We Swear It's Gumbo!

Not jambalaya. We're guilty as charged - both of us kept confusing the name of this dish. But it's gumbo, not jambalaya, we promise! But hey, it's an honest mistake! Both gumbo and jambalaya originate from Louisiana, they both have similar ingredients, and they are both outrageously tasty! Our gumbo, like all other crockpot recipes, is super easy to make. Here's how it's done:

Gumbo? It should be called YUM-bo!

Ingredients:
~Gumbo~

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup oil

5 Tbs butter

3 celery stalks
1 white onion
1 green bell pepper
4 cups of H₂O (well, we are chemists after all)
5 chicken bullion cubes
about 1 Tbs worcestershire
garlic salt salt, pepper, oregano to taste
1 lb saussage
2 chicken breasts
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 can of red beans
~Rice~
2 cups long grained rice
3 1/2 cups cooking liquid (water, stock, whatever)


The Gumbo:
First thing to do is to make the roux, the thickening agent for the sauce. Mix the flour, oil, and 2 Tbs of the butter and cook in the microwave for 15 seconds. Stir and heat again. Then add the remaining 3 Tbs of butter and heat as necessary until the mix is golden brown then add it to the crockpot. Dice the vegetables and put on top of the roux. Precook all your meats and cut them into bite-sized chunks and dump into the pot. Next add the water, worcestershire sauce, stewed tomatoes, beans, and the bullion. Cook on low for 7-9 hours.


**Note** Gumbo is traditionally made with shrimp. Since we didn't really want Kate to go into anaphylactic shock, we left out the shellfish. If you want, add 1/2 lb of cooked, shelled, and deveined shrimp for a more authentic taste. Also okra is used as an additional thickening agent. However Madison has had an unfortunate aversion to okra (we blame awful school cafeteria food) so that too was forgone. If you wish to add okra, use 2 cups, sliced.


The Rice:
Pour the uncooked rice into a large, microwave safe dish then add the cooking liquid overtop of it. Keep in mind that rice expands 2 to 3 times its original size as it cooks so take care in selecting your cookware. Microwave for 30 minutes without stirring or until all the liquid is gone. Fluff with a fork and add salt to taste.


This gumbo recipe was inspired by the queen of southern cuisine: Paula Deen! Let's be honest, that woman could fry up a shoe and it would probably taste delicious. That being said this gumbo was wonderful. It's not too spicy so even lightweights can enjoy it. The inclusion of some red chili peppers or tabasco sauce would be an easy way to turn up the heat.


Well that's it for now! Keep cooking and remebmber:


No kitchen, no problem!


-K&M

Spinach, Bacon, Feta Microwave Quiche

One of the best things to come out of France is the quiche. This little pie is a great meal for breakfast, lunch, dinner, elevenses, afternoon tea, supper, midnight snack, . . . You get the picture. Depending on what you put in it, the quiche can be eaten any time, any where. Usually this dish takes over an hour to cook in the oven but we've cooked up one in less than 25 minutes. Here's how we did it:

Microwave Quiche?!?

Ingredients:
1 frozen pie crust
1/4 cup fresh spinach
a few basil leaves
1/4 chopped bacon
1/4 cup crumbled feta
4 large eggs
1/3 cup milk (or if you have richer tastes, cream)
salt, pepper, nutmeg


To start off spread the crust into a 9" glass pie dish and prick the bottom with a fork. Microwave for 2 minutes. Next roll the spinach and basil leaves and cut into thin strips. Sprinkle evenly in the crust along with the bacon and feta. Beat the 4 eggs with the milk and add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Remember to go easy on the salt because the cheese is pretty salty too. Pour the eggs evenly over the filling. Nuke for 2 minutes on high then 5 minutes at 50% power. Let stand in the microwave for 10 minutes. Cut into 6 segments and enjoy!

Quick Quiche!

This is yet another recipe that you can customize however you like. Just as long as you have about 3/4 cup of filling (e.g. spinach, bacon, feta) then you'll be okay. Now you could put 3/4 cup of just cheese and that would be totally fine. The crust comes out a little gummy but it's still a pretty tasty quiche.


Well that's it for now. Keep cooking and remember:


No kitchen, no problem!


-K&M

A Southern Belle's Perfect Chili

There is nothing better than chili on a rainy day. And chili is just not chili without cornbread. And since it's not raining here we had to cook up a storm of our own... But instead of rain this storm is made up of tasty chili. Here's how we did it:

Chili and Cornbread

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef (93/7)
1/2 onion
1 green bell pepper
1-28 oz can of diced tomatoes
2-16 oz cans of kidney beans
1-8 oz can of tomato sauce
garlic powder, salt, pepper, cumin to taste
A package of your favorite cornbread mix


The Chili:
In a microwave safe container, nuke the beef for 2 minutes and 30 seconds then stir. Nuke for 2:30 and stir again then for 1:30 and drain off the grease. Add to the crockpot. Deseed the pepper and dice it along with the onion and put in the pot. Drain the beans and diced tomatoes and dump into the crockpot along with the tomato sauce. Cook on high heat for 5 hours. Top with sour cream and your favorite cheese and enjoy. Oh, and don't forget the cornbread!


The Cornbread:
This method of baking in the microwave should be familiar from our Ooey Gooey Microwave Brownies recipe because we made this cornbread the same way... Mix up the batter as per the directions then nuke for 9 minutes. Let the cornbread rest for at least 15 minutes so it can finish baking via carryover cooking. Cut into 9 squares and allow to cool further on a plate.


This chili isn't the spiciest thing on the planet but thanks to the cumin it's got a smoky heat of deliciousness. The sweetness of the cornbread brings a nice balance to the chili especially when it's crumbled up and mixed in along with the sour cream and cheese.


5 out of 5 scientists approve of this chili. The ratings were 8.8, 8.7, 8.0, 7.5 and 7.0. And we've had some pretty rocking chili in our lives. 


Well that's all for now. Keep cooking and remember:


No kitchen, no problem!


-K&M

Eggplant Lasagna

When the term "home cooking" is mentioned one of the first things that comes to mind is lasagna. Even though we have no kitchen we were determined to find a way to make this comfort food staple. Here's how we did it:

Microwave Eggplant Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant

1 cup of ricotta cheese

1 egg

1-12 oz jar of pasta sauce

1 package of ready-to-bake lasagna noodles.

a handful of mozzarella cheese for the top

Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds. Cover them with a paper towel and nuke for 4 to 6 minutes. Next beat the egg into the ricotta cheese. When the eggplant is done, spread some of the pasta sauce in the bottom of an 8"x 8" glass baking dish. Put a layer of noodles, about 1/3 of the ricotta/egg mixture, and a layer of eggplant. Continue the pattern until a) the dish is full or b) you run out of a component, finishing off with the red sauce and sprinkle the mozzarella on top. Loosely cover the dish with plastic wrap and nuke for 10 minutes. Let stand in the microwave for at least 3 minutes. Garnish with some fresh basil and enjoy!

This recipe is an easy way to sneak vegetables in your diet because, let's face it, according to the world none of us get enough veggies. It would also be really good with zucchini or squash or carrots or anything like that. And the best part is the fact that it takes less time to make than in a conventional oven and it is just as awesome.

6 out of 6 scientists (3 biologists and 3 chemists - a nice healthy mix) agree that this lasagna was quite good. 1 of the scientists dislikes eggplant and she still thought it was tasty!

Well until next time, keep cooking and remember:

No kitchen, no problem!

-K&M

"Ramen can be good?!"

We know you've tried it at least once in your life - whether you liked it or not. The crinkly dried noodles in the outrageously salty bullion broth... You either love them or you hate them. I am on Team Ramen all the way so when Madison said she had a way to make it better I couldn't believe my ears.

Ramen Heaven

Ingredients:

-1 pack of chicken flavor ramen (trust... the other flavors are gross with this)

-1 egg

-1 slice of (preferably white) American cheese (the processed, shrink-wrapped kind)

Nuke enough water to cover your ramen block for 2 minutes. Add the ramen and heat for 1:30 and stir. Continue nuking for 2 minutes. Drain most of the water and add the flavor packet while stirring. Add the raw egg and the cheese (make sure you rip up your slice) and mix for even distribution. Nuke for 45 seconds, stir, repeat until the egg is cooked through. Mix again because the egg tends to fall to the bottom and nom to your heart's content.

NOM!!!

These are some seriously tasty noodles! This was the first time we prepared them in the microwave as opposed to the stove top version and we are happy to report that they taste exactly the same - aka awesome. Another good addition to this would be some shredded chicken or, if you're a Ponyo fan, HAM!

--Please excuse Kate, she recently watched Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo and has been quoting it nonstop--

Well that's all for now. Keep cooking, friends, and remember:

No kitchen, no problem!

-K&M

Double Rainbow Ribs

These ribs are so tender they literally fall off the bone. The prep time for this is about ten minutes and, let's face it, that's pretty much all the work. Since these babies are cooked in a crock pot this recipe is exceedingly easy.

Double Rainbow Ribs

Ingredients:

-four pounds of bone in pork ribs

-one can of condensed tomato soup
-1/2 cup of vinegar (any will do- we used apple cider)
-1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
-1/2 onion
-1 Tbs soy sauce
-garlic powder
-chili powder
-salt and pepper


The night before, chop the onion into fine slices. The smaller the better that way you won't bite into a huge piece and get punched in the taste buds by overpowering onion flavor. Add them to the crock pot along with the can of tomato soup, the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and seasonings to taste. Whisk to combine. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add no more than 1/2 of the soup can of water. Next trim any excess fat and gristle from the ribs. Arrange the ribs in the crock pot so that they are all submerged in the sauce of goodness. Cover and let them marinate in the refrigerator overnight.


The next morning turn the crock pot on low and cover. Now you're free to do whatever you need and/or want to do all day. These ribs will cook for 8 to 9 hours all on their own. During that last hour make sure the ribs are tender and cooked to your desired doneness. Before partaking in the deliciousness make sure you look out for the tiny little bones that will be floating around in you barbecue. They are highly unappetizing and tend to be very sharp. 


Caution: They will be HOT!


Yes, that's it. That's how easy it is to make fall off the bone, juicy ribs. Four out of four chemists said these were absolutely delicious and make one helluva sandwich. Two out of two graduate students were thrilled saying "these are better than what I get at home."


We hope you really enjoy them. And, as always, remember:


No kitchen, no problem!


-K&M


P.S. These are called "Double Rainbow Ribs" because as Madison and I were pulling them out of the pot we saw a double rainbow outside our window. As if these ribs needed any help being awesome.

It's hard to see but there's a second rainbow to the left of the really bright obvious one.
If you look close enough you can see that the second rainbow's colors are reversed.

Dream Pasta

So this stuff is pretty much Mac 'n' Cheese dressed up to the nines. Making this bad boy comes in two parts: the pasta and the sauce. But first off, let's talk a little more about the cheese sauce. This Béchamel sauce is one of the five "mother suaces" in French cooking and it is a standard for many cheese based dishes. What makes this a Béchamel is the fact that it's made from a flour-butter mixture called a roux. But enough about that, let's get cooking.

INGREDIENTS
Pasta: (for one serving)
2 oz of your favorite pasta (we used rotini)
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
~~~~~~~~~~
Sauce:
2 Tbs butter (can sub vegetable oil)
2 Tbs flour
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup milk
1 diced, unseeded tomato
1 tsp each of salt, nutmeg, oregano, and pepper

The Pasta:
Heat the water on high power for 3 minutes. Add the salt, vegetable oil and the pasta. Cook another 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent sticking and to check the firmness of the pasta. Fish out the pasta (or use a colander if your kitchen nook comes equipped with one, sadly ours does not) and set aside.

Whisk pirates unite!

The Béchamel Sauce:
 Melt the butter for 30 seconds (skip if you're using veg. oil) then whisk in the flour. Nuke for 30 seconds and mix in the milk. Heat for 90 seconds and stir. Alternate between heat and stirring until the sauce becomes lightly thick. Add the shredded cheese mix in to the sauce, and heat for another 30 seconds.

At this point add the nutmeg, oregano, and season to your liking. Add the pasta and tomatoes, heat for another 20 seconds and you have your dream pasta ready to eat!

***Note*** Make sure you are careful taking the dish out of the microwave because it may be very hot!

3 out of 3 chemists agree that it was delicious. One chef would like to add, that the sauce was a little grainy, due to the cheapness of the mozzarella used. Lesson learned: don't be stingy with your cheese.

This is a ridiculously easy recipe and it can be modified in so many ways! Different cheeses will add different flavors and textures while different vegetables like squashes or peppers will add a different kind of pop! Also meat, any kind will do, especially bacon would be a good addition. Next time we make this we are going to use chopped spinache, with a light cheese which we think will taste just as delicious.

If you try this recipe out let us know how you made it! We would love to try your methods!

Until next time, don't forget:

No kitchen, no problem!

-K & M