The Kamikaze Cook #43- Pomegranate and Walnut Chicken

A few years ago, I had a meal at a Middle Eastern restaurant and I fell in love. Shortly thereafter, the restaurant closed- of course.

After searching the net for a recipe, I gave up and decided to just make my own from what I remember of the dish. The owner told me that it was made with pomegranate and walnuts and that it simmered for 24 hours! My recipe is lacking something, but if I decide to make it again, I'll have to figure it out. Here's what I tried...

Pull the seeds from one or two pomegranates and place them in a large, deep pot on the stove. (In the future, I will use Pom juice instead of seeds.) Ground up some walnuts (maybe 1 to 2 cups) and add them to the pot. Cover with water and add a dash of sea salt. Bring to boil and then simmer for 2 hours. Add chicken (I used strips), some sugar and saffron. Bring to boil again, then simmer for another 2-4 hours.

Remove chicken and be sure to remove all nuts and seeds from chicken (VERY important). Take the liquid part (which will have the nuts and seeds) and in small portions, liquefy them in a high speed blender. If you don't liquefy them, you'll have seeds getting stuck in your mouth during your meal. Return liquid and chicken to pot and simmer for 5 minutes.

I served this over rice and while it was good, it was rather bland. I think I might add some tart cheese, such as feta or even gargonzola next time. I may also investigate some Middle Eastern spices as an option.

The Kamikaze Cook- A Kamikazeism

World peace would easily be obtained by sharing chocolate- who could be upset with all those endorphins running around?

The Kamikaze Cook- Lessons, Notes & Flops

Note to self (and anyone else as stupid as self), never deeply inhale the aroma of freshly reduced (boiled down) Balsamic VINEGAR! Unless you'd like a big whole in your nasal cavity...

The Kamikaze Cook- Tip (Dishing it out)

When you've made a delicious stew or chili and you're getting ready to dish it up to yourself, family or friends but you realize "Oh, I don't have a ladle!", fear not! You can use a 1/2 or whole measuring cup (with a handle). It's even a wonderful way to keep track of how much you're serving so that everyone gets the same amount!

The Kamikaze Cook #42 Albondigas

Now that the weather is getting cooler, my mind is wandering towards stews, chili's, casseroles and soups. I love "one pot" meals- they're easy and freeze well.

I've included the original recipe and then my version (as usual, I had to "Kamikazeize" it). My version turned out very well, but if I'm being completely honest, I think I will use ground beef in the future instead of ground turkey. I was trying to make a healthier version, but the flavor just wasn't there for me despite all the other items in the dish. It may also have something to do with the fact that I used dried cilantro instead of fresh. Fresh is the way to go it you can. Enjoy.

Original recipe from Avanzando magazine:

1 onion chopped
1 carrot peeled and diced
1 can chopped tomatoes
6 cups beef broth
1 lb ground lean beef
1/4 c white rice
1/4 c white flour
1 large egg
salt to taste
fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine onion, carrots, tomatoes & juices, 5 1/2 c broth and 1/2 c water in large/deep pan over high heat. Cover.

Meanwhile, in bowl, combine remaining 1/2 c broth, beef, rice, egg, flour, 1/4t salt, 1/2 c cilantro and mix with hands.

Uncover broth and drop meat by tablespoons into broth. When it comes to boil again, put on gentle simmer for 20 or more minutes.


MY VERSION:

My version is very close to this. The things I changed were as follows:

turkey instead of beef
wheat couscous (precooked) instead of white rice
dried cilantro instead of fresh (though I recommend fresh)
cubes of zucchini

Serve with warmed chunks of French bread.

The Kamikaze Cook- Random Item

Did you know that I have another blog?
www.semisweetsarcophagus.blogspot.com

The Kamikaze Cook- A Kamikazeism

There's nothing quite so nice as sharing a meal with a friend...except, maybe, eating alone so that you don't have to share.

The Kamikaze Cook-Tip (Broccoli)

If you like the crunch of water chestnuts in Chinese food, but don't keep them around the house, you can use broccoli instead! Use the stem of the broccoli (another reason to buy the less expensive, full broccoli instead of just the crown) and cut off the outer green part of the stem. Slice the remaining part into poker chip size pieces and add towards the end of the cooking time. They're crunchy and healthy!

The Kamikaze Cook- Challenge

Do you have a recipe that you love? If so, send me a copy and let's see how I would "Kamikazeize" it!

The Kamikaze Cook #41 Homemade Bon Bons

I'm a chocolate junky. I admit it. When I have the opportunity to go to See's Candies, I take it. The stuff they sell in the grocery store is all sugar and doesn't satisfy me. Which brings me to excellent news- I've found a way to make my own, personal, Bon Bons!

I found a recipe that is super simple and you can just add whatever flavor you want. I made one (pictured) with just vanilla flavoring covered in melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and it's divine. The other one I made is homage to See's "Mayfair" which has cherries and walnuts in a milk chocolate shell. I'm very impressed!

Keep in mind that you can almost always easily half or double recipes.

Basic Fondant Recipe:
1/3 c butter (soft)
1/3 c light corn syrup
1t vanilla*
1/2 t salt
1lb powdered sugar

Blend butter, corn syrup, vanilla and salt. (*If you want a different flavor, and there are endless possibilities, you should use that flavor in place of vanilla.) Add powdered sugar until well combined. Fondant should be smooth and not too sticky. Roll into balls and put into fridge until your chocolate has melted and the balls are set up a bit. You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips or combine them for milk chocolate chips. Your choice!

The Kamikaze Cook #40 Spicy Tofu with Noodles

I love bourbon sauce! Carl's Jr. had a burger out for a short time with this delicious, sweet/spicy sauce that I adored. While in the supermarket, I found a envelope mix and thought I'd try it at home. I put it on some chicken and it was good, but a bit to spicy for me. I'm a wimp when it comes to hot. So, with leftover sauce, I decided to try it on tofu. Between the noodles and tofu, the spiciness was contained and I enjoyed it very much. Still wish Carl's would bring that burger back though...

Dice tofu into bite size pieces and marinate in bourbon sauce while preparing the rest of the meal (or longer). Cook egg noodles per package instructions. Heat a pan with a bit of cooking spray or oil. Place marinated tofu into pan and simmer while noodles are cooking. Then add green beans. (You can use fresh or canned.) Once noodles are fully cooked, strain and place back in large pan. Toss tofu and green beans in with noodles and keep on low heat for 5-10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

The Kamikaze Cook #39 Another Marinated Vegetable!

You may have seen the recipe below for the North Woods Inn marinated red cabbage recipe (under #27). Well, I wanted something tangy and crunchy one day but I was out of cabbage, so I decided to use carrots instead and it works just as well. The carrots are great in vegan/vegetarian dishes, on salads or just by themselves!

The Kamikaze Cook #38 Feta, Katamala Olive Biscuits

I don't know about you, but I love feta and katamala olives together. Must be the Greek pizza in the frozen section of Trader Joe's...I digress.

Since I had those two items (thank you 99cents only store) I decided to create a new item. I don't mean to pat myself on the back, but hell, these were good!

Use your favorite, easy, biscuit recipe. Add diced katamala olives, crumbles of feta cheese and parmesan cheese. Roll biscuits out onto board with parm cheese on it instead of flour. Bake as you normally would.

Mine didn't turn out quite as fluffy as I'd hoped- could be I didn't use enough baking powder, or that I'm just kinda crummy at making bread items. I vote the latter. However, I opened these suckers up and smeared "almost butter" (that's Land O'Lakes margarine) on them and they were awesome. Try it and see for yourself!

The Kamikaze Cook #37 White Gingerbread Toast

I found a simple "white" (no molasses) gingerbread online. It turned out well, but I wanted to spruce it up, so I sliced it, toasted it in the broiler and smothered it with cream cheese. Yuuuuuuum!

Recipe:

2c flour
1c sugar
1/2c butter
1/2t ginger
1t cinnamon
1/4t nutmeg
1/2t baking soda WITH 3/4c sour milk (I used regular)
1egg, beaten
1t baking powder

Mix flour, sugar and butter together until crumbly. Reserve 1c. Add rest of ingredients. Pour 1/2 crumbs onto bottom of 9x13 pan (greased). Pour batter onto crumbs then pour rest of crumbs onto top. Bake 350 for 45 min. or until brown and toothpick comes out clean.

The Kamikaze Cook- Lessons, Notes & Flops

Sadly, I have another "lesson" right after the last one. Must be the moon phase or something.

Anyway, I was making my usual, homemade pad thai dish when suddenly, the shaker cap for the ginger stuck to the cap without my knowledge! You can probably guess what happened- about 1/4 cup of ginger landed in my dish. Yuck. I can take a bit of ginger, but this is too much.

I added more sugar....and orange juice....and coconut but it's still WAY gingery.

Everyone say the lesson with me- always check that the shaker cap is securely on the spice before you shake.

The Kamikaze Cook- Lessons, Notes & Flops

Who doesn't enjoy a delicious salad with cheese, sunflower seeds and some hearty hard boiled eggs? Well, if you're like me, you'd better be more careful. I started these eggs a'boilin' when I went into the other room, thinking, "Sure, I can hear the timer from here and besides, how could I forget that I have something on the stove?"

A picture is worth a thousand words and I don't get my salad tonight. This never happened in my last place...

The Kamikaze Cook- A Kamikazeism

When you need to talk, best friends are nice, but chocolate doesn't need to tell you its problems too.

The Kamikaze Cook- Tip (Eggs)

If you're worried about cholesterol, when purchasing eggs, buy "medium" instead of "large" and you'll automatically save on some LDL (that's BAD cholesterol) when making recipes. Yes, Yes, Yes, you can always buy the liquid stuff too if you want, but I prefer real eggs.

The Kamikaze Cook #36 Breakfast Popovers

As you read below, the popover recipe I posted is more of a lunch or dinner popover. Well, I was craving something sweet for breakfast and decided to make a breakfast popover!

Same 3 ingredients as the basic popover recipe below.
Then I added a combination of cinnamon and sugar (premixed to make sure the ratio was correct). Not bad. Next time, I think I'll make some sugared walnuts or pecans and add those to the bottom of the batter.

Sugared Nuts:
Melt butter in saucepan, add brown sugar, melt. Then add nuts and stir until covered, place on wax paper or foil to cool. Break apart.

The Kamikaze Cook #35 Chocolate Chip Waffles

I'm guessing this isn't an original idea but man is it YUMMY!

Make waffle batter as you normally would. In a food processor, pulse good quality chocolate chips (we all know to which brand I refer, so I won't bother saying it) into small nuggets. (You must do this otherwise the chips will all sink to the bottom and will likely burn in the waffle maker.)

Add chips last, stir to combine and use waffle maker as normal. All I placed onto these was a nice chunk of REAL butter and they were divine!

The Kamikaze Cook #34 Popovers

"What the heck is a popover?", you might ask. I didn't know either. My best description is that it's closely related to a quiche, but more "doughy".

I found a recipe in one of those "recipes included!" mystery books they have out called "Key Lime Pie Murder". The original recipe is close to my post called "Easy Quiche". When I made this however, I felt it was kind of drab, (even with a pound of butter on them), so I "Kamikazeized" it!

Original recipe: (this can be doubled or halved)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2t salt

MY version:
2 eggs
1 cup of milk plus a bit more (like 1/8-1/4 cup)
1 cup flour
1t salt
garlic powder
basil
parmesan cheese
grated sharp cheddar cheese
grated zucchini (not too much)

Using 1/4 cup measuring cup, pour into muffin tins. Bake at 450 for 17 to 30 minutes depending on depth of mix. Do not overbake. I baked these for 17 minutes and they were lightly brown on top and fluffy. When you remove from the oven, use a sharp knife and cut the tops to release the steam.

What can I say? These made enough for breakfast or lunch tomorrow too and they're quite tasty!

The Kamikaze Cook #33 Balsamic Chicken and Noodles

I stole an idea from Giada! She had made a steak sandwich using balsamic vinegar as a marinade in one of her episodes and I took it and made it my own. Duh. I've tried the following marinade on steak, but tonight I used it on chicken- yum! I wanted an Italian feel so I used the same ingredients as I use for bruschetta.

In a container with a lid, pour some oil (olive or canola), balsamic vinegar, garlic (fresh or not), sea salt and basil. Mix. Add chicken and flip to make sure it's been fully covered. Cover and marinate in fridge for 30 to 60 minutes.

In a different container, pour in uncooked egg noodles. Add balsamic vinegar to about 1/4 up the container. Then add filtered water to cover noodles. Cover and keep on counter.

When you're ready to cook, pour noodles, liquid and all, into pot and add enough water to cover noodles well. Add dash of sea salt. Heat on high. Stir first minute or so to keep from sticking. Cook until tender.

Heat skillet to med/high then spray with non-stick spray. When pan is ready, add chicken, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes (or until plump and white looking). Turn over and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

I found that the noodles had a nice, subtle hint of balsamic vinegar by doing this. I also think I might try a white sauce with vinegar in it too.

The Kamikaze Cook- Lessons, Notes & Flops

When good chocolate goes bad, it's a terrible waste. This photo is of my first ever attempt at making Lava Cake. So, what went wrong? It may be that you can't use oil instead of butter or that you can't use powdered chocolate instead of block. Either way, it went WRONG!

But let's not dwell. I shall perservere and get the correct ingredients to make it again. Next time it will be awesome!

The Kamikaze Cook #32 Rockin' Sandwich!

Hopefully, most of you have heard of Clearman's North Woods Inn Restaurant. If you haven't, you've GOT to go, if for no other reason, for the cheese bread and marinated cabbage. www.clearmansrestaurants.com/northwoods

I have great news too- they sell their cheese spread at some grocery stores and you can easily make your own marinated cabbage at home. (see entry #27)

What I recently discovered is that you can make grilled cheese sandwiches with this spread! I haven't perfected it yet- the cheese still sticks to the pan even when I use a non-stick spray, but the results are awesome.

Sourdough bread
Cheese spread
Ham (or your favorite lunch meat)

You can actually make this in the broiler too. It's been too hot for me to try this but it seems even easier than the pan fried way. Note: lightly toast the bread BEFORE you apply the spread (in the broiler) for, say, 30 seconds or until a bit crisp. Apply spread then toast again for 40 seconds or until golden brown.

Once the sandwich is complete, make a simple salad of greens, marinated cabbage and blue or 1,000 Island dressing. Love it!

The Kamikaze Cook #31 "Fondue"

This is the recipe I mentioned in my earlier post on Kolach. My Mom's dad used to make this recipe when she was little and we've always made it in our immediate family too. Don't know if he made it up but it's too good not to pass along.

Eggs
Velveta or American cheese
Worcestershire Sauce

Heat skillet, grease with either spray or butter. Whisk eggs in bowl, put in pan and add cheese on top and stir quickly. Then add sauce until eggs turn a bit brown. Serve warm. My mouth's watering.

The Kamikaze Cook #30 Kolach

Kolach is a recipe that has been handed down through our family for at least two generations. If I had to categorize it, it would fall under "pastries". It's a yeast dough "roll" with a nut based filling. Whether or not we discovered it, I don't know, but we always had it on Christmas morning (along with another family recipe from the Mom's side) and so when I eat it I think of Christmas which in turn makes me happy. So, eating Kolach makes me happy. See how simple this is?

Here is the original recipe. As you can see, it's not the quantity of ingredients that inhibiting, it's amount of work this recipe takes which has kept me from making it more often over the years. It's also messy as hell to make. But....I just figured out a couple of short cuts and so I'm passing them on to you, along with my, of course, altered version of this recipe which cuts out the butter and sugar.

Original Kolach Recipe:

Dough-
Combine 3 pcks yeast, 3cups scalded milk, 3/4c sugar, 3t salt and 3 eggs.
Add 3/4c melted shortening, 10 1/2 c flour. Let rise 1 1/4 hrs. Knead. Let rise again 45 min.

Filling-
2lbs GROUND walnuts
2c sugar
dash salt
1/4lb shortening (butter)
1/2 t cinnamon
milk to make smooth

Create 2 to 4 dough balls. Roll out first ball into circle 1/4 inch thick, using flour to keep it from sticking; about the size of a medium pizza. Smooth some filling onto dough to edges, then roll up starting at side closest to you. Place seam side down on greased cookie sheet. Repeat. Bake at 350 for 30-50 minutes or until golden brown. Do not overbake. Slice into 1" think pieces and serve warm.

Ok, so that one is WAY time consuming and I only made it that way twice. We acutally had to grind the walnuts in a meat grinder I think. Took forever! This next version is SO much easier.

New Version Kolach Recipe:

Dough- Go to your local supermarket freezer section and buy frozen bread/roll dough. Let rise as per package instructions.

Filling-
In your food processor, grind walnuts until smooth. Then add vanilla, honey, touch of olive oil, dash of sea salt, cinnamon. Pulse processor to mix thoroughly. You will probably have to push mixture down from sides. Add little bit of milk at a time to make smooth. Smell or taste to check if you want more cinnamon or vanilla. Store in fridge until ready to use.

Once dough is ready, roll out on board with flour. Make SMALL balls (about the size of a baseball) so you can bake them faster. 350 for 12-17 minutes. Follow above instructions and watch to make sure they don't overcook. Better to under time them at first until you decide on the perfect timing. You can bake several rolls at the same time.

Now, see? That is so much easier and my recipe takes out some of the fat and sugar so it's a bit healthier! Ok, not much, but some....

The Kamikaze Cook #29 Cheesecake

I was craving cheesecake but all the no-bake recipes I looked up included sour cream, sweetened condensed milk and/or whipped topping; I had none of these, so I decided to just use what I had. Turned out pretty well.

In food processor, whip cream cheese, lemon juice, honey (and cocoa powder if you want chocolate flavor). Put on top of the following "crust".

(This crust is another variation of the vegan/raw chocolate dessert from a previous entry, thought it isn't specifically raw using the last ingredient)

In food processor, grind raw walnuts until very small pieces. Add cocoa (baking cocoa) and blend. Add a few soaked raisins at a time until mixture is just starting to stick together. Add about a tablespoon of chocolate chips and blend until smooth.

Flatten mixture to desired thickness and spoon cheesecake mixture on top. Refrigerate until nice and cold.

The Kamikaze Cook #28- Rosemary, Garlic Rolls

Years ago, I used to buy the "rise and bake" bread from the frozen section of my local grocery store and since I was craving bread, as I so often do, I decided to get some again.

I let the dough rise until it doubled in size, then I smeared it with roasted garlic*, olive oil and rosemary and baked it until golden brown. This recipe reminds me of the bread my co-workers and I used to get from a local pizza place. Who says Heaven is far away???

*Roasted garlic-
Take a head of garlic, chop off the top so you can see all the cloves. Put on foil, drizzle with olive oil and some sea salt. Wrap foil up and roast at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes (or until tender). Vwalla!

The Kamikaze Cook- Tip (Coconut)

I've always wanted to try using "real" coconut instead of the sugary junk they call coconut in the bags in the baking isle of your local grocery store. So, while at the store today I asked the produce guy how to open a coconut.

"Well," he says, "I usually use a drill bit." Ok, strike one. "But you can use an ice pick in the soft part where the nut was attached to the tree. You punch two or three holes where it's soft, drain the milk and then simply use a hammer to crack it open like you would an egg on something firm."

Ok, I can do that. Easy enough. Yeah, right!! First of all, the "soft holes" aren't soft holes. I had to use the ice pick and a hammer to get the holes to extract the milk. THEN, I had to hammer the (bleep) out of the thing to get the tiniest crack. I whacked on it for a good five minutes before I could see any real progress. I won't lie- I feared for the safety of my fingers holding the coconut so it wouldn't spin away and I had some close calls. (Note- always watch the point of contact.)

Once I got the coconut open, the clerk told me, you can just use a spoon to scoop out the meat. At this point I start to wonder if he's ever actually opened a coconut. You can't just "scoop out the meat"! I hacked away with a knife until I was smart enough to realize that I could use my shredder with more ease.

In any case, as you can see, I got it open, shredded some meat and have some cocunut milk for my trouble. Will I do this again? THAT remains to be seen.

The Kamikaze Cook #27 Colorful Raw/Vegan Dish

Once again I find myself hungry at a late hour but since I'm trying to avoid anything with white flour and simple sugar/carbs I'm having to be inventive in my choices since I simply don't go to sleep hungry....keeps me awake.

I made a beautiful dish which took, literally, five minutes and it's so beautiful that I photographed it before digging in.

Green Leaf Lettuce leaf (you can use any kind you want: collard, romaine, red leaf..)
Sliced mango
Sliced avocado
Marinated red cabbage (recipe below)

See! Simple and yummy!!! Very good for you too.

If you've never been to the North Woods Inn, you're missing out. They're known for their marinated red cabbage and cheese bread. You should check them out.

North Woods Inn Marinated Red Cabbage:
1/2 cup vegetable or oil oil
1/2 cup plus 2 T red wine vinegar
3 T sugar
1/2 head red cabbage, sliced very thinly
salt to taste
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t onion powder

I'm sure I don't have to say it, but I will- I varied this recipe. I did not use pepper or onion powder, I used sea salt instead of table salt and I didn't have any sugar so I used honey. I think this was delicious as I made it. I let it sit in the fridge for over 24 hrs before I even tried it and it's wonderful!!!

The Kamikaze Cook- Tip (Soaked nuts)

This is a "note to self" more than a "tip"- you must let soaked nuts dry a while before using them lest they become "yucky" when you put them in the food processor.

The Kamikaze Cook- A Kamikazeism

Life is your own personal recipe. You take the basic ingredients (food, water, shelter) and then add your own personal touches. Sometimes you don't end up liking the recipe, so next time you change the ingredients. Sometimes you love what you've made and you keep making it over and over again. Sometimes, other people try to add their own ingredients into your recipe and you have to learn to be strong enough to say "no" when you don't want that ingredient. Sometimes you're offered an ingredient that you never would have found on your own and you have to be brave enough to try it.

Life is a recipe. Make it well.

The Kamikaze Cook- Tip (Flavor Hogs!)

There are certain varieties of food which I've deemed "flavor hogs". What do I mean by that? Their flavor is so intense that it often overrides any other flavor in a dish.

A few examples:
red bell pepper, banana, raw onion, peanut butter, blue cheese....

There are many more items that tend to be "flavor hogs" and I'm sure you've come across them on your own. My solution? Use them sparingly. Even if a recipe calls for a larger quantity of these items (and you all know how I feel about recipies anyway- just a guideline) I always cut that by at least half.

The bottom line is that you can make your dish whatever you want it to be. Don't be bound by what's on a recipe card. Feel free to explore, try new things, add more of what you want (for me it's always cheese) and take out what you don't want. There are no wrong answers in cooking- only lessons of what not to make again!

The Kamikaze Cook #26 Raw/Vegan Chocolate Dessert

Lately, I've been investigating the raw/vegan culture. It started because I was having heartburn almost everynight as I tried to fall asleep and knew it was because I was having white flour, of some variety, in my evening meal. So, I ventured out and inadvertently found a woman named Ani Phyo who creates simple and yummy raw/vegan dishes and desserts. I highly recommend that you check out her website if you're interested in learning more about what she can whip up in five minutes!

This is a tweaked version of one of her desserts.

Soak overnight (separately): 1 cup almonds and 1/2 cup raisins. In the morning, drain and put on cookie sheet to dry out for a few hours.

In a food processor, combine almonds and some cocoa powder- maybe 2-3 tablespoons (she recommends raw but I used regular cooking cocoa as you would for baking). Add a dash of salt if desired. Whir until nuts are small pieces. Add about 1/4 cup soft raisins and whir again. Keep adding raisins until the mixture is soft. Remove blade and roll small amounts of mixture into little balls. Put in freezer. Super Easy and pretty yummy- even to a chocoholic!

I'm going to try a few more changes to this recipe next time too. I'm going to add a bit of avacado for some smoothness and richness and then I'm going to roll the balls in coconut or chopped nuts before freezing.

The Kamikaze Cook #25 Easy Quiche

Many, many, MANY years ago there was a recipe for "Impossible Cheeseburger Pie" on the side of a Bisquick box which I cut out and have been using as a base for a variety of different flavors since. The recipe basics are simple and you probably have them at home right now but you can add any kind of meat and cheese and spices and vegetables it's really an endless list of possible outcomes!

Actual recipe:
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 t salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup bisquick*
1 cup milk*
2 eggs*
Heat oven 400 degrees. Cook beef and onions. Drain fat. Stir in salt. Spread in greased pan, sprinkle with cheese. Stir remaining ingredients in separate bowl with fork until blended then pour over meat and cheese mixture. Bake 25 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Now, do you see where I'm going with this. If you leave off the beef and onion, you can use any kind of meat like ham, salami, pepperoni, chicken, turkey, sausage, etc. You can also use any kind of cheese like mozzarella, provalone, muenster, monterey jack, pepper jack, etc. I've added lightly steamed broccoli, fully cooked carrots, steamed green beans and more. You can put in Mexican spices, or Asian spices, or BBQ spices. This is probably the most versitile recipe I have in my little secret box! Another great thing about this is that it's easy to "half" the recipe which I often do as a single person. The only thing is that you must make sure the main three ingredients* are measured accurately because if you put too much bisquick, then it becomes more biscuit like instead of fluffy and eggy. Try something out and let me know how you like it!

The Kamikaze Cook #24 Gordita Breakfast Sandwich

The 99cents only store has this fluffy bread called "Gorditas" which is really yummy. I decided to make a breakfast sandwich with them.

Put gordita bread on micro safe plate, sprinkle grated muenster or mozzarella cheese. Heat skillet and whisk egg. Add a bit of butter to the skillet then add egg to cook quickly (scrambled). Meanwhile, put bread with cheese in micro for 30-40 seconds or until melted. Put cooked egg on half of bread and fold over. Mmm Mmm Good. You could even add salsa if you wanted (not my choice, but we're all different.)

The Kamikaze Cook #23 Polish Sausage and Corn Mush

If you haven't had the corn mush from El Torrito (Mexican Restaurant), you don't know what you're missing. The great news is that you can buy the pre-packaged stuff to make it at any grocery store now- I found it in the "International" isle. This was a wonderful, easy lunch.

Prepare and bake corn mush. (Hint- I made some last night so all I had to do was reheat it.) Meanwhile, slice polish sausage diagonally (like you would bread for bruchetta) and brown in a pan. Vwallah...lunch in 5 minutes flat!

The Kamikaze Cook #22 Hawaiian Chicken

I made pineapple upsidedown cake the other day (which was divine if you haven't had it) and I had leftover pineapple so I decided to do something similar to Hawaiian Meatballs which I used to make for my family when I was a kid.

Marinate chicken overnight in pineapple juice and brown sugar. Cook white or brown rice as you normally would. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, put some pineapple juice, brown sugar and a teaspoon or so of butter. Bring to boil then lower to simmer. While those two things are cooking, heat skillet and spray with cooking spray. Slice marinated chicken into medium sized strips and once ready, place in skillet. Cook thoroughly. When the chicken is fully cooked and both sides brown, add rice to skillet and stir. To the pineapple/brown sugar mixture, add a bit of corn starch to thicken then pour over rice and chicken. Simmer for ten minutes. You can add water if there is not enough moisture. Meanwhile, make salad or steam some green beans in the micro for about 1:10 min. Enjoy!

The Kamikaze Cook #21 Is it a dessert or a breakfast? You be the judge...

I had an idea for something so decadent, so deviously creamy and amazing...but it will probably cost about ten dollars to make. (I'm cheap so yes, it matters.) Will it be worth it? I sure hope so...

Turn oven on to 350. Combine a softened block of cream cheese and jar of marshmallow fluff (thank you Lorraine for this recipe). Spread onto premade crepes and roll into tubes. (I found crepes in the produce section of the grocery store by the shortcakes). Line stuffed crepes in buttered dish seamside down and put in oven while preparing ganache. For ganache, chop blocks of bittersweet or use semi-sweet chocolate chips and put into large bowl. Bring 1 cup heavy cream just to a boil over medium heat (watch the cream every second). Once at "just boiling" stage, pour into bowl over chocolate. Stir to combine. Once combined, pull crepes out of oven, and pour ganache over top or put in dish for individuals to serve themselves. I can't WAIT to try this!!!

The Kamikaze Cook- Smoothies Are Easy and Inexpensive to make at home!

I've been making smoothies at home for years. The basic ingredients of the smoothies are 99% always the same in my version. This is a more liquid way to do it and less heavy than ones from a "chain":

Plain, low-fat yogurt
Milk
Ice cubes

The version of the smoothie is limited only by your imagination! I've made the following and am always looking for new ideas:

strawberry
strawberry and banana
strawberry, mango, blueberry
peanut butter, banana, (chocolate chips)
pineapple and coconut
vanilla extract and sugar (I add sugar because there is no fruit to naturally add it)
...and I'm sure there's more but I can't think of any right now.

You CAN use frozen yogurt as the base instead of refridgerated yogurt. I believe this is what they use in the chain for that really thick style.

I'm actually going to attempt something new- something I've never attemped before. Kids, you MAY want to wait until after I've tried it before moving forward with this. Instead of yogurt as the base, I'm going to use.....pudding. That's right, I'm going to try Butterscotch pudding, milk, ice cubes and chocolate chips to see how it turns out. It could be dangerous. It could be disasterous but I'm willing to try it...for YOU, followers of this blog. Ok, not really...I'm trying it for me, but if it's good, you'll benefit, right?

The Kamikaze Cook- A Kamikazeism

IF all celebrations include food, THEN it stands to reason that FOOD = HAPPINESS.

The Kamikaze Cook- Tip (Natural Relief)

If you're like me, you tend to eat junk too closely to bedtime and wind up with heartburn (that's the really firey feeling in your esophagus for those lucky persons not familiar). Try eating several bites of an apple or having a small, dark green salad- the enzymes should help to lesson or totally relieve the symptoms.

The Kamikaze Cook- A Kamikazeism

If you decide to use substandard ingredients in your cookies, don't be surprized if your sister comments on the inferior quality.

Margarine? What was I thinking???

The Kamikaze Cook- Tip (Ice Cubes)

If you want to make cute ice cube shapes, you can buy silicon muffin "tins" and use those like I did here. You don't need to do anything special- just pour in water and freeze!

The Kamikaze Cook- Tip (Non-stick remedy)

If you don't have aluminum foil or wax paper, wrap a platic bag around a cookie sheet and spray it with cooking spray. (Why would you need this remedy? See snack recipe two entries down...)

For those of you who have voiced concern about heating a pan with a plastic bag on it, I was not suggesting that- the snacks listed below are refrigerated. :O)

The Kamikaze Cook- A Kamikazeism

If you eat salad dressing but not the salad, does that still count as eating healthy?

The Kamikaze Cook- Fun, Easy Treat

I didn't come up with this so I'm not putting it as my recipe but I tried it for the first time yesterday and it was fun and yummy so I thought I would mention it with a photo.

Melt some semi-sweet chocolate chips in one bowl, some white chips in another bowl and some semi-sweet WITH white chips in a third bowl either over double boiler or in the micro at 10 seconds a pop. Don't melt too quickly in there or it will burn and harden. Line a cookie sheet with foil or wax paper. Dunk pretzels (any shape/size)into desired chocolate flavor, shake a little to release dripping chocolate and place on sheet. You can put in fridge until hardened and enjoy. I actually just spooned chocolate over these here since I didn't have a dish deep enough for these long sticks but it worked just as well!

The Kamikaze Cook #20 EASY Macaroons

I can't believe it. I just made the EASIEST version of macaroons ever! All you have to do is use the recipe for Swedish Cookies (entry #11) and then add some coconut. That's it! So awesome I'm amazed.

The Kamikaze Cook #19 Honey Glazed Chicken with couscous, and green beans in a lemon sauce

I was inspired yesterday when I went to Panda Express; they have a new item called Honey and Walnut Shrimp. I enjoyed it so much that I thought I would create something along the same line with what I had at home.

*Marinate overnight in fridge- chicken with honey and oil olive. Massage bag to coat thoroughly.

Heat skillet for chicken. Meanwhile, wash green beans and snap off ends. When skillet is hot, spray with cooking spray and place chicken in, covering to cook well. Pour equal amounts of couscous and water into a microwaveable safe dish.* Microwave for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Place green beans in microwaveable safe dish with a splash of water; cover losely and cook for 1-2 minutes or until desired tenderness. Meanwhile, put small saucepan on stove at medium/low heat. Melt butter, add some flour and cook for a minute or so stirring constantly. Add milk and add lemon juice to desired tartness. Watch sauce to make sure it doesn't burn. Sauce will thicken. Turn chicken. Once all is cooked, place chicken, couscous and green beans on plate and pour sauce over middle of all. This recipe rocks!

*I accidentally discovered that you don't have to "cook" the couscous. I had poured the water onto the grain but set it aside when I was doing something else and when I came back, the grain was soft so all I really had to do was warm it up in the microwave which took less than 45 seconds!

The Kamikaze Cook #18 Sandwich

I've been making this sandwich for years but thought I would pass it along since I LOVE it. It was one of those "I saw all the ingredients in the 99 cents only store" situations that just fell into place.

Slice and toast bagel (my fav's are "everything", onion or plain). Spread with cream cheese and place several slices of hard salami or genoa salami. Quick, easy and YUM!

The Kamikaze Cook #17 Yes...another french toast version

I must like french toast. Here's another way I made it.

Take store bought cinnamon rolls (I used a glazed type), dip them in egg "solution" (see previous posts) and cook in butter. These were so sugary and sweet that I didn't have to add anything else.

The Kamikaze Cook- A Kamikazeism

I think that when a particular food reaches a billion dollars in sales annually it deserves its' own food group... Congrats Chocolate!

The Kamikaze Cook- Lessons, Notes & Flops

Note: You know how when you're hungry you don't think straight? Keep that in mind when you read what I "flopped" yesterday...

Lesson: Well, actually, reminder.....not all things you try will work out.

Flops: I was really sick of chicken; craving a hamburger if you want to know the truth but I didn't have any cash and I didn't want to drive around after doing lots of laundry so I went home to make something. This something turned out to take a lot longer to make than I wanted and was pretty lousy, if I do say so myself...

I cooked some chicken in a skillet, adding cumin, garlic and cilantro. Meanwhile, I boiled water for pasta (thin spaghetti). I had a few left over "salsa/limon" chips so I crushed those up and shredded the remaining hunk of cheddar I had. I sprayed a pan with cooking spray and tossed everything in and baked it at 400 for 10 minutes. Man, I must have been hungry because I actually ate a bit of this but I did NOT save the leftovers which is almost out of the realm of my philosophy but there you have it. I think maybe if I had left out the pasta it would have been better. In fact, I kept saying to myself "forget the pasta" but no, it just went in one ear and out the other...Note to self- listen to that inner voice and always have a buck on hand to buy a burger when in need.

The Kamikaze Cook #16 Homemade Chicken Nuggets

I have a friend who is crazy about a national pizza chain's new chicken nuggets but when he orders them it costs him $35! So, I thought I would come up with something similar to see if they satisfy his, um, needs. Here's what I ran with...

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Cut chicken breast into small pieces (chicken expands when cooked, so guage the size based on how big you want the pieces). In a bowl, mix corn meal, cajun spices and garlic. Take five pieces, cover in mix and place in hot skillet and cover with lid. (Note- if there is too much oil it may splash at you so be careful.) Cook about 4 minutes on first side. Turn over, making sure to grab some of the oil from wherever the oil has slid to. Cover again and cook an additional 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly cooked and place on paper towel covered plate. Continue with rest of chicken. You can serve with ranch dressing (as the aforementioned pizza place does it) or whatever kind of sauce you want. I ate them plain and there was plenty of flavor and "kick" without any additional sauce. Enjoy!

The Kamikaze Cook- A Kamikazeism

If you find a magic lantern and you're granted three wishes, does a carton of a dozen small Cadbury Cream Eggs count as 12 or just 1?

The Kamikaze Cook #15 Holy Mole!

I tried mole again for the first time in (cough) years and it's not bad. Not sure it's exactly to my taste but good for a change every once in a while. What I made was not particularly interesting- I made some white rice, cooked white meat chicken in a pan and then added the pre-made sauce. I paired it with that amazing corn cake side/dessert from El Torrito (which you can now purchase at grocery stores). That, as always, was amazing. I did do ONE thing which I thought deserved a Kamikaze spot though....read on.

I was trying to figure out what vegetable to pair with my dinner but couldn't decide so I chose to have a salad, but the only dressing I had was honey mustard which didn't sound appealing at all, so....I decided to take some of the mole sauce, put it in the freezer for 5 minutes and put THAT over my salad. I have to say it was new and interesting and you should try it!

The Kamikaze Cook- Tip (Pizza)

I love pizza. I eat pizza frequently. Could be from the cheap place down the street, the quality restaurant I rarely treat myself to or frozen, but be sure, I eat it. Here are some tricks I've learned over the years to improve your frozen pizza experience.

Prior to cooking a frozen pizza, cut the slices. This makes it much easier to handle when it's hot and none of "your" cheese will get on "their" slice. Of course, I'm single so they're all my slices but still...

When I was vegetarian (for those brief few months) I would sautee my favorite vegetables, like onion, zucchini and even tomato and put them on a halfway cooked cheese pizza and put in oven for the rest of the cooking time. Yum.

I almost always buy extra mozzarella cheese when I buy frozen. I love cheese anyway so even if I don't use all of it, which I normally don't, I can use it on other things later. I usually put half the package on for the last 7-10 minutes in the oven so it gets melted and gooey.

Hope this keeps your tummy happy!

The Kamikaze Cook- A Kamikazeism

I'd rather die with a cookie in my hand than a diet soda.

The Kamikaze Cook #14 Another French Toast Option

I was craving a mid-morning snack and figured french toast is always a winner so why not? I didn't have the ingredients to make my other recipe (see #6) so here's what I did instead!

Since I didn't have bread, I decided to use my Honey Wheatberry English Muffins as the base. I did the usual, eggs, milk, vanilla, and milk but instead of heating olive oil in the pan, I used REAL butter. Once they were finished, I put some chocolate chips, powdered sugar and honey on them. There should be a law against something so decadent...

The Kamikaze Cook #13 Steak and zucchini

Sometimes you just crave "meat"- am I wrong? I thought not. So, I purchased a nice steak and let it cook for about four hours yesterday and had it for dinner (see #9 for seasonings and gravy recipe). I did discover something though- I think next time I will put about two tablespoons of water into the bottom of the pan and cover with foil instead of a cookie sheet over the top. Why? While the meat is very well cooked and pulls apart easily with a fork, it has been a bit dry the last two times I have done this. I'm thinking adding the water and foil will help this problem. The real yummy part is what I did next...

Wash zucchini (or your favorite vegetable), cut off ends and slice in half. After removing the meat from the pan and putting it on a plate in the microwave to keep warm, place the zucchini into the pans' liquid and seasonings and kind of soak up those flavors on both sides. Turn the oven to broil and put the vegetables under for 7-10 minutes or until desired tenderness. This is healthy and way yummy!

The Kamikaze Cook- Backnote

Backnote to #11 Swedish Cookies...

I finally tried making these with strawberry preserves on top. Not bad but I think next time I'll use a cheaper version of strawberry jelly so that it's not so chunky and it crystallizes a bit more during cooking. ;o)

The Kamikaze Cook- Lessons, Notes & Flops

I cooked a frozen mexican meal for dinner and thought some warmed chips would go nicely. Who knew that chips could catch on fire? Note to self- plastic melts and seasoned chips are a hazard in the microwave.

The Kamikaze Cook- Tip (Cookbook)

If you are looking for a good cookbook I highly recommend The Joy of Cooking; I use my copy ALL the time. Not only does it have hundreds of good old fashioned basics but some of the recipies are very entertaining! Has anyone in the history of the world ever actually made Cucumber Mousse???

The Kamikaze Cook #12 Cheesy, Broccoli, Ham with Rice

So, I was craving something cheesy but I also wanted to have something with some kind of vegetable in it too. I fell back on a dish that you can (almost) buy in a package only I made it from scratch, however halfway through I realized I didn't have any milk! I had to come up with something or my dinner would be ruined! Check it out.

Cook instant rice in microwave. While cooking, chop up fresh broccoli. On low heat, melt butter. When melted, add some white flour. Now, normally you would add milk here (this is for a cheese sauce) but I used up all the milk this morning with my cereal! So....I had some vanilla flavored yogurt in the fridge and I dumped some in a bowl and added some water to thin it out. It worked and the cheese sauce was saved! After adding "milk" I added chopped cheese (grated melts faster but I was lazy) garlic granules and tarragon. While the cheese is melting in the sauce and after the rice is done in the micro, place broccoli in microwave with loose top. You may want to add just a teaspoon or so of water. Micro for 1 to 1:10 minutes until bright green. Don't overcook!!! I also added some diced maple flavored ham for more protein. Micro for just 30 seconds or so until warm. Combine all ingredients and enjoy!

Note: You can basically use any kind of cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, colby) but I recommend staying away from stringy cheese like mozzarella for this dish as it is difficult to handle when melted and kind of slimy.

The Kamikaze Cook #11 Swedish Cookies

I found an old cookie recipe book called "Santa's Favorite Cookies" somewhere a while ago and there is one recipe I LOVE and make frequently because it's so versitile and only takes 3 ingredients!

Swedish Cookies- 2 sticks butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 3/4 cup white flour (Did I lie??) Mix, roll into balls and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. You can also half this recipe easily- 1 stick butter, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 cup flour (approx). Batter should not be sticky at all.

Now, I love this recipe as above and you should definately try this as is first (yes, even you chocolate lovers....) but I add stuff too when I want to switch it up a bit. I've tried chocolate chips, Dove Promise Milk chocolates, nuts, Heath bar, cocoa powder, caramel. You really could try anything like lime, lemon, or press the cookies flat instead of rolling them into a ball, make a thumb print and put strawberry preserves on top and cook them. Heck, I may try that tonight.

What I made last night was peanut butter and chocolate chips. When you do this, use half butter and half peanut butter and make sure to measure the dry ingredients carefully. Again, just try anything. It doesn't cost that much to make these and you may find your next favorite cookie too!

The Kamikaze Cook #10 New Life Brownies

I don't really like brownies. I know some of you will be shocked by this revalation but it's true. But sometimes I still buy brownie mix but I add lots of my own stuff to enhance the brownie experience. In the past, I've added pecans, carmel, chocolate chips and peanut butter. Below is my latest escapade.

One box brownie mix- mix as directed. Add chopped pecans, cashews and pistachios. Then add left over, melted fudge (this I made homemade and had just a little bit left). Then add TARRAGON. You heard me correctly. I added this spice just to see what would happen and it's pretty good! Be bold- try something new with a small portion of the next batch you bake. Try, I don't know, balsamic vinegar or cinnamon, or honey. Or, ohhhh, hot fudge- the kind you put on sundae's....melt a bit and pour on top of the mix and then use a knife to swirl it. What have you got to lose?

The Kamikaze Cook #9 Gravy is easy!

Gravy is easy! If anyone tells you differently, they're lying to you so that you'll look up to them. Here's a simply way to make steak, mashed potatoes and homemade gravy.

Spray a shallow baking dish with non-stick spray. Sprinkle garlic, parsley, thyme, sage and rosemary on the bottom. Place a thin steak on top of seasonings and sprinkle all above again. Place in oven at 225 and put foil or cookie sheet on top. This will cook from 2.5 to 3 hours (the longer you cook it the more tender it will be)- test for desired doneness. Peel and dice potatoes about 30 minutes before dining. Boil potatoes (put potatoes into cold water and bring to boil otherwise you may burn your hand if you put chunks of them into hot water and it splashes on you- don't ask how I know this). Pull steak out of oven, put steak on plate and stick in microwave to keep warm and out of the way. Use the pan to make gravy. Place right on the burner and turn on very low heat. There's probably not a lot of juice in the pan which is perfect. Get the white flour out and sprinkle a little bit at a time, stirring to avoid lumps. Keep adding flour until it begins to thicken and turn lighter in color. Once you have a good consistency, put a bit of the potato water into the pan to thin out and make more gravy. This will thicken as it cools so don't make it too thick while on the burner. Remove from heat and let it thicken as you prepare the mashed potatoes by dumping out water and adding milk and butter. Vwalla-a homemade meal that was easy to make and delicious!

The Kamikaze Cook #8 Chunkless Apple Pie

I know that a lot of people like apple pie but guess what, I don't like cooked apples! So, in order to have the flavor without having to deal with the yucky, mushy consistancy, I came up with this alternative recipe.

Peel and dice apples to very, very small pieces. Place in small sauce pan with some water, cinnamon, brown sugar and simmer until boiled down and a bit thicker. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350, pull out the butter and flour to make the crust. Chop up some butter in a bowl then add flour and mix with hands. Place loosely in greased mini-loaf dish (or something similar). Pour mixture over crust and bake for 20-30 minutes until bubbly and hot. (Note- you can keep the apple pieces large and pull them out after the liquid has thickened if desired to avoid the apples all together.) You can eat plain or put on top of vanilla ice cream. Oh, that smell!!!

The Kamikaze Cook- Lessons, Notes & Flops

Lesson- Never turn up the heat on something on the stove then start doing dishes with your back turned on it. It still happens to the best of us.... ahem. Flops- I tried putting grated cheddar cheese on my uncooked "crust" (see earlier entry) and baking it but it just didn't turn out too well. I think the crust needs the moisture from the liquid to work out. Notes- NEVER be afraid to try something. I tried the above flop because I've tried other things that turned out marvelously. Be fearless in the kitchen. What's the worst that can happen???

The Kamikaze Cook #7 Chicken Pot Pie

Homemade chicken pot pie just sounded so good today that I made it for lunch. I had already made a baked potato and some chicken a few nights ago so I just sliced those up from leftovers and cooked up some carrots in the mircrowave so this was a piece of cake. Enjoy!

You'll need cooked chicken, cooked carrots and cooked potatoes. You can used a jar, envelope mix or canned chicken gravy- this is so easy! Heat the oven to 350 (and by the way, if I don't give you a cooking temp, it's almost always ok to use 350). Put some butter in a bowl and chop it up a bit with a spoon. Add some flour and mix with your hand until it's crumbly. Don't add water. Toss "crust" of flour and butter into the bottom of a greased pan/dish (do not press down), add chicken, potatoes and carrots then pour gravy over top. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Now, did I lie or was that super easy?!? PS- You may wonder why I don't cook the crust ahead of time....I like the crust kind of mushy and flavorful and it is like that when you don't cook it first. Try it!

The Kamikaze Cook #6 Strawberry French Toast

French Toast. Is there anyone in the world who doesn't like it? I think not. I combined two recipies that I've found over the years, with a few adjustments of course, and made some awesome french toast this morning. Here you are...

Pour OLIVE oil into a frying pan and heat on medium. Thinly slice baguette. Take appropriate number of eggs and put in large, shallow dish. Add some milk, vanilla and cinnamon and whisk together. Dip bread on each side, place in skillet and brown on each side. Meanwhile, thinly slice some strawberries. Once bread is done, place on plate, put strawberries on top and sprinkle with powdered sugar. I don't even think you need syrup on this one!

The Kamikaze Cook #5 Asian Feel Chicken Dish

I guess I really got a good deal on that package of chicken breasts because I'm FINALLY finshed with them! Thank god I have a freezer now or it would have gone bad before I could eat them all. In any case, I wanted something kinda like Thai Peanut but didn't have all the ingredients (surprise) so here is my altered recipe.

Slice chicken breast thinly and cook in skillet with spray or olive oil. Meanwhile, start water boiling for pasta. Add garlic and red wine vinegar to chicken as its cooking. In a medium sized bowl, mix peanut butter (smooth or crunchy), red wine vinegar, garlic, cashews and soy sauce. Add a bit of the boiling water from the pasta's pan to thin out and create more sauce. When chicken is finished cooking remove from heat, add angel hair pasta to boiling water and then add peanut sauce mix with chicken- stir well. When pasta is done, drain and mix all together in skillet then serve out to plates!Mmm Mmm Good!

The Kamikaze Cook- Tip (Bread)

If you have good quality bread that has gone stale, try this... Slice the bread thickly and put in microwave safe container that has a lid. Take a paper towel, crinkle into ball shape, lightly dampen it with water and place inside container, away from bread. Cover lightly, keeping some air flow going inside. Microwave on 50% power for 30 seconds at a time until warm and soft again. Note- as soon as it hits air it will begin the hardening process again so only do a few pieces at a time and keep the pieces you'll be eating shortly in the container where they'll stay warm. If you leave them too long they may become mushy.

The Kamikaze Cook #4 Eggless-Microwaveable Chocolate Cake

I saw an episode of Paula Deen's cooking show where she made these "gooey chocolate cookies" so I decided to make them but I forgot to get eggs while at the market! (Note to self, always make a list.) I was craving chocolate but had no way to make what I intended to make at this point. Here's the solution-although not very inventive, it did the trick until I could make it back to the store.

Use a quarter of a package of chocolate cake mix, add some oil and water, mix and put in a greased dish in the microwave, cooking at 50% power for 1 minute (or until evenly cooked but not overcooked). This actually turned out light and fluffy and I didn't need to use an egg! I could even throw in some nuts if I decide to do this again or some chocolate pieces. Probably a versitile recipe. Who knew?

The Kamikaze Cook #3 Whipped Chocolate

Hello. My name is Alexandra and I'm a chocaholic. I recently saw on the Cheese and Chocolate network thingy (see my subscriptions) a women who made homemade mousse. I was craving something sweet one night and I didn't want to go out to buy something (I'm feeling a theme here) so I looked at what I could do. I had some Stater Bros. whipped topping but no quality chocolate to melt as she did on the show. Here was my solution.

Melt some butter in a pan on low heat and add some sugar to melt next. When that's complete, add some powdered cocoa (not hot chocolate, cooking cocoa or baking chocolate) and mix to light boil. Remove from heat quickly transfer to bowl and add some of the whipped topping together with it. Once mixed, fold in remaining whipped topping- you FOLD to keep the mousse light and fluffy. Put in fridge for an hour and there you go. Delicious!

The Kamikaze Cook #2 More of a Meal Bruchetta

Ever since I saw the film Julie and Julia I've been making bruchetta! I use the same method that Julie used in the film- pan fried and ohhh man is it good. There is one thing though, sometimes I like to have it as a meal but I am usually hungry again after about an hour, even when I have six or seven pieces (oh, you know you'd do it too since it's so good) so I decided that today I would add some protein. Here's what I did.

Heat pure olive oil in a large skillet. Thinly slice chicken breast in small pieces. Thickly slice a wonderful baguette at an angle. Use the heating time to create the topping. Remove seeds from tomato and dice into medium size pieces. Place in large bowl. Add balsalmic vinegar, olive oil, garlic and basil and toss well. Add the chicken pieces to one side of the skillet and the bread to the other. Make sure you swirl the pan to distribute the oil before adding chicken and bread. Add garlic and basil to top of chicken. Cook thoroughly on one side and flip chicken. Lightly brown bread and flip. When both are done, put on plate, pile tomatoes onto everything, and use a fork and knife to get bite size pieces of all ingredients!

The Kamikaze Cook #1 Cream Sauce Chicken 'n Pasta

Necessity really IS the mother of invention! I was hungry but didn't want to go to the store so I took stock in the kitchen. I wanted to use the chicken breast I had and maybe make something with a hint of Asian feel. Here's what I came up with!

Slice chicken breast and cook in heated skillet with garlic and soy sauce (just a couple of splashes). When cooked thoroughly, add Honey Dijon salad dressing (about 1/4 cup) and some water to thin it out. Meanwhile, cook wheat spiral pasta until al dente. As the sauce simmers, scootch everything to one side, add butter to empty side and melt. Once melted, add 1-2 Tablespoons of flour a bit at a time, smoothing with butter as you go. Cook for a moment then add some milk stirring constantly. Once combined and smooth, add to rest of sauce and chicken. Simmer while you drain pasta, mix all together with a few pistacchios and VWALLAH! Yummy!