Best Remedy: Chicken Soup

I have realized that nearly every post beings with me talking about my family. I think this is because 1. I miss them terribly and 2. cooking is a family affair in our house. We do our best to eat most of our meals together--DEFINITELY dinner! It's something I look forward to all day. Nothing makes me happier than when my sister is helping set the table, my mom is cooking something divine on the stove, I'm chopping the salad, and my dad is with my brothers grilling outside (and typically calling my name to bring him the tongs or bowl he almost always forgets to take out with him). Sometimes my grandparents who live a few blocks away will surprise us around this time and join us. Then we all sit around the dinner table together while the dogs perfect their begging skills (they've gotten pretty darn good). It is dinner time--It makes the you forget the bad parts of your day and just be happy.

In our family, we each have our "speciality." I'm the salad connoisseur, my grandmother makes incredible...everything really (not fair!), and my mother is known for her Chicken Soup. This is my attempt at washing away the day's worries with what I know to be the best remedy--Chicken Soup.

What you'll need:

- 4 large carrots, cleaned and cut into thirds
- 4 pieces of celery, cut into thirds
- 1 bunch of dill
- 1 medium onion, cleaned and quartered
- 1-2 lbs of chicken with bones (you can use any part you like. I prefer dark meat)
- 2 large tablespoon of chicken bouillon
- water

How you make it:

Place all of the ingredients in a large pot, making sure to place the dill in last. Fill the remaining space in the pot with water and place on HI heat. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low. Make sure that it is NOT boiling! Let it simmer for hours, periodically removing any foam that may form at the top.

Serve with any noodle of your preference or throw in some matzo balls!!! Nothing is better than this. Absolutely NOTHING.

Super Bowl CONVERSION -- Make these recipes your own!

I LOVE the Super Bowl! Being completely honest, it's not for the game -- it's for the time with friends and family and the excuse to absolutely SPLURGE on tasty snacks! Here are two recipes I highly suggest you try out next time you have a reason to go above and beyond. The bread is pretty simple, but the nachos get a little complicated (but they were SO worth it!)

Cheesy Bacon Ranch Bread

What you'll need:

- 1 loaf of tasty bread (I used country white, but sourdough sounds awesome)

- 1 stick of butter, melted

- 1 package of Ranch dressing seasoning

- bacon, cooked until crunchy and chopped

- shredded cheese of your choosing (I used parmesan but would recommend cheddar or swiss)

How you make it:

Start by slicing the bread in both directions, but not cutting all the way through. The loaf should stay intact. Stuff the crevices with the bacon bits and cheese. Mix the Ranch seasoning with the melted butter, and pour the mixture over the entire loaf. Wrap in foil and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Then remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Then serve!!! Yummy, I'm craving this again already!

Buffalo Chicken Bacon Nachos


These are divine. No. They are BEYOND divine! SO. INCREDIBLY. GOOD. GAHHHHHHH!!! I want more and more and more.

 Look, just gaze at its wonderfulness--how beautiful is it?!

 PURE BLISS!

What you need:
- 1 bag of tortilla chips
- 2 chicken breast
- one 8oz bottle of Buffalo Sauce
- cilantro, chopped
- green onion, chopped
- red pepper flakes
- 3 cups of shredded cheese
- 1/3 cup of milk
- 1/4 cup of heavy cream
- black pepper
- jalapenos, diced
- blue cheese crumbles
- 1 cup of bacon, cooked and diced
- sour cream

How you make it:

Start by pouring the entire bag of tortilla chips into a deep dish baking pan and set aside. Next, cook the chicken breasts, dice or shred them, and then mix them in a bowl with the entire bottle of buffalo sauce. Let the chicken marinade while you make the queso.

In a small sauce pan mix together the cheese, milk, heavy cream, red pepper flakes, and black better. Make sure to be continuously stirring the mixture or else it will burn and be ruined. When the mixture is completely melted, pour the chicken over the tortillas (reserving some of the sauce for later) and then cover with the queso. Sprinkle the bacon over the entire thing and then add some extra shredded cheese on top. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. After removing the nachos from the oven, sprinkle with blue cheese, diced jalapenos, chopped cilantro and green onion. Pour the extra buffalo sauce over the top and add a few dollops of sour cream. Serve immediately! Watch how fast they disappear!

Emily got the first bite. LUCKY GIRL! 

Chicken TORTilla Soup

I got a crock pot! Time to mess around, woohooo! Tortilla soup is my first adventure! It turned out pretty well and it was super simple. Just set it, and forget it!

What you'll need:
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 small can of diced jalapenos OR green chiles (jalapenos will make it pretty spicy!)
- 2 cups of water
- 2 cans of low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp crushed garlic
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp cumin
- handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

How you make it:
Ridiculously easy to make! Put all of the ingredients (minus the chicken) into a crock pot. Mix it all around, and then place the chicken breasts on top. Cover and set on low for 5-6 hours.

When it's done, shred the chicken, mix, and serve! Top with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips!

You Decide: Creme de judgMenthe Brownies

So the rule is...if you come up with a solid legal pun, then I will make it! Fair??


This pun is courtesy of a lunch time discussion with Miriam, Erin, Carolyn, Erica, and MC. Find me at the law school today and you can sample one of these bad boys!

I will break it down into steps. 

What you will need for the Brownies:

- 1/2 cup butter

- 1 package of chocolate chips

- 1 1/4 cups sugar

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1 1/4 cups flour

- 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 3 eggs

How you make it: 

First, heat your oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13in baking pan (make sure it is deep). Melt the butter and chocolate chips over low heat, making sure to stir constantly. Remove from heat and add in the sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Then, in a mixer combine the chocolate mixture with the flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread this into the pana nd bake until the center is set -- approx. 25mins. 

What you'll need for the Menthe Creme layer:

- 4 cups of powdered sugar

- 1 cup of butter, softened

- 3 tbsp of creme de menthe (add more depending on your liking)

How you make it: 

Beat all of the ingredients together until a nice frosting texture forms. Then spread over your cooled brownies (make sure they are cooled or else the frosting will melt!!). Then place the whole thing in the fridge. 

What you'll need for the Chocolate Topping:

- 1/2 cup of butter

- 1.5 cups of chocolate chips

How you make it:

Simple! Melt the butter and chocolate together over low heat, again making sure to stir constantly. Remove it from heat and allow it to cool to room temperature. Once it has cooled, spread it over the menthe layer and place back in the fridge. 

Make sure to keep the brownies in the fridge and remove 30 mins prior to serving. This will save you a huge mess!

Enjoy :)

(CHEESY) MAC-Culloch v. Maryland: Trying this is Necessary & Proper!

Living in Virginia has its good and its bad. My number one struggle is being so far away from my family. Luckily however, I've found a group of amazing friends that are making it much easier for me. We do our best to have dinner as a group once a week, and, to be honest, it's usually my favorite night (yes, I like it even more than bar review. Insanity!). This week, I decided to make Erica happy and make her one of her favorite foods--Mac 'n' Cheese.

I winged it, but I think it turned out great! How can you go wrong with cheese, pasta, cream, and a little spice?! Try it out, I promise you'll like it :)

What you'll need:
- 1. 5 lbs of pasta [aka 1. 5 boxes] (you can use elbow or cellentani)
- 4 cups of shredded cheese (I used 1 cup pepper-jack, 1 cup mild cheddar, 1 cup gruyere, and 1 cup parmesan)
- 4oz of cream cheese
- 2 cups of milk
- 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
- 2 tbsps dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs (I recommend using panko crumbs)
- 3 tbsps butter
- water to boil pasta
- red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

How you make it:

Start by cooking the pasta in boiling water until it is tender, but not completely done, aka al dente (It will finish cooking while it bakes). Then drain the pasta and pour it into your baking dish.

In a pot, mix together the milk, cream, cream cheese, salt, pepper, paprika, mustard, jalapeno, and red pepper. Cook this over medium heat, slowly stirring in all of the cheese. When the cheese is melted, pour the mixture over the pasta. Make sure to mix it around so that everything is well coated!

In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and melted butter. Spread the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the pasta and place the entire thing in the oven at 375 degrees for 30mins, or until the top is golden brown. Broil on HI for an extra minute to get an extra crunch.

SO DELICIOUS!

This is M.C. She really liked the mac 'n' cheese :)

This is the Williamsburg fam in Snowshoe, WV

NOTE: After making the Mac, I went back and made some adjustments to the recipe (ex. I originally didn't have enough salt and I had too many bread crumbs). The recipe described above is the newer and better version, I promise! 

Esteak and Planning, Trust me.

I've had a lot of requests for more meat recipes, which is great because I don't think there is anything tastier than a good steak! YUMMMMMM

My parents cook a TON of meat. It is even a running joke in our house that it isn't a meal unless there is some type of meat on the table. My favorite is when my dad grills (anything cooked on a grill tastes 100 times better), but unfortunately, I don't have a grill here in Williamsburg (yet). While I normally like to cook a good cut of meat with some olive oil and a little Montreal seasoning, I thought I would try something a little different this time. I paired the steak with some homemade fried rice and a simple salad. Try this smokey-slightly salty-with a ting of spice-recipe. I think you'll like it. 

What you'll need:

- two thick cuts of meat. I used T-bone, but you can use whatever you like

- 1/4 cup soy sauce

- 1/2 cup olive oil

- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

- 3-4 cloves crushed garlic (or 1 teaspoon)

- handful fresh parsley

- 1 tsp black pepper

- 1 tsp red pepper flakes

- 2 tsp dried basil

- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

How you make it:

Place all of the ingredients (minus the steak, of course) into a blender or food processor and blend until thoroughly mixed and the parsley is finely chopped. Pour over the steaks, making sure to coat the steaks completely. 

Cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but no more than 10 hours. Cook the steaks as desired--I like mine to be medium rare, and I prefer to cook on the bbq. 

Eat up! 

Third Party Biscotti

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I love being home and I love the holiday season. Why? Beyond the obvious reasons (my dogs and all the other good stuff) it's because of the food and family, and making food with family!

I showed my grandparents my blog and my grandma instantly pulled out the holy grail that is her Russian cookbook. We spent the day baking, just like when I was younger. Oh man, I miss those days.

We decided to make one of my favorites, and one of my grandmother's originals-- Walnut and Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti. You should try it too--but beware, those Starbucks biscotti will never taste as good after you have one of these.

What you'll need:
- 1/2 lb of chopped walnuts
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vinegar
- flour (as much as it takes)

How you make it:

EASY! The chop of the nuts can be however you like it. My grandma and I like it to be a medium chop, so you get some nice chunks of nuts in each piece of biscotti.

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the nuts into a large bowl, pour the oil and eggs on top, then the sugar, the cinnamon, the baking soda, and lastly, the vinegar. Make sure to pour the vinegar directly onto the baking soda. Add a cup of flour and mix everything together. Continue to mix the ingredients and add more flour until the texture is tough but still wet. You want to be able to shape the dough and it more or less keep its shape, while it is still very sticky. Does that make sense? I should have taken a picture, but I think you will manage.

Separate the dough into thirds, shaping each into an oval loaf and placing them on a lined baking sheet. Keep some space between the loafs as they will spread out a little. Sprinkle the tops of the loaves with some extra sugar (makes a delicious crunch!). Pop them in the oven and bake for 45mins.

When the loaves are done baking, let them cool completely before slicing. These biscotti are more crumbly and soft than typical biscotti. If you want them to be a little more dry, after the loaves have cooled and you have sliced them, place the slices flat on the baking sheet and bake again at 300 degrees for another 15mins.

Enjoy!

This is bailey! How adorable is he?!