Cooking, Coffee, and Comic Books

True confessions, I'm not terribly creative in the kitchen. I'm really good at following a recipe and adding a personal touch here and there. For this meal, though, I got fairly creative. It was based on a recipe a coworker shared with me that she got from Blue Apron. I went with my own green and used lentils. You can find the recipe below. Salmon with Collard Greens and Lentils Lentils: 1 cup Green Lentils 2 cups Chicken Stock Salt and Pepper to taste Collard Greens: 4 oz Prosciutto 3 cloves Garlic 1 bunch of Collard Greens 1/2 cup Chicken Stock 1/2 cup water 1 Lemon (zest and juice) 2 Salmon Fillets with skin on Bring lentils to a boil in a medium sauce pan and then reduce to simmer and cook until tender. In a large skillet brown prosciutto. Remove from pan, add oil and minced garlic and cook for a minute. Add chopped up greens and lemon zest. Add stock and water to the pan, cover and let cook for 30 minutes. Let simmer for 2 minutes without the lid until...

I think one of the reasons I enjoy cooking so much is when I'm in the kitchen I don't think of much of anything else. I become incredibly focused on the task at hand which is not something I am able to do during most of my day. I made a mason jar salad for lunches this week. I like these salads but they can be a little tricky since the assembly order is key so you really have to make sure your mise en place is ready. These salads consisted of Mexican seasoned chicken, rice, fresh veggies and frozen corn, and cilantro lime vinaigrette. You can find the recipe below, but true confessions, I didn't measure much of anything so these are guesstimates. Chicken: 3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts 1 tsp. Chili Powder 1 tsp. Cumin Salt and Pepper to taste Rice: 1.5 cup Long Gran Rice 3 cups chicken broth 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 chipotle pepper in adobo diced Vinaigrette: 4 Limes, juiced 2 tbsp fresh Cilantro 2 tsp Honey 1/4 tsp Mayonaise 1 tsp Cumin Salt a...

I have made this dish a number of times but I think this was the most successful it's turned out. It's based on a recipe from  damndelicious.net  but I've made a few adjustments. Since I couldn't find orzo I decided to use acini de pepe pasta which was delicious and fun texture. They're the little ball pasta and I think they're usually found in bean soups. Find the recipe below... Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 onion, diced 3 carrots, peeled and diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley 6 cups chicken stock 2 cups water 2 bay leaves 8 ounces Acini de Pepe pasta 2 cups of spinach Juice and zest of 1 lemon Directions: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken thighs wi...