Why hello there...

I've missed blogging..

I have gained inspiration to start again from my friend Julie who just started her own new blog.

But.. I am soon to be no longer a College Cook.. But a College Grad Cook so I decided to start a new blog that may be a little more permanent.

So come check me out! =)

http://livelifefully1013.blogspot.com/

Ham and Cheese Strudel

This is honestly one of my favorite snacks ever!

I know the picture may not do it justice, but seriously, you've gotta try this! I was looking through my cooking magazines for something to use puff pastry with (because I have had one in my freezer for a while) when I saw this in a Paula Deen magazine and though it sounded good. It has all of my favorite things in it: carbs, onions and cheese. YUMMMMMM!

The magazine said this was an appetizer, but I made it for lunch and it was so good it was hard to resist going back for thirds!

Oh, and if you're thinking my picture looks a little different from the recipe or different from how yours looks it's because I accidentally put my onions on first before I put the cheese on. Just fyi... =)

Ham and Cheese Strudel

3 tbsp butter

3 large sweet onions, thinly sliced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 (17.3-ounce) box frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

1 egg yolk

¼ cup mayo

1 tbsp honey mustard

8 ounces of ham, cubed

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover, and increase heat to medium-high. Continue cooking onions, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until onions are caramel colored. Stir in vinegar, and remove from heat; set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 400°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 sheet puff pastry into a 16 x 10 inch rectangle. Place on prepared baking sheet. Using the tines of a fork, prick a ¼-inch border around the edge of pastry.

4. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolk; lightly brush over border of pastry. Prick remaining pastry with the tines of a fork in a ⅛-inch intervals. Repeat procedure with remaining pastry and beaten egg yolk. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

5. In a small bowl, combine mayo and mustard. Spread evenly over each baked pastry. Top each evenly with ham and cheeses. Spread caramelized onions evenly over cheeses. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Cut into 2½-inch squares. Serve immediately.

Source: Cooking with Paula Deen, May/June 2009

Parsley Pesto and Lemon Chicken

CHECK ME OUT ON MY NEW BLOG:  http://livelifefully1013.blogspot.com/

We have overflowing bundles of mint and parsley in my garden right now. While I still haven't thought of what I'm going to do with my mint, I had this crazy idea for parsley pesto! I knew I have heard of it somewhere so I kind of just went with it.

Thank goodness I did, because it turned out great! It's obviously not the same as classic basil pesto, but it is a nice alternative if you have an abundance of parsley. =)

Parsley Pesto

(Makes enough for about a pound of pasta)

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup walnuts

2 cups packed parsley

1 cup Parmesan

2/3 cup olive oil

1.5 Tbsp lemon juice

Salt and Pepper

1. Start by chopping up the garlic and walnuts in a food processor.

2. Then add the parsley and process until smooth.

3. Next add the Parmesan and process a few seconds more. Keep the food processor on and slowly pour in the olive oil adding more or less according to personal preference.

4. Then mix in lemon juice and a dash of salt and pepper.

Make this pesto using this method. I promise you it will turn out better looking than if you throw all the ingredients in the processor at once(and we all know that we judge food by the way it looks)! If you don't believe me, make half of this recipe by throwing everything in at once, and the other half the way I tell you. You can eat the pesto alone or you can add some chicken to throw on top. I made my chicken by taking 2 breasts and butterflying them in half and making them into 4 breasts. Then I put them in a plastic bag with olive oil, chopped up garlic, the rest of the juice from the lemon from when I made the pesto, salt and pepper. I let it marinade for about an hour and then I grilled it in my grill pan. DELICIOUS!

*PS, my first picture(the one of the pesto in the bowl) got accepted on Foodgawker! I am so excited because it's my first picture to be accepted from Foodgawker! So if you're a first time visitor, WELCOME and please come again! =)

De-constructed Guacamole

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a good memorial day weekend! Mine was full of rain, family(including a crying 3 month old baby), yelling and lots of laughs. I hope yours was as wonderful as mine! =)

Here's a recipe that I made a long time ago and need to post before I bring my laptop in to get fixed.

It's good to eat with tortilla chips.

It's also good in tacos or wraps.

De-constructed Guacamole

1 avocado, chopped

1 roma tomato, chopped

1/4 red onion, chopped

1/2 cup corn kernels

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic

Juice of one lime

Mix all the ingredients together.

*Cilantro would be a good addition as well (I just didn't have any when I made this)!

Here's a good tip for storing this version of guacamole or any other version of guacamole. I learned it while watching Tyler's Ultimate on the Food Network. Just take plastic wrap and put it on the bowl so it is touching the guacamole. Seriously, it is a genius way to store guacamole! Try it! What's to loose? A little plastic wrap?

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Ok, so my mom has been bugging me about the meals that I want to make. She tells me that I want to go to the grocery store too much and buy new ingredients. She says that I need to start using the things in the fridge/freezer/pantry. Why must you be so difficult mom???

So here's to you, mom! Chicken salad using only ingredients that we have on hand(granted we did go to the grocery store yesterday to buy the spinach and tomatoes, but those are staples that we always have in our house).

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Shredded chicken (I used one piece of leftover fried chicken breast and just peeled the skin off and used the meat)

1 scallion, chopped

1/2 a celery stalk, chopped

1 tbsp mayo

1 tiny pinch of dried tarragon

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together. I served mine on a roll(that we always have in the freezer) and a nice bed of spinach and a tomato on top.

***Ps, if you make this the night before you eat it, the better it will be!