Cheap Thrills Cuisine

My wonderful daughter Katie recently flew the nest for Texas A & M University, at Corpus Christi. She is now experiencing the joys of being a starving college student! She recently asked me for some recipes so that she could start doing a little cooking in her dorm. I've been trying to think of some recipes that are relatively simple, tasty, and inexpensive. A couple come to mind, so I thought I'd post them here. If you know of any, please send them to me or post them in a comment!

Shoyu Chicken

A Hawaiian classic and staple! Serve with steamed rice. You like try sample? Ono!

8 chicken thighs (thighs are the classic for this)
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
½ cup sugar (I like brown or raw sugar, but white works also)
Fresh ginger, about a 1-inch knob, sliced
2-4 cloves fresh garlic, to taste, chopped

Throw everything in a big pot and simmer until it’s done. Can also be done in the oven, about 350 degrees. It will be cooked in about 45 minutes, but if you cook it longer it will get fall-apart tender. Works well in a crockpot too.



Cowboy Mashed Potatoes

1 pound red potatoes
1 pound Yukon Gold (yellow) potatoes
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, sliced (remove seeds to make it less spicy)
12 ounces baby carrots
4 cloves garlic
1 can shoepeg corn
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1) Place red potatoes, yellow potatoes, jalapeno pepper,
carrots and garlic cloves in a large pot. Cover with water,
and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook 15 to 20 minutes,
or until potatoes are tender. Drain water from pot.
2) Stir in corn and butter. Mash the mixture with a potato
masher until butter is melted and potatoes have reached
desired consistency. Mix in cheese, salt, and pepper. Serve hot.


Simple Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts

Take boneless, skinless chicken breasts and pound them down a bit (makes them more tender, plus they cook quicker and more evenly). Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and lemon pepper. A little paprika gives it a nice color if you have some. Saute in a little oil over medium high heat til just cooked through (watch carefully, as the only thing worse than overcooked chicken is undercooked chicken!)

To make cajun chicken breasts, just substitute cajun seasoning for the lemon pepper. Both make great sammiches!


Chicken and Bowties

2 Tbsp margarine or butter
½ lb boneless, skinless breast of chicken, in thin strips
2 cups broccoli florets
1 small red pepper, in thin strips (or roasted red pepper strips from a jar, chopped)
¾ cup chicken broth
6 oz. Bowties, cooked and drained
1 package (4 oz) garlic and spice soft cheese spread (such as Rondele)

In a large skillet sauté chicken in margarine for 3 minutes or until chicken is white. Remove chicken. Add broccoli, red pepper (if using fresh), and chicken broth. Cover and cook until broccoli is tender (5-7 minutes for fresh, less for frozen). Return chicken to skillet (if using roasted red peppers from a jar, add them now); cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add pasta and cheese, toss until cheese is melted.


Baked Ziti

1/2 pound ziti
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
3 cups (12 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
3 cups (1 jar) spaghetti sauce, divided
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the ziti until just barely tender; drain and place in a large bowl. Mix the ricotta cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese with the ziti. Grease a 9” x 13” baking pan; cover the bottom of pan with half the spaghetti sauce. Spoon the ziti mixture into the pan; cover with the remaining spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cheese melts and is lightly golden. Makes about 8 servings.

Can also add 1 pound of browned ground beef to the sauce.