Well hey there!  Im totally taking a huge leap outside of my comfort zone here. I'm nobody special, just a girl who loves to cook and bake.  

So let me start by introducing myself, explain the inspiration for the name and the reasons why I truly love cooking. First, my name is Nicole, most call me Nikki.  I am an almost 31 year old, single mom of two beautiful pre teen daughters.  I shouldn't say single because I have an amazing boyfriend of 6 years.  I am currently in school and persuing my accounting degree as well as the Store Manager for the Fox Racing store here in Oshkosh.  Other than cooking I like to read, play volleyball, watching football, basketball. baseball and hockey, I wont get into specific teams because thats an argument that doesnt need to happen on a food blog 😂I also like to spend as much time outdoors as I can and spending time with family!

Eric Church Concert

Ft. Myers Beach 2020

 

The meaning behind Cooking with Coco, growing up I had 1 older brother, 1 younger sister and 1 younger brother.  My youngest brother Sam struggled to say Nicole, so instead of struggling to say it every time, he started to call me Coco.  Since then i've been called Coco and Coco Bean by most of my family.  It's stuck for this long, so whenIi reached out to my family for inspiration on a name for this blog, it was no surprise that Sam was the winner with Cooking with Coco!

Growing up, my dad was the Chef of the house, always cooking and grilling food, but most importantly he made sure to teach us his ways.  Just like him, I see cooking as a form of relaxation.  Being in the kitchen makes me tune out any sort of stress and clear my mind of all of the things racing around.  My grandmother was also another influence in my love for cooking and baking. She's taught me how to make everything from sugar cookies passed down from my great grandma to Beef Wellington.  Cooking runs in our family, by no means are we any sort of fancy chef, but we can cook for a crazy amount of people and can pretty much garuntee you wont be disappointed. I always tell my kids, if your food doesnt make you do a happy dance, you're doing something wrong!

its old, but that me and my dad :)

Me and my grandma

So with this blog, I hope that I can share some recipes that I truly enjoy as well as putting a smile on your face.

Recipe Number 1
Deconstructed Meatballs:

This recipe is a staple in my house, if Lilli had her way she would eat this at least 2-3 times a week!

Growing up my mother would make these meatballs that would simmer in cream of mushroom soup and serve it with rice and peas, and I too would eat them 2-3 times a week if I could.  However, the downfall was that they were always so greasy from browning the meatballs in the pan and then adding the soup to it.  So I took it upon myself to find a way that would make a less greasy meatball. The meatballs would have ground beef, shredded potatoes and spices for flavor, but no matter what I did, including squeezing the excess liquid from the potatoes to baking the meat balls, it was always so greasy.  

So one day I said to myself, why do they have to be meatballs?  Why cant you just put it all together in a pan and serve it over rice, you break up the meatballs anyways?  So thats where this recipe comes from.  It's my version minus a few ingrediant but I added a few that amp it up and make it that much better, keep in mind its not the prettiest dish to look at!

Igredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 chopped onion
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

- Cook your ground beef, once it is fully cooked drain off the excess fat.  

- Add the meat back to the pan with the chopped onion and garlic, let the onions cook down until just tender.

- Next add in the worcestershire sauce, onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup.  If needed, add milk or water to thin out the soup.  

- Let it simmer for about 5-8 minutes.  

- Once its done, serve over rice or mashed potatoes.  

Like I said, its not the prettiest to look at but its not the greasy mess that I used to eat when I was a kid and I prefer it this way now more than ever! 

If you try this recipe and like it, or even if you dont! Let me know! 

Until next time, enjoy your food and like I said before, if it doesnt make you dance, you're doing something wrong 😉