Becoming a Domesticated Political Scientist

Last winter I had a roommate, Dana, who was also a political science major. We would always joke that we were political scientists and not domesticated; we thought it was funny. Heck, I still think it is funny. I also am the first to say that I do enjoy cooking, especially for one. It is really hard and time consuming for one person. I would prefer to eat out, however I really wanted to push myself. That is why I made it a goal to try out 5 new recipes. 

This past week I made TWO recipes from Pinterest; now I have completed one item off of my 101 Things in 1001 days, so I decided to up it from 5 recipes to 20; which I am excited about! I also created a new Pinterest board called, “Recipes I have tried”. I figured I could move recipes from what I have pinned to this board and in the description (because honestly, who changes those) to the date I made the item and what I thought. I feel like it will be a good way for me to track what I have done and to see if it would be worth me making again.

I already knew I wanted to make the Crock pot chicken fajitas. I love crock pots!! It’s amazing how you can put all these food together before going to class and come home to a delicious meal. When Alex came to pick me up from City Hall, she said my food was making the apartment smell good. Just for picking me and being amazing, I shared some with her. So here is the recipe for this:

INGREDIENTS

·         ¼ cup butter

·         2 cups green bell pepper, sliced

·         2 cups sweet onion, sliced

·         3-4 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless

·         1 packet of dry fajita seasoning

·         ⅓ cup salsa

INSTRUCTIONS

1.       Turn the slow cooker on low.

2.       Add butter, then peppers, onion and chicken breasts.

3.       Sprinkle seasoning over the chicken. Add salsa.

4.       Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

5.       Use a fork to shred the chicken and serve.

I did not include the fajita seasoning, but garlic salt and I did not have salsa. Maybe next time I will make homemade salsa, I also would add more veggies, like mushrooms and tomatoes and more chicken! I didn’t use tortillas, but put it over spinach which made a delicious salad. After sharing with Alex, I had enough for dinner the next day, which I made mashed potatoes to go with. Crock pots are amazing and I seriously need to use them more!

Next up, the Strawberry Oat bars, I did not plan on making these the same night, but I was craving something delicious. However, remember the March Madness bet? Yeah, me too! I looked at this recipe and it only asks for 1 tablespoon sugar and ¼ cup of maple syrup, so I decided this was okay; a nice treat for us! I convinced Alex to let me take her car to the store and Erica came with me. I also spent $10 on maple syrup!! AAHHH!! My thought was, if I am making this I am going to get real maple syrup (plus another recipe I have found asked for maple syrup as well)

Ingredients:

FILLING

·         2 Tablespoons cornstarch

·         2 Tablespoons warm water

·         2 cups finely diced strawberries

·         1/4 cup maple syrup

·         1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

OATMEAL BASE + TOPPING

·         2 and 1/4 cup quick oats (not whole rolled oats)

·         1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         1 cup unsalted almond butter (or peanut butter or sunflower seed butter)

·         1/4 cup maple syrup

·         1/4 cup apple butter*

·         1 large egg, beaten

·         1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

1.       Make the strawberry filling first by mixing the cornstarch with the warm water until it all of the cornstarch has dissolved and there are no more clumps. It should resemble milk. Set aside. Combine the strawberries, maple syrup, and sugar together in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir well. Remove from heat and stir in the pre-mixed cornstarch. Whisk until all clumps are gone and set aside to thicken and cool.

2.       Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Line an 8x8 baking pan with aluminum foil with enough overhang on the sides for easy removal. Set aside.

3.       Make the oat crust/topping: In a large bowl, combine the quick oats, cinnamon, almond butter, maple syrup, apple butter, and beaten egg. Mix until all of the oats are moistened and the mixture is thoroughly combined. Reserve 1/2 cup of the oat mixture. Press the remaining oat mixture into prepared baking pan. Make sure it is firmly pressed down and even. Spread the strawberry filling on top. To the reserved 1/2 cup oat mixture, add the sliced almonds. Crumble this over the strawberry filling and, using the back of a spatula, press the topping down firmly into the strawberry filling. You want to make sure it sticks well.

4.       Bake for 25-30 minutes. The topping will be lightly browned. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

5.       Makes 9-12 squares, depending how large you cut them.  Squares stay fresh covered tightly at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  Bars freeze well, up to 2 months.

I did not dice the strawberries as much as I should. I also used peanut butter and I did not put the almonds on top. I also was not able to cut them into bars but they were still delicious. Probably better with ice-cream, but that darn challenge! Instead, I poured a little bit of milk in with it. So delicious! This is something I would make again!

Well there you have it! Pinterest is amazing and I am grateful for it! Erica, my roommate, even mentioned how impressed she was that I make things from Pinterest instead of just pinning them. You can say I am becoming pretty domestic, ha!