Kitchen and Workshop

Stir Fry Marinade

This is a great sauce to top the vegetables & meat of your choosing!

Ingredients:

Marinade:
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 4 Tbsp soy sauce
- 4 Tbsp dry sherry
Stir Fry Recommendations:
- Fresh vegetables like green beans, broccoli, etc or the time saver: 2-3 bags of frozen veggies
- 1 package chicken breasts, cut into bit-sized pieces

Instructions:

Stir all marinade ingredients together in measuring cup (to make it easier to pour later).
Brown meat until cooked through. Cook vegetables as necessary. Mix meat and vegetables together (if not already). Pour marinade over top & simmer until it thickens. Serve over rice or quinoa.

Potluck Mac and Cheese

This recipe was originally featured on Taste of Home and is Momma Brandt’s get-together go-to.

Ingredients:

1 box (16 oz, 3 cups) uncooked elbow macaroni
16 oz Velveeta, cubed*
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 3/4 cups whole milk
12 oz evaporated milk
3/4 cup butter, melted
3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Instructions:

Cook macaroni according to package directions for al dente; drain. Transfer to a greased 5-qt slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients.
Cook, covered, on low 2 1/2 hours or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees, stirring occasionally.

Tips & Tricks

This is not a dinner-sized recipe. This is potluck-sized!
Bring some additional mix-ins (cooked or prepared as needed) to mix in.
This recipe is great as is and a crowd-pleaser but if you want to elevate this recipe a smidge, try adding a little salt, pepper, ground mustard, and a couple dashes of hot sauce (a couple dashes won’t make it hot by any means but it will impart a bit of flavor).
*Velveeta tip: Velveeta can be really sticky if you are cubing it with a knife. Try using a rubber spatula instead.
If you are prepping this the night ahead and keeping it in the fridge overnight, I like to add 1/2-3/4 cup extra whole milk to ensure it’s still nice and smooth the next day as some of the milk will get absorbed by the noodles while it sits.

Breakfast Egg Bake

Ingredients:

1/2 package shredded hash browns
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 dozen large eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground mustard
Topping options:
- 1 lb cooked ham, copped to your size preference
- 1 red bell pepper, diced & partially cooked
- 1/2 onion, diced & partially cooked
- Really, whatever you like!

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place hash browns in a single layer in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle with cheese and ham (or other toppings).
In large bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt and mustard until well-scrambled. Pour egg mixture over cheese and other toppings.
Cover and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes longer until edges are golden brown. Check if done by inserting knife to see if it comes out clean.

Tips & Tricks

You can make this egg bake the night before and bake it in the morning. It may take slightly longer to cook if you put it in the oven straight from the fridge. You can always turn the oven up 25 degrees to speed up the process towards the end.

White Chicken & Spinach Lasagna

This recipe was originally featured on Mamamash

Ingredients

9 lasagna noodles (Note, you may need up to 15 noodles depending on brand/size)
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, mined
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (pulled from rotisserie chicken works best)
2 (10 oz) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 tbsp fresh parsley

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Boil, drain and rinse lasagna noodles.
Make the white sauce by melting butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly for about a minute. Stir in half of the mozzarella (2 cups) and Parmesan (1/2 cup). Season with basil, oregano, and black pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
Layer the lasagna by spreading a little of the white sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Layer with 3 of the noodles, half of the ricotta, half of the chicken, and half of the spinach. Pour about 1/3 of the remaining sauce over the top. Repeat for 2nd layer. Place the last three noodles on top and pour the remaining 1/3 of the white sauce over he top. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Top with parsley.
Bake 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven until the cheese is browned and bubbly. Let it rest on the counter for several minutes before cutting so it holds its shape better.

Tips & Tricks

The spinach won’t save you from the calories you are about to consume, but your heart will be so happy.
When making the sauce, watch your texture. Add half of the cheese dedicated to it to start, then add in more until it’s thick, but still a sauce. Too thick? Add a bit of chicken stock to thin it again.
I don’t always use all of the ricotta cheese, you are free to determine how much to use in each layer.
The lasagna noodles won’t fully fill the 9×13 pan from side to side. You can boil a couple extra noodles and cut them as necessary if you would like but it isn’t necessary.

Tuna Cakes with Chili Lime Aioli

This recipe was originally featured on PopCulture.com

Ingredients:

Tuna Cakes:

12 oz can chunk tuna
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/3 cup plain Panko breadcrumbs
3/4 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 egg whites
4 buns (if you want to make tuna cake sandwiches)

Chili Lime Aioli

1/4 cup light mayo
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp lime juice
Cayenne pepper (optional)

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients for tuna cakes. Mix together well. If the mixture feels very loose, try adding 1-2 Tbsp breadcrumbs.
Separate dough into four portions (about 1/2 cup each) and shape into patties.
Place patties on plate and chill in fridge 1 hour or in freezer for 30-40 minutes until firm (this helps hold the patties together while cooking)
While the patties are cooling, mix ingredients together for aioli. Season to taste. Add a dash of cayenne for some heat (optional).
When patties are cool and firm, heat a small amount of oil in a cast iron pan. Once pan comes to temperature, cook patties for 3-4 minutes per side.

Tips & Tricks:

For added flavor, try spreading butter and garlic salt over buns and toasting until golden brown.
Watch the heat on your cast iron pan. Tuna cakes should brown without burning on each side to cook through to center. Medium-high heat works best.

Ground Turkey Chili

This recipe was originally featured on ambitious kitchen.

Turkey chili with cheese and cilantro toppings

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 lb ground turkey
4 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp group oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
1 (28 oz) can diced or crushed tomatoes
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
2 (15 oz) cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can sweet corn or 1 bag frozen sweet corn
Optional toppings: cheddar cheese, avocado, cilantro, sour cream, tortilla chips, noodles….

Instructions:

Place oil in a large pot and place over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and red pepper and saute for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add in ground turkey, break up the meat; cooking until no longer pink. Next add in chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and salt; stir to mix in.
Add in tomatoes, chicken broth, kidney beans, and corn. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until chili thickens and flavors come together. Taste and adjust flavor as necessary.
Garnish with your preferred toppings and enjoy.

Tips & Tricks

This is a recipe that I follow pretty exactly. It’s really hearty and makes enough for dinner for 2, plus leftovers for about 2 nights. I do use a frozen bag of corn that I microwave before adding to the pot because I feel it is fresher than canned corn.

Stuffed Shells with Broccoli

This recipe was originally found on Vintage Mixer.

Ingredients:

2 broccoli crowns
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
24 jumbo pasta shells (just over 1/2 box)
16 oz ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
28 oz (3 cups) Marinara sauce (most jars are only 23 oz or so these days. You want more sauce than that, trust me. Going over 28 oz won’t be wasteful.)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.
Chop broccoli crowns into bite sized pieces and toss with olive oil and minced garlic. Season with salt and roast on baking sheet for 25-30 minutes or until slightly brown and crispy. Turn down oven to 350 degrees.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the pasta shells (plus a couple extra for backup). Boil for 8-10 minutes until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, mix together the three cheeses and the salt and cayenne. Once broccoli is done, finely chop and add to the mix.
Pour 1 cup of the marinara sauce into a 9×13 inch baking dish to coat the bottom of the pan.
Once pasta shells are done, drain the water retaining 1/2 cup. Fill each shell with cheese/broccoli mixture and lay in baking dish.
Mix together 1 more cup of marinara sauce with the 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water and cover shells.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake 5-10 more minutes or until bubbly.
Serve with remaining 1 cup of marinara sauce.

Tips and Tricks:

Taking the time to roast the broccoli definitely adds a lot of flavor to this recipe but if you’re short on time and just microwave a bag of frozen broccoli…. I won’t tell.
Since this dish takes some substantial prep time, I recommend prepping the dish the night before you bake it.
I will be adding some very well rung-out shredded zucchini from our freezer to supplement the broccoli and help me pretend this is a healthy dish.
I have reserved the 1/2 cup of pasta water to mix with the sauce once, and I have just dumped on the rest of the jar of sauce over the shells and called it good, both options are honestly just as tasty.

Breakfast Sandwiches

This recipe was originally featured in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine in their January 2020 issue. Makes 6 sandwiches.

Ingredients:

Egg mixture
- 8 eggs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 tbsp fresh chives
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
6 English muffins or bagels (flavor of choice)
6 slices cheese (flavor of choice – sharp cheddar recommended) (optional)
Bacon, ham or other breakfast meat (optional)

Steps

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line a 9×13 inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
Whisk all the egg mixture ingredients together and pour into lined pan
Bake 10 minutes or until set
Lift egg out of pan using foil and flip onto cutting board, remove foil
Slice egg sheet into 6 rectangles, half each rectangle (12 triangles total)
Layer on English muffins or bagels with breakfast meat and cheese of choice
If you wish to freeze, wrap individual sandwiches in plastic wrap. Good for 1 month.

Tips & Recommendations

I didn’t have fresh chives but the sandwiches still taste great. The herbs do add a nice flavor and an extra level to ordinary breakfast sandwiches.
I added diced red pepper to a batch – recommend if you’re looking to add in some veggies
When lining the pan with foil, make sure the foil comes up on the edges a bit. The eggs will bake about 1/4 inch thick and you won’t want the sides to stick to the pan.
Check on the eggs about halfway through their baking time. If your oven isn’t exactly level or your pan warps in the heat, rotate the pan for the second half of the bake. You may need to swish around the herbs and things around the pan to keep them from pooling in the center.
If you want to add bacon to the sandwiches, bake the strips in the oven at the same time as the eggs. They will cook flat which will make them easier to stack and you don’t need to deal with the splatter on the stove top.
Better Homes and Gardens recommends reheating in the microwave for 1 minute wrapped in a paper towel – seems to work out just fine if they are defrosted. If you’re going straight from the freezer, cut the sandwich in half, start with 1 minute, then increase by 30 second intervals (likely will need close to 2-2 1/2 minutes). Cutting it in half will really help prevent you from taking a hot bite from the outside while the center is still frozen. Tricky little sandwiches.

A little about us….

The one post where we actually won’t cut straight to the point.

Hey there! Welcome to Kitchen and Workshop. This blog was dreamed up after trying some slightly exaggerated humongous number of recipes found on Pinterest and quickly getting tired of scrolling through 13 paragraphs of personal stories before getting to the actual recipe (bless the jump to recipe feature).

So while the rest of the posts you will find on this site will keep it straight to the point, allow me one post to introduce ourselves.

We’re the Tumeys (well soon to be – just a couple of months away from our big day)! He’s Evan, I’m Jannah, and we are enjoying life in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Most of our time in the house is spent in the kitchen and we are always trying to find new recipes to try. Evan also enjoys wine-making, cider-making, and working in his workshop. We try to eat pretty healthy but don’t worry, cheat meals and sweet-tooth cravings will still be a big part of our recipe list.