black pepper

½ tsp. celery salt

7 tablespoons flour

2 cups chicken broth

2-3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I use a deli chicken)

17.3-ounce package puff pastry sheets, thawed

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat the butter in a Dutch oven, then add the veggies and saute for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the thyme, salt, pepper, celery salt and flour and cook about 3-4 minutes more, stirring continuously. Slowly add the chicken broth while continuing to stir. The mixture should thicken. Add the milk.
4. Cook on very low for about 5 minutes, continuing to stir, then add the chicken.
5. Pour the mixture into ramekins or a pie or tart pan.
6. Cut the puff pastry to cover the top (or be creative and let it be more rustic!)
7. With a pastry brush, brush the puff pastry with a mixture of one egg mixed with a little water. (This will make the crust pretty and glossy when cooked).
8. Bake about 30-40 minutes. If the pastry appears to be getting too dark, reduce the heat to 350 or you can cover the crust loosely with foil.
9. Enjoy with salad.