Being a grown up means it’s time to start cooking for yourself and others.  Throughout my 20’s, I played around with food a little bit, but wasn’t very serious about it.  It wasn’t until my late 30s that I learned how much love you get both from others and in your soul, when you make a great meal.  If you discover this secret earlier than me, you will also discover it’s blessings earlier!  It really is a treat to watch others enjoy something you put work into and it’ll also keep you invited back!  

Below are 5 recipes you can use to start your cooking adventure.  We hit breakfast, lunch and dinner!  We’ll pan fry, we’ll use the oven, we’ll use some spices and herbs and we’ll enjoy a tasty meal after! I’ll save my sticky buns and cinnamon buns for another time.  

Bacon, Potato Egg Casserole 

Ingredients

• ½ pound thick-cut bacon, Cooked and Crumbled
• ¼ cup olive oil 
• 1½ pounds russet, yellow or Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced ¼-inch thick pieces
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced into rings
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• ½ Tablespoon Organic Curry Powder
• 10 large eggs 
• 6 ounces shredded Cheddar, sharp Cheddar or Monterey Jack

Step by Step

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook bacon in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and the fat has rendered out, 4 to 5 minutes each side. Remove from the skillet, leave the fat behind.
2. Add olive oil, potatoes and onion slices to the skillet. Season with curry powder, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are tender and start to brown, and the onions are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Return bacon to skillet and stir to combine so that everything is distributed evenly.
3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs together and season with salt and pepper. Add cheese and whisk to blend. Transfer potato mixture to a 9” x 13” baking dish and pour egg mixture over. Place in oven and bake until eggs are puffed around the edges and just set in the center, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before eating. Serve with your favorite hot sauce for added flare

Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies

Ingredients

• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved OR 1 large / 2 medium whole tomatoes cubed
• 1 head broccoli florets cut from stem
• 1 yellow squash sliced 
• 1 whole onion diced in large pieces
• 1 package your choice mushrooms, trimmed and halved (1/2 pound)
• ¼ cup olive oil, plus more as needed
• 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound spicy or sweet Italian sausage (fresh sausages removed from casing)
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan or manchego, plus more for topping after cook

Serve with Garlic Bread (you can be lazy and buy at store) or on Rice

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees with one rack in the lower third and one in the upper. 
2. On one sheet pan, combine the tomatoes, broccoli and mushrooms with ¼ cup oil. Season with ½ of your herbs and red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Toss to combine and mind your presentation (make sure everything is spread out). Roll the sausage into 1-inch balls. (There should be 25 –  30.) Distribute them around the vegetables.  Season remaining herbs and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle the entire sheet pan with 2 tablespoons of your chosen cheese. Roast for 15 minutes.
3. After 15 minutes, gently shake the pan to flip the meatballs. Sprinkle the entire pan with the remaining ¼ cup cheese, concentrating your on the tomatoes and the empty pan edges so that some Parmesan has room to crisp. Return the meatball sheet pan to the lowest rack.  If you are making bread, this is when you’ll add the bread to the oven. Roast until the bread is golden at the edges, the broccoli tips are crispy and the meatballs are cooked through, (depending on bread, most likely 7 to 10 minutes). (If the broccoli and meatballs need a little more time, remove bread and give them 5 more minutes and they should be good to go!)
4. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any cheese that has stuck to the bottom of the pan. Serve everything with the garlic bread or rice and more grated cheese.

EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA 

Recipe by Matty Matheson 

Ingredients for the tomato sauce:

• ½ cup|120 ml olive oild
• 9 garlic cloves – thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 (28-ounce|794-gram cans) whole peeled tomatoes crushed by hand
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the eggplant parmesan:

• 3-4 medium eggplants – peeled and sliced lengthwise into ¼-inch pieces
• 2 cups | 300 grams all-purpose flour
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 large eggs lightly beaten
• 4 cups | 500 grams bread crumbs
• 1 ¼ cups | 296 ml olive oil
• 1 cup | 237 ml canola oil
• 4 cups | 946 ml tomato sauce
• 1 ½ pounds | 680 grams sliced Mozzarella cheese
• 1 bunch fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Make the tomato sauce: Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium. Add the garlic and onion and cook until translucent and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Season with salty and pepper and remove from heat.

2. Place flour in one large shallow dish. Season with salt and pepper. In another shallow dish, mix the eggs with ½ cup water. Place the bread crumbs in a third shallow dish. Working with 1 slice of eggplant at a time, dust it in the flour, coating it all over, then dip in egg wash, then place in breadcrumbs to coat. Repeat with the remaining slices.

3. Heat 1 cup of olive oil and the canola oil in a large frying pan over medium-high. Working in batches, cook the eggplant, flipping once, until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a rack set over a baking sheet and season with salt.

4. Heat the oven to 450°F. Ladle ½ cup tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Arrange a layer of fried eggplant into the dish, then layer mozzarella slices on top to cover. Spoon over 1 cup of tomato sauce then scatter 6-7 basil leaves on sauce. Arrange another layer of fried eggplant slices in the opposite direction. Repeat layers 3 more times ending in mozzarella. Sprinkle parmesan over surface of the top layer then drizzle with the remaining ¼ cup olive oil. 

5. Bake until the cheese is browning and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.

Reverse-Sear Steak with mushrooms and asparagus 

Ingredients

• 1 thick rib eye steak or NY Strip, 2 in (5 cm) preferably USDA prime and well marbled (IE Fatty)
• 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1 teaspoon pepper, to taste
• 3 tablespoons high smoke point oil (Avocado choice 1 – sunflower choice 2 – canola choice 3)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme

1. Preheat oven to 200°F/95°C.
2. Pat the steak dry with a paper towel, and generously season all sides of the steak with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
3. Transfer to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet, and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the internal temperature reads about 125°F/50˚C for medium-rare.  If you have a bread stone, place meat right on stone.
4. Heat the oil in a pan (preferably cast iron) over high heat until smoking. Do not use olive oil, as its smoke point is significantly lower than than the other oils and will smoke before reaching the desired cooking temperature.
5. Sear the steak for 1 minute on one side, then flip.
6. Add the butter, garlic, rosemary, and thyme, and swirl around the pan. Transfer the garlic and herbs on top of the steak and baste the steak with the butter using a large spoon.
7. Baste for about 1 minute, then flip the steak with tongs and baste the other side for about 15 seconds.
8. Turn the steak on its side and cook to render off any excess fat.

Mushrooms and onions 

• 1 onion, cubed
• 1 package cremini or portobello
• Salt to taste 

1. In pan with steak oil and butter, rosemary and garlic, head to medium, add onions and cook to brown 
2. Add mushrooms and cook until they tender and fragrant, about 15 minutes 
3. At finish, add black pepper, parsley and salt to taste, off heat

Asparagus 

2 cheats – snap off the bottom and peel the stalk

Here’s a simple method for roasting asparagus that requires olive oil, salt and pepper.  That said, 

1. Heat your oven to 425 degrees
2. Dress asparagus spears lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 
3. Spread them on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan in one layer and roast until lightly browned and sizzling, and just firm-tender. 
   1. baking sheet, that should take 10 to 12 minutes
   2. heavy-bottomed roasting pan for about 15 minutes. 
4. The trick here is getting the spears nicely colored without overcooking them, and you should always err on the undercooked side — asparagus will continue to cook off the heat

*You can add other spices as well: cayenne, paprika, red pepper flakes or smoked salt. Or try chopped pecans, a sprinkle of grated Parmesan and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Best damn tuna melt recipe (makes 4 big sandwiches)

Recipe from NYTimes cooking

Ingredients

• 3 (6-ounce) cans solid, water-packed tuna, drained
• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup finely chopped cornichons or small kosher dill pickles
• 3 tablespoons minced shallot
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 packed tablespoon minced fresh dill
• 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard or dijon mustard
• ⅓ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 8 slices sourdough bread, cut to your liking or from loaf
• 8 sandwich slices extra-sharp Cheddar
• 4 tablespoons softened unsalted butter, plus more as needed

1. Place the tuna in a medium bowl and flake with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, cornichons, red onion, lemon juice, dill (if using), mustard, salt and pepper. Mix well.
2. Depending on the size of your bread, spoon ⅓ to ½ cup tuna salad on each of four slices of bread, heaping it in the middle slightly. Divide the cheese among the sandwiches, tearing and arranging the cheese to fit neatly. Place a piece of bread on top of each and generously spread the top piece of each sandwich with about ½ tablespoon butter.
3. Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium-low. Place two sandwiches, buttered-side down, in the skillet, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the bottom pieces of bread are golden brown.
4. Spread the top of each sandwich with another ½ tablespoon butter. Carefully flip the sandwiches, turn the heat to low, and cook for 3 to 4 more minutes, until the bottoms are browned and the cheese is melted. Repeat with the remaining two sandwiches and serve immediately.