Over the weekend, I picked up Delicae Gourmet Big Easy Jambalaya Slow Cooker Dinner in some store. I figured that it could be the bulk of my meals for the week. It required some other things to be picked up from the grocery store, so I bought some andouille sausages, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken broth to add to the mix.

The first time I made it, I invited Barry over to have some, and it turned out really well. The sausage was so tender...I think I'm never going to pan cook ever again! Although a lot of the "vegetables" were dehydrated in the mix, it didn't really taste too terribly. I took a crappy cell phone picture (but will soon get a new and better cell phone in a couple days, yay!!) on Monday, and today I made it again (because I realized that the mix was for a 4-5qt slow cooker and not a 2qt like I had) and took much better pictures.

The second time I included some shrimp 15 minutes before eating it

The second time was also more...liquidy (it probably wasn't split very evenly)

I'm really enjoying slow cooking my meals...too bad I'm moving back home and probably won't be cooking for myself for a while.

Federal Jack's Lobster Roll

This past weekend, I went to Kennebunk with Lauren, Nicky, Sara, and Jeff and Jeff insisted that we eat at Federal Jack's. Jeff suggested the clam chowder (but L, N, and I shared a special seafood chowder instead which was still very delicious) and I ordered the Fresh Maine Lobster Roll. You know me, I love my lobster!

The meat was kinda cold...which I was disappointed about, but other than that, it was delicious. The entree costed $16.99 (their current market price) which was decent for the size. The fries were really crispy and I traded some sweet potato fries with Jeff too.

I also ordered a beautiful watermelon-esque martini drink thing. Don't remember what it was called anymore, but it was very yummy.

Beef and Chipotle Burritos

I decided that today was a good day to try cooking with a slow cooker since I had time in the morning/early afternoon. I followed the recipe by the title name at SlowandSimple.com.

Although Nicky's slow cooker was only a 2qt, I was able to put everything in. I bought a 1lb boneless beef round steak and didn't include onions...and apparently I also forgot to add cheese in at the end. Sitting at home smelling the slow cooker's goodness was too enticing for me to add cheese I guess!

After 4 hours on high, I pulled out the beef and began to shred it

Some shredded, some still in chunks

So tender and spicy!

The chipotle peppers in adobo sauce really added the main flavor of the beef. It was so deliciously spicy!!

I included some of Lauren's leftover peppers and onions from her fajita last night, somewhat homemade guac (I used a mix), and sour cream for my burrito. Today also marks the first day I wrapped a decent (although slim) burrito roll!

I definitely plan on trying to cook more using the slow cooker in the future. Too bad I don't have many days left in Boston...maybe my mom has a slow cooker I can use!

Update
I realized, when talking to my mom on the phone, that I totally forgot to add rice (and cheese) to my burrito. Guess I truly was excited to eat that I forgot a lot of what goes in a burrito!

SED Counseling Potluck

 On Sunday June 12, Lauren and I hosted the end-of-the-year SED Counseling program (minus the sports psych jocks) potluck! The potluck was in a "Top Chef" style, where we unveiled the secret ingredient(s) to be LEMON and LIME! It turned out really well, and I took some pictures of the lovely future counselors (and guests) with their creations.

Some of the counselors huddled around the appetizer table

Raspberry Lemonade Cocktail, made by Lauren and I.

Fresh raspberries really did the trick, it was such a pretty shade of pink!

Erin's frothy lemon fruit dip

Fruit dip up close

Lauren's pounds of shrimp

Prior to putting MORE shrimp on top

Roommate Nicky's salmon dip with crackers

My southwestern cavatappi pasta (don't know why the lighting sucks for my picture)

Jack's spinach salad with chipotle-lime dressing. Love the face!

Jack's salad up close

*uncovers* FAJITAAA!!!!

Andrea's fajitas 

Ziggy brought some beer and classic lemonade!

Chelsea's dill potatoes. She also made lemon squares but I didn't get a picture of that

Caitlyn's homemade guac with hint of lime chips

Ali's grilled veggies salad

Meagan's lemon chicken

Jenny's key lime pie with homemade crust

Me & Erin

Appetizer/Salads table!!

After we had our fill, we "voted" for best appetizer, main dish, dessert, and drinks.

Best Appetizer: Jack's salad

Best Main Dish: Andrea's fajitas

Best Dessert: Jenny's key lime pie

Best Drink: My & Lauren's raspberry lemonade cocktail

After eating, we played charades and apples-to-apples. I am so fortunate to have met these people because they are so awesome. I'm sad that I'll be moving back home to Maryland and won't see them again for a while :'[

Spanky's Lazy Man's Lobster Dinner

Ok, so not exactly a cheap dinner ($24.99, not including tip and tax) but I thought I'd blog a bit about it.

I went to Cape Cod with Lauren, Andrea, and Erin to spend a weekend at the beach (only ended up lounging on the beach on Friday because Saturday was rainy and cold) and we had dinner at Spanky's Clam Shack and Seaside Saloon at the pier on Friday. I debated between a lobster roll (which I have been craving since Brett's birthday when Barry posted a picture of a lobster roll) and the Lazy Man's Lobster Dinner. I decided to go with the lobster dinner because I figured that I could get cheaper lobster rolls in Boston.

The lobster chunks were kinda dry...and not as plump and luscious as I imagined, which was disappointing. The corn and potato was good though...as much as corn and potato usually are.

Unfortunately I was not very impressed with my meal, but Erin's blue pina colada and Lauren & Erin's lobster bisque looked and tasted delicious. 

Falafel Pita Pockets

This post is dedicated to Lauren's mom, Mrs. Witek. I was never really that big of a fan of falafel before, but after Mrs. Witek demanded to have some falafel in August during our exploration of Harvard Square, I have been longing for falafel during random times. When Brian visited in March/April, we tried out two falafel mixes bought from Star (the local grocery store). We decided that this brand was better because it was easier to form, fry, and tastier (not to mention, also cheaper at $2.99!). I bought this again last week because I wanted something other than leftovers and sandwiches for lunch (but I ended up making this and eating it for dinner today). On this box, the directions to make the falafel are on the side, but the back has recipes for falafel chili and breaded chicken and wings, which I should try one day.

You take the mix out (I just mixed the whole package, which is 2 cups of mix) and mix it with 1.5 cups of water (the original ratio on the box is 1 cup mix and 3/4 cup water). Mix it well and let it rest for 30 minutes. I just left it sitting on the kitchen counter; I don't think you need to put it in the fridge. After 30 minutes, you want to shape them into balls (or somewhat flat cylindrical figures because it'd be easier to shove those in a pita pocket), like the picture below.

Flat-ish balls

Oops. I forgot, when the mix was resting, I made a yogurt-cucumber sauce. I chopped up like...2 inches of cucumber (I mostly did this by eye) and minced it into small pieces. I threw that into a small container of yogurt. Mince a clove of garlic (I like to chop mine extraaaa small because I dislike biting into garlic, especially raw garlic) and throw that in as well. Mix it up, and that was my yogurt-cucumber sauce! Super easy.

While I was shaping the balls, I heated up a small pot of vegetable oil (the box says 2 inches of oil). Then I place the ball into the hot oil to let it fry to a golden brown (until it floats). After taking the falafel out, I put it on a plate lined with a paper towel and I gently pat the excess oil off. I ended up frying all of my falafel mix because I figured that I would save oil and do it all in one go.

I fried 2 patties at a time

Looks more golden-brown with the flash on

Look at that delicious pile of vegetarian goodness!!! (I couldn't resist and took a bite out of the one on the right, hehe!)

Haha, see how that pita pocket is ripping already from the awesomeness of the falafels! I used 1.5 patties for 1/2 a pita (hence the pita pocket...if that makes any sense), added some yogurt-cucumber sauce (it actually needed more) and some sliced cucumbers. This is incredibly filling and you wouldn't even have thought it would be!

I'm so excited that I now have lunch (or dinner...) for a couple days now :D yay!!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

This meal was made before I left for my week-vacay in Maryland and I figured that I might as well finish off the vodka marinara sauce. I included some sliced portabello mushrooms (I had way too many), green beans (probably boiled a little bit too long; they weren't as crunchy as I would've liked, and meatballs.

These meatballs need a paragraph for themselves. They are SO GOOD. Aidell's sausages and other products are all very delicious in general, but sometimes they can be a little expensive. I bought the meatballs in a double-pack at Costco and I've made many meals with the meatballs so it was well worth the price. The teriyaki and pineapple meatballs are sweet and savory and they compliment many different types of meals. You can freeze them if you can't finish all of them and defrost them when you're ready to eat them. They are, so good.

I've had a lot of delicious meals since I've come back home in Maryland...and it has made me realize that I really need to start working out on a regular basis. sigh.