Anna Does Sorted: Tropical knickerbocker glory

On Saturday, Peter wanted to make some kind of dessert. I immediately suggested the Nutella salted caramel cookies but he apparently doesn't like Nutella enough to want to make those, so once again my idea was shot down. (Some day I'll convince him.) Before going to work that afternoon I perused the Sorted website on my phone. Eventually he tired of my suggestions and took my phone to look for himself. He eventually found the tropical knickerbocker glory. I vaguely remembered seeing the video for it but couldn't remember anything about it otherwise, but he looked at the ingredient list and decided it sounded yummy.

So he dropped me off at work and went to the store, grocery list in hand to get various fruits, sweetened condensed milk and all the other things he didn't already have. When he picked me up at 10:30 that night, I fully expected him to regale me with the tale of how making his dessert went. But he actually hadn't made it yet and enlisted my "help" in putting it together. ("Help" being in quotation marks because it's not like he actually needed assistance.)



He decided to forgo making the caramel, something I was actually pretty bummed about. I myself was skeptical of the recipe only because I'm not a fan of avocados. They're just not my thing; feel free to leave me nasty comments but my only response will be haters gonna hate. When you combine avocado with condensed milk you've got something pretty darn tasty, I will admit. Peter isn't super fond of raspberries so he decided to get blackberries instead, something else I got bummed about because I love raspberries. It was his dessert though so I couldn't exactly make a fuss.

Armed with a blender, and not a food processor, we got to liquefying avocado, mango and blackberries.

I was the one who dolloped, poured or dropped each layer into our glasses. Always one to give me a hard time, Peter made it abundantly clear that it didn't look like the finished product in the video. I don't doubt for a second that it tasted any less delicious though!

Anna Does Sorted: Chicken tikka masala

It really is all curry all the time in my apartment these days. Tonight I tried my hand at chicken tikka masala and what a great plan that was. I miraculously found chicken breasts in the freezer so thank you to my past self for buying chicken a while back even though I had no plans for it. Peter invited himself over for dinner after I texted him asking if he had chicken (this was before I found any in my freezer) but that was fine because I don't like to pass up any chances of exposing him to new foods.

The Sorted recipe for chicken tikka masala also has the recipe to make raita, and I'm not sure exactly what that is, but I'm sure it's delicious so feel free to try that part and let me know what you think. I know there's aubergine in it, which is the British-English way to say eggplant, so that's fascinating.

 

This was Peter's second experience with a curry of sorts and I'm happy to report it turned out quite well. He did say he liked the chicken katsu curry more but I don't blame him; that was also delicious. Sadly, I started cooking before he got home from work so I actually had to cut the TWO ONIONS by myself Luckily, I found Becca's old goggles from chemistry. Wearing those helped substantially. I'll seriously be totally content with never having to cut onions ever again in my entire life. That's a good enough reason to get married, right? So someone else will have to cut onions for everything we make?

The only part of this recipe I "struggled" with was marinating the chicken in the paste long enough. It was probably just over an hour but I wish I'd looked at the recipe last night and had it marinade that whole time. I'm sure when I eat the leftovers tomorrow it'll be even tastier. Everything about this is perfectly easy, even easier than the chicken katsu curry which was already really easy. Most people probably have all the spices in their cupboards as well, except for maybe garam masala. I always borrow that from my friend Badger.

The recipe also says it serves 6 but those must be 6 pretty huge portions: Peter and I both had a big bowl and Becca and Stacy tried some as well, still leaving a significant portion to be put away until tomorrow. So that's a definite advantage of this recipe.

Anna Does Sorted: Chicken katsu curry

These days it seems like I'm constantly craving curry, so tonight when Peter asked if I wanted to make dinner together (again), I jumped on the opportunity to make some kind of curry. I searched through Sorted's curry category and eventually found chicken katsu curry. I chose this one because I already had almost all the ingredients and it had pretty short prep and cook times.

Peter never really tried curry before, of any variety, so I really wanted this dish to turn out well. I feel like someone's first curry experience affects all future curry experiences. I'd never tried this recipe either so I was kind of worried it wouldn't be his thing; after all, even I didn't know if I would like the particular flavors. But curry has become a huge thing in my life so if my best friend doesn't like . . . Well, that could be an issue.
The most difficult, or perhaps more accurately most annoying, part of this recipe, besides finding the panko at the grocery store, was cooking the chicken all the way through. One of our chicken breasts was surprisingly thick, even after cutting it in half and opening it like a book. So that was more so just unlucky and like I said before totally annoying. I probably would have said that cutting the onions was the most difficult part but I made Peter do that instead. So once we got over the hurdle of cooking the chicken longer than we thought it needed to be cooked for, the actual finished product was lovely. The panko was golden brown and the chicken was moist as ever.

The curry itself was so tasty! I think it had the perfect amount of spiciness and was so flavorful. I wish I had a stick blender so I could've made it smooth but I still managed to enjoy it even though the onions were just chopped up. Though the recipe says it makes 2 servings and Peter and I both ate a decent amount, there's still probably enough left for at least one more meal; I always love having leftovers. And I have plenty of panko left for the next time I want to make chicken katsu curry, or some other chicken-covered dish.

I'm thinking my next Sorted recipe will be something suitable for Super Bowl Sunday eating. Peter jokingly said I had to bake a dessert from scratch because he knows how much I dislike baking. But it's highly unlikely that will come to fruition.

Last YouTube video I watched: JacksGap for Math Nerds

Anna Does Sorted: Swedish meatballs

I actually made the Swedish meatballs before Christmas break/graduation. Whoops. But I wanted to give them a post of their own because it'd just be unfair otherwise.

I made these for a work Christmas party, the theme of which was "Christmas Around the World," and people brought food from places they've lived or their family's heritage. You're probably thinking that my family is Swedish so that's why I made these. On the contrary, my family is not Swedish. But my family is YouTube, so I felt it plenty appropriate.



I cheated a little bit in that I didn't actually make the meatballs from scratch, mostly because of time/money constraints. I promise next time I will though because the whole process really isn't that labor intensive otherwise. I also didn't make any potatoes for a small side, mostly because we'd have so much food at the party it would almost be overkill. The sauce for these meatballs is absolutely amazing and nothing about it is tricky either. It might not be the "most traditional" Swedish meatballs recipe ever but it certainly is plenty tasty so if you're some kind of Swedish meatball purist I still hope you'll give this one a chance. You won't be disappointed.

Everyone at my work party loved the dish and asked all about the recipe. I'm glad I could direct them to the Sorted website and/or YouTube channel. Because if anyone deserves all the viewers in the world it's the Sorted crew.

Last YouTube video I watched: Hulu Plus (Means you plus me)

Anna Does Sorted: Banoffee cupcakes

On Wednesday night Peter came over and asked me a question I've always wished someone would ask me, "Can we look at your YouTube playlist of cooking stuff and see what desserts there are?" At first I suggested we make the Nutella and salted caramel cookies but he shot that down so he opted instead for the banoffee cupcakes. I mean, we couldn't exactly go wrong with any of the Sorted Food choices but those cupcakes are DIVINE.



This was another recipe that's been around for some time that I never got around to making so even though I wanted those chocolate caramel cookies so bad I was actually pretty pleased that Peter wanted these instead. So off we went, Peter, Kelly and I, to the store to buy the ingredients. (Kelly came over so I could give her the poster I made for her Christmas present and got wrangled in to baking as well!)

As always, there was some conversion improv involved in making the cupcakes. The mix turned out quite thick so I was worried I'd messed up how much flour, brown sugar, etc. needed to be added. Kelly and Peter both put on faces of, "I don't know. I don't use the oven or bake," so I added a little water to maybe help with the consistency and hoped for the best. Turns out we did everything right, or some version of "right," and the cupcakes looked an awesome golden color on top when we took them out of the oven.

My favorite part of the banoffee cupcakes is the icing. Those who know me well know that I absolutely love frosting/icing. I always take corner pieces of cake, I lick all utensils used for frosting anything and I gladly eat chocolate frosting out of the can. The icing for these cupcakes was perhaps some of the greatest I've ever had. Using brown sugar as well as powdered sugar is definitely key.

Normally I hate baking but I've come to the conclusion that I like baking when I'm doing it with friends. Kelly and Peter made it totally bearable and infinitely more fun than if I'd done it alone. It definitely embodied what Sorted is all about: good food with good friends.

Last YouTube video I watched: Cuddling Koalas

Anna Does Sorted: Herby carbonara and charred chicken

Yesterday (and it actually was yesterday this time) I was sitting around my apartment, trying to brainstorm what to eat for probably two hours. Throughout that time I was watching Jimmy Wong's vlogs along with a bunch of other things on YouTube. I'd seen the herby carbonara and charred chicken recipe come up over and over again while searching dishes on the Sorted website but I always skipped over it after seeing you needed some kind of cream for the sauce. But last night I decided to actually check my fridge. Lo and behold, I actually had a kind of cream that would work!



As previously mentioned, I basically never have bread so croutons were out, which is really sad because I love croutons immensely. It was a Friday night around 7 o'clock so I also didn't care too much that I didn't have any pancetta. All I wanted was some hearty pasta and chicken. And that's what I got. I don't recall ever having carbonara before, like ever, so it was a new pasta experience.

At first I was worried I made too much of the sauce or not enough pasta or a combination of both because there was a lot of liquid in the dish when I combined the pasta, chicken and sauce. After a little bit everything came together, however, and it thickened up perfectly. My one regret with this recipe was not having fresh parsley. It could've been even tastier than it already was. But having a great romano cheese makes up for a lot in my book, which I always do have. What I really appreciated about this dish was the chicken, though. When I make pasta, I generally don't bother with meat. Usually it's because I'm in a hurry or I somehow always used the last of it up on something else. But the grilled chicken, seasoned with just salt and pepper, is a perfect complement to the herby egg mixture.

Anna Does Sorted: Special fried rice

Spontaneity strikes again, this time it was Wednesday night after work, and in the form of Chinese food. I've realized that I basically never plan out my meals anymore. I just hope Sorted has a recipe for the ingredients I have sitting around. I've been quite lucky thus far.

Sorted's fried rice definitely has the feel on an old school video, even though it's only from 2011. I definitely remember watching it when it first came out as well, so it shows you how prompt I was at trying recipes once upon a time.



What's so nice about this recipe, and other stir fry type recipes, is the ability to personalize the food. Like, the recipe calls for mushrooms but that's not really my thing so I substituted a bunch of different vegetables instead. And I never have prawns in my kitchen so I went vegetarian on this one, though I totally considered adding chicken instead. The one piece of this recipe I didn't have, but I wish I would've, is the bacon. I've never added anything like that to fried rice before and it sounds like a neat addition.

The one major thing I changed was adding hoisin sauce along with the soy sauce. Generally speaking fried rice gets too salty because too much soy sauce gets added. A "splash" of soy sauce with the addition of the hoisin made the rice and vegetables really flavorful without being too overpowering.

Anna Does Sorted: Mac and cheese

Author's note: This post is from about two weeks ago. I got caught up in life.

Another impromptu dish based on things I had in my cupboards!

After work on Saturday evening I knew I wanted something especially tasty and filling. I knew Sorted had a mac and cheese balls recipe but alas I had no bread crumbs, and I was too hungry to take the time to call someone to take me to the store to get any. So I "settled" for the mac and cheese recipe from the video with DeStorm. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed.



It was so creamy and cheesy and yummy! You have to take a little extra time to add the milk and keep it smooth but once you add the cheese to that sauce it's well worth it. Literally nothing about this recipe was tricky, though. It really is that simple.

The only thing I would personally recommend is using a sharp cheese. When it comes down to it, you can use any flavor you want, but I'm quite partial to extra sharp cheddar. I didn't have that so instead I used the Mexican blend cheese we had from Costco. The flavor wasn't quite what I wanted it to be. Oh, but the one thing I did improv in this recipe was the topping. I never have bread long enough to where it goes stale but I still wanted a little bit of a crunch from something like breadcrumbs. So I broke up some pretzels and put those on top before putting the dish in the oven. It worked surprisingly well.

Anna Does Sorted: Torn chicken with arrabiata wholewheat pasta

On a total whim I searched the Sorted website for a new pasta dish. I didn't have any chicken so really I was making this dish for the sauce. I worked until 5 on Wednesday evening so the first thing I did when I got back to my apartment was scrounge around in the kitchen for ingredients.



The sauce for this dish was so good. I felt terrible because I didn't have chopped tomatoes or tomato puree so I used sauce from a jar. I don't like doing that but there was plenty added to it so I don't think anyone would've known the base was some Prego. I wish I did have chicken to add to the pasta but the pasta and sauce itself was still quite nice. Becca's favorite part of this dish was the chili flakes in the sauce. It wasn't spicy by any means but added a little something extra that you don't normally get with sauces. I also didn't have wholewheat pasta, though that's not out of the ordinary. I use Dreamfields pasta. A little more expensive but I've found I really do like it quite a bit more than other brands.

Nothing about this recipe is even slightly difficult, either. Making sauce and boiling pasta are about as simple as it gets. For the small amount of work, you get a great payoff in taste. What's great about pasta recipes is the versatility you have to use whatever type of pasta you want. I used angel hair this first time I made it but maybe next time I'll use penne or rotini. It's just so interesting that the shape of pasta can change the feel of the dish.

Last YouTube video I watched: Slip and slide launch ramp

Anna Does Sorted: Spicy corndogs

I've never been a fan of corndogs. Ever. Like, at all. They're disgusting. I don't understand why people are so obsessed with them. (Sorry, Hank Green.) I knew I needed to try this recipe though after going shopping with Ben a month or so ago. It's something we do together fairly often these days and on that particular night he found a giant box of frozen corndogs and was all excited because it was on sale. I scoffed at him and begged him not to buy it because A) frozen food is just not as good as other food you actually cook and B) corndogs are gross altogether. So a few weeks later when Sorted posted their own recipe for corndogs, I was ecstatic to give Ben an actually tasty dinner.



The ingredients were all quite cheap and the most difficult part of this whole process, I found, is dipping the hot dogs in the batter. I really don't think I did anything wrong when making the "corn" part of the corndog but it still seemed to be extra thick. I added some milk to thin it out which helped a bit but it still didn't look quite right. When it came to covering the hot dogs, wow, that was a strange struggle. I used the tip they gave in the video by covering the hot dog in cornstarch and then using a tall glass but it didn't quite work out. It's not that it didn't work at all but it just didn't work very well. The thickness of the batter definitely had something to do with it but I figured out a weird system of dipping the hot dogs on the skewers into the glass of batter and then using a spoon to make sure it was (for the most part) evenly distributed and totally covered. The frying itself was also much less intimidating than I thought it would be. I'd never submerged anything in oil before but of course I've heard any number of oil frying horror stories. Literally nothing happened besides my corndogs turning a nice golden brown.

Ben was super excited when he came in and found out I had made corndogs, plus the super simple dipping sauce of mayo, lime zest and cilantro. His face really was surprised. And even though they looked kind of weird, they were perfectly golden and perfectly cooked. Ben complimented them over and over which, coming from a corndog lover like himself, made me feel pretty good about the first attempt. He also said it was the best corndog he ever had and he loved the batter. I also found myself actually enjoying a corndog for the first time, so that was pretty exciting. I'll definitely be making them again.

As for the next up recipe, I'm really interested to try the tandoori chicken burger. Does that not look amazing?! And while I practically despise baking, I'm also quite enamored with the idea chocolate caramel cookies.

I suppose a mini-life update might also be in order so here goes:

• A super long time ago now, Becca, Stacy and I went to Stacy's house to go boating and spend the night. It was awesome.
• I've significantly improved at bowling in the last few weeks.
• In the last month or so Peter and I have gone mini-golfing, almost finished "The Office," hit the streets longboarding a bunch, celebrated his birthday with lots of delicious food, gone to soccer and football games and there's definitely other stuff we've done as well.
• Ben and I had a Friday movie night w/ just us a few weeks back. We watched Schindler's List, which neither of us had seen before. It was fun in so much as watching a movie about the Holocaust can be considered a "fun" Friday night activity.
• My new thing for my friends' birthdays is making posters. So Ben's had a Lion King quote, Ryan's was from HottieBoombaLottie and Peter's had one from How I Met Your Mother. Becca's poster is up next and it's Doctor Who inspired.
• I found my Flip cam! I thought I'd forgotten it in Wisconsin when I went home for Christmas.
• I bought a plane ticket home for the BYU/Wisconsin football game. #gobadgers

Last YouTube video I watched: The Art Assignment

Anna Does Sorted: Sticky chicken

Spoiler alert: This is my new favorite Sorted recipe. It was another spontaneous cooking decision and it's by far the most rewarding thing I've made taste-wise. For how amazing it tasted, you would think it took a long while to make. I know I said in my last post that the next thing I would make is the tandoori chicken burger but I totally lied. The sticky chicken was too appetizing to pass up.



Sticky chicken is absolutely magical. And I loved the idea of vegetable kebabs because of how versatile they are. The vegetables I used were sweet potato, red pepper and carrots. I didn't have any zucchini around and I have never bought mushrooms in my entire life so that wasn't going to happen. Next time I'll definitely try to include zucchini though. I think adding red potatoes to the skewers could also be a good addition. While the vegetables were quite tasty, the chicken was amazing.

The sauce/glaze/marinade was so easy. Luckily we had a random jar of apricot jam in the fridge I used up and the only thing I was missing was Worcestershire sauce. I tried to find some substitutes for it but for all the things I looked up I didn't have the ingredients to make it work. I added in a little extra soy sauce to make up for it. While the sauce is supposed to caramelize a bit, that didn't happen for me. I'm not sure what the deal was with that but it didn't really make a difference. The chicken itself was incredibly tender and cooked perfectly so I didn't bother leaving it in the oven longer to see if the sauce would caramelize at all.

I didn't make a salad or rice to go with it but this morning for breakfast (yeah, I ate the leftovers for breakfast) I drizzled the sauce on some leftover rice, from my sweet potato curry, and boy was that great! I'll have to remember to make rice along with it next time. Though adding the vegetables, chicken and sauce to a salad could be fantastic as well.

If you need a super quick dinner, this is it. I love the idea of using the sauce for other things as well. Like, I don't always have chicken to use but the sauce could go great on any number of other foods. This would be a great meal to cook when having friends over as well because it's easy to make in large portions.

Last YouTube video I watched: Dent In the Moon

Anna Does Sorted: Sweet potato & spinach curry

This recipe was a super spontaneous one. I needed dinner, wanted to do a Sorted recipe but also wanted to use up some ingredients. The main thing I had in the kitchen to use was sweet potato. I've been on quite the sweet potato kick lately. The cool thing about this recipe was I somehow had everything I needed for it, except the spinach but I'm not very fond of it anyway so no harm no foul. Watching the video for this one was a nice surprise on account of how it's "old school" Sorted. They filmed this one over 2 years ago!

 

I usually don't have naan just sitting in my cupboard so I improvised with tortillas instead. That worked well enough. My favorite part of this dish was definitely the yogurt-based dip. So tasty! And a perfect complement to the kick of the curry. The other curry I made from Sorted isn't a spicy kind so this was a nice change; not that this one was all that spicy but in comparison it was much stronger. This was super quick to make as well. Once again, the most difficult part was chopping the sweet potato and onions because A) crappy knives and B) my eyes are super sensitive to onions. (I sure do hate onions.)

I'm definitely interested in adding in more things to this curry beyond just onions and sweet potato. I guess I could start by actually including spinach but I'd prefer other vegetables or maybe some chicken. Having actual naan will be the next step as well. I imagine Sorted has a naan recipe just waiting for me to discover. (And indeed it does, featured with the naan bread pizza recipe. Yum.)

My next recipe will definitely be the tandoori chicken burger, though. Hopefully I can get that one done before going to Yellowstone this weekend. I'm thinking of taking Sorted along on the camping trip by making the smokey BBQ beans and jacket. Camping food is some of my favorite, so look forward to a post on some of the things we make!

And speaking of more personal things beyond my cooking as of late, I'm now a college graduate. Or mostly. I still have a couple classes for fall but I did walk in the graduation ceremonies this past weekend. I'm still feeling pretty accomplished.

Last YouTube video I watched: Human bungee slingshot

From New York to Utah to Wisconsin to Utah

In the 5 or so weeks (now more since I keep forgetting about this post) I've been "home" from New York, I've done a lot of stuff. So here's a summary of it.

Flights I've taken: 6

Meals eaten at Chick-Fil-A: 4.

Recipes cooked from Sorted Food: 5. The pizza swirls are by far my favorite thing I've tried.

Meals/snacks cooked by Badger: 3. Possibly more.

Visits to Yogurtland: 2.

Games of Spaceteam played: Too many to count already.

Wedding receptions I attended: 1. But it was the best wedding reception I've ever been to. #camgelaforever

People we explained the mick-mack scale to: More than 3 but less than 7.

Seasons of LOST I've watched: 3 1/2 and counting.

Pieces I've written for the Universe: 2. (The first on binge watching TV and the second on the importance of mentors)

Snapchats Kelly has sent me of her dogs: At least 5. Probably more.

Letters Margaret and I have both sent to/received from each other: Around 6.

Boating trips I've been on. 0, sadly. But I did enjoy a good rope swing.

Times Becca, Ryan and I were slightly to moderately terrified while climbing down Bridal Veil Falls as rocks slipped out from under us: A fair few.

Pages I've designed for The Universe: 4.

New movies I've seen: 2. Monsters University and Great Gatsby.

Costco runs Becca and I have made: 1. It's the start of something great.

Times I've watched Wreck It Ralph: 3.

Awesome Seven Peaks visits: 2.

Games of Wii Bowling Peter and I have played: Probably around 10.

Games of Wii Bowling I've won: I'm pretty sure it's 2 but he will vehemently disagree.
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All in all it has been a crazy summer. It's hard to believe that next week I'll be walking for graduation. And then the week after that Becca and I want to embark on an awesome little camping trip. And then it will almost be time for my final semester at BYU to begin. Where did the last four years go?

Last YouTube video I watched: Vlogumentary trailer (If you only ever watch one video I post, please make it this one. Expect a post solely dedicated to that trailer within the next few days.)

Anna Does Sorted: Key lime pie

This recipe came out while I was in New York, aka living without a kitchen, and I've been stoked to try it ever since then. My good friend Peter really likes key lime pie and I'm an awesome friend so I made it with the intent of sharing. At this time, the pie is in the refrigerator setting. I'm not going to lie: it doesn't look very good right now. Like, the filling just looks like I did something wrong. But when I was pouring it into the crust, I did taste some of it and it was DELICIOUS so I'm hoping it sets by the time Peter comes over.


I had to do some improv with this recipe, more than ever before.

• I didn't have caster sugar so I just put a bunch of regular sugar in the food processor.
• I also had to guess/Google on how much whatever amount of grams certain things were. I've done that plenty in the past but today I was unsure of my guesses because of how weird it looks.
• The biggest improv moment came with not having a loose bottom pan. So instead I put parchment paper in the bottom of a cake pan and pushed the crust into it. Technically I think my pan is too big in diameter but we didn't have a smaller one. This is one reason I suspect my filling looks so weird sitting in the fridge right now.

I'm still plenty hopeful though! I mean, Peter can't exactly get mad at me if it doesn't look nice because I made him a freaking pie.

The biggest recommendation I have for anyone looking to make this recipe is make sure you don't have any paper cuts! Because when you're zesting/juicing the limes . . . What the freak it stung so bad. Out of no where the ring finger on my right hand felt like it was burning. Turns out there's a tiny, tiny cut on it.
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Well, the pie was not set by 5 when Peter came over. That was a shame. (Instead we went to the store to buy batteries so we could play Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii.) We re-scheduled pie eating time for later that night.

Well, around 10:30 that night I brought the pie to his house, ever hopeful it would be ready. But alas! Only some of the pie was set. It was pretty disappointing presentation-wise. Peter described it as crust with a lime soup on top, which did make me laugh. Just as I expected though, it tasted awesome.

I'm not quite sure what I screwed up but I'll definitely be making it again; it's a recipe I want to perfect. My favorite part of the pie was the crust made with ginger snap cookies. I quite like ginger snaps so to me it was the obvious choice for the crust on such a pie. Using the parchment paper in the pan actually worked great too!

Last YouTube video I watched: Best Teenage Magician

Anna Does Sorted: Pepperoni pizza swirl

I swear, every recipe gets better and better.

For the pepperoni pizza swirls, I enlisted the help of Becca. (She became a master dough roller.) Friday night is often considered the perfect night for pizza and in our apartment that's no exception. All the boys were at Cameron's bachelor party so we really were left to our own devices. (After dinner we did get shakes at In and Out w/ Angela on account of how her fiance and all the other boys were together being the manliest of men.)



Everything about this recipe was easy as pie. I think my favorite part was the sauce, to which I added some other things as well. Beyond the garlic, basil, salt and pepper, I threw in some parsley and crushed red pepper flakes. I might even add in cheese next time; for a manicotti recipe I have that's what you do for the sauce and can you ever really get enough cheese?

I seem to have a trend going in my posts about what the most difficult part of the recipe was . . . With the pizza swirls, it was probably rolling out the dough. It's hard to roll out dough in a rectangular shape. But Becca did a magnificent job.

Next time, for a little more variety, I'm definitely going to have a bunch of different toppings to put inside. We only used cheese and pepperoni this first time but I think it'd be neat to put pepperoni on, like, 1/4 of it and then on the other 3/4 do things like pineapple, black olives or whatever else people like to put on pizza. Though I suppose those things aren't technically toppings on account of how they get rolled inside the dough. If anyone has suggestions for what those foods should be called when they get put inside pizza, let me know.

One awesome thing we did was make a garlic dipping sauce! It was perfect for the swirls. To make that, all you need is butter, garlic powder and a little dash of salt.

Another thing Becca and I plan to do in the future is make a pesto version of the pizza swirl. Could anything sound more delicious? I submit that it cannot. I think the next party we have will probably be Italian/pizza themed.

Look forward to another food post (most likely) tomorrow since yesterday Stacy and I made her famous salsa!

Last YouTube video I watched: The Technique

Anna Does Sorted: Orange and soy chicken

Another day, another Sorted recipe! Last night I tried a recipe I've literally had on my list for nearly two years. I'm thrilled to say I finally made the orange and soy chicken.

I said it about the other two recipes I've done but "Holy easy recipe, Batman!" It was as tasty and simple as Sorted recipes get. I cannot believe it took me TWO YEARS to make this, especially since I eat oranges all the time.



I don't think I have any little tips for this recipe. It really is that simple, I don't think I can improve a single thing about it. I suppose my only suggestion would be to actually let the chicken marinade in the orange and soy sauce a while. I got home from work around 5:30 and wanted to eat right away but didn't think ahead that morning to do the marinade. Luckily, one of my roommates was using the oven so by default I had to let it sit. Mine probably sat for about an hour in the marinade but longer definitely would've been better, I think. Even an hour still made it delicious! Next time I'm totally going to add some orange zest into the marinade as well.

The one thing I really didn't follow was making bok choi because seriously: who has bok choi just sitting around their kitchen? I sure don't. (Is it just me or does anyone else think of the movie "Secondhand Lions" when they hear the food bok choi?) So I just ate chicken and rice. Though I can see myself in the future putting some vegetables in a pan on the stove and frying them up with a little soy sauce and/or hoisin sauce to add to the rice.

The real brilliance of this recipe is that it only takes the chicken 15 minutes to cook! If you need to whip up a meal fast, this is definitely one I recommend.

Look for another post tomorrow about the pizza swirls! Pizza swirl Friday could totally become a thing.

Last YouTube video I watched: Convos With My 2 Year Old

Anna Does Sorted: Sweet potato quesadilla

I know I said the next recipe would be German burritos but I couldn't find white cabbage. Rather, they didn't have it at the grocery store I went to on Friday and I haven't been to any grocery stores since. Instead, we jumped right on ahead to sweet potato quesadillas! And I can say "we" because BECCA IS BACK.

Quesadillas are fantastically easy to make and can range from decent to DELICIOUS. This one was definitely of the delicious variety. If you've never thought to put sweet potatoes in a tortilla before, don't worry, neither had I. Trust me: it's brilliant and probably better than most homemade quesadillas you've had in the past.



Literally the most difficult part of this recipe was cutting the onions but that's only because I am terrible at it because of how much my eyes water. Eye pain is some of the worst pain I've ever experienced. Other than that, dicing the sweet potatoes was also somewhat challenging but that comes down to having such weaksauce knives. Either I forgot how dull the knives in my apartment are or they've just gotten super dull while I was gone for two months. The other day I said I was plenty happy to stay single on account of how getting married would mean getting rid of my Harry Potter bed sheets. But today I realized I am totally okay getting rid of those sheets if it means getting brand new kitchen stuff!

What I love about this recipe is how easy it is to customize. Like, I didn't want to buy bleu cheese so I used cheddar and a little mozzarella instead. I also added garlic to the red onions when I fried them up, a wonderful decision. Whenever I make these in the future I'm totally going to add chicken as well; that is, if I have chicken the next time I make them. You can honestly add basically anything you want to spice up the flavor even more. I'm sure my mom would want to add a million types of peppers or something like that. Oh, and for a dip you're supposed to use creme fraiche w/ chives in it, which according to Google creme fraiche is similar to sour cream, but I forgot to have it ready in time but it will be ready for tonight when Becca and I go for round 2.

Isn't this cooking thing great?! I'm having the time of my life. I won't even bother saying what's "next up" this time around since chances are it will change multiple times before I actually get around to cooking again. Though I'm really thinking I'll make the pizza swirl dealios on Friday night. Another thing I'll probably try making this weekend is key lime pie! I figure that'd be a good one to share w/ my dear friends.

Last YouTube video I watched: Toe Story

Anna Does Sorted: Chicken & mango curry

In my "Re-commitment" post I described my plan to finally begin cooking again after having lived without a kitchen for two months. But it wasn't just cooking I was going to do; nay, it was cooking with recipes from Sorted Food. And last night that quest began.

My dear Ben took me grocery shopping and before heading out I made the most epic of lists. I organized it by the five recipes I wanted to make in the following week and even had an "other" section for food that I need but didn't go with any particular recipe. This week I'll be dining on chicken & mango curry (though technically I already made this one), sweet potato quesadillas, pizza swirl roll-up dealios, orange & soy chicken, and German burritos.

Last night, instead of hanging out with my friends, I talked with Becca on the phone while I made the curry. And goodness gracious what a great decision that was.



Honestly, the most difficult part of this recipe was the waiting. Putting together the chutney, mayo, yogurt, spice mixture takes mere minutes. Cooking the chicken doesn't take all that long either. But then you put it in the oven for 40 minutes. Granted, 40 minutes really isn't all that long but when you're cooking at 9 o'clock at night, 40 minutes feels like an eternity. And if you pre-cook the chicken and make the rice while the rest is in the oven, this meal really does take under an hour to prepare. I also made less than the recipe was actually for but still ended up with enough for a couple days worth of meals. I definitely plan on making this one again, in full proportions, for all of my friends. I know Kelly will especially love it since she's basically addicted to anything mango.

My favorite Thai dish is massaman so next time I make the chicken & mango curry I think I'll add in potatoes as well. I have a feeling they'd go really well with the flavor of the curry. Because it is made with mango chutney, the curry is kind of sweet and almost fruity. When I shared leftovers with Ben for lunch today he even asked if there was orange in it. Though there wasn't, that got me thinking that adding in a little orange could change things up nicely as well. I'm glad I got him over to my apartment to taste it because while I thought it was absolutely brilliant it's nice to have other people's confirmation. And he agreed it was delicious, evidenced by how he absolutely licked his bowl clean. (Seriously, it barely took any rinsing before I put it in the dishwasher.)

The next recipe I'll be doing? That's German burritos for Becca's return on Monday. I've already got some changes in mind for this one so hopefully it turns out well!

Last YouTube video I watched: Oh, JK Rowling - A Harry Potter Song (Yep, I'm bringing this back! I've quite missed it.)

Anna Does Sorted: Teriyaki Ramen Noodles

This was my dinner tonight and I highly recommend it. The homemade teriyaki sauce was quite delicious.

Mine didn't look quite that fancy since I didn't have prawns and coriander and such but I did have onions and other vegetables. I'm definitely going to be messing around more with Ramen noodles in the future, making up new sauces and such. I probably should have taken some pictures of the deliciousness but I was too hungry to stop and document.

I highly recommend Sorted Food for more great and simple recipes; they have a recipe for anything you could ever want. The next thing I want to try is the homemade doughnut/donut recipe. I'm quite fond of donuts, yet somehow I missed getting a donut even though yesterday was National Donut Day. I'll make sure to get one next year.

But this makes two awesome meals in the last two weeks. The Monday before I left for California I made baked manicotti, which is by far one of my favorite dishes both to make and to eat. That recipe is from America's Test Kitchen. ATK recipes are a bit more in depth but well-worth all the trouble.

Well, I basically just wanted to brag about my awesome dinner. I'll get back to telling the epic story of the final day of the fake spring break road trip next time.

And to finally get back to a tradition I've been neglecting while documenting the trip to California:

Last YouTube video I watched: Adorable Squirrel and Table Topics