one-pot broccoli cheddar casserole

I will be the first to admit it does not look the most appealing when it’s in your bowl, but it is delicious.

• 3 tbs olive oil

• small onion, diced

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

• 2 cups broccoli florets, cut small (fresh or frozen and then steamed)

• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

• 3/4 cup water

• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add 2 tbs of oil. Saute onion until soft - 2-3 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high and add chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Brown the chicken and add the garlic. Cook for two minutes; the chicken will not be cooked all the way through.

Add another tbs of oil. Add the uncooked rice and saute for a minute. Add the chicken broth and water to the pan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, cover, and let cook for ~12 minutes until the rice is done.

Add the broccoli and cook another 5-6 minutes until softened. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar cheese.

orange pound cake

in case you’re like me and don’t like lemon.

• 1/4 cup milk (I used 2% dairy)

• 3 cups cake flour OR 6 tbs cornstarch and 2 5/8 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 2 1/2 sticks butter, softened to room temp

• 1 3/4 cups sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1 tbs orange zest - optional because no one wants to zest an orange

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 3/4 cup orange juice

• icing: 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease and flour a bundt pan (or use baking cooking spray with flour.)

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour/cornstarch and baking soda.

Cream butter until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar, then add eggs and vanilla one at a time. Add orange zest and milk and mix well. Alternate adding dry ingredients and orange juice, mixing well after each, until combined.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the bundt pan for 15 minutes before removing.

Remove from bundt pan and ice while the cake is still slightly warm.

chewy chocolate chip cookies

“better than Insomnia.” - my fiancé

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed

• 1 cup (two sticks) butter, melted (I always use salted because I like chaos)

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 3/4 tsp baking soda

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350º. Whisk together sugars and melted butter until smooth. Whisk in eggs and vanilla one at a time.

Mix in flour and baking soda until just combined. Add chocolate chips.

Refrigerate dough until it no longer feels warm (from the melted butter) - roughly 20 minutes.

Roll into 1-inch balls and slightly flatten on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until they are just barely starting to turn golden brown and you think they might still be raw in the center. Remove from oven, and leave on cookie sheet for another 5 minutes to finish baking.

cajun pasta

it started off as a jambalaya-inspired pasta sauce but detoured, and I’m ok with that. the spices are what makes this so try not to skip those. serves 6.

• olive oil for cooking

• 1 onion, diced

• 2 red bell peppers, diced

• 2 sausage links (about 1 lb.) - I would use andouille or cheddar but anything goes; sliced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 chicken breasts (about 1 lb.), diced, or 1 lb. raw peeled shrimp

• 1 lb. small textured pasta - penne, rotini, shells, bow ties, etc.

• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes

• 1 tsp each: oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, onion powder, salt, parsley

• 2 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1/2 cup heavy cream or 1/2 cup milk + 1 tbs cornstarch

• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

• 3 cups water

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil. Saute onion and peppers until soft, then add sausage and cook until just browned. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Add diced chicken/shrimp and all spices. Cook, stirring often, until chicken/shrimp is mostly cooked through.

Add pasta and stir. Add diced tomatoes, broth, and water. Simmer until pasta is al dente and almost all liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently - roughly 20 minutes.

If using milk + cornstarch, whisk the cornstarch into the milk until smooth. Add milk/heavy cream and cheddar cheese, and stir until combined.

choose your own adventure guac

perfect whether you have fully stocked cabinets or things are looking desperate. at minimum, you need:

• 3 avocados (this is the perfect ratio to a bag of tortilla chips)

• juice of 1 lime

• 1/2 tsp salt/to taste

then, add however many of these things you have on hand:

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 3 cloves minced garlic

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1 tbs dried cilantro

• 1/4 cup diced onion

• 1 small tomato, diced

• 1 tsp white vinegar

• 1 jalapeno, diced and seeded if you don’t want it too spicy

combine, mash, and enjoy!