4 Tasty Dinner Recipes You Can Make As A Beginner

At the beginning of this year I would say that I was a novice at cooking. I moved out of my parents house early 2020 and made it a goal to dedicate my year to improving my cooking skills. These 4 recipes are a few of the tastiest meals I make. Truly, if I can make it, you can too!

New Orleans Inspired Bbq Shrimp

This Cajun influenced bbq shrimp recipe is so simple, making it the perfect weeknight dinner! Barbecue Shrimp are tender and succulent and the flavorful broth will make you want to lick the bowl clean!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup fat free Caesar dressing
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 T butter
• 1 T dried oregano
• 1 T paprika
• 1 T dried rosemary
• 1 T dried thyme
• 1 1/2 t black pepper
• 1 t hot pepper sauce
• 5 bay leaves
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 2 pounds large shrimp with shells(if frozen, make sure to thaw in fridge before using)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• Sliced French baguette and lemon wedges to serve

Instructions

1. Combine first 11 ingredients in a large nonstick skillet; bring to boil,medium high. Add shrimp, cook 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine, cook 1 minute or until shrimp are done. Serve with bread and lemon wedge!

• if you’re using frozen shrimp, make sure they are thawed.

Pork Meatball Soup With Israeli Couscous and Easy Croutons

serving size 3–4, Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 oz ground pork
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 4 1/2 tsp Better Than Bouillon (you can substitute with 4 1/2 Cups of chicken stock)
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 Cup shredded parmesan
• 1 Cup Israeli couscous
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots (1–2 medium size)
• 1 slice white bread(or any you have)
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp Panko bread crumbs
• salt
• black pepper
• **I love adding garbanzo beans if you have any

Instructions

1. Wash and dry produce. Finely chop onion and garlic. Trim, peel, and dice carrot.
2. Drizzle of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and a big pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, 3–4 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, and 2 tsp Italian Seasoning. Cook until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Stir in bouillon and 4 1/2 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium size bowl, combine pork, panko, 1 tsp of garlic, a pinch of salt and pepper. mix together and then form sausage into ½-inch mini meatballs on plate(I normally have about 25–30 mini meatballs) (To prevent sticking, wet your hands first!) Once the broth is boiling, carefully drop in the mini meatballs. Cook until the meatballs are cooked through, about 6–7 minutes.
4. Once meatballs are cooked through, stir couscous into pot. Reduce heat to low and simmer until couscous is al dente, 8–10 minutes. (If soup gets too thick, add a splash of water.) Stir in half the Parmesan (save some for serving) and season with salt and pepper.
5. While couscous cooks, cut bread into ½-inch pieces. Melt 1 TBSP butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add bread, remaining Italian Seasoning, and a little bit of salt and pepper. Cook, flipping them until golden brown, 4–6 minutes. (Lower heat if browning too quickly.) Remove pan from heat.
6. Divide soup between bowls. Top the soup with croutons and the remaining Parmesan just before serving. Enjoy!!

Sweet-Spicy Ponzu Meatballs

If you have not tried Ponzu, you need to! Ponzu is a delicious sauce, similar to soy sauce, but it has a delicious tart/tangy flavor! I add sriracha to the meatballs which adds a very mild spice that is very tasty. Its delicious and very easy to make!

Ingredients (serving size: 2 people, double recipe if needed)

• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 slice white bread
• Ground Pork 8.5 oz
• 1 1/2 t Sriracha(put more if you want it very spicy or less)
• 3 T Ponzu sauce
• 1 T butter
• 1 1/2 T sugar
• Salt and pepper

Instructions for Meatballs

• In a medium bowl, soak bread with 3 TBSP water ; let absorb, then break up with your hands until pasty. Add pork, chopped garlic, sriracha, salt (I used ¾ tsp kosher salt; use 1½ tsp for 4 people), and pepper. Mix to combine, then form into 1-inch balls(you should have about 10 meatballs).
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 8–10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine ponzu, ¼ cup water (⅓ cup for 4 servings), and 1½ TBSP sugar (3 TBSP for 4 servings); set aside for the next step.
• Stir in ponzu mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until meatballs are coated in a syrupy glaze, 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) until melted.
• Serve meatballs with your preferred sides( rices, mashed potatoes, etc), drizzle remaining glaze on top of the meatballs.
• Enjoy
• this recipe is for 2 people, make sure to double if needed!

Crockpot Loaded Cheesy Potato Chowder

Like how most great recipes are created, I had a crazy amount of potatoes and I needed to create something delicious before they went bad. Since its fall, I decided to combine a few slow cooker chowder recipes, thus creating the best Crockpot Loaded Cheesy Potato Chowder I have ever made!

Ingredients

• 2 lb golden potatoes (about 8 medium), diced
• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 medium onion diced
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 slices thick cut bacon
• 8oz package of cream cheese
• 1 cups shredded cheddar (save some for topping the soup)
• 2 green onions sliced

*** tip: if you have an celery oand/or carrots in the fridge, add it to the soup! It will be delicious

Instructions

• Place potatoes, broth, onion, salt, garlic, parsley, thyme and pepper into a 3–6 quart crockpot.
• Put the lid on and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours (until the vegetables are tender).
• Meanwhile, lay the bacon out flat on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 15–20 minutes until it reaches desired crispiness. Let the bacon rest on paper towels before chopping into pieces.
• 30 minutes before the soup is done, Add 8 oz (1 package) of softened cream cheese. Cook for last 30 minutes and stir now and then until combined. Use a Potato Masher to slightly mash up potatoes if needed.
• Stir in 1 cup of cheese, and most of the cooked, chopped bacon (reserving some for topping).
• Serve soup and top with remaining cheese, remaining bacon and green onions.