"FEED A COLD..."

I don't know why but the combo of cold weather and my stuffy head has prompted me to do a Bake-A-Thon over the last couple of days. Here are two I found on Pintrest. I'm addicted to this site and still an "outsider" (requested an invite but still no word)....probably a good thing because I'm sure I'd spend even more time browsing through everyone's craftiness.

Reese Peanut Butter Banana Bread:

You can use any Banana Bread Recipe and simply add in an 8 oz bag of miniature PB cups then bake at 350 for an hour. I followed her recipe cuz she added PB to her Banana Bread in addition to the PB cups.

www.cookiesandcups.com

Good -YES!

Cinnamon Roll Cake:

Back to Feeding my cold this recipe calls for 3 sticks of butter...no it's not Paula Deen. I couple of the comments said they made this recipe but cut down on the butter. I mean you can if you want, but I say GO FOR IT - The site is www.cookinupnorth.com 

Cake:

3 c flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 c sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 c milk

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 c butter, melted

Topping:

1 c butter, softened

1 c brown sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Then mix all the topping ingredients together until well combined. The recipe says to "drop" this evenly over the batter, but its really thick so I spooned it out into 2 long lines and then swirl into your batter with a knife...will look like a cinnamon roll. Bake at 350 for 28-32 min. They use a glaze, but I think cream cheese frosting would be better more like a cinnamon roll. Best out of the oven but still good snacking cake.

Chicken Stroganoff

So it has started to really look like winter around here. Snow is falling and it is cold! Rudy is an expert at building fires so we have had some cozy dinners lately. On Thursday I wanted something cozy for dinner and thought about stroganoff. I have made this several ways with thin steak, ground beef and now with ground chicken. I have to say that I thought it turned out pretty good and with the exception of the mushrooms, both girls ate it up.

Chicken Stroganoff:

1lb ground chicken ( I was originally going to just use chicken breast that I cut up, but the ground was on sale)

1 yellow onion

1 container of baby portabello mushrooms

1-2 teaspoons of dijon mustard

1-2 teaspoons worchestershire sauce

1 cup chicken stock

1 80z container sour cream

1 package egg noodles

Brown chicken with a little bit of olive oil. Remove from pan, then brown onions and mushrooms. Add chicken back to the pan and add the mustard and worchestershire sauce. Add chicken stock and let simmer for 15 min. This is when you can start the water for the noodles. When the noodles are cooked, add the sour cream to the chicken pan and warm through.

The debate in our house is whether you mix it all together or spoon the chicken mixture over the noodles.

We had some french bread to complete the dinner, although in hindsight I should have made a veg too.

On another note, I have to work the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Christmas so I am looking for some things that I can make for the family to they don't starve. I was thinking Lasagna for Christmas but any other ideas are welcome.

Appetizers

We had a great Thanksgiving and I was sad to see the weekend end...

Eli has the pics from Thanksgiving and I would say overall dinner was delish, but I personally liked our appetizers best so in an effort to provide more recipes... here they are. Eli will have to double check and make sure I didn't forget anything because she actually made it.

Smoked Gouda pimento cheese
1 c. mayo
8 oz cream cheese -soft
2 c. shredded smoked Gouda cheese
1/4 c. grated onion
1 small jar pimento

Pulse everything in the food processor until desired consistency. Check for seasoning and chill to allow flavors to marry. Serve with celery or crackers. Or like I did spread it on bread really thick and devour.

Bacon bark  -Its a good thing Eli looked up the recipe al la Sunny Anderson because we had to send the boys for several ingredients I didn't have

2 bags pecans
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 Tb maple syrup
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Black pepper -to taste
1 tsp paprika or smoked paprika
pinch of salt
2 # crispy bacon

Combine everything in a bowl and coat nuts
Bake in 350 oven about 12-15 minutes until nutty and sugars caramelize
Allow to cool and blot off excess oil
Break up with hands and add 1 c. dried cranberries and 1/2 c. chocolate chips
Be surprised how much everyone will love this.

And on a side note...I think we should track our favorite recipes from this blog for the year and publish a book!!!

THANKSGIVING is UPON US

Well I set my table this morning and will probably change it up again...not quite happy with it kinda of a Hodge Podge of things-meaning got the paper plates this summer, mother-in-law bought me the gold ribbon runner, and couldn't pass up a good deal on the pumpkin topiaries. We will see but onto food...

Every Wednesday before Thanksgiving Queenies is a cross between a family filled Traditional home and the "best little whore house in Texas" hey no children are reading this ;-) The same people come to have breakfast and leave with the same pie orders they have been placing since 1986...as for the latter description, towards the end of our day we are pie and cookie "slingers" and will do just about anything to empty out our deli cases. That's why this year we are relaxing and having a pot luck lunch after we close. Should be an interesting mix. One person is bringing Moroccan hand pies (i will get this recipe for us) another Italian Beef and who knows what the kitchen staff has in store for us. I am going to do some oldie but goodies.

M-M-M Mousse Made Easy-

1 cup milk

2 pkgs. German Sweet chocolate (the smaller you break it up the easier)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1 large pkg. cream cheese (8 oz) Room Temp

2 large containers Cool Whip (8oz each)

Combine in small sauce pan over med heat: milk, chocolate, sugar and cocoa (if you stir the sugar and cocoa together, it will dissolve more quickly) When the chocolate is melted, combine with the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Beat this well and scrape bottom and sides a few times to be sure all lumps are dissolved. When looks like chocolate syrup, add the Cool Whip and mix well. Voila Mousse.

Artichoke, Spinach, and White Bean Dip

...found this awhile ago in my Cooking Light Magazine so some of the ingredients are low-fat but thinking you could use the good ole stuff and it will be good if not better

1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan

1/4 cup canola mayonnaise

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

S&P

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (15 oz) can organic white beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14 oz) can baby artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

1 (9 oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Place first 7 ingredients in a food processor, and process until smooth. Spoon into another bowl. Stir in the artichokes and spinach. Spoon the mixture into a 1 quart glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with the mozzarella. Bake at 350 for 20 min or until bubbly and brown. Serve with Pita Chips.

BEER BREAD and BROWNIES

I have been on hyperdrive for the past few weeks and after an even longer week at work I decided to stay home Saturday night and Bake. Did we have dinner that night you ask? ...NO. We "sacrificed" our waistlines to the dessert gods and had not 1 but 2 bowls of Brownie A La Mode. These aren't your everyday brownies, but Ina's Outrageous Brownies (yes the same one's i so awkwardly told her I loved at the New York Food Show). These are so RICH you really only need 1 ... but I digress. As if the brownies weren't glutinous enough, I made my mom's beer bread Sunday afternoon to go with our Minestrone Soup. This bread is so easy. I usually use 1 can of Budweiser, but we still have some Sam Adams Oktoberfest in the kegerator so subbed that. I think I prefer the Bud, but have also made it with a honey wheat beer and that was good too.

3 Cups self-rising flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1 12 oz can beer

4 Tbsp melted butter

Mix together (this dough is very dense and sticky) and bake at 350 for about 20 min then brush/pour another 3 Tbsp melted butter over the top and bake another 25-30 min.

Best warm and if you can handle it with even more butter, but good to dip in soup or in a couple of days crumble over the top of a casserole or use as the "crust" to a pot pie.

I have my Thanksgiving menu planned out and am starting to think tablescape's so I will use Michael's camera ans take a couple of pics. Let me know what you gals are making - I'm sure it will be fantastic! Love to All

Halloween Treats

Hey ladies I just wanted to share our halloween treats Tony and I made. I am not good at detail decorating but we had fun anyways. Cake pops and cake baked in glasses with spooky spiders.

and this sweet little nugget too!!! this onesie makes us laugh!!

Fall is in the air...

Fall must be the best time of year cause all my favorite comfort foods can make an appearance. First off let me tell you I have a batch of the shredded buffalo chicken sliders in the crock pot right now, they will be served alsonside some nachos and hot dogs as we cheer on the rangers to win the world series tonight. If they don't win I'm pretty sure Jon will slide into a baseball depression. Either way there will be tears...

I watched Booby Flay make this Salmon Chowder a few weeks ago and was just waiting for the weather to get a bit chilly so I could try it out. And even though the soup has bacon and cream it is somehow light which is not necessarily what you think when I say chowder. It starts like any other chowder, render bacon fat and the sweat onions, leeks, celery, and thyme until soft. Normally, this is where you add flour and I thought about it and had to hold myself back because I didnt understand how delicate this soup was going to be. Then I used a small can of good quality fish stock (of course bobby made his own) and vegetable stock. Add in diced red potatoes and allow to simmer until the potatoes are soft. Then add about a cup of heavy cream. Then while the soup was simmering I took fresh salmon and cut it into pretty large chunks. Right before I was ready to serve I tossed in the salmon and just let hang out with the lid on for about 6 or 7 minutes. Long enough for me to chop some fresh parsley and tarragon and sice some crusty bread. Obviously because it has no thickener it is really thin but still rich and the salmon was basically poached so it has this really nice texture along with the creamy potatoes. It might be my new favorite soup.

And then the next night alonside our tacos I made kale and roasted cauliflower. I love broccoli but need a break now and then and Jon will make you eat mixed veggies everyday if he's cooking. And yes even when we have tacos I try to have some sort of veggie option for dinner... Anyway stupid me I always thought kale was a garnish but this year I have seen lots of peeps cook with it and it's supposed to be super healthy. I took my standard approach anytime I make a quick cooking green - bacon, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and stock. In fact it is pretty good if you like greens I only cooked then for about 20 minutes and they were not the most tender, they maintained a bit of chew in a good way and good flavor. And the cauliflower was just roasted -my favorite way to cook cauliflower with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, and smoked paprika. I saw a recipe for cauliflower with capers, roasted garlic and parmesan that I would like to try and I saw where smitten kitchen added pomegranites to the roasted cauliflower and I bet that is a nice contrast of flavor and texture.  If you are cooking any new veggies let me know especialy butternut squash cause thats my fave!

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES

There was a Chill in the Air last night...something reminiscent of long sleeves and hot cider. Could it be...time for Chicken Paprika and Pumpkin Bread ;-)

I made the Pumpkin Bread on Sunday and it is almost gone. We will finish tonight after our smoked turkey sausage and packaged jambalaya mix dinner another easy favorite at our house.

But last night, I made Chicken Paprika. They use to serve this at Kilkenny's a Pub I use to work at around this time so I had a craving. I also think Kilkenny's uses heavy cream or something because our sauce last night was not really thick and creamy. So using skinless, boneless chicken breast halves pan fry in butter until cooked through and juices clear about 8-10 minutes then remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Then add to pan 1 medium white onion sliced thinly and cook about 5 minutes or until translucent but no brown. Not in recipe, but I then added red and yellow bell peppers thinly sliced and cooked another min or two. Season with Hungarian Paprika, S&P, and add 1 cup Chicken Stock. Nestle your chicken breasts into the onions, cover, and simmer on low about 20-25 min. Again remove the chicken and add 1/2 cup sour cream (I used non-fat) turn up heat a bit and make your sauce. Return chicken to pan and coat liberally with sauce. Serve over egg noodles. This smells so good while cooking and the egg noodles really sop up the sauce.

Hope all is well at both your homes and can't wait to see what you make for Thanksgiving!

FALL POTLUCK

Even though we have had 85 degree plus days (including today-UGH) I've still had my Pumpkins since the first of Oct. And ever since my husband built a Pergola, I've been finding reasons to eat outside...so a week or so ago I just had to have people over for a FALL POTLUCK. I did Frito Chili Pie and let the guests make there own right inside the Frito Bag (who knew? not me) with no clean up. I then made individual Mac&Cheese using Sharp Cheddar, Fontina, and Gruyere topped off with more cheese and toasted Panko Crumbs. But the game stopper was the simplest dish and I wanted to share...

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches recipe is for 6 servings:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 (17.5 fluid ounce) bottle buffalo wing sauce

1/2 (1 ounce) pkg dry ranch salad dressing mix

2 tbs butter

6 hoagie rolls ( I used Hawaiian Rolls and loved the sweetness with the Buffalo sauce)

Now are you ready for this...can you handle this... Place the Chicken into the crock-pot and pour in 3/4 of the wing sauce and the ranch dressing mix. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 7 hrs.

In the words of Joey WHOA!

Once the chicken has cooked, take out of crock-pot and shred (it was easier for me this way) then add back into cooker and add the butter stir it up. Serve on your roll with a lil more sauce and I added sweet bread and butter pickles and chunky blue cheese dressing.

The Boys will Love it I Guarantee!

Corn Chowder

Well I know that technically it is still summer, but with the high today 54 degrees I decided that it was time for soup. I decided on corn chowder, or my version of corn chowder. Onions, carrots, red pepper, red potatoes, bacon, corn and whole milk. I would have taken a picture, but I have to say it really didn't look great. But it did taste pretty good.

Steph I was inspired by your pie, but a bit lazy, so I made an apple crostata. I used Granny Smith and Fuji apples. I wish I could have taken a picture of that, but Jonah is the only one who enjoyed it. Someday I will call you both crying because he is gone, but tonight I was crying because my dessert was gone!!!

Oh well, there is always tomorrow.

Apple pie

I took Tony to an apple orchard last weekend, they were having a "festival" lets just say it was underwhelming and due to the drought and extreme heat the apples weren't good either. So after that we went to the grocery store and bought some apples cause now I had my heart set on pie! I like a combo of granny smith and braeburn and the simple flavor of sugar, cinnamon, flour and butter. I ran the apples through the slicer on my food processor which rendered them a little softer than I am used to. And while it was faster to do them that way, I think I'll stick with hand slicing them because I like a bit of texture left in the apples. And then since I am on this constant search between sweet and savory I made a cheddar crust. I used mostly butter a few tablespoons of lard and about a cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. I have to say it was one of my better pie crusts, I might have to stick with the butter lard combo. It had a great rich sharp cheddar flavor which cut through the sweetness in the apples. It wasn't my best apple pie but still pretty good.  Yes, I was eating directly from the pan before I took the picture!

Jon made another brisket this weekend-which is always good cause we can eat on it all week. I think he's trying to perfect it before thanksgiving because he wants to make one for Eli and Rudy to take back. (he tries to keep all his bromances happy)

Anyways I have two more days of official work left and 7 days until I can meet Samuel!!!

Oh and on a side note something that I know you both will appreciate. Some may call it "nesting" but I call it "its about damn time" We bought a new dining room table! Finally!! How silly it feels to be so happy about eating at a table vs the counter. I feel so civilized!

Apple pie in your underwear -like i said -civilized!

yes, another cookie

Soon enough I will have to face the fact that I won't have the pregger excuse and will have to stop this sugar fantasy I have been riding for the past 8 months...BUT until then...

I made some yummy oatmeal cookies with this 5 grain rolled cereal. Basic recipe with butter, sugar, flour, 5 grain blend, baking soda, salt and I subbed cherries for raisins. Yes, they were very good on their own but then I spread one side with nutella and the other side with marshmellow fluff and sandwiched then together. Hello!!!!

Dinners have been less than exciting -roasted chicken, lots of quesedillas and sandwiches, and more eating out than I care to admit.

So if I keep waiting to actually download the pictures off my camera onto the computer I may never post again. But my pictures never look as good as ya'll anyway.

Although it is back to 100 degree weather, the brief heat break and rainshower did wonders for my motivation. Last week the best thing I made (or the only thing I can actually remember) was the snapper in a foil packet. I put a snapper filet on a huge pile of red swiss chard, shallots, lemon slices, wrapped it all upand and threw it on the grill for about 12 minutes. I made a simple butter sauce that I put just a little but of truffle mustard in. Jon made some caldillo -i think that's what he called it. Its like the taco filling with ground beef, potatoes, and highly spiced but its sort of soupy. I love it!! 

This week so far -beans and greens on Monday night with some navy beans I cooked on Sunday, the rest of the chard, and some mini meatballs. Tuesday I made some really good stuffed shells using all my leftovers from the weekend -shredded, chicken, grilled squash, zuccini, mushrooms, homemade pesto, provolone cheese. All baked inside those big pasta shells and covered with more cheese. I was worried Jon and tony wouldn't like the pesto flavor cause I put 3 huge spoonfuls in but they gobbled it up. I am convinced anything with pasta and cheese is a winner so I will be trying the veggie lasagna soon. And last night was not so successful... I had 1 avocado, 1/2 jar bread and butter pickles, 1 peach, a handful of cheese-its, and a big glass of chocolate milk!  Jon and Tony had bratwurst and just stared at my strange dinner selection. I have some sirloin pieces that I thawed out so I hope to make something with that tonight but we'll see.

Meatless Monday

Eli beautiful Pics of your Can Goods! Can't wait to try them. Nothing clever today, but I made a good Meatless Monday Meal thought i'd share.

Zucchini and Spinach Lasagna:

1 8 oz,whipped chive cream cheese

1 15 oz ricotta

1/3 c fresh basil

1 tsp salt

4-5 med zuke thinly sliced use that mandolin ladies ;-)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 10 oz pkg fresh spinach

2 cloves of garlic minced

6 no-boil Lasagna (i couldn't find this so used WW LASAGNA noodles)

1 7 oz pkg shredded mozzarella

Preheat at 425 stir together first 4 ingredients. Saute Zuke until lightly brown then add spinach until wilted add garlic cook 1 more minute. Then Layer your veggie, noodles, cheese repeat. Top Lasagna off with the whole bag of mozzarella DO IT! Bake covered 25-30 min then uncover bake 5-10 min more let stand and ENJOY.

There is sooo much cheese in this that the kiddos and men in your lives might enjoy - mine did.

Wishing you both Happy Cooking.

Heather

Pickles and such

Hello ladies!

We're back from vacation and I can't wait to get back into the kitchen and cook. Rudy and I made a deal to stay away from any fast food on our trip and I must say that we stuck to it! However we are a little tired of pub/brewery fare pizza and mexican as it was all that the little towns seemed to have. I do have to say that we did see a couple of Asian restaurants, but were a little nervous to try them in such small towns. Maybe next time.

So I have a few things to tell you ladies. First is that I am watching a little food network and just saw that The Pioneer Woman has a show that will debut on Aug. 27th. Should be worth checking out.

Second I guess I am going to have to make these cookies that Heather now calls C4. I am going to try a chocolate hazelnut cookie with Temple tomorrow, and may wait until Heather comes for a visit to try the chip cookies.

Third is that before I left for our vacation I got in the pickling/jam wagon. I made some blueberry jam that turned out pretty great. Maybe a little too sweet for my taste, but the girls loved it. I couldn't decide if I wanted to use pectin or not and ultimately added half the recommended amount and cooked the jam for a little longer. It turned out to have a good consistency.

I also made bread and butter pickles/jalapenos and some pickled zucchini. The zucchini recipe is from here:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/quick-pickled-zucchini-recipe.html

I use a serrano by mistake, but I like the subtle heat it gives to the pickles. Great flavor without being to vinegery :)

I got the bread and butter recipe from smitten kitchen and I thought the pickle were OK. The tumeric didn't incorporate into the liquid. I am not sure if I should have let it cook longer or what. But the Jalapenos were AMAZING!!! I was standing in the kitchen eating them out of the jar trying to figure out what else to eat them with. I did can a batch so I can share them with you both!

here is the link to the jalapeno recipe: http://www.jalapenocafe.com/recipes/preserve/preserve_BreadButter.html

Tonight I think we are going to have beef and broccoli stir fry. I am now off to find some lunchbox ideas for T.

First grade!!!!! Where did the time go?

SISTERS INSPIRED DINNER

Tonight I made a SISTERS INSPIRED DINNER thanks to you both. The Menu Thai Chicken Tacos with Cabbage Slaw and Crack Chocolate Chip Cookies (aka Preggers Cookies). Stephanie you are not alone I've never heard of these cookies before why were we left in the dark for so long...seriously why these cookies are addictive. For the tacos, I marinated diced chicken breast in cilantro, red pepper flakes, fresh minced garlic, fresh minced shallot, a little fish sauce, soy sauce, and sirachia. A couple of hours later just cook the mixture in a skillet and set up your taco station. I had limes, sour cream, shredded cheese and tomatoes. I skipped a step and bought the pre-made cabbage slaw from the grocery store so dinner only took 15 minutes. We gobbled them up with the anticipation of the "drug" that was to come next - "C4" or Crack Chocolate Chip Cookies. With one bite your taste buds are confused and happy at the same time. The saltiness of the chips on your tongue draws you in wanting more and then BAM the sweet chocolaty goodness of the chocolate chips hits your mouth. There is a strange familiarity in these cookies and you will be hooked for life.

Other People's Pickled Produce

I wanted to follow up with my Pickling Adventures. So after a month in the fridge I cracked open the Pickled Cucumbers and Cherry Tomatoes and well they came out...OK, just ok, pretty vinegary is that a word? I will try it again and maybe even graduate to canning next year but you got to start somewhere. Anywho, I'm sad to say that my Garden is now DEAD thanks to a record breaking Heat Wave and I'm on to eating other people's pickled produce. Until next year. Heather

Pregnant Cookies

Aparently this is nothing new but I had never heard of it until yesterday. I had a customer come into the kitchen and he told me his baker makes chocolate chip potato chip cookies. WHAT!!! Come on you cannot tell a pregger that and not expect me to make some. Yes they were all I hoped they would be, sweet, salty, and chocolaty, the lightest crunch with a bit of softness in the middle. I think I had three or four. (FIVE) I would have taken pictures but I can't seem to get it together enough...So if either of you have some time make a basic batch of chocolate chip cookies and add 2 cups of crushed lays -YUM!

As far as dinner -We had flank steak last night, it was marinated overnight in pineapple juice, cilantro, onions, salt and pepper. Grilled it quickly and cooked it to about medium, I sliced it thin and served with corn tortillas, carmelized onions, and guac. I love anything in a corn tortilla!

Tonight I'm not so sure what to make.

Canning

Heather, If I was your neighbor I would sneak over your fence and steel your beautiful tomatoes!! I love roasted/melted tomatoes and that recipes looks fabulous.

Also thank you for the microplane -You did not have to do that but it was so thoughtful.

Anyway I took my first stab at canning. I don't know why it had me so intimidated, I know millions of cooks everywhere do it but for some reason I have always been scared to try. So after I read the directions about 100 times I was surprised at how simple it really was. Also surprised at how much sugar it took (yikes 7 cups!) But I was afraid to veer from the recipe so I made apricot jam and strawberry jam and I am very happy with the results. In fact I've had PB and J for breakfast and my late night snack 2 days in a row. Baby must like sugar because it's making my mouth water as I type. This next weekend I want to tackle pickles and jalapenos! 

Last night we made spaghetti and Meatballs - but Tony's meatballs were more like mis-shapen meat patties. I don't know if you ladies do this, but I never use breadcrumbs in my meatballs/meatloaf. I take bread and soak it in milk. It acts like a binder but gives the meat a light silky texture that I really like. Stolen from Stellas meatball recipe, other than that its basic - onion, garlic, grated cheese, egg, seasonings. I fry them until dark golden and then simmer in a slightly sweet tomato sauce to cook through. Served with too much grated pecorino.

And then finally at work this morning I made a Bleu Cheese and Scallion Biscuit - I called this second breakfast (after my pbj and banana breakfast). A basic butter biscuit recipe with 1 1/2 c. of blue cheese crumbles and sliced scallions. They were really tender with the salty cheese and bite of the green onion.

I also made some risotto which was good, kind of heavy for a late July afternoon, but my real plan is to make arancici with it. Shape the leftover risotto into balls and stuffed with fresh mozzarella and pancetta and then fried until crisp.

Canning

Heather, If I was your neighbor I would sneak over and steal your tomatoes!! I love roasted or melted tomatoes and that recipe looks fabulous.

Also thank you for the microplane -Very thoughtful!

Anyway I took my fist stab at canning I'm not sure why I know millions of cooks everywhere do it but it has always intimidated me. So after I read the directions like 100 times it was actually easier than I thought. I made apricot jam and strawberry jam and I am happy with how they both came out. It seemed like a lot of sugar (7 cups) but I was afraid to veer from the recipe. Anywa,  I think this weekend I will do a little more, I saw plums on sale and I love plum jam and then I want to try pickles and jalapenos

Tomatoes...The Summer Fruits of My Labor I mean Flavor

Melted Tomatoes with Green Onion Chicken (Aug BHG)

I told you I'd cook. Let me explain the "Fruits of My Labor"- every day I come home and pick about a doz ripe cherry tomatoes from my stash and add it to my collection, then I water said plants for about 20 minutes a night, then I have to decided what to do with these perfect little poppers besides the obvious so I've pickled some, chopped some, and ate many.

What's for Dinner Sister? Melted Tomatoes not sure how different they are from Roasted Tomatoes hmm...but you slice your medium size tomatoes (fresh, but a little under-ripe, from the Farmers Stand on the Corner) and layer evenly in 3 qt baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, fresh basil, and S&P then bake at 300 for 1.5-2hrs (I did the latter) you want them slightly dried and soft. Then cool about 10 min before serving - I could have eaten the entire pan and called it a night. They were bursting with Flavor so sweet so perfect. Tomatoes, when ripe, fall under my top ten perfect foods.

As for the chicken, the recipe calls for it to marinate 8 hrs to overnight and I wish I had to really let the flavor of the onion kick in, but i got greedy and did them last minute so they "soaked" for 6 hrs. I used 2 whole chicken legs and a drum which I skinned, covered in olive oil and S&P both sides, then added a 1/2 cup chopped green onions (white and green parts) wrapped and refrigerated. The recipe calls for the chicken to be done on a charcoal grill (Husband, I really want one) but we used our gas grill and cooked about 45 minutes. Plate the final product with the tomatoes and serve with lemon wedges. Take a bite and you get the flavorful burst of the sweet tomato in combination with the acid from the lemon and the subtleness of the green onion "cooked" into the chicken. I served with a Garden Salad with Beets, my Cherry Tomatoes, and Blue Cheese, Garlic Bread and White Wine of course. Cheers to Summer Dining!

Red, White, and Full

4th of July BLOWOUT!

Who needs fireworks when you have Fried Tacos, Brisket, Biscuits and Gravy, Pickled Shrimp, a Crab Boil, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Chocolate Pudding, Savory French Toast and TONS of FUN!?!?

I'm still recuperating from all that good food. Thanks again Ladies and let's try to not make it a once a year thing - we belong in the kitchen together.

Not much cooking going on here - spending my evenings watering my yard and garden. Got my first Cucumber and can't wait to get a couple of more to make pickles. Mom was in town and we had Pho, Thai, and Pei Wei hmm think someone should open an Asian restaurant in E-Town. Going to try and make something this weekend so will keep you posted.

Recovered

Ok, first I stole the tagline from Heathers first post because I too loved it. I had such a great time seeing everyone but especially you guys. So much more fun to be in the kitchen with ya'll. Jon is still talking about the pickled shrimp. (I dont think he believes I could recreate it)

But I have to admit it took a full week to recover from our visit. I literally felt hungover on Tuesday and we did not do anything. I of course blamed the pregnancy... Anyway I really didn't do any cooking the following week, I made a batch of carbonara but most we ate the leftovers and sandwiches. But we got back to it yesterday. I got a small turkey last Thanksgiving and we never cooked it, so I defrosted it, brined it, and then smeared a garlic herb butter under the skin. Jon smoked it for about 3 1/2 hours basing it with the butter drippings. We ate it with a salad and some fresh broccoli. It was  pretty yummy, Jon is really getting great with the smoker. Tonight I have some nice ribeyes I want to grill. I'm thinking smeared with some leftover garlic herb butter.

Back to Reality

So let me start by saying that I LOVED seeing you both!! I am not sure now what I have to look forward to. October seems so far away and forget about Thanksgiving! I had the best weekend cooking and learning from you both. Heather, the pickled shrimp was outstanding!! As was the pineapple cake and the chocolate pudding. (All of which we need to talk about) And Steph, the crab boil was so much fun and yummy.

So back in Colorado tonight I made tortellini with pesto, peas, and spinach. The pesto was a gift from a friend at work so putting it all together was pretty easy. I hate when you go to a restaurant and when you get something with pesto you can hardly taste it. Not my pasta, it was so good. I also made chicken thighs on the grill. Now I know that for you two grill masters this is nothing exciting, but I have never successfully executed chicken on the grill. When Steph was here for a visit she gave me a couple of tips. I got the grill hot, then turned one side to low, seared my chicken and closed the lid. I just sort of turned, moved, let it cook for about 35 min. The skin was crispy and not burned, the chicken was juicy. You guys must have been a good influence. I would have posted pictures, but the lighting was crummy and the pictures did not look appetizing.

For dessert we are having the last of the fudgecicles which I will find the recipe and post about later. I really am going to try and be better about posting.

Finally...Whoever put the tagline at the top of the blog I LOVE IT! So true.

GET TO PICKLING

Thanks again sister for my Food and Wine subscription - Love it and used it again this weekend. Had some people over for a game of Washers (my husband found this game and built it for him and the neighbors) and of course there was Food and Drinks. I made Pickled Shrimp with Creamy Spinach Dip and will make it again, and again, and again...sorry Rudy. So you start off with a large saucepan of water, white wine vinegar (I used combo Rice Wine and Plain Vinegar), sugar, garlic, jalapenos, bay leaves, S & P, and allspice berries (I used pickling berries) bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar and add the shrimp for about a minute just to pink it up a bit. Transfer shrimp and liquid to large bowl let cool to room temp then cover and refrigerate 8-10 hr. Spoon out the shrimp and jalapenos (they taste like candy) and serve over ice al la shrimp cocktail. The recipe called for spinach dip and I did make some with a packet of dry mix and sour cream, but I liked these just plain or maybe with some "spicy" cocktail sauce.

From the same issue we made Tequila-Mustard Glazed Chicken skewers. Marinate chicken in tequila, light brown sugar, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and salt. Then "made" (the recipe calls for making homemade mustard) the mustard glaze with combo of honey mustard, spicy brown mustard, lime juice, tequila, honey, and chili powder. Skewered up the chicken, brushed with glazed turned and glazed again. The result very tender and sweet chicken with a hint of tequila.

Side dishes included watermelon, feta, and mint salad as well as broccoli coleslaw salad with craisins and ramen. Dessert was boxed Pineapple Upside Down Cake. And ice cold beers and Gin cocktails with Grapefruit Izze and rosemary.

So looking forward to the Fourth of July Cookoff ;-) See Everybody Soon. XOXO

Grill 30

We have been grilling fools lately. It is already hitting 100 on a weekly basis so anytime I can avoid heating up the house I will. That coupled with the fact that Jon repaired the gas grill and we are in business. Over the past 2 weeks we have grilled salmon (Alaskan please), steaks, beer can chicken, potatoes, zucchini and asparagus all seasoned with simple olive oil, salt, and pepper. But my personal fav has been the beer brats, which isn't 100% kitchen free but its soooo easy. Take some onions and lightly sweat them down in too much butter, add a can of beer and barely simmer the brats until they are done. Then finish them on the grill to crisp the skin and a light smoke. I prefer them rolled in a flour tortilla, spicy mustard and some onions used in the bath. I have also been hooked on a black bean salad with corn and sweet 100 tomatoes, in a lime cilantro vinaigrette.

Steph   

Breakfast for dinner

Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner? Rudy Landry.....So while he had Aikido last night the girls and I had pancakes, bacon and eggs. The bummer of the deal was that I have this great recipe for buttermilk pancakes from Smitten Kitchen. They have become my staple. I mixed all the dry ingredients and realized I didn't have any buttermilk. No big deal, went to the store and bought THE WRONG MILK! And while I attempted to do the whole lemon juice to the milk equals buttermilk it just didn't turn out right. The pancakes tasted OK, but were pretty thin.

Oh well, the bacon was good.

Ode to Salad –

So easy to make, you don’t have to bake - yet tasty and complex I wonder what’s next…fresh veggies for sure, fruit if you’re sweet, and maybe some meat to make it complete.

Ginger Steak Salad (courtesy of the Pioneer Women)

I had some flank steak left over so marinated it in ginger, soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, and a lil olive oil and then grilled it and let it rest. For the salad dressing, I used olive oil, soy sauce, sugar, fresh ginger minced, garlic, and lime juice (didn’t have a jalapeño like the recipe called for) then chopped up some tomatoes, asparagus, and cucumber tossed all the ingredients and VOILA – ONE TASTY SALAD. Serving with some Crusty Bread and for dessert Pineapple Angle food cake. Simple mix 1 large can of crushed pineapple (drained) into your boxed batter and bake – keeps the cake super moist and delicious. With the reserved juice, I made pineapple margaritas another easy breezy night at the Smither House.

For Steph -

Some quick Make o’ Meal favorites? I’ll have to write them down as I’m doing it, but we eat mostly Chicken, Whole Wheat Pasta, and Thin Pork Chops made 101 different ways and pair them with...dare I say a Boxed side.

-I will add spinach, tomatoes; maybe some roasted garlic and pine nuts to a box of couscous

-To pasta you both know the possibilities are endless… right now loving mushrooms and asparagus or peas (fresh or frozen) and bacon (left over from breakfast) or edamane (frozen), aruglua, and herbs from my garden

-We eat tuna helper and will add extra tuna and fresh or frozen veggies of choice to punch it up

-With the left over tuna cans or canned salmon, I will make Tuna Cakes the way Grandma Enid taught me with crushed saltine crackers, eggs, and salt and pepper then serve a sauce of lemon juice, dill and mayo

…Or I will use the tuna in a salad with hardboiled eggs, tomatoes, arugula or spinach, red onion, and maybe olives or capers

-I’ve used, but not proudly, boxed mashed potatoes or the scalloped potatoes but will add some more cheese, maybe crispy pancetta (store bought) and dried oregano or I’ve used the potatoes o’ gratin and added cooked chicken to kind of make a casserole

We also use and abuse our slow cooker but that’s another blog

TO BE CONTINUED…

Berry cookie bars

First off, yay for Heather, so happy to have you apart of our blog. And just so you know describing what you ate even if someone else made it is totally ok. Also, believe it or not, I am open to learning how to utilize convenience items mixed with fresh meat and veggies. Some days I cannot bear to be in the kitchen or I have no idea what to make, so it would be nice to have a quick trick with a few of your favorite products.

Anyway, I was searching around on Smitten Kitchen and ran across a blueberry cookie bar. I was gonna post a picture but we ate them too fast. They are really easy, Tony and I made them in about 20 minutes. I used a mix of raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, because that's what was on sale and we substituted lime juice for lemon juice. Basically you combine, flour, sugar, salt, and lime zest and cut in cold butter. Place half the mix on the bottom, then top with sugar, cornstarch, and berry mix, and the other half of the crumble. I think if you mixed in some rolled oats to the top half it could pass as a breakfast bar. (I ate 2 giant squares with coffee) 

This isn't a new idea but I keep thinking about this ice cream flavor. Homemade vanilla ice cream with Nutella ribbons and then crumble those Ferrer Rocher chocolates. Gonna go freeze the ice cream bowl!!

Oh yeah forgot - took the Mother in law out for Mother's Day lunch and shopping then back home to mini strawberry shortcakes - staying true to my week of "non" cooking I used store bought sponge cake, whip cream, and had some strawberries and mint left over. We washed it all down with a little skinny girl margaritas and enjoyed the rest of our day.

I enjoy cooking - but not as much as my sister’s nor am I as good a cook, but I do enjoy eating so that’s my contribution to this blog. The description of family that fits our story is “a group of objects (us) unified by a significant shared characteristic (cooking/eating/entertaining)”. The question/description of food and cooking I like best is well…what’s for dinner sister?

Now I can set a mean tablescape and I like to use china outdoors, but when I throw together a meal for my husband and I it usually contains fresh veggies or meat added to our box meal of the week hello “Mr. Helper” or “Pasta al a carte”. Last week was no exception. One night it was packaged fettuccine with sautéed mushrooms, canned tomatoes, and olives, all topped with grilled chicken and Parmesan. Then another night was grilled pork chops that had been marinated in a little dijon, soy sauce, maple syrup, garlic, and ginger - I served it with brussels sprouts and Suddenly Salad Pasta. But Saturday we went crazy and cooked. I purchased a whole rainbow trout and stuffed his insides with a medley from my herb garden and limes (cuz I was out of lemons) and we grilled it to a perfect flakiness and served alongside a fresh salad and grilled asparagus purchased that morning from the Farmers Market. For dessert fresh strawberries drizzled with balsamic vinegar and dressed with mint – a light and I’m going to say healthy meal for us.

This week who knows…we might “cook” again but tonight its salad with chicken quick and easy…to be continued.

Heather

Sweet Potatoes

You have told me you have a sugar addiction, I think I need to admit I might have a butter addiction. and the fact that Tony is always trying to eat the butter straight from the dish with a spoon should confirm I use a little more than necessary. That being said I made a really good sweet potato gratin loaded with butter and cheese which probably counters all the health benefits sweet potatoes have.

So I sliced the potatoes thin and layer in a dish with butter, parmesan cheese, and black pepper. Then I poured half and half that I steeped nutmeg and a little brown sugar over the potatoes. I topped it with some panko bread crumbs, parmesan, and crumbled bacon (all mixed with just a little more melted butter) and baked for about 45 minutes. It was yummy and everyone loved it. We had it with roasted chicken and some fresh corn on the cob - also delish and smeared with too much butter.

I have been craving asian noodles - like pad thai or soba and have gone out twice this week to satiate the craving but I still want more. So I might try to tackle that one this weekend. (or realize how many ingredients I have to by and go out for more noodles). I'm not very good at getting the flavors balanced when I make asian food so I will have to do some research.

Do you know any good recipes?

Pizza

So we made our pizza last night and it turned out pretty good. I think that refrigerating it overnight made the dough better! I have read this in several recipes including pancake batter. I made mine with fresh spinach, artichoke hearts, goat cheese, kalamata olives and caramelized onions. Temple had hers with olives and cheese, Jhai was just cheese and Rudy went with the classic pepperoni. What I loved best was all of us gathered around the kitchen counter rolling our dough and just having family time. I am about to go back to work for the next few days so cooking will be limited.

I cooked!

OK so I did some cooking for the family over the weekend. First last night I cooked a ham, broccoli, cheese quiche. Easy, but pretty good. Then today I baked the Sally Lund bread recipe from smitten kitchen. It was OK, good crumb, she said she decreased the sugar in the recipe, but I think I would maybe increase it a little. But warm with some homey butter, can I really complain. Then T and I were going to make pizza for dinner tonight, and we did make the dough, but after soccer practice, and knowing that I would have to go to the store to get toppings, we changed plans and will have pizza tomorrow night for dinner. I couldn't go through a drive thru for dinner and so on the fly I made homemade mac and cheese. I know it isn't much, but I think the last time I tried to make a cheese sauce it was awful! I think I didn't cook the flour long enough and it was really pasty tasting. Tonight it was creamy and cheesy enough without being too much. Both girls ate it so in my book that is a success! It was good to cook again!

I'm here!

Sister, so glad that we are going to keep this thing going. I am off all weekend and I plan to cook for us. I want to make your chocolate syrup, a bread recipe I saw over on Smitten Kitchen, a japanese chicken katsu curry and blueberry pancakes from scratch. I agree that with spring/summer and all the great vegetables we need to cook more. I am also going to try and include some pictures to spruce the blog up!

Last weekend the girls and I potted basil, dill, mint, and parsley in the kitchen window. It is still a little chilly to plant in pots outdoors, but we are going to try tomatoes, beans, peas, and peppers this summer. I am still debating lettuce.

OK so I will post as I cook over the weekend.

The blog is not dying!

Ok, we can't give up on this yet we just got started and with summer just around the way I am optimistic about all of the fresh produce and grill outs we will be sharing. So I will fill you in on what I have made recently.
Best thing in the past couple of weeks was the broccoli slaw -I was the only one that ate it but since I am the writer here it was my favorite dish. Shredded fresh broccoli, dry cranberries, toasted almonds, shredded carrots and a sweet tangy dressing with mayo, lime juice, sugar, tobasco sauce, lawreys salt and lots of black pepper -Yum! Yes I said lawreys seasoned salt -ala Michelle -I dont know why but lately I have been loving it -especially on popcorn!
I made green chile chicken enchiladas -I typically buy a premade enchilada sauce and they usually suck. So this time I bought frozen roasted green chiles, pureed them with garlic, onion, and some of the liquid I cooked the chicken in. Then the usual, roll the chicken in the tortilla, smother with sauce and cheese and then bake.
And finally the hidden gem -I made croque madams and I couldnt believe how much Jon and Tony liked them, they were licking the plate. I didn't want fast food, I was too lazy to go to the store on Friday night and we were low on groceries. So I got creative... toasted bread topped with sliced ham and cheese, covered with a bechamel and topped with a fried egg. I served some broccoli on the side which was great fro scraping up the extra sauce and cheese and voila -fast simple and satisfying!
Ok, now your turn to catch me up on what you've been cooking lately.

Liquid love

If I told you we drink about a gallon of milk a week that would be no suprise. If I told you at LEAST half was chocolate milk would you judge... I could blame Tony but truthfully I could match him glass for chocolaty glass. So today I made my own chocolate syrup. So easy and I already had everything I needed, it is simply sugar, water, chocolate syrup, vanilla, salt and corn syrup. Boil and cool. (Thanks Alton) No HFC,no gums, and no artificial flavor. In fact, I just sent Jon to the store for some ice cream cause I sort of felt guilty eating it straight from the pan, but only because it all would not fit into the bottle.

As far as dinner, I have relied on comfort food lately, tonight we had roasted chicken and potatoes with mustard greens. Yesterday I wanted barbacoa, but when I went to purchase the cheek meat it is so disgusting looking that I couldn't do it. I'll leave the traditonal barbacoa for eating out. So I made shredded beef tacos instead - white girl style. I took a chuck roast and basically made a pot roast with mexican seasoning -garlic, onion, comino, tomato. Then boiled down all the liquid, shredded the beef and combined it with the glaze. Served with fresh corn tortillas, onions and cilantro, and guac. They were great, and I think could easily be done in a crock pot for a week day meal. We like it so much that I'm thinking about doing it with the pork butt in the cooler for later this week.  

cheddar crusty bread

I rarely make bread from scratch but we were invited to dinner on Saturday and they asked if I would bring bread and thought I couldn't get away with walking in with a loaf of grocery store garlic bread. So I bought a bag of King Arthur bread flour and used the recipe off the back of the bag. It was a cheddar and garlic stuffed crusty french loaf. It began with a starter and was a pretty standard bread recipe but then you roll it out into a rectangle and put shredded sharp Cheddar and roasted garlic and then roll it up allow it to bench proof and I baked it on my pizza stone. I threw a couple of ice cubes in the bottom of the oven to help the outside get crusty and then basted it with a stick of garlic herb butter when it came out of the oven. It was DELISH!!! It had a pretty pinwhell of bright cheddar cheese when you cut it and Jon said it was the best part of the meal. I will have to send you the exact recipe. It took all day to proof  but it was so simple I will definitely make it again.

Swordfish

Last night I grilled swordfish. I was so excited and it was smelling delish but then one bite and something happened and I couldn't eat it. Jon and even Tony loved it. I just seasoned it with salt and pepper and olive oil put it on a hot cast iron seared it on all sides and served it with a garlic compund butter. I made rice pilaf and broccoli to go along side. So I ate my broccoli and rice and finished up with a bowl of pecan praline ice cream. And tonight on the complete opposite side Jon requested chicken fried steak and gravy which I am equally looking forward to.

"Jambalaya"

So this is an afterthought post. A few days ago I had a wild hair and decided to try and make jambalaya. I saw Art Smith on some show and he had a very easy recipe. I used chicken andouille because that made me think it was healthy. I browned it, then added the trinity, onions, celery and red pepper. Then I added some canned tomatoes, chicken stock and brown rice, some spicy seasoning and let it cook. Rudy and the girls were not fans, but I liked it and ate it for lunch for a week. I was going to add some browned chicken, but decided that I would save the chicken for later.

Dinner with a friend

So last night I roasted some breasts and thighs in a marinade with lemon, honey, and olive oil. I baked it with some kalamata olives and whole garlic cloves. We also had gnocchi, which I have to say were beautiful. After some research I found a recipe from Lucinda Quinn who does everyday food for Martha Stewart. She has you bake potatoes, cool then then run them through the ricer. No eggs, just flour and salt to make the dough. They were so great. I used store bought pesto as a sauce. We finished it with some asparagus steamed. For dessert we had brownies and ice cream. Jonah helped himself to the first batch of brownies so I made some more from scratch. I added some powdered espresso to the batter (a la Ina Garten)

I have to say that I was pleased with the meal overall. The chicken was approaching a little dry, but still yummy.

Etouffee

So the only thing I cooked last week was Etouffee and Grilled Chicken Tenders. The chicken tenders were nothing special just seared in a skillet along with some rice and green beans. But the Etouffee was fantastic!! I have only made Etouffee one other time and its not something I order but we had a customer in that was talking about it and I was inspired I guess. It was very time consuming but the end result was rich, comforting, and a little spicy. I made a dark roux, added in the trinity, seasonings, stock, and shrimp, crab, and sausage and served it over white rice. I don't know if it would pass in Naw'leans but the whole family ate it up.

Less Meat

Ok If you DVR Oprah look for last weeks episode about vegan. Pollan is on and Cargill and this vegan lady. It was really interesting. I would love to eat less meat here but it's so hard to convince Jon otherwise.  I know we could never be vegetarians or vegans (ha) but I wish we would be more aware of our choices. Maybe I could start with meatless Mondays but I need some killer recipes for Jon to go for it. Any ideas that have gone over well with your fam?

So last night I made a chicken tortilla soup. Nothing special, except the hit of the soup was the crispy corn tortilla strips. I ussally use store bought chips, but I had some white corn tortillas and I cut them in thin strips and fried them. Pretty good. Nothing special about the soup except I am trying to cut back on meat and so I added more beans, corns and green chiles. I am starting to read some Michael Pollan books and I think I want to try and implement some of the ideas. I keep putting off a garden until I have a bigger yard, but who knows when that will happen! So Temple's violin teacher talked to me about growing a salad garden. Her husband is some sort of plant guy and I thought it might be interesting. We are eating pho for dinner tonight, but tomorrow I am going to try fried chicken and I am going to soak it in buttermilk!

Gone Country...

So I know you guys are experiencing the same cold weather we are so last night it was beans and cornbread. I boiled some pintos for about 2 hours. Then added sauteed bacon, onions, and garlic. Added diced fresh tomatoes and diced poblanos. Salt, pepper, cumin, and smoked paprika. Simmered for another hour. Served with cornbread made straight from the jiffy blue box. Jon grew up eating beans for every meal so I don't think he liked it as much as I did but there's something so comforting about it.

Tacos al Pastor

We made tacos al pastor last night. I got a Rick Bayless book for Christmas and it caught my eye as I was flipping through it. I found some sirloin cut pork chops on sale at United. Rick said to use pork shoulder and slice it yourself but ya know gotta shop the sales. I made a marinade with canned chipotles, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, sliced white onions, garlic, olive oil, 1 can of pineapple S/P. And let them marinate for about 5 hours. Jon grilled them on a charcoal fire along with the pineapple and onions we fished out of the marinade (not sure if that's health code appropriate but I didn't think about that till just now) Any way I sliced the pork and put it on tortillas, with the onions and pineapple a good heaping teaspoon of guacamole,and down the hatch. YUMMY! Slightly spicy with sweet and savory. We didn't even bother with any sides, it was a winner recipe.

Tonight is refrigerator clean out so probably some version of soup and a tomato cuke salad.

OK so a few things. Dinner at the Maldo house sounds good. I am feeling better and have to say 1. That the red velvet concrete sounds yummy! And don't you have a reason to indulge now? :) 2. I am disturbed by a piece of information that I know you already knew. That is that the USDA says that you only have to have 40% beef in a product to call it meat?!?!? WTF?? Seriously I may not eat fast food again. I have to say that I have not had Taco Bell in years, but now I question alot of my other hamburger choices.

So the only thing I have cooked this week are sloppy joes/french fries and I had 2 chicken breasts in my fridge so I made this enchilada casserole. Green enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan, I cooked the chicken breasts in the oven with some adobo seasoning, chopped it up and mixed it with sour cream, green chiles, black beans and then layered that in a casserole dish with corn tortillas and cheese. However, I am the only one eating it. I have hit a wall with the girls. I too do not want to be a short order cook, but the struggle each night is so frustrating!

Also, do you do some sort of dessert every night. The girls seem to expect it and I try to limit it, but Rudy uses it as a tool to get them to eat. I don't want to continue that habit.

OK enough of my rant, tomorrow night we will have gyoza and rice for dinner with vegetables. At least I know the girls will eat the rice and some of the veg.

Broccoli Rapini

I know you don't like bitter greens so not sure why I'm sharing it but it was dinner last night. I browned bacon then added garlic paste (thanks to my fancy plate) red bell peppers, red pepper flakes, and then threw in two bunches of chopped rapini.  I cooked it with chicken stock for about 5 minutes and the tossed with pasta, olive oil and lemon juice and zest. Of course meat free (bacon doesn't count) is not an option so I threw some leftover diced chicken in Jon's bowl. Tony just ate lemony buttered noodles with shredded parm and a side of cauliflower -frozen then microwaved. I claim not to be a short order cook yet all three of us had different meals...

I have some ground beef to contend with tonight so we'll see what I can come up with.

I realized I never officially answered your question about taco seasoning so here goes. I like salt, pepper, and granulated garlic on everything. Then for tacos, I add onion powder, cumin, a shot of tomato paste (if I happen to have some -Jon never adds it) and then chicken stock and let everything simmer together for 10-15 minutes.

Love you.  Hope you are feeling better.

Shredded cheese

I just thought I would share my latest money saving tip... We eat alot of cheese here, as a snack or in the dozens of burritos, quesedillas, or scrambled eggs we eat weekly and I usually buy convience cheese products either preshredded or cubed. But for the last 2 weeks I have bought a 2# block of cheese and spent 5 minutes cutting or shredding it put it in a plastic bag and it is ready to use. It probably really only saves me a few dollars each grocery trip but it only takes 2 minutes with the shred blade of the food processor, and it somehow tases better and melts better.

Brisket and chicken wings

Yesterday Jon tried to smoke a brisket but it was so windy he gave up after about two hours of fighting with it. So I wrapped it in plastic and then foil and stuck it in the oven for about 8 hours. It was slightly smokey but really tender. I made a tomato cucumber salad, a pot of beans, and some mac and cheese to go with it. The mac was sort of an afterthought and really bad for you. I had a small chunk of Velveeta, heavy cream, shredded cheddar, and half a stick of butter. But I used the enriched omega 3 pasta!!

I sort of feel like this doubles as a food diary so I must confess earlier in the afternoon Tony and I went for ice cream and I had a red velvet concrete -Vanilla ice cream mixed with red velvet cake and fresh raspberries, then they swirled in cream cheese frosting ribbons, and chocolate chips. Hello why has no one done this before, it was bliss

Tonight we are having chicken wings...Not my choice but Jon requested it so I will oblige...Maybe I will be having a salad tonight which is probably a good idea considering the fat party I had yesterday.

Love you!

The old standby

So I roasted the two chicken I had in my refrigerator. Just simple oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Lately I have been cutting the backs out and snapping the keil bone and kindof flattening the chicken out. They seem to cook a bit faster and I am able to make stock with the backs and wings. Then tonight Jon shredded the chicken down, cooked some rice (with my homemade stock) and added frozen peas and carrots. Its made quite often here at the maldo house, it is simple but fast which is exactly what I needed on this Thursday night.

Oh yeah about an hour before I came home I had a plate of cheesefries....Naughty naughty!

So last night Rudy made tacos! I had to work and we are trying to get him in the kitchen more. Rudy's tacos consist of browned meat, no seasoning in taco shells with cheese and salsa. But I can't complain because at least he cooked. He doesn't like the prepackaged taco seasoning and I can't blame him so any combination of spices you can recommend he would greatly appreciate! Tonight I am going simple with carbonara. Who doesn't love bacon, eggs, and cheese!

I am going to try gnocchi in a couple of weeks with a friend. I have a recipe from Mad Hungry and hope it turns out well. I am looking forward to using the ricer which as I understand it is key. I had never heard of a french gnocchi version.

Lets talk about your visitors!

Pot roast and failed gnocchi

Slacker indeed... Lets just say I had surprise visitors this week. All is back to normal now and I spent the day cooking for the week. Tonight we had pot roast. I love pot roast! I am a firm believer in chuck making the best roast ever. But my real favorite part of pot roast is the carrots and gravy. I think everyone else eats the carrots because they have to but I LOVE them. They are sweet and beefy and yes I drink the broth right from the bowl.

On to the gnocchi -I have made good gnocchi in the past and thought I knew what I was doing until I was reading Julias MTAFC and she uses pate a choux with her riced potatoes. WHAT! WHY? a little research and come to find out the french found a way to perfect gnocchi (or so I read) Anyway bottom line is my ratios of potatoes to choux paste must have been off because they ended up disintegrating in my boiling water, both batches...1 hour wasted!  I think I have time tomorrow at work to try again and weigh the potatoes this time, because I cannot believe Julia would publish something that fails.

I guess I was in a soup mood cause I cooked beans and green soup along with Mexican beef and potatoes (version of caldo)  I have two whole chickens that I will try to tackle tomorrow...

OK slacker!

Last night we had a quick version of shepherd's pie. beef, mushrooms, carrots, onions, garlic and peas for the base mixed with some tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Covered with the smoothest heavenly mashed potatoes. (I love my ricer!)

Tonight I am making everyone eat the leftovers from this week. I am tired of having to do it myself.

Love you!

So last night for dinner I made roast chicken with potatoes. But the potatoes were the star of dinner. I took russet potatoes and I sliced them about 1-2 inches thick. Boiled them for about 15 min. then drained and shook the pan a few times to "fluff" them salt, pepper a little olive oil and put them on the pan with the chicken @450 for about an hour. The potatoes were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Different from your basic roasted potato. Got the idea from our buddy Martha.

Tonight we are having chicken pot pie.

Love you!

You always have good practical questions, so ask away.

A torta is basically a sandwich on great crusty bread with savory Mexican fillings. In fact I think this could be a great food truck option. (or grilled cheese or tacos)

I love lentils! I usually make a hearty soup with carrots, celery onions and equal parts chicken stock and beef stock, and a bit of butter to offset all the healthfullness! Or I like a cold lentil salad. Cook the lentils until just tender, if you overcook them they get too mushy, fine for soup but ugly for salad. Then i take the warm, drained lentils and add Italian dressing (homemade or store bought) Crumbled crispy bacon or shredded smoked chicken, scallions, roasted red peppers, and feta cheese or whatever is available. I like it on a bed of fresh baby spinach and it's so healthy I can't stand it! Whatever veggies you have around will work.

We had chicken and rice soup and Jon topped it off with twin cronnie sandwiches! If my camera would have been charged I would have taken a pic for the maiden recipe post. Probably better that way, so now I will beg the question what's for tomorrows dinner? I better make it blog worthy!

What's for Dinner Sister!: Blog is up

What's for Dinner Sister!: Blog is up: "Yay!! For my sister who I adore. Excited to see where this goes, and enjoy all the delicious food we will share."

This is a test

So excited to start! I may use this blog to pick your brain, like what goes in a torta?

I have a bag of lentils in my pantry that i would really like to use. It is supposed to get cold here this weekend so I was thinking of making this white bean stew that I saw on Smitten Kitchen today. (Have you checked out that site)

So last night we had Qdoba. Long day of working, violin lessons and a sick Jhai. So now I am trying to figure out what is for dinner tonight sister.

Blog is up

Yay!!
For my sister who I adore. Excited to see where this goes, and enjoy all the delicious food we will share.