Crunch Time: Baked Potato

Hey Foodies! For our university, this is the week before exams meaning it is full of stress, deadlines and late nights. Last night, I found myself needing to eat dinner but having zero time to prepare anything, so looking at the bag of potatoes in my pantry I was inspired to have a baked potato. I know you are probably thinking making a baked potato isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel, but some how it ended up being the best baked potato I have ever had so I thought I would share it with you all.  Here is what you will need:

• 1 potato
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• aluminum foil
• assorted potato toppings (I chose cheese and ranch dressing)

First, preheat the oven to 350⁰. Wash your potato, then put it in the center of a piece of aluminum foil (large enough to cover the potato). Pierce the potato with a fork a few times so the steam can escape while it cooks. Coat the potato in a little olive oil and then sprinkle the pepper and salt on top. Roll the potato around in the foil to cover the entire potato, then wrap it up. Bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour for a small to medium potato and 1.5 hours for a larger potato. Then cut open your potato and top with your favorite things. Here are some ideas: chili, cheese, sour cream, butter, plain greek yogurt, ranch dressing, marinara sauce, bacon, chives, salsa and broccoli. This is the best way to bake a potato because you just put it in the oven and leave it, so there is zero energy and attention required as well as no messy clean up, leaving you more time to get in some studying. Plus the olive oil on the outside gives the potato skin a great texture and flavor. Enjoy foodies and happy stressing 🙂

-Kelsey-

 

Date night: Chicken and pasta, with a twist

Hey foodies! For this week’s cheap date theme, I am bringing you a super easy chicken recipe with a side of pasta, sure to impress any date.

Things you will need for chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 lemons
• ¼ cup dry white wine (I recommend chardonnay or Pinot Grigio)
• ½ tsp. poultry seasoning
• 2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ tsp. dill
• Salt and pepper

In a medium bowl, juice both lemons; add the white wine, thyme, poultry seasoning, dill and some salt and pepper. Then, slowly add in the olive oil, using a whisk to vigorously combine them. In a zip lock bag, pour the marinade over the chicken breasts and let them marinade in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Once you are ready to cook them, preheat the oven to 375⁰, put the chicken in an oven safe dish and bake for at least 30 minutes. You could also grill them if you have a grill and the weather is nice; this would add some good flavor to the freshness of the marinade. Hint for guys: watching you man a grill is a big turn on and it can give you and your date an opportunity to talk while you finish grilling. Once the chicken is cooked through, aka not pink in the center, you are ready to enjoy.

Things you will need for pasta:

• Leftover marinade
• 2 tbsp. butter
• ½ box bowtie pasta
• Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

To go alongside the chicken we have a great pasta side dish, using the left over marinade. First, boil water for the pasta (I recommend bowtie for date night, but I used angel hair) and cook according to the package. While the water is boiling, put the marinade in a bowl over medium heat and bring to a boil for at least 2 minutes. Then let simmer on low. When the sauce is no longer boiling add in two tablespoons of butter and let it melt. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once the pasta is cooked and drained, pour a little of the sauce over the pasta and toss (do not drench the drench, a little will go a long way). Then toss in some parmesan cheese and enjoy. I suggest bowtie pasta because you can eat it in one bite so there is none of that slurping noodles awkwardness that can happen on a date. Note: this is a great date meal because there is no garlic or onion involved in the recipe and lemon is actually great for your breath, so no need to run for a mint right after you eat (it is date night after all). Plus, this recipe is fairly cheap and very healthy. Enjoy foodies and happy dating!

-Kelsey-