Home cookin’

So, I’m home alone.

(source)

Sans red bib, although I’m not opposed to it. Thankfully I’m not fighting off burglars (and hopefully no peeping toms). When I got home on Friday I thought my parents were going to be there that evening from traveling to the west coast of Florida. But then they told me they wouldn’t be in today and was instantly elated. I had the house to myself, could do whatever I want, throw a party (not so much) and just have some me time. After living alone for five hours, I’m used to being alone and have my own schedule. However the last month has thrown a wrench in my normal schedule since I’ve been crashing with my friends the entire time. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing but love for them but by the end, I just wanted to get back home, to somewhere familiar and have some me time.

And another thing I was looking forward to? Some home cooking! When I pillaged through my parents kitchen, I saw not only was the entire thing a complete wreck with items in random places and no real order but there was also no food. My parents are notorious for going out to eat just about every night so I wasn’t surprised. I already told them that we are going to have a talk about that and then told them we are going to take about the organization or lack thereof of the kitchen space. But I soon realized that I’m now in South Florida which means I don’t have my go to supermarkets that I had back in Charlotte. I did a search online to see what we have here and then soon realized that none of the stores offer double coupons. I’ve heard that before but figured that there has to be one right? Um, no. None of them do, thumbs down friends.I scanned the weekly ads and ended up at Winn Dixie since they had a decent BOGO sale going on. I saw that they also offer Fuel Perks just like Bi-Lo in Charlotte, so for every $50 you spend, you get $.05 off your gas bill. Doesn’t sound like much but it definitely adds up after awhile. I picked up a bunch of groceries including my staples such as chicken, cheese, tortillas, frozen veggies and greek yogurt.

Ok and some new-to-me beer

All my parents have on hand is Baileys and other after dinner drinks. I’m sure I could make some kind of interesting concoction but when it’s near 100 degrees and humidity like no other, I just want a cold one.

The first thing I made was black bean and spinach enchiladas. But of course I forgot the key ingredient-enchilada sauce. Perhaps it was because I was distracted by the fact they didn’t carry El Pato enchilada sauce and I didn’t want to pay $2 for Old El Paso sauce. So like I do with anything, I winged it.

I mixed chopped onions, black beans, cooked spinach, jalapeno seasoning, salt and pepper with shredded cheese

Then I nuked half a block of cream cheese and added the melted goodness to the mix

Spread on a tortilla. I usually dunk the tortillas in chicken broth but, surprise, I forgot that as well.

Due to the lack of enchiladas sauce, I spotted some diced tomatoes in the pantry. I added garlic, red pepper flakes and pepper to them then spread over the enchiladas and topped with cheese.

13 minunutes later, my belly was growling and I had an audience that was apparently hungry as well

Sorry Lincoln, you are half Chihuahua but no enchiladas for you!

Ah, how I miss a home cooked meal!!!

Saturday night I made bbq chicken with shelled edamame and roasted red potatoes

I had a coupon for Stubbs BBQ Sauce and being the bbq lover I am, was excited to see if it lived up the much heard hype. I tried a bit before I smothered the chicken in it and I really like it. It has a tangy kick to it that gave it a little bite but also a bit of sweetness.

I marinated the chicken in that for three hours then cooked on the stovetop while the roasted potatoes cooked in the oven. I made a random little mix of pepper, salt, ground mustard and jalapeno seasoning to coat the potatoes with and it was excellent! The best part is I have leftovers of both throughout the week to nosh on instead of going out for something and spending more money than I need to.

So, yes, even though the last few months has been restaurant fest, you are going to start seeing less on here. I’ve been spending way too much money on going out and we will see if I can change my parents spending habits at all. I love to go out to eat but it is not doing anything for my figure. Plus, cmon, who doesn’t love a home cooked meal?

Do you make meals at home or go out to eat the majority of the time?