Chicken Parm Sliders w/Sweet Potato Fries

Happy holidays everyone! I hope that you all are getting in some quality time with friends and family. That being said, here is a fun twist on a classic dish for you to share with those friends and family members! I really like Chicken Parm, so I decided tonight that I wanted to do something different. Hence: Chicken Parm Sliders. It's pretty simple. **NOTE: When cooking with raw meat, be sure to wash your hands after every step below!** Start by cracking three eggs into a bowl and whisking until smooth. Then, take ground chicken and roll into a ball shape, then pat into a patty shape. Dip the chicken patties into the egg mixture, followed by coating them in flour (for a healthier option, try almond flour!):

Next, start working on the sweet potato fries by pouring olive oil (or any cooking oil of your choice) and place potato wedges into the oil (make sure there is enough oil to boil the potato wedges in the pan!). I also seasoned mine with a little bit of salt and pepper:

Next, pour some olive oil into another frying pan, and place coated chicken patties into it:

Cook until the patties are brown on both sides, and the meat is pretty much cooked through all the way. Drain the excess oil from the patties and pour your favorite marinara sauce and some shredded mozzarella cheese over the top. Then place the pan into a preheated oven (set to 375) and continue backing for another 5-6 minutes:

Be sure to check the fries throughout these steps. You want to make sure the potato is cooked through, and the outside is nice and crispy (mine got a little burnt, but I like the taste of burnt food so I was able to get past it). Drain the excess oil from the potato pan by pouring all of the contents into a strainer and letting the fries sit for a minute (this helps them crisp up a bit). Remove the chicken patties from the oven, and pour a little more marinara sauce and cheese on top. Serve on small hamburger buns, and enjoy! I enjoyed mine with a delicious Harpoon IPA (drink local!) :)

Grilled Cheese w/Tomato

I know what you are thinking: Grilled Cheese? How old is this guy? And all I can say to that is: Grilled Cheese will forever be good at any age. I had some leftover cheese from a holiday party so I decided to put it to good use. Using my trusted sandwich maker (thanks Mom!), I decided to make some grilled cheese sandwiches. It was pretty simple, I pre-heated the sandwich maker, then put the two bottom slices in. I then added my cheese. In this case: sharp cheddar, pepper jack, and swiss (feel free to put any cheese that you want!). I then added a slice of tomato on top, followed by the two top slices of bread. Close the sandwich maker and cook for 4-5 minutes, and you are done! Served mine with some extra tomato slices and an always delicious Cisco Winter Shredder. Enjoy!

Turkey Chili

My apologies for the lack of posts lately! Last weekend I made a delicious (and fairly healthy!) turkey chili, which was perfect for the chilly (pun intended) weather last week. One of the best parts, it lasted me about 3-4 days! Here is a link to the recipe that I used: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/turkey-bean-chili-00000000027199/. See the recipe for all of the ingredients. It was pretty simple though, you start by boiling the butter, garlic, peppers and onions (previously chopped) until all of the veggies are nice and tender:

Next you add in the ground turkey (I chose Turkey since it's slightly healthier than beef, but feel free to use whichever protein you want, or none at all!) until the Turkey is cooked through. Then add the tomato paste and spices (cumin and chili powder) and stir until everything is mixed. Lastly, add the tomatoes, water, salt and pepper, and kidney beans and BRING TO A BOIL. This is a very important step that unfortunately I forgot to do. It caused my chili to come out more like a soup (still tasted amazing though!). Once everything is boiling, turn down the heat and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until it becomes a thicker consistency. Then, top with cheddar cheese and enjoy! (I enjoyed mine with a delicious Mayflower IPA)

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S'more Cookies

That's right! It's two desserts in one. This was technically my first baking experience, and I think it was pretty successful! Start by pre-heating the oven to 350 degrees. While it's warming up, spread out small circles of the cookie dough (I will admit, I didn't make my own, but it's certainly up to you!), and press in pieces of Hershey's chocolate. Then, place marshmallows on top. Take the rest of the cookie dough, and completely cover the chocolate and marshmallows until you have a completely covered cookie. Bake for about 25-30 minutes (might vary depending on the oven), basically until the cookies are brown on top. If they are too soft to take off of the baking pan with a spatula, I would suggest leaving them in for a little while longer. If you have a cooling rack, USE IT! Unfortunately I don't have one, so my cookies stayed on my baking sheet, and they came out a little crispy. They were still delicious though!

Panera Mac and Cheese

Seriously though, it really does taste like the Mac and Cheese from Panera! Shout out to my coworker Amanda who sent me this recipe. All I can say is, follow the recipe! I know that I usually write a description of how to cook the meals that I post about, but honestly, this recipe speaks for itself (and honestly, I'm a little tired tonight). So anyways, visit the link below for the recipe and enjoy!

http://www.smells-like-home.com/2012/02/paneras-stove-top-mac-and-cheese/

Taco Tuesday

Any day can be taco day, in fact, I made these on a Monday (I'm posting on Tuesday because Taco Tuesday just sounds so good). Seriously though, I think these were THE BEST tacos I have ever eaten. I am a true believer in the fact that everything tastes better when you cook it yourself. This meal is definitely easier to make if there are two people involved, but if you are a good multi-tasker in the kitchen, it can be done by only one! I like to lay out all of my Taco Toppings out first. My favorites are: sour cream, shredded lettuce, salsa (I used Pineapple/Peach salsa this time), and shredded cheddar cheese. Then, put a little bit of olive oil in a frying pan, and cook up the beef (can also be substituted with Chicken or Turkey for a healthier option) and cook thoroughly, adding the taco seasoning towards the end. When the meat is pretty much cooked, throw your taco shells and/or tortillas into the microwave for about 30 seconds. Fill with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!

Italian Sausage and Peppers

Two posts in one night? Yeah, I love food a little. Tonight I decided to make some sausage and peppers. Pretty simple really. First I chopped some red and green peppers to be cooked later. Then, I started boiling my boil-in-bag brown rice. While the rice is cooking, I laid the Italian sausage into the frying pan with the peppers and cooked for about 10-15 minutes. As always when you are cooking any type of meat, make sure it is cooked all the way through! Enjoyed with a delicious Goose Island IPA. Spicy but delicious!

Ridiculous Chicken Parm

I'm not kidding, this Chicken Parm was AMAZING. And fairly healthy too! Shout out to my friends Katie and Alexis who invited me over for dinner, and we decided to cook :) First, wisk two eggs in a small bowl, and pour 2 cups of Almond Flour into another bowl. Cut three chicken breasts in half so they are thinner, and coat with the egg and flour. Place in a frying pan with either butter, or, if you are cool like us, you can use the Land O' Lakes seasoning packet. While the chicken is cooking, prepare your sauce. Combine two cups of water, two small cans of Tomato Paste, 6 small cloves of garlic (finely chopped) and a teaspoon of herbs de provence in a sauce pan. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Make sure that the chicken crust is nice and brown and the chicken is almost cooked all the way through. Pour half of your sauce in a baking pan, place the chicken on top, then pour the rest of the sauce in and coat with cheese. Bake the chicken for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees, and you are ready to enjoy! We also added some gluten-free pasta and some delicious wine (enjoyed in mason jars) on the side. Stay classy everybody.

Mr. 1000

I have reached 1000 page views here on Cooking for One! Boston, and I can't thank everyone enough who has been reading! It's been a lot of fun writing about something that I love to do. Here's to 1000 more!

Baked Ziti

I have made a lot of pasta, and I have also made some killer lasagna (I'm sure there will be a post for that at some point!), but tonight I wanted to do something different: Baked Ziti. I figured it was easy enough, and it was! Granted, I simplified the process a bit, but it was still delicious! Most of the recipes called for adding ground sausage or beef, but I just wanted to do sauce and cheese. First, I boiled the pasta until it was al dente, then added a little olive oil to the pasta. I then added a layer of sauce to the pan, a layer of pasta, then more sauce and some cheese. I added a second layer of the same ingredients, then baked it in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. On the side, I had some leftover frozen vegetables and some garlic breadsticks! The breadsticks that I bought are the kind that you just put in the oven for about ten minutes or until they are brown and crispy. So there you have it, another simple, yet delicious meal!

BBQ Chicken

I like to cook with Chicken because there are so many things you can do with it. In the summer, I would prefer to grill it, but since I live in an apartment and because it's fall, I decided to bake some tonight. I marinated the chicken for about 45 minutes in some Masterpiece Classic Steakhouse marinade. I put the chicken in the oven and baked it for about 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. While that was cooking, I whipped up some butter and herb noodles (see cooking instructions in photo below), and microwaved some steam fresh frozen veggies. I like the mixed vegetables. Only took about 30 minutes overall, with very little prep involved! Really awesome flavor combos and left my apartment smelling amazing!

Something's Fishy

This is my first fish post! I am not always the biggest fan of eating fish, but when cooked the right way it can be really delicious! (it's also really good for keeping those cholesterol numbers low) Tonight I decided to make some baked Haddock. It's pretty simple, I put some olive oil in the bottom of the pan, place the fish in, then season the fish with some lemon juice and some light Italian dressing. Sometimes I also like to add some cherry tomatoes as well. I cooked the fish at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (this will probably vary depending on the oven). While it's in the oven, I also boiled some brown rice (I get the boil in a bag kind, takes about 10 minutes to cook), and also prepared my side salad. When you think the fish is done, take it out of the oven and just cut it in half, it should be nice and white on the inside and should be hot as well. I added some extra lemon juice afterwards to season. And that's it! Simple and delicious, just the way I like it! Accompanied by a smooth Lagunitas IPA.

Favorite Fridays! Restaurants

Happy Friday everyone! My apologies for a lack of posts lately, haven't been cooking as much as usual, but be prepared for next week :) It's time for another Favorite Friday! This week's topic: Restaurants. We all eat out frequently, what are some of your favorites? One of my all-time favorites is Margarita's Mexican restaurant. I feel like it's somewhat authentic, but either way, it is freakin' delicious! It actually turns out that I am going there for lunch today (how fitting!). Feel free to comment here on the blog, or tweet me @chris_kinnier using #cookingforoneboston and #favoritefriday's!

Fresh Tomato and Mozz Salad

Me? Eating a salad? Yes, it's true. And delicious! I went to the local Whole Foods and picked up some salad mix (I like the Spring Mix), some fresh tomatoes, and some fresh mozzarella cheese. I put a bed of the salad mix down on my plate, then chopped up the tomatoes and cheese and added those on top. I used a Sesame Ginger dressing for my salad, but I know that typically you would use a Balsamic or maybe even just some oil and vinegar. The dressing is totally up to you, whatever your preference is! I would just stick to something on the lighter side. I also enjoyed a refreshing Magner's cider on the side. Not only is it easy to make, but it's wicked easy to clean up after! Enjoy!

Top Chef, Season 11: Episode 1 reaction

I absolutely love watching cooking competition shows because it inspires me to further advance my own cooking skills. Top Chef has always been one of my favorites. I am so excited that this season is taking place in New Orleans. I feel like it is a place full of many different cultural influences which makes the food there even better! (Note, I have never been there, but maybe I should go and then write about my culinary experiences!) I was very impressed by this first episode, there seems to be a very high level of talent. Also, side note, how awesome is that house that they get to stay in??? I would like to try and cook some of the recipes that are cooked on the show, but to be very up front, since the three proteins in this episode were Turtle, Alligator, and Frog Legs, it's probably not going to happen just yet. Either way, if I had to pick a couple of my favorite chefs for this season, I would say Nina and Kerry to start. I was very pleased to see that Nina won the challenge, I think that she cooks from the heart and has a great personality. With Kerry, I see a very fun person with a big heart, and A LOT of cooking skills. As far as them sending home Ramon, I was honestly surprised. It seems like he had some pretty good cooking skills, he just happened to miss with this first dish, and the judges were not impressed. It seems like it will be a very intense season and I am looking forward to future episodes! Be sure to keep an eye out for any upcoming posts that may be inspired by the dishes seen on the show.

Top Chef: Season 11 Starting Tonight

The new season of Top Chef is starting tonight at 9/8c on Bravo? Who's excited?? I love watching cooking competition shows (Chopped and Hell's Kitchen are two of my other favorites). Looking forward to seeing what the new contestants come up with/hopefully will try some of their recipes!

Simple Szechuan Stir-Fry

The last time I posted a stir-fry, it wasn't homemade. This time, it is! I made a chicken and pepper stir-fry with a Szechuan sauce. It's definitely pretty simple. I marinated the chicken for about 45-60 minutes before baking it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes at 350. This gave me some time to cook the rice and chop the peppers. I then put the peppers and chicken into the frying pan with some more sauce. Cooked everything up for another 10 minutes or so, and then I was done. You can do this with any type of sauce you want, if you choose Szechuan, just know that it has a little extra kick. Enjoy!

Favorite Friday's: Desserts

Time for another Favorite Friday!!! This week I am talking dessert. What's your all-time favorite dessert? Mine: CHEESECAKE. Plain cheesecake on graham cracker crust is definitely one of my weaknesses. And nobody makes it better than...you guessed it...My Mom! Ever since I was a kid I have been enjoying the delicious cheesecake that my Mom makes. Send me some of your favorite dessert recipes and I will feature them here on the blog!

Pasta Salad

Since my last meal was fairly heavy, I decided to go for something a little bit lighter tonight. This is a really simple pasta salad that I like to make. It takes very few ingredients. Just pick up a bag of three cheese tortellini and any vegetables that you want to add. I used peppers this time, but also like Broccoli and Cherry Tomatoes. Cook the pasta, and once it's cooked, throw it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to cool it down. After that, I just add some Italian dressing and the veggies. It's delicious! I had a side of salad with mine, but it's also good with another veggie on the side as well. Enjoy!