everyday food made simple

1. I’m the perfect example that when it comes to food, it’s all about the packaging. I’ve never been a big fan of store brands (other than Archer Farms). I know what you’re thinking: they taste the same as name brands. Sometimes they even taste better. And they’re cheaper. Yeah yeah yeah. But to me, the packaging of food is just as important as the presentation of food on a dish. If the packaging isn’t pretty, I have no desire to even try it, even if it’s 20 cents cheaper.

Now, Target just recently launched their own healthy grocery brand, Simply Balanced. According to the Target website:

“…more than 40 percent of the assortment is organic. There are no products with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, synthetic colors, artificial preservatives, artificial flavors or artificial sweeteners…. the majority of Simply Balanced items are made without genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and Target will eliminate all GMO ingredients from the line by the end of 2014.”

Sounds pretty good, huh? Not only are these products super delicious, the packaging is very appealing and eye-catching. A few weeks ago I bought a few boxes of their granola bars to try it out, and then the next time we went grocery shopping, this happened:

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Haha… oops. I jokingly told Brian that they should sponsor my blog since we spent 1/3 of our total bill on their products :)

2. My partner-in-crime at school Samantha (hi Samantha!) told me a few days ago that Trader Joe’s has this Cookie Butter thing that’s supposedly really good. As I recall, her exact words were “oh don’t even start”. I’ve been hearing (and seeing) a lot about it lately and figured I should probably see what all the hype is about. Well, while I was waiting for my dinner to cook, I couldn’t resist and had a little spoonful of it. I think my exact words were “oh this is going to be bad“. There might be times this weekend that consist of me sitting on the couch with Cookie Butter and a spoon…..

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I’m also currently obsessed with these too. I just finished a pint of the Mediterranean Mint and moved along to my next flavor (it’s amazing).

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3. Ever since the last time we ended up picking dinner options out of a hat that were written on pieces of paper due to the lack of meal planning, I’ve decided that’s never going to happen again. I made a fancy table from Word and this week was our first week putting it into use. It worked out great!

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4. Today Brian and I had a little lunch date at downtown Minneapolis – we decided to have our first ever food truck experience! I had the lobster tacos and Brian got the pulled chicken sandwich (he loved the barbeque sauce that went with it!).

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5. Did you know Campbell’s is now coming out with CheeseburgerOs?!

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(photo source)

I guess they’re coming out nationwide in August (that’s tomorrow!)… can I say “ew”? Are people just getting that lazy that they can’t even use two hands to eat a cheeseburger? Or maybe it’s a time-saving thing? I have never ever opened (or touched) a can of the original SpaghettiOs, and don’t think I’d be trying their newest product anytime soon either. Do you think you’d be trying it?

© Simple Everyday Food. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use any of my images without prior permission.

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Couscous has been making frequent appearances in our weekly dinners lately, as seen here, here, and here.

I think I introduced Brian to couscous a few months ago when we were looking for different kinds of carbs to add into our weekly rotation (eating brown rice with everything can get old after a while)… thankfully, he was willing to give it a try. Ever since then, our cupboards are always stocked with a container full of this tiny little coarsely ground pasta.

Here are three reasons why it has been so popular in our household, and why you need to try it too:

  1. it’s super simple and quick to make – it only takes about 5 minutes
  2. it’s bland if you make it plain, meaning that it can serve as a blank canvas. It has the capability to developed into a variety of beautiful flavors based on the different spices and ingredients you add to it
  3. it’s healthy and low in calories

Okay, reason #4 we like it so much: it’s fun to say. Couscous. Couscous couscous couscous.

Now that you think I’m a total weirdo, let’s move along…

We’ve always made couscous with just chicken stock to let our main dish shine. However, today I decided to spice up our couscous and added a little bit of curry powder to it.

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curried couscous
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Ingredients
  1. 2 tablespoons EVOO
  2. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  3. 1 medium shallot, finely diced
  4. 3/4 teaspoon curry powder (make it 1 teaspoon for stronger curry flavor)
  5. 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  6. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  7. 1 cup couscous
  8. 1 cup water
Instructions
  1. In a medium saucepan, heat the EVOO over medium high heat. Add in the garlic and shallots. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until shallots are softened.
  2. Add the curry powder, paprika, and salt to the shallots. Stir until combined.
  3. Add in the water, and immediately add the couscous. Stir to combine, cover with lid, and remove from heat.
  4. Let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork before serving.
  5. Serves 2-3
Notes
  1. Every brand of couscous may require different amounts of water to cook. Make sure you read the directions for the couscous carefully before cooking. If it requires 1.5 cups of water instead, then make the couscous using 1.5 cups of water instead of 1 cup as stated in the directions (I put 1 cup in the directions because that's how much water our brand of couscous calls for).
Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/
The slight hint of curry along with the shallots make this couscous super delicious. It paired wonderfully with our lightly seasoned salmon. I knew the flavor wasn’t overpowering when Brian (who never had the desire to try curry) gave it a try and actually thought it was pretty good.

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“Pretty good” doesn’t really do it justice. I thought it was quite delicious! We’ll probably be making this again in the very near future.

The salmon was made simply by sprinkling it with some salt, pepper, paprika, and cooking it for 6-8 minutes under the broiler.

Enjoy!

© Simple Everyday Food. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use any of my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or kindly link back to this post for the recipe.

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Apple pie. It’s as American as baseball, NASCAR, and country music.

(Yes, I love all of the above)

Plus, now you can make it just in time for the 4th of July holiday!

A few weeks ago when I made my key lime pie bars, I mentioned that during my break from work and school, I was going to muster up the courage and attempt to make my first ever pie.

Well, since my “days left of vacation” are dwindling down to single digits, I figured what better time than this weekend. The pie isn’t going to make itself, right?

As I was assembling my pie together, I remembered why I never made pies in the first place – they are just way too much work and take so much time! It’s definitely not something to make on a regular basis when you work and go to school full time, that’s for sure. Even though it was pretty dang worth it in the end.

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First you have to make the filling. Peeling and slicing 4 pounds of apples was not fun.

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Then you have to make the dough. This step wouldn’t have been so difficult if our food processor could hold more than 1 cup of flour at a time. I figured, “oh I’m sure it can fit 2.5 cups of flour and 4 tablespoons of shortening and 1.5 sticks of butter so let me just try to fit everything in there and pulse it together.

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Of course it wasn’t that easy: flour went everywhere and nothing was getting pulsed and mixed the way they were supposed to. Instead of a simple 10-minute process, I think it took me about 40 minutes fighting with the food processor to make the pie dough.

Needless to say, my dough-making process involved a lot of swearing, “ugh”‘s from annoyance, and thoughts about giving up and buying pre-made pie crust instead.

In the end, I persevered and showed the pie gods a tiny food processor wasn’t going to hinder my making-pie-for-the-first-time spirit.

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After the dough was made, it needed to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Then they needed to be rolled out into two 12″ discs. Well, this step proved to be quite a challenge for me too. First my pie dough kept sticking to my work surface (I think I wasn’t generous enough with the flour), then parts of the dough stuck to my rolling pin, leaving little holes in my crust. After a small battle (and a little bit more cursing), I assembled my pie together, only to find out I forgot to dot the chilled filling with the two additional tablespoons of melted butter before covering the pie up with the other disc of dough.

UGGGHHHHHHH.

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Well, I guess I just inadvertently made this pie a little bit healthier, because I sure wasn’t about to take that thing apart and do it all over again. Now I won’t feel as guilty later when I go back for seconds (or put an extra scoop of ice cream on it).

classic apple pie
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For the pie dough
  1. 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
  2. 4 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
  3. 2 teaspoons sugar
  4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  5. 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  6. 1.5 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
For the filling
  1. 4 pounds of mixed apples (I used Granny Smiths and Gala apples), peeled and cored
  2. 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  3. 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  4. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  5. 2 tablespoons flour, plus more for dusting
  6. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  7. 1/4 teaspoon salt
  8. 1 large egg, beaten
To make the pie dough
  1. Pulse the flour, shortening, sugar, vinegar, and salt in a food processor until it turns into a fine meal. Add the small cubes of butter and pulse. Add 1/4 cups of ice water and pulse until the dough begins to come together. Add in an addition 1-4 tablespoons of ice water (one tablespoon at a time), if the dough doesn't seem like it's holding together.
  2. Divide the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap and pat into discs.
  3. Wrap tightly and chill in fridge for an hour, preferably overnight.
To make the filling
  1. Slice the apples into 1/4" thick slices. Transfer into a large bowl and toss with lemon juice and sugar.
  2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and cook until softened, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the flour, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until sauce starts to thicken. Remove from heat. Set aside and let cool completely.
To assemble the pie
  1. Roll out one disc of dough onto a well-floured work surface into a 12" round. Carefully transfer to a 9" pie plate. Add in the cooled filling.
  2. Roll out the other disc of dough into a 12" round. Lay the dough over the filling and press the two crusts together. Trim the edges if needed and crimp with your fingers.
  3. Brush the top of the crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired. Cut a few slits on the top crust to allow steam to escape. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
  4. Meanwhile, place a baking sheet on the lower rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees for at least 30 minutes. Put the pie directly on the hot baking sheet and reduce temperature to 375 degrees.
  5. Bake until the pie is golden and filling is bubbly, about 60-70 minutes, rotating the pie several times throughout.
  6. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool until the filling is set (about 2-3 hours).
Adapted from Food Network Magazine
Adapted from Food Network Magazine
Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/
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Despite all the technical difficulties experienced, the pie turned out to be a success! Not only does it taste great, it’s actually a pretty good looking pie for my very first ever attempt! (If I may say so myself…)

I’ll be honest, the thing that bothered me the most throughout this whole process were the 5 slits on the top crust not being evenly spaced.

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…It’s just part of my OCDness. At least once I cut out the first slice, it didn’t bother me as much anymore.

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Now that I know I can make a pie, I think I’ll stick with cookies, cupcakes, truffles, and other individual-sized desserts for now.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine

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First off, can I just say that I would love to meet whoever invented the Crockpot and give them a hug? It’s probably one of the best inventions of the 20th century, and it’s days like today that I’m thankful for its existence.

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Coming into this weekend, I was super behind on all the homework and projects and reading that I had to do by Monday. Owning and operating a food blog and having to write a certain number of posts per week can be quite challenging when you’re taking five classes that have a ton of homework and don’t have enough hours in the day to cook and take pictures and blog (whew)… But fear not, my dear readers, I came up with a brilliant idea of being able to make home-cooked meals and getting homework done at the same time!

Enter our lovely Crockpot.

It’s the perfect way of eating at home and getting stuff done! I probably spent about 15-20 minutes prepping for this meal, and left the Crockpot to do the rest of the cooking. No need to spend hours prepping or slaving away over the stove. There’s really not even a whole lot of dishes to clean up afterward either (which means more time to study). I felt bad wasting this lovely day away by not grilling something outside, but sometimes getting stuff done is just a little bit more important than blogging (I can’t believe I just said that).

slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches
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Ingredients
  1. One 3-3.5 lb pork roast
  2. 1 medium onion, sliced
  3. 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
  4. 1 teaspoon paprika
  5. 2 teaspoons salt
  6. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  7. A dash of cayenne pepper
  8. A pinch black pepper
  9. 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  10. 1/4 cup water
  11. 8 oz tomato sauce
  12. Dash hot sauce, such as Tabasco
  13. 1 teaspoon sugar
  14. 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  15. 12 whole wheat slider buns
  16. Your favorite kind of barbeque sauce
Instructions
  1. Place the sliced onions in the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Mix the brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and rub it over the pork roast. Place roast in Crockpot over the onions.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar, water, tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, hot sauce, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the roast. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until meat is tender and is easily shredded with a fork.
  3. Remove roast from Crockpot and shred finely with a fork.
  4. Assemble sandwiches by placing desired amount of pork in between the buns. Add your favorite barbeque sauce on top of the meat or simple drizzle extra juices for extra juiciness.
  5. Serves 3-4
Adapted from Food Network
Adapted from Food Network
Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/
We bought little slider buns instead of regular hamburger buns, since mini foods are always way cuter (and more fun to eat) than regular-sized foods, but feel free to use regular hamburger buns if that’s what you have around the house. If you prefer not to add the barbeque sauce on your sandwich, you can spoon a little bit of the leftover juice/sauce over the meat instead.

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The pork itself is very light in flavor, but the addition of the barbeque sauce gives it an extra tang and makes it more like a “barbeque pulled pork sandwich”, if that’s what you’re going for.

Baked beans, pulled pork sandwiches, and potato chips. Sounds like a summer meal to me.

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Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food Network

© Simple Everyday Food. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use any of my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or kindly link back to this post for the recipe.

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Summer. It usually means hot (and humid) days, being outside, and eating light.

When I say “eating light“, I don’t mean “light” as in “not eating a whole lot” – I mean “light” as in “eating meals that are light in flavor“.

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There is a reason why winter = comfort food season. People want to sit at home wrapped up in a blanket eating a plate of hot cheesy pasta casserole or a bowl of hot creamy soup. No one wants to do all that when it’s 95 degrees out.

Well, I don’t mind it that much, but I know most people would prefer not eat a steaming hot bowl of soup when they’re hot and sweaty already.

I think tacos are the perfect summer food. It’s light, easy to make, customizable, healthy, and its flavor can be easily tweaked based on what meats you make and what toppings you add to it.

Chicken fajitas.

Carnitas.

Barbacoas.

Seafood (fish, shrimp, etc).

Then pile on the toppings that you like: Beans. Cheese. Lettuce. Tomatoes. Avocados. Sour cream.

No matter what your preference is, there’s usually a perfect taco for you. You can have a family of picky (and non-picky) eaters, but when it comes to tacos, everyone can easily add their favorite toppings and be a happy camper at the dinner table.

Now that I’ve done enough rambling, let me talk about these tacos. They’re simple. They’re healthy. They don’t take a whole lot of prep time in the kitchen, and they’re delicious. Deeeee-licious.

I basically took my crispy cod sandwich with spicy mayo, eliminated the bun, cut the fish fillets into fish sticks, and put them in a soft flour tortilla. Drizzle on the spicy mayo, and viola! Fish tacos.

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Yep, it’s that easy. Easy peasy.

easy peasy fish tacos
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Ingredients
  1. 1 lb cod filets
  2. 1 egg
  3. 1 cup plain panko bread crumbs
  4. 1 package of 6" flour tortillas
  5. An assortment of toppings
for the panko bread crumb seasoning
  1. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  2. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  3. 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  4. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  5. 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
for the spicy mayo
  1. 1/3 cup mayo
  2. 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  3. 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  4. 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  5. 1/4-1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, depending on taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
  2. Place cod fillets on a plate and pat dry with paper towels. Slice/cut the fillets into sizes of fish sticks, about 2" pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the egg. In another large shallow bowl, combine all the ingredients for the panko bread crumbs (and its seasonings).
  4. Dip the fish sticks into the egg wash. Transfer them to the shallow bowl containing the bread crumbs. Flip them around a couple times, making sure that every inch of it is covered with the bread crumbs, transfer to baking sheet (you may have to do this in several rounds to prevent overcrowding of the bowls). Bake for 20 minutes until the bread crumbs look golden and crispy.
  5. In the meantime, make the spicy mayo: combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, whisk to combine. If desired, transfer the mayo into a small Ziploc bag and cut a small hole in the corner for easy drizzling.
  6. Once the fish is done cooking, assemble your tacos: place a few fish sticks in the middle of your tortilla, top with toppings, and drizzle with the spicy mayo.
  7. Serves 2-3
Notes
  1. We warmed the tortillas up in a small pan over medium-high heat, about 15 seconds on each side.
Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/
Making tacos really can’t get a whole lot simpler than this. Not only do these tacos deliver in flavor, it also has a variety of textures as well – the crispiness of the fish, the softness of the tortilla, the crunchiness of the shredded lettuce, and the creaminess of the mayo… it has every texture one bite of food will ever need.

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So what are you waiting for? Put this on your meal planner for the week!

Enjoy!

© Simple Everyday Food. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use any of my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or kindly link back to this post for the recipe.

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