Recipes: Pulled pork

Welcome to another installment of “Wow, I love my crock pot.” Rather than making a whole meal in the crock pot, this time I just made the meat. Having tried to slow roast things in the oven before with slightly underwhelming results, I was so excited when this turned out as pull-apart tender as I was hoping for. The best part is it was insanely easy.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lb. pork loin roast, thawed
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 6 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 tbsp. minced ginger
• salt & pepper
• Goya adobo seasoning (or any other you like)
• about 1 cup grapefruit juice (any citrus will work, use at least 1/2 cup)
• 1 can root beer

Instructions:

1. Put the roast in the center of the crock pot, fatty side up.
2. Puncture the roast with holes a few inches deep and 1-2 inches apart.
3. Cut onion into large chunks (I cut it into eighths), then peel layers apart and place around roast in crock pot.
4. Season with garlic, ginger, salt and pepper, and Goya adobo. NOTE: I seasoned with the intention of using the meat mostly for Caribbean food, hence the brighter flavors and adobo seasoning. If you’re using it for a different cultural food, feel free to adjust the seasonings accordingly.
5. Pour citrus juice and root beer over roast. These are super important because the acidity breaks down the toughness in the meat and brings in extra flavor.
6. Cook on high for 4-4.5 hours, or on low for 8 hours.
7. Use two forks to remove roast from crock pot, and then to shred the meat. (Pro tip: Pour some of the juices in the crock pot back over the meat to keep it moist.)
8. Serve however you’d like! I fried mine with lime juice and more seasoning for tacos, but later this week I’ll be using leftovers for pulled pork sandwiches, and to eat over rice. As one of the most versatile meats, the possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

Cost about $16, makes about 6 servings

When making this recipe again, I might like to marinate the meat head of time for the flavor to seep in better (which I really should have remembered from my last crock pot recipe). Reminder to be safe about handling raw meat, and if you aren’t sure that it’s cooked through you can check it with a meat thermometer — any temp above 160ºF you’re good to go.

What’s your favorite way to cook pork? Let me know in a comment below, on Twitter @ohgrowup, or Instagram @oh.grow.up! Thanks for reading, and good luck adulting!

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Recipes: Crock Pot chicken & veggies

Hey folks! I’ve got another recipe for you today and this one is exciting because it’s the first thing I made in my brand new crock pot! I had been wanting to get one since I moved, but storage is a bit of an issue in our kitchen. Luckily, we got a little more storage, so I finally made the oh-so-adult purchase and bought one! I got it (a 6-qt. that also has a temperature probe) on sale for about $35, but you can find a ton of good option under $50, and the awesome thing is they do the cooking for you.

I had some chicken in the freezer that I needed to use, and wanted to spruce it up (and fill the crock) with veggies and potatoes, so I looked up a recipe online and then proceeded to mostly ignore it. The nice thing about a crock pot is you can pretty much wing it with a little bit of cooking know-how and still be safe. Though I expected the recipe to be good, it turned out excellent, so I wanted to share it with y’all!

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breasts, thawed (you can also use thighs or more meat, but I wouldn’t advise much less than this, which seemed to be about 1.5 lbs.)
• about 1.5 lbs. red russet potatoes
• about 1 lb. whole carrots
• 1 white onion
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• about 3/4 cup grapefruit juice (I just squeezed 1 big, very ripe grapefruit)
• 6 cloves crushed garlic
• 1-2 tbsp. minced ginger
• salt & pepper

I know that looks like a lot of ingredients. I promise this is still a beginner-level recipe (and tastes at least like an intermediate level). 

Instructions:

1. Prep veggies — I don’t usually count potatoes as a veggie, but today they can be. Wash everything, cube the potatoes (I cut them into eighths since red russets are small), cut the carrots into big chunks, and the onions into slightly smaller pieces. Think about 2-inch pieces for potatoes and carrots, and about 1-inch pieces for the onions. (Pro tip: Leave your chicken in the fridge until the last minute so it stays cold and doesn’t get funky.)
2. I actually sprayed my crock pot with olive oil before I put anything in to hopefully make cleaning easier. I don’t know if that made the difference, but cleaning was definitely easy. Then, put the potatoes in, and add a little salt and pepper.
3. Set the other veggies aside, and work on the sauce. Stir the soy sauce, honey, grapefruit juice, crushed garlic, and ginger in a bowl until the honey doesn’t give much resistance.
4. Add the chicken on top of the potatoes, and pour about 3/4 of the sauce over it. You can also add more salt and pepper if you want.
5. Dump the mixed carrots and onions on top, then pour the rest of the sauce, and add salt and pepper.
6. Set the crock pot on low for 5 hours. Walk away and let it do its magic. (Pro tip: If you want some greens, add them in about the last 10 minutes of cooking — I used broccoli.)
7. When the time goes off, ta da!!!* Enjoy your meal (and serve with rolls if you want)!

Cost about $12, makes about 4 servings

Next time I make the recipe I might want to marinate the chicken, as it seemed like the veggies soaked up the flavor better. But that is pretty much all I would change, and of course, you can switch up the meat or other ingredients as you like.

Most of this recipe is just prep, which is mostly cutting veggies. Easy peasy. So next time you need a few days worth of meals (I ate it for about 3 days), or have guests coming over that you want to impress, or are busy and won’t have time to cook in the evening, you have a solution! (Sorry for all the exclamation points, I’m just really excited.)

What is your favorite thing to make in a crock pot? Let me know in a comment below, on Twitter @ohgrowup, or Instagram @oh.grow.up! Thanks for reading, and happy adulting!

*Sorry I don’t have a picture of when it all finished in the crock pot, I honestly just forgot to take one. It should smell good and have a lot more liquid in it, and as long as the chicken is cooked through it’s safe to eat.

Recipes: Cold smoked salmon

Even when life gets crazy, you still have to eat (hence all the food-focused posts lately). Today’s recipe is courtesy of my second mom, who taught me a bunch of my cooking and baking skills, and makes some of my absolute favorite recipes.

This one is super simple, and the best part is you don’t actually have to cook anything! As a disclaimer, I realize that salmon is a bit of a pricy ingredient, especially for budget-mindful emerging adults. But the rest of the recipe is inexpensive, and if you keep an eye out for sales — or shop at cheaper places like Costco — it can still be a cost-effective way to eat healthy. On the health note, whenever you can, try to buy wild-caught salmon that doesn’t have color added (and hasn’t been frozen if available). Farm-raised salmon are often less healthy, and the farms frequently have bad environmental impacts.

Also general reminders to practice food safety with meats, including washing your hands with soap before and after handling it, and storing it in the fridge at all times.

With all that said, let’s dive in!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs. raw salmon (it’s okay if it has skin, but boneless is better)
• 1/2 cup pickling salt (if you can’t find pickling salt, it’s okay to use sea salt or kosher salt that has no additives or anti-caking agents)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tbsp. liquid smoke

Instructions:

1. Rinse off the salmon, and pluck out any bones if it has them (a small pair of pliers is actually best for this, check out how here). I was under the false impression that I needed to remove the skin too, but you can avoid the time and hassle I spent and leave it on until later.
2. Mix together the pickling salt and sugar in a bowl.
3. Rub the mixture all over the salmon, and put the salmon in a sealed container with any extra mix. I used a *super fancy* gallon Ziploc bag, but you can also use a baking dish and saran wrap. It just needs to have a tight seal.
4. Refrigerate for 24-48 hours. I’d recommend somewhere in the 36-hour zone, but 24 is the minimum and you can always go 48 to play it safe. This process basically cures it, and the salt and sugar sink into the meat making a cool chemical reaction that means you don’t have to cook it.
5. After salmon has cured, take it out of the fridge and rinse well. (Pro tip: If you left the skin on til now, you should be able to pull it off at this point.)
6. Rub 1/2 tbsp. liquid smoke over fish, and place it in a clean sealed container. (Note: There are other ways to smoke it, but I promise this one is the easiest. Google the fancy ones if you feel like.)
7. Refrigerate for another 24 hours, then remove and rinse thoroughly.
8. Enjoy!

Cost varies*, makes about 6 servings

*Cost mostly depends on how much the salmon costs. I got mine on sale for $8/lb., which means I spent about $12 on the salmon. I also had to buy the pickling salt and liquid smoke, but each ingredient will last me several more uses. Total ingredients used besides the salmon cost about $2, and with the salmon it was about $14.

I’ve been adding the smoked salmon to my morning bagel for bagel and lox, but you can also have it with a sandwich, in a salad, or solo with other side dishes!

Things I’d change next time: I really wish I’d bought boneless salmon, and that I hadn’t tried to filet it to remove the skin before curing it. I also think I may have left it in the liquid smoke a bit too long, but overall I’m happy with the first effort.

What are your favorite no-cook dishes? Let me know in a comment below, on Twitter @ohgrowup, or Instagram @oh.grow.up! Thanks for reading, and happy adulting!

How to eat vegetables and not hate it

I get it. As an emerging adult, you get to be the boss of you. Dobby is a free elf, yada yada. Most of the time, it’s really nice being able to decide what you want to do with your free time and when, how long you can ignore your laundry, decorating a place the way you want, and eating what you want. The less fun part is when you also have to be your own parent. Which, unfortunately, has to occasionally include eating vegetables.

If you like vegetables, awesome. This will be way easier. If you like vegetables and actually eat them frequently (caught some of you there), then please remind me to eat my veggies. Because I’m definitely not the best at this.

Of course, you are an adult, and no one — except potentially your family — can force you to eat vegetables. I can’t tell you what to do. But I can tell you what you should do. You should think of your future self, current self, and overall health and longevity goals, and realize that eating healthily is probably a significant component of that. Lots of foods are good for you: fruits, whole grains, proteins, dairy in reasonable portions, etc. Even small portions of sweets and alcoholic drinks can be beneficial, especially with letting go of stress. (Note I said small portions, and indulging inconsistently helps prevent such things from becoming a habit.) But of course, veggies are the ones we often have a problem with.

Don’t get me wrong. I think some vegetables suck. You physically cannot make me eat zucchini, and I have enjoyed cauliflower exactly once. I think kale is horrifyingly bitter, and don’t understand why anyone bothers with eggplant — ever. So if there are a few veggies you really can’t stand, don’t feel obligated to eat those ones. Take a look at what nutrients they’re rich in and find alternative sources.

But it’s probably a good idea to find some veggies you like. Or at least, like well enough. Here are a few ways to make your veggies suck less, and suggestions for which ones are ideal when prepared that way.

Raw. If you’re really into eating your veggies raw, more power to you. As a kid, I would only eat vegetables raw, and frankly it’s really easy. Just wash them off, cut them up if you want to, and enjoy!

Best for: celery, cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers

Roasted. Vegetables roasted in the oven (or sautéed in a pan) can be awesome, and it helps keep them interesting — especially if you add seasonings or toss them in a little olive oil. It also opens up options of veggies that, frankly, most people aren’t into eating raw.

Best for: squash, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, bok choy, eggplant, Brussel sprouts, onion

Salad. If you’re anything like me, salad usually feels boring. Good news! It doesn’t have to be. Spice up your salads with more varied ingredients, including things that *gasp* aren’t veggies. Nuts, croutons, meat, whatever. I love salads that also include cheese and fruit, like berries or avocados.

Best for: leafy greens (kale, arugula, lettuce, baby spinach, etc. — there are seriously so many), carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, snow peas, sugar snap peas, onion, radishes

Steamed. This is actually my favorite way to have vegetables. Plop them in a pan of water so they’re 1/4 to 1/3 covered, bring it to a simmer, cover and let them steam for 5-10 minutes, depending on what vegetable and how much.

Best for: broccoli, carrots, artichoke (cook this one longer!), green beans, cauliflower

Grilled. Not just for your burgers. Throw a couple on a barbecue (or a cast-iron skillet preheated in the oven) until they get a little tender, and enjoy.

Best for: asparagus, bell peppers, artichoke

Sneak ‘em. If the taste — or I guess, appearance — of vegetables is truly horrid to you, you can always sneak them into other things you’re eating. Mix a few veggies into a well-seasoned stir fry or stew, add a couple into a smoothie, or even purée them and add them into a sauce. Personally, I like to face my vegetables head-on, but this has worked really well for other people I know.

Best for: carrots, dark leafy greens, broccoli, beets, onion or most peas (for stir fry/stew)

Often some of the biggest issues when people don’t like vegetables are that they’ve only had overcooked or under-seasoned ones, or they haven’t tried enough to find some they like. I’m often lazy about it, so if they aren’t easy to prepare I usually won’t eat them — at least not on my own. But I happen to love carrots, broccoli, and green beans, so I’ll often steam those up to add to a dinner and boost its healthfulness.

I realize this is not an exhaustive list of veggies, and that none of the cooking instructions here were very specific, but Google is your friend, and so are recipe sites like Allrecipes and Epicurious. One of my goals is to try eating a bit healthier, which starts with more fruits and vegetables.

What are some of your favorite veggie dish? Let me know in a comment below, on Twitter @ohgrowup, or Instagram @oh.grow.up! Thanks for reading, and good luck adulting!

(Photo is a free stock photo, since I haven’t gone grocery shopping in a while and didn’t have enough veggies around. Oops!)

Recipes: Slow-roasted pork tacos

Ta da! Finally another recipe. I will start off with the disclaimer that this is a more time-intensive recipe than others I’ve posted, but it’s still super simple. I love eating tacos, and when I don’t want to go all-in on effort I default to ground beef and taco seasoning. But 1) sometimes that gets boring, and 2) for the life of me I have not been able to find any good taco seasoning at my local Safeway. (I looked for the kind in packets and legit stuff like Goya — couldn’t find anything. But I digress.)

However, pork shoulder was on sale, and I am trying to learn how to be as good at cooking meat as some of my elder family members. I’m humble enough to say we’re not there yet. But I also don’t suck.

This recipe was a bit by the seat of my pants from techniques I’ve learned over the years and cooking temps/times that I googled on the fly. So I’ll add comments of things I think might have improved the recipe along the way. Last note: The amount of ingredients here isn’t integral to the recipe, so feel free to scale it as needed as long as you keep the ratios roughly the same.

Ingredients:

• 2.5lb. pork shoulder roast
• 5-8 cloves crushed garlic (don’t be shy here)
• about 1.5 tbsp. minced ginger
• 2 limes
• 1 can dark soda (I used Dr. Pepper, but Coke or Pepsi work too)
• salt & pepper
• tortillas
• cheese, salsa, or other toppings as desired

Instructions:

1. Make sure your pork roast is thawed all the way and put it in a large bowl. Season it liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. (Pro tip: Do the side with less fat first, then flip it over and leave the fatty side facing up.)
2. Stab the meat. This is your opportunity to be violent in the kitchen. Grab a knife and stab it into the roast as if you were aerating a lawn — holes should be an inch or two apart and a few inches deep.
3. Spread the crushed garlic and minced ginger over the meat (I also added a little more salt and pepper at this stage), and then take your fingers and poke the seasonings into the holes. It is very weird, but it gets the marinade to soak in better. Trust. Also, make sure you wash your hands well after.
4. Time for the liquid part of the marinade — lime and soda. I need you to hear me out on this: DO NOT SLICE A LIME BEFORE ROLLING IT. EVER. That is for people who hate flavor. Lay the whole lime on the counter and roll it under your palm like if you were rolling out bread dough, putting moderate pressure on it. Then you can slice it. Squeeze one or both halves of the lime over the roast (up to you), and then follow that up with about 1/2 can of soda. Feel free to drink the rest!
5. Cover the bowl (mine has a handy lid), and stick that in the fridge to marinate. How long is ultimately up to you — I’d recommend a minimum of 4-6 hours, but ideally overnight. I actually let mine marinate for like 36 hours, but that much time isn’t always available.
6. After your meat is all marinated and such comes the actual cooking part. I really wish I’d done this in a crock pot because you basically turn it on low in the morning and leave it alone all day, then it’s pull-apart tender by dinner time. But I don’t have one yet, so we tried it old-school.
7. Preheat the oven to 475ºF. When it gets there, pull your meat out of the marinade and set (fatty side up!) it in a baking dish with at least 1″ walls to collect the juices — you really don’t want that dripping into your oven. Top it with some more salt and pepper, and bake it for 15 minutes to pseudo-sear it. (You can also broil or sear it if you’re feeling fancy.)
8. Then drop the temp to 275ºF and bake it for about an hour and 45 minutes. This will vary with the size of your roast and each oven, but when it’s getting close you can check it one of two ways. If you have a meat thermometer, the internal temp should be 160ºF. If like me, you’re not that cool, make a narrow cut as close to the center of the meat as you can. If the juices run mostly clear, you’re good. If they look too pink or are red, leave it in.
9. Once you pull it out of the oven, let it rest for 20ish minutes. This traps the juices in and keeps it tender.
10. Because mine wasn’t as pull-apart tender as I’d hoped, I then chopped it into small pieces. Either way, once you pull it apart, toss it in a big skillet on medium-high heat, squeeze another lime over it, and brown it up a little.
11. Serve on warm tortillas (my absolute favorite homemade recipe is here), and top with cheese, fresh guac, or homemade pico de gallo! (You will note in the photos that I had store-bought tortillas and a stark absence of guac or pico. I wasted my good toppings on a different taco recipe earlier this month, so don’t @ me.)

Cost about $15, makes about 8-10 tacos (the meat is the only pricey part)

As is often the case, this recipe was new to me. The meat came out a little less seasoned than I would have liked, but to fix that you can add in some regular taco seasoning or Goya, which are available at most local grocery stores. Also, I’d hoped the meat would be tender enough to be shredded, but a crock pot would have fixed that issue. I actually liked this recipe best when I made it as a quesadilla! But I’m looking forward to making it again with those changes.

What are your favorite ways to make tacos? Let me know in a comment below, on Twitter @ohgrowup, or Instagram @oh.grow.up! Thanks for reading, and happy adulting!

Boring adult stuff (that’s actually good to do)

Today we are back to the practical. Sometimes adulting isn’t fun. Sometimes it’s being your own inner parent and doing all the responsible stuff. It has occurred to me that a lot of emerging adults — myself definitely included — are still skill-building in that area.

I’m not talking crap; we’re all still learning, and I know a lot of established adults that don’t know how to do or don’t make a habit of all the things we’re going to talk about. Last disclaimer: This isn’t a comprehensive list. But it’s a big first step.

Documents/finances

• Make a budget and track your spending
• Save donation receipts (and any other relevant crap) for taxes. Here’s a list of what some of that crap might be:
  • Donation receipts
  • Pay stubs
  • W-2, W-4, W-9, or any other government income forms that apply to you
  • Receipts or record of other tax deductible items
  • School-related financial info
• On that note, file your financial junk/important docs for when you need it, especially your birth certificate and social security card
• Build up an emergency fund (3-6 months of expenses)
• Research investing/retirement saving (and then start doing it as soon as you can which means take up any employer matches asap). Talk to people at various ages to get a solid range of advice
• Pay for/renew stuff slightly early whenever possible

Home Ec

• Cook some decent stuff. This means actual recipes, and quick fixes like making a simple roux (for which I honestly just make a paste of flour and a little water to thicken sauces, or cornstarch if you don’t want to use flour).
• Clean the bathroom and the kitchen WELL
• Make a bed properly
• Do your laundry properly
• Iron a shirt
• Sew a button
• Buy a good vacuum. Seriously
• You don’t have to buy name brand everything, but some of them are worth it — like stain cleaner (Tide, Oxi-Clean, Zout)

Fix-it

• Be able to check your oil and fill your tires on your own
• Take your car in for basic maintenance (oil change, tires rotated, etc.). There are almost always coupons for these services so be sure to look/ask
• Hang a picture straight
• Know where important house stuff is (fire extinguisher, electrical panel, fuse box, hot water heater, etc.)
• Build Ikea furniture — this is as much about following instructions as handyman skills
• Have a freaking tool box: hammer, small rubber mallet, Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, measuring tape, level. Buy them just before Father’s Day or Black Friday to get good deals on quality ones — this would be a cool thing to ask your dad/parent to help you with for bonding

Get *cultured*

• Learn to ask good questions about people, current events, etc.
• Learn tricks to remember people’s names in a conversation
• Media freakin’ literacy
• Read actual books
• Buy a decent bottle of wine (especially if it’s a gift)
• Do not tip your server less than 15% at a restaurant. Servers are often paid less because of tips, so they rely on them to make a living wage. Typing your bill total x 0.15 in your calculator will tell you the correct amount to tip

Misc.

• Know your/your family’s medical history
• Handle your healthcare
  • Dentist every 6 months
  • Optometrist every 2-3 years if you don’t need glasses, 1-2 times per year if you do
  • Primary care doctor every 2-3 years if you’re healthy
  • OB/GYN every 2-3 years
  • Also, TELL YOUR DOCTORS THE TRUTH. They’re not gonna judge, and they can’t help you if they don’t have all the info
• Register to vote PLEASE
• Be an actually informed voter! This means reading your voter information guides (often on state, county, or city websites), researching propositions and candidates, looking at arguments from both sides, and looking at who is funding a campaign — especially the last one can often give a clue as to the intentions of a measure or candidate
• Update your vehicle insurance and actually put it in your car
• Figure out how different forms of insurance work. (At least kinda — I’ll have some more info on this one coming later.) Here are some of the most common types:
  • Health
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Life
  • Renter’s/homeowner’s
  • Car or other vehicle

I realize several portions of this post were U.S.-centric, so I apologize if any of the info was less helpful to readers who don’t live in the States. If there are any of these that were vague, ones you’d like to hear more about, or ones that I missed, let me know in a comment below, on Twitter @ohgrowup, or Instagram @oh.grow.up! Thanks for reading, and good luck adulting!

Recipes: Crepes

I know the holidays are coming up and most people are trying to find places to cut calories, but let’s just say that’s not my life. So I’m bringing y’all a recipe that I wanted to learn how to make for a long time, and spent *several* Saturdays (often with help) hammering out the recipe.

The goal was the intersection of delicious and simple because I like to eat but I do not often want my food (especially breakfast food) to be particularly high effort. It feels fancy without actually being hard to pull off.

The majority of this recipe will be spent on the crepes themselves, but I’ll have a small section toward the end about fillings/toppings. Also, as a disclaimer, I make small crepes because I am not an Advanced Crepe Cook^TM and for the same reason usually top them instead of filling them. It’s less legit, but no less delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tbsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4-5 tbsp. butter, melted

Instructions:

1. Combine ingredients (order doesn’t matter much, but it needs to be blended well — I use a large fork because the contents can get stuck inside of a whisk, but you can also use an electric mixer). If you’re not sure if it’s combined enough, it should have no chunks and a consistency slightly thicker than eggnog
2. NOTE: So far every time I’ve made this the butter has shown up as little flecks in the batter, perhaps because of something in the way I melt it. It looks weird, but doesn’t affect the cooking or flavor
3. Warm a good nonstick pan over about medium heat (depending on the stove), and lightly grease it. A little butter swirled around works best
4. Pour about 1/3 cup batter into the pan, and swirl the pan around to encourage the batter to spread
5. Let it cook until your spatula slides in easily underneath, or the whole crepe moves when you shake the pan (usually 3ish minutes on my stove)
6. Here’s the fun part. CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE: To fill the crepe, proceed to step 7. To finish the crepe without filling (toppings can still be added), proceed to step 8.
7. Add filling into the middle third of the crepe when it’s cooked for a couple of minutes. Allow it to cook a little longer, then fold the other sides over it, and voilá!
8. Flip the crepe over — brownie points if you can do it without a spatula (I can’t)
9. Allow it to cook about a minute, then fold over into thirds (see picture below)
10. PRO TIP: Since these are a one-at-a-time kind of creation, heat your oven to like 200ºF and store the finished ones in there until they’re all ready
11. If not filled, or even if they are, top as desired and serve!

Filling/topping:

There are lots of easy things to put on top, like powdered sugar, nutella, syrup, or whipped cream. But there are also a variety of topping/filling options that raise the bar. Here are some of my favorites:

• chocolate chips and fresh fruit, especially berries
• cheese and bacon (best as a filling)
• homemade fruit compote — this is the one I always make, with a variety of fruit. In the pictures, I just heated and spruced up some of the leftover filling from my mini apple pie recipe, but often I’ll take small pieces of fresh fruit and a little honey or agave syrup and set it to simmer on low before starting the crepes. Stir it occasionally, and thicken it with a simple rue (1-2 tbsp. flour mixed with a few tsp. of water). By the time the crepes are done cooking, it should be a sweet fruit mix to top or fill crepes!

Cost about $7* (without topping/filling), makes 10-12 crepes

I really hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as I have. What are your favorite breakfast treats, or have you found a better way to make crepes? Let me know in a comment below, on Twitter @ohgrowup, or Instagram @oh.grow.up! Thanks for reading, and happy eating!

*Cost was again a real rough estimate because basically all of the ingredients are regularly stocked in most houses. Sorry if the cost is off, but the point is it definitely isn’t pricey.

Recipes: Pico de gallo

Hey all! Happy Sunday, and I hope the weekend has been relaxing. Mine has been really positive, albeit a bit of a whirlwind. I have a new recipe for you guys, and this week is super duper simple: pico de gallo.

If you have no idea what that is, it’s the mild salsa at Chipotle. More accurately, it’s the most common version of a Mexican dish, and also called salsa fresca. Unlike most salsas, it isn’t very liquidy, but instead just a medley of fresh chopped ingredients that brighten up other dishes or can be eaten with chips. Fun fact: The name translates to “beak of the rooster,” which is generally believed to come from people eating it solo by picking it up between thumb and forefinger.

One last note: This is usually the size batch that I will make for a party, so it really does make quite a bit. I usually save the leftovers to use throughout the week or give some to friends, but you can also adjust the recipe size as needed. With that said, let’s go!

Ingredients:

• about 9 Roma tomatoes
• 1 yellow onion
• 1-2 cups fresh cilantro
• 3-4 limes
• serranos or jalapeños as desired (honestly I skip these because I don’t care for the flavor, but they are part of the traditional dish and add a good kick)

Instructions:

1. Dice tomatoes and onion into small chunks, ideally about 1cm x 1cm (I also highly recommend getting/using a board scraper, as they make the transfer process a lot easier, and serrated knives work best)
2. Pick stems off cilantro and chop as finely as you possibly can
3. If desired, mince peppers — make sure to wash your hands with soap after!
4. Add diced onion into tomatoes until it’s just below a 3:2 ratio, meaning you want slightly more than half to be tomatoes
5. Stir in cilantro enough cilantro that you know it will be in every bite — see picture above if this is way too vague, and apologies because I really do make this one by feel
6. Roll, halve, and squeeze limes into mixture (pro tip: rolling them beforehand makes the juice a little more *juicy*)
7. This makes a big difference: Let it marinate overnight. The acidity of the limes and the tomatoes will soften and break down the onion, and all of the flavors will jive better
8. Serve on tacos, with chips, on eggs, mole, or honestly just eat it straight. In any case, enjoy!

Cost about $6.50, makes about 12-15 servings (really depends on how eager people are)

I don’t make this one super often, but it’s an inexpensive and healthy way to contribute to a potluck or feed a lot of people, and it’s always a hit. Giving it time to marinate is the key factor for me, so whenever possible I make it the day before I need it, and the leftovers just keep getting better.

Alternate ingredients include tomatillo, jicama, shrimp, or avocado. It also pairs excellently with guac. What are your favorite appetizers to make? Let me know in a comment below, on Twitter @ohgrowup, or Instagram @oh.grow.up! Thanks for reading, and happy eating!

Recipes: Mini apple pies

And we’re back with another recipe! I’ve been dying to do a dessert recipe because that’s my favorite thing to make, but I tried to promote health (weird, right?) and post a couple of more well-rounded recipes first. In honor of my favorite season, we’re tackling mini apple pies.

First, a pep talk: I know this recipe looks long, but the ingredients and instructions are simple even if a little time intensive. Plus you’ll feel super accomplished once you pull it off.

So the cool thing is I went apple picking with my brother last weekend and we got A TON of pesticide-free, not-super-pretty-but-great-for-pie apples. The bad thing is that meant I spent a realllllly long time washing, cutting, peeling, coring, and dicing apples with my best friend (thanks btw). All said and done, we prepped nearly 40 small and medium apples. I don’t recommend it. But it meant I had more than a gallon of apple filling left after making the pies, which I put in the freezer for another day. Because of that, and the fact that I was working off of a recipe for one normal-sized pie, some of the measurements in here are guesstimated. Feel free to make adjustments as needed.

Crust

Pro tip: Prep the crust dough the day before (or at least a few hours in advance) to give it time to refrigerate and save you some time during the bulk of the baking process.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cold butter (a stick and a half)
• 1 tsp. salt
• bit of cold water (I think I ended up using about 1/4 cup)

Instructions:

1. Cube butter — a pastry cutter is best for this, but honestly I’ve used a knife and a cutting board plenty of times
2. Mix flour, butter, and salt slowly. I’d recommend using a food processor, but if you don’t have one (or hate cleaning them like I do), you can do it by hand in a bowl with that pastry cutter
3. Add water to moisten and help get rid of granules until it sticks as one ball
4. Either wrap it and refrigerate it, or roll it out and find something round and about 4.5″ in diameter to cut out the mini crusts

Filling

Ingredients:

• about 6 cups of diced Granny Smith apples (best guess is about 12 medium apples)
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• about 4 tbsp. lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Prep the apples. It sucks, and having a corer/peeler is way helpful, but even if you don’t, blast some music and make it happen — your tummy will thank you later (I included the picture above for size reference)
2. Mix ingredients together in large bowl
3. THING I LEARNED: Let that mixture sit for a while while you roll out the dough and prep the little crusts; a bunch of liquid will accumulate from the chemical reactions of the ingredients and you do not want all that liquid in your pie

Crumb Topping

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cold-ish butter, cubed

Instructions:

1. Put that pastry cutter back to work and combine until it’s a nice sandy consistency
2. NOTE: You will have extra crumb topping, but this was the smallest accurate ratio

The Whole Deal

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF
2. Grease and flour two cupcake tins — if you’re a noob at this like me, use butter/Crisco to thoroughly grease each cup, then put in more flour than you think it needs, and shake and roll it until all the cups have a light coating of flour
3. If you haven’t already, roll out the dough and cut it into ~4.5″ rounds (I used the lid of my family’s espresso grinder)
4. Place the dough rounds into the cups and press them in so there aren’t any air bubbles and any waffling (when the edges are wavy) doesn’t create a crack that breaks your crust
5. Fill each crust with about 1/4 cup filling (make sure to avoid the liquid!)
6. Top with a generous amount of crumb topping
7. Bake for about 22-25 minutes (depending on your oven), until golden brown
8. Let cool, and enjoy!

Cost about $12*, makes 22-24 mini pies

Again, I know that was super long, but hopefully it’s a fun recipe to try for a get-together or just because you want pie. Finally, a huge thanks to my boyfriend’s mom for the base recipe (and teaching me how to not screw up apple pie), to my best friend for enduring the process with me, and to my brother for making sure I will not be short on apples for the rest of the season.

In the future, I might add more crumb topping or swap out apples for fresh berries. Overall, though, I was really happy with how these turned out. What are your favorite favorite desserts to make? Let me know in a comment below, on Twitter @ohgrowup, or Instagram @oh.grow.up. Thanks for reading, and happy eating!

*Cost was a real rough estimate on this one because the only ingredient that isn’t regularly stocked in most houses were the apples, for which I paid $5 for like 40+. Sorry if the cost is off, but the point is it isn’t pricey.

Recipes: Stir fry

Hey all! I have another recipe for you today. Stir fry is awesome because it’s versatile, can be meal prep or serve a lot, and isn’t particularly expensive (Plus it can all be cooked on the stovetop for my friends without ovens.)

Disclaimer: It was my first time making it this way, so I’ll include notes of things I would have changed. I’ll also list ingredient substitutes to accommodate food restrictions and/or preferences.

Ingredients:

• rice (about 1/3 cup per person you’ll be serving, or substitute for noodles)
• about 1 lb. chicken breasts (protein substitutes: beef, pork, tofu)
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 head broccoli
• 2 carrots (veggie substitutes: fresh green beans, most in-pod peas, mushrooms, yellow onion)
• 5 cloves peeled garlic, crushed or minced
• about 1/2 cup soy sauce
• about 1/4 cup honey
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, honey, garlic, salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you desire (I added a tangy brown sauce I found in my best friend’s fridge that I’m pretty sure was oyster sauce)
2. Cover chicken breasts in sauce and allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes (the longer the better, though) Note: Make sure to put the chicken back in the fridge to marinate, and observe general food safety when handling raw meats!
3. Chop all veggies into reasonable bite sizes, set aside
4. Prepare rice as indicated on package (it varies depending on what kind of rice you use, but for white jasmine rice use 2 cups water for every 1 cup of rice, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for about 20 minutes)
5. While rice is cooking, warm a wok pan (or the biggest pan you can find) and add in the chicken and marinade
6. Cook the chicken until no longer pink in the middle — covering it and cooking it on a low or medium heat will help it cook through evenly (if you’re using onions, you can cook them with the meat to make sure they soften enough)
7. While rice and chicken are cooking, pre-steam any particularly tough veggies (broccoli, carrots, etc.)
8. When chicken is almost done, break or slice it into bite-size pieces, then return to pan
9. Add all veggies into wok pan and stir until warm and well-mixed
10. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Cost about $10, makes about 5 servings

Hopefully this didn’t feel too complicated, but it can be kept to just a few pans and makes a healthy and enjoyable meal for a low cost. (I realize I didn’t include cost and servings in the roasted tomatoes recipe, so I’ll add that in asap.)

For the version I made, I used brown rice which I’m not used to and therefore it cooked a little funny. The carrots also didn’t jive as well with the rest of the flavors as I hoped they would, but the chicken and broccoli in particular were phenomenal. So in the future I would probably use rice I’m used to and substitute the carrots for peas. After having the leftovers for today’s dinner, I also realized I would have liked a higher sauce/marinade ratio. Finally, a huge thanks to my best friend’s family for letting me use their kitchen and a few of their ingredients.

I’d love to hear your favorite versions of stir fry, or any suggestions for this recipe! Let me know in a comment below, on Twitter @ohgrowup, or Instagram @oh.grow.up. Thanks for reading, and happy eating!